#and my mom always told me it was cus he always got the short end of the stick

[agdab]

every year that it gets closer to my birthday i just dread it bc ive literally never had a good birthday

[aereres]

Ready - Sidney Crosby

Summary: Sidney Crosby - ex NHL star, the new coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the man every woman could wish for, a proud father. His daughter, Lily, is his ray of sunlight, the person he'll always love unconditionally, and when his new girlfriend walks in the picture, things take a turn.

A/N: @beauvibaby​ received an ask about this amazing concept and let me write something about it! Thank you sm girl! ❤️ Definitely not one of my best works or something I’m really proud of, but I decided to publish it anyway

Word Count: 7,4k

Warnings: talks of divorce and absent parent, swearing, mentions and allusions to sex, shitty ass writing

Nerves were eating you alive as you waited on the Crosby household’s front steps, your heart hammering against your ribcage. It wasn’t the new environment - you had been inside the mansion many times before - but rather the new acquaintance you were going to make.

She was a character constantly mentioned throughout the first stages of yours and Sidney’s relationship, a really important character. Lily - short for Elizabeth - was Sidney Crosby’s fourteen-year-old daughter, and as much as it scared you to meet your boyfriend’s daughter for the first time, you couldn’t avoid it any longer.

The front door opened quickly, snapping you out of your anxiety-induced trance to meet Sidney’s dark eyes, the smile on his face reassuring you just lightly. “Hi,” he said, voice gentle as always as he took in your sundress-clad body. “Come in, sweetheart,”

The cake you had made for the occasion was slipped out of your hands after a quick second, and Sidney’s hands were soft on your skin as he led you towards the kitchen with a hand on your smaller back.

“Smells good,” you whispered, leaning on the tip of your toes to press a kiss to his cheek. You let your head rest on his shoulder as you looked around the house again, remembering the familiar couch where you had cuddled together many times before, but also the kitchen aisle where more than just breakfast had happened.

Your cheeks heated up as the memories replayed in your head, extremely not appropriate for that moment. You were just about to meet his daughter, why were you thinking about your private time with him?!

“Dad, Kailynn is asking if I can go to her sleepover on Friday,” an unfamiliar voice said from the distance, the sound of footsteps making you panic. You distanced yourself from Sidney, smoothing the material of your sundress just before the younger girl walked inside the kitchen, her eyes focused on her phone.

“Lily-”

“Please? There won’t be any boys, I promise,” she interrupted her father, head still down to face her device.

“Lily, this is my girlfriend, Y/N,” Sidney’s words seemed to snap her attention towards him, her eyes settling on you before giving you a once-over. “Y/N, this is my daughter, Lily,”

“Hi,” you smiled her way, her hand shaking yours hesitantly as she analyzed you. “It’s so nice to meet you, Lily,”

She didn’t reciprocate your words, keeping silent as she sat down at the dining table, looking down at her phone again. You bit your lip, holding back a saddened sigh as you stayed by Sidney’s side, playing with your fingers.

He seemed to sense your discomfort, pushing you closer to his side as he finished cooking, plating the food for the three of you in silence. You found yourself sitting in front of Lily a few minutes later, her eyes looking at you as you awkwardly ate, your hands cold.

“Lily, will you stop that?” Sidney scolded her, dropping his fork on the table as he faced his daughter.

“Stop what?”

“Making things awkward,” he sighed, shaking his head as he poured you a glass of water. “How was school today?”

“Normal,” she mumbled, picking at her peas as she chewed on some salmon. “So, how did you two meet?”

“Oh-” your eyes widened, not ready for her question. “I work as a physiotherapist for the Penguins,”

“So you met at work?”

“Yes,” you nodded your head, taking a sip of your water to push down the lump in your throat.

“Are you in like, college or something?” Lily mumbled, making her father sigh out loudly.

“Elizabeth-”

“She just looks really young, dad!” Lily exclaimed, giving you another once-over as she waited for your answer.

“It’s fine,” you smiled Sidney’s way reassuringly. “I’m twenty-seven, I graduated college a couple of years ago,”

“Dad, what the hell?!”

Your eyes snapped up from your plate when she raised her voice, staring right at her father with anger as she waited for an answer. “She’s basically half your age!”

“Don’t talk about her like that,” Sidney warned her. “I can easily call Kailynn’s mom and tell her you’re not going to the sleepover if you don’t drop the attitude,”

“Whatever, I’m not hungry anymore,” she spat out, pushing her plate away before folding her arms over her chest, a scowl on her face as she glared at you. “Can I be excused?”

“No,” Sidney said, clenching his jaw before muttering his next words. “Y/N was kind enough to make your favorite cake, so you’re not excused,”

“Cheesecake?”

“Yes,” you breathed out, sending her a quick smile as you stood up to grab the container inside their fridge. “Your father told me you’ve always liked it,”

She hummed absentmindedly as you helped Sidney take the almost-cleared plates to the kitchen, focusing on the dessert just a few minutes later. You handed her a slice, cutting yourself and Sidney your own pieces as she tasted the cake, an unimpressed look on her face.

“It good, Lily?” Sidney asked with a smile, pressing a small kiss to your cheek when you handed him his plate. She took a few seconds to respond, standing up from her chair and grabbing her phone from her back pocket, checking the notifications before looking up at you and Sidney again.

“Mom’s recipe will always be better,”

She was out of the dining room just seconds later, leaving a saddened you and a pissed-off Sidney on your own. “Elizabeth!” Sidney yelled after the teenager, clenching his jaw when he got no response.

You sighed out as you ran a hand through your hair, sitting down to enjoy your cake in silence as you tried not to get too affected by Elizabeth’s behavior. “Y/N, I’m so sorry,” Sidney whispered, shaking his head as he sat down next to you, his hand grasping yours on top of the table. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her, she’s never been like that,”

“It’s okay, Sid,” you smiled sadly, putting your feelings aside for one moment to send him a smile. “I probably should have paid more attention to what I was saying,”

“It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I’ll go talk to her later. Now, let’s enjoy some cake,”

You smiled his way before you pushed your fork to your lips, another bite of the dessert filling your mouth. Your mind moved elsewhere as you thought about the events of the night, and how much Lily’s words had affected you.

You were sure there was more to her, that maybe it just wasn’t the right time. You were convinced she was actually as amazing as Sidney had described her to be: kind, always smiling, the best daughter anybody could ask for.

Thinking about everything Sidney had said about her really made you realize just how close the two of them were, just how much he cared about her. So you gave yourself a mission, a goal.

You were going to make her change her mind about you.

-----

“And God, he was so rude!” You giggled, head resting against Sidney’s chest as you pushed a raspberry in your mouth. “Like, I just asked for this ointment and he literally side-eyed me,”

Sidney chuckled, letting his hand smooth the skin of your thigh as his eyes held yours, fondly smiling your way. “And what did you do?”

“I just paid and left. What else could I do?” You spoke, running a hand through your hair as your eyes focused back on the TV, where a quite boring reality show was playing. “How was work?”

“The usual,” Sidney stated, one of his hands linking with yours as he kept silent, eyes definitely elsewhere. “Evelyn called last night,”

Evelyn. Lily’s mother.

“Said she needed another check to take care of Lily,” Sid sighed, rubbing his forehead as he thought about the conversation again. “My checks are always abundant, generally more than what she could spend for Lily on the weekend, so I don’t get it,”

You sighed, your thumb caressing the back of his hand as the room fell silent. You had wished many times to learn about their situation, just why he had become a single father at such a young age, or why Evelyn had always been barely mentioned throughout the various months spent together.

It was always a silent wish, though, something you kept to yourself. Sidney needed to bring the conversation out on his own, whenever he felt ready. And you were willing to wait.

“I’m home!”

“Hey, Lily,” Sidney called back, muting the TV as you heard various items hitting the floor of the entrance hall. “How was tutoring?”

