#and finally nearly 12 hours later

[zaddyazula]

took long enough

[squid--inc]

....

[wirt-and-wirt-by-products]

Killing myself in front of a flight attendant to permanently change the course of their life forever

[helioooss]

hard times

part two

synopsis: you have been dating mina in secret for nearly five years now. things start to fall apart after her fans finally raise speculations about your true relationship with her

w/c: 7.4k ((oops, got carried away and dragged it out))

warnings: mentions of alcohol…lots of angst. actually just pure angst

a/n: if i had a dollar for every time i yelled “girl, stand up for yourself” while writing this, i’d have like $6. againnnn, not proofread, was sleep deprived writing this, also only had 12 hours of free time at work <//3

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The early rays of sunlight cracked through the blackout curtains of your apartment window, sending out golden hues of light to wake you up. You turned over to wrap your arms around your girlfriend, but to your surprise, were met with cold sheets and an empty bed instead.

In confusion, you slowly opened your eyes - melting away any remnants of sleep. As far as you were aware, she had nothing written down on her schedule today.

You were about to reach out for your phone when you noticed the answer to your question: a handwritten note sitting on the bedside table from no other than Mina herself.

A smile tugged on the corners of your lips, she knew you too well.

good morning my love, i got called into a morning meeting with head office today. i should be back home for lunch!

love, minari <3

Sitting up, you let the familiar silence settle around you. You were suddenly reminded of how lucky you were to be a part of Mina's life - to be able to call her your own, she chose you even when the rest of the world wanted her.

Four years later, your love for her only grew deeper with every sunset and beating of your heart. The timeless moments that built your relationship; from the late-night game dates, flying to every tour show, holding her hand as she achieved her dreams and even the silly little arguments that made your relationship stronger — you were grateful for them all.

The light that she brought into your life was otherworldly- she was everything (and perhaps more) you needed.

Though sometimes, there were moments where you wished you could just tell the world about your girlfriend because the world outside of yours, you were only one of her closest friends. At least, her family and friends knew, and to some extent, her company. You could write a million books about her and it still wouldn't be enough.

There was a delicate balance in the fragile world you built together. Mina worked as a popstar and you were an independent producer.

It helped that you grew up with one of her bandmates, Jihyo, who (unfortunately) was always a good first excuse whenever questions were raised as to why you were so dedicated to being present in almost every show. Secondly, you were one of their producers.

Besides that, you had pretty much perfected the art of being Mina's best friend. Anniversaries were orchestrated carefully, always planned months ahead of time and any public appearances involved being friendly with her as possible. Your longing smiles and shared looks were a soft reminder of your love for each other, and that was enough for now.

In the corner of your dimly lit studio, you worked in front of the mixer endlessly - isolated from the rest of the world as you poured yourself into your craft. You were constantly attempting to push JYP into releasing more music outside of TWICE's comfort zone, something the girls had respected you for.

The buzzing of your phone pulled you out of your work trance as you frantically grabbed it out of your pocket. It was Jihyo and it had to be something important if she was calling you at ten in the morning.

"What brings forth the Queen's presence?" you chuckled, however, she held her silence on the other end. "Hello, earth to Jihyo?"

"Have you seen the link Momo and Dahyun sent you?"

You frowned at the seriousness in her tone, the weight of her emotions passing to you. "Good morning to you too, and no, I've been working since I got up."

She heaved out a sigh. "It's not looking too good, Y/N, not good at all."

"What are you on about?"

Within a second, you were scrolling through the group chat you shared with the other members. Multiple links were sent out and you wish you hadn't clicked on it because the sudden doom you were feeling was horrifying - your world had just been turned upside down.

Mina and Y/N - more than friends?

The first one you had clicked was a video compiled of Mina's longing stares, the changes in her mood whenever your name was mentioned and of course, the moments you two shared together in public as friends being carefully dissected. She wore a different persona around you - the one you were only meant to see, and it didn't click to you how painfully obvious it was.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," you muttered as you clicked another link, heart racing as you watched the headlines unfold.

This time, it was a tweet; a photo of her in one of her many disguises next to a photo of you and her holding hands at the beach...the only indication pointing to her was the fact that she wore the exact same outfit.

There were more "evidences" but you had seen enough.

You have never felt this violated in your life, years of cherished memories were now tarnished by the mere fact that it was being shared around for the public to scrutinise. It would be a lie to say that you two had not prepared for this, but there was always the illusion of your lives being separate - safe in the world you had built.

"It's going to be okay," Jihyo tried her best to comfort you in her soft voice. "Is she not home?"

"No, she told me she got called into a meeting and I'm assuming it's all because of this mess," you plopped your head against your pillow, a million thoughts already running through your head. "Do you think she'll get kicked out of the group?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jihyo scoffed at you. "We aren't Twice without Mina. The only options for JYP are to either confirm, deny or not say anything at all."

"I'm going to lose her, I know it," you gasped out, running your fingers through your hair. "What am I going to do?"

"You know what Mina always says about you, Y/N?" it was Chaeyoung's voice on the line this time. "That she wouldn't be able to do all of this glitz and glamour if she didn't have you in it. You're her anchor, remember that.

"Thank you," you strung out, voice heavy. "I appreciate it."

"Your relationship will always have our support, we love you as much as we love that penguin."

Mina suddenly barged into your studio a mess; puffy eyed and hair messy. Her face showed a mix of anger, uncertainty and more importantly, fear of what the future held for the both of you. In the middle of all the chaos surrounding your relationship, you opened your arms wide for her and you were met with a crying Mina falling into your chest.

"I'm so sorry, baby," her voice was barely above a whisper. "Tell your family that I'm sorry. Everyone's going to pry into your life and —"

You squeezed her body tight, making her stop as you kissed her temple lovingly. You were just as lost as her. "Have you forgotten that everyone was prepared for this? Don't worry about my family, they'll be fine, I'm more worried about your career."

She looked up at you, biting her bottom lip as hard as she could. "They want me to confirm the old dating rumours I had with Jeno."

"What?" your question held so much frustration and turmoil. Out of all the possibilities you two had considered, you didn't see a fake relationship with another idol coming. "How the fuck is that going to help you?"

"They're convinced a relationship with him will be more beneficial for me than damaging, and it'll stir away all those rumours about us if the public is convinced enough," she replied, her tone mirroring your bitterness. "They also want you to go on friendly dates with other idols and make it look like you do this with everyone else."

Your eyebrows furrowed, your grip on her arms loosening. "And you said okay to all of this?"

"I had no choice," she bellowed out, another set of tears prickling out of her eyes. "It was either I lose you forever or for a short amount of time and I picked the latter!"

You sent her an apologetic look, letting out a sigh. It was a mission to contain the surge of anger flowing through you in front of Mina, it was the last thing she needed. This storm would pass, however, it was sailing together that worried you the most.

"I love you, Y/N," Mina firmly reassured you. "Do you know that?”

"I love you too, I'm sorry."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

In the days that followed, against both of your wills, Mina temporarily moved out of your apartment and "officially" started dating Jeno. Alongside that was the release of a series of photos of you with other idols - seemingly justifying your intimate dates with her.

It felt like a blow to your place in the industry. You weren't just a mere producer to the public now, you were linked to almost every member of Twice and Blackpink, years of hard work overshadowed by dating rumours just like that.

The thing that convinced the public the most were old photos of you and Rosé's friendship resurfacing, all the way back from her debut days. A recent one caught Mina's eye out of all of them; the blonde idol was kissing your cheek at your favourite Italian restaurant out of all places - the one you took her out to for your first date.

It was the sole reason for Mina's silence tonight.

You and the members of Twice were all seated around the dorm's dinner table; candlelights flickering and casting shadows in the room as Japanese jazz played in the background.

She was sitting right across from you, absentmindedly twirling her ramen but still refusing to eat it. The soft hum of their conversations were drowned out trying to figure out how to push your girlfriend's sour mood away. And, she looked so beautiful in the light - jet black hair cascading past her shoulders and perfectly framing her divine features.

"My love, aren't you going to eat?" you whispered gently, a tinge of concern beneath your voice. "You haven't touched your food since I got here. Did you not miss me?"

You hadn't seen her in over a week due to your clashing schedules, most of her free time were spent doing publicity stunts with Jeno and most of yours consisted of missing Mina and hanging out with idols you have worked with at least once.

She sent you a tight-lipped smile, pushing a strand of her hair to the back of her ear. "I did miss you, a lot, I'm just bothered."

You gazed at her, raising an eyebrow. "What about, my darling?"

A rush of warmth made its way to her cheeks as she shook her head. "It's nothing important, I'll tell you after dinner, yeah?" she reached for your hand over the table, resting it on top of yours.

Albeit unconvinced, you nodded with her. She didn't speak to you for the rest of the night, choosing to engage in conversations with the group. It would've been reasonable if it weren't for the fact that you hadn't spoken to or seen her all week - the longest you have spent away from each other so far since you started dating.

It didn't seem to have an effect on her and it stung.

Nayeon nudged you with her elbow, noticing the shift in your behaviour. "And what's going on with you, Y/N? I miss seeing you lurk everywhere, and now all these other girls get to be in your presence."

All eyes were on you now, but yours fell on Mina whose jaw was noticeably clenched. You nervously chuckled, taking a big sip out of your chardonnay. "I know, it sucks, but also a perfect opportunity for me to play around with my tunes, you know? It's exhausting, but hopefully it'll all tone down soon...specially with Mina dating Jeno."

"So, having fun with Rosé?" Mina cleared her throat, tone coming out harsher than intended with hurt evident in her eyes. And it caught you and the rest of the girls off-guard. "I didn't know you guys were that close until those photos came out."

"Yeah," you awkwardly trailed off. "I used to work for Teddy at the Black Label. We've always been close but the years have grown us apart, can we talk about this later?"

"Why later?" her voice cracked, burning you with her stare.

Your face was flushed with embarrassment as you took notice of the girls sinking on their seats, trying to make themselves invisible and far away from her wrath because angry Mina was bad, but jealous and angry Mina was the worst version of her to exist, ever.

"Because I haven't seen you in so long and I'd like to have a good night with our friends," you said quietly. "Is that too much to ask, Mina?"

She got up, not before exchanging strained looks with you, unable to hide her emotions any longer. "She's kissing your cheek in one of the photos for god's sake," she shot back at you, footsteps bearing the heavy weight of the mess she created. "Girls, I'll be in my room if you need me, I'm really sorry for ruining the night."

The stunned silence that followed after her departure hung heavy between all of you. You were completely blindsided by her reaction because it was unusual of Mina. She trusted you and your judgement regarding everyone in the industry, and you had always been transparent about your previous relationships. Rosé wasn't even on the list of people you've dated, she was like a sister to you.

"Go after her, Y/N," Jeongyeon was the first to break the silence, a gentle contrast against the previous heated exchange. "She's under a lot of pressure from the company right now - please go easy on her."

You silently excused yourself from the table, trailing behind Mina a minute too long. You opened the door to her room and your heart instantly ached at the sight of her sitting on the edge of the bed with a defeated look on her face.

She glanced up at you, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know where that came from, that was unacceptable and -"

You took a deep breath, kneeling in front of her as you cupped her face in between your palms. "Baby, what's going on?"

"I'm scared and I'm so tired of following rules and I hate holding the hands of someone I barely know and don't love," she started, shoulders trembling with silent cries. "And I hate seeing you with girls who are so much better than me.”

"My love, there is no else better for me in this world. I will always choose you no matter what," you said, wiping streaks of tears off of her face with your thumb. "I love you more than anyone else in the world, you matter to me the most."

She searched your eyes for any ounce of lies, and all she found was sincerity. "You promise?"

"I promise," you took her hand into yours, placing a chaste kiss on the back of it. "I'm all yours."

Her head was resting against yours and you sat frozen in that position for a long time, cherishing this moment for the rough waves ahead of you two.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

After the first wave, it wasn't long before the cracks in your relationship began to show. You weren't allowed to see Mina for a certain amount of time each week and every interaction with her had to be meticulously orchestrated by her managers - date nights are now rare and she barely replied to any of your texts, it felt like your place in her life was slowly being taken over by Jeno.

Arguments were more common than ever, most of it coming from Mina's side with all the built up frustration at the lack of control in her own life getting lashed in your direction.

In one of the rare nights management had allowed you to see her in the space of your own home; a month and a half after the unraveling of the biggest chaos in your lives, she had specifically told you she only had limited time for two rounds of Fortnite and and maybe an hour or two of Minecraft before she had to leave.

Nonetheless, for you, that was more than enough.

You went out of your way to set up a pillow fort in the centre of your living room, Mina's favourite snacks all on display and even putting up fairy lights all over the space. It was the only way you could try to bring back the intimacy that you both lost ever since being outed by the public.

And honestly, you wanted to remind her that you were so much better than Jeno - that you knew her more than he did.

"So, how long ago did she leave?" you were on the phone to Jihyo like normal. These days, with your movements still limited (the rumours between you and Mina have thankfully died down) you confided in her and she let you.

"She should be there any minute now," the other girl hummed, clapping her hands in excitement. "This is going to make her feel so much better, Y/N, I just know it."

"I really hope so, Ji," her old nickname rolled off your tongue like clockwork. "I miss her so much, I wish things could go back to normal."

"Just hold on a little longer, yeah?"

As soon as you heard the locks turn, you stumbled on your feet trying to make yourself somewhat presentable in front of your girlfriend. "I gotta go, I'll let you know how it goes."

Mina appeared behind the door, a tired smile on her face. In an instant, your arms wrapped around her, being smothered with all the kisses she missed from you.

She planted multiple kisses on your lips, equally missing you. "I missed this."

"I'm so glad you're here, Minari," you pulled her into the living room with your back turned towards her. "Just like old times, hey?"

Your eyebrows furrowed when you were met with silence, confused as to why she wasn't saying anything. So, you turned towards her and you wished you hadn't because you felt so small under her cold gaze.

"What's this?" she began, her tired giggles replaced by an angry scowl.

Your hopeful smile was gone. "What do you mean?"

"I'm so fucking tired, I told you not to do anything special, didn't I?" she rubbed her temples in irritation. "You never listen to anything I say."

Your heart sank at the entirety of her words. Tonight was supposed to be special for you both but Mina's lack of effort and gratitude were beginning to show and it hasn't even been five minutes. "I thought it would've been nice to bring a sense of normalcy back into our relationship."

"Normal?" she scoffed at you, clearly offended by the words that came out of your mouth. "There's nothing normal about our whole situation. It's hard for me to keep up with you when you're always at my back for the smallest things. There is only one of me, Y/N, can't I catch a break from you?"

"Mina...what are you saying? What am I doing wrong?" you stood there, dumbfounded at the lack of context in her words. She was simply rejecting you and it felt like a punch to the stomach.

