#and i'll spend way too long answering them and talk your ear off

[duckprintspress]

hey, i'd like to just throw this out to you, since you're a press so i have a feeling you might know. if i was seeking to publish a book but i didn't want it to ever be sold through amazon, what would my options be?

Hiya!

I'm assuming you mean you're interested in self-publishing? If yes, then yeah, I can give you at least some information about your options. :D

If you don't want to use Amazon, you definitely still have some options for self-publishing a book. I can sympathize with this sentiment; we hate Amazon and I've done what I can to keep our works off there (and, ultimately, failed, but still kept it to a minimum).

There's two overarching questions you'll need to consider when deciding how to proceed:

What formats are you selling? Are you doing e-book only or e-book + print or print book only? What about audiobooks? Which will influence your choices.

Are you mostly interested in direct sales (as in, you personally sell the book to the customer) or sales-through-an-intermediary (as in, a bookstore sells your book to a customer) or distribution (as in, you list the book with someone who acts as an intermediary between you and other vendors)?

As briefly as I can, first, here's what Duck Prints Press uses:

Ingram - e-book (and, once we have one - we're working on our first! - audiobook) distribution. Ingram is the biggest book distributor in the US and has a virtual monopoly on distribution. Even places that aren't technically Ingram, such as draft2digital, usually use Ingram. Because they're a near-monopoly, Ingram has a lot of ability to, well, screw people, and one way they've tried to screw people is they keep making it harder to get into their better services, pushing people to their much-less-supported service IngramSpark. I managed to get the Press grand-fathered in to Coresource, which is their e-book and audiobook distribution system, even tho we don't meet the current minimums for number of titles for that product. I CAN'T get into Lightning Source, which is their better-supported print book distribution service, because we don't have enough titles (we'd need 30, we currently have 10ish). If I wanted to use IngramSpark, I'd have to ditch Coresource, and I don't want to do that because Coresource works great and has good customer support, and so I had to settle on a compromise I don't love until we meet the minimums for Lightning Source - I use Coresource through Ingram for e-book distribution (and don't distribute to Amazon), which is...

draft2digital - print book distribution. This was my work around for not losing Coresource in the name of getting Ingram print on demand (pod), and it came with a price: d2d doesn't let me opt out of Amazon, much to my irritation. So the three titles we currently have pod on ARE on Amazon.

our webstore - e-book and print books, directly sold to the public. Our website lets people download e-books; I package print book orders made through the webstore myself and mail them myself.

in-person sales - I started vending at events last year; this year I'll be doing about a dozen.

All of which goes to show, even trying to publish while avoiding the most evil places is really hard and a source of frustration. If anyone knows a good option for ethical publishing distribution, I'm honestly all ears. Competing with Ingram is extremely David vs. Goliath (see also the recent death of Small Press Distribution).

So: remembering that Amazon is easily the worst but that there's still basically no ethical consumption or production under capitalism...

Ingram

Of the places I'm familiar with, the best-known option with the widest reach for self-publishing distribution is IngramSpark. As mentioned, I don't use Spark, but Coresource lets me completely customize which of Ingram's partners (vendors, wholesalers, libraries, etc.) I actually distribute with, and I've assumed that other Ingram products are the same. I believe IngramSpark is currently free per title; they get paid by charging fees per sale and because they get better listing deals with partners than an individual would get (like, Ingram might get charged x per title they list with, idk, Barnes and Noble, whereas you as an individual would get charged y, where y is larger than x, and Ingram pockets the difference).

I know a lot of people who use IngramSpark and my impression is that when it works, it works really well, but when it doesn't, getting help/customer service can be a nightmare. Virtually everyone I know who has used them has stories about late titles, support taking a week+ to reply, that kind of thing. I believe they have an option to pay for better/more rapid responses from customer support, which I feel kinda tells you everything you need to know about IngramSpark.

Draft2Digital

Another option is draft2digital. They use the Ingram distribution network, but again they can do so cheaper than an individual can because of their bulk sales through Ingram. They also offer e-book, audiobook, and print distribution. I use draft2digital for print and I've been quite satisfied with their customer support, but their print distribution doesn't allow opt-out of Amazon. HOWEVER, I believe their e-book distribution does. At minimum, there's a checklist on d2d about "steps you have to take to distribute e-books through d2d" and I'm assuming if you just. didn't do that checklist. then you obviously wouldn't get your books distributed through them. The other big thing I don't like about d2d (which may also be true of IngramSpark, idk) is that they charge after the first revision. Which is to say: you put together your book, you upload your book, you get it all set... and you notice a mistake. Okay, fine. You fix the mistake and re-upload. Re-uploading uses a "change token." You only get one free change token per title per six months. So, you notice another mistake you feel you have to fix a few days after that first? That'll cost $25. I've personally just kinda... tried to find all my mistakes right off and fix them, and anything I spot after that, I keep a log and will update all of them at the six month point. (I understand why they do this, btw - they have actual humans doing set-up on their end, so if you revise eight times in a week, that's a lot for an actual human, and charging for the tokens forces people to be careful, helps ensure people submit books that are actually ready in good faith, and helps keep costs low. That doesn't mean it's not annoying, though.)

Bookvault

Bookvault is a UK-based print-on-demand option (so NO e-book distribution, just print) that has recently started offerings in the US too. They currently have a relatively limited distribution network, but they're growing, and especially for UK-based people they're a strong alternative. I've heard a lot of positive reports about their printing in a FB group I'm in (Kickstarter for Authors - do recommend, lots of great info there), but I'll own my personal experiences weren't great and I've decided not to keep using them for now. However, if what you primarily want is print books as print-on-demand, and some limited distribution choices, they're a good choice, and they can help with option five below.

Do It Yourself Lite

A fourth option that's a LOT of work is...you add it everywhere yourself. Most places will let you. For example, here's how to sell on Barnes and Noble.com. When I self-pubbed a book a few years back, before I ran the Press, I submitted my work by hand to several different options (B&N, Kobo, Amazon because I still used them then, Smashwords, to name a few). However, doing this isn't the same as distribution - it only will sell through that specific vendor - and as far as I know there are no options for doing print-on-demand those ways (I THINK, tho I'm not sure, that Amazon is the only place you can set up both e-book and pod through a single vendor - it's not something I've researched tho, cause with the Press, doing single-title-at-a-time entry across so many different vendors is simply not realistic).

Side note on this: I don't believe there's a way to list self-pub books on Bookshop.org, but don't quote me on that.

This method also doesn't work well if you want to get your title in with libraries. I researched this a bit well over a year ago now, so I don't recall all the details, but before we signed up for Ingram I DID try to see if there was a way for us to publish and get in libraries especially without involving them, but there...wasn't really. Places like Overdrive that handle e-book-to-library distribution don't really have a way for individuals to submit; I have this vague memory I found a way to do it that involved paying per title but tbh I can't even find that now (though while I was looking I did find this decent-looking article about how to get your self-published book out in the world, echoing a lot of what I say here).

Do It Yourself Difficult Mode

Your fifth major option, and what we originally did as a press, is: do it all yourself. You can get your own storefront (ours is through Woocommerce + Wordpress). You can do your own crowdfunding. You can run your own newsletter (I use Mailerlite), do your own advertising, etc. You can do your own printing (we currently use Booklogix and I'm quite happy with them, their customer service is A+++). You can vend at events, you can market to local bookstores, sell through bookstores that do consignment, etc. You can learn to format your own e-books (I use a combination of Affinity software and Calibre, with an assist from Daisy to improve the accessibility of our e-books). You can get access to stock images and vector art to make things look nice (I use vecteezy). There's a LOT you can do entirely on your own. And that's what I did for myself before I ran the Press, and what I did for the Press for the first couple years we operated.

The reason I changed how the Press handles things? I hate to say this but the sad truth of publishing is that not using Amazon is utterly crippling to a publisher. As of 2 years ago, Amazon represented 67% of all book sales in the United States. Not selling through Amazon means accepting you'll simply be completely unable to reach more than half of the people reading works in English all around the world (works not in English may be different, I don't know that market since I publish in English). And for myself, alone - for my works? I could make that choice. But the Press currently works with well over 100 authors, and I ultimately felt I couldn't make the same choice to them. I tried so so hard not to compromise this, but refusing all distribution, when we were also avoiding Amazon, meant completely hamstringing the ability of authors we work with to market and sell their books. It meant, to work with us, people would have to sacrifice so much of their ability to earn money from their words, and it just didn't feel right to continue in that avenue as we grew. So, I was forced to compromise: first to use Ingram, which I did on the condition that I'd be able to reject Amazon specifically, and then by having to use draft2digital, including their goddamn Amazon print-on-demand, at least until I qualify for a better option, which as soon as I can do? You bet your butt I'll be switching and opting out of Amazon again.

The current climate makes these choices really hard, and I didn't make them lightly, nor did I make them alone - there's about 20 people on the DPP staff, and they all contributed opinions and voted on the final decisions I implemented for the Press in these regards.

(and sorry, I know "what DPP does and why" is a bit to the left of your actual question, but I felt like it'd be weird to make a list of recommendations without including the decisions I've personally made and why - like, why would I recommend you something I don't do myself with the books I publish? So sorry for the info dump.)

The TL:DR of all this is, as far as I know, and as I've been forced to accept as part of the realities of running a small press in the modern world of publishing, is that avoiding one Big Evil (Amazon) with any hope of achieving even a modicum of success basically requires partnering with at least one other Big Evil (Ingram especially). It's a very hard game to win.

HOWEVER, you are doing this FOR YOURSELF, NOT for all the people involved in a business larger than just you. If you're willing to put in the extra work to figure out a lot on your own and manage your own marketing, you can theoretically build enough of an audience to go it alone without Amazon OR Ingram OR places like Kobo/B&N/etc. You'll have to outlay more out of pocket - things like webhosting cost money - and you'll have to be a lot more careful - if you're running your own website instead of using someone elses, you gotta go above and beyond making you're in compliance with privacy rules and such - but it can be done.

And if you don't want to go that route, and your only real "to avoid" is Amazon specifically... use IngramSpark.

Sorry I'm long-winded. I hope this helps! Good luck with your publishing goals!

(and if others reading this have some other advice and resources, things I may not know about, please do weigh in! I bet the asker would like to know, and I'm always eager to learn about new options too.)

[totalswag]

Love your writing! So good!! Could you do one where the reader and Rafe have not been dating for long, only for about two weeks or so, and she is very insecure and doesn´t understand why he ever approached her to ask her out in the first place. She isn´t the most outgoing and thinks she is quite plain looking, comparing herself to all the much prettier girls (in her opinion) at parties that she evidently thinks he will leave her for and so she she starts to distance herself to make it hurt less

unworthy doubts — RAFE CAMERON

authors note first off, thank you so much. you don’t know how much that means to me. to all of you reading this right now; please know how important you're in this world. youre beautiful on the inside and outside in your own unique way 🤍.

summary questioning and comparing yourself to other girls while wondering why your boyfriend, rafe cameron, chose you.

warnings insecure, comparing, mentions of parties, crying, doubt.

Rafe Cameron and you started dating for almost a month; it’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a relationship. Although it’s in the early stages of your relationship, you haven’t felt this way.

However, your insecurities felt like they'd been with you forever.

Rafe's confidence and charisma seemed to effortlessly command whatever room he entered. You felt invisible; blending into the background. Comparing yourself to other girls at parties; pretty smile, makeup, etc.

What could rafe see in you?

The worries had recently gotten stronger, a constant voice in the back of your head. When you saw Rafe taking to someone or laughing too hard at someone’s joke, the voice whispers became louder.

You stood against the railing of Tannyhill watching at the sunset in your own thoughts. The breeze felt nice and it felt like good time to enjoy the moment.

"Hey," Rafe's voice interrupted your thoughts, making you jump slightly. He joined you at the railing with a troubled expression on his face. "You have been quiet recently. Is everything alright?

Rafe noticed your change in attitude in the previous three days. He had asked if everything was fine, but you refused to talk about it. Tonight, he wants answers. He's concerned about you.

You forced a smile, but it did not reach your eyes. "Yeah, I am fine." Just... exhausted, I suppose."

Rafe did not appear convinced. He stretched out and carefully tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear. "You know you can speak with me, right? If something is bothering you, please let me know.”

Your heart sunk as you heard those words. Deep down, you want to open up to him and express your feelings. You don't want to come across as undesirable and make him think differently of you.

You felt words spilling out, but you remained silent.

"Y/N, I feel like you're pulling away from me." "Is it something I said or did?" He creaked "Please let me know, baby."

"It's not you, Rafe," you eventually confessed, the words rushing out before you could stop them. "It's me." I just don't understand why you chose me. I am not like the other gals. I'm not as attractive, outgoing, or—"

Rafe cut you off, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Is that what you think? That I don't realize how magnificent you are?"

Rafe's thoughts were all over the place. Seeing tears gather in the corner of your eyes caused him to cry.

You shrugged your shoulders, feeling tears form in your eyes, and down your cheeks. Not bothering drying them off.

"It's difficult for me to not to think about that when I'm constantly comparing myself to these girls" you ramble on when Rafe cuts you off.

Rafe approached, holding your face in his hands. "Look at me," he murmured quietly, waiting for you to meet his eyes. "I asked you out because I like who you are. You are nice and intelligent, and you make me laugh like no one else can. You are attractive to me both inside and out. And if you can't see it yet, I'll spend as much time as necessary to show you."

His words struck you like a tsunami, removing any doubts and anxieties that had been building up. You took a nervous breath as tears finally poured over.

You bury your face against his chest, letting out your sobs and putting your arms around his body; Rafe gently strokes your back, rocking you both side to side and whispers nice words into your ear to calm you down. 

"I can't afford to lose you," you whine against his chest.

"Baby, you will not lose me; I will be with you every step of the way," Rafe says before kissing the top of your head several times.

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[a-small-writer-in-a-big-world]

Change

childhood best friend!soap x reader

There was nothing better than a family get together than at the MacTavish household. There was always an abundance of good food that you got to partake in because according to Johnny's mother, "You're just as much as family as Johnny is."

You tried to ignore the way you always got butterflies in your stomach when she implied you and Johnny we're practically dating, and instead waved it off to the fact that the two of were best friends.

Everyone in the family knew you and Johnny seemed to pride in that fact. He beamed when someone said they were happy to see you for another party and when they said they hoped to see you again.

You thought everyone knew you until he showed up.

It was a normal get together until one of Johnny's cousins, who was much older than the two of you and one that you had maybe seen once or twice in your entire time of knowing Johnny, showed up.

At first you didn't think much of it, especially when everyone was happy to see him.

"There's the kid. Steamin' Jesus, you've grown," he greeted Johnny when a big hug.

He didn't pay much attention to you.

Instead he talked Johnny's ear off. Caught up with him as if the two talked regularly, told him a couple stories about his recent military excursions, which explained the absences, and joked with him.

You tried to join in, showing interest since Johnny was and since it was his family, but they talked over you, as if they both had forgotten you there.

As if Johnny had forgotten all about you.

It stung a little but you couldn't blame him, it was his cousin. This was a family get together he had a right to spend it with his actual family and not you.

So instead you left them alone without excusing yourself and talked to someone else. You got more food, played games with his other younger cousins, and eventually found yourself anxiously waiting alone.

It was late and you were supposed to be back home because you had to be up early tomorrow. Johnny was supposed to drive you, but after waiting for nearly an hour and a half, you came to the conclusion that he had forgotten.

"Oh, pet are you still here?" His mother gave a concerned look but you gave her a weak smile. "He's still talking with his cousin..."

You just shrugged. You were more hurt now and too afraid to open your mouth in case it gave it away.

It was his cousin, you reminded yourself. He hadn't seen him a long time.

"I can take ya home, it's dark out." His mother offered but you shook your head.

"It's not a far walk."

You didn't miss the worried look she gave you or the underlying annoyance she had in her eyes that wasn't directed towards you.

You closed your back door when Johnny called you. You didn't say anything when you answered.

"Mam said you walked home, I thought I was taking ya?" He asked immediately and you clenched your jaw.

"It's fine." You dismissed him with the best neutral voice you could.

On the inside you were hurt. He ignored you all evening and only said something to you as soon as you were gone. You weren't sure if you wanted to tell him off or just brush it under the rug.

"Anyway, I wanted to tell ya that I'm going Herefordshire with ma cousin this weekend-"

"I thought we were going to the lake this weekend?"

Silence. You could feel and hear your heartbeat in your ears your vision slowly blurring.

"No, that's not-oh it was this weekend." He sounded almost...disappointed by the thought.

You were ready to just end the night.

"It's fine," you lied and swallowed the lump in your throat.

"You sure?"

You wanted to say no, that you were a little hurt and pissed off he not only ignored you the entire evening but was now ditching the plans the two of you had made weeks in advance, but you didn't.

In hindsight it wouldn't have made a difference.

"Yeah." You lied again.

"Thanks, bonnie!" You could hear the smile on his face. "I'll see ya at school tomorrow."

"Okay-"

Johnny ended the call before you could even say anything.

You spent the rest of the night in your room clutching your bunny very close to your chest, unable to sleep due to your racing mind.

masterlist

A/N: i took some inspo from his wiki

[thir10th]

sneak out - Emily Prentiss x fem!reader

summary: It's your first case as a couple, you're worried about sleeping by yourself so Emily sneaks out to your room tw: no smut, just fluff, no proofread 'cause i'm tired a/n: another little drabble because you guys LOVED the last one, and i love writing them too. Enjoy, like & reblog <3

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

You rest your head on your hand, almost lying on the table of the bullpen. You had arrived very early that morning, so you're lacking some rest. You close your eyes remembering how your morning had gone.

°.•☆•.°

you opened your eyes at the sound of a phone rigning, too loud for your liking, considering you had been awake too late with your girlfriend. The black haired woman still wrapped around you, her naked body pressed against your back, her arm pulling you to her chest, she groans at the sound of the phone ringing, you take it, checking to make sure you grabbed the correct one, seeing it's emily's you pass it to her.

still without opening her eyes, she unwraps her arm off your waist and takes the phone from your hand answering it

"Prentiss... Ok, yeah, I'll be there as soon as i can" she sounds sleepy even to you, she hangs up the phone, angrily placing it on the bedside table, and turning around again to wrap herself around you. again, pulls you even closer to her chest and you hug her arm closer to you

"I don't want to go" she says kissing your shoulder sweetly, and you turn around, swifting to face her "me nether, but they're waiting for us" you kiss her sweetly, and she finally opens her eyes, smiling at you

"you know" you say, running a hand through her hair "this is our first case as a couple"

"yeah, are you excited?" she says rising her eyebrows suggestively, it makes you chuckle

"to be honest, i kind of am, i know it's stupid, nothing changes but-" she interrupts you before you can go on

"oh no, stop, it's not stupid, everything has changed" she says moving a strand of your hair behind your ear, caressing the side of your face

"nether of us have to go back to an empty room, no one to talk to, no one to hug... no one to kiss" she kisses you sweetly, her hand still on your face

"i don't want to spend tonight alone" you confess "we've slept in the same bed this whole week, i don't know if will resist" she looks at you with her big brown eyes staring into yours. There's definitely no way you could sleep without her.

"I can come to your room, it sounds exciting actually, you know, the sneaking around, all that" the grin on her face showing her excitment

"ok, thank you" you share another kiss before another phone starts ringing again, this time it's yours, Emily grumples but despite your girlfriend's complains you pick up "hey JJ, i'll be on my way"

°.•☆•.°

"hey, you ok? I got you a coffee" the sweet voice of your girlfriend makes you open your eyes, her sweet smile makes your heart malt, she caresses your back softly, setting the warm coffee mug next to you, and sitting beside you, her hand doesn't leave your back, tracing soft circles soothingly

"are you alright?" she says, you cover your face with your hand, frustration all over your shoulders

"yeah, just really tired, and I still feel like we're missing something here you know?" you take a sip of your coffee, you love how she always gets it right "hey, it's ok" Emily is cut off before she can finish, Hotch and Rossi enter the room and you shoot away from each other

°.•☆•.°

thankfully, Hotch decides to call it for the day, sending you all to the hotel to sleep and start fresh on the morning, after the check-in you can't believe your bad luck

your room and Emily's are on opposite ends of the long hallway on that hotel, meaning she would have to pass next to everyone's rooms to get to yours.

You're waiting there, sitting on the bed, with your face between your hands, thinking about the day, the case, how nothing was making sense, how an angry victim's father had yelled at you in frustration, everything was being too much.

Right when tears are about to stream down your face, you hear a double knock on your door, and you know your girlfriend is on the other side of that door

You shoot up from the bed, going to open the door. Emily slides in as soon as you unlock it

"i think i heard a noise coming from Spencer's door i thought he was gonna catch me" you cut her numbling by wrapping your arms around her neck in a much needed hug, she surrounds your waist immediately, pulling you against her body, she kisses the side of your face

"hey, everything ok?" she asks concerned on her sweetest voice.