“Boring,” she sighed, her footsteps coming closer to the living room second after second. By the time she reached the doorway, her eyes found yours, her rather smiley face turning into a frown. “She’s here,”

“Hi,” you smiled, ignoring her glare and Sidney’s clenched jaw. “I brought some snacks, they’re in the kitchen if you’re hungry,”

“No, thank you,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “I’ll be in my room,”

With that, she was out of the room, running up the stairs before Sidney could even try to get mad at her. He sighed, rolling his head back against the couch as he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled, his free hand playing with the ends of your hair as you pushed yourself closer to his body. “I’ve talked to her after dinner, the other day, and I was hoping she’d stop,”

“It’s okay, Sid. I get her,” you whispered, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek as you looked into his dark eyes. “I’d be like that too, if I was in her place,”

Sidney fell silent again, your eyes scanning his face as he focused on the wall in front of him, a serious look on his face. “Hey, mister serious,” you mumbled, positioning yourself on his lap as your hands cupped his cheek, bringing his lips to yours. “Don’t worry about it, okay?”

“Okay,” he said with a sigh, stealing another kiss from your lips before you could pull yourself off his lap. “Where are you going, babe?”

“I’ve got dinner with my friend Sarah,” you reminded him, slipping on your shoes in a rush as you felt his eyes on you.

“Right,” he said, his hands finding your waist as he pulled you closer, your body standing between his spread legs. “Call me later?”

“Of course,” you whispered, leaning down to kiss him once more, struggling to pull away when his hands wandered to your ass. “Hands off, mister. I’m going to be late,”

“I know, I know,” he mumbled, pecking your lips again. “I love you,”

Your heart still hammered against your ribcage whenever he mentioned those three words, no matter how many times you heard them coming from him. “I love you, too,”

Before you could leave the house, you noticed that one of the bags of chips you had brought over was missing. Specifically, the one brand Sidney had told you Lily loved, and you were sure it was still there before the teen came home. She took it.

You left the Crosby household with a smile, that afternoon.

-

“What? No,” you scoffed, digging your fork in your salad as you looked at your friend. “Sarah, drop it. She’s not a brat,”

“Well, it sounds like it,” she rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her wine before she kept the conversation going. “She’s been giving you hell ever since she met you,”

“But I get her,” you admitted. “I’m crossing her territory and she’s not happy to have me there, especially since I’m dating her father,”

“She literally mentioned your age gap as if you were still underage dating her father, Y/N,” Sarah spat out, her eyebrows raised as she spoke the truth, a sigh leaving your lips. “Didn’t she mention she didn’t like your cake? Where did her manners go?”

“She said her mother’s recipe would always be better,” you mumbled, pushing your food around the plate as you really thought about the situation.

“She basically told you your cake sucks,” Sarah said, honesty coming out of her words as she stared at you. “Y/N, you deserve better than that, come on,”

Biting your lip, you sighed. Sarah was right, you didn’t deserve Lily’s treatment, and you didn’t want Sidney’s relationship with Lily to be destroyed all because of you. That was a nightmare that, in some ways, often kept you up at night. You would have never forgiven yourself, if you ruined Sid’s relationship with his own daughter.

“Listen, I’m in love with Sidney,” you admitted, running a hand through your hair. “And I will try my best to make things work between Lily and me,”

“That’s good,” Sarah mumbled. “But I still think you deserve to be treated better, especially by a girl half your age,”

“I know,” you sighed. Silence set between you and your best friend as you ate in silence, both of you clearly in your own thoughts.

“You did deliver a hot guy, though,” Sarah started, holding back laughter when you giggled. “I mean, a total DILF, so I get you,”

“Sarah!”

-----

You were humming under your breath, getting the studio clean and tidy at the end of the day with a smile on your face. It was Friday - almost the weekend - and you wanted nothing more than to go home, enjoy a glass of wine in front of the TV, and maybe even chat a little with Sidney, if he was free.

There was something about the weekend that had always made you happy, ever since you were a kid. In elementary school, you were able to spend entire Saturdays and Sundays outside with your neighbors, playing together until the sun would go down; in middle school, you used to take Saturdays to go out with your friends; while in high school, the weekend would be the only free time for awkward dates.

The weekends had taken a turn in college, where you’d get hammered on Friday nights, and spend the rest of your free days trying to recover from the hangover with your friends. They’d become messy, headache-filled, but still the best days of your life.

A knock on the opened door snapped you out of your nostalgic trance, making you sharply turn around to see Sidney standing by the threshold, a smile on his face. “Hey,”

“Hi, coach,” you smiled, his body embracing yours in a soft hug as he pressed a swift kiss to the top of your head. “What are you doing here?”

“Just came by to see you before I leave,” he mumbled, his face settling in the crook of your neck as he let his lips press a few kisses on your neck. You hummed, leaning into his touch as his hands inched closer to your hips, pulling you firm against his toned chest. There wasn’t room for words as he turned you around, his mouth finding yours hungrily as the two of you acted like teenagers again.

His lips were soft, but their movements were anything but gentle. You had to refrain yourself from letting out a whine - remembering you were still at your workplace and that people were still most certainly around - as your hands made their way in his hair, his arms picking you up and propping you on your desk.

“Come back to mine,” he whispered, breathing uneven as he pushed some strands of hair out of your face.

“What about Lily?” You asked, biting on your bottom lip as he leaned down to press a few other kisses on the side of your neck.

“She’s at her mother’s,” he grumbled, his lips finding yours again in another heated kiss as you smiled, arms wrapping around his neck as you enjoyed another moment with him. Your legs wrapped themselves around his waist, pulling him closer to you just as his hands started to undo the first few buttons of your blouse.

His head dipped to the newfound skin, your head lulling back as pleasure shot down to your core, your mind not thinking straight anymore. His mouth was on yours again after just a few minutes, his hands gentle on your lower back as he kept you close.

His phone was what snapped the two of you out of your trance, your bodies parting as he tugged the device out of his pocket, his brows furrowing when he saw who was calling. There was no hesitation when he accepted the call, his phone pressed to his ear immediately.

“Lily? What’s wrong?”

Your eyes met his worried ones at the mention of his daughter, waiting for any kind of information as he kept silent. “She hasn’t come to pick you up?!” He spoke, clearly angry. Your legs clenched at the sound of his pissed-off voice, but you forced yourself to put the heated making-out session behind you and focus on the moment. “Lily, practice ended an hour and a half ago,”

They exchanged a few other words before Sidney sighed a quick ‘I’m on my way’, pushing his phone back in his pocket as he helped you down the desk. “C’mon, let’s go,”

“You want me to come?” You hesitantly asked, knowing it probably wasn’t the best to intrude between him and Lily.

“Please,” he sighed under his breath, rubbing his forehead as you buttoned up your blouse again. “I’m so sorry, I ruined everything,”

“Hey, hey,” you were in front of him in a second, cupping his cheeks as your eyes met. “It’s no big deal. Let’s go get her now,”

He nodded his head, waiting for you to lock the office before the two of you were headed towards his car, speeding off through the streets of Pittsburgh in silence. Sidney seemed tense, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he stopped the car in front of the gym, where his daughter was standing. When she opened the backseat door, you heard the soft thud of her duffle bag hitting the car floor, soon followed by her silently sitting down.

“You should have called earlier, Elizabeth,” Sidney sighed after starting the car again, his voice slightly rising. “It’s cold outside, why did you even stay there waiting?”

“Can we not have this conversation in front of your girlfriend? Thanks,” Lily muttered, clearly annoyed at your presence. You repressed a sigh, the car filling with silence as you looked out of the window.

“Lily, it’s dark outside, God knows what could have happened to you!” Sidney yelled, carding a hand through his hair as he stopped at a red light, his emotions getting the best of him. “I need you to answer me. Why didn’t you call me?”

Elizabeth stayed in silence, arms folded over her chest as she looked straight ahead, eyes on the street. Silence set between the teenager and her father as he waited for an answer, his jaw clenching as he kept his eyes on the road, almost home. “Elizabeth?”