"You're obviously rubbing it in my face that I'm not putting in enough time into our relationship," her voice was laced with nothing but anger. These days, it was a common tone from her. "Do you know how exhausting it is to act like everything is fine when it's not? To act like I'm in love with someone I'm not? I didn't ask for any of this, I just wanted a night of peace - not a fucking extravagant date."

Your expression softened, heart aching at the sight of her scrambling to let all of her bottled emotions out. She was struggling to balance everything and you hoped that she would let you carry some of the weight on her shoulders. "Okay, we'll get all of this silliness out the way," you were trying so hard not to cry in front of her - you hated making things worse but feeling a sense of rejection from your own girlfriend wasn't exactly the best one.

"Forget about it, don't follow me, please," she added, walking out of the living room and into your shared bedroom.

Your heart broke as she stirred away from you with every step, all you could do was sink on the couch - the fort you built crashing after you. Burying your face into your hands, you let the tears fall: you were losing her, and that realisation had cut way too deep.

Minutes later, deep within your thoughts, you failed to notice the presence in front of you until she wrapped her arms around you, muttering gentle apologies and reassurances.

"I'm here, baby," Mina's tone was laced with a heavy sense of regret, drawing circles on your back just like how she used to. "I'm sorry I took it out on you, again."

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong," you turned to face her with bloodshot eyes. "I'm trying my best for you and none of it seems good enough."

"None of this is on you," she reassured, placing a kiss on your neck - lips lingering longer than usual. "I love you so much, I don't want to lose you."

"It feels like I'm losing you, Mina."

"I'm here until forever, remember?" she promised, a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"I hope so."

"I do know so," she smiled at you with sincerity, that was all it took for you to forgive her. "Let's smash a few rounds in, shall we?"

Mina somewhat kept her promise of putting more effort in, she fought with her managers more, never failing to defend you from their wrath. With the rumours toning down, you were allowed to be out in public with her and Twice again. Of course she was still dating Jeno in their eyes, but with their schedules constantly not aligning due to his group's upcoming album, the rift that was building between you and her grew smaller because it meant she could see you more.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Things were nearly back to normal again, until you had to meet him.

"Remind me why I have to meet this guy again?" you raised an eyebrow as Momo and Sana both circled around you.

"Because the public is starting to notice that despite being Mina's best friend, you have never been seen around Jeno," Momo described the situation perfectly.

"Um, what?" you chuckled. "I could literally say the same thing about you and him!”

"Okay, but we're idols, and our worlds are bound to crash with each other," Sana defended their situation.

You rolled your eyes. "Whatever you two say."

That same night, you were seated around the candlelit dinner table once again. Arriving a little later than usual, you had exchanged formalities with Jeno against your will, and as much as you wanted to hate him, he genuinely seemed like a nice guy and if the circumstances were any different, you would've liked him.

Cutlery clinging and small conversations that were filled with laughter took up the sound of the room. Instead of taking the seat across from Mina like you always did, you chose the one next to Tzuyu. She didn't even notice.

With him around, she barely acknowledged your presence. If anything, she seemed to enjoy being wrapped under his arms as they all laughed to a stupid joke he made.

"Are you alright?" Tzuyu whispered into your ear when she noticed your white knuckles on the wine glass, carefully treading around your anger.

"Me?" you forced a smile.

"I'm asking you, lovely."

"Why would I not be?" you swallowed the bitterness along with your drink. Her eyes held a bunch of questions, frowning when her bandmate who moved a little too close to you for liking. "I'm feeling great, Tzuyu."

Tzuyu didn't press you any further for the rest of the night and as the evening drew to an end, you had nursed at least a bottle of wine to distract yourself. It only heightened the growing knot of jealousy and despair in your chest as Mina laughed to another joke Jeno had said; leaning in closer to him.

"Please enlighten me on what the fuck the show they're putting on is all about," you asked Chaeyoung with a low voice, and heard by Tzuyu and Jihyo as they turned to you. "Are there cameras around?"

"No," Jihyo shook her head, confusion plastered on her face. "You're going to have to ask Mina that."

Chaeyoung sent Jihyo a warning glare, not wanting her to add any more fuel to the fire. "Y/N, are you sure you're meant to be pouring another glass?"

"We've already taken photos, why the fuck is she acting like this in front of me?" your voice feigned with hurt, ignoring the concerned looks from your friends.

The sight in front of you frayed with your emotions and clawed at your insecurities. They looked so perfect together and she seemed happy. At your expense, you watched as he leaned in closer and captured her lips unexpectedly.

You were met with nothing but only horrified looks from everyone in the room, including Mina. The pain in your heart grew, and the temporary bandaid placed on it ripped apart - the wound you thought was healing was gaping open once again. Without thinking, you slid off your seat; chair scraping harshly against the wooden floors.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go attend more important matters," you held your composure firmly, looking Jeno right in the eye before bowing your head down. "It was nice meeting you, you're perfect for Mina. I hope the rest of you have a good night."

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they finally pieced what the breaking point in your relationship would be. You turned on your heel, not bothering to look behind you. And with one certainty, you held your head up and slammed the door shut.

Outside, you stumbled down the pavement; the cool winter breeze hitting sharply against your flushed skin. You clenched your fists as you tried to steady yourself through the alcohol and the free-falling of your tears - the picture of Mina and Jeno kissing replaying in your head, sealing it into place.

Behind you were audibly hurried footsteps, and Mina's voice echoed throughout the street as she called for you to halt. You quickened your pace but anyone sober was guaranteed to be faster than you. "Please let me explain, Y/N," she pled desperately, grabbing your arm.

"Explain what?" your voice was cold, another set of tears making its way down your face. "How do you explain kissing someone else in front of me? You barely spared me a glance tonight and now you want me to listen to your bullshit?"

Her grip tightened, fearing that you would slip through the cracks and leave her completely. "He doesn't know about us. It's all my fault, I'm sorry, I know I should've told him beforehand but I assumed he would've gotten the hint after meeting you —"

It felt like another punch to the gut. "He doesn't know we're dating?"

The fake relationship with Jeno was supposed to make things better for you and Mina, but it felt like he was slowly seeping into your lives, casting you to the sidelines. You failed to notice all the Jeno this and Jeno that, but it all came to you at once now.

What you had witnessed tonight; the way she slipped into that fake relationship felt too real - it looked like what you two once had.

Mina's features were etched with fear, eyes glistening with tears, and despite all this mess, she looked gorgeous under the streetlights and your hazy vision. "I love you, please stay over tonight."

Your breath shuddered in disbelief. "You want me to go back and watch you play housewife with this guy? Don't you think your actions have embarrassed me in front of our friends enough, Mina?"

"Okay," she heaved out a sigh, pausing to consider her other options. "Then please let me come home with you tonight."

One thing about her was that she was stubborn - always almost determined to win you back immediately after arguments. You've never felt to defeated in your life; in the back of your mind, you knew you were never good enough for Mina.

In your eyes, she was a bright star with so much ahead of her future and the shadow you casted over only dimmed her; she deserved someone who would let her shine. And tonight, you saw that in him.

You shook your head, turning away from her. "Forget about this, okay? Go home, Mina.”

"Y/N, you're not listening to me," her voice trembled. "I wanna come home to you."

Ignoring her desperate pleas, you continued to walk ahead of Mina - widening the gap between the two of you. In one last final act, her body collided with yours from behind, arms wrapped around your waist tightly.

"Mina," you tried to wriggle your way out, but you undermined the extent of her strength. "Let go, people are going to fucking see!"

"Then let them," she cried out. "I'll end this stupid contract and tell him about you and how I have loved you for the past four years. No more drifting apart, my love, it all ends tonight."

You finally gave in to her touch, allowing yourself to lean against her. You began to think about all the things she gave up for you; ones that would've been beneficial for her career but in the end, Mina always chose you. And tonight was no different from that.

She was willing to defy everyone else, with her career on the front lines, just to keep you in her life - but why?

"I love you," she whispered, breaking the silence. "Please don't give up on me now."

You took a deep breath, turning around to face her. "Okay," a flash of hurt appeared in her eyes as she took a good look at your tear-streaked face - regret filling her body knowing that she caused it.

"Okay what, baby?"

"Okay, you can come home to me tonight...after you do all of that."

Her eyes lit up, pulling your face in for a kiss but you immediately stopped her. She looked at you, a mix of hurt and confusion plastered on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want his germs on me, please brush your teeth first," you put your hand up in disgust. "I'll see you at home, okay?"

She chuckled, nodding her head in understanding. "I love you baby, text me when you get dropped home."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

For the next three months, things settled down for a while. In the eyes of the public, Mina was still dating Jeno - you two figured out that it would be too soon to end it and would only make things worst for the both of you. Their dates were less frequent due to her insistence; she fought for your relationship like she would. And he was extremely apologetic about his actions that night.

The two of you were rediscovering your love for each other, coming out stronger than before. Days were filled with laughter and heartfelt conversation - you were rebuilding your safe space together once more.

Things were good, until they weren't.

You were more careful than before, even after JYP offered an extension of your contract that came with a new apartment in the same building as Twice.

This allowed you to spend more time with the girls whenever you had the chance, hence why you were currently sitting on their couch with a bowl of bulgogi in your hand whilst Mina was away...which seemed more frequent nowadays.

After some blissful weeks together, the shadows of the past were creeping up behind Mina, and the person the came with it was Jeno.

They had frequent shoots for international brands together and were practically the face of the industry after one of their Prada campaigns went viral. The thought that often lingered in the back of your mind, the one that told you that you weren't good enough for Mina, was beginning to resurface in her absence.

"Can you cut more trees for us, Somi?" Chaeyoung rasped out. "Stop swooning that useless and ugly man over, the village doesn't need more mouths to feed right now!"

You chuckled at her frustration, eyes glued to the screen. Tonight's game was Medieval Dynasty, and both Chaeyoung and Somi were new to it. Usually, it was Mina playing it with you but with her often gone, you managed to convince one of her members to play with it - who also swayed her friends, Somi, into it.”

"I don't care, I wanna see useless and ugly babies," she snickered, eyes quickly falling on you. "Can you throw a mouthful of that into my mouth, please? It smells really good.”

"Have some damn shame, Somi," Chaeyoung said, fake annoyance laced in her tone. "Put some in my mouth first.”

"And what makes you two think I'll give you some?" you quirked up an eyebrow. "I asked if you wanted any but you chose to order sushi instead, so live with that decision."

"I just cut you thirty-four trees you ungrateful brat!"

"And I just built you three houses and a hunting lodge, plus I gave you my copper axe."

As the night continued, the nagging doubt inside your mind gnawed stronger - constantly looming over your thoughts. It was nearly midnight and it was unusual for her to be out this late.

to: minari

hey baby, you good? when are you coming home

from: minari

Was out with jeno and some of his members tonight, on mg way home now. Sorry!!!

You frowned; she couldn't even tell you that beforehand. Jamming your phone back into your pocket, you grabbed the controller in frustration again. Jihyo woke up from her "nap" (which was six hours long, you counted) and took the empty space on the couch next to you.

"Was that Mina?" she mirrored your expression. "Why isn't she home yet?”

"Went out with Jeno and his friends," you mumbled, eyes focused on the screen and failing to notice the glances your friends exchanged with each other. "Chaeng, I think you should build a huge orchard. I have all these seeds for you."

Not too long after, the door rang open and Mina stumbled inside; hair messy and eyes red. The scent of alcohol entered the room with her and the laughter faded into concerned looks.

"Hello," she slurred, struggling to kick her heels off her feet. "Hello everyone, sorry for interrupting."

Your heart immediately sank at the state of her, walking over towards her to hold her up. "Christ Mina, how much did you drink?"

She sheepishly smiled at you. "I'd rather not count."

"Okay, let's get you to bed," you said, suppressing your anger for tomorrow's conversation.

As you laid next to Mina with a million thoughts running through your head, you took note of his scent lingering a little too long on her.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

The next few days grew longer. Mina was out almost every night, barely making time for you. You were seated on the edge of your bed, hands buried in your face after Mina had slammed the door on you after voicing out your growing concern about her spending too much time with Jeno.

"You know this is important for my career, right?" she immediately turned defensive after hearing the familiar tone in your voice. "Y/N, the man you speak of is actually boosting Twice again. The girls are getting booked more -"

"And that's awesome," you said gently, going back into the mental box you built around yourself after stepping a foot out. "I don't have a problem with that, but Mina, it's affecting our relationship. I'm not seeing you, you're always out and when you come home, you're hammered. I'm not getting any sleep just staying up to look after you, it's unfair, I have work to do too."

That didn't help your case because she just seemed angrier than a second ago. "Why are you being so selfish? It's always about our fucking relationship and never about my career, do you even care about me?"

"Is it selfish to ask you for the bare minimum?" you bit your lip. "I want you to show our relationship a tinge of respect."

"You're so clingy all the time, I can't stand it," her frustrations were cut short with the sound of her phone ringing. "Why do you always start pointless arguments when I'm just about to leave?"

You sent her a glare. "If you leave now, you can sleep at your dorm tonight."

"Perfect," she clenched her jaw with no hesitance in her voice. "Goodbye, have a nice night!"

That night, you accidentally found out from Momo that your girlfriend didn't end up coming home. Accidentally...because she ended up asking where Mina was after she didn't show up to practice.

You knew the worst had already happened a long time, you felt it in your gut. Something shifted in Mina and its been going on for weeks now, the distant look in her eyes, their intimate photos together - she had been pulling away from you for some time now but you loved her too much to let her go.

Four years. Four years of building your life around your future and this was how it was going to end, tainted by her betrayal.

That wasn't even the turning point for you. No, it wasn't when the girls cornered you into a table in an attempt to talk you into confronting Mina about her late nights, not the photos plastered all over online - the ones with her head on his chest outside of a restaurant in Gangnam and definitely not the smell of his perfume on her clothes.

You knew it was truly over when she barged into your apartment one night with marks all over neck.

The room was illuminated by the television, a random Anerican show playing in the background. Your eyes were glued to the clock on the wall, a glass of whiskey on your hand as you waited for her to come home. She was supposed to be here four hours ago for your anniversary dinner...and she didn't turn up.

Mina was now living a fast life and you fell behind. You sprawled out on the couch, loosening the tie on your neck as you pictured a desolate life without her. It would end all the heartbreak, for sure, but could you really do it without her?

The door creaked open, revealing the disheveled woman in front of you. The knot in your chest tightened, eyes failing to ignore the dark spots on her neck.

"Y/N baby, you're still up?" your presence startled her, assuming you'd be asleep by now, she didn't even bother to hide it.

"Do you know what today is?" your grip on the glass tightened when she remained silent. "Happy fifth anniversary."