"yeah, now that you're here" you say, connecting your lips to hers in a sweet kiss, her hands still wrapped around your waist

"I just really needed you" you confess, and she kisses you again, her soft lips brushing against yours

"so you said you heard Spencer?" you ask, trying to lighten the mood, you peck her lips

"yeah, you know how he's a light sleeper, and a night owl, i run does the hallway when i heard it" she chuckles, and kisses you again.

you ly your head on her shoulder, your arms still holding tight around her neck, holding her as close to you as you can. You inhale deep, the scent of her shampoo bringing you a sense of comfort.

"hey, c'mon I'll help you undress, you're still on your clothes" you had almost forgotten, but she's right, you hadn't even taken your boots off

She swats your ass softly, finally letting go of her, you sit on the bed, this time the pressure isn't there anymore, just her hand holding yours, her smell on the air, her smile directed at you.

Emily flops herself onto the bed, in what little space you had left. She kicks off her shoes and unbuckles her belt.

"c'mon babe, take your shoes off" she says, nudging your side.

you fall back into the bed, starfished out, exhaustion taking over your body again

"I will let you use me however you want if you take them off for me" you say, chuckling, looking at your girlfriend.

"well you pretty much do already, don't you?" she laughs

"I will let you chose the movie the next time and i'll lose my turn" that seems to convince her, as she takes your feet onto her lap, she begins loosening your boots one lace at a time.

When they are finally loose enough, you kick them off and groan at the freedom your feet feel.

"can you take care of your pants by yourself or do you need help with those too?" she says, the same grin as always on her face

"i could use some help with those too, if you don't mind" you tease

"ok, come here" she taps her lap, you sit straight and move to straddle her, trapping her neck between your arms once again, you peck her lips

Her skilled fingers unbuckle your pants, and you stand up to help her pull them down. You return to your position with her waist between your legs, and you bury your head on her neck

"I never want to let go off you" you whisper on her ear, kissing her head, her earlobe, inhaling her lavender scent

"shh" she soothes you "I'm not going anywhere"

Emily grabs the hemline of your shirt, sliding it off your arms, and moves to kiss your collarbone sweetly, her contact is always so soft you melt against her lips

You do the same, unbuttoning the buttons on her shirt one by one, you, kissing her lips every time another button is freed, until you take it off of her completely,

One by one every article of clothing is removed, leaving both of you stripped to only your underwear, you decide it's good enough

Emily slips away from you to turn off the lights and pull the curtains close, as you shuffle to get under the covers

She stands there for a moment to admire you, smile wide as she moves to get under the covers with you

She shuffles in the bed behind you and you turn around to face her, her arms wrap around your waist.

Being the lover of skin on skin contact that she is, she pulls you in an even tighter embrace, her bare chest against yours.

She kisses your lips, your face, your cheek, your forehead, her featherlight kisses making you forget every worry, every bad thought of the day

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks, always so careful to make sure you're ok with it

"No, i just want to stay like this for a while if that's ok"

"yes, of course" she says, kissing your lips "I'm not going anywhere"

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this one is messy, i know. I hope you guys still like it <3

I love writing these so if you still like them, i will make more! you can request stuff like this if you want me to do something in parrticular.

(also i might do a part 2 of this one if i see you guys like it)

[blublublujk]

baby if only you knew

oneshot

word count: 5k

genre: strangers to lovers, hybrid world

pairings: wolf hybrid reader x bunny hybrid jungkook

summary:

“Do you still think that?” “Think what?” The bunny looks confused for a second.  “That I’m the prettiest hybrid.” You say, your heart on your sleeve but it doesn't matter anymore.  “Yes.” He answers with no hesitation. “I like you. A lot. I have for some time.”  “I like you too, Jungkookie.” There’s some comfortable silence for some time as you both stare at each other longingly. “Be my girlfriend pup?”  “Yes bun, a million times yes.” 

warnings: this got a bit fluffy but things speed up once we get past the slow part i swear. explicit sexual content; dirty talk, pet play (IDK they are hybrids so), unprotected sex, since he's a bunny everything is fast okay, knotting, come inflation, slight breeding kink, pussy eating, slick since reader is an omega, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, creampie

a.n: ik yall probably had no faith on me to come back but here i am keeping my promise. october was supposed to be a good month for me but it was so shitty so forgive me but i bring this as an apology. i'll be back on halloween with some ghost hoseok x reader content hehe that was supposed to be released first but i'll keep that for the spirit of halloween. see you then! ^.^

—> m.list

—> welcome me on ao3 & twt

–

Jungkook is an amazing boyfriend. He’s generous, sweet, he cares for the people around him, and most of all he’s understanding and patient with those around him. He’s genuinely a fucking angel sent down to bless the earth. Truly, you were beyond lucky to call him yours. 

In a world of hybrids, it wasn’t so abnormal to see hybrids of different breeds together. When you first met Jungkook, you hadn’t even realized he was of a different mix. There was a story for that but that would come later. 

Jungkook did his best to tuck his huge bunny ears into a beanie/hood or anything that would cover them— which was really the only way to immediately tell he was a bunny hybrid mix, besides the obvious indicator (his nose would twitch cutely). The bunny never spoke about that around you so from the very first day you had laid eyes on him, you assumed he was nothing more than a sweet, strong alpha (solely based on the way he would carry himself) with big beautiful brown doe starry eyes. 

The day soon came where you would find that wasn’t at all true, seeing him outside of college campus grounds. As you stepped inside a local diner to meet with friends, you were drawn to the hybrid instantly, spotting him way too quickly. It was as if you had already imprinted on the man and maybe you had but you weren’t ready to admit that yet. He was stuffing his cheeks with a cheeseburger, chopping it down as if someone would take it directly off his hands. Friends surrounded him, they smiled and patted his back realizing how quickly the younger was eating his meal. The scene brought a smile to your face as you watched one of his Hyung’s wipe the mess around his mouth though it should have grossed you out, it was really endearing.

“Y/N!” Elsie yells from across the diner, ripping your attention from the group of men. 

“Hey kitty!” 

Elsie was a cat hybrid as if it wasn’t already obvious by her beautiful furry ears and long orange tail always giving her away, well that and her long red-painted claws. People always said cats and dogs don’t mix, but you beg to differ. Elsie is the most caring and outgoing kitty you know. 

She throws an arm around your shoulders. “Missed you, pup.” 

“I was only gone for a week.” Fall break was typically the time where your parents would beg  you to come back home even if it was just for a week and of course because you felt it was the least you could do, you booked the first flight out and stayed for the whole break. Even if it was only a week, it felt long regardless because home doesn’t feel like home anymore. However, it was nice spending time with your family, regarding the fact that you nearly booked a flight back two days after you landed. 

“A week too long.” Lira pouts. She’s also a cat hybrid. Sadly, she was missing her tail after an accident she had when she was still a kitten. She didn’t need the tail anyways, her fluffy gray kitty ears stood beautifully on top of her head. 

Lira wraps her arms around what is free, basically all space where Elsie hasn’t occupied, while Elsie’s tail brushes gently behind your back. 

“We missed you.” Elsie sighs against your neck, her sweet cinnamon scent rubbing into your skin. 

“I missed you guys even more.” You feel Lira smile beside you and you know she tries to hold back from dropping her fresh scent into the air, but soon enough peppermint reaches your nose and you are in full delight. It isn’t long before you release your own sweet, calming pheromones. “Seriously, it was so hard to concentrate back home. Don’t get me wrong I love my parents, but it was hell. My sister wouldn’t stop nagging about her brat of a boyfriend all week long. Can’t believe she found a boyfriend before me and she’s only fifteen! What have I done to deserve this?” 

The two hybrids laugh, releasing the tight hold they had little by little. 

“Oh Y/N, if you would just let yourself love and be loved you too would have found a boyfriend so long ago!” Lira simply explains without much other given context. 

“You know she’s right.” Elsie’s tail is now wrapped securely around your hip, the touch is soft but it’s comforting and makes you feel extra snug. “I mean just how long have you been pining for Mr. Can’t-Actually-Say-His-Name-Because-You’ll-Kill-Me.” 

Your eyes follow her gaze right across where Jungkook and his friends are sitting and you feel yourself melt into the seat. 

“Shut up.” You mumble. “I don’t pin after him.”

“Oh, you totally do.” Lira buts in. “‘Oh Jungkook, if you ever need help with that just let me know.’ You seriously believe that we didn’t notice the way you batted your eyes at him while you basically threw yourself at him.” 

“I did NOT bat my eyes at him. And I definitely didn’t THROW myself at him.” You yell-whisper in case any hybrids around are listening in. 

Elsie clicks her tongue. “No, you definitely did.” 

“See, told ya.” Lira digresses, sitting more comfortably against the booth. “Anyways, did you hear about…”

“Jungkook-ah, slow down. That burger isn’t going to run away.” Seokjin affectionately scolds, wiping the area around his mouth with a napkin. “Messy bunny.”

“So hungry.” Jungkook says with a mouth full. 

“Yeah, be grateful Hyung loves you.” The hamster hybrid says with no meaningful threat. 

“Love you!” Jungkook smiles shamelessly at his hyung. 

“Don’t look, but Y/N walked through the door.” Taehyung informs the table as he watches you walk towards your friends. They all burst into laughter watching Jungkook choke on his burger the second he hears your name being yelled. 

“S-She’s here?” He is quick to hide his face behind Seokjin’s broad shoulders but he shoves him back in his seat, happy with his doing when Jungkook’s face turns red.

“Jungkook-ah, my guy, when are you gonna admit you like this pup?” From across him speaks Jimin, his cat ears seem to stand tall, interested in his answer. 

“Hyung, I don’t like her.” Jungkook whines, having no choice but to hide his face behind his hands. “I just think she’s very cool and nice, that’s all.” 

Taehyung raises a brow. “Jungkook you nearly fall to your knees whenever you see her walk in class. Her presence alone leaves you a stuttering mess.” 

“N-No.” The bunny hybrid stutters. “Okay, fine. I like her.” 

Hoseok laughs with his body, grabbing onto Jimin’s shoulder. “Why don’t you just ask the pup out?” 

Jungkook’s face feels hot and he shrugs. “I don’t know… she doesn’t even know my hybrid mix yet.”

“Uh, I think the huge bunny ears give that away.” Yoongi says and points towards his head. 

“Yeah, but I hide them.” Jungkook shamefully admits. He was lucky to be wearing his hood when you came in. Usually the bunny carries his beanie with him everywhere, but today he was out with his friends so he didn’t think it was necessary. 

He’s hoping you didn’t notice. He doesn’t think you would mind that much, but he’s still insecure in the way that he wishes he was something cooler like his Hyung Namjoon. A whole alpha wolf hybrid mix. Why did he have to be born a fucking bunny? He’s embarrassed to admit it. What if you turn him away? Laugh in his face? You surely wouldn't, right? You are the nicest pup he knows. 

“Jungkook-ah…” Hoseok shakes his head, clearly in disapproval.

“I know Hyung. I know. I said I wouldn’t hide anymore, but I can’t help it. She makes me so nervous.” Jungkook lays back, Taehyung's palm goes to rub circles behind his back. “To be fair, I didn’t hide it at first, I was so used to wearing my hoodie in class so people wouldn’t talk to me…” 

—-

Two Months Ago 

“Hey.” 

Jungkook looks up to find a classmate he seems to have never noticed or seen before. He thinks you must be new. 

“I- sorry to bother you. You were the closest person to the door and I was just wondering if you could direct me to room 301. I think I’m in the wrong place.” The stranger (you) pulls her own hood down, revealing the cutest dog ears. He wondered if you were an alpha like his hyung. You nervously play with your strings as you wait for his reply. 

“No it’s okay. Don’t apologize. You’re in the right room. Actually, the room numbers are found on a silver plate by the door, but the plate fell off for this room and nobody seems to have the time to fix it.” The hybrid’s nose twitches cutely as he speaks, his doe-eyes glow in the light filtering the room. 

“Oh, okay. Do you mind if I sit next to you? The room is pretty packed.” You ask quietly, hoping the cute hybrid will agree. Meanwhile, you wonder about his breed. 

“S-Sure. The seat beside me isn’t taken.” He gestures for you to sit. 

“Thanks.” You smile. “You must be a wolf hybrid right? Your eyes give it all away, you’re a cute pup!” 

Jungkook’s heart drops. One because you think he’s cute and he also thinks you’re cute, but two because you think he’s a wolf hybrid. If only you knew what was under his hood. Now, he’s humiliated so he does what anyone foolish enough would do. 

“Y-Yeah.” He agrees and doesn’t say much after that.

“Sorry. Was I too forward?” Maybe he isn’t interested in being friends, you felt so stupid. 

“No!” He answers all too quickly and brings attention to himself. “I mean- no. Thank you. You must be a wolf hybrid yourself.” 

You smile because he noticed your ears of course. “Yes! An omega.” 

So you weren’t an alpha but an omega, Jungkook thinks you became cooler by the second. Even though the classroom is filled with all different kinds of scents. Jungkook thinks he smells a new one. His nose has always been extremely sensitive, but he thinks he smells cotton candy which is new. 

“Oh. I’m an alpha.” He lies, feeling extremely guilty. His hyung won’t mind if he steals his identity for a minute (Namjoon definitely will). 

“Of course you are. Only someone with a jawline and arms like that could be an alpha.” You smile and turn your attention back towards the front of the room where the professor seems to have just arrived. 

“Yeah.” Jungkook lamely replies and fakes a smile. God what did he get himself into? 

…

“She thought I was a wolf hybrid Hyung.” Jungkook tells his embarrassing story and his hyungs look back at him apologetically. 

“That’s still no reason to lie to her Jungkookie.” Hoseok reasons as usual. “I really think you should come clean. She’s a sweet pup. You wouldn’t like it if the situation was reversed.”

Jungkook pouts, nevertheless agreeing. Of course he’ll come clean. You deserve nothing but the truth. He’s just terrified that if he comes clean, about his feelings and the fact that he isn’t a wolf hybrid that you’ll turn him away and never speak to him again. He should have faith in you, but his insecurities get to him anyways. 

“I know I will, let's get out of here before—” Jungkook is interrupted by another person and he freezes in his seat. 

“Jungkook?” To Jungkook’s greatest fear, he finds you right by the table, some friends he always finds you with sit across where you had come from and look over with a proud look on their face. 

“I- yeah! Hi.” Jungkook’s awkward and his hyungs can’t help but to laugh at his mess. 

“Sorry to interrupt.” You apologize, ears flattening in your hair, looking adorable. 

“Don’t worry at all. We were just about done here anyways.” The kitty hybrid at the table reassures, you think his name is Jimin and it is confirmed when someone else speaks up. A bear hybrid this time with a deep voice. “Let’s head back to Jimin’s? I’m tired. Jungkook-ah, we’ll catch up with you later. See ya.”

They all stand and Jungkook feels he can throw up when he sees he’s left all alone with you by his side. 

“Do you wanna-”

“Do-”

Both of you start at the same time and it makes you both laugh. You don’t want to get ahead of yourself but you think it’s possible that he may feel the same way and that makes your heart warm. 

“You go first.” The hybrid says between a smile. 

You take a breath before you ask. “Wanna get out of here?” 

Jungkook nods eagerly, looking like a sweet pup before he’s up on his feet. “Sure, I know just the place.” 

The bunny hybrid doesn’t take you far. After like a fifteen minute walk, a lake comes into your vision and you both find a bench to rest your feet for a moment. 

“How-”

“Did-”

Laughter is shared again and suddenly Jungkook is less nervous. He has nothing to worry about around you. 

“Sorry, I was asking how was your fall break?” Jungkook asks while playing with the strings of his hood. 

“Good good! I went to visit my family back home.” Jungkook smiles hearing this. 

“How was that?” 

“Honestly,” you wrap your arms around yourself feeling a bit cold, “it went really well! We hiked around a lot while I was there. We all really love hiking and it’s the way we bond as wolves. Though this time we had a new member join our pack. My sister got a boyfriend. She’s only fifteen but she had fun as well. I think he’s a brat but she loves him so I can deal with him for now.”

The hybrid nods attentively, eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “I see. I have an older brother and he’s been with some fox hybrid since I can remember. He’s married though and I love her. She’s really great.” 

“How old is he?” 

“My brother is ten years older than me.” Jungkook replies in a low tone. “I’ve always been the baby.” 

Even in his entire friend group, Jungkook’s the youngest. Not that he minds, he just wants to be as cool as his hyungs. Being a bunny hybrid isn’t an easy life when everyone finds him cute. He can be cute, but he wants to be strong, cool (maybe sexy as well). 

“I can tell.” You whisper and his giggle calms the butterflies in your stomach. 

“Look there’s something I wanna show you.” Jungkook lets himself breathe for a moment before his hands come to the top of his hood. “I know this is so unexpected and sudden, but I don’t wanna keep lying to you.” 

He breathes one last time through his nose, closes his eyes for a second and drops his hood, letting his fluffy ears hit the fresh air. When he opens his eyes he finds you just as shocked as he imagined you would be. 

“Jungkook.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry for hiding something like this. I really didn’t mean to. I-”

Jungkook feels arms wrap around him and he freezes before he realizes all his fears and worries have been for nothing. He hugs you back, squishing you into him. 

“I’m sorry for assuming your hybrid mix bun.” He feels the whisper right below his ear. The bunny holds back a purr when he feels you gently scratch behind his ear.

Bun. Jungkook knows this is terrible timing, but fuck he thinks he could come in his pants right now. His friends and family call him that all the time but it’s never meant anything. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything from your lips either but he’s infatuated with you and has been for a couple months now. The bunny hybrid knows now more than ever that he wouldn’t want it any other way. He wants to be with you forever. 

“I’m sorry.” You pull back to look into his eyes and he shushes you with his lips. They are so soft against your own and you feel yourself hold back your own purr. 

The bunny pulls back so suddenly. “I- I’m sorry!” 

You don’t say anything but smile and reel him in by his strings and your lips crash against his much faster. The kiss is still soft but he doesn’t hold back this time. His lips mold with yours like if it was always meant to be this way. You drop one last kiss before pulling away. He tastes like cherry chapstick and you feel like kissing it off all over again but you hold off. 

“This wasn’t supposed to go in this order.” Jungkook laughs quietly, his hands hold your waist but they are soft to the touch. 

“It’s okay. I liked it.” You say, he watches your own eyes sparkle. 

“I should explain myself now.” The hybrid murmurs and you push off him just a bit, but you remain close and allow him space to speak. “Back when we first met, I had my hood on. Usually, I do that because I don’t like people talking to me.” 

You look at him apologetically but he shakes his head and continues, ��you were the exception of course. I thought you were the prettiest hybrid ever and I didn’t want to pass you up so I helped you. I didn't expect anything, but then you called me a wolf hybrid and at the time, I was too embarrassed to admit I was a bunny hybrid.” 

“Oh Jungkook, I’m so sorry.” 

“No no! It’s okay. It was my own insecurities holding me back. I’m not scared anymore. I thought if I had told you I was actually a bunny hybrid that you wouldn’t have taken me seriously. Most people just think I’m some cute little bunny and I’m much more than my breed.” He admits and you feel sorry he would ever think something like that. You never imagined it was possible for other hybrids to think that of themselves, but you feel for him regardless. 

“I believe you. I still think you’re cute but I would never turn you away, Jungkook. You have so many things going for yourself, I wish you could see how cool and attractive you look through my own eyes.” 

Jungkook smiles. “You really think so?”

“Of course. You’re perfect Jungkookie.” And this time you both smile. “Do you still think that?”

“Think what?” The bunny looks confused for a second. 

“That I’m the prettiest hybrid.” You say, your heart on your sleeve but it doesn't matter anymore. 

“Yes.” He answers with no hesitation. “I like you. A lot. I have for some time.” 

“I like you too, Jungkookie.” There’s some comfortable silence for some time as you both stare at each other longingly.

“Be my girlfriend pup?” 

“Yes bun, a million times yes.” 

—-

Once again, Jungkook was the absolute best boyfriend ever. Genuinely the kindest soul and sweetest hybrid. But he was a fucking animal. No pun intended. It was your first time dating a bunny hybrid and you underestimated a lot of things. 

First, the bunny was incredibly needy. You had heard of this. Taehyung had warned you and you didn’t even believe it at first because you were quite clingy yourself, but then you realized it was much worse than you had imagined. Jungkook would pout and whine every time you would try to get up from your morning cuddles. He would tell you things like you could skip work or class for today and you would always disagree. 

“No. Not this time bun.” Jungkook whined, he would try his best puppy eyes on you which almost always worked but not this time. So much for not liking being cute. “No. I’ll see you after class okay? We’ll cuddle all you want after.” 

Jungkook huffs but lets you go anyways. He’ll be waiting for that. 