“I thought she was going to come and get me!” She yelled. “I wanted her to come and get me!”

Sidney had just parked inside their garage, and with her last words, she left the car. She shut the door angrily, leaving you and her father on your own inside the vehicle in silence. A sigh left his lips as he rubbed his face with the palms of his hands, clearly tired.

He hopped out of the car after a few minutes, helping you out of your seat as you silently made your way inside the Crosby household. Lily was nowhere to be seen, the living room was silent, and so was the kitchen. You guessed she was in her room, the place you had learned she loved the most.

Sidney didn’t talk much throughout the night, exchanging a few words with you just to order dinner and to ask you to stay the night. It was a no-brainer for you, with a whispered ‘yes’ you smiled his way, feeling reassured when he sent you a small smile back.

He seemed to be unreadable, no kind of emotion showing as he mumbled something about going to take a shower, his voice barely a mumble. Lily’s plate of food was sitting in front of you, her chair empty. It felt quite lonely to sit on your own at an empty table.

You grabbed her plate, walking towards the kitchen to heat it up as you let your thoughts crowd your mind, a long sigh leaving your lips. It was clear that with her words she wanted to express how much she wished for her mother to actually take care of her, to treat her like a daughter.

You dragged yourself up the stairs with her plate in one of your hands, your nerves yelling at you to go back downstairs. When you were faced with her door, you studied the banner with her name attached to it: it was a deep shade of purple, definitely a big contrast to the white wood of the door.

With your last ounce of courage of the night, you knocked on her door. “Lily? I brought you food,”

There was no answer from her, so you took it upon yourself to leave her plate on the floor, guessing she might have wanted to eat on her own. You headed towards the master bedroom soon after, closing the door behind yourself when you saw Sidney standing inside the ensuite, only clad in a pair of boxers.

You walked up to him, circling his waist with your arms as you let your cheek rest against his back. “I brought her food,” you whispered, pressing a kiss on his shoulder blade.

“Thank you,” Sidney sighed, letting one of his hands slip inside yours. “For everything,”

“Don’t worry about it,”

You stayed like that for a while, your body close to his as he got himself ready for bed, parting only when you decided to take a shower, too. When you climbed in bed next to him, he seemed to be snapped out of a trance, his arms embracing you in a hug.

“I can’t believe Evelyn didn’t pick her up,” Sid sighed, burying his face in your hair. “It was clear in court, she needs to take care of her daughter,”

“Why is she so distant with Lily?” You asked, voice as thin as a whisper as you traced the prints on his shirt with the pad of your index finger.

“I have no idea,” Sidney mumbled. “Ever since we got divorced it’s like she hates the kid that we’ve both created,”

He stayed in silence for a while, carding a hand through your hair as he wondered whether it was a good time to let you inside his life even more, to talk about his past and tell you one of the most important stories of his life. The story of his daughter.

“You know, we wanted her,” Sidney started after pushing all his internal worrying aside. “We had been married for a year, and we were ready for a baby. Evelyn fell pregnant after a few months of trying and we were more than happy to finally build a family.

“Lily was born a little earlier than expected, but she was healthy, and we were happy. I spent almost an entire year off, I was training but not going to games, while Evelyn worked from home, we were organized.

“By the time Lily started elementary school, I went back to playing hockey full-time but Evelyn wasn’t happy with it anymore, so she decided to get a divorce. I- I didn’t think she was feeling that way, I felt so shocked,” he mumbled, his arms tightening around your body. “We went to court, I was able to see Lily only during the weekends, and I could tell she wasn’t happy with her mom.

“I had teachers calling me, telling me nobody had picked her up, or that she had no lunch for the day. Lily even went as far as to say something about the entire situation to a friend, who later told her mom, who told the teacher that later enlightened me about the fact that my kid wasn’t being treated right by her own mother,” he sighed, your eyes veiled by a layer or tears at the heartbreaking story.

“So I dragged her to court and I was able to get custody of Lily on the weekdays. Truly the best day of my life after the day Lily was born,” Sidney spoke, his fingers drawing shapes on your smaller back as silence filled the room again.

“You’re a good father, Sid,” you whispered, letting your forehead rest against his. “Don’t ever think otherwise,”

He stayed in silence, carding a hand through his messy curls before settling your body on top of his, his hands oh so gentle on your skin. “It’s late, we should probably go to sleep,” he mumbled, leaning down to press a gentle kiss on your lips. You nodded your head, agreeing with him as you let your head rest against his chest, hearing the sound of his heartbeat. “Good night, sweetheart,”

“Good night,” you whispered, keeping your eyes open for a little longer when he turned off the lights. Sidney seemed scared: scared to not give a good enough life to his daughter, scared that Lily might not feel loved, scared that it could be his fault.

He didn’t deserve it, was what you thought before falling in a deep slumber, wishing he and Lily could feel better by the time dawn rolled around.

-----

“And where exactly do you think you’re going?”

Sidney’s voice snapped your eyes away from your laptop, making you face Lily standing in the middle of the entrance hall. She was wearing a yellow sundress, dark hair pulled up in a ponytail as she slipped on a pair of sneakers, ready to leave the house.

“What do you mean?” She called, facing her father with a confused look. “I have that date? With the brother of the little girl I tutor?”

“A what?!”

You gripped Sidney’s hand over the table when he slightly raised his voice, side-eyeing him as the teenager’s eyebrows furrowed. “A date,” she repeated. “Dad, I asked you last week if I could go, and you said yes,”

Sidney’s own eyebrows furrowed, making you notice all the similarities the two of them shared just then. Even if Sidney’s hair had silver streaks, Lily shared the same dark shade of curls; you could often see them using the same facial expressions, from the confused looks, to the way their noses would scrunch up any time something didn’t make sense to them. Lily was Sidney’s copy, and the best way to really notice it was during arguments, as bad as it sounded.

“Well, I probably wasn’t in my right mind, back then,” he spat out. “You can take your shoes off, you’re not leaving the house,”

“Dad!”

“Elizabeth, you’re too young to go on dates,” Sidney spoke, his palm leaving yours when he folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t even know who this guy is!”

“Dad, you literally know his parents,” Lily whined, carding a hand through her hair as she sighed out. “And we’re only going out for ice-cream,”

“I don’t care,” Sidney stated, stubbornly keeping eye contact with his daughter. “You’re not going out with him, and I won’t change my mind,”

“Sidney,” you scolded him, his eyes moving towards yours as he turned around to face you.

“What? Don’t you agree with me?” He asked, Lily’s distant footsteps making you realize she had gone to her room.

“She’s almost fifteen, Sid, and it’s just an ice-cream date,” you sighed, lifting your eyebrows slightly at his clenched jaw. “I went on my first date when I was her age, and it went just fine,”

Sidney kept silent after your confession, staring straight ahead of himself as you looked at him, waiting for any kind of reaction. Lily had seemed to be hurt by his words, especially since she looked more than happy to go on her first-ever date, and you at least wanted him to realize that.

“Sid?”

“Fine,” he grumbled, sighing heavily as bit the insides of his cheek. “She can go, but only if we tag along,”

You jokingly rolled your eyes at his rule, standing up from your chair to press a swift kiss to his cheek. “I’ll go talk to her,” you whispered, ignoring the way your heartbeat had just picked up at the thought of having an actual conversation with Lily again.

By the time you reached her bedroom door, you were more than nervous. Your hand was shaking as you knocked on the door, waiting for any kind of response from her. “Lily?”

“Y/N, go away. This is not the right moment,” you heard her say, voice strained and distant.

“Lily, I need to talk to you,” you gently said, playing with your fingers. “Can I come in?”

There wasn’t a proper verbal answer, but the door snapped open after a few seconds of shuffling, and you quietly entered the dimly lit room. It felt strange to walk into her personal world, her room representing her in some kind of way.