The severity of her shortcomings instantly dawned on her, rendering her frozen in her spot. It seemed like those three words pulled her out of the safe bubble she had been living in - away from all the guilt that had been eating its way into her chest. She knew that you have known for a while now, yet she was too selfish to let you go.

Deep inside, Mina needed you more than you needed her.

"It's not what you think -" she stammered, struggling to find a decent explanation.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" you asked her, voice dangerously calmer than expected. "You forget our anniversary and come home to me with hickeys on your neck? After five years together, you dwindle me down into a stupid idiot - how could you stoop so low?"

She flinched at your tone, noticing the half-empty bottle of whiskey and a gift box on the table. "I know there's nothing in this world -"

"You only get to speak when I'm fucking done talking to you, Mina," you stood up, towering over her - your anger rising. You couldn't look at her, she was a stranger to you now and the thought of it hurt. "How fucking dare you. After all these years!"

Tears welled up in her eyes, never having seen this side of you. You were always gentle, even during heated arguments where all she did was yell at you, you remained calm. "I don't know what happened, Y/N, but please, give me another chance to make it right."

She searched for love in your eyes and found nothing but indifference. You were enraged, her betrayal slashing deep cuts into the home you built for her inside your heart. Everything was crumbling apart, each fall carrying the weight of your love for her.

"Get out of house," you said through clenched teeth. "And my life."

This was the end.

Mina stepped closer, eyes filled with regret. She reached out for you, but you slapped her hand away. "I love you so much, I'm so sorry for everything. I know I ruined it, but we can fix this, Y/N, I'll do anything just to get what we had back."

You shook your head, refusing to shed another tear for her. "Fix this? I can't even look at you without feeling disgusted. It's gone, Mina, the love that we shared is gone. You threw it out of the window."

She remained silent, the weight of her own actions bearing heavy on her shoulders. "I understand," she nodded slowly, choking a sob out. "But I'll wait for you, until you're ready to fix things with me."

You held your breath. "Don't you get it? There's nothing left to fix. Please go now before I say anything I'll regret.”

"No," she shook her head, trying to intertwine your fingers together. "You and me always forever, right? I love you, please don't leave me."

A forced smile tugged on the corners of your lips as you were starkly reminded of the happy memories you shared with her over the years. It calmed you in an instant. "And let's keep it that way by letting each other go. Don't ruin any more memories for me, Mina, I don't think we can fix this. We have to move on separately."

"Let me remember you," her fingers desperately traced your face, her eyes closed as she brushed over your features - heart shattering at the thought of not seeing them anymore. "I don't know how to let you go."

You gently placed a hand on top of hers, stopping her. "Goodbye, Mina."

Tears cascaded over her cheeks as she tried to understand why she needed to let you go. "I've hurt you enough, haven't I?"

You didn't say anything as your eyes followed her towards the door, each step she took felt like another knife to your chest. As soon as her hand reached the handle, she turned towards you with a grateful smile on her face amidst her tears.

"Thank you, for everything. For being you. And for allowing me to love you. Goodbye for now, Y/N."

The door behind her closed with a gentle thud, the harrowing silence of your loss echoing. The loneliness was beginning to settle in your heart as you threw yourself back on the couch. Memories of her felt so distant now, but the way they made you feel were real. She loved you in those moments.

You weren't certain about what the future held for you, it was going to be a rough road ahead of you but you hoped to find yourself again. And maybe, live a life where love didn't have to hurt this much.

[ncis-yp]

may i request sugar daddy!gibbs? <3

Money, Money, Money (Sugar Daddy! Gibbs x Reader)

Late night, black coffee, handsome man, all alone. Third time this week, 5th week in a row you’ve seen him. You flirted often fishing for bigger tips, trying to pay bills you couldn’t even afford to have. You lived on your own. 18 years old, last 2 months of high school, and barely a plan and money to plan life with.

“See you’re here again!” You say happily topping him off.

“Hey! Rough week” he sighed, eyeing you gently.

“You work at… don’t tell me” you say trying to remember. “NCIS!” You exclaim.

“Good memory” he smiles. “How are you (y/n)?” He asks.

“Ah I’m alright. Just trying to get off work as soon as possible, you know” you shrug. “Later it gets the scarier it is outside.”

“Well, what time do you get off?” Gibbs asks.

“12” you sigh, looking towards the clock. Only 9:45. “Got about 2 hours left”

“Yeah, remember the goal kid.” Gibbs smiled. “Say, what college do you plan on attending? I remember you saying you were a senior and it’s almost the end of the year.”

“Oh, college.” You say quietly. “I can’t afford it, so I won’t be going. Maybe in the future” his phone began ringing. He clicked it silent before turning to you,

“Ah I see… well (y/n) have a good night. I’ve gotta get back to work” he stands.

“See ya around, Jet” you saluted him.

“Jet…” he said thoughtfully. “I like that!!”

Time skip~

The clock hit 12 and your shift was over. You walked out to see a familiar face leaning against a car. You smiled as he approached you.

“Hey Jet! What’re you still doin out?”

“Driving you home” he shakes his keys. “Scary out here” you can see a smirk.

“Coming from a guy who’s packing” you roll your eyes as you approach the car. You were gonna let yourself get a ride with a man who had a gun… a lot safer than walking an hour without a gun. That was how you justified getting into that car.

“Oh shut up” he opened the door and you got in.

When you arrived at your shitty apartment that you could barely afford you saw Gibbs eyes search the perimeter.

“I’ll walk you in… I don’t like the looks of that guy on the corner” he motions with his head.

“It’s really alright. Thank you for the ride!” You say opening your door. Jethro reached across and shut it before you could step out. Silently he got out and walked around the car. Opening it.

“Let’s go” he grinned sweetly. You caved and bring him up. His eyes fell on your small apartment. Clean, organized, your life could fit in a box. He made notes of things to buy you.

“Well since you’re up here” you say as you take off your coat. “Coffee? Tea? Might actually have a bottle of soda in the fridge…” you trail as you thought about it.

“Coffee’s great, yeah” he accepts. The two of you stayed up talking late into the night before he left. Your insecurity of what you could afford present in the back of your mind.

A few days later~

You woke up to a knock on your front door. You opened it to see a delivery guy at your door.

“Delivery for a…” he looked at his clipboard. “(Y/n)(l/n)”

“Yeah, yeah that’s me” you say. “What is this?” The man shrugged.

“A car? If you didn’t order it, not my problem. I can’t take it back.” He said as you signed the paper. He handed you the keys. “Beautiful car by the way” he walked away. You closed the door behind you, walking downstairs. Outside you eagerly clicked the key, looking around for the car, your eyes finally settling on the black dodge challenger sitting in a parking spot a few meters down.

“Oh my god” you say nearly in tears. You ran back upstairs and hurriedly got dressed for work, hoping to see Jethro there. And sure enough when you pulled up in your new car, there was Jethro, leaning on his car again.

“You fucking bastard” you run and hug him, you cry happily into his shoulder. He laughed as you did so.

“Wait wait, I get you a car and you call me Bastard!!!” He exclaimed. “I got something else for you…” he digs his hand into his pocket, another key coming out on his finger.

“Jethro…” you say looking at it as a bright green address tag danced in your eyes.

“Coffee first. Key later” you nodded as you lead him inside.

Time skip~

You ended your shift early to go with Jethro. You blindly tailed him into a nicer apartment complex in a better part of Quatico. Your heart began to flutter as you parked.

You walked into a nice apartment on the 3rd floor. Beautiful black granite kitchen tops, newly installed appliances.

“So…” he says. “What furniture were you thinking you wanted for your new apartment?” He says handing you magazines.

“Holy shit.” You whisper. “This is mine?” He nodded. “This place is mine?” You gasp.

“All paid off. So is the car. And so is your degree.”

“Degree?” You ask. “No you didn’t”

“Yes. I did” he smiled.

“Shut up” you tear up as he passes you a folder. The big words ‘WELCOME TO VIRGINIA TECH’ inscribed. “How did you-“

“Pulled some strings… I think your 1560 SAT score and perfect GPA helped a lot…” he said.

“Oh my god” you cry out jumping into his arms. “I will pay it all back” you say.

“Nope. No need. Just keep being a good girl and I will give you the world” he says.

“Thank you so much!!”

“Of course! You deserve it” he winked. “Now pick out some furniture. It’s your reward for getting into Virginia Tech” you kisses your cheek.

[user9298274001127482]

Are you gonna break up with me?

pairing: bf!matt x gf!reader

warnings: slight angst, resolved ending, fluff

a/n: reader is also youtuber/influencer like matt

a one-shot where matt and y/n have been together almost 4 yrs and he starts cancelling plans with her a lot….

7:00pm

You were at your apartment sitting on your bed watching modern family on the TV. Your boyfriend was coming over to stay the night after what felt like months, he said he would be over around 7 but you just assumed he might be running late.

You were glad that he finally could hangout with you today since he had been cancelling plans so often recently and you hadn’t seen him in 2 weeks which doesn’t seem like much but you and Matt would usually hangout like 4 or 5 times a week.

8:15pm

You were so caught up in watching TV you didn’t even realise what time it was. It had been over an hour since Matt was meant to be here so you decide to send him a text.

Matt ❤️

| Hi baby is everything okay? Why aren’t you here yet?

| seen 8:21pm

He had left you on seen, these past few weeks you have been suspicious of him avoiding u and suddenly being so busy but you and Matt had been together for nearly 4 years. He would never cheat on you or do anything to hurt you.

Or would he? Why did he leave you on seen? Does he want to breakup?

9:30pm

Part of you had still hoped that miraculously he would walk through your bedroom door and give you a perfectly honest explanation as to why he was late and then everything would go back to normal.

But part of you also knew that there must be a reason why he is avoiding you, although you weren’t sure what it was, you weren’t gonna spend all night waiting for him in case he decides to show up.

You sadly start getting ready for bed, putting on your pajamas and brushing your teeth. You stay up watching TV for a few hours.

11:45pm

You hear footsteps and turn your head to the bedroom door and see Matt standing there, the most neutral look on his face, you couldn’t make out whether he was angry, felt guilty or if he just didn’t care.

You stand up as he steps into the room, still not speaking a word he attempts to pull you into a hug. You dodge his hug because how could he act like everything was okay? “Where have you been?” You raise your voice.

“I just got caught up in some stuff” He shrugs using the same excuse he used everytime he cancelled. “What stuff did you get caught up in, Matt? I want answers I’m tired of you avoiding me” you slightly yell.

“Oh my fucking god, not everything is about you y/n, your not my only priority I have a life besides being with you 24/7” he yells while rolling his eyes. I have a life besides being with you his words cause tears to well up in your eyes.

“We haven’t seen eachother in weeks, you keep cancelling plans on me and not answering my calls, what’s going on Matt?” you quietly say with a shaky voice. He looks at you with sympathy in his eyes, a look that makes you think he’s going to apologise.

But instead he grits his teeth and says “It’s too much y/n, I feel like we need some space”. Tears well up in your eyes even more but you don’t let them fall because you don’t want Matt to see, “Are you gonna break up with me?” you say looking away from him because if you look into his eyes you’ll breakdown crying.

A pause of silence, you can see his sad face from the corner of your eyes before he yells again “I don’t fucking know what you want from me!”. Matt storms off, slamming your bedroom door in the process. The second he leaves the tears fall down ur face, your cheeks being drenched. You were always a quiet crier so you don’t worry about Matt hearing you on his way out.

12:00am

A few minutes later you start putting away the pile of clothes on your bed with tears still running down ur face. You get startled when your bedroom door aggressively opens, it’s Matt. He doesn’t look at you face but he comes in and touches you shoulder “Y/n I…” he pauses when seeing your tears dripping down ur face.

Now he looks as if he’s about to breakdown in tears from guilt of making his girlfriend cry. He pulls you into an unexpected hug, your chins rested on eachother shoulders. “Fuck I’m so so sorry I didn’t mean to make you cry” he says with a shaky voice, although you couldn’t see his face you knew he was crying too. “What kind of boyfriend makes his girlfriend cry” he says.

You gently pull out of the hug and see tears rolling down his face now, you wipe your own tears. “Matt can we please just talk ……about us?” you softly say, he nods as you both sit on the edge of your bed facing eachother. “Be honest, why have you been avoiding me” you ask. “No, I- It’s stupid” he replies. “Please? I’d rather hear a stupid reason why than no explanation” you say.

He hesitates before speaking, “Okay well all my friends have been asking when I’ll propose to you since we’ve been together so long and I wasn’t planning to anytime soon and everyone told me you’d…”. With a confused look you ask “Everyone told you I’d what?” “They told me you’d break up with me if I didn’t propose soon and I thought they were right so I’ve been avoiding you cause I was scared of you leaving me” He shyly says.

“Oh matt, we’re both only 21 of course I’m not gonna break up with you if you don’t propose soon. We’re both not ready for that yet but I still wanna be with you until we are ready” you say in sadness that Matt thought you would leave him. “Yeah I realise that now, I was being a dick I’m so sorry y/n” he says with eyes glued to the floor. You lift his chin up so his eyes are meeting yours, “It’s okay I forgive you Matt but please don’t ever do that again I thought we were gonna be broken up” I say.

“I’ll make it up to you I promise, I’ll do anything you want” he genuinely says. “I just wanna watch modern family with you and cuddle and fall asleep in your arms and kiss you” you blabber. “Okay fine” he kisses you on the cheek.

12:15am

You both settle into your bed, your face buried in his neck with his arms tightly wrapped around ur back and waist. He occasionally gives you a kiss on the forehead whispering “I’m so sorry” to you as you lift ur head up and kiss his cheek every now and then.

1:00am

After a while you start getting tired and are half asleep, Matt thinks you’re fully asleep and doesn’t realise you can hear him. He keeps kissing your hand and whispering sweet things in your ear.

“I love you so much” “I’m so sorry” “I’m such a dick I know” “Your the best thing that’s ever happened to me” “I love you more than anything”.

[lil13]

BEST FRIENDS - j. champion

You and Jack met on the set of Avatar when you were 12. Now 19, you lived in apartments across from each other in LA. You're both navigating life as young adults and wondering how the other fits into that.

•

You were seated on the couch of your apartment in Los Angeles watching one of your favorite movies.

Now, finally 19, your mother had trusted you enough to move out to California on your own. Well, sort of.

The agreement was that you could only move across the country if your best friend since you were 12 — Jack Champion — made the move as well. His apartment was across the hall from yours. Both sets of parents wanted easy accessibility to each other for the both of you. So, when they found an apartment building with 2 vacant apartments across the hall, they knew it was meant to be.

You'd met Jack on the set of Avatar: the Way of Water. It was both of your first ever big screen role and you happened to be the two actors closest in age to each other. The boy less than a month older than you.