Second, you underestimated how much a growing bunny could eat. He was already in his last stages of maturing, but damn he could eat. You don’t even eat this much after your heats hit and your appetite is huge during those times. 

“Slow down, bun.” Jungkook would blush and smile with his mouth full. 

“Starving.” He would say even though you had fed him just an hour ago but it was cute. It was just so hard to say no to someone as cute as Jungkook. May he forgive you later for thinking he was the cutest bunny you had ever met but it was true. Jungkook was perfect and he was everything you ever wanted in a partner. 

Thirdly, you underestimated his sex drive. At first, you thought you were a match made in heaven. You would spend your heats with a bunny who tended to have a high libido. It would all work out! He could keep up with you and you would take what you needed during your frenzy heated state. It was perfect. 

Okay no, you definitely underestimated a bunny’s sex drive because Jungkook was a fucking beast. Your heats would hit every three months and Jungkook was more than happy to help. He was genuinely perfect. He would make sure you always had water and cold towels around to cool you down. The bunny would often check on you between rounds, during rounds, and especially after you had come down from the frenzy wave of your heats. 

It was one of those moments where you realized he was much more in need of this than you were. Bunny’s are in need of a lot of sex possibly more than any other hybrid. Jungkook would fuck you to oblivion for ten minutes straight and after twenty minutes as you cooled off, he was ready for more. Sex with Jungkook was beyond exhausting, but you wouldn’t change a damn thing. 

“W-Wait Jungkook, oh my god.” The bunny rammed his hips in and out of you at quick speed. His hands forcing your hips up, keeping you right where he wanted. “I’m gonna come again.”

Your voice falls out into whines and whimpers and still, Jungkook doesn’t hold back. He feels the second you start to fall apart writhing against the sheets every time you feel him hit your sweet spot. “Already pup?”

“Nghh.” Nothing stops the high pitched moan that rips through the room while Jungkook fucks into you with precision. “D-Don’t. Please don’t stop. ” 

Jungkook loves it when you get like this. All fucked out. Barely holding yourself together. He sees the way you cling to the sheets below, your slick is everywhere but that’s exactly how the bunny likes it. He’s convinced the neighbors could smell it by the way you keep pushing that sweet slick out. 

The scent of cotton candy hits his nose by a tenfold and he loves it. You’re coming right on his cock and that’s how it always should be, but suddenly he’s greedy. 

The bunny is quick to slip out of you and you want to shove him right back in, but he replaces his cock with his tongue and nothing else matters again. It’s like he’s addicted. Jungkook used to think he hated being a hybrid. Having the ability to smell all sorts of scents used to drive him insane and somehow, nothing is better than smelling your sweet, sweet scent. It drives him fucking insane.

“Fuck!” You scream. The bunny is buried nose deep into your pussy, forcing all your addicting slick to fall into his tongue. He inhales the fucking juices like it’s a meal. “I- I think I’ll come again.” 

Jungkook can’t help but to smile even while he’s in the middle of eating you out. He flicks his tongue around your clit, nibbling on it like the good bunny he is. The sensation starts to build all too quickly and another orgasm rips through your body. The world goes black for a second. 

You passed out and the next time you wake up, you feel the hybrid rubbing his length behind you. 

You both never even bothered getting dressed when your heat would hit. There was no use of clothes anyways. It wouldn’t matter if he would find a way to drop you on his knot every fucking minute he could. 

He presses his hard-on between your cheeks and you feel slick start to ready you up for him. 

“Again?” You croak, voice still filled with fatigue. 

Jungkook kisses your back softly as he caresses your hips (it’s the way he asks for forgiveness). He was a sweet bunny. “Sorry babe. You smell so fucking good. Just like me.” 

“Yeah because you’ve been coming all over me. There’s a bugde in my stomach. You’ve ruined me bun.” The bunny smiles against your skin and apologizes again in between kisses along your bare shoulder. 

His cock makes his way between your cheeks and you feel the tip against your slicken folds (you don’t know if it’s slick or his come). “Just the tip baby.” 

He whispers and you roll your eyes because it’s never just the tip but who are you to deny your sweet boyfriend of absolutely anything. “Go ahead bunny.” 

Jungkook sighs as the head of his dick eases into your pussy. He actually keeps his word and doesn’t go any further. The bunny takes his time, slowly rolling his hips into you. You hear him groan against your ear. “So good for me pup. All mine.” 

The bunny growls as his hand touches the bulge that formed in your stomach. He would keep his come inside you every single day if he could. Fuck everything else. 

The bulge reminds him of what it could be. He can’t wait to see you filled with his own pups. The bunny moans imagining your swollen belly, you would probably taste sweeter than ever. He might just breed you right now. Fuck birth control. 

“Kook.” He hears you moan lightly. “‘S not enough.” 

He smirks knowing his girl. “I know pup. Need my help?” 

You only nod, moaning again when you feel him pick up the pace. He’s still behind you and his hand leaves your stomach to pull your cheeks apart. He thrust himself fully inside you grunting into your ear. “So tight still even after last night.”

You squeeze your walls around him as he picks up his pace again, he tries his best in the position you are both in but he gets frustrated within the second and lifts one of your legs up, fucking his dick into your pussy easier. The bunny moans praises as he continues to ram himself into you. “So pretty. So beautiful. All mine.” 

“Yours. All yours.” You agree, feeling so fucked already. 

Jungkook pulls out for a second before he pushes you back against the bed and tugs your legs open for him. The bunny sits between your legs while he contemplates whether he wants to eat you out or stuff his knot into you.

You notice this and intervene. “No. Fuck me. Please.” 

He supposes he can let you decide for now. Jungkook lines his cock with your pussy and eases himself back inside you. This way he feels much better and he doesn’t struggle hitting your g-spot within the minute. 

“Knot. Need your knot bun.” You start to beg as slick falls out of you, your body clearly preparing you for a knot. 

“Yeah?” Jungkook breathes harshly, his ears twitch watching you fall into a desperate state. “Beg for it, omega.” 

Omega. Jungkook never calls you that unless he knows you are far too deep into it to care. Hybrids do not call each other by their status unless they are a part of that mix themselves, but Jungkook has always pushed his luck. He knows it drives you insane. 

“Please bun. I- wan- knot. Please knot me.” Your words start to go incoherent and he loves every second of it. The hybrid pulls out grabs some slick that has fallen into the sheets and covers his length with it fucking it back into you. His pace is significantly faster now, he plants hands into the sheets below as you wrap your arms and legs around him. He fucks into relentlessly, not worried about the noise being made. The headboard keeps smacking into the wall but he could care less. His neighbors hate him for sure but what does it matter when he has you under him. So desperate and perfect. 

Your moans are almost yells now and he only goes faster. And faster. And then much faster. This is when you really realize who you are with. A whole bunny hybrid. He’s so fast. Much faster than any of your loser ex’s. They don’t even compare for one second to what Jungkook is capable of. He always keeps you full and sated. It is as if he made for you and you for him.  

He feels his knot start to inflate and his nostrils flare, smelling your scent sweeten. Sweat coats his body but he doesn’t let up. “Bun will knot you now, my sweet pup. My omega.” 

Your legs start to shake around him as heat rushes down and you come as soon as you feel his knot ram into your g-spot. You are a complete goner, coming and squirting all over his knot. The bulge inside your stomach is beautiful and it grows bigger as he comes deeply into you, holding his knot and previous orgasms. 

Even though you definitely feel faint, you are proud of yourself for keeping your eyes open as his knot locks you both in place. Jungkook is careful when laying back behind you, feeling the knot tug at you both lightly. 

“You okay?” He asks in a whisper, pushing the hair out of your sweaty face. He kisses your pink cheeks. God he’s so lucky. “I love you. So much.”

“Yes. ‘M perfect bunny. I love you more.” You whisper, and lull back to sleep in the arms of your lover. 

Seriously, you wouldn’t have it any other way. Even if dick could kill you, so be it.

[lost-in-fandoms]

from this for @91finewalls94. this grew a life of its own, i don't know what happened!

to steal my heart tonight

"It is fucking itchy!"

"Stop complaining and get on with it, Max."

GP's voice is tinny through the earpiece Max is wearing, carefully disguised as an earring, but there's no mistaking his stern tone. Max has heard it enough times to probably be able to dream about it. She probably has already.

"I still don't know why Alex couldn't do this!" she complains, one last time, just for show. She's already walking towards the doors of the mansion, smiling at the disinterested bodyguard at the door hoping nobody can see the way she's gritting her teeth at the uncomfortable feeling of having to walk on heels.

She doesn't get an answer, but she knows what it would be. Apparently, she's exactly the millionaire's daughter's type. Lucky her. Can't wait to spend a couple hours flirting with someone just to be able to get her fingerprints for the access to the vault!

At least the food looks great. She's not allowed to drink, even if she does accept some champagne for show, but she ignores GP's pointed huff and eats two canapes. Perfectly flaky and butter, better than whatever sandwiches they will be eating in the van. Take that, Alex!

She still contemplating the option of licking her fingers in a ballroom full of fancy rich people, when her eyes lock in on the figure of the woman she's supposed to be charming tonight, entering the room in a gorgeous red dress.

And yeah, Max can admit Daniel is beautiful. She has perfect curls and a perfect smile and wide brown eyes, and if this was an anonymous club somewhere in the city, Max would probably try to hit on her out of her own free will. But she doesn't like being stuffed in a dress, with way too much cleavage, and being told to flirt. She used to be paid to hit people, not to charm them! Where has society ended up to?

She catches the movement of Daniel's head just in time to turn around, letting her eyes glide over her back, hearing the crackle of the earpiece just a second before GP start talking.

"Okay, she has seen you and she's walking your way. Please, Max, try to act properly this time."

"If you don't know what to say, just bend over and show her your boo..." Alex's comment gets cut off, as GP probably shoves him away from the radio. Max burns with the repressed desire to talk back.

She follows Daniel's movements through the room from the corner of her eye, always pretending to be looking somewhere else, so she's not surprised when a hand lands gently on her arm, but she still pretends to be.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you!" Daniel's voice is bright, carrying a smile in every syllable, and suddenly Max's task feels a little easier.

--

Talking to Daniel is easy. Dancing with her, even if it's a stupid waltz, both of them giggling and stumbling along, is even easier. Getting her fingerprints is a child's play. Leaving her, though.

If Max wasn't working, she would be asking Daniel to go home with her. Or well, for Daniel to take her upstairs in one of the many bedrooms this big ass house has, and let Max eat her out until she cries.

But she's working, and she's damn good at her job, so when Daniel is being whisked away by someone else, she discreetly makes her way towards one of the garden doors and slips away.

As soon as she's out of view, she slips her heels off, stuffing them in a bush. Better being barefoot and risking to impale herself on a rusty nail than taking one more step in those things. And why the hell did she have to wear a fucking thong? Never again.

"Next job, Alex is wearing the thong," she mutters as she slinks through the shadows, taking the long way around to the other side of the house.

"And I'll look great in it!"

Max can almost hear GP rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"Can you spot the right window?" he asks, as if Max is a rookie or something.

"Yeah, GP, I can spot the right window," she grumbles, as she tries to make her dress stay in a position that won't make her fall to the ground while she's climbing the pergola.

Well, if anyone comes around, she will have bigger problems than someone seeing her ass in a thong.

She's sweating a little when she finally reaches the window Alex had left unlocked earlier in the day, when he had been in the house under the guise of a catering person, but she hauls herself in without a sound, landing on plush carpet.

Now, she only has to walk through the hallway and get to the vault, get the documents they need and get out of there.

And never see Daniel again.

She refuses to think about the tug in her chest at the thought.

"Hallway is clear," GP's voice is quiet but sure, and Max doesn't question it, opening the room's door and walking into the hallway. The vault's room is just three doors down, and she makes her way there quickly, knowing she won't have much time to pick the lock and then work the vault before security makes the rounds.

She's already taking pins out of her air and getting them into the lock when her earpiece crackles again.

"Max? What are you waiting for?"

"I am at the door, what do you mean?" she asks, still working away, willing her hands to stay steady even as her nerves pick up.

"I don't see you." Ice runs in her veins, her instinct flaring even before her brain can catch up with the implications of GP's words. "We don't have cameras! Max get out."

The lock gives exactly as GP finishes speaking and Max swings the door open.

A second later, there's a gun pointed at her forehead.

"Hello, Maxy," Daniel smiles. Her red dress looks bloody in the shadowy room. "And here I was, thinking we had something."

Max stands very very still. Her earpiece crackles again, but no words come through. She doesn't know if it's because GP thought better than to speak in this moment or if Daniel has taken control of that too.

Max knows she's fucked. She doesn't know why Daniel is standing here with a gun instead of calling for security, but she knows it won't be long before she's either shot or taken down in some other way. Her heart is a terrified bird in her chest. Her hands don't shake.

"What are you doing, Daniel?" she asks, as if they were still downstairs eating canapes, instead of in a dark office, a loaded gun between them.

Daniel is still smiling. There's something hungry about her that she had been concealing before.

"Max," GP's voice is very quiet and very steady, "we think she's trying to steal them too. Either for herself or someone else. You can still work this."

Max takes a step forward.

The gun is now a cold touch against her forehead, but she ignores it, reaching forward to brush her hands against Daniel's clothed hips, feeling herself smile.

"I really like this dress," she says, voice low, letting her rasp come through. She can see Daniel's confusion clear as day, but the gun stays steady.

"Are you going to say it would look better on the floor?" Daniel raises one perfect eyebrow, but her smile changes, a different kind of hunger in it.

"You can keep it on if you'd like, I can work around it."

This makes Daniel laugh, the usual big, loud sound tamped down.

"What are you doing, Maxy?" she asks.

The gun is on Max's left temple now, shifted with Daniel's curiosity, as her arm bends and she lets herself be pulled closer.

"Hopefully, kissing you."

"Guns to your head turn you on? Naughty."

The gun is now to the side of her head, Daniel's arm bent awkwardly as their chests brush.

For a wild moment, Max considers kissing Daniel for real. Considers discarding the gun, forgetting about the documents and finding a free bedroom. For a wild moment, she considers giving in and letting her heart be soft, just this once.

Then she twists her body, knocks Daniel's hand away, takes hold of the gun and points it back at her in the span of one soundless breath.

Daniel blinks back at her, fear flickering for a moment through her surprise, followed by what Max would read as hurt if she was more foolish.

"I'm sorry," she still finds herself saying, softer than she probably should, "I would have loved making you come."

Daniel's mouth opens again, but Max can see her muscles coiling and she's not giving her the chance to be the first person to make her fail at her job.

"I hope I don't give you brain damage," she says, still way too apologetic. And then she hits her over the head with her own gun, catching her before she can crumple on the ground.

[deadricslover]

Sweet nothings

a/n: Don't even know how I came up with this one tbh but I'm depressed because tour is over so I've been thinking about the guys too much.

summary: After a long day, you finally get home and spend some time with your partner and your sleep app comes in handy the next morning.

warnings: None :)

pairings: Ashton Irwin x fem!reader

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

Your ears got used to the car horns blaring and engines rumbling as you sat in traffic waiting impatiently to get home after a day that has-- for lack of better words, exhausted you. Those familiar sounds were soon interrupted by a sound that clashed with the cars and their horns. Your phone. You pick it up and glance at it quickly even though you are stuck in traffic that's not moving. You answer it and put it on speaker, dropping it onto your lap

"Hey, Ash" you say into the speaker

"Hey, you. Where are you?" he asks clearly wondering where you are as you should have been home almost an hour ago.

"Stuck in traffic." You sigh simply wanting to go home, see your partner, eat dinner whilst watching TV and go to sleep.

"Ah, I should have come to get you" he replies hearing your tone.

"That wouldn't have gotten me home any faster" you giggle

"I could have been there to keep you company at least. I've been home all day by myself" He hates being alone for too long, you knew this but needed to leave nevertheless.

"Would've could've should've" You reply not even thinking up of another answer for him.

You hear him let out a little laugh before informing you "You sound like a dad"

"Thanks, Ashton" You reply sarcastically. "I should be home in about half an hour" you let him know

"Perfect. I made dinner. I don't want it to get cold" he replies

"Ooh, what did you make?" you ask genuinely curious but also wanting to keep talking to him and not hang up

"You'll see when you get home." he tells in a sneaky tone.

"Ahh, I see" you understand "how was your day?"

"nothing out of the ordinary. Just played around with some songs for a while"

"anything good?"

"I'll ask the guys and see what they think. I'm not sure how I feel about them" he replies honestly

"they're better than you think. don't worry" you support

He thanks you and you wrap up the conversation with him nearing twenty minutes later as you were close to home. You lock your car and open the front door to your home dropping your keys inside the front door. Ashton comes around the corner when he heard the door open to greet you with that perfect, contagious smile that could brighten the gloomiest of days. You're greeted by the comforting scent of dinner wafting through the air. The soft glow of fairy lights adorned their living room, creating a warm ambiance-- one that you needed at this moment.

"you're home" he says, wrapping you in a tight embrace. The stress of the day seemed to melt away in that moment. His comfort was all you ever needed in life, his warm energy and personality.

"What's all this?" you ask, a curious smile forming on your face as you notice the carefully set table and the delicious aroma of your favorite meal.

"Just a little surprise for my hardworking girl" Ashton replied pulling away from you slightly to catch your reaction, his eyes sparkling with affection.

"Do you want to change first?" He questions letting go of you but still holding your hand in his lightly as if you were a delicate piece of art-- which to him, you were. You nod softly before leaving and changing into something a little more comfy. You take your hair down as you make your way back into the kitchen and see him dishing up two plates.

"no peeking" he says without even turning around to you, knowing you all too well. you smile and roll your eyes as if he would see and left the kitchen. he quicky follows you and being the gentleman he is, pulls out a chair for you before pushing you back in and hurrying off to get the plates.

Throughout dinner, Ashton couldn't help but constantly steal glances at you, when you weren't looking, in awe at the way your eyes lit up when you spoke your part of the conversation. As the evening went on, the atmosphere shifted to one of tranquility, the pair enjoying each other's company in the soft glow of the living room, catching up on some tv that you had missed the night before, before making your way to bed to wrap up the perfect night.

As you were exhausted from the long day you had, you slept almost instantly after finishing your night routine and got cozy in bed whilst Ashton brushed his teeth. He saw you wrapped up in the duvet all snuggled up and couldn't help but smile at you. Something about tonight was just so lovingly domestic that neither of you could help stealing glances at eachother and smiling to yourselves.

he turns off the lights and gets into bed next to you cuddling up. He couldn't help but admire you even more as the moonlight hit your sleeping face. He plants a kiss into your head and nuzzles his nose and face into you sweetly.

"I love you" he whispers. "so so much"

"I don't want to wake you, but I needed to say it" he adds

He whispers sweet nothings to you for a little while before eventually drifting to sleep.

The next morning you woke up without Ashton by your side. He had mentioned that he wouldn't be there and he would be at the studio with the guys when you woke up. You grabbed your phone as you sat down to eat breakfast and saw notifications from different apps. your sleep tracking app popped up and indicated that you had been sleep talking. Curiously you click into the app and press play on the audio and Ashton's voice reaches your ears. You hear all of the sweet nothings that he whispered to you when you were sleeping and couldn't help the formation of butterflies in your stomach. You decided to ask him about it when he came home later on that day. You got ready for work and left for the day.

Differently to yesterday, Ashton got you from work on the way home from being at the studio.

"Hey, Ash" you greet him, getting into the car.

"hi, my love" he replies placing a kiss to your face when you settle in.

after asking eachother about your days you decide to ask him about the sleep app.

"can I ask you something?" you question

"anything" he replies

you didn't know exactly how to go about it, but wanted to know that you knew so you decided to just play the audio for him. he glances over you slightly confused until he realizes what's going on. He goes red and looks away embarrassed about what's happening. he doesn't regret it, but wishes your stupid sleep app hadn't caught it.

"turn it off" he laughs gently pushing the phone out of your hands.

"you're so sweet" you tell him, placing your hand on his that's on the gearstick showing him there's nothing to be ashamed about.

"shut up" he shushes you, still smiling as he puts his hand on your thigh momentarily.

You finish the day exactly the same as the previous day, but Ashton makes sure to block the permissions from your sleep app so that it doesn't catch anything else. He isn't upset that you heard, and to be honest, he's not all that embarrassed, because he says this stuff to you all the time but it's just the fact that you caught him. He wouldn't change that you heard it though.

[dingochef]

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x You (OFC)

Warnings: Not much, being ill, talk of periods, Jake Seresin being too fucking perfect, fluff

Word Count: 2.8k

Summary: The double whammy of being on your period and having a cold puts a wrench in your plans to go out with Jake.  He surprises you in the best  way in showing how caring he can be.

I needed some Jake fluff after having to deal with finally getting COVID this past week.