A large bookcase filled with novels caught your attention from the start, a smile forming on your lips when you noticed the fairy lights that gave the room its quite cozy vibe. Lily was laying on her bed, face buried in her pillow as she stayed in silence, only sniffles coming from her.

“Lily-”

“I just don’t get it,” she sniffled, sitting up as she wiped a few tears from her cheeks. “I asked him, and he was okay with it,”

You felt shocked at how open she was, considering just how much she didn’t want anything to do with you, but sat down next to her. “What was he doing when you asked him?”

“He was on the phone,” she admitted after a beat, playing with her hands in her lap when you sighed, knowing that Sidney was never as concentrated as he usually was when he was on the phone with someone. “But I thought he had put the other person on hold, and that he was listening to me,”

“I know how you feel, Lily,” you admitted, smiling softly at her as you stood up and reached for her mascara sitting on her desk. “When I was your age, my dad was really protective of me, too,”

“He was a little pissed off when I asked him if I could go on a date,” you mumbled, lifting her chin up gently as you opened the small bottle. “But my mom made him change my mind, and I was able to go play bowling with the weird kid that sat behind me in Spanish class,”

Lily suppressed a giggle. “And how did it go?”

“It was really awkward. Never went on another date with him, after that,” you laughed, applying a light layer of makeup on her lashes carefully as she looked up at you. “And you’re ready to go,”

“What do you mean?”

“C’mon get up,” you smiled, holding out a hand to her as you stood up from your spot on the bed. “Your dad is allowing you to go,”

“What?!” The smile on her face was priceless when she processed your words. “Really?”

“At only one condition,” you lifted up a finger, jokingly mocking Sidney’s voice. “You can go, but only if we tag along,”

Lily giggled, nodding her head as she slipped her shoes back on, a smile on her lips as she did so. You were about to leave the room in silence to get ready yourself, but Elizabeth’s voice stopped you.

“Y/N?” She called for you, voice hesitant. Your eyes met, a frown forming on her lips as she tied her shoes. “I’m sorry, for everything,”

“It’s fine, Lily,” you whispered, sending her a reassuring smile.

“It’s not,” was all she said as she stood up. “I wasn’t ready to see my dad with someone else, and you came in, and you’re so perfect, and I don’t know why I acted that way,”

You wrapped your arms around her at her confession, her body reciprocating the hug in just a few seconds as comfortable silence filled the room. You had to hold back a tear as you pulled back, smiling down at her. “We’re fine, Lily,” you whispered. “Now, it’s better if we get going. Don’t wanna be late, do we?”

She smiled up at you, shaking her head before looking back inside her room, mumbling something about having to find her purse. As you made your way down the staircase, the sight of Sidney standing by the front door with a beaten-up look met your eyes, making you chuckle. “Is she okay?” Was all he asked, his hand finding yours when you stepped in front of him.

“More than okay, now that she gets to go on her date,” you whispered, leaning up to press a quick kiss to his lips.

“Are we ready?” Lily yelled from the stairs, a happy smile on her lips as she made her way down in a rush, throwing herself in her father’s arms quickly before opening the door.

“We are,” Sidney spoke, smiling at her silent way of thanking him as he followed her outside, dragging you along by the hand. The drive was filled with soft music from the radio and excited giggles coming from Lily, and by the time you reached the parlor, the teenager was more than ready to throw herself out of the car.

Sidney was about to follow her - probably to have some words with the guy - but you stopped him, a hand on his bicep as you made eye contact. He sighed, understanding what you meant with just a look of your eyes, sitting back in the driver’s seat.

“Have fun, Lily!” You cheered, sending her a smile as she shut her door, waving towards the two of you as she walked away.

The smile on your face didn’t leave as you took a look at Sidney, who was focusing on the rearview mirror a little too much, trying to see Lily and her date and what was happening.

“Oh, Sidney,” you laughed, slipping your hand in his to give his palm a squeeze. “Let them at least grab ice-cream, before you judge the guy,”

“Hey! I’m not judging anyone!” He scoffed, smiling your way when he saw the look of fondness on your face, your hands cupping his cheeks before you leaned in for a kiss.

“Sure, mister serious,”

-----

The sound of the Penguins’ game playing on Sidney’s TV was filling the living room quite loudly, your eyes following the movements on the screen as you mindlessly stuffed your mouth with popcorn.

It was a Thursday night that would have been perfect, if Sidney was home. He had been in Vancouver for two weeks, instead, so far away from you it almost hurt. You had grown so accustomed to his presence around the mansion, after moving in with him and Lily, that it physically hurt to see him leave, even if it was just for a few days.

The house always felt quite empty when it was missing his laughter, or his music that Lily couldn’t stand, or even his booming voice when he heatedly spoke on the phone. In some way, every single part of you was missing him. Sitting in front of the TV on your own often made you realize that: just how lost you felt without him, without his presence, or his support.

On the other hand, Lily was the ray of sunshine that made your days just a little better, when he wasn’t around. Maybe it was the bubbly personality that she had slowly shown you, or maybe the inside jokes you had grown to share.

Lily had opened up to you after the ice-cream date - and even when you had thought things between you and her still felt quite tense, the smile on her face when Sidney had told her you were going to move in was enough to make you think otherwise.

Sidney appeared on the screen for a quick second, but the sound of the front door snapping shut was what brought you out of your thoughts, a smile on your face when you realized Lily had finally come home.

“Hey, Lily!” You got no response from her, only hearing her shoes hitting the floor before she made her way towards the living room. “How was tutoring?”

“Good, until James decided to be a dick,” she sighed, flopping on the couch with her eyebrows furrowed.

“James as in your-almost-boyfriend? The one from the date?” You asked in shock, pushing popcorn in your mouth when Lily nodded her head. “No way,”

“I was doing maths with his little sister, and he had the great idea to interrupt us by coming in with his friends,” Lily started to explain, clearly pissed off at her peer. “They were screaming and it was so hard to hear the little girl talk,”

You shook your head in annoyance, handing her the bowl of popcorns as you focused for a second on the TV, checking the score. The Penguins were winning, but the Canucks weren’t ready to surrender.

“Eventually, they calmed down and went to the living room,” Lily continued. “But I heard them talk about some bet, and it didn’t take a while for it to click in my brain,”

“A bet?!”

“A bet, that’s all the date was!” she repeated, nodding her head at your shocked face as she let her arms fold over her chest. “I confronted him about it and he even tried to play nice and act as if he had been forced to do it!”

“No way,” you whispered, jaw slack as you watched her for any kind of reaction. “I’m so sorry, L,”

“It’s fine,” she huffed, stealing a handful of popcorns as she gave her phone a quick look. “It’s not like he was the best almost-boyfriend anyway,”

You giggled, pulling her closer as the two of you silently watched the game, your heart skipping a beat every time they showed a concentrated version of Sidney - hair perfectly styled and suit neatly ironed.

He seemed tense, eyebrows furrowed as he shared a few words with the team, or watched his players skate around the rink. His concentrated look was something you had fallen for, painting his face so many times on a daily basis you sometimes got worried his muscles got stuck.

Sidney Crosby was fascinating, to say the least.

“Don’t tell dad, though,” Lily whispered from your side, still thinking about what had happened with James. “He already didn’t want me to go on the date with him, if he had to know about this, he’d probably kill James,”

“I won’t, don’t worry,” you whispered back, carding a hand through her hair just as the Canucks scored, making the both of you groan out in unison.

“Oh no,” Lily sighed, giggling soon after. “He’s gonna talk about this goal for the next week, I’m so sure,”

“He is,” you agreed, holding back a chuckle as you stood up from the couch, heading towards the kitchen to grab more snacks for the two of you. “Ready for girls’ night?”

“We’re having girls’ night?” Lily asked, a smile on her face as she looked at you.

“It’s always girls’ night, when your dad’s not home,” you winked, coming back with enough chips and candy to keep you full for an entire weekend. She giggled at your words, shaking her head before heading upstairs to get changed.