Your characters played alongside each other, both the only humans born on Pandora, so over the course of filming you'd spent nearly every day together. Because of this, you'd become best friends.

Now, nearly 6 years later, and Jack was seated next to you in your apartment. You would never have thought that your life would end up this way.

Jack shifted next to you, his sudden movement catching your attention. "I might head back to my apartment soon, i've got dinner plans with Jamie tonight and my bed is calling my name for a nap." A faint laugh fell from his lips.

Your own parted, looking at him with the saddest eyes. "Why can't you take a nap here?"

"Because you're wide awake."

"I'm always down to take a nap, you know this, J." you laughed, slightly pushing him.

He caught one of your hands, bringing it up to his mouth to press a kiss to it. "If the princess insists." Jack was giving you the eyes that always drove you crazy.

You'd never tell him that, though.

Jack didn't need to know you'd been harboring a crush on him for the past 2 years. In the break between the end of filming and the premier of your movie, you'd developed feelings for the curly-headed boy.

The two of you had spent nearly every day together, when covid hit, you were separated for months before filming was able to conclude. And in the time after that, when Jack lived in Virginia and you in (your home state), the boy made every effort to come visit you. That, or you'd be on facetime almost every night.

He really put forth the effort to keep your friendship going and that made your heart soar.

You'd devised a plan with Jack to convince your parents to let you both move out on your own. Hence, how you ended up where you were at the moment.

And over time, you'd realized that maybe you had stopped seeing Jack as only your best friend. Maybe there was something more.

"I've got 4 hours before i've got to meet up with Jamie, so if we're gonna nap, let's go." Jack tore you from your thoughts, standing at the entrance to the hallway that lead to your room.

Jack would much rather take a nap in a bed than on the couch, so it wasn't odd that he was halfway to your bedroom by the time you caught up.

The two of you napped together so often that Jack knew how you only slept well when you were on the side of the bed closest to the door, leaving him near the wall. He crawled into the bed, cuddling under the comforter. Cheekily, he smiled up at you with his arms open, knowing you couldn't resist making yourself at home in his arms.

"Set an alarm?" he questioned as you crawled in next to him.

You tapped a couple buttons on your phone before setting it on the side table. "Mhmm." His arms hooked around your waist, pulling you flush against him.

His head tucked in your neck, his hot breath fanning your face. Shivers shot down your spine and you almost lost it. You couldn't help but wonder if he knew what he did to you?

Jack shifted once more, his head tilting before his lips met your cheek. "Love you." he mumbled.

Holy fucking shit.

He kissed your cheek. Your mind was going crazy. "Love you too, J." The two of you told each other how much you loved the other all the time, why did this time feel different?

His arms were still around your waist as you laid there. Your hands fell down to rest on top of his own, loving the feeling of your hands touching. Jack moved his hands, a slight frown flashing on your lips, but instantly disappeared when you felt him slip his fingers between yours.

Did he really want to hold your hands?

You tried to calm your heart and mind of the thoughts running through your head — you'd never fall asleep if you didn't. But the way his thumbs rubbed your knuckles made it extremely hard.

"G'night." Jack mumbled, his hot breath tickling your neck.

Now you were sure you wouldn't fall asleep.

Jack's breathing eventually slowed, clueing you into the fact he'd fallen asleep. You were jealous. He was able to sleep soundly not knowing all that he'd done to you.

Having feelings for Jack felt weird. You'd known him for 6+ years now, and knew that he'd forever be your best friend. But lately, part of you wanted him to be more. It was hard to come to terms with it.

Who knows how much time had passed before you’d given up on sleeping in the position you were in. You let go of Jack’s hands and rolled over to face him, hoping that he’d move in a way to accommodate your new position. Now you were laying with your head on his chest and legs intertwined. Maybe listening to his slow and steady heartbeat would lull you to sleep.

Only, his heartbeat wasn’t slow.

It was fast, very fast.

You furrowed your eyebrows, this didn’t make sense. Wasn’t the heart supposed to be slower when you were asleep?

Your curiosity got the best of you and you propped yourself up, looking up to Jack’s face. He wasn’t asleep anymore, no, he was sleepily looking down at you.

“Did I wake you up?” you mumbled, not wanting to speak too loud.

He shrugged, “Maybe.”

You rested a hand on his chest, his heartbeat prominent under your finger tips. “Why is your heart racing?” You asked yet another question.

Jack’s face flushed red and he avoided eye contact.

Had you done something? Your hand that was over his heart, now holding his cheek. “J, are you ok? Do I need to call a doctor or something?” You were starting to panic.

His heartbeat was never this fast and you were starting to worry at his lack of a response. The thought of him going to the hospital when his family was on the other side of the country made you nervous. You didn’t like it at all.

“Y/N.” Jack’s hand held the one of yours that still rested on his face.

Your eyes found his, in the dim lighting of your bedroom, you still were mesmerized by the dark color of them. “Yeah?”

His other hand slid up your back, successfully giving you chills. Only, the hand didn’t stop. Jack caught the back of your neck, pulling your face down to his.

You took in a sharp breath as his lips connected with yours. Holy shit.

It took you less than a second to kiss back. You couldn’t believe this was happening.

Your mind swirled with thoughts of how long Jack could’ve possibly felt the same way. But also, you were quickly getting lost in the kiss. There were so many feeling surging through your body you didn’t know what to do.

But Jack did.

He pulled your body so you were laying on top of him, your bodies flushed with each other. You were unsure of how far you’d go at the moment, but the fact you were kissing your best friend had you on cloud 9.

[harmonyrae]

Power Couple

CHAPTER 12 - Revelations I am incorporating my headcanon for the Aether Core connection. It’s NOT lore accurate - as far as we know.

You’ve been staying at the house on the hill for the past few days. You and Sylus have indulged in every fantasy you can think of. You’ve recreated your dream of being eaten out on the dining room table. Recreated his dream of throat fucking you by the pool. You secretly pray the chef never finds out Sylus bent you over the kitchen counter, the sink, the stove, the fridge… Basically his entire workspace.  

You both handled work from home, opting to join conference calls from the pool or private office. You were careful not to discuss confidential information when Sylus was around. You knew if Dorian found out you were talking shop with Sylus in the room he would never forgive you.

When you weren’t tongue deep in each other, you and Sylus talked about the bond you seem to share. He explained the situation at the gallery and Chen’s possible “client.” He also explains the Aether Core. He had an Aether protocore fragment implanted into his eye when he was young. He had no say in the matter and no parents to fight for him. 

“The connection we share, the Aether fragment, you have one too.” He places a hand over your heart. You feel that similar warmth.

“I don’t remember...” You cover his hand with your own. He wraps his other hand around your waist. The warm water in the tub has cooled, but you don’t want to get out, not yet. You feel his breath on your neck, his body firm against your back. Sitting between his legs as he presses kisses to your shoulders and neck as he explains.

“Do you want to know?” You lean your head back on his chest.

“Maybe? Yes… Tell me.”

Sylus takes a deep breath. You can tell this story will be hard for him to tell. You pull his hand from your chest and interlace your fingers with his. Giving his hand a squeeze, he sighs. 

“We were in the same laboratory. My surgery was experimental. No one expected me to survive. So when I did, they didn’t waste any time putting your fragment in. Our rooms were next to each other. The walls were thin, so we’d sit and talk for hours. Well, when they weren’t running tests or experiments on one of us. We grew up together. We kept each other sane all those years. If you came back from tests crying, I’d sing to you. You’d be laughing in no time. And… if I woke up from a nightmare, you’d read to me until I fell asleep.”

Sylus tightened his grip around you. You could feel his heartbeat quickening against your back. You rub small circles on his arm, his grip loosening slightly.

“On your 18th birthday, I... aha, 'gently convinced' a nurse to let me into your room. It was the first time we were truly alone. No nurses hovering or doctors forcing us to practice controlling our Aether energy by resonating. Or…” His voice trailed off. Your heart broke listening to him.

“Did you make me a cake?” You heard him let out a breathy laugh. 

“Sort of. I could finally pick up things with my energy so… I stole cookies out of the vending machine down the hall. Couldn’t steal a candle though, but you still made a wish. You wished we could be free. And I made you a promise, that I would find a way for you to be free. I don’t remember much else from that night. Besides just holding you. And trying to figure a way out.” 

“And did you?” 

You finally turn slightly to look at him. He avoids your gaze. You lift his chin so his eyes meet yours. And your heart nearly stopped when you saw his red eyes were glazed over, tears threatening to spill out. 

“I did.” 

The rest of this story can be told later, you were desperate to see him smile again. You quickly change the direction of the conversation. 

“What happens if we find another Aether core or fragment? How does that help us?”

He presses your back lightly urging you to stand. He wraps his arm around you, helping you out of the bathtub. He takes a towel and starts drying you off gently. You raise your arms and turn in a circle for him, he chuckles. When you face him his smile has returned. 

“Well, it might strengthen our connection. Stabilize it. May change our evol or strengthen it.” You grab the new towel off the rack and he holds onto your hips as you dry him off.

“So was the protocore at the auction…” 

“It was a decoy. I have people testing it now. It was strange, the energy it gave off... It drained me. If it hadn’t been broken, I don’t like to think about what could have happened.” He leans in and starts placing kisses to your neck, you’ve stopped trying to dry him at this point leaning into his kisses.

“So we keep searching. We’re in this together, okay?” He cups your face in his hands. 

“Okay.” 

He takes the towel from your hands and tosses it on the counter. His hands slowly reach around you to grab your ass, he pulls you to him, his erection pressing against your stomach.

“Don’t you have a meeting in an hour?” Your voice is gruff as his hands squeeze.

“That’s more than enough time to fuck you senseless.” You let your head tip backwards, his lips pressing against your jaw. Your arms wrap around his neck.

“Promises. Promises.” 

He laughs, moving swiftly to pick you up and place you on the bathroom counter. He captures your lips with his. He presses your shoulders back to the mirror, you shift your ass forward and relax into the position. He pulls away from your lips bringing them down your neck, to your collarbone and over your breasts. He places a gentle kiss to your nipple before he takes the bud between his teeth, biting lightly. You grab onto the back of his neck.

“Sy!” 

You feel him smile against your skin before his lips continue down your body. He kneels with his head between your thighs. He drapes your legs over his shoulders and looks up at you with the slyest of grins. You’re about to give him an earful, but he sinks his face into you. His tongue pressing directly into your pussy with no hesitation, his nose pressed against your clit. Your eyes roll back and you gasp.

He speeds up his movements, rubbing his nose against your clit faster and faster. His tongue thrusts and swirls inside you, savoring every ounce of your arousal. He wastes no time, he has a meeting to get to after all.

Ding Ding

Sylus’s phone chimes on the other side of the room where your discarded clothes are. Sylus swears under his breath before rising to his feet, his chin and nose coated in your wetness. You let out a small whimper.

“I’m sorry kitten, there’s an emergency apparently.” He strides over to his jacket. And as frustrated as you are, you enjoy this view of his ass. Sylus retrieves his phone from his jacket pocket.

“What?” His voice is cold. 

The need for friction between your legs is nearly impossible to ignore. So, you decide not to ignore it. Your fingers find your clit and you start to trace circles, being more rough than usual, you stare at Sylus letting your desires fuel the speed. You moan quietly, but Sylus still hears you. He turns and looks at you, eyes wide as he realizes what you’re doing. 

“No no, I’m still here. Did he say why he wants to attend?” His voice is strained. Keeping it professional while watching you play with yourself is proving to be very challenging. 

You spread yourself open as your middle finger glides over your opening. Your long strokes gather your arousal. You finally push your finger into your pussy, feeling how wet you are pushes you to move your fingers faster against your clit. Your breathing is erratic and your legs twitch slightly, but your eyes are locked on Sylus. And from the look on his face, he looks as if he’s about to cum from just watching you. You slide another finger inside and a deep growl escapes your throat.

“I’m on my way.” Sylus says and hangs up quickly, dropping his phone on the clothes pile. 

He crosses the bathroom in a blink and places his hand over yours, putting more pressure against your clit. He buries his face into your neck and nibbles at the soft skin under your jaw. Stars cross your vision as you near your release. 

“Sy… I need to cum…” 

Sylus pulls your hand away and reaches down to place his leaking tip at your entrance. He rubs himself against your clit. 

“Say please.” Sylus whispers. His hand reaches up to wrap around your neck. As his grip tightens and your breath hitches, you wrap your legs around him.

“You’re the worst…” You mutter between gasps. Sylus pulls back and tries to move away from you. You throw your arms around him and dig your nails into his back.

“No no no… please please Sy… please…” Your words rushed and desperate. 

Sylus smirks before pushing into you, hard. Pleasure mixes with pain, as he starts to thrust into you rapidly. Your head presses back into the mirror and Sylus grunts at every thrust, feeling his hips slam against yours, a symphony of wet slaps fill the space around you. 

Ding ding

Sylus’ phone chimes again. Frustrated moans leave both you and Sylus’ mouth. Sylus’ pace never falters. He tucks his hands under your knees and pulls them upwards, placing your feet flat on the counter. He wraps his forearms around your thighs, using them as anchors. With your legs pushed closer to you, Sylus is able to dive deeper. Slamming against your deepest sweet spots. 

“Fuck-in he-hell…” Sylus mutters against your chest. 

Ding

Now it’s your phone ringing. Your fingernails dig into Sylus forearms, forcing Sylus to pull back and you pull him into a kiss, trapping him against you. His pace becomes more erratic and you feel every twitch of his cock as he unloads into you. Your release is not far behind, you break away from him and scream his name. Sylus holds onto your thighs, rocking your forward, working both of you through the peak of your joined climaxes.

Ding

Your phone rings again. Sylus finally pulls out, he places a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“I’ve got to get to this meeting, jackass arrived early and brought a special guest. I’ll bring back dinner, okay?” You nod and kiss him before he leaves to get dressed.

You hop off the counter and shuffle to your clothes to grab your phone. You place a towel on the vanity chair before sitting down. You finally open your messages.

(Dorian) Call me.  (Dorian) It’s urgent.

You press the call button and it rings only one time before Dorian picks up.

“You need to come to the office.” Dorian’s voice is cold and bitter.

“What’s going on?” You try to mentally prepare for Dorian’s latest tirade. 

“Sylus has been lying to you.” You roll your eyes. 

“Dorian, you’ve been suspicious since-” Dorian cuts you off.

“Onychinus is behind Ridgeway Liquors burning down.”

“What?”

“Sylus is Oni.”

Tag List (comment if you wanna be added!): @trishiepo0 @not-so-quite-human

When your slow burn story is too slow burn, so you do 2 spicy chapters back to back... maybe 3... Smile.