Part of the Jake and Elsa Universe 

Masterlist

Closed for Renovations

Jake: Hey doll. When can I pick up your fine ass tonight? 

You: This fine ass has got to bail.  Double whammy of lady parts closed for renovations and I've got a cold. You probably don't want to hang around this mess.

Jake: Is closed for renovations a clever way of telling me you're on your period?

You: Yes

Jake: Let me restate the question, what time do I show up on your doorstep with Mama Seresin's famous chicken noodle soup, chocolate, and other reinforcements?

You: You're serious?

Jake: As a heart attack or in this case a period cramp

You chuckle as you read Jake's latest message.  You're surprised that Jake is all in on spending time with you while you're both sick and on your period.  Most of your past boyfriends gave you a wide berth when Shark Week was upon you, some finding it "gross" or "weird".  As annoying as it was, it was also an easy way to gauge the maturity and long term potential of any guy.  Right now Jake was pulling into a very clear first place.  

It's still early on in your relationship, a few weeks after the craziness that brought you together. New enough that you're still encountering a lot of firsts and navigating the intimate details of a blooming relationship.  Your period being one of them.

You: I stayed home sick today, any time is good for me.

Jake: I'll swing by after work with ingredients.

You: Sounds great.

Jake: You're great

You: 🙄❤️☺️💋

With that settled you turn back to your cup of tea and trashy reality TV.  Somewhere along the line you must have fallen asleep because you awake to a gentle knocking on your door and the TV screen asking if you're still watching. You sit up abruptly, realizing Jake is here and your house looks like a NyQuil commercial with tissues and every kind of tea imaginable strewn out on the counter.  

Resigning yourself to the mess you peel yourself off the couch to answer the door and let Jake into the house. When you open the door, Jake is holding two large grocery bags filled with food and has his phone pinched between his ear and his shoulder.

He mouths,

"Sorry," just before he speaks into the phone.

"Yes, Mom, I got the fresh thyme, although I think Elsa has some growing on her patio. Speaking of which, I'm at her house…"

He nods agreeing with his mom on something,

"Yes, she is…someday, yes, love you too, Mom.  Thanks for the help."

A small smile creeps on your face as you listen to the exchange between Jake and his mom, his love apparent for her. You reach out and take one of the bags from Jake so he can hang up the phone to come inside.  

"Talk to you later, Mom," he says as he follows you into the kitchen.

Just as you place the bag of groceries down, Jake comes up behind you and gives you a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"How ya feeling, El?"

"Okay," you respond, obviously congested. 

"How about I get you another cup of tea, and you can keep me company while I make my Mom's literal county fair winning chicken soup," Jake offers putting the kettle back on the stove.  You sit at the bar and watch Jake as he unpacks ingredients from the bags.

"County fair winning? That's still a thing in Texas?" you ask, raising an eyebrow.

He laughs,

"Yes, it is and it's serious business. My grandma is still peeved at her neighbor for taking the 'good apples' from the tree that grew on both their ranches and winning in the apple pie category, 30 years ago." 

The kettle whistles and Jake holds up the box of lemon tea next to the stove in question.  You nod and he prepares a cup of tea and slides it across the counter.

"Thank you, so do I get to know the secret if you're making it in my kitchen?" you ask. 

He grins,

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you. But you can watch."

With all the soup ingredients on the counter Jake hauls two last items out of the bag.

"I didn't know if you were a milk chocolate or a dark chocolate fan, so I got some of each," he offers, holding up two giant chocolate bars.

"Oooh," you coo, "What if I said white chocolate was my favorite?" 

Jake grimaces slightly,

"Is it?"

"Haha, no. I don't consider it real chocolate and reserve it only for foofy lattes from Starbucks," you reply, his facial expressions easing.

"That's good, that could have been a deal breaker," he laughs.

"Gimme, please," you say, pointing to the dark chocolate bar.

"A woman of sophisticated tastes," he teases, handing you the bar. 

"Don't spoil your appetite," he admonishes, pulling a cutting board out of the cupboard.  He dons one of your aprons over his khakis. Jake prepares tidy rows of carrots, celery, and onion as he talks with you about his day.  

Soon, savory smells are wafting through your kitchen as Jake pours the rest of the chicken stock over the neatly chopped vegetables.  

"This is where it goes to the next level," Jake says, piquing your interest.

"Do you have flour, eggs, milk, salt, and a rolling pin?" he asks.

You nod and direct him around the kitchen.  

He takes the flour and scoops out some into a bowl following it with two eggs, a dash of salt, and some milk.  Using a fork, he stirs the ingredients into a shaggy dough. He sprinkles more flour on the counter and turns out the ball onto the counter. Flouring up his hands he kneads the ball for a few minutes. The way his strong hands and forearms push and pull at the dough sends your cold medicine addled, and apparently lust filled, mind in a different direction.  You've never wanted to be a ball of dough more in your life right now.

"That has to rest for a few minutes. More tea?" Jake asks, smirking, as he breaks you out of your naughty daydream.

"Yes,..umm, tea. Please," you stutter. 

"What are you making?" you finally ask as Jake heats up the kettle again.

"Homemade egg noodles for the soup," he answers, nonchalantly. 

"Homemade noodles? Wow."

"I said it was next level," he replies back.  

"That is next level. No one has ever gone to homemade pasta level for me before," you answer, in awe of this amazing man in your kitchen. Jake turns around from the stove and the kettle, a wistful look on his face. He walks across the kitchen and slides his hands around yours where they rest on the counter. He leans over to kiss your forehead sweetly.

"That is a travesty, because you are definitely worth the effort, you are homemade noodles worthy, El," he says, so earnestly it makes you tear up a little and laugh at the same time.  (Which you can only blame on the hormones of your period only partially.) 

"If I knew how to make homemade noodles I'd make them for you Jake Seresin," you say. 

"My nonna would be happy to teach you, but you'll just have to watch and learn for now," he breezily says, taking the rolling pin to the pile of dough. You tuck the mention of his Nonna and presumably meeting her and what all that means into the back of your brain to think about later. He pushes and pulls on the pin, flattening the dough out to a thin layer before he slices it up into skinny noodles. Jake grabs the mass and slides them into the boiling soup.

"Just a little bit longer," he says, working to clean up as you wait for the soup. You watch him contentedly as you sip your tea, enjoying his form and just how comfortable he is in your kitchen wearing a frilly floral apron.  A gift from Beth when one unremarkable boyfriend broke up with you because, 

"All he really wanted was a housewife, not someone more ambitious than him." Beth had written in the card, "Goodbye to the bastard, be your own trophy wife." You smile at the memory, a reminder of how much your relationship with Jake is better than anyone before him.

A few minutes later, Jake ladles out the steaming soup and slides a bowl over the counter to you. Inhaling the wonderful smelling steam in through your congested nose it almost feels magical the way it opens up your airways.

"This smells amazing," you gush, happy to be able to breathe again. He sits down on the stool next to you, his body turned towards yours so his legs can tangle with yours.  

You lift the spoon up, heaping with noodles, vegetables, and some chicken to gently blow on it, trying to cool it down.  Jake is watching you intently and hasn't taken a bite yet waiting for your reaction. Finally satisfied that you're not going to burn your tongue, you take the much anticipated first bite and it is perfect.

A fresh burst of herbs, the salty savory stock, and then the buttery smoothness of the noodles are all perfect. You close your eyes, it's that good.

"Wow, this is so good," you gush, enjoying the slight blush and sudden shyness on Jake's face.

"No wonder your mom won the county fair."

"I'm glad you like it, eat up. It's practically medicinal," he urges you.  You hum in agreement and savor the delicious soup, your appetite finally ignited for the day.  You and Jake sit in comfortable silence finishing your meal.  

You go to stand up to clear the bowls, trying to feel useful, when a familiar stab of pain shoots through your torso from back to front.

"Ahhh, shit," you groan, collapsing over your belly and crossing your arms. Jake stands up immediately, concern on his face,

"El, are you okay?"

You stand up, still grimacing, 

"Yeah, fine, just Aunt Flo being a bitch."

Jake smiles gently and rubs your back,

"You've got a lot of witticisms for being on your period. You need some painkillers or a heating pad?"

The mention of a heating pad makes you light up with hope and then immediately scowl when you remember that it broke last month and you haven't had a chance to replace it.

"I've got some ibuprofen in the bathroom, but I forgot to get a new heating pad," you inform Jake, glumly. Jake's face lights up,

"I've got just the thing then," he says, rubbing your back one last time before he steps away and grabs the last grocery bag. He holds up a box of heating pad patches.

"I wasn't sure you had a heating pad and I've used these for muscle strains before…," he trails off talking as he takes in your face.  You are definitely full-on crying, like maybe ugly crying, you can't believe this is your life.

"El, are you okay?" he asks, gently pulling you into his arms, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," you sniffle into his uniform shirt, trying to avoid the ribbons, thinking those would be a bitch to clean snot out of, 

"You," you add.

Jake laughs, his sense of confidence unfazed by your comment,

"Me, I'm what's wrong? What are you thinking sweetheart?" he asks, tightening his arms around you as he starts to slightly sway in a comforting way. Another gentle kiss to your temple makes you sob a little.

"How are you so amazing? You cooked for me, brought me two kinds of chocolate, and brought back up heating pads. I bet there's both Tylenol and Advil in the bag, too."

He chuckles and you can feel him nodding in agreement.  You lean back and wipe your eyes,

"I'm just a little overwhelmed, no one's ever really taken care of me like this…wanted to more importantly. Like I don't deserve this. Oh my God, I'm so sorry for crying." Jake reads the panicked look on your face and pulls you back as you try to retreat, 

"Listen to me, El.  You are worth every bit of effort, every bit. You understand?" he asks, sincerely waiting for your response. You nod, not sure what to say.

"Not to disparage your past taste in men, but they sound like they fucking sucked. I can't complain that they didn't realize what a treasure you are, because I got the chance to show you." 

You sniff, taking a deep breath to get your emotions under control.  

"More importantly, you're the first woman that I've ever wanted to take care of, be there for you. Make you see your true worth. You make me want to be a better man, El. I love you," Jake says, earnestly his eyes imploring you to believe him. You meet his gaze and stare back into those intense green eyes for a few seconds before closing your own for a second to stem the tears. 

"Okay, Jake. I love you so much. So much it overwhelms me sometimes. God, I'm such a mess today, hormones and viruses are not being kind to me today," you say to Jake wiping away the tears.

"It's okay, El. You're my mess and that's what matters. I'll be here to take care of you when it gets messy, always," Jake reassures you, his arms still wrapped around you. You rest your head on his chest, letting his love envelop you. 

"How about this?" he asks as you look up, "Grab some Advil, wash your face, and I'll get one of those heating pads, some chocolate, and we can snuggle up on the couch and watch whatever cheesy rom com or trashy reality TV you want. I'm gonna change into some sweats, okay?"

"Sounds perfect, although you might regret giving me carte blanche over our viewing choices."

"Never."

The rest of the night is spent cuddled up on your couch with Jake watching Pride and Prejudice. Between the warmth of Jake's embrace, the Advil, and the cozy heating patches you fall asleep not too long into the movie. You're awoken by a quick succession of text notification sounds.  Jake puts his phone down when he sees you awake. 

"Let's head to bed, El," he whispers, kissing your temple.  You nod sleepily and he scoops you up bringing you to bed. The last thought you have before you fall asleep again with Jake wrapped around you is that for a day that started kind of terrible it has ended up kind of perfect. 

Bonus Content Jake's Text Convo with his Mom. 

@kmc1989

@starswholistenanddreamsanswered

@mayhemmanaged  

@callmemana  

@dempy  

@hangmanscoming  

@lanie-k 

@callsign-viper  

@senjoritanana  

@djs8891

@atarmychick007

@memoriesat30

@midnightmagpiemama

@mygyn

[blissfullyapillow]

♡‧₊˚┆ She’s got a halo 'round her finger, around you  ๋࣭ ⭑

₊˚⊹♡ Sampo Koski x fem reader

₊˚⊹♡ wc: 2,674~

₊˚⊹♡ warnings: fluff, one suggestive part but nothing explicit, reader stressed because of university & Sampo is there to comfort her (totally not projecting.. haha), the reader is scared of loud thunder (again, totally not projecting.. lol)

₊˚⊹♡ Summary: Different scenarios of Sampo being smitten & head over heels for you, so he consistently tries to woo you.. Even though he really doesn’t need to. ((Your smitten with him too (*ฅ́ ˘ฅ̀*)♡ ))

₊˚⊹♡ Pillow Talks: The title is inspired by a line from Alejandro, by Lady Gaga. Istg I get inspo from the most random things LOL. I’ll be honest I have such questionable taste in characters, like it’ll range from the greenest of flags like Gepard Landau, Nanami Kento, Lifeweaver, or uhh Sasuke Sarutobi from Ikemen Sengoku, and then there’s fucking Blade, Sampo Koski, Gojo Satoru, or Vanitas. Lol. Anyway, hope you enjoy~ I had fun writing this ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡

₊˚⊹♡ Masterlist

“How about-“

“No.”

“Half price? Common, that’s an offer I don’t give to just anybody.�� “Half off !?? Sampo, you told me it costs a million credits. Half off is still an insane amount of money!” You scoff and opt to ignore Sampo for the remainder of this interaction. 

But Sampo is very persistent…. annoyingly so.

"How about this? I'll give you 20% off and throw in another one for free!" The glare you send his way is answer enough. Sampo gives a sheepish smile as you brush past him.

"Sampo Koski, was it?" You ask. You don't have to turn around to know he's following you.

When you hear his confirmation, you proceed. "Listen, I appreciate what you're trying to do but I really don't need... what was it again?" You murmur the last part under your breath, but Sampo's ears pick it up. "A machine that can generate all the academic papers you could possibly need! Not only will you spend less time on boring old school work, buuuut-" 

"No." Your answer is curt and final.

Sampo’s dramatic sigh elicits a very sarcastic eye roll from you.

"Okay, well, I tried." Now, he easily matches your strides.

...

This is the third time this week.

One unfortunate afternoon you happened upon a salesman, by whom you now know as Sampo Koski, and he's been persistently trying to sell you things since.

Your refusal seems to fuel his determination and ever since he'll always try to sell you something before he sticks by your side for the rest of the day.

You've tried to shake him, you really have, but you quickly learned how futile it is. For whatever reason this salesman has taken a liking to you, and you're stuck with him.

...

Although, if we're being honest here, you could've shaken him off long ago if you really tried. Yet despite your better judgment, you've allowed this shady salesman into your life. He's spent a few afternoons at your place, and he even has your phone number.

Yet you find yourself behaving as if this wasn't a mutual exchange.

Your busy thoughts are brought to a halt when Sampo's sing-song voice interrupts them. "So, what's on the list today sweetheart?" He chuckles at the exasperation on your face.

"I'm heading home, Sampo. I'm not buying your machine, and I have a paper that won't write itself." Sampo nods in acknowledgement, cheerfully humming beside you.

You pass people young and old as they walk the streets of Belobog on your journey home. You're walking slower than usual, Sampo notes to himself.

He may or may not be completely smitten with you, and him selling you products you may need is just an excuse to start conversations with you, but you have yet to catch on to that little detail.

Sampo thinks it's cute.

"What's wrong?" Sampo speaks up when your house comes into view, yet your pace slows even more. His question is devoid of its usual humor, and that puts you on edge even more.

"It's nothing...." You trail off, clearly stressed about something but keeping it to yourself.

Sampo lets it slide for the sake of reaching your home, where he'll invite himself inside and pester you until you tell him what's bothering you.

He doesn't get that far.

Once you reach your door you suddenly stop, posture tense, and a deep frown paints a beautiful expression on your face.

You suddenly unlock your door all too quickly, and barge inside.

Sampo is really concerned now.

Usually you'd scold him and shoo him away, insisting he leave, but this time you left your door wide open for him to come in.

He's been here a few times before, so he enters your abode and shuts the door behind him.

His brows draw closer in concern when he spots your figure, hunched in on itself, in a corner of the room.

He wastes no time in coming up behind you, but he hesitates to place a comforting hand on your back.

"Name?" His voice is soft, caring. It soothes you.

You lift your head slowly until you are face to face with Sampo. You'd make fun of how concerned he looks if you weren't feeling so crappy.

"Look at me. Focus on my eyes. Good job. Now, just keep on focusing on me, angel. Everything is going to be okay." Sampo's heart squeezes when a few tears slide down your cheeks, but he brushes aside his own concern.

You sniffle before you practically launch yourself at him. He catches you effortlessly, and soon soothing fingers trace random shapes on your back as you cry into his shoulder.

✧˖°.☾ ⚠︎︎ ❤︎ ˚ 🃁 ♡ ⋆｡˚

You feel so embarrassed.

You make sure to survey your room before you slip out of the bathroom, changing quickly.

Sampo ushered you into the bathroom to 'freshen up' after you spent an hour crying.

You felt horrible when you noticed his tear stained shoulder, but he hushed you and insisted he didn't mind.

Now, you shuffle awkwardly out of your room to see what he's been up to.

In your living room, Sampo seems to have made himself more than comfortable; it's almost as if the room has been transformed.

Adorable fairy lights line the ceiling to create a magical glow within the room. Your couch has a ton of blankets and pillows scattered about on it, and two warm mugs of what looks like hot chocolate patiently awaits you on the coffee table.

Warmth floods your body as you make your way over to Sampo. At the sound of your steps he swivels around. You catch the concern in his eyes that he quickly masks when he sees you've changed into something more comfortable.

"Ah, there you are! Come join me in the blanket! I'll keep you warm & safe from the loud thunder, babe!" Your eyes widen slightly when he mentions thunder. "Thunder? But-" Suddenly, a terrifying crack is heard, and at lightning speed you're under the blankets and snuggling with Sampo.

His lips curl into a knowing smirk as he gently pats your head.

"I know you don't like loud thunder, and well you're clearly not feeling your best, so the great Sampo Koski created an atmosphere you can relax in." Sampo brags, yet he leans down to place a sweet kiss against the tip of your nose.

Your eyes sparkle with joy.

…

That look in your eyes...

Not only does it warm his heart, but it puts his mind at ease.

"If it's too much, just squeeze my hand as hard as you can. Understand sweetheart?" You give a bashful nod, your hand seeking out his before they intertwine.

Soon you're both laughing at a cheesy comedy Sampo put on for the two of you to enjoy. The hot chocolate Sampo made for you is  absolutely delicious.

Once the show ends a comfortable silence ensues. You lift your head to look at Sampo, since you're currently curled against him, and your eyes meet his.

They're full of mirth, and something else that steals your breath away. "What is it angel?" Sampo hums. "I.. Thank you. I'm sorry, school has just been a lot and-" “Shhhhhhh.." Sampo hushes you, placing a finger to your lips.

You watch as Sampo leans in, placing a hand on your neck before he rests his forehead on your own. You close your eyes and relish the close contact.

It's silent for a while, but you don't mind. Albeit his next words send you into a frenzy.

"I can't love anyone else but you." The words are uttered so quietly you wouldn't have heard if the room weren't so silent.

Yet they still hold the same weight as if they were shouted from the highest peak of Belobog, and soon you're leaning back to stare at Sampo in bewilderment.

His eyes are wide, almost as if he hadn't meant to say the words out loud.

"S-Sampo-"

He covers your mouth with his hand, clearly panicking. "Ah- ahaha! That was a joke, clearly! No- wait it wasn't! I mean..." Your lips curl into a smile under his hand; you've never seen Sampo lose his cool like this.

You carefully pry his hand away, he's too occupied with his own thoughts to notice, before you shut him up in the most effective way you know how.

The press of your lips against his stops his frantic thoughts. You feel his body relax. His arms wrap around you, and a sweet giggle leaves the both of you when he kisses you back.

✧˖°.☾ ⚠︎︎ ❤︎ ˚ 🃁 ♡ ⋆｡˚

Following that eventful night, you're now in a relationship with Sampo Koski.

You know it may not be the wisest decision you've ever made, but it's one that's brought the both of you immense happiness thus far. That's all that really matters to you.

You just have this charm about you. There’s just something about you that draws him in.

Of course, you'll often say similar things about him, but with you..

Oh, how he’d forsake the world for you and you alone. You have him completely wrapped around your finger and you don't even know it.

You're currently trying on lipstick he bought for you as a gift... bought being a very general term here.

Ahem-

Anyway,

You've finished evenly coating your lips, and the color compliments your reflection perfectly, yet your eyes show hints of worry in them.

“Hey, Sampo? What do you think? I think it looks good but.. I don’t know..” Sampo was too busy admiring your reflection in the mirror to answer you.

Your lips are a different shade from what they normally are, yet they look as enticing as always. Honestly he'd love to test out just how durable that lipstick of yours is...

Wait, what did you ask him? Oh, does it look good? He has a pretty simple answer to that.