As you got settled while waiting for her, you hoped to stay awake just enough to be able to see Sidney. He was supposed to be home early the next morning, and you were willing to stay up the entire night on your own if it meant you’d get to hug him as soon as he’d be back.

When Elizabeth came back down the stairs in her pajamas, she said the words that in some way, reminded you of Sidney. They left his mouth just so often, and you had connected the phrase to him.

“Are we ready?”

You smiled up at the teen, nodding your head as she sat down next to you, draping a blanket over her legs. “Ready,”

-

The sound of Lily’s bedroom door opening woke you up from your deep slumber, your eyes struggling to adapt to the still dark room as Sidney’s frame sat on the bed next to your half-asleep body.

Lily was still lightly snoring by your side, one of her arms holding the bag of chips she had been nursing before falling asleep, the other draped over your stomach. “Hi, baby,” Sidney whispered, carding a hand through your hair as you snuggled your head closer to his thigh.

“Hi,” you whispered back, breathing in his scent as you relished in his closeness. “I missed you,”

“I missed you two more,” he said, bending down to press a quick peck to the top of your head, soon moving towards Lily’s. He stayed in silence for a few moments, your sleepy eyes holding his as you relaxed. He was finally home.

“Let’s get you to bed, sweetheart,” he whispered after a beat, lifting you up in his arms effortlessly just as your eyes started to droop again. With your head against his chest, you sighed in content, letting one of your hands touch his warm skin as if to make sure he wasn’t just a dream.

By the time you were carefully let down onto the expensive - and way too soft - comforter, your eyes were still staring up at his. The covers were pulled over your body by Sidney, giving you just enough time to read the digits on the clock standing on his bedside table.

It was well past three in the morning, the moon still shining in the darkness of the night as you tried to keep yourself awake to enjoy a moment with the love of your life after the two weeks spent apart. He had turned his back to you, his opened button-up sitting on his shoulders as he took his wristwatch off, the sight leaving you speechless.

“You should close your eyes, my love,” he spoke, a gentle smile on his lips as he looked at your mirror reflection. “It’s late,”

“I need you close,” was all you whispered, biting on your lip when he finally undressed, joining your body underneath the warmth of the duvet. He pulled you in closer, his lips meeting yours in a gentle kiss as you tried to keep a few happy tears at bay, way too tired to contain your emotions.

“Sid,” you whispered as soon as you pulled away, catching his attention as he pressed a swift peck to your forehead. “I love you, so much,”

He smiled at you, biting on his lip as his hands rubbed your smaller back. “I love you more, Y/N,”

“I- I feel so empty when you leave,” you admitted, your fingers drawing shapes on his chest as you revealed the feelings you had been developing for months. “You’ve become the best part of me, and I don’t think I could ever be able to live a life without you,”

Sidney was silent as you talked, carding a hand through your hair as he listened to you, trying to impress your words in his mind. “I don’t want to spend my life with anybody else but you and Lily. Fuck, I don’t even know where I would be, if we hadn’t crossed paths.

“I know that maybe it’s too soon, and that it might not be the right time, but I just felt like telling you. You’re the one that I want, for the rest of my life, even when I’m old and ugly,”

Sidney suppressed a chuckle at your words, leaning his forehead against yours as you stopped for a second. “I don’t think you could ever become ugly, darling,” he admitted, his nose touching yours as you giggled softly.

“That’s not my point,” you jokingly slapped his chest, your eyes meeting his again as you formulated your next phrase in your head. “I’ll be waiting for you, Sid. I’ll be here when you’ll be ready,”

He stared at you with a smile as you finished your monologue, his heart beating so fast against your palm it almost got you scared. After splitting with Evelyn, he never thought he’d be ready. He hadn’t been ready to leave the house, the first few days after the divorce. He hadn’t been ready to love someone as much as he had loved Evelyn, until you came along.

It felt like old Sidney came back, when you became part of his life. He was happy, genuinely ready to love again, and you were the angel that made it happen, the reason why he felt ready, after all that time.

“I’m ready,” was everything he said, eyes staring deep into yours as he let his forehead touch yours, his words making your heart leap out of your chest. “I’m ready,”

Taglist: @thirstyybitch​ @bellaguarneri​ @boqvistsbabe​ @trashforbarzal​ @captaindaddies​ @keithseabrook27​ @heatherawoowoo​ @sidscrosbyy​

[jaedreaminn]

‘Anti Bully Buddy’

Summary

You weren't someone who would take shit from others and a were naturally protective of the ones you loved, but the world just didn't work out in your favour and you always became the bad guy.

Enter Tall, Handsome new guy with too much free time and a goody two shoes complex who's forced to stick by you.

Huh, maybe the world was working in your favour this time...

Pairings: Kun x fem!reader

Theme: Highschool, Bullying, Comical, humour, fluff.

Characters: Kun, Winwin, Ningning, Ten, oc «mentioned» Jisung.

Word Count: 3.7k

It wasn't an uncommon phenomenon for you to find your wrists bruised and, yourself slightly wounded sitting outside the principal's office. There were three other kids sitting opposite you and they were all three years below.

The principal walked out, looked at you and sighed “Bullying these kids again y/n?”

Your head hung low as anger started to boil inside you and you clenched your fists that were on your lap.

“Sorry ma'am” you forced out through gritted teeth.

Here's the thing those three kids belonged to very influential parents in the school so no matter what you said you were always the bad guy. The bully. But you didn't mind it. That reputation helped keep a lot of unwanted people in your life away.

The three boys sat in front of you with smirks and bruises on their faces. You didn't mind the title of bully, but you didn't like when the three devil incarnates always got away with what they did because it was YOU who was deemed bully.

“And that to kids who are your juniors?” The principal scoffed “This is happening way to often, and I don't like it” she said sternly, but you couldn't bother it was the same every time. She'll scold you a bit more and then give you some sort of creative punishment she worked up, and then you go home.

“Well we'll sign you up for the anti bully program I guess” the principal looked at you and sighed while you looked at her, confused.

One of the demons sitting opposite you spoke up asking her your doubt “Anti bullying? Isn't it supposed to help the victim not the bully?”

The principal smiled slightly at the boy “It's a newer approach where we assign someone to keep an eye on the bully, so they don't cause trouble. We could protect one victim, but the bully will just bully someone else” the principle smiled, and you frowned. That means your privacy will be taken away. Not that you do anything secretive, but you just aren't that fond of people.

You groaned and the principal glared at you “We already have volunteers” the principal said sternly her glare still on you “I'll check through whose schedule matches yours the most and tomorrow you're getting your anti bully buddy” the principal said sternly “Or how I like to call it A.B.B” the principal said the last part turning to the three boys giving them a quick smile.

“I'll see you in my office first thing tomorrow y/n” the principal said to you while flashing you a rather strict looking smile. You gave a slight nod and left.

It might be surprising to many how you could take on three boys at once. It had to do with your dad. He was a great fighter and told you that if there ever was a day he couldn't protect you, you should know how to fight. And so you learned, you went for karate classes and learned hand-to-hand combat. But it wasn't something you took very seriously, but then your mom died giving birth and everything went downhill. Your dad wasn't the same anymore, but he had to push through to raise your baby brother, but he was mostly drunk and spiraling while your aunt swooped in and handled the baby, and you were left alone. You needed an escape from that, so you spent more time at your dojo practicing and practicing and using it as a way to let your anger out. Because you knew you would crumble too if your brain didn't focus on something. But slowly everything got better, and you were starting to function normally as a family again. Your dad could smile again. But things changed again and your dad met someone. She made him happy, so you approved of her, so they got married. But they forgot you and your baby brother. Don't get them wrong they were good to both of you providing you with everything you needed and were never harsh or mean but to them, it was as if you weren't part of the family. It was easy for them to forget you. The person who you loved the most forgot you and moved on. And so you did to. You moved on and learned to live with it. And did the best for your brother too. He was the last memory of your happy family with mom and dad. And well know your only family that actually felt like family.