[joeshiestyslover]

ᯓ★ eyes don't lie- c. sturniolo ᯓ★

pairing: fwb!chris sturniolo x nls!reader

summary: you and chris have known each other your whole lives, thanks to him being best friends with your older brother. nate would kill you both if you got involved with his best friend, but chris doesn't seem to care very much.

warnings: angst (resolved), slight age gap (chris is 21, reader is 19), suggestive content, language, lowkey toxic!chris

sturniolo masterlist navigation

lowercase intended

word count: 3k

you had never meant for it to end up like this. you would never intentionally hurt your brother by going behind his back and fucking around with his best friend.

nate has always been the person you're closest with. the two of you have a bond that is nearly unbreakable. you always tell each other everything and never keep secrets from one another. until now.

it started with small glances across the room, then slowly developed into lingering touches that lasted a few seconds longer than they should have, until it finally progressed to you in chris' bed.

truth be told, you have always felt a sort of pull towards chris. sure, you're close with matt and nick, but they've never made you feel the way chris has. he's made you feel seen, heard, and even loved sometimes. everyone tells you that you and chris are platonic soulmates. ever since nate brought him into your life, it's like you two have been attached at the hip, rarely seen without the other.

chris has always been protective of your heart. maybe that's what drew you to him. he treats you like a porcelain doll, treating you so carefully as if you'll break.

you never questioned whether or not he saw you as more than a friend. you knew, or at least you thought you knew, he would only view you as his best friend's little sister, nothing more. however, all that changed when the triplets came to visit you and nate in boston last christmas.

you were startled awake at about 10:30 in the morning by a bunch of voices yelling throughout the living room. you slowly rose out of bed and walked towards the voices, and you were greeted with your three best friends and your brother horse-playing near the sofa. "could you guys not be so loud?" you ask, your voice still thick with sleep. this catches the four boys' attention. "wow, you're actually awake before 12 p.m." nate teases which causes you to roll your eyes. "yeah, no thanks to you idiots. when did you guys even get in?" you turn to the triplets. "we got in last night. thought we'd surprise you." chris gives you a small smile. "well, consider me surprised." you return chris' smile and you feel a small flutter in your chest as you two keep eye contact. after a few moments, you realize that neither of you have looked away and you clear your throat, breaking eye contact before heading back into your bedroom to get some more sleep, but not before turning around to face the boys again, "try to keep it down. some of us need our beauty sleep," you then walk back into your bedroom, still thinking about your small moment with chris.

later that night, you and the boys all go out to dinner, celebrating the triplets' return to boston. you're sat next to chris, with matt and nate sat across from you, and nate at the end of the table. as you're all talking and catching up, you feel chris' hand land on your thigh. you quickly look up and give him a look that says, "what are you doing?," but chris just shrugs and turns back to talking with nate.

the dinner continues smoothly, but chris never removes his hand from your thigh, which causes you subtly clench your thighs together a few times throughout your meal. every time you do, chris just winks at you before turning his head away to talk to the rest of the boys, who are all blissfully unaware of what's going on underneath the table.

an hour later, you all arrive back at yours and nate's home, your brother immediately going up to his room with matt and nick, leaving you and chris alone in the kitchen. after a few seconds of awkward silence, you speak up, "so... are we gonna talk about what happened?" he just shakes his head, "i don't know what you're talking about." he responds, playing coy which makes you roll your eyes slightly. "you know what i'm talking about chris. why the hell were you grabbing my thigh?" chris shrugs in response "i felt like it. it wasn't that big of a deal." you scoff at his words, "not that big of a deal? you were literally feeling me up!" you wait for chris to fire back with another nonchalant retort, but you notice him looking up at the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.

you follow chris' eyeline and spot the small piece of mistletoe hanging above your heads. chris looks back down at you with a smirk, "well, we can't skip out on christmas traditions, can we?" you look back down at chris and see a faint hint of desire behind his ice blue eyes. "chris... we shouldn't. you're my brother's best friend, and-" "it's just a kiss, y/n. it's not that deep." you let out a deep sigh before relenting, "fine. one kiss. then we don't speak about it ever again." you feel chris' hands cup the sides of your face, "deal." he responds before leaning down to capture your lips in a soft, quick kiss. you begin to melt into it, and soon, you find yourself not wanting to stop.

after a few seconds, chris pulls away, much to your dismay. his eyes are noticeably darker and his lips are slightly swollen. your eyes subconsciously flick back down to his pink lips, and before you can think it through, you pull him back down for another kiss. this kiss is much different than the last. it's hungrier and sloppier, the underlying desire for one another bubbling to the surface. chris' hands travel down from your face, to your waist, before finally landing on the backs of your thighs, lifting you up. you instinctively wrap your legs around him as he begins to lead the two of you towards your bedroom...

"y/n?..." "y/n!" you immediately snap out of your thoughts and look back at your brother. "what?" he looks back at you with mild concern, "are you okay? you've been zoning out for the past five minutes." you dismiss him and shake your head. "yeah i'm fine. sorry, just didn't sleep great last night." you feel awful for lying to your brother, but what are you supposed to tell him? you sure as hell can't tell him you've been sleeping with his best friend for the past six months. it's obvious nate doesn't believe your words, but he shrugs, not wantint to push you, "if you say so."

later that night, the triplets come back over to your house, all five of you sitting on the couch watching a movie. by the time the movie's over everyone had fallen asleep, except for you and chris. you look over at him and see his lips forming a thin line and his jaw set. "chris?" you try to catch his attention, "you're unusually quiet tonight." he doesn't even look at you, "can we talk for a second?" you're slightly taken aback, but you nod, "sure. let's go to my room." the two of you stand up and head upstairs to your bedroom. you open the door and walk in, chris shutting the door behind you before sitting across from you on your bed.

there's a few seconds of silence before chris breaks it with a simple: "i think we should stop whatever this is." chris speaks up suddenly, which makes your head shoot up, "what?" he takes a deep breath, "you heard me. this is getting too serious." you raise an eyebrow at his choice of words. "too serious? you mean you don't want this to be serious?" you ask, dreading his answer. "listen y/n, what we've been doing has been fun, but this was never meant to last long." you can feel your eyes begin to mist, "why was it never meant to last long? do you really only view me as a hookup? i thought i meant more to you than that." you say softly, knowing that if you spoke any louder, your voice would break. "did you seriously think i wanted to be more? we're friends that fuck. that's it. no strings attached." you scoff and shake your head, not believing the audacity of the boy in front of you. "we never agreed to that chris! you expect me to believe you're risking your friendship with my brother because you wanted to get your dick wet?!" "you were convenient!!" he raises his voice slightly. "i was convenient? you played with my feelings, you led me on, because i was convenient?" you shake your head before continuing, "you really are an asshole. get the fuck out of my room, chris." he scoffs at your demand, "you're kidding right? you're gonna throw a tantrum because i don't want to sleep with you anymore?" his words make you see red, and you snap, "it was never about that chris! you're either too stupid or too ignorant to realize that i have feelings for you!" chris stays silent, processing the bomb you've just dropped on him. "i gotta go." he quickly stands up and walks out of your room, shutting the door behind him and leaving no room for you to protest. you sit there in shock, not believing what just happened between the two of you.

it's been a month since you and chris last spoke, and over the past month, you've been miserable. you barely eat, you never leave your room, and you only talk to nate if you have to because every time you look at your brother, you feel a sense of shame, knowing the secret you continue to keep from him.

it didn't take nate long to catch on to how you've been acting. at first he thinks it's because of stress, but as you continue to speak to him less and less, he becomes worried. one night, you're both sitting on the sofa, eating takeout, when nate breaks the silence.

"okay, what is going on with you, y/n?" nate asks you. "what are you talking about? there's nothing going on with me. i'm fine." you lie through your teeth. your brother shakes his head, "that's bullshit! there is something going on! i've tried to give you some space because i thought you'd come to me eventually, but you haven't! i'm worried about you! you tell me everything!" "nate-" "no y/n!" he cuts you off, "tell me what's wrong! talk to me!" his words cause you to snap, "i'm in love with chris, okay?!" you quickly shut your mouth, realizing what you just said. nate's eyes widen and his jaw drops slightly. "what?" you sigh and lean your head back, "i'm in love with chris." you say quietly, scared of what his reaction will be. "how did you even come to the revelation? did something happen between you two?" you realize you can't hide it from him anymore, and you give him a nod, "we slept together when they came to visit for christmas. after that we just kept doing it, until he broke it off a month ago." you can clearly see the shock in your brother's eyes as he opens his mouth to ask another question, "why'd he break it off?" you look down at the ground, not able to meet his eyes, "he said that we were getting too serious and i was just a hookup." nate's eyes flash with anger and his jaw clenches, "he said what?" he quickly grabs his keys off the coffee table, and dread fills your body, "nate-" he doesn't respond as quickly walks past you and out of the house, and you know exactly where he's going.

ten minutes later, nate arrives at the triplet's house, pounding on their front door. he's greeted with matt opening the door, but before matt can ask what he's doing there, your brother stomps past him, making a beeline for chris who's sitting on their couch.

"you've been fucking my sister?! seriously, chris?! i thought we were friends!" nate storms up to chris, a fire in his eyes that chris has never seen before. "nate-" "don't 'nate' me! y/n told me everything!" chris just sighs and drops his head, "i didn't mean for it to happen. it just did." your brother scoffs at chris' lame excuse, "that's such bullshit! you knew what you were doing! you used my sister to get your dick wet, then you leave her once you're bored! are you kidding me, man?! that's my fucking sister!" chris stands up and looks nate in the eye, "that's not what happened! i care about y/n! more than i've ever cared about anyone!" he raises his voice. "then why the fuck would you tell her she's just a hookup?! what do you gain from that?!" "i don't know!" chris snaps, "i panicked! i was getting too attached! i didn't mean to hurt her!" nate's face remains stoic, but a clear hint of anger still remains, "so you decided to hurt my baby sister so you could protect yourself. what happened to you being there for her?! you decide to throw all that away just because you caught feelings?!" chris shakes his head. he knows he was wrong, but he can't take back what he said. he has no idea how to fix it. "i don't know, man. i know i was an idiot. i am an idiot. i hurt her, and i don't know how to make it up to her." nate shrugs mockingly at his best friend, "i don't know maybe start with apologizing? telling her the truth?" "do you think she'll forgive me?" your brother shakes his head "i don't know, but you have to talk to her. she cares so much about you and i won't let you hurt her anymore by acting like she doesn't exist. come on, i'll take you over there. you need to try and fix this" nate's words cause chris to shoot up from the couch and walk towards the front door.

the two boys walk outside to nate's car, chris sliding into the passenger seat as nate starts the car and pulls out of the driveway, making his way back to your home. after ten minutes of awkward silence, nate pulls into the garage, chris immediately hopping out and walking quickly towards the porch.

nate and chris pass through the front door before nate nods towards upstairs, "she's in her room. go talk to her. and don't be such a dick to her this time." he says with an underlying condescension in his voice. chris just nods and heads upstairs.

chris' feet pad against the hardwood floor, walking down the hallway towards the door of your bedroom. chris has never been so nervous in his life, but he knows he has to fix what he did. he'd never forgive himself if he lost you over something so superficial. chris takes a deep breath before slowly raising his hand and knocking softly on the wooden door.

as you're sitting in your room, scrolling through tiktok, you hear a knock on your bedroom door. assuming it's nate, you tell the person knocking to come in. the door opens, and a tall figure walks into your room. you look up and quickly realize it's not your brother. "chris? what the hell are you doing here?" you question, confused as to why he's standing in your room. "i had to talk to you. in person. i hate the way we left things and i never should have said any of that hurtful shit to you... can i sit?" he motions to the edge of your bed and you give him a nod.

he walks closer to the bed and sits down, taking a deep breath before continuing, "i didn't mean a single thing i said. you're so much more to me than some hookup, you always have been. i just... i got so scared because i've never felt like this before. i've never even been in a relationship and the thought of being vulnerable with someone else scares me." chris takes another deep breath, "then i thought about it, and i realized that the thought of losing you hurts me so much more." you tilt your head slightly, "what are you saying chris?" he reaches over and takes your hands in his, "i'm saying that i want you, no scratch that, i need you. more than anything. i want to be with you, properly this time. no more secrets, no more sneaking around. i'm not gonna say it'll be honest because it won't be, but i want to try. you're worth it. you're worth everything." you can't help the slight tears that begin to form behind your eyes, "you mean that? you want to be with me?" chris nods fervently, "yes. that's all i want. i know what i said was horrible and unforgivable, but please give me the chance to make it right. give me the chance to love you the way you've always deserved."

you stay silent for a few moments, taking in his words. "one chance. that's it. i won't let you hurt me again, and of course, we'll have to make sure nate's okay with it." you say, still thinking about your brother. "one chance is all i need, and i'll talk to nate. i'm sure he'll understand." you nod, "so, what do we do now?" chris' thumbs run softly over your knuckles, "will you go out with me? on a real date?" you can't help but smile a little bit at his request, "yeah. i'd love to go out with you." chris returns your smile as he leans in to kiss you softly. this kiss is much different than the previous ones you've shared; it's filled with mutual love and passion, a stark contrast to the desire and hunger you've felt before.

after a few moments, chris pulls away, resting his forehead against yours. "thank you for giving me a second chance. i won't let you down, i promise." he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

[apomaro-mellow]

Every Baby Needs a Daddy 13

Part 12

Steve let out a small moan and rubbed his legs together as he started to awaken. Eddie curled around him, seeming more awake than him.

"Bout time. I've been smelling it on you for nearly an hour."

"And you didn't wake me up?", Steve whined, turning to face him in the bed.

Eddie kissed the pout on his lips. "I know you need to get as much rest as possible. But now that you're awake..."

"Now that I'm awake?"

And who could blame Eddie for wanting a little fun right now? "You gotta use your words baby. Tell me what you want."

"Daddy...", Steve whined, pressing close to him.

"I'm waiting, sweet thing."

"Chest", Steve finally said, pulling up his shirt and enjoying how wide Eddie's eyes got. "Feels so tender, Daddy."

"My poor baby." Eddie had a tit in each hand and kneaded them both gently. Steve's sighs of relief goaded him to do more. Eddie moved down his body and licked at a nipple before sucking it into his mouth. Steve rubbed his legs together some more, trying to find some relief as his brain woke up more.

"Here Stevie", Eddie said as they changed their position.

He moved from their sides to lying on his back with Steve on top of him. He lifted a leg up between Steve's and the omega immediately started to grind down on it. Eddie resumed squeezing at his chest. He latched back onto a nipple and Steve keened, his hips moving faster. It wasn't hard to imagine that his alpha was trying to coax milk out of him, helping him get ready to feed the pup that was surely on its way.