“C’mere pretty girl..” He adores the way your expression shifts the brief moment before his lips gently caress yours.

He releases a deep sigh against your lips as his arms pull you against him. He leans his tall frame against you as his tongue languidly runs along your bottom lip. He smirks when your lips part for him.

He’s tempted, very tempted, to accept your offering but he pulls back instead.

Now, your lips are back to their usual color.

“I don’t know. I didn’t get a good look. Please put some more back on, and I promise to take a good, long look this time angel.” Your eyes are dazed now, glassy as they barely register the words Sampo tells you.

He loves it.

✧˖°.☾ ⚠︎︎ ❤︎ ˚ 🃁 ♡ ⋆｡˚

“Why do you love me?”

The question comes out of nowhere.

You turn to eye Sampo, a bit perplexed by this question. His facial expression consists of his usual smug grin, but a deep rooted emotion lingers in the depth of his irises.

“Why do you question my love?” A smirk of your own lifts your lips when his expression shifts; his eyes widen as his Adam’s apple bops.

“I.. I'm a scammer, you know? You deserve-“ “So? Consider this as one of those ‘Scammer gets scammed’ videos or something. M’kay?” Your statement is silly in nature, yet it warms his cheeks and makes his heart flutter.

“Ah.. okay..” He has a stupid grin on his face as he rubs the back of his head.

You roll your eyes before you lean in, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug. “Don’t you get it? I only want you. .. My heart only wants you.” Your words are filled with emotion; unbridled love and affection overflow from every syllable.

He emits a sound akin to a squeal before he’s hugging you back with tenfold of your strength.

“Sampo!! You’re going to.. crush… me…” You manage to squeak. It feels like your organs are being crushed !!

“Aww, my sweet adorable Name wants me to hug tighter?” Sampo giggles as you internally panic. “SAMPO-“ You take a much needed gasp of air when he suddenly releases you, leaning you against him so you don’t fall to the ground.

You glare at him as you take greedy gasps of air.

He sticks his tongue out, making a silly expression.

Well, at least he feels better.

✧˖°.☾ ⚠︎︎ ❤︎ ˚ 🃁 ♡ ⋆｡˚

“Are you insane!? You’re soaking wet!” “I don’t care, I had to come see you!”

A soaked Sampo is at your doorstep, holding a bouquet of red roses, a box of chocolate, and if you’re making things out correctly, a letter tucked safely into the chocolate box, the corner peeking out of the partially opened lid. 

You usher Sampo inside as the storm rages on, slamming your door shut.

Before Sampo can even open his mouth you delicately remove the items from his hand to place it safely on a free surface. Immediately after, you instruct him to strip and go wash up.

He wiggles his eyebrows, opening his mouth to say, “I know you want me sweet cheeks, but can’t you wait until I’ve…” He trails off at the stern look on your face.

“Aye aye..” He sulks, placing a purposefully sloppy kiss on your cheek before he walks past you, removing his clothes as he makes his way to your bathroom.

You sigh, rubbing his excess saliva off your cheek.

A small smile presents itself on your face that you quickly mask behind your hand.

✧˖°.☾ ⚠︎︎ ❤︎ ˚ 🃁 ♡ ⋆｡˚

Once Sampo is in a change of clothes, yes he has spare clothes at your place, he properly presents his gift to you.

“Ta-da! Your amazing boyfriend has procured all the necessary items to woo his girlfriend on this special day!” He kneels down on one knee, happily opening the box of chocolate.

You cautiously step back, used to something else being in that little heart shaped box, but your eyes are graced with the cutest little balls of chocolate.

You slowly remove the letter from the box before taking a bite of the chocolate. Your eyes shine in delight. “Sampo, you made these?” You gush. He’s bashful, looking down at your feet as he replies.

“Hehe, maybe..” You happily bend down and place a slobbery kiss on his cheek. As he complains you take the time to open the letter he wrote you.

He starts to protest but you ignore him.

“I didn’t expect someone like you to write a letter Sampo…” You coo at the impressive script on the paper. If you were to look up right now, you’d see Sampo burning up.

Literally.

His face is even redder than the shiny apple you ate earlier.

Your eyes eagerly devour the words on the page. By the time you finish Sampo is fidgeting anxiously, hopeful yet scared of hearing your reply.

“I love you too, Sampo.” You get on one knee yourself, leaning in to rub your nose against his.

He groans, playfully pushing you away. “Alright alright, enough with the sappy stuff..” “How can you say that when you made the effort to show up to my place today, even after I told you we can reschedule for tomorrow because the storm is so bad- mmph!” He cuts you off with a well timed kiss.

This time you’re the one who feels like they’re on fire. Sampo adores the look on your face, giggling to himself as he pulls away.

“So, want to play this game with me?” Sampo fishes something out of his pocket, a deck of cards.

You laugh.

“You want to play cards on the night of our anniversary?” He nods quickly, his eyes big and pleading like a puppy.

You burst into a fit of giggles as you pepper his face with grateful kisses. “I’d love to, as long as I’m spending time with you…” Your response makes Sampo the happiest man in Belobog.

“No cheating though, okay?”

“Aw man…”

✉ ⋆ ˚｡ ⁠♡ ‧₊˚ ┊ ⟡˚

[rainbow-nerdss]

18 😊

Thank you! I had a lot of fun writing this, actually 😁

Send me an ask with a number 1-100 and I'll (maybe) write a short fic or drabble based on the corresponding song in my wrapped playlist

Song 18 on my wrapped playlist:

And So it Goes-Billy Joel

But if my silence made you leave Then that would be my worst mistake So I will share this room with you And you can have this heart to break

It had been weeks of it—this horrible, strangled, something between the two of them. Since Buck met Natalia, Eddie's been feeling it, a sense that this was it. He didn't want to do it. He's been pushing it down for so long, he's not even sure he can. Those words, though. They echo in Eddie's mind. She sees me. Those words… Eddie knew what they meant. He knew, because he knew Buck. Down to his bones, he knew him. And that's what made those words pierce so deeply. They meant this was his last chance.

They meant he had to do something, say the thing he'd been holding inside for three years now. Before it was too late. Before Buck chose her, and everything changed. Because if Buck chose her, then Eddie didn't know if he could stand by, watching Buck happy with someone else. Not with the question which would always linger. Not with the what if. If he knew, if he laid it all out, and Buck chose her anyway… Eddie would be able to live with that. A clean heartbreak, rather than the slow pull. Rip the band aid off. “Hey, Buck. Can we… talk, after work maybe?” He chose a neutral location, somewhere he could avoid afterwards if it all went wrong. A café, where their cups sat steaming between them. He thought about giving a speech, declaring all the ways, all the myriad of ways in which he loved Evan Buckley. But in the end, the words wouldn't come. “Buck, I… I just want to say this, so it's… so you know. And then you can… I don't want to say you have to choose, but you'll have all the information, if you… if you wanted to choose.” He felt inexplicably like he was handing Buck his still-beating heart, asking whether he wanted to break it. It was too much, he'd said too much. “Choose what? Eddie, are you okay? Is this about Chris?" Buck frowned at him, clear and open worry on his face. “No it's… it's you. It's me. Buck, I'm in love with you.” Silence. Even the sound of their fellow cafe patrons dimmed to nothing in Eddie's ears as he waited for Buck to answer. To react. To do anything. “Eddie, you… wait, what do you mean choose?” Eddie shook his head at Buck's expression, shock mingled with sadness. “I'm not saying it's got to be me or her. I don't want this to be an ultimatum, but you deserved to know. If you choose to be with her, I'll… I'll need some time, and you deserve to know why I'm gone.” “You love me.” “I do.” “And you're… it sounds like you're bracing for me to break your heart.” “I guess I am, yeah. If I could… If I could just decide what happened in the future, I'd want to spend the rest of my life with you. Sickness and health and all the other clichés. But it's not my choice, is it? And if you never knew, it could never…” “Eds.” Eddie released a shuddering breath. “Buck.” Buck reached across the table right as Eddie began to pull away, and wrapped a hand around Eddie's. “Eds, this is… I wish you'd told me this before. Months ago, years ago, even” “I left it too late. I get it.” Eddie felt the cracks form in the depths of his heart. This was worse, so much worse than a clear rejection. “Eddie, no. It's… I wish you'd told me sooner, because then I could've done this sooner.” And Buck practically dove across the table, pulling Eddie in at the same time, and kissed him. “Of course it's you, Eddie. Of course it is.”

[apocalypseornaw]

Could Have Been

Benny Lafitte x Female Reader

You never meant to cross a line with Benny. He never meant to develop feelings for you. When Dean needs him to save Sam he has no choice but to agree. Its Dean's little brother and your best friend. You never got to say goodbye.

Warnings: some cursing, mention of steamy times and some mention of injury

When Dean called you'd been surprised at first, yeah him and Sam had found you after he'd crawled out of purgatory. The guilt you'd felt for not looking for him even if Sam had stopped to pursue something with Amelia was tremendous for the simple fact that Bobby would've kicked any of your asses for giving up on the other.

Knowing the Winchesters for as long as you had you also knew Dean would never call for a favor unless it was for a good reason. Especially from his little brother's best friend. The first time you'd met Benny had been by mere coincidence, having simply been close enough to back him and Dean when he'd went after his old nest.

----------

Getting stuck between Dean and Sam after the fact? That hadn't been fun. Sam didn't trust Benny. You gave him some lead way for the simple fact that he got Dean out of purgatory.

After that day Dean had asked if it was ok to pass one of your burner numbers on to Benny. You'd agreed for the simple fact that it kept him and Sam from arguing a bit.

After what happened when Martin came after Elizabeth you nor Dean knew what would become of Benny or if one of you would be forced to pull that thread if it came to it that is until you got a call late one night.

-------

You were half asleep in your car after pulling off at a brightly lit rest area to catch a little sleep. You were too far from a motel or any of Bobby's cabins to chance driving any further with how tired you'd been after the last hunt.

When you'd answered the phone you knew you sounded angry but it was more tired than anything. The moment the accented voice hit your ears you started to sit up further in the seat "Sorry darling. Didn't mean to wake you" you ran a hand over your face and shook your head despite being on the phone "It's ok Benny. I was just catching a cat nap so I could make it on to a motel. Whats up?"

"Um Dean sent me a message and said you'd be closer. I um hell can you pick up a cooler for me? I'd do it myself but.." you cut him off "Of course. Send me the address of the pickup and where you are" "Thank you darling"

----------

Four hours later you were knocking on a cabin door in upper Texas. The door creaked open and the light from the full moon caught Benny's eyes making them shine a bright blue "I'll be damned if you wouldn't be a sight for sore eyes even without the cooler" you rolled your eyes playfully "Jesus, were you aways this flirtatious or is it a side effect from spending a year with Dean?"

-----------

He stepped back to let you inside as a laugh left him "Well if you knew how many stories I heard about you in that year's time it wouldn't be a surprise" you laughed as he shut the door then motioned to the table when you asked where to sit the cooler "I'm afraid that's a side effect of knowing Sam since we were kids. Me and Sam were always dumped at Bobby's before we were considered old enough to hunt full time"

You realized he was listening to you with a small smile on his face and got a bit self conscious "Something wrong?" He shook his head "Naw, just listening to you talk about Sam makes me want to like him despite the fact of him wanting to kill me" you flinched a bit at the reminder and felt the need to say "I'm afraid you managed to land in a heap of trust issues and old arguments between them two"

He nodded "Yeah Dean said you're pretty much the only person that's never batted an eye at their bullshit" you laughed lightly "Yeah that's putting it lightly"

----------

You ended up crashing at the cabin after Benny offering you the bedroom. You hadn't liked the idea of kicking him out his bed but he reminded you that you'd went against Sam for him and bought him a special delivery as he called it.

Benny wasn't a bad guy, vampire or not. He was just trying to find his way in a world that he wouldn't ever be accepted by humans or vampires. Not to mention he was gorgeous, a broad build mixed with those eyes and that accent? You were glad he wasn't the type of vamp you hunted. He was charismatic enough to leave a long line of victims behind him.

----------

The laugh he'd gave when you'd told him that was warm enough it wrapped around you.The next morning when you started to hit the road again you'd made him promise to call if he needed anything and he told you to call if you needed an extra hand "Not much of a hunter but I can fight"

Months passed and unless you were actively hunting, a week rarely went by without you seeing Benny. He'd kept to his word and had helped you take out a wendigo and a couple werewolves.You found yourself looking forward to seeing him.

The day you'd stumbled into his cabin, bruised all to hell and back from hunting ghouls you'd never seen a vampire actually go pale before that moment.

----------

"What happened?" He asked, easily scooping you up into his arms to carry you across the threshold and into the bedroom. He laid you across the bed and started to take your boots off despite your protests that you could do it and that you'd had worse. "Ghouls. Big pack" you mumbled, pushing his hand away when he lifted your shirt slightly to look at your side "It's just bruising. I wouldn't have put you through coming here with an open wound"

He chuckled slightly "I could give a damn less about smelling blood at the moment. You look half dead. Why the hell didn't you call me or another hunter?" You did your best to glare at him as you said "I survived it didn’t I?" but knew it fell flat when he winked at you "You know you're adorable when you try to look scary?"

---------

You grumbled something about being gorgeous if he just handed you your duffle but nevertheless you let him help you get your torn tshirt over your head and accepted one of his shirts to change into. A few ibuprofen and a glass of water later you were sound asleep.

He considered if he should call Dean but he had a feeling this wasn't just from the ghouls. Dean said you had worse of a habit then he did of burying yourself in hunting and that if you didn't have a partner at times you had a habit of pushing yourself to exhaustion. He'd keep a check on you and if any of those bruises started smelling too strong of blood he'd know you'd hurt something serious and he'd call Dean.

----------

He looked at you again and felt something inside him flutter. It'd been so long since he'd thought about another woman besides Andrea and you were probably the polar opposite of her.

She'd been an heiress. Born into the lap of luxury with a silver spoon in her mouth. Yes she'd been kind after she'd fallen for him and they'd had a good life together at one time but you? You were something else entirely.

A hunter and a damn good one if what he'd seen and heard was any indication. You'd stood against Lucifer with the Winchesters. You would fight tooth and nail for complete strangers and risk everything for those you cared about. You deserved everything good in the world yet here you were trusting him enough to not only come to him when you were hurt but to curl up in his bed asleep after letting him check your injuries and help you change.

He'd never wished to still be a man and not a monster as much as he had since he'd met you. If only he was a hunter like Dean then maybe he'd have a chance.

----------

You woke up sore but feeling a lot better. You rubbed at your eyes wondering how long you'd been asleep. Last thing you remembered was Benny helping you change into one of his shirts that was big on you.

You smiled slightly at the memory but blushed. Damn you'd not only slept in his bed post hunt with no shower but in his shirt. Fuck,with his sense of smell you probably reeked. The smell of coffee hit your nose and you decided to risk wondering into the main part of the cabin.

-------

Benny was standing at the counter when you walked in and smiled "Morning?" You asked and he shook his head "It's six pm" your eyes widened. You'd slept for about fourteen hours.

"Shit I didn't mean to come here and go comatose" he shrugged "Gave me time to go get that coffee and those croissants you like" your stomach growled embarrassingly loud and he chuckled "Hungry?" You nodded "But I need to shower" he shook his head "Eat first then you can shower. It ain't gonna bother me, fifty years in purgatory didn't exactly smell like roses darling"

You hadn't took that in consideration. You crossed the room and took the cup of coffee and paper bag from the bakery when he offered it "Mr Lafitte you're a lifesaver" he smiled "Nice to know"

----------

After you were showered and changed into your clothes you grabbed Benny's shirt and headed outside where he was sitting on the porch to offer the it back. He looked back when you walked out and smiled "You could keep it if you want" you laughed lightly "Well I have two of Dean's shirts and one of Sam's so it's gonna start looking like I'm a thief"

You sat down next to him, turning to have your back to the banister so you could face him "Cute thief" he teased and you rolled your eyes with a smile "Easy Lafitte, I'll steal all your shirts" he raised one eyebrow "If you wanna see without em its easier to just ask"

You leaned closer, letting one hand find its way to the buttons at the neck of the dark blue henley he currently had on "Well I mean you've seen me without one.." he shook his head with a laugh that sounded more like it had almost slipped out as a sigh "Easy darling, that flirtatious streak is starting to slip out of you"

You remained where you were,letting your fingers slide up to play with the short beard that graced his jawline "I don't really flirt that much" he swallowed hard and when he met your eyes it took everything you had to not get lost in his eyes. They were such a beautiful shade of blue and the depth of thought going on behind them was loud enough to make you falter.

---------

You let your hand fall "Didn't mean to cross any lines Benny" you leaned back fully against the banister and felt him watching you even when you glanced up to look at the quarter moon. "and before I forget thank you for taking care of me. I guess sometimes its hard to admit that even hunters have to give our bodies the necessities"

A silence fell between the two of you and you started to stand with intentions to head in and grab your boots so you could get ready to hit the road again but before you could move to stand his hand reached out for your wrist. Your eyes trailed up his arm all the way to his face, a smile slipped onto his face "You didn't cross any lines I'd be opposed to you crossing"

You knew he could hear how loud your heart was beating, could probably damn near taste the blood that pumped through your veins but fear was the furthest thing from your mind "What are you saying Benny?"

His tongue peeked out just enough to wet his lips, something you'd long since pegged as a nervous habit that had managed to follow him beyond his human life. "I'm saying that I've felt something for you for a while but your friendship means more to me then acting on those feelings because hunter or not you're human and I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you"

-----------

Benny sat there waiting for a response from you but had it not been for the fact that he could clearly hear your breathing and heart beat he would've guessed you for a mannequin because you'd become utterly still in that way that as far as humans went he'd only ever seen Dean exhibit. "So you're scared to kiss me because I'm a human?" You asked after a moment and looked almost dumbfounded.

"I don't want to hurt you but you are a helluva woman. You're absolutely beautiful and..." he was cut off by your lips brushing against his in a tentative kiss. You pulled back and smiled at him "See? Still very much alive" he chuckled and nodded "I see that, so can I kiss you properly?" You nodded so he moved to grab you by the hips, the shirt you'd had in your hand long forgotten as he pulled you into his lap and he felt your legs move to straddle him.

You laughed lightly as he pulled your lips down to his. This time he was in charge of the kiss, the moment his lips met yours he felt you relax against him, a light moan escaping you as he slipped his tongue into your mouth. When he rolled his tongue against yours the response he got was your hips grinding down against him in a way that had his grip tightening on you.

After a moment he pulled away and both of your chests were heaving a bit "Damn" you whispered leaning your head over to place feather light kisses across his jaw then down his neck.

A part of him registered that this wasn't the best idea. You were still a human, being with Andrea had taken a learning curve. Add in fifty years in purgatory and months of pent up thoughts about you... that part quieted the moment he heard you say "Take me inside Benny. I want you, please" he was standing up, bracing you in his arms before he could think of how bad of an idea it was.

The relationship between you and Benny blossomed easily. Not much changed from the routine you'd set in place over the last few months. You'd hunt, he'd work at the diner two towns over and when you would need a place to land you always ended up in his arms and in his bed.

He had fallen for you somewhere along the way. He knew chances of you feeling the same were slim, he knew hunters spent their lives with the least amount of attachments as possible but he told himself it was enough.

The way you'd touch him, the sounds you'd make when he would touch you. The way it felt when you moaned his name, clinging to his shoulders as he brought you over that edge. The little lines of blood you'd draw from his back and spend days apologizing for although they'd heal as soon as he fed. It was enough.

-----------

How the hell had it gone from you keeping an eye on Benny to help Dean out to this? You were sitting on the counter in the kitchen of his cabin wearing his shirt while he moved around the kitchen cooking you an omelet because he swore you needed to eat a home-cooked meal every now and then.

He'd stop every now and then to step between your legs and press a kiss to your lips. You weren't sure what exactly it was between the two of you but you liked it. Benny was amazing. He took care of you like no one ever had and reminded you to take care of yourself. You loved nothing more than feeling his arms wrap around you after a rough hunt.

You were broke out of your thoughts by one of his fingers tracing patterns on your bare thigh "What ya thinkin bout so hard?" You shook your head "The fact that my bed head probably looks insane" he raised an eyebrow before playfully examining your face "hmm I've seen you look wilder" your face warmed with the under lying meaning of his words and he laughed "Cmon. You gotta eat something"

When Dean Winchester called for a favor it wasn't ever a small one. Benny stood in front of Dean listening as he described the position he'd been shoved into. Sam was stuck in purgatory. He'd gone in to complete a trial and it wasn't just him but Bobby's soul at stake.

"I wouldn't ask Benny but he's my little brother" "The little brother that you and Y/N had to stop from killing me?" Dean sighed looking defeated "You're right it's too much to ask" even as Benny was wanting to say no,wanted to ask if there was another way memories flashed through his mind. You telling him stories about you and Sam when you were younger. The bond you two shared. The stories you'd told him of how Bobby had practically raised you and both Winchesters.