You were so lost in your own thoughts that you didn't realise when you reached class and when it ended. But all you knew was that it was lunchtime now.

“So another fight I see” Ten, one of your closest friends said with a smirk. “They deserved it” you grunted as you sat down next to him.

“I don't doubt that” Ten hummed out and just then two trays were slammed down onto the table in between you and ten. “So another fight and what is your punishment this time?” Ningning who slammed your and Ten's tray of food asked as she grabbed her own tray from Winwin who was behind her and sat down next to you. Winwin took the last seat available on the small circular table, between Ten and Ningning.

“How is jisung?” Winwin asked concerned.

“I got there in time, but he was hurt so he's resting in the infirmary right now” you said grimly.

You the looked at Ningning “Ohhh my punishment might just be the worst one yet because there is going to be someone who will FOLLOW me wherever I go in school to make sure I'm not causing trouble.” she gave a small chuckle at your irritation.

“Not that bad your lonely ass will make one more new friend” Ten said cheekily with an awfully cheeky grin on his stupid face. You punched him lightly and he dramatically fell back and threw his hand over his head and gasped “You wound me y/n” you just rolled your eyes and smiled and then naturally your group fell into conversation.

After you returned home from school and once diner was done (it was just you and jisung for diner) you lay on bed smiling. The day wasn't that bad except for the incident in the morning. You then frowned remembering what was to happen tomorrow.

Tomorrow came in a blink of an eye, and you were now seated in the principal's office next to this...guy. He had blond hair that extended below his eyes, but his eyes weren't covered because his hair was neatly parted showing his dark chocolate brown eyes. He had given you a smile when you entered, and you also saw that he had dimples. The cutest dimples that you had ever seen. But in all fairness you hadn't seen that many dimples because you didn't know that many people- you've mainly just seen pictures of people with dimples. But still his were cuter than the pictures.

“So this is your A.B.B” the principal said pointing at the boy beside you and he gave a small smile, you noticed him slightly cringe at the name.

Your principal started to speak cheerily “His name is Kun! But then her cheer fades and she said darkly "If you attack him too you're getting expelled”

You turned towards Kun and forced a smile. Kun smiled at you, again. He genuinely smiled and his teeth might have actually sparkled by how bright the smile was.

“Now off to class you two have the same schedule except for one class at the end of the week” the principal said and got to the work that was on her desk as you and Kun left.

Your smile dropped, and you turned to Kun “Look” you started, and he looked at you expectantly “You don't have to take this seriously cus I'm not really a bully per se so just mind your own business, and I'll mind mine”

Kun frowned “That's not going to help you get away with it and plus it's my job to stick by you whether you like it or not. I cannot have you bully people. It's sad that you find the need to pick on people and I hope to help you stop”.

You narrowed your eyes “I don't pick on people. You don't even know me”.

Kun sighed “I was already filled in on how you bully the kids from a younger class by the principle. I know your probably going through those teenage angst phases and that's okay I'll help you through it” Kun said not noticing the change in mood and how you were about to snap. “And maybe that is because you don't get along with your brother but beating him and his friends up and sending him to the infirmary isn't goo-” “What would you know” you interrupted him in a low hiss.

“YOU” you yelled stabbing his chest with your finger “DON'T KNOW 𝑨𝑵𝒀𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮” you yelled emphasizing the anything as you continued stabbing him in his chest with your finger and then stormed off to your first class.

Kun stood there dumbfounded for a second but then immediately snapped out of his dazed state and realized that you had already left and began to run after you to your shared first class.

The entire day consisted of kun following you around and trying to start conversation with you and you trying to ditch him and ignoring him.

Lunch came and he followed you then too. You turned to him annoyed, but he smiled “Aren't you going to have lunch?” You asked clearly mad “Of course I'm going to have lunch” he said with his seemingly constant smile but didn't move.

“So why are you still here?”

“Like it or not” he said in a sing-song tone “I'm going to be having lunch with you”

“Ugh” you rolled your eyes and stomped towards the cafeteria. You soon saw Ten and Ningning already at the table conversing with each other.

You approached the table with Kun on your tail and Ningning and Ten looked at you confused but only for a few short seconds, soon Ten's eyes lit up knowingly “Oh A.B.B!” Ten exclaimed pointing at Kun who just awkwardly smiled.

“You can call me Kun" Kun smiled.

“But I like A.B.B.” Ten frowned.

“And I prefer Kun” Kun said a bit sternly.

“Kun works too I guess” Ten sighed.

You rolled your eyes at the exchange and sat down. A tray of food was already placed on the table for you and winwin, but you couldn't see your Jisungs tray.

“Where's…”

“Oh ji took his tray and is sitting with his friends in the garden” Ningning said noticing you look for him.

“Kun if I knew you'd be joining us we would have got a tray for you too” Ningning smiled at him apologetically.

“Oh it's alright I'll get my own tray and sorry for just imposing in on you guys but I have to follow y/n around.” he apologized and left to get his tray.

Ningning smiled “He's sweet”

“Not when he's following you around 24/7” you groaned and Ten snickered. Just then Winwin arrived and sat down.

“What misery of y/n's are we laughing at today” Winwin asked, and you glared at him. Ningning just smiled but Ten spoke “oh her A.B.B is here and is going to be following her around throughout the day” Ten snickered.

“Ohh that's nice less trouble for our tiny bully” Winwin said patting your head, and you sneered at him.

“I'm not that short, and I can take you so don't test me”

Winwins eyes widened at the very real threat for a second before he flashed one of his adorable smiles, and you could no longer be mad at him. That's the thing. Everyone loved Winwin. And that's why the brat got away with everything he did.

“Sicheng?” someone called from behind you and everyone turned to see Kun standing there with his tray shocked.

“Kun ge?” Winwin asked his eyes scrunching in confusion before the widened, and he was smiling again.

“Kun ge! What are you doing here” Winwin said immediately getting up and hugging Kun.

“I just transferred to this school three days ago” Kun said one hand wrapped around Winwin and the other holding his tray.

“That's why I haven't seen you before” Ningning muttered under her breath but you and Ten heard it too.

“Oh, and I'm y/n's anti bully buddy to so” Kin said laughing nervously.

“Wait really” Winwin jumped up in happiness and turned towards you “Kun ge was from my old school, and he helped me a lot there” Winwin said beaming at your group. Winwinw was the latest addition to your friend group around two years ago.

Ten had made friends with him first and you and Ningning easily grew fond of him too.

“Yes sicheng and I were really close-”

“Sicheng? Who's that?” Ten asked and you, Winwin and Ningning gave him a deadpanned look.

“Umm Ten.. Winwin's real name?” Ningning said and Ten's jaw dropped and Winwin scoffed in disbelief and threw Ningning's banana at him earning a smal protest from her and a whine from Ten who was hit in the face.

“As Kun ge was saying we were close, but I lost contact when I changed my phone number.” Winwin changed the subject still glaring at Ten while taking a seat, Kun sat next to him. And soon enough your group fell into easy conversation with Kun.

You even decided to finally talk to him and Kun stopped to smile at you in shock, but continued the conversation immediately.

For the first time that day Kun was not unbearable. He was actually really cool guy and talking to him was so easy. You two then talked about everything and anything and suddenly you didn't hate him any more, couldn't hate him any more. You had a class after lunch and then a free period where you continued to talk. You even decided to take him to your favourite spot in the school: the garden.

“Y/n” he suddenly called out and you just hummed in response while continuing walking towards the garden.

“I-” he stared “I had my assumptions about you but their not true and your actually really nice and have friends who are a good influence for you too” Kun said but stopped. You stopped walking and looked at Kun, he wanted to ask you something but was waiting for your permission “go on” you said as you resumed walking.

“How come you're categorized as a bully by the principal and are always in trouble” he finally asked after a long pause.

“Because she doesn't know the truth” you sighed and muttered softly.