The wetness between his legs soaked his underwear and after a few more thrusts, he was cumming. Eddie broke away from his chest and held onto Steve as he collapsed. And just because he couldn't help himself, he reached between them, hand dipping into Steve's pants. He touched lightly, knowing Steve would be sensitive. Eddie took in a deep breath through his nose when he felt how wet Steve was.

Eddie brought his fingers to his mouth, licking them clean. Shit, if he wasn't careful he'd end up in rut again and wouldn't that be embarrassing?

"Does it taste good?", Steve asked, knowing damn well it did.

"You're like an addictive pot of honey. I can't stop tasting." To prove his point, Eddie dipped his fingers in again. "But speaking of tasting, are you up for breakfast right now?"

Steve shook his head. "No." Then he sat up, forcing Eddie to take his hand back as he took off the rest of his clothes. "Need you now." He spread the lips of his glistening cunt, like Eddie needed anymore seducing.

Eddie flipped them over so that Steve could bury his face into the makings of their nest, getting lost in the different comforting scents as Eddie pushed inside. As Eddie fucked him, he watched while Steve mouthed at one of Grant's shirts, a question on his lips that he would have to save for later, when Steve was sated enough to answer.

When Steve came on his knot, there were tears in his eyes, both from pleasure and something else that Eddie knew he needed. He leaned in, nuzzling his omega's neck and letting his teeth graze Steve's mating gland. He wouldn't bite down, would never force that on him during a heat. But it was just enough that Steve would feel wanted.

As his knot started to go down, there was a knock on the door. That would be a food delivery, courtesy of one of his friends. Eddie preserved their modesty by covering their lower halves with a blanket before calling them in.

Eddie could smell a slight twinge of nervous beta and knew from his careful steps that it was Gareth.

"You don't have to tiptoe. We're not wild beasts in here", Eddie said from behind the quilt curtain.

"I'm not tiptoeing", Gareth denied. "I just, what if Steve was asleep? Or tired?"

Steve smiled from where his face was buried in one of Gareth's own pillows. "Thank you, Gareth."

"...You're welcome."

He left the room and Steve slid off of Eddie's cock. He could definitely eat, but eating didn't seem all that important right now. Not when Eddie was lying naked beside him.

"I know what you're thinkin' baby but you gotta eat. We've been up for a while. And you don't want the boys' hard work to go to waste, do you?"

And so Eddie reached beyond the curtain to get the plate of food left on the nightstand. Eddie fed Steve by hand, enjoying getting anything in his mouth any way that he could, especially when Steve chased after his fingers to lick them.

"Full?", Eddie asked once the plate was clear.

"No, still need you, Daddy", Steve said, deliberately misreading the question.

Eddie smiled, kissing him sweetly. "That's what I'm here for."

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

Jeff, Gareth, and Grant took turns sending up food and drinks. Eddie was rather preoccupied with a near insatiable omega. At one point he had woken up in the middle of the night to Steve tracing his mouth with a finger.

"Wanna ride your face, Daddy", he had whispered in the dark. "Can I? Please, can I?"

Eddie turned the lamp on and moments later, Steve took his seat. Eddie felt there was no greater paradise than being Steve's throne, licking up into him, feeling his thighs tremble around his head as he got close to the edge.

Afterwards, Eddie licked his face clean while Steve cuddled up to his side. A few hours later, Steve was up again, nosing at Eddie's cock while he begged him for his knot. Once given permission, Steve swung his leg over and sunk down, riding him like the last horse in town.

There was a lull near the end of the second day, where they took a moment to change the sheets and rearrange the nest. Once that was done, they lied in each other's arms, Steve keeping his nose close to Eddie's neck.

"Wanna give you pups, alpha", he whispered as his heat began to crest again.

"Yeah, how many?", Eddie asked.

"I have one name so far. When I come up with others, we can have more."

"You've thought of names?"

Steve nodded. "Gotta be ready."

Eddie slid down and kissed at Steve's belly, imagining that right now a little life was starting to form. Steve let out a cooing sound and petted Eddie's hair. The blissful moment lasted until the next wave hit. Steve was on his side, holding a towel scented by Jeff to his face while Eddie fucked him from behind.

"Like the way it smells?", Eddie rumbled into his ear.

"Love it", Steve moaned. "Pack smells so good. So good, alpha."

Eddie slowed his thrusts to give Steve's brain some room to think. Even though he whined, he didn't let up. He kissed him behind the ear.

"You really like 'em, dontcha Stevie?"

Steve nodded, rubbing the soft towel all over his face.

"They like you too, baby. Adore you, even."

Steve preened at that and Eddie could kiss him. He had the sweetest, most handsome omega around and he deserved to be worshipped as such. And he had a feeling there were three other eager parishioners in the house.

"I bet they'd love to show that adoration, sweet thing. You could be drowning in it."

Steve already felt like he was neck deep in it, thanks to Eddie. It took a moment for his suggestion to get to his brain and for Steve to process what he meant. He tilted his head to try and look behind him.

"You wanna share me, Daddy? Am I that good?"

"You're more than good. I could write songs about this sweet pussy." Eddie reached to Steve's front, making it so that with each push of his cock, Steve's hips rutted against his hand. "And I know they can take care of you. They always have. What do you say?"

"Fuck", Steve breathed out. "Yes. Yes, Daddy. Wanna be good for you. Wanna be good for them~"

Eddie thought about finally getting to show him off and he spilled into Steve, some of it dripping out as his cock was milked. They talked about it more as they came down from their high. About how it could be and how it would happen. Then Steve started tracing Eddie's lips with his fingers again and the alpha knew what he wanted.

"Go ahead and climb on gorgeous."

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

By the afternoon of the third day, Steve felt like he was coming to the end of his heat. He was lucid enough to talk more about what Eddie had suggested. And to admit that he'd thought about it himself more than once. Eddie left to have a chat with the boys, making sure Steve was all set and cared for before doing so. There was a snack platter on the nightstand and Steve passed the time by going on his phone.

A wave hit and Eddie returned in time to open the canopy of the bed and find Steve grinding his cunt on Gareth's pillow. Steve was actually a little embarrassed to be caught but Eddie just smoothed a hand down his back and encouraged him to finish. When he did, Eddie stroked his back, letting the rumble in his chest come forth to soothe Steve more.

"You feel up for movie night with the boys?", he asked.

Part 14

Tag Team CLOSED

@awkotaco24 @lingeringmirth @littlewildflowerkitten @estrellami-1 @tartarusknight @velocitytimes2 @mrsjellymunson @trashcanniballecter @paintsplatteredandimperfect @a-little-unsteddie  @sllooney  @starman-jpg  @oxidantdreamboat  @xxbottlecapx   @newtstabber @tiny-enthusiast  @desidrarry-wolfstarshipper @y4r3luv @hello-fellow-nerds  @anonymousbandgirl @alyelf @potato-of-the-lord  @beckkthewreck  @croatoan-like-its-hot @pluto-pepsi @abstractnaturaldisaster @ellietheasexylibrarian @eyesofshinigami @dragonmama76 @greatwerewolfbeliever @chaosgremlinmunson @blackpanzy @millseyes-world @batxsignalsx @lilpomelito @goosesister @libraryofgage @aresthelostboy @royjaimie4eva @silenzioperso @she-collects-smut @lost-wondering-souls @eddielives1986 @marklee-blackmore

[waterangel2010]

My day of a constantly full and filling bladder

Woke up this morning had my morning pee then drank my juice as i do every day. Went out for the morning returned home 5 hours later having not peed that entire time and very noticeably needing to pee. Instead of being a sane person i kept holding and drank some more. Then i agreed when i finally released i could only pee for 10 seconds and then had to hold the rest ...i couldn't stop peeing at 10 seconds i tried....i clenched everything i had....but it was gushing so fast...... Punishment for peeing for nearly 15 seconds..... drink 750ml .....while i set about my afternoon errands ..... can only pee for 5-12 seconds and only release every 1.5hrs and must replace my pee with 75ml x however long i peed for........ . Did my afternoon erands aboslutely busting..... got home peed for 8 seconds so now have to drink 600ml.......my bladder has felt full all day and i'm frantic and i'm only just allowed to pee after my last pee but i still need to drink another 300ml to replace the last release...... aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh ....help me....

[freddiemercurylegendabovelegends]

Today, on August 24th, 1975 – Queen Story!

Queen starts recording ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at Rockfield studio’s in Galles.

🔸THE DAY QUEEN BEGAN RECORDING THEIR MASTERPIECE, ‘BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY’

- Ultimate Classic Rock, August 24, 2015

by Eduardo Rivadavia

If you were to write a history of the recording studio and, specifically, its usefulness as a laboratory for musicians' most ambitious creations, then an entire chapter might well be devoted to "Bohemian Rhapsody." The members of Queen began recording the song on Aug. 24, 1975, redefining the known limits of popular music in the process.

Suffice to say that, whatever Chuck Berry had in mind when he asked Beethoven to roll over, "Bohemian Rhapsody"'s jaw-dropping pastiche of rock and opera sure wasn't it. But then, Queen's flamboyant and unpredictable brand of art rock had been simultaneously stumping and amazing all those who'd heard it well before "Bohemian Rhapsody" came along. It continually morphed over the first three albums of the group's career, until 1974's Sheer Heart Attack started connecting all the dots.

During the first months of 1975, Queen toured the U.S. as headliners for the first time (alternately supported by Styx and Kansas), making their first trip to Japan (where they received a Beatlemania-type reception), and, in singer Freddie Mercury's case, receiving the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for his work on "Killer Queen."

All of these accomplishments no doubt boosted the band's confidence (and courage) as they started working on new material, both in unison and individually, for the album they would soon name A Night at the Opera. This was to be produced by their engineer Roy Thomas Baker, and it's safe to say neither band nor producer could have guessed what Mercury had up his sleeve as he started cobbling together both new ideas and spare song parts he'd been lugging around for years in the privacy of his Kensington apartment.

According to Baker, in an interview with Sound on Sound, his first inkling of what was in store only came when he visited Queen's singer at his home, and Mercury first played him "Bohemian Rhapsody"'s initial ballad section, concluding it by casually quipping, "And this is where the opera section comes in!" Mercury, Taylor and the other members of Queen -- guitarist Brian May, bassist John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor -- then entered the studio following three weeks of rehearsal to help bring Freddie's madcap magnum opus to life.

Together, the foursome and their studio hands spent as much time arranging, re-arranging, adding, subtracting, and adding some more to "Bohemian Rhapsody"'s bulk as most bands of the time spent on entire albums. In the end, Mercury's central ballad wound up preceded by one of Queen's patented, multi-tracked a capella choirs and was followed by a tasteful solo from May, a minute-long opera section, then a heavy metal instrumental passage and finally a reprise of the core melody, fading gently back into wherever it came from.

All these years later, it's the song's operatic climax that remains its most stunning, almost superhuman, accomplishment, as it required them to clock as 10-to-12 hour days over a three-week period. They reportedly needed nearly 200 vocal overdubs in order to flesh out an entire choir. And then, when they were finally done, their label EMI was, to put it mildly, quite unimpressed.

Although, to be fair, the suits' reasons were typically business-oriented, as "Bohemian Rhapsody's" edged close to the six-minute mark, well beyond the limit favored by commercial radio. Instead, the label suggested they release Deacon's excellent "You're My Best Friend" as first single from A Night at the Opera, but Queen wouldn't hear of it, and it only took a moment for the immediate support of DJs across Britain to prove EMI wrong.

Released in the U.K. on Oct. 31, 1975, "Bohemian Rhapsody" would be No. 1 by Christmas and then hold the spot for nine weeks. Its commercial fortunes were undoubtedly helped by the pioneering music video shot by Queen to stand in for them on Top of the Pops while they were already back on tour by the time they were invited to appear. Meanwhile, their single was also on its way to No. 1 in Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Belgium, earning Top 10 honors in multiple other countries and peaking at No. 9 in America, where it eventually became a million-seller.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" stands as one of the best-selling songs in rock history, prone to repeat visits to global charts anytime it is revived for a movie, commercial or other event, and frankly unique as nothing since has come close to matching its sheer heights of excess, bravura, and, oh yeah, inspiration.

(Source ↘️ https://ultimateclassicrock.com/queen-bohemian-rhapsody/)

📸 Pic: 1975 - Recording 'A Night At The Opera' album with co- producer Roy Thomas Baker

[ladykailitha]

Never Hold Back Your Step... Part 13

This really is getting down to the end here. I'm already at the Mind Flayer in the spot where I'm at in the story so...yeah. Then it would just one chapter after that. Maybe. I don't know. But it's sad to see this one go, too.

Of course as with "Can Anybody See Me?" once this is done, I will begin work on the final story which will take us all the way to the end of the fourth season. Which I hope to get done before season 5. Ideally.

It will have a line from a song in a musical just like the last two (1776 and The Scarlet Pimpernel respectively) so you have any songs you think will fit the theme of the third book (which will be Steve and Eddie clashing over nerds vs sports until that fateful day in March) let me know in the comments or tags or even a DM or ask. It took me months to come up with the title for this one, so any help would be great.

Here we have the dipshit detectives trying to figure out the message and the "secret tunnel".

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

~

Once they explained everything to Robin, she told them about what the message said. And no given the context of the message coming from the mall it suddenly made too sense.

“The clock tower, the shoe shop and the Chinese place,” she crowed. “It’s got to be.”

“You sure you translated it correctly?” Steve asked. “Because what the fuck does blue meeting yellow have anything to do with the clock tower?”

Robin rolled her eyes and huffed out a deep sigh. “The hour and minute hands are blue and yellow and meeting in the west would be 9:45!”

Eddie tilted his head to the side. “AM or PM?”

Robin stared at him for a moment in shock. “Oh. I don’t know. Could be either I guess.”

Eddie looked at his watch and cursed. “As thrilling as all this has been, I have to get to band practice.” He gave Steve’s shoulder a squeeze. “Be careful, Stevie. Okay?”

Steve nodded and squeezed Eddie’s shoulder back. God, he just want to kiss him goodbye, because it might be his last opportunity to do so. But Dustin and Robin were watching and probably half of the mall too. “As careful as I can be.”

“How can you be so super chill about this?” Robin asked after he left. “Like Russians are running around our mall and Eddie acts like this is a normal Tuesday for you?”

Dustin and Steve shared a glance.

But Steve just scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Like I’ve had the worst year. My girlfriend broke up with me, I got my head bashed in by Hargrove, I got harassed by the basketball team, I nearly got water dumped on my head because I won the part fair and square, then the same asshole tried to scramble my brains further, I didn’t get into the right colleges and was forced to work here instead of the rec center pool like have for the last three years, and a fuck ton of other things. Now Russians have set up shop in my home town? This is just the cherry on top of a very shit filled cake.”