"I'll do it but let me make a phone call first"

"Darlin, it's me. Look if you get this message and ain't heard from me or Dean chances are things went south real quick. You know those trials you said Sam was chasing? Well they took a turn into purgatory. I know what he means to you and Dean both so I'm going after him. I may regret leaving this message if I make it back topside but there's a couple things I need to tell you. One is that there's something in the top dresser drawer at the cabin for you, you'll know it when you see it. The other thing is that I love you. Bye Y/N"

You sat in silence, the necklace you'd found in that drawer around your neck. It had a silver rose pendant. From what you could tell it'd been warded with the strongest protection charms three covens in Louisiana had at their disposal.

Dean sat on the top step next to you, looking out over the field that was next to the cabin. "You gonna stay here?" You shook your head "Not without him" he nodded "Did you love him?" You shrugged one shoulder, tears finally falling "I could have"

Tags: @123passwort

@valeks-star

Chance to Be

[fritz-federleicht]

I am in NEED of more Kurt Cobain x reader content. Could I request a “How they met” fanfic? I think that’d be cute

How you met/ Kurt Cobain x reader

Summary: you meet a young man at a party

Words: 1303

FLUFF

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

You watch the dancing crowd. In between your friends. You hate going to the club, would rather spend your time at home.

Three men meander through the crowd. A tall guy, next to him a guy with long black hair and one with golden hair.

He looks around shyly. The group of boys walks in your direction, sit down a little bit away from you.

You don't pay them any further attention and look back at the dancing people.

When you let your eyes wander back to the group, only the blond haired man is still sitting there. He looks down at his lap, a beer in his hand.

He looks like he'd rather be somewhere else, like you. You smile. He seems to notice that he's being watched, he suddenly looks up. Your eyes meet. He sees your smile and grins shyly back.

You don't know why, but you get up and go to him.

"Hey, can I sit with you?" His blue eyes bore into yours. "If you want." As he takes a sip of his beer, you sit down.

You introduce yourself. "I'm Y/N, by the way. What's your name?" The man clears his throat and answers in a raspy voice. "Kurt."

Only the music can be heard, neither of you say anything until you break the silence. "I hate it here." He looks at you in wonder. "I'd much rather be home with my friends. There's too much going on here."

The man agrees with you. "My friends really wanted to come here, too. They say I need to be around people. That's why they dragged me along."

"That's what my friends always say." You lean your head against the wall.

"We don't know each other, but do you want to leave with me?" You pull your head up, your eyes wide. "You don't have to."

You stand up. "No, let's go. You're not a murderer, are you?" You joke, pressing your elbow against his side.

Kurt shakes his head. His expression serious with a crazy look on his face. "What do you think?" You answer his question. "Now that I'm leaving here with you, I really hope you're not one."

You look at Kurt grinning, he tries to hold his serious expression and crazy look as long as possible, but in the end he starts laughing.

He pushes a golden strand behind his ear. "Let's go then." He starts walking, after a few meters he suddenly stops, you jostle him. "Sorry."

He turns around. "I just have to tell my friends that I'm leaving." You agree with him. "I forgot all about mine, too. I'll meet you back here."

You part ways. After telling your friends that you're leaving with a strange man, and they weren't thrilled, you return to the meeting place.

Kurt is already waiting for you, his hands buried in his pocket. You appear next to him.

"We're good to go." He nods and says, "Give me your hand." He holds his open and outstretched toward you.

"Why?" You ask.

"I'll go first and make some room for you. And if we hold hands while we walk, we won't get lost in the crowd." He wiggles his fingers.

"Oh all right." You intertwine your hand with his. His grip tightens, giving you a sense of security. And even though you've only known him for a short time, you trust him for that very reason.

Kurt starts walking. He pushes his way through the crowd. You walk close behind him. Again and again you are jostled, you would have lost each other long ago if you didn't cling to each other. You've made it through the crowd and stand in front of the building.

"Is everything okay Y/N?" Kurt asks you anxiously. "Yes all good." You assure him. "It was so stuffy in there." You take a deep breath and ask him where you are going now.

"I know a really nice place around here." He replies. You set off, he tells you that he usually hangs out there with his two friends, with whom he also plays in a band. You get along great.

Suddenly you reach a large meadow with a bench. You walk towards it and sit down.

You talk for a long time until you start to freeze. You shiver and run your hands over your arms.

"I don't have a jacket with me to offer you. But I can take you home." Kurt offers.

"Oh nonsense. That's fine." You reply.

"Oh no, I don't want you to get sick. Come on, let's go." Kurt rises. You exhale loudly.

"But only because you want it so badly." You walk in the direction of your apartment.

You're shaking so badly that Kurt is worried about you. "I really don't want you to get sick Y/N." He hesitantly holds out his hand to you. "I know this won't do much good, but at least this way you can get some body heat from me."

You grin crookedly, having a plan in mind that you immediately put into action. You grab his offered hand and pull him to you. You put your arms around him. Your head rests on his chest.

Kurt hesitates briefly, but then puts his arms around you. His chin rests on your head. Warmth flows through you. You remain standing like this for a long time until you detach yourself from him. Only a small distance between you two.

His hands are on your shoulders, running up and down your arms. "Was that too much?" You ask him.

Kurt shakes his head. "No, not at all. I think you're really nice." You smile at each other.

You look away from him shyly. "I think you're nice too."

Kurt releases a hand from your arm, places his fingers under your chin, and forces you to look him in the eye. His blue eyes shine in the night.

He leans down toward you. Your lips touch. His beard tingles against your skin, you grin. He pulls away from you.

"Sorry." He apologizes, "That was too fast."

You smile at him. "It's all good, I actually liked it." You assure him that everything is fine. You smile. Shortly after, you start shaking again.

"We should go on." Kurt says worriedly. You reach for his hand. Before you go any further, you quickly turn to Kurt, put your hand on his cheek and press a kiss to his lips.

After that, you go and pull the overwhelmed Kurt behind you. He quickly appears next to you.

You walk to your apartment. You stop in front of the house. "Thank you for the evening."

Kurt replies. "I didn't think I'd have so much fun today." You smile. "Me too. I'll come see you at rehearsal tomorrow."

Kurt runs a hand through his hair. ""I apologize for my friends. They're crazy." "They are certainly funny."

Kurt looks into your eyes. "You need to get into the warmth now." You nod. You hesitate and kiss him. He blushes.

"See you tomorrow." You grin and head for the front door. Before you open the door, you turn around.

Kurt looks at you dreamily, his hands in his pockets. He doesn't notice you looking at him until you wave.

He waves back with a smile. You enter your apartment and look forward to the next day when you will see Kurt again.

When Kurt is asked about your story in interviews, he always loves to tell it. He especially emphasizes how cute he thought it was that you were looking forward so much to the rehearsal the next day.

[babymomoring]

being shy and introverted can sometimes be a blessing, it's what made all members really fond of mina and even the younger girls think of her as someone who needs to be protected.

being shy and introverted can also sometimes be a curse, having a hard time communicating and expressing yourself is already bad and having that issue worsened by talking a foreign language is the same as stubbing your toe over and over again.

that is why the only ones to know about mina's regression were momo and sana, well, that and because telling one of them is telling both. they've always be supportive of mina, in fact, she was their baby before they even knew about her coping mechanism, so it wasn't really a surprise when they were able to hit it off smoothly as mina's caregivers.

they even got a sort of routine going on, and mina couldn't be happier, it was easy, predictable and comfortable, maybe too comfortable, because as soon as their routine was threatened by momo's trip to japan, the youngest was in tears, like, the whole amazon river-level tears.

so eventually, with a promise of being back as soon as she could and mina taking bearing as a hostage, momo made her way to japan where she would have a photoshoot and just a photoshoot.

as one could expect, the elder one had to spend the night in a hotel, meaning that for the very first time since they arrangement began, mina would spend the night with just sana. it was upsetting honestly, all she really wanted was to cuddle momo to sleep as sana read her a good night story.

they should have expected this, and they sort of did but failed to look for a solution, to be fair, the world keeps moving and so they move along. the fastest thing sana could come up with was to facetime momo.

"hey, what happened? i thought you were asleep by now" momo began their call and as soon as her voice hit mina's ears tears stopped falling and the girl ran the fastest someone in the mindset of a three years old possibly could, making her way to sana's side to look at sana's phone.

"well, someone really misses you, and not to be a snitch but it's not me and there's only two of us here" sana answered in a really tired voice, it's been a long day for her. "me me me, i's misses you mama" we all know who said that. "and i miss you too sweetheart, but why aren't you sleeping? you should've gone to bed an hour ago, young lady" momo said in a stern but loving way. "i's misses you lots and that makes me sad, and i's always has mama here to cuddle so now i's cold, and mama smell is magic, it always make i sleepy" mina explained with the saddest face they've ever seen. it made sense and even if it didn't what could they do? ignore her wasn't an option and they really couldn't allow mina to stay up even more.

"is bearing with you, baby?" the oldest said over the phone, mina looked around herself and shook her head, in that moment something clicked inside sana's brain, she knows what momo will try to do and that's when she excuses herself and heads to the couch where just as she guessed, bearing had been abandoned after mina got called for dinner.

once she makes her way back and hands mina the stuffie, momo speaks again "okay, now mitang, go to bed, okay? good, now cuddle bearing and close your eyes" mina physically relaxed. it was working "okay, i'll be on the call while sana reads you tonight's story, i promise to stay until you fall asleep and then, tomorrow i'll be there for lunch, okay?" mina just nodded and sana began reading.

"she's asleep, we did it momoring" cheered sana on a whisper. that's when she looked at the screen, momo had fallen asleep too, and now is her turn, she went to bed, texted momo and closed her eyes to rest.

(2)minatozaki pinky

1:30am: what kind of mama falls asleep on call with their baby, u dumbdumb

1:31am: sleep well dude,c u in lunch (lunch u r in charge 4)

[umbralsound-xiv]

Something Needed.

Bexy Amalaryssia paces quietly through the Shroud, almost idle; her gaze dances between the trees every so often, but she appears in no rush, much less with any destination. Ears high on her head, it doesn't take long before they pick up the sound of someone nearby, attention moving to the source of the noise, before her painted lips pull into a smile. "It's not often i run into a friend in these parts, Neoma."

Neoma Eltanin was so engrossed in her task that she did not notice the soft footsteps approaching before the sound of a voice caused her to almost jump before turning around. Looking surprised at first, it did not take long before a smile appeared on her lips in return. "Oh, Bexy! Forgive me, you surprised me." She laughed before approaching the familiar face. "I was collecting cottonwood buds, they grow plentiful in these parts of the Shroud. Where are you headed?"

I wasn't going anywhere in particular, though it's always nice to see a friend. It's been a while since we've had chance to talk properly, though it's not like we don't see each other around the house.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Coerthas, but not for any purpose. A walk, perhaps. Maybe training. I usually go with Sayuri, but she's been spending time with Eir, so i thought to wander myself. Though, running into a friend is a far more pleasing prospect." She glances to the vegetation, eyes narrowing in some contemplation. "..What are they used for? Something for the infirmary?"

Neoma Eltanin: "Ah well, she is married now after all. And they've moved into a place of their own. I can imagine it takes up a lot of their time." She adjusted the satchel she was carrying so that it sat more comfortably on her shoulder. "They can be used to make tincture or infused oil to help respiratory congestion or bacterial infection. Seeing as the trees grow to be so tall they are hard to cultivate in the greenhouse." She glanced down at the path. "Mind if I join you on your walk?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…True enough. We still see each other most suns. I can't be -that- upset about it." A small pluck of her shoulders is offered, huffing a small smile. "Mind? I welcome it. Though i can just as soon walk somewhere else, if you're not wanting the cold?" Bexy asks, head tilted. "…Understandable enough. I learned a little of some flora when i was a child. Though i've forgotten most of it…"

Neoma Eltanin couldn't help but huff amused at Bexy's slight pouting. "Oh, I don't mind the cold terribly much. Of course, I don't handle it as well as you do. After you!" She nodded with a smile, signaling that she was waiting for Bexy to lead the way. "I would be glad to teach you about flora if you'd like, though I fear I might talk your ears off."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "What, listening to a friend talk about something she dearly loves?" Bexy asks with a smirk, leading on along the path. "What's your favourite flower?" She asks, head tilted over her shoulder.

It was a question i'd not ever asked her, despite knowing the favourites of most of those close to me. Perhaps when i learn what it is, i'll bring her some if i find any on my travels. ...Flowers have meaning, too.

As Bexy started to walk, Neoma followed, hurrying her steps just a bit so she could walk alongside her. "Oh dear, you're starting with the hardest question," she laughed. Pinching her chin for a moment, it didn't take her too long to answer. "There are so many flowers I like, but if I could only pick one, it would be lilacs. I have such fond memories seeing them bloom in my village and smelling the wonderful scent everywhere."

Neoma Eltanin tilted her head with a curious smile. "I already know your favorite flower. Azeyma roses, right?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Lilacs are nice. Purple was a favourite colour of mine, once. Still fond of it, mind. Your village sounds like a lovely place. It is in Yanxia, yes?" She asks, before nodding her affirmation. "Azeyma roses, yes. I… Usually bring them as offerings to her. Or to put on the shrine in my home. Mist gifted me a book on flowers for my namesday, some cycles ago. Flowers, and their languages. It was a pleasant read."

Neoma Eltanin: "It is why I so often dress in the color myself," she responded with a pleased smile. "My village lies in Yanxia, yes. To the north of the city of Doma. It's been quite some time since I was there, but the smell of lilacs always brings me back." She raised her eyebrows a touch at the mentioning of the book. "Oh, what a lovely gift! Have you found any use of the knowledge in it?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I've arranged a few bouquets as gifts with deeper meanings. Though it's been some time since i've done so." She takes a few further steps in thought, before speaking again. "…How long is it since you ventured there, last?"

Neoma Eltanin: "Hm?" Neoma looked at the aetheryte in the settlement ahead of them before her attention returned to Bexy. "To Fallgourd Float? I admit, it is not often I am in these parts of the Twelveswood. But I tend to be on foot around Eorzea more often than I am not. I take it you make this journey quite often?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Often enough, but… Not quite what i meant. I mean… To your home. Near Doma." Bexy smiles, glancing to Neoma.

Neoma Eltanin: "Oh!" Neoma covered her mouth momentarily, feeling silly for misunderstanding. "Gosh it must have been back when me and Dusk were traveling around together, before we joined the company. I have received letters from my mother saying they are doing well, but… Maybe I ought to visit sometime soon." Neoma's gaze fell as she was lost in thought for a moment. "I've had so much on my hands here in Eorzea… I will make sure to pay my village a visit sometime soon."

She never speaks of her family so much, but when she does it's usually with a smile. I wonder what they're like? If they're all as gentle and kind as her?

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Some cycles ago, for certain…" Bexy trails, though her smile softens a little at the mention of her letters. "…I'll admit i've had something of an… Unquenchable wanderlust, as of recent. I want to travel, and yet… I'm worried for home. I'll miss everyone terrible. Enough that… I haven't yet gone. Being away for so long… How do you cope?"

Neoma Eltanin listened carefully as Bexy expressed her thoughts. Her eyes wandered to the path ahead of them before their focus returned to Bexy, accompanied with a warm smile. "Knowing that wherever I go I always have a home waiting for me brings me comfort, even during long travels. It is a reminder that while I am in faraway places, I am not alone. Someone somewhere is thinking of me and ready to welcome me home with open arms." The smile persisted as she looked up at the clear blue sky above them. "I often get it, that wanderlust. A desire to travel and see new places, an adventure." Again she looked at Bexy. "I think you should follow it. The longing. Know that while you are away, someone is thinking of you and is with you. Not in body, but in spirit."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I know. And i say i will, and… I can't bring myself to. What if something happens, and i'm not there to protect them, or to help? I have not… Always had someone waiting to welcome me home. Or some place to return to. Not until… This. The company. It's part of what makes it so hard to leave…"

Neoma Eltanin: "Bexy… I know you think you have to protect everyone all the time. But it will be okay. You know those who reside in the company, you know you can rely on them. On us." She lifted her hand to gently place in on Bexy's arm. "Don't hold yourself back out of fear, it will be alright. Trust in the strength of your comrades."

...She always knows what to say. And though i know she's right, that they would likely fare fine without me, it's... ...I'd miss them. I don't... Have another family who loves me, like the one here. Seeing them smile as they go about their suns, or a greeting in a corridor, even if it's all i hear from them all sun... I don't know if i could ever tell any of them what that means to me.

Bexy Amalaryssia glances to Neoma's hand as it gently laid on her, smiling faintly, if not a little sad. "…I… know. I know that. Consciously." She murmurs, lowering her gaze. "…One sun, i will. I'm not ready to, just yet. But i will, eventually."

Neoma Eltanin nodded as her hand fell back to her side. "Of course, when you are ready. I understand you are worried. Where were you thinking of going, once you head off?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Thavnair, perhaps. I've heard nothing but lovely things about it, especially from Sayuri and Eir. Failing that… Tural? I'd take Laurent with me, of course, if he wanted to go. I used to wander so much in my younger cycles. But then, that's perhaps why my want for home is so strong…"

Neoma Eltanin: "Ah, I've never been to Thavnair! It sounds beautiful. Quite humid and warm, I have heard." She seemed to struggle containing her curiosity at the mentioning of Tural, accompanied with a very surprised expression. "Tural..! That is so far away… What a journey it would be. It sounds wonderful to make such a journey. Have you asked him about it?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I've mentioned wanting to travel. He seems agreeable to it, excited to see more of the world. Though, the warmth of either place won't have any bother for either of us. Me with my ice, or Laurent with his warmth. Just…" A small laugh, and a bittersweet smile. "Everyone may well be fine without me, this much is true. But as for me? I… Think i'd miss you all too much."

Neoma Eltanin parted her lips just a bit in what could be considered silent surprise, before her expression shifted into a caring, tender smile. "… We are your family. Of course you would miss us. It might even feel frightening. But you will know when you feel ready to make that journey, Bexy. And when you do, it is going to be a wonderful experience."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "It will. I look forward to it as much as i enjoy staying home. Though, returning with tales to tell is an exciting prospect." She smiles, walking further up the road. "Is there anywhere you've always wanted to go, and never been, Neoma?"

Neoma Eltanin: "Well, you just mentioned one of those places," Neoma laughed. "I would love to see Tural, it sounds like it would be incredible. See the strange flora and fauna, meet the cultures and learn about their traditions and cuisine." She glanced ahead of them as they kept walking, feeling the air getting all the more chill which caused a momentary shiver. "I would also love to see Sharlayan and see their vast libraries. The amount of knowledge there must be incredible to see."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I'd like to see the scenery. I hear of a vast library of… Things, beneath the city proper. Not books, but… Creatures. Plants. An artificial sun, of all things. Though i don't know how much truth to it there is. Suppose i'd have to see for myself, hm?" She smiles, before hesitating a moment. "Are you -sure- you want to walk all the way through Coerthas with me? I don't mind going somewhere else, you know?"

Neoma Eltanin: "I've heard of it too! If it is true, it is quite remarkable. An entire artificial ecosystem… It is nearly incomprehensible to imagine." She stopped for a moment in her steps at the question and looked down at her attire, realizing that she was in fact not dressed for the weather in Coerthas. "Oh, well… I admit, I am not exactly prepared for the climate… But a little should be fine, right? I can get back rather quick with teleportation magicks, after all."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "True enough. We won't go so far, hm? I usually walk all the way up to the Western highlands, but it's much, much colder out there."

I can feel the cold in all it's different intensities, but it never bothers me. Much the opposite, actually. It's comforting. ...Though i can't say that opinion is usually shared amongst many others, save perhaps some Ishgardians, and Sayuri.

Neoma Eltanin: "It is, yes… Alright, I will follow for a bit. This cape is rather warm and should offer some manner of protection, and I am wearing boots. I suppose if I'm lucky I might find a spare sweater somewhere." She laughed softly at her joking comment.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Or a stray sheep to make one." Bexy smirked. She was joking. Half joking, at least. She doesn't know how to knit. "Do you enjoy being in Coerthas, Neoma…?" Bexy asked as she rounded the ridge, as flurries of snow grew quickly heavier…

As the cold wind hit them and the ground slowly became white with snow, the little hairs on Neoma's arms began to stand on end when she felt the chill surround her body. The cape was properly draped around her body to offer more warmth. "Hm? Ah, I can't say I exactly enjoy it, but I do not dislike it either. It is rare I have reason to travel to Coerthas, so I think it is rather fun whenever I get the chance." She looked around at the changing landscape. "I do wish I had gotten to see it before the calamity changed it so."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…It was nice. Green and verdant, full of rolling hills and evergreen trees. I can understand why the Ishgardians mourn it, so." Bexy walks a few paces further, unfazed for the cold despite her usual sense of dress. "But, i think it holds it's own strange sense of beauty…"

Neoma Eltanin kept observing the ever white landscape, watching as the sun cast glimmering light to reflect upon the snow-clad ground. "It is beautiful. And life still thrives here, even if it is different. It might not be the same as it was… But it is still here, with man and beast both occupying the lands, as they have done for eons. It is remarkable how resilient life can be…" She blinked when she realized she was rambling. "Ah, forgive me. It really has been some time since I was last here."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Often, people are quick to condemn change. To shun it, rather than accepting what it is. Speaking from experience…" Bexy smiles, opting to walk towards the river. No sooner does she outstretch her boot to meet the water, it freezes, to create a makeshift 'bridge' to the other side.