“What?” Kun asked not having heard you properly you were going to tell him when you heard a small bang coming from one of the inner school corridors.

You and Kun looked at each other wide-eyed and both ran towards the sound. What you saw made your blood boil.

In front of you were the three boys that you beat up barely two days ago and on the floor agains the lockers was Jisung clutching his stomach. “Yah!” You screamed and that seemed to get their attention.

Kun who was looking at the scene unfolding wide-eyed had now come to his sense but Instead of his usually gental and calm eyes his eyes were in fierce glaring slits.

“Didn't I just teach you three a lesson yesterday” you snarled.

“Yes, and now we're teaching him a lesson. He was being pathetic and showing off in class” one of the three morons you were going to beat up spoke.

You began to charge in their direction only to be held back by a firm grip on your hand.

Kun shook his head, but you didn't care they deserved it, and you shoves his hands off you but he had other plans holding onto you tighter than before.

“Wait” he said struggling to hold you back but failing as you escaped out of his grip again, not that that was really hard to do with your training and skill, but you still waited, impatience clear on your face.

“Let me handle it” Kun said and you thought for a second about it. If anything went wrong you could still take all three of them, so you stood aside your guard up. In all honesty you wouldn't mind a different way to deal with those devils.

“So it's because he” Kun pointed at your brothers figure on the floor “is showing off? How?”

“He's getting all the answers right but refusing to help us.” One of them complained.

“Stuck up. That's what he is” the other added.

“And your solution was...?” Kun asked raising an eyebrow.

“Knock some sense into him” the third one smirked.

“So physically knock some sense into him? As in attack him... physically?” Kun asked the boys, and you were starting to get frustrated you were about to take a step ahead, but Kun held his hand out in front of you stopping you.

“Yes. You got a problem with that ha? What are you gonna do about it beat us up to?” They laughed.

“Oh yes I got a problem, but I won't beat you up. Instead,” Kun pulled his phone that out of his pocket and that's when you realised that he had been recording everything. You didn't know when he started recording or when he carefully placed the phone in his pocket with the back camera facing the boys. All you knew is that this time you got them. You couldn't before because of your school's crapy camera placement a.k.a. it being placed in only a few corridors that were close to important rooms where things could be stolen from and even those cameras were ancient.

“Instead I'll show this to the principle. And life will get easier” Kun said with a smirk on his face. It was kinda attractive but now was not the time to think about it.

Before you could register what was happening one of the boys lurched forward and tried to grab the phone but Kun simply stepped aside, and he went tripping ahead. The other two soon followed, but you had enough time to react and block them.

“So that's what..." Kun muttered still holding his phone in his hand watching you block but not attack the three. Suddenly it made sense to him, after all those conversations he realised you were very close to your brother, and he knew these three boys were also slightly influential in school. Good thing he was more influential than them Kun smirked to himself and made a run for it. He ran towards the principal's office and showed her everything.

What happened next, happened really quickly, the boys and their parents being called, acknowledgement of their bullying and your innocence, because you still used voilence, you were give a lighter and fairer punishment. All three of the boys, to their dismay had an A.B.B now, and you couldn't be happier. Oh and they also got suspended.

“Thank you” you said to Kun, and he smiled.

“Was glad I could help” his gaze then shifted to the floor “I guess I don't need to follow you any more” he said with a soft but dry chuckle.

“Yea…” you trailed off “but you could still join us?” You asked hopefully and Kun's eyes seemed to light up. “I'd like that” he smiled.

“Oh and you have to let me thank you properly” you beamed at Kun.

“You really don't need to”

“But I want to! So tell me how?”

Kun hummed in thought “Give me sometime to think about it, and I'll tell you later” he smiled and patted your head as both of you continued to make your way to class.

Time passed and things got better. You and Kun got closer than ever. You always hung out with him, either in a group or one on one. Furthermore, you found it easy and relaxing to be in his presence.

Maybe along the way you started liking his presence way more than you used to and felt for him in a more than Platonic way. But you kept it in- you aren't going to mistake his kindness for anything else.

One day when the both of you were walking to your house after you friend group parted ways after spending the entire morning and lunch together, with ice cream cones in each of your hands you remembered and asked “I never did get to repay you for how you helped tell me how can I return your favour”

“You know you don't really have to?” Kun smiled at you and immediately you felt your face go warm.

“But you know I want to”

Kun stopped in his tracks and pretend to think, you rolled your eyes at his acting but smiled nonetheless.

He then smiled and bent down leaning in, he was so close that you could see every detail on his face, even the little scar on the right side of his face “How about you take me out?” your breath hitched.

If your face felt warm earlier it was hot now. “O-out? Where do you want to go?” You bit your lip nervously as you kept reciting to your self in your head 'it isn't what you think it is. It isn't what you think it is.'

“I don't know depends on you really” Kun shrugged and then smiled again (it was as if he was trying to kill you with the number of time he gave that smile that caused you to stop breathing) “Which are your favourite dating hotspots?” and whatever defence you built up against him came crumbling down, and your jaw dropped, and you just stood there staring at him.

For a long while- like really long while because now his features fell “I mean y-you don't have to go on a date with me if you don't want to you know...” He trailed off taking a step away.

“YES! YES I'D LOVE TO GO OUT WITH YOU” you yelled and then your eyes widened, and you settled down into a more relaxed position and cleared your throat “yea sure I don't mind” you said making your voice lower and puting on a facade that Kun saw right through (obviously) because he was smiling, and you couldn't help it you smiled too.

“So Saturday's at four?” Kun asked smile still visible, but he was really nervous and you didn't need to know that.

“Yes” you said giving him a big smile.

A/n: To the people that made it to the end....I'm sorry you read that. This is my least favorite fic among all my stuff and I honestly just posted it because I wrote this for a friend who I care for too much to have her idea hidden in my drafts forever. Well more of a demon child but yea she specifically asked for this and my conscience can't keep this hidden.

[cupofsquirrelfan]

Speechless

Non-magical AU in which our favorite kiddos get ready for prom! This is a song fic, set to "Speechless" by Dan & Shay. You can listen to the song if you want to enhance the experience, but you don't have to!

Enjoy!

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

As Harry rang the doorbell of the large house, he felt his heart beating ten million miles a minute. His palms were sweaty, just like they always were before seeing Draco, so he rubbed them on the sides of his pants. He couldn’t help but look down at his maroon tie and fuss to fix it for the thousandth time. Or run a nervous hand through his hair, as if to gel it down even more than he had tried to. Despite his efforts, it was still the unruly mess that it normally was, now shinier with product. He stood on the front porch of the house, waiting, praying, for someone to answer it, so he could get this over with.

You say you’ll be down in five, the smell of your perfume is floating down the stairs, you’re fixing up your hair, like you do.

The door was opened by Draco’s mother. She smiled sweetly at Harry before motioning him to come in. She closed the door behind him as he walked towards the bottom of the stairs. Harry turned and saw Lucius standing in the door frame leading to the kitchen. Both men gave a quick nod.

“Draco, sweetie, Harry’s here!” Narcissa called up the stairs to her son. She turned to Harry and gave him another smile that made him feel a little less nervous. “He’s just finishing up getting ready, dear. Would you like a drink or anything while you wait?”

“No, thank you, Mrs. Malfoy.” He said politely, resisting the urge to rub his palms on his trousers again.

“Please, Harry, I’ve told you before, call me Narcissa.” She said, sternly yet with kindness in her voice.

I know that I’ll be a mess the second that I see you. You won’t be surprised, this happens every time, it’s nothing new.

Harry glanced around the room, looking around at the couches and furnishings, as if he hadn’t been to Draco’s house a million times before. His nervousness began to settle in again, making his palms even more clammy and making him want to reach for his tie once more. He settled on rubbing his hands together, feeling over the curves of his knuckles meticulously. He didn’t even know why he felt nervous! He and Draco had hung out plenty of times, why should this be any different?

It’s always on a night like tonight I thank God you can read my mind, ‘cus when you look at me with those eyes…

Suddenly, Harry could hear footsteps coming from upstairs. He looked up at the stairwell with anticipation, his heart beating as fast as ever. As Draco descended the staircase, he felt his breath hitch, and his eyes went wide. His lips curved up in a huge smile.

I’m speechless!

Draco reached the second to last step and stopped, looking down at Harry at the bottom. Harry couldn’t help but stare at the blond, looking up and down at the gorgeous maroon suit that he was wearing. It fit him so nicely, snugly hugging Draco’s hips and hanging so nicely on his legs. His jacket looked absolutely incredible. Draco’s bright hair fell in waves by his ears, stopping at his shoulders, and the front parts were braided and pulled back. Harry felt his heart rate pick up even more than it previously was, and he could only think of one word: gorgeous.

Staring at you standing there in that dress, what you’re doing to me ‘ain’t a secret, and watching you is all that I can do…

“Wow,” Harry said finally as Draco stepped in front of him at the bottom of the stairs.

“Wow yourself.” Draco said with a chuckle. He smiled at Harry and didn’t stop. Harry looked up into Draco’s grey eyes, immediately melting into the silver pools. He felt like he was about to faint.

“You look bloody gorgeous, Draco.” Harry felt his breath hitch once more as he allowed his eyes to travel the other boy’s body, returning them to the eyes that could cause him to commit crimes.

I’m speechless! You already know that you’re my weakness, and after all this time I’m just as nervous. Every time you walk into the room…

“I’m speechless.” Harry said with a final breath.

“You don’t look so bad yourself, Potter. Now, let's go out back, Pansy and Blaise will be here soon for pictures, as will Ron and Hermione, I’m imagining. Oh, and Luna, Ginny, Neville, and Hannah, right?” Harry nodded as Draco looked at him. “Mum, Dad, you have the cameras?” Draco looked past Harry and gazed towards his parents, who were looking at the two boys with complete adoration and love. Narcissa gave a quick wave with the camera in her hand.

“Draco, I want to get a picture of just the two of you! Smile at the camera!” Draco turned his body towards Narcissa, as did Harry. Harry thought he should’ve been dead by now, seeing as he forgot how to breathe entirely when Draco wrapped his arm around his waist. He slowly snaked his own arm around the other boy’s waist and tried to smile wide, hiding his immense nervousness. Narcissa clicked the camera a few times, beaming at the two of them. Lucius stood behind her a bit, looking at the two on the steps, and also smiling a little.

“Okay, Draco sweetie, step up a few stairs, and Harry, look at Draco like you’re seeing him for the first time!”

“Seriously, mum?” Draco asked, raising an eyebrow but still holding a smile, but when Narcissa held up the camera with an aggressive shake, he sighed and stepped up backwards.

Just as Harry was about to turn and ogle at his boyfriend, the doorbell rang and startled all of them. Lucius took a step back and opened the door, revealing Ron and Hermione, hand in hand. Hermione wore a gorgeous blue gown, filled with beautiful ruffles and a small train. Ron’s vest and bow tie matched the color of her dress perfectly. Behind them, Harry could see Ginny and Luna walking up together, Ginny wearing a gorgeous red strapless gown and Luna wearing a black dress with a halter top, covered in glittering sequins all over the top. Ginny’s hair was pulled up into a ponytail, which was curled at the end. Luna’s hair was down and straightened, with a red flower tucked behind her ear. Another car pulled up to the front of the house as the four others entered the house. Pansy and Blaise poured out of the back seats, wearing matching green outfits. Pansy’s strapless gown and Blaise’s dark emerald suit matched perfectly.

Draco stepped back down off the stairs, smiling at their friends. “You all look amazing! We’re gonna take pictures in the backyard, come on!” Draco grabbed Harry’s hand, causing Harry to jump and start feeling his heart betray him once more. Even the simplest touch made him incredibly nervous and eager.

Once in the backyard, Narcissa lined up the teens in front of the hedge in the back. The hedge was rightfully decorated with twinkling lights and beautiful white flowers. Narcissa masterfully snapped shots of each of the couples and the group as a whole, then even more group photos when Neville and Hannah stumbled into the backyard a few minutes late. Neville wore a black suit with a yellow vest, matching perfectly with Hannah’s flowing yellow gown. The straps hung off her shoulders beautifully, and her golden hair was in a half ponytail, with the ends of her curled hair falling in front of her shoulders. The ten of them posed for what felt like eternity, before Narcissa deemed that she had enough photos. For now.

Lucius emerged from inside the house with a few adults following behind. Harry’s dads came first, hand in hand. Remus was dressed for the occasion, as he was a chaperone to the prom as a teacher. Sirius wore his favorite leather jacket and a pair of black skinny jeans, and beamed at his husband with loving eyes. Following behind them were multiple sets of parents; Molly and Arthur, Alice and Frank, Blaise’s mom, Hannah’s mom, and Pansy’s mom. They all folded into the backyard and beamed at their kids. Each of the parents started pulling out their phones, taking their own pictures that would ultimately end up on Facebook before they all got to the venue. The parents all gathered together and reflected: How did they get so old, that their kids were all already seventeen and going to prom?

Harry smiled at his dads, walking over to greet them. Sirius held out a hand to Harry, holding a small box that held the boutonniere that he was to put on his boyfriend. He grabbed it and turned around to find Draco already walking over to him, with a similar box in his own hands.

Harry smiled up at the blond, admiring him, searching his face as if it held the answer to every problem Harry had ever experienced. And to him, Draco really did hold all the answers. Once again, he forgot how to breathe when he saw Draco smile back at him.

Draco opened his box and carefully pulled out the flower. It was a bright red rose, decorated with white flowering and gorgeous leaves. Harry stared at it with excitement. He felt his breath once again stop short when Draco reached forward to put it in place. With a large smile on his face, he reached into his own box and pulled out a white lily with tiny red flowers and leaves surrounding it. He put it in place on Draco’s suit and let his hand linger, moving towards Draco’s face, cupping his cheek. Draco leaned into the touch.

“You look beautiful, baby.” Harry whispered, as if everyone in the backyard wasn’t already staring at them in adoration. Harry paid them no attention, not even Narcissa, who was snapping photos like it was her job. Well, it was her job. Regardless, he only focused on Draco, on his beautiful, encapsulating eyes. On his pink lips, which he so desperately craved to feel on his own.

“You look beautiful too, Harry.” Draco whispered back. Harry felt himself being pulled carefully into Draco’s arms, and he allowed himself to wrap his arms around Draco’s torso and leaned his head on the other boy’s shoulder. He felt Draco lean on his shoulder and place a sweet kiss on it. Harry could’ve stayed like this for hours, if it wasn’t for Pansy loudly interrupting.

“Yes, yes, young love is very sweet and beautiful, but we have a limo to ride in, can we wrap it up?” Harry heard Draco chuckle before pulling away, and it sounded like pure melody to his ears.

“Yeah, shut up, Pans, you’re just jealous. You’re the one going to prom with a gay guy.” Harry saw Draco smirk and he felt his lips also pull upwards.

“Have you forgotten that I am also gay, dipshit?” Pansy scoffed, rolling her eyes before turning away from them and towards Blaise. She grabbed his hand and started pulling him towards the gate on the opposite side of the yard. Ginny, Luna, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Hannah all followed them. Draco grabbed Harry’s hand and started to pull them towards the gate, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. They both stopped and turned to see Sirius’ arm outstretched.

“I’ll meet you out front, love.” Draco said to Harry, letting go of his hand and walking out the gate with the others. Harry turned his full attention to his dad.

“Moony, when did we get old enough to have a son going to prom?” Sirius asked, looking to Remus for insight. Remus just shrugged and laughed. He gave Sirius’ hand a slight squeeze before turning towards the house and walking inside to reconvene with the other parents, closing the sliding door behind him