Robin and Dustin winced. Dustin knew that Steve’s year was actually way worse than the truncated version he gave Robin, but they couldn’t tell her about the tunnels, El, monsters, and secret labs. Hence, fuck ton of things.

“Okay,” Robin conceded, “it does sound like your average Tuesday.” She looked up at the clock. “You’re supposed to be off, anyway. So shoo and take the genius child with you.”

Dustin beamed up Steve smugly, but Steve just knocked his hat off on his way to clock out.

“Hey!” Dustin shouted after him. He turned to Robin. “Can you believe this guy?”

Robin just shrugged. “You’re the one who’s friends with him, not me.”

Steve walked out moments later, twirling the hat on his finger. He walked past Dustin to the mall food court. He stopped and turned around.

“Are you coming or are you going to keep harassing workers?” he huffed, putting a hand on his hip.

Robin burst out laughing as Dustin hurried to catch up, scooping his hat off the floor in haste.

Steve shook his head as they walked through the mall. “Hey if we grab my binoculars, I bet we could stake out the mall and look for Russians.”

Steve looked at his watch and sighed. Eddie wouldn’t get done with band practice until much later tonight and he didn’t want to go back to his large empty house, because of course his parents fucked off to the Caribbean for the summer. His father had forced him to give up a job he loved for the most humiliating retail job imaginable and then fucked off to some place pleasant, leaving him to rot.

“Yeah, okay.”

Dustin let out a whoop and jumped up and down. “You won’t regret this!”

Steve buried his head in his hands. “I already do.”

~

Steve and Dustin were hiding behind a large potted plant with Dustin’s binoculars watching people go by.

“What are we supposed to looking for, anyway?” Steve asked, scanning the crowds.

“Russians.”

Steve tore himself away from the binoculars to glare at him. “Thank you for that unhelpful assessment. I know I’m supposed to be looking for Russians, but what do Russians look like?”

“I don’t know,” Dustin huffed. “Tall, blond, scary looking dudes, I guess.”

Steve rolled his eyes and kept looking. He spotted Anna Jacobi flirting with Mark Lewinsky and huffed out a a noise of disgust.

“You have got to be kidding me,” he said with a sigh. “Anna can do way better than swamp ass Lewinsky.”

Dustin smacked his shoulder. “Can you please take this seriously? You’re supposed to be looking for Russians, not your next date. Besides you already have the perfect girl right there!”

Steve rolled his eyes and went back to looking through the binoculars. “Don’t say Robin.”

“Robin.” Was the immediate response.

“No, man,” Steve said as Dustin grabbed the binoculars from him, “she’s not my type. She’s not even in the ballpark of my type.” Considering that she had boobies and not a dick, pretty much sealed the box on any chances of that romantic relationship going anywhere.

Dustin looked over at him and sneered. “And what’s your type again? Not awesome?”

Fuck you. But Steve sneered and stuck his tongue out. “Thank you.”

Dustin grinned back at him with a little hum.

“Look,” Steve said, “for your information, she’s still in school. And she’s weird. But not like Eddie weird. Weird, weird. And she’s hyper. Like worse than Eddie. At least if you put a book in his hand, he’ll settle down. She’ll tap her fingers and twirl her gum. She was also one of those kids in drama who didn’t think I deserved the role of Thomson. That’s a bad look. And she’s in band? But not a rock band like Eddie, a fucking trumpet.” He twisted his lips in disgust. “No.”

Dustin turned to face him. “Now that you’re out of school, that means you’re an adult. And don’t you think you should move past primitive social constructs like popularity?”

Steve looked at him as if he was joking. “Popularity? Are you fucking with me right now? Did you forget I wasn’t popular for the last four months of high school? Primitive constructs, I tell you. Where the hell did you learn that shit? Camp Know Nothing?”

“Camp Know Where, actually,” Dustin huffed, “And no, it’s shit I learned from life. Instead of dating someone you think will make you cool again, why not date someone you enjoy being around for a change? Like me and Suzie.” He smiled broadly. He turned back to watching the through the binoculars.

Steve was soo close to just telling the little shit that he was dating someone he enjoyed being around, someone who did make him look cooler, someone who loved him for him and not in spite of him. But instead he took a deep breath and said, “Oh Suzie. Yeah, you mean hotter than Phoebe Cates. That Suzie. And let’s think about how exactly you scored a girlfriend?”

He scratched his head, appearing to think about it, then he snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, with my advice. Because that’s how this works, Henderson. I give the advice and you follow through. Not the other way around, all right?”

Dustin sighed. “I just think you could really benefit from being with someone like her, you know?”

Steve rubbed the top of the kid’s head. “I’m doing better than you think I am. Better then everyone thinks I am.”

Dustin stared at him skeptically, but left it alone. Steve knew that there was no way he was going to leave it alone. He just knew that it was going to come back and bite him in the ass in the worst way and at the worst time. He could feel it.

~

“There is a secret room under the mall,” Steve said slowly, not quite wanting to believe this. “And we can get there through the air vents in the break room?”

Robin nodded emphatically. “Yeah, isn’t that cool?”

He had no idea how to tell her how uncool that actually was, because Jesus fuck, the deeper they got into this, the more over his head he felt.

“Let’s go see your secret tunnel,” he said with a sigh, rubbing his face, just suddenly exhausted by the whole thing.

He followed them to the back and looked up at the vent in utter despair. Sighing, he got a ladder and set it up, then hunted around for a screwdriver. Once he found one, he tucked it between his teeth and started climbing. He reached the vent and unscrewed the screws holding the vent in place.

“Oi!” he called out to Dustin. “Hold these!” He held out the screws for him to take. “Don’t lose them, otherwise people are going to ask why there is a great big gaping hole in the wall.”

Dustin rolled his eyes, but did as he was told. Steve put the screwdriver back between his teeth and took off the vent cover.

“It’s a tight space,” he murmured. “Hey, Robin you think you could fit? You’re pretty thin.”

Robin put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “While I appreciate you thinking I’m skinny enough to fit, I question your sanity if you think I’m going down the creepy tunnel.”

“Vent!” Dustin huffed. “You’ve both called it a tunnel. It’s not a tunnel, it’s a vent. And none of us are small enough to fit.”

DING! DING! “Hey!” someone called out from the front of the store. “Is anyone here?”

Steve who had been climbing down the ladder, stopped and shared a look with Dustin. A slow smile took over their faces.

“Erica!” they said together with glee.

They ran out to the front with Robin fast on their heels. They skidded to a stop and their smiles grew to actual grins when they saw that she was alone and not with her many friends.

“Erica...hey,” Steve said smoothly, leaning against the counter. “What can I get you?”

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “Why are you suddenly being so nice?”

Just then Dustin and Robin burst out of the back room and stumbled into front and Erica was even more suspicious than she was before.

So Steve bundled her over to one of the booths and tried plying her with all the ice cream a little girl could conceivably eat, while Dustin filled both Robin and Erica about the messages and all their clues and how they put it all together. It was a hard but impressive sell.

“So will you do it for America?” Dustin asked.

“Well, you can’t spell America without Erica,” she said smugly. “A life time supply of Scoops Ice Cream and you’ve got a deal.”

Robin and Steve shared a glance. Then Steve reached across the table to shake Erica’s hand.

“Deal.”

~

Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

And if you remember something else there from WIP Wednesday... yeah. It wasn't fitting with the rest of the story and had to be cut. Sadness.

Tag List: FIVE SLOTS REMAINING

1- @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @justforthedead89 @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @blondie1006

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @angels-of-hades

7- @mugloversonly @y4r3luv @greeniebean911 @birbsauce @acingthecounts

8- @cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars @ravenfrog @dreamercec @sadisticaltarts

9- @clockworkballerina @bluelightsinthevoid @blcksh33p1987 @i-go-pink-in-the-night @mamafaithful

[reigningqueenofwords]

Friends with Benefits

Pairing: Steve x Reader Word count: 1,022 Request: Anonymous. Insecure Steve x Reader friends with benefits and Steve wants more but he’s so sure that reader wants a more ‘not boring’ guy

Read on AO3

Pulling your shirt over your head, you didn’t see how Steve looked at you. Like you were the most beautiful woman in the world. As soon as your head was through, he schooled his features. “You know you can just stay here.” He reminded you. He told you that nearly every time you were in his room to hook up. Always hoping you’d agree. Just once.

You leaned over and pecked his cheek. “I like my bed.” You said playfully. “Besides, I think they would notice if I walked out of your room in the morning and not my own. Then they’re gonna think something entirely different.” The two of you had been friends with benefits for a few months now, and it was working well. “Do you really want our friends, and teammates, to think we’re dating?” You asked as you grabbed your pants. 

“No.” He lied easily, watching you pull on your jeans. Of course he wanted to date you! He just didn’t think you’d want him the same way. He felt he was too boring for you. You were so upbeat, always on the move, always looking for a new adventure. Which was how you came to live with them in the first place. Why would you want to date someone more laid back like him? 

“I’ll see you for movie night tomorrow night?” You asked once you were fully dressed. Steve was still in bed, the blanket up to his waist, leaning on his elbow, hair a mess. In short, you wanted to climb right back in that bed with him and go another round. “I think it’s Sam’s turn to pick.” You mused, wondering what he would pick. 

He wondered why he wouldn’t see you the rest of the day, but didn’t ask. “I’ll be there.” He smiled. “Have a good night.” 

“Night, Stevie.” You waved before heading out. Next time the two of you would likely meet up in your room. It worked out to take turns. Overnights weren’t something that you did in this arrangement. You had your fun, and went back to your own rooms. Sure, you would have enjoyed a night curled up with the handsome man, but you didn’t want to blur lines between what this was, and feelings. If you got too attached, you’d be the one hurt. You wanted to avoid that at all costs.

Hearing his door click shut, he sighed and rolled to his back. “Crap.” He groaned, putting his arm over his eyes. Could he do this much longer? The longer this went on, the harder he’d fall for you. The harder he fell, the more this would hurt when it ended.

It wasn’t until a few weeks later when the pair of you were on a mission together that things seemed to shift. “So, I hear you have a date with one of the agents?” You glanced at him, your tone betraying you. You’d heard people talking about it, and hated how that made you feel.

He raised an eyebrow at you. The two of you were packing up after everything was complete, and you’d be home in just under 12 hours. “Uh, yeah.” He shrugged. “Day after we get back. Had to reschedule it.” He told you honestly.

Licking your lips, you gave him a tight smile. “Well, I hope you have fun.” You half lied. You wanted him happy, you just wished it was with you. Zipping up your bag, you put it over your shoulder. You’d head to your room, take a hot shower, and then eat ice cream right out of the container.

“Why do I get the feeling that you don’t mean that?” He asked, gently grabbing your arm. “Talk to me.” He furrowed his brows, confused. What the two of you had was just sex. You were friends who happened to sleep together. Why did he get the impression you were pissed? He had every right to go on a date.

You shook your head. “Doesn’t matter.” You shrugged. “Let’s just get home. Okay?” You tried to tug your arm from him, but he held it tighter. “Steve...” You sighed, not looking at him.

His jaw clenched slightly. “I don’t like being lied to.” He said seriously. 

You shot him a weak glare. “I like you, okay?!” You snapped, finally wrenching free. “I like you as more than just a friend, but that’s all we’ll be. So, go on your stupid date with the stupid agent.” You muttered, trying to pull away again. “Just let me go to my room.”

Steve stared at you, in shock. “You like me?” He managed. His voice was full of surprise, like he couldn't believe what he’d just heard. 

“I just said that, didn’t I?” You rolled your eyes. “I get it, this is just a fuck-buddy situation, and now I just ruined that.” You let out a sigh. That was fun while it lasted. 

“I thought I’d be too ‘boring’ for you to like.” He blushed lightly, and you found it adorable. “I like you, too.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Can I take you out instead of that agent? I only agreed because Wanda insisted.” He admitted. “Said I needed to have some fun.” He explained. “That I should loosen up and start dating.” 

You giggled at that. “If she only knew how much fun we have.” There was a smirk on your face. “I guess we can start sleeping over.” You put your hands on his waist. “No more slipping away right afterwards.” 

He grinned. “Means I can wake you up in the middle of the night, too.” He flirted, voice low. It was clear what he was talking about. 

“And what if I want to wake you up?” You asked, already getting ideas. 

“I would not argue with that.” He chuckled, pulling you to him. “So, is this just going on a date, or are we dating?” Steve wanted to be on the same page. 

You wrapped your arms around his neck. “Steve Rogers, will you be my boyfriend?” You asked happily. 

“I’d be more than happy to.”

[janeyseymour]

La Cosa Nostra- pt 13

(co-written with @schemmentis): Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12.

Summary: You and your wife spend some much needed time together, only for it to go up in flames.

WC: ~2.5k

When Melissa comes in, she finds you with both arms wrapped around your girls, them curled into your sides. She sees the tracks of the tears that had been pouring down your face earlier in the night, the pout of your bottom lip, the way that even in sleep and holding your girls you seem to be in distress. 

Melissa quietly gets ready for bed before slipping in between the sheets. Rosie gladly curls up to her when she gently shifts her to her chest so she can shuffle closer to you. The hand not resting on a small back reaches, the backs of her fingers lightly caressing your cheek, imagining she can wipe the now dried tears away from you. “Ti amo, vita mia.” She whispers in the dark of the bedroom.

You blink awake in the dark a few hours later. Your girls are still softly sleeping. You roll over and nearly start crying again when you see your wife asleep and holding Rosie. You knew she would be home, eventually. Still, seeing her is a relief. You curl in closer to her as you close your eyes again. Maybe you can get an hour or two of actual good sleep now that Melissa is here. Before your girls try to pry your eyes open again.

You somehow manage to wake before either of your girls, or your wife. You convince half awake twins to settle for kissing Melissa's cheek and whispering good morning before you get up and get them breakfast. You don't even have to remind them to be quiet when they go back to do the same to say goodbye before taking them to school. You know they miss her, even after only one late night. You do too. But you'd hate to take any more rest from her.

You hug the girls goodbye at school and are walking across the lot back to your car when your phone rings. Your brow furrows. Your phone hasn't rung since you were taken off the salon. You tug it from your pocket, your confusion growing at Tony's name on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Y/N. Could you come down to the salon? It's kind of important.”

“Isn't all that your job now, Tony?” You all but sneer. 

“Look, we gotta talk about some of the financials. So I need you to help me sort it out, alright?”

You roll your eyes. “I'll be there in a minute.” You reluctantly agree, hanging up before Tony can say anything else.

Despite you not being a part of the operation anymore, you still step through the back entrance of the salon. Tony wants to call you in? Then you're going to come in at the business end of it. 

You stop halfway down the hall at the door of the back office being open. When it was you; you never left it open and unlocked. Too many important things were kept there. You glance inside, raising an eyebrow at the near emptiness of the office. The file cabinets are gone, and so is everything from on top of the desk. The room is empty aside from that desk in the middle of it.

“There you are.” Tony says as he turns down the hall. “C’mon.” He tugs you lightly by the arm into the office, shutting the door behind him. 

“Quite the rearrangement, Tony.” You comment, putting your hands in your pockets as you pace around the desk. “What's goin’ on, huh? What'd you suddenly need me for?”

“The ledger.” Tony says, cutting to the chase. “We need the ledger for the other business.”

You look at Tony, head turning to the side. We? You think to yourself as you study him. Suddenly it's we. And you're not a part of that we. “No.” You finally say.

“What?? What d’you mean no? Look, Y/N, my ass is on the line now, and we need that ledger that you have to have.”

“Oh, I have it.” You say. For all intents and purposes, you do. Only you and your wife know where it is. “I just ain't giving it to you. Tell whoever you're answerin’ to that if they want it; they better talk to me directly. ‘Cause I ain't trustin’ it with you, Tony. I wouldn't have trusted you to balance the cash register drawer.”

He goes to argue, but your phone ringing interrupts him. You roll your eyes at him as you leave, answering it.

“Hello?”

“Babe, where are you? Why didn’t you wake me?” your wife nearly shouts into the phone. “I just woke up!”

“Honey, you needed the sleep,” you tell her softly.

“What I needed was to see my girls off to school and to check on my wife before heading into work- on time!”

Her shouting at you makes you tear up all over again as you slam the door to your car. “I’m sorry. I’ll come pick you-”

“Don’t even bother,” Melissa huffs. “I’ll walk the few blocks.” And then she hangs up on you. 

Your heart nearly shatters in your chest, and your eyes instantly well up with more tears that threaten to spill over. “Mel,” you whisper out softly.

You do still drive the way to her work, and when you get there, she’s just storming in. It’s clear she’s on a warpath as she slams the back door and throws her bag on the chair in the office. You step in a few seconds later, sending a sympathetic look at Valentina; she looks horrified.

“Mel,” you whisper as you wrap your arms around her waist, trying to stop her anger. She just shrugs you off. “Mel, please.” Your voice breaks as your heart actually does shatter this time. 

She turns around at the hiccup in your voice, and there’s a fire in her eyes that dies out as soon as she sees the redness in your eyes and the tears that are there.

“Mi amore,” she whispers as she pulls you in.

“Mel, I- I’m sorry,” you whisper. “I’m so sorry I didn’t wake you this-”

“Hey,” she hushes you gently. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sorry I got so frustrated and yelled. I just… this all has me stressed to the max, and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

You cry into her shoulder, and your wife is quick to kick the door shut with her heeled foot. You cry just as harshly and abrasively as you did last night, although this time you don’t have to stifle the sobs that come bubbling out of your body.

“Honey,” she whispers as she rubs your back soothingly. “Baby.”

“I- I don’t even know,” you continue to shake with the sobs that rack through your body. 

It takes you much longer to calm down than she hopes. But eventually she does, and after checking her progress on the ledger, she ushers you out of the building. She shouts to Valentina that she’s in charge, at least for this morning, and if someone comes in with an envelope full of money to just leave it on her desk.

“Melissa, you can stay,” you whisper as you wipe at your nose with your sleeve. “I’ll be- I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Melissa answers, leading you to the passenger side of your car. “If anything big goes on; Val will call me. Right now, you’re more important, amore.” She squeezes the hand she’s been leading you out by lightly, her head nodding for you to get in.

It’s only once you do that she closes the door for you before rounding the car and sliding into the driver’s seat. She reclaims your hand once you’ve buckled your seatbelt, kissing your knuckles as she pulls out of the parking lot.

“You really could have stayed.” You say quietly.

She squeezes your hand again, glancing away from the road just long enough to raise an eyebrow at you before looking back. “I’m not gonna leave ya when you’re clearly not okay. And don’t go saying you’re fine. I know when you’re lyin’, remember?”

You sigh, leaning back in your seat for the short drive back to your home. “I’m just…over emotional with all the changes. It’ll pass. I’ll be fine.”

“You’ll be fine, that much is true.” Mel agrees though she keeps a hold of your hand held in her lap. “But I’m not going to just expect this to pass. It’s been a lot lately, yeah. But it ain’t like you to just…” She sighs, without finishing. “You’re gonna tell me ya weren’t this way last night, too? Before I got home?” She asks softly instead, her thumb gently passing repeatedly over your knuckles.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Melissa nods, with a half grin on her face. “Which just means yes.” She says. “This is more than just everythin’ goin’ on- even if it has been a lot lately. For right now, stop tryin’ to fight me on stayin’ home, and consider talkin’ to me and lettin’ me help instead, huh?”

You don’t say anything else on the rest of the short drive. Instead, you consider everything over in your mind. As if you haven’t already a hundred times. By the time you’re following Melissa into the house, you could have another anxiety breakdown without much push.

You gladly slip into her side on your couch, her arms that had been held out in invitation instantly wrap around you. You sigh, though you don’t begin crying again. You return your wife’s embrace equally, clinging to her as much as you’re curling up to her side.

“Talk to me, tesoro.” Melissa repeats quietly, kissing your temple as she holds you close.

“Did Sammy tell you I almost turned myself in the other week? When they had you in the station?” You can guess her answer before she gives it based on how you feel her briefly freeze against you.

“No.” Melissa finally answers, one of her hands gently rubbing across your shoulders. “He didn’t. Probably ‘cause he already knew I was seconds away from tearin’ somebody to shreds that day. You really almost did?”

You nod, sniffling slightly. “I just…didn’t know what else to do. All this pressure on us and then gettin’ you so involved….them tearing apart Twelve Tables… God, that was as bad as watching somebody beat you, Mel. It’s like the same thing. You worked so hard for it and they ruined it because of me and—”

“Shh,” Melissa murmurs, tugging you into her lap to hug you even tighter. “None of it’s because of you, amore. We talked about all this plenty before we got serious, didn’t we? Then all over again before we got married? Don’t go actin’ like I’m some innocent little housewife over here, huh? You treat me better than that. You treat me like your partner, your equal, in everything. Includin’ all this. I knew what we were gettin’ into when we started, baby. We both did.”

“I know,” you mumble into her side. “But now... it’s so much more than just us and the business. We have your restaurant now. We have the girls now. The only thing that stopped me from turning myself in was the girls. I- I couldn't turn myself in and miss everything for the next ten to twenty years... the teen years, graduating and sending them off to college, high school boy or girl drama... potential grandbabies.”

“If either of them has a baby before they’re twenty, we are going to have problems,” Melissa chuckles lightly.

“Well... if I wasn’t there, you know that data shows kids with one absent parent statistically are more likely to fall into...”

“Not our girls,” your wife states firmly. “If anything happens to one of us, I have full faith that those girls will stay on the right track because of whoever is left with them.”

You just sigh into her, inhaling the scent of the perfume that she has on. You take a few shaky breaths, tears threatening to spill over again. They don’t though. You have your anchor right now.

“What do you need right now?” your wife asks you gently, once your breathing becomes more regulated. “Comfort, a solution, or to just... sit in the shit together?”

You shrug against her, and she only kisses your head as a response. You end up falling asleep, and when you wake up, Melissa is no longer next to you. In fact, the only reason you wake up is because your two tiny terrors are jumping on the couch next to you despite your wife’s quiet protests.

“Girls, let Mam sleep,” you can hear the redhead sigh as she drops their backpacks at the door.

“We are!” Rosie protests. “We just want to cuddle her and make her feel better after last night!”

Your response is to pull them both close to your chest with a soft sigh as you keep your eyes closed. “Mam needs some Cat and Rosie snuggles.”

“‘See?” Cat tells your wife pointedly. “Mam needs us!”

You hear Melissa’s low chuckle before she exhales quietly. “Is Mam going to be okay if I head to the restaurant?”

“Can we come with you?!” Rosie asks. “I miss Auntie Val.”

“Stay with Mam,” you tell them gently as you pull them further into your lap. “Cuddles, some pizza, and-”

“I only like the Pizza that Vince makes at the restaurant,” Cat tells you.

“We can order takeout from Mommy’s restaurant then,” you try to placate.

“Why can’t we just go there?” Rosie whines out as she tries to break free from your hold. For such a small little thing, she sure is strong. She ends up getting out of your restraint, and she’s quick to put her shoes on and grab her backpack before taking hold of Melissa’s hand.

“Girls, why don’t you... go grab some coloring sheets and crayons from the basement?” your wife suggests. They run off.

“They are not going to the restaurant now that it’s the front,” you tell her.

When you expect your wife to agree, she merely shrugs. “There are usually other kids with their parents, and the guys drop off in the back.”

“Melissa!” you say sternly. “My girls are not going to a front!”

“They are our girls,” she tells you firmly. “And I think... I think that if they’re at the restaurant, and the Feds show up, having the girls there will help fool them into thinking we aren’t up to anything.”

“Melissa.”

She just shrugs. “You want them off our backs? I think this is the best way to get them off our backs.”

You go to protest her idea again, but the girls come running back with new boxes of crayons and a multitude of coloring sheets in their hands.

“Come on, sweet things,” she says softly. “We can all go to Twelve Tables.” The redhead takes both of their hands, grabs their backpacks, and leads them out the door. You fume as you follow behind her. You can’t believe she would go against your wishes and make such a big decision on her own.

Tags: @thesapphictimelady @marvel210 @itisdoctortoyousir @morgana-larkin @thesamesweetie @doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou @marvels--slut @gwennybriggs @megamultifandomtrashposts @lemz378 @http-sam @melissaschemmentisbranzino @imaginesmultifandoms @sexysapphicshopowner @lilfartbox1 @maybe-a-humanbean @imlike-so-gaydude @sapphicxrat @a-queen-and-her-throne @sunsol-22 @notinmyvocab @melanielaufeyson @dvrkhcld

[astroboots]

hamster Steve crumbs please🥺🙏🏻

HAMSTER DAYS: CHAPTER THREE

Pairing: Steven Grant x female reader

Summary: You try to keep your cute little Hamster Steven alive... and you're not doing a great job out of it.

Series Masterlist | Astroboot’s Masterlist 

You are going to fix this. You are going to turn your boyfriend back to his human form. You are going to protect him.

There is just one little snag. Notwithstanding that you do not know the cause of Steven's transformation. Notwithstanding that you have no idea where to start.

The real worry here is that before you ever even get so far, you might end up accidentally killing Steven.

On your first night, you had placed Steven on the pillow next to you above the covers, safe and sound next to you. Or so you had thought, until not two minutes later you had rolled over by habit, pulling the sheets with you and flung him 6 feet high in the air and barely managed to catch him with a pillow before he crashed onto the hard wooden floor below.

In the morning, when you were making breakfast and had placed Steven on the kitchen counter to roam freely, he'd managed to knock over a jar of jam, spilling it everywhere and gotten his shiny golden-brown fur covered in it. Your bright idea had been to bathe him, and it wasn't until 30 seconds in you realized hamsters do not swim... or at least this hamster doesn't as he immediately panicked, squeaked and was pawing frantically at the white porcelain sink for safety.

It's not even noon by the time, you've finally gotten him blowdried (and begrudgingly forgiven you) when you nearly drop the tome of a book --you were studying hoping to find some clue to Steven's predicament -- not three inches from where he was napping on the desk next to you.

That's when you finally realize that whatever grand plans you have to restore Steven to his former human body is going to have to be put on pause. Because the first thing you are going to have to learn is to keep him alive.

In fairness to you. You've never had a pet hamster before. You've always wanted one. Staring at them at petshops and the glass tanks they were kept in since you were a kid. But you've grown up all your life in no-pets-allowed flats. And while you had insisted to your parents that it's "just a hamster, no one will ever know!" your skills of persuasion had been clearly lacking, because you never ended up getting one. Something or the other about how you were much too rough and scatterbrained and would not be able to keep it alive... which...

Let's not linger on that thought--

Grabbing your laptop, you place it on the middle of the desk as you pull up youtube on the browser and search for guides to care for a hamster.

The first video catching your attention has the still image of a hamster that looks not unlike Steven. Fluffy golden brown fur, big wide eyes with its tiny paws tucked close to its chest as if it's been startled.

You click it open and for the next 46 minutes and 32 seconds you are being treated to a lecture on the to dos and no to dos.

Apparently the last 12 hours you've spent with Hamster Steven firms firmly into the no to dos category.

Bath is a no no.

Feeding it jam is also a no go.

Letting them roam without supervision (and proper childproofing) is a big no no.

Then the lady starts rattling off facts about enclosure sizes, enrichment toys, how chinchilla sand is dangerous and how to build tunnels and materials for bedding, and, and, and until your head is spinning and you cannot make sense of words anymore.

The words drift in and out as hard as you try to keep up before the video scren goes black, and finally ends but before you get a second to breathe and process the maelstrom of information fed to you, autoplay is already queuing up the next video that is 1 hour and 26 minutes long of things not to do or you will kill your hamster.

You cringe inwardly, you've had hamster version of Steven in your care for not even half a day and so far you haven't been doing a great job.

Your chest squeeze tight with worry. You don't know how you are possibly going to pull this off. If you can't even take care of a hamster, what are the odds of you being able to perform a magical miracle to undo whatever curse or magic spell that has befallen Steven to get him into this state?

From the corner of your eye, you see Steven paddle across the length of the desk on his four tiny paws before he finally reaches you and settles himself next to your hand. His nose nuzzles into your palm until your hand opens and he can climb inside.

He squeaks meekly, looking up at you and you recognize that expression. As delusional as it sounds, it's almost as if he's trying to tell you something.

You know you can't understand him. It's not like he can speak. But you do know one thing and it's that you know Steven. And the fact that you cannot interpret hamster squeaks do not seem to matter when you see those soft brown eyes staring up at you. A soft glow blooms inside your chest until the worry that was there before seems to melt at the sight of him.

"It's alright," those eyes are telling you.

You take a deep breath. brushing your fingers over the soft tuft of fur on top of his soft little head and his head tilts into your touch.

Yeah... you can do this. One step at a time.

You turn your eyes back to the screen, then click the next video.

First step: Learn to keep Steven alive.

Author's note: I know it's been 101 days. I'm so sorry! Thank you lovely lovely nonny for sending me this ask and getting my ass to get kicked into gear. Also thank you to @guruan and @ems-chaos-corner for sending me hamster photos and videos for inspiration and for every other nonny and person who does this it brings me so much joy!