Even if Neoma was used to Bexy's prolific use of ice magick, it was still remarkable to behold as the ice bridge extended across the river. "Change is never easy. But those who accept it also learn to make peace with it." She smiled at Bexy as she spoke, waiting to follow her.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I lamented what the aether had done to me at first. Warping my appearance. My perception of the world. But… I soon learned to harness it effectively." Crossing the bridge, she waits until Neoma is clear of the river, before the ice dissipates into the wind with the rest of the snows. "…Sayuri's aether is as it should be, now. Stronger, she says. I… Don't know how informed you were of the situation, but… She let Q'kura live."

Neoma Eltanin glanced over her shoulder to watch the bridge dissipate before she turned back to Bexy with a surprised expression. "She is? Oh, I'm so glad she is doing better… Was it thanks to Q'kura you were able to find a solution..?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Him and a number of things. The beasts we felled in the Burning Wall, my aether, and his knowledge. I was… So sure she would kill him, after the fact. I wouldn't have begrudged her for it, considering. But she chose to spare him, and possibly, if he stays true to his word… Ensure others like Vex make it out of the compound."

Neoma Eltanin: "That is… She has all the reason to wish nothing but harm upon them for everything, and yet…" Neoma's gaze fell for a moment in thought. "… I… know you and I have very different opinions regarding the value of someone's life, Bexy. But I… I am glad Sayuri made the choice to spare him. Someone has to take the first step to end the cycle of blood."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "We have the same opinions regarding the value of life. Just… Differing opinions on the preservation of it." Bexy replies, matter-of-factly. "…Asides, he had very little option. He betrays us? He dies. He fails to convince Grym? He dies. He either succeeds, or perishes, and both outcomes are entirely in our favour."

While Neoma could not resist thinning her mouth at Bexy's comment, she did not argue against it either. "… A rough spot to be in. But… If it means less people will get hurt by their actions…" She lifted a hand to rub at her other arm, both for extra warmth and to distract from the puzzling thoughts. "… All these happenings have been an unpleasant reminder of the time you were kidnapped. When we thought you dead, only to find you on the brink of it. Gods…"

...How many times have i danced with death, now? When Y'vhala had me? Surely, but far from the first time, or even the most recent. When Dusk had run me through, or... When i'd been left for dead in Coerthas before i had my ice. Or when i'd been stabbed in the chest... I still have the scar. ...Many more times i can't think of, likely. And plenty more to come, i wager.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…The closest i've been, for certain. But not the only time." A small roll of her shoulders is offered, but she keeps walking. "I don't tend to speak of it much. It's a strange thing, because it's not all so… Awful, as you might think. With me supposedly dead, the company was… Fine enough. Upset, as to be expected, but fine. And i learned a few things about myself, amidst my confinement."

Neoma Eltanin lowered her head as they continued walking, watching the snow as it got kicked up from their steps. "… I know. It… it is still awful. You know how much people care about you, Bexy. Me and so many others…" She looked up at Bexy, hearing her final statement. "Learned things..?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Y'vhala. I'm not afraid of him. Not like how i used to be as a younger woman. He's just a man. Blood and bone like the rest of us, felled with one good arrow if i aim true enough. What could he possibly do to me that hasn't already been done? I'm not afraid of him. I'm not afraid of anyone. Besides…" Bexy gazes down, arms extended. What skin was on show held no scars, save for one a few ilms long between her ribs. "Plenty of people have tried to kill me. I'm… Not sure they can."

Neoma Eltanin glanced at the scar that was on display, an unusual sight considering Bexy's otherwise impeccable skin. "… I should be glad if it proves impossible," she said in a half-joking manner. "While you are hard to kill Bexy, you can still get hurt. You can still feel pain. You have a life, and I want you to treasure that life. I do not wish you to live in fear, but… I also do not wish for you to be reckless. I remember just how bad of a state you were in when dealing with Grym's men."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…I know. That won't happen again. I'm not so reckless as to throw my life away trying to find out. Don't you worry for that, Neoma." Bexy offers an attempt at a reassuring smile. "It was… Just a musing, is all. I'm no longer the scared, obedient girl i once was. I learned that there was nothing he could do to me to make me afraid, save for… One thing…" Bexy's gaze slowly trails to Neoma's horn, brow knit.

...He could have hurt me all he pleased. What is pain, but a reminder that you're still alive? A reminder something is hurting, but you yet live? But to hurt the others... My family. My friends... I couldn't stand it.

Neoma Eltanin tilted her head, noticing the shift in Bexy's expression. She simply observed Bexy for a moment before offering her a soft smile. "Well… You have grown. Even during the time we have known each other. I am so glad to have gotten to be by your side during both the dark days and the bright days, Bexy." Her smile lingered before a chill wind blew her bangs out of place, forcing her to correct them as she faced the surrounding wilderness. "I know you do not feel bothered by the cold, Bexy. But… Is that the only reason you like to visit Coerthas? Because of your alignment to the element?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "So too have you. And i am forever thankful that we are friends, even throughout our disagreements; You have always remained true to yourself, and kind to others even if it isn't always deserved." Briefly glancing around the area, Bexy's painted lips pull into a line. "…Sort of. It's hard to describe, but i'll try. I… Know my aether is born of Coerthas. I always feel a… Longing. A magnetism, a compulsion to come here, every so often. But save for that… Coerthas. Aether scars… Places that were altered against their will. I feel some… Connection to them. An appreciation, even if… Others do not."

Neoma Eltanin listened as they continued on their walk through the frigid land. Apart from Bexy's voice it was awfully quiet, save for the sound of their boots crunching through the snow. Everything else became muffled thanks to the white blanket that covered every rock and tree. "… A belonging, of sort?"

Bexy Amalaryssia: "…Something like that. Had i no company, no place to return to, i would likely live out here in the wilds, if i didn't decide to travel."

You gaze upon Neoma Eltanin in deep reflection.

Bexy Amalaryssia: "Have… You a place like this? A place you can feel at peace?"

Neoma Eltanin looked at Bexy for a moment longer before her gaze drifted to the ground in thought. Then she smiled softly and met Bexy's eyes. "I do, actually. The Twelveswood. I always feel a sense of calm when I walk through the forest. I consider myself quite lucky to live and work so close to it." Again her eyes wandered in thought. "It might be so that it reminds me of the bamboo forest where I grew up. I have always felt at home surrounded by nature."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I can understand that. I've always had an appreciation for it, too, even if my connection isn't quite the same as yours. As much as i do love company, there's something to be said for peace. I like both in equal measure, i think."

Neoma Eltanin nodded in agreement. "I think it is important to allow yourself a moment of peace every now and then. We can express our thoughts and open our hearts to one another for support and advice, but sometimes we need to be the ones to listen to our own voice. To take a moment to reflect." She closed her eyes as she spoke, considering her own words. It was then that a particularly chilly wind made itself known, causing Neoma to shiver and quickly hug herself. "Okay… I may have to admit defeat now. Forgive me, I am starting to feel very cold."

Bexy Amalaryssia: "I thought as much. Take us back to the company house?" Bexy offers a short huff of a laugh. "We can catch up better over a cup of rolanberry tea, i think."

Neoma Eltanin: "That sounds like a splendid idea actually," Neoma laughed between shivers. "I enjoyed this walk, Bexy. But I would lie if I did not admit that the idea of a warm cup of tea sounds very tempting right now…" With that, Neoma somewhat reluctantly released her arms from the warmth of her cape before conjuring a teleportation magick to bring them back home to the milder climates of the Lavender Beds.

I'm truly lucky to have her as a friend. Though we've not always agreed, we've never cared for eachother any less. I know if i stumbled to her, bloodied and broken, she'd tend me for as long as it took. And if she ever came to me for help, or company, i would be there in a heartbeat. There's one thing we share, despite our differing views on other things. We're always loyal to the things we care about, and the ideals we uphold.

[anonymityisfunwriter]

The Twin Flame - Chapter 25: "The Archer"

"Combat, I'm ready for combat. I say I don't want that, but what if I do?"

Pairing: Sunshine!Reader x Grumpy!Bucky Barnes The Twin Flame Chapter List | The Grumpy x Sunshine Universe

You stride back to the safe house with adrenaline thrumming in your ears, your head forcibly held high in spite of the dread churning in your stomach, and a relentlessly racing mind.

You don't even make it all the way inside before your suspicions are confirmed, Bucky wanted answers, and he wasn't going to take cryptic bread crumbs of truth anymore.

He stands to the side of the door, his arms crossed as he looks at you expectantly, "What was John talking about?"

You can't meet his pleading gaze, too afraid you'll tell him everything. "We should go look for Zemo."

"You can't avoid the question forever."

You swallow the knot forming in your throat, "I know."

"Is it true?" he pleads. You keep your eyes off of him, staring at the stained glass window above the door. He decides to take your silence and refusal to answer his question as his answer. "It is true."

"No," you instantly respond. "It's - it's complicated."

"Just tell me if it's true or not! Were you on the Raft because of me?" You remain standing in front of him without a word. He groans in frustration, "Can someone just tell me the truth? Sam?"

"Don't look at me," Sam retorts, holding up both his hand in innocence. "I wasn't even there when Tony saw whatever Tony saw, I was chasing after Zemo."

"Who we should really be looking for right about now," you dryly point out. "Before John finds him."

"I'm not dropping this," Bucky forcibly states. 

You shut your eyes for a second, rolling your neck with a long deep breath. "I know. I'll explain later."

"Promise?" he demands.

You open your eyes to find him standing right in front of you, his face lingering only a few inches away from yours. You nod, "Promise."

Sam loudly clears his throat. "Take your time, guys. It's not like we have a fugitive to catch or anything."

You roll your eyes, theatrically gesturing to the door. "Let's go then."

As the three of you walk out onto the street, a silence settles over the group. The entire time you pretend you can't feel the Bucky's lingering gazes that always seem to cause goosebumps to trail up and down your spine.

Bucky's not even sure he can help it, his eyes seem to have a magnetic pull toward you, and in spite of his best efforts, he can't keep his eyes off of you.

Logically, Bucky knew John was going to take whatever he found in his 'research' and make it hurt as much as he possibly could.

Logically, this, his current reaction, the feeling of being torn apart at the seams, was exactly what John wanted. 

But Bucky also knew there were very few things that occurred between you and him that could be described as logical. Nothing about the way he felt was logical nor rational - and he wasn't sure that it was supposed to be either of those things. 

But now, every time he found you in his peripheral, he could see it.

He knows how they treated people on the infamous Raft. He can picture you sitting there, curled up in a corner as you prepared to spend the rest of your life there. 

And then he remembers how you once mentioned that you were intensely claustrophobic.

A new detail is added to his increasingly vivid daydream, you sitting there, restrained and pleading with the guards to let you out, hyperventilating, tears streaming down your cheeks as you try to calm yourself, steeling yourself and doing your very best to tamp down the phobia. 

And it was his fault. 

It's like you know that Bucky's thoughts are running rampant when he hears your voice break him from his reverie, "So what are we planning on doing about Karli?"

"We stop her," Bucky grunts.

"I meant, after that," you amend.

"They're dangerous. I don't think they're gonna just let them walk after everything."

"They're not dangerous," you automatically refute, feeling a little more defensive for Karli than what was probably rational. "They just don't know how to control themselves. Yet. They need someone to give them a chance, to teach them."

"You didn't have anyone to teach you," Bucky points out. 

You slightly frown, not liking where this conversation is headed,  "No, I didn't."

"And you know how to control yourself just fine," Bucky continues. "A whole lot better than fine, actually."

"That's not the point," you softly mutter. 

"Maybe that is the point," he counters. "They don't want to learn, if they did, they'd be trying to figure it out. Not burning down GRC buildings with a dozen people inside."

"They need help."

"You didn't-"

"No one should have to learn the way I did!" you snap. "No one."

Bucky pauses for a moment.

He'd known you for years technically, but he could count the number of actual, long conversations shared between the two of you on both his hands.

In that short time, you opened up to him, showed him a vulnerability he never thought anyone would ever trust him with again.

Hell, you told him you were incredibly claustrophobic followed up by a long explanation of how you tolerated elevators only because you didn't like taking the stairs all over the Avengers Compound in your third interaction with him.

You told him all of that, but you always sort of glazed over the topic of your life before the Avengers.

He didn't even really know how you made your way to the Avengers. He only knew what Steve told him, a life in captivity, a childhood stuffed into a cell because you were different. He finds that he doesn't need to know, not really, he knows enough of what that's like. He wouldn't wish the way he learned on his worse enemy either. "I'm sorry."

You shake your head, slowly exhaling, "It's fine."

And you mean it. You don't blame him for unintentionally prodding at one of your most emotionally vulnerable spots. How could he know that? You'd never told him that. You hardly told anyone that.

You wonder how you go about telling him that. Tell him that, yes, your control was unmatched, impressive, masterful even.

But everything came at a price.

Should you tell him that when you made mistakes as a child you’d be starved meal by meal, day by day?

Or how as you got older, more powerful, food deprivation wasn’t enough. Being strapped down to a table days at a time until you swore upon every star that you’d never slip up again. Should you tell him that?

Beaten into submission. Caged like a dangerous animal.

Before Bucky can press the issue any further, Sam's phone breaks the moment's tension with a sharp ring. 

"It's Sarah," Sam murmurs before answering the phone. Sam's eyebrows furrow as you hear Sarah's muffled, frantic voice pour in from the other end of the line, "Karli said what?" He nods along to for a moment before speaking again, "Right. Just hold on. I know, I know. Listen, here's what you're going to do. Pack an overnight bag and take the boys. Someplace safe. Cash only."

"What's going on?" you frantically ask.

"Karli called Sarah. Threatened AJ and Cass," he quickly replies. His expression slightly softens as he speaks into the phone again, "Let me know when you get there. I love you, guys. I'll never let anything bad happen to you, you know that. Okay. Be safe. Bye." 

A shocked breath lodges itself in your throat. 

There's an embarrassingly big part of you that wants Sam to blame you as he hangs up the phone.

You know you blame yourself. You want him to yell at you. To curse the day he ever met you. Even worse, the day he brought you home to his family. 

There's another part, just as big, that begs him not to. That prays that this isn't the straw that breaks the camel's back.

You find yourself waiting for it. For him to turn on his heels with an enraged expression all pointed at you, he'll tell you that you're a plague and that's he sick of it, of you. That he regrets the day he met you and he never wants to see you again.

You're not sure you could take losing the last member of your found family.

But Sarah allowed you into her home. Never showed you anything but kindness. AJ and Cass were two of the sweetest kids you'd ever met.

And they were in danger, because of you. 

You feel bogged down by crippling waves of heartbreak as the world around you starts blurring before you. 

You're drowning again. The current just keeps getting stronger. Sam continues speaking, but his voice sounds distant, coming from the surface. You try to resurface once more, but you can't. There's no light on the guiding you to life or salvation, it's so dark that you're tempted to let yourself drown. 

Though Bucky keeps internally denying that he felt any connection to you, he can see the look of unbridled despair and self loathing forming on your face. He instinctually reaches for your hand, squeezing it once to bring you back to the moment.

Like he's pulling you out from the riptide, you sputter for breath, still choking on waves of anxiety and pools of dread. 

You look over to him for a split second, silently thanking him for reeling you back in. He squeezes your hand once more, allowing his thumb to gently caress the back of your hand. He drops your hand as Sam starts to speak again, "Karli wants to meet you. She left a contact number."

You immediately pull out your phone and frantically type in a response before Sam can say anything else. Your phone chimes within seconds. The message reads: The rooftop above the North Plaza. Come alone. 

Your eyes rake over the message again and again. Not even because you're worried about the danger you're putting yourself in, but because of the danger you've put those around you in. It's you she wants. And she wants you to go alone. You hunch over, hyperventilating as you think about those you've once again put in danger, "Oh, I think I'm going to be sick."

Sam places a hand on your shoulder, pulling you back upright. "Hey, no one's getting sick. They're packing up a bag and taking off. They're gonna be fine."

"How are you so okay with this?" you practically shout, wrenching your arm from his hold. 

"I'm not okay with it, but- "

"But nothing!" you exclaim with desperation. "Sarah, AJ, Cass, they're your family and they're in danger because of me."

"It's not because-"

"Yes. Yes, it is! It's all my fault." Your breathing starts coming quicker again as tears well in your eyes. "I'm not stupid, Sam. I know the only reason she threatened your family is because I don't- Because there was no one else to threaten."

"That's not-"

"It is. You know it is. She knows we used to live together. She knows I lived with you and Sarah, and- and, it doesn't even matter because I need to go."

Bucky grabs your wrist, stopping you from leaving. "Just hold on a second, alright? You can't seriously be thinking about going alone? Or that we're just going to let you go alone." 

"Yes! Yeah, I am. I have to," you desperately insist. "They could get killed because of me."

"Breathe," Bucky whispers. Before he can even think about it, he finds his hand cupping the back of your neck. He forces your frantic, desperate, red rimmed eyes to meet his calm and collected steel blue eyes. He drops his voice, whispering, "Just breathe. Okay. You're not alone. And that means we're coming with you. Okay?"

You slowly breath out, "Okay."

The Twin Flame Chapter List AnonymityIsFun Masterlist

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[multistanisms]

Be My Forever | OneUs

FANDOM: OneUs

PAIRING: YoungjoxReader

WORD COUNT: 5212

RATING: Everyone

POTENTIAL TRIGGERS: N/A 

SUMMARY: Dating an idol has been an interesting part of your life the last two years. Youngjo is always making some kind of plan for fun things, and this time is no exception. ☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑ ☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑ ☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑ ☼ ☽ ☆ ⁑

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: Hey baby, do you know if your gonna be off Tuesday night next week?

⬅️: Next Tuesday? Yeah, I have Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday off because I had so much overtime this week and Chris didn't want me overworked.

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: He's a good boss. I'm glad he took over.

⬅️: He is. He takes care of the employees very well. 

⬅️: Why did you wanna know if I was off?

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: I wanted to spend some time with you. 

⬅️: Next Tuesday? Youngjo, you literally have a show that night.

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: I know. It's fine.

⬅️: “It's fine”? Youngjo, what are you planning?

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: I don't know what you mean. It's just a backstage pass.

⬅️: Ravn! 

You don't use your boyfriend's stage name often, it's usually reserved for moments like now when you want to scold him. You're certain he can hear your voice through your text after your time together. You've just gotten home from work, shaking the rain from your jacket and umbrella, changing into pajamas and making tea to warm you up. Your head shakes as you hit send, knowing full well Youngjo is planning something, but you can't figure out what. 

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: It's not bad, baby. We get time together and the guys get to see you.

⬅️: Hwanwoong and Geonhak have been bugging you, haven't they?

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: Perhaps. But mostly I just miss you. We haven't been able to spend actual time with each other in over a month.

The message hits you hard, because you are very aware of how busy he's been in preparation. Add the long practices against your work schedule and there was hardly any time to meet for coffee pickups, let alone any quality time. 

⬅️: I know. Gods, I miss you. 

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: I miss you, too. We're making it work, though.

⬅️: Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't miss the way you hold me, Youngjo. 

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: I miss hearing you sing when you cook.

⬅️: Don't start a missing war with me. 

[From; My Boi RV🌹]: Why? Scared I'll win this time?

⬅️: As if. How busy are you? 

The smile on your face is obvious as you sit back, sipping your tea. The warmth is nice in your hands, and the liquid warms your body. Your cat hops onto the couch and meows, distracting you from the conversation to pet him. “I know, Hades. I miss daddy, too.” you muse, scratching the himalayan between his ears. Your phone ringing makes you answer, smiling. “Well, speak of the Devil and he shall call.”

“I’m only a devil for you.” Youngjo teases from his end of the line. “We’re headed back to the dorm, and I figured you’d like to hear my voice.”

“Hyung, is that Y/N?” one voice asks, making you giggle when Youngjo tries to deny it. The others have picked up on what he’s saying, though, and it’s all for naught as someone else chimes in.

“Y/N-nuna!” you hear another voice chime in. “Nuna, we miss you!”

The laugh that escapes you when you hear Hwanwoong and Dongju, respectively, call out to you is undeniable. Soon there’s greetings from the others as well, and you can barely keep up with their excited words as they all try to talk to you over Youngjo. “Guys, guys, I can’t translate when you’re all talking so fast.” you manage to scramble out, and you’re grateful when Youngjo quiets them by reminding them your native language isn’t Korean. The group’s laughter makes you smile as Youngjo lets you know you’re on speaker. 

“Hi, everyone!” you say, trying to get the conversation paced again. “Are you staying warm in the weather?”

“We are. We filmed a little in the rain.”

“Tell me you had jackets on.” 

“Of course we did between shots. Seoho-hyung wouldn’t let us take them off.”

“It’s raining during a cold front, Geonhak-ah. None of us need to get sick from playing around.” You hear Seoho scold, and can’t help but remember why you (and several others that know the boys) consider him the mom of the group.

“You guys start a tour in two days, listen to your elders.” You tease, and the conversation turns to the looming excitement of seeing fans again, a few questions about when they’ll see you on Tuesday, and you are reminded of brothers excited to see their older sibling after a long time apart. You hear Keonhee say something about pulling in, and you give a sad smile. “All of you get rest, I’ll see you all soon, okay?”

“Bye, Nuna!”

“Bye, get rest, too Nuna!”

“See you soon!”

When you don’t hear the echo anymore, you know you’re off speaker and give a chuckle as Youngjo speaks to you. “I’ll try to come by on Monday, that way we can go to the venue together.”

“I love you, Youngjo.”

“I love you, too, darling.” Youngjo replies. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay. Goodnight.”

“Sleep well.”

Hanging up makes you a little sad, but you set your phone on the arm of the couch and return to petting the fluffball that is your cat. You turn on a drama you’ve been meaning to finish, letting the loud purrs from Hades become background noise as you watch. Your alarm for bed goes off and you put your now empty cup in the sink, walking over to once more pet Hades before turning the TV off and walking down the hall. The bell on Hades’ collar is heard as he hops down from his perch on the couch to follow you to the bedroom. You settle into bed, Hades curling up at the foot of the bed, stretching and purring as he curls into a loaf and dozes back off. The lamp is clicked off and you drift off to sleep. 

A gentle nudge wakes you, and you groggily roll over to find Youngjo leaning over you, one hand on your side and the other behind his back. “What are you doing here?”

“Good morning to you, too.” Youngjo counters, kissing your forehead. 

“What time is it?”

“Just about nine.”

“It’s my day off, Youngjo.” You half-whine, trying to tug the blanket back up over you. 

“I brought you something, though. We can go back to bed after.” You can hear the pout in his voice and push the comforter back down, looking up at him before groaning and sitting up. 

“What is it?”

“Well, for starters.” Youngjo pulls the hand behind his back out to reveal a bouquet of your favorite flowers. “From your favorite flower shop.”

“Youngjo…” You can’t help the loving pout as you take them and breathe in the fresh scent. 

“Let's put them in water, hmm?” 

You roll your eyes and carefully get out of bed, carrying the flowers out. “You purposely got up early?”

“It’s tour time, being up early is normal.” Youngjo replies. “It’s our last days before it starts, and I wanted some alone time with you, so I asked if I could just spend the day with you.”

“You’re such a romantic.” you tease, nudging him as you set the bouquet on the counter to get your vase. “Waking me up with my favorite flowers from my favorite shop.” You’re running water over the ends to trim the stems a little and put them in the vase and arrange them when there’s a knock on the door. You pause from moving the vase to look at your boyfriend, arching a brow at him even as he grins and goes to answer the door. A roll of your eyes starts you moving to put the gift on the table, and you’re too tired to listen to whatever your boyfriend is saying to the person at the door, moving to sit on the couch and pull a blanket from the wicker basket by the coffee table. “What is it?”

“Breakfast, obviously.” Youngjo replies, carrying the bag to the kitchen. “When was the last time you had an actual breakfast?”

“Too long. I’ve been working night shifts, so I’m usually asleep.” you answer, watching as he goes about taking food from the bag, and you’re aware of him plating food before bringing it over. Seeing the food on the plate makes your narrow your eyes at him in a playfully suspicious way. It’s your favorite breakfast plate from a place a few blocks away. “What are you planning, Youngjo?”

“What makes you think I’m planning anything?” he counters. 

“You got the staff to let you have a free day less than a week before the group starts a tour. You got a backstage pass for me for Tuesday night. You wake me up with my favorite flowers and even my favorite breakfast from the shop down the road, and that’s just the start.” You watch as he goes to get his own plate and comes to join you. 

“Maybe I want you to know how much I love you.”

“You do that all the time, baby.” You reply, moving to take a bite of your food. 

“Not enough recently.” The tone of his words makes you pause, setting your chopsticks down to lean over and kiss his cheek. 

“Don’t do that. You’re an idol, Youngjo. I knew that when I met you, and I knew what that meant.” Your voice is soft as you lean into him, reaching up to tuck your fingers against the other side of his face and make him look at you. “We make it work, and I’m very happy for it. I’m happy I have you in my life. That I know you and the guys. You make me happy, Youngjo, and nothing can change that.”

He’s quiet for a long moment, eyes darting as he looks at your face. After a moment, he leans in to kiss you like you're his lifeline, one hand resting at your cheek as he did so. You return the gesture easily, smiling until he draws back to look at you. “You're perfect, you know that?” he asks as he caresses his thumb over your cheek. 

“So are you, and I don't want you to forget that.” You steal another kiss before pulling away to pick up your chopsticks again. “Let's eat, then we can figure out what to do with the day.” You eat breakfast together, put the leftovers away and wash the plates and such before deciding to stay inside. It's a welcome reprieve to your busy schedules to just enjoy each other's presence and you're pleasantly surprised when You go is able to spend the night. The next morning, the two of you leave together; Youngjo going back to the dorms while you make your way to the cat cafe where you work. The remaining time before the tour kickoff goes by far too quickly for your liking - hastily going through every possible inspiration for an outfit. The decision changes at least three times a day as you go through images from past music videos and photoshoots. You finally choose to draw inspiration from one of your favorite videos, and after some contemplation ask Hwanwoong for help in coloring your hair. It takes a couple of days to work around the rehearsals, but he manages to work magic and bleach the strands before adding in highlights of black and purple. It's a beautiful job and you're grateful to your friend. You make him swear not to say anything to Youngjo, which you know is a hard task for him but he agrees. 

The night before you're supposed to be picked up, you're obviously nervous at work and your manager pulls you to the side on your way out to check on you.

“Is everything okay, yeobo?” Chris asks, making you laugh a little with the switch to his Korean term of affection.

“Everything is fine, I promise. Tomorrow I just have to be at the concert and I'm honestly nervous because Youngjo is planning something, I just know it.”

Chris visibly relaxes, giving you a bright smile. “Okay, good. I thought Minho and I were going to have to teach someone a lesson.”

“Oh my gods, Christopher!” You shove at him playfully. 

“I'm protective of all of my friends.” He counters, clearly unapologetic about his words. “And you're an amazing employee on top of being my friend. Anyone who hurts you answers to me.” He taps his index finger on your nose and you can't help but laugh. 

“I'll keep that in mind, Chris. You’re such a brother figure.” you promise. 

“Tell your man and his boys we said to break a leg.”

“Of course.” You answer, rolling your eyes as you head out, waving towards Minho as you pass him. He's currently playing with one of the kittens, and waves back as the feline leaps up to grab onto his shirt with a soft meow. Your job is great, and the people you work with are a blessing for you since you're so far from home. Youngjo and the rest of the group have since been added to that list, but District 325 Cafe will forever have a special place in your heart. You make the short drive home to pack your bag, making sure your lightstick is also safely tucked into place. You know rehearsal is likely to run late, so you make dinner and eat while you watch tv, then shower and start your laundry from the week. You fall asleep on the sofa, waking up to your phone ringing and Hades curled on your side. Blindly reaching to answer, you're well aware that your voice gives you away as you speak. “Hello?”

“I didn't mean to wake you up, baby.” Youngjo’s voice is soft as he speaks, and you can hear the others in the background. “We're headed back to the hotel now, but I wanted to let you know the driver is going to get you at 2:30 tomorrow.” 

“I totally wasn't asleep.” you lie, a smile in your voice. “I appreciate the heads-up, though. How was rehearsal?” 

“Good. We're ready to start the tour. I just wish you could come with us.”

“I don't have that kind of vacation time, baby. You know I would love to see the world with you, though; with or without a tour.”

“I know. It just doesn't feel the same without you there.”

“I'll always be here when you come back, Kim Youngjo. You can't get rid of me so easily as following your dream.”

“I promise I'll take you everywhere you've ever wanted to go one day.”

“And when you do, I promise to never leave your side.”

“I love you, Y/N. Have I told you that?”

“Yes, but I'll never get tired of hearing it.” you reply. “Get home, get some sleep. You have a long day tomorrow.”

“Long day, yes. But we'll all have time for a group meal after dress rehearsal, so plan to come along.”

“You are very clearly up to something, Youngjo.”

“Not at all. The guys just want to spend some time with you before I have you to myself.” He teased, and you can't help the laugh that escapes you. 

“You hopeless romantic.”

“Part of why you love me, dearest.”

“Only a part, though.” You tease, stretching. “Get some rest. I'll see you soon, okay?” 

“You get rest, too. Have sweet dreams.” Youngjo replies, and you wish you could kiss him. 

“I love you, Youngjo.”

“I love you, too. Goodnight.”

“Night.” You manage to get up, get your laundry in the dryer and migrate to your bed, falling asleep fairly quickly. Your internal clock wakes you around 10am and you start by making breakfast. You make sure your suitcase is by the door and Hades is fed before settling to play on your console while you wait. Just before 2:30, there's a knock at the door and you get up to answer it. You greet the familiar face of the driver with a smile, taking the envelope he offers you before going to pet Hades and grab your bag. You lock the door on your way out, tucking your keys into your jacket as you follow the driver to the car. Once seated in the back, which is more for the driver's comfort of routine, you open the envelope to find a card. It's a beautiful card of black with silver and gold stars and mini constellation designs on the cover, with a bronze script that reads ‘My soul found its mate in yours’ - which makes you smile as your fingers brush over the raised lettering on the card. Opening the card reveals a key card sleeve with a room number on it, as well as the remainder of the printed message for the card and the familiar scrawl of Youngjo's hangul in metallic to the left. The English printed on the right side is gold and makes you miss him a great deal despite having spoken to him just the night before. ‘I am eternally grateful that it did. I love you.’. Your eyes slip to the left to read the words Youngjo had written, tilting your head as you translate in your head. 

‘My beloved Y/N,

You don't have to worry about checking in, you can just come up to the room. I put your key here to make sure you didn't need to ask because I know how anxious talking to strangers makes you. We're probably already going to be at rehearsal, so if you want to drop your stuff and come to the venue, just tell Georam and he'll bring you. If you'd rather stay and wait, that's fine, I’ll see you around seven or eight. Final dress rehearsal is tomorrow, so I hope you're ready for behind the scenes stuff, because we got it approved to have you there. I'm excited to have you at the show. I hope you're excited, too. I love you to the moon and back a thousand times.

Youngjo'

The words make your lips curve and you tuck the card into the pocket on the side of your suitcase, holding onto the key card as you watch the scenery go by. 

“Are they treating you well, Georam?” You ask, looking up at the driver. 

“Always, Y/N. They're good guys.” Georam answers, glancing at you through the rearview. “Did you want to go to the venue?” 

“You know what…yeah. Let me drop my bag off and we can head over.” A nod moves your head as you lean back. You know the boys are expecting you to stay at the hotel after the trip, but you are excited to see them all. The last time all of you were together was months ago when recording for the new album began, and as much as you adore your boyfriend, you won't deny that you also miss the other five a great deal. After three hours of quiet music and chit chat with the driver, you walk into the lobby of the hotel, in awe of the place before you head up to the room and drop your bag off before returning to the car downstairs. The venue is barely a ten minute drive, and Georam pouts when you get out before he can get around, but you nudge him playfully and motion for him to lead the way. Backstage is crowded and you can hear the staff roaming around as they go over things, but the sound of music makes you pause in your trail behind Georam to follow the sound. 

“Y/N?” Georam appears beside you as you near the shadowed area near the edge of the stage to watch, chuckling before giving a bow. “I'll leave you be.” 

You nod in acknowledgement as he steps back into the fray, but your eyes are on the stage. The boys are mid-performance of your favorite song and seeing the new angle of them giving their all warms your heart. You stand quietly in the shadows as they go about rehearsal, content to just watch them go about their routine. To see the creative process is an experience in itself that you've never even said you wanted to witness out loud, and you don't want to ruin it. A tap on your shoulder distracts you as the boys go over the ment they plan to do, their laughter making you smile as you accept a bottle of water from a staff member before your gaze returns to the stage. It's akin to watching a masterpiece be painted, and you let yourself get lost in the moment. Time is lost as you take it in, and when the stage manager agrees the boys have done a great job, Geonhak is actually the first to notice you as he's the first to start towards the back.

“Y/N, hey!” He greets as he spots you, reaching to scoop you up into a hug and squeeze. You squeak in response, laughing a little as you hug back. “Missed you.”

“Missed you, too, Geon-ah.” You reply. “You guys look amazing.”

“Stage outfits are going to look even better!” Dongju chimes with a grin, and you don't hesitate to hug the maknae, back shifting to the stage in the action. 

“I can't wait. I'm so excited for you guys.” 

“You're not excited for yourself?” Youngjo asks, arms looping at your waist as he dips his head to nuzzle your neck. The gesture makes you lean into him, eyes closing for a moment before you turn in his embrace to face him and tuck your face into his neck, not caring about the sweat that sheens along his skin. “You smell delightful.”

“Thank you.” You muse, pulling back to pull him down for a kiss. The ‘aws’ and ‘cutes’ don't go unnoticed, but you don't care, the staff is used to your presence at the dorms so they're familiar with you. “And to answer your question, of course I'm excited. But seeing you guys go through rehearsal just makes it surreal for me.”

“You liked rehearsal?”

“I've always wanted to see a rehearsal process.” You admit.

“Why didn't you tell us? Youngjo-hyung could have had you picked up this morning!” Hwanwoong pouts.

“It's okay, Woongie. Just getting to see the second run through was amazing.” You promise, releasing Youngjo to hug the member closest to your height. “I can't wait for tomorrow.” 

“Guys, I hate to break up our family reunion,” Seoho speaks up, a cool towel drapes at his neck. “But we should really get cleaned up so we can go to dinner.” 

“Oh, dinner sounds amazing.” Geonhak agrees. “You're coming with us, right?” He asks you, and you arch a brow at him. 

“No, of course not.” You say drolly with a playful look, trying to reach up and ruffle his hair, but he moves out of the way. “I'll wait outside the dressing room for you guys to finish.” You move to lean against the wall with your bottle of water, laughing as Youngjo steps close to steal another kiss before disappearing behind the door. You wait patiently, sipping at your water and scrolling through your phone, playing a little on your Tetris app while you wait. You can hear the six men inside talking, and it dawns on you how much they really do mean to you. Not just as someone who enjoys the music they work so hard on, but as family. You'd left a lot behind when you'd moved here, but you'd found so much more. You look up as the door opens, and you reach out to ruffle Hwanwoong’s hair. “You guys ready?”

“Almost.” Hwanwoong grins as he speaks, moving to hug you. “We love you, nuna.” 

“I love you guys, too.” You chuckle, and the familiar feeling of a hand between your shoulders makes you look up and you turn into Youngjo on instinct to hold him close. “I love you most of all, though.” You muse to him. 

“I'm glad you feel that way, jagiya.” Youngjo replied, tilting his head to lay a kiss to your hair. “Because there's something I want to tell you.”

There's a ball of panic in your gut, not sure what's about to happen. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything is perfect. You're perfect; my moon and sun. I don't know what I'd do without you. You filled a place in me that I didn't even know was empty, and every day I love you more than I thought I could ever love someone.”

“Youngjo…” the words have emotion trapping in your chest as you look up at him, lower lip tugging between your teeth as he speaks.

“I want to take care of you, Y/N. I want to make you feel special and for you to know I would do anything for you. Anything.” One hand finds your cheek and his thumb caresses over your skin. It's not an uncommon gesture, but you can read his face very well.

“Baby, are you okay?”

Youngjo laughs a little, leaning to kiss you gently, resting his forehead on yours as he replies. “I'm great, I swear. But I would like to know if you would give me the highest honor of being your husband.” The words take a moment to process but when they do, you pull back to look up at him, eyes then going to the members nearby to make sure you haven't misheard. In the brief moments it takes to turn away and then back, Youngjo is kneeling with a small velveteen box of emerald green in his hand. 

“Oh my gods, Youngjo…”

“Will you marry me, my beloved Y/N?* He asks properly. “Will you let me take care of you until my dying breath?” 

Of all the possibilities your mind has gone through trying to figure out what your boyfriend and his members have been up to, this was not even remotely close to making the list. For a moment you can only stare, emotion in your chest keeping your words from breaking through as tears bristle in your eyes. All you can do is nod and when Youngjo opens the box, the ring is perfect, the band inlaid with leaves holding a single gemstone accented by a small diamond on either side. The moment he stands and pulls the ring from the box, Hwanwoong and Dongju cheer, which soon causes a ruckus of cheers and applause as Youngjo wipes the tears away and kisses you deeply, one arm secured at your waist as you kiss back enthusiastically with your arms around her neck. 

“I love you, Kim Youngjo.” You whisper against his lips. 

“And I love you, jagiya.” He answers. “Let's go have dinner, yeah?”

“I hope it's not too fancy. I'm not dressed for that.”

“You're beautiful, baby.” Youngjo promises, kissing you again. “And if anyone tries to say otherwise, Mrs. Kim, they'll have to deal with me.” The sound of it makes your face heat up and you tuck into him. “You like the sound of that?”

“Very much.”

Dinner is wonderful, filled with laughter and storytelling paired with delicious food, great company and pure joy. You ride back to the hotel with the boys and greet the staff still trickling on as you all head up to the floor where all the rooms are. Walking down the hall you say goodnight to Dongju, Seoho and Keonhee at one room, then Hwanwoong and Leedo as Youngjo stops at the room the two of you have. Hwanwoong and Leedo give one last congratulations and round of hugs before continuing down the hall to their own hotel room. Youngjo lets you go in first, allowing the door to close behind him as he walks over to join you on the balcony and wrap his arms around you from behind. He places a kiss on your temple, then rests his chin on your shoulder. 

“I love you,” he whispers, nuzzling you gently. 

“How long have you been planning this?” You tease, content to stand in his embrace as you look out over the city. 

“A few months. Still didn't do it how I originally thought to.” He answers. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I originally was going to do it during the show tomorrow. Have you come out during one of the ments, show you off like you deserve to be.”

“What happened, then?”

“I saw you with Geonhak and Hwanwoong after practice. You were so relaxed and happy. The way you're so at home with all of us, with the staff. I needed the moment to be perfect, and that moment made me realize that it didn't need to be extravagant. It just needed to be the important people in our lives.” The words make you gasp a little, a hand covering your mouth.

“Oh, shit. I'll have to tell the guys at the cafe.” 

“They already know. Seoho video called Chris.” Youngjo replied, which finally makes you pull away to turn and look at hi,. 

“Wait. How did he-” you cut yourself off as your brain starts catching up. “What did you do?*

“Your family is all really far away, and you don't really talk to them, anyway. But I was going to do it the right way, and the closest thing to family you have here is the guys at the cafe. So on one of your days off, I went and asked Chris and the others for their blessings.”

“So they knew all this time?” 

“I'd say about three weeks, give or take.” Youngjo confirms. “Why?”

“I just…they never even slipped. Not once.” You laugh a little, leaning back on the rail to look at him. “And I never thought anyone would ever-”

“You are a treasure and every person who didn't see that and treat you right deserves to be in your past.” Youngjo cuts you off, reaching up to run his hand through your hair. “I will do everything to make sure you know how important you are to me, how much I love you, every moment I can. I'm sorry you had all that pain before you came here, but I am making it my job to make sure you don't feel the way they made you feel ever again. I am yours, and yours alone, Y/N. Nothing could make me happier than being with you as we take this next step in our journey together.” 

“I couldn't be happier that you chose me.” You admit. “And I'll be by your side for the rest of my life.” You pull him in for another kiss, your fingers carding into his hair. “Sooo, am I supposed to move into the dorms now?”

“Let's get through tomorrow and then we'll start moving my stuff.”

“Wait, will they let you move out of the dorm?”

“I don't see why not. I’ll have an apartment to move into, and it isn't like it's far from HQ anyway.” He mused. “Let's get some sleep. We start early tomorrow so we're ready for sound check.”

“As long as I get cuddles.” 

“At any time you want, beautiful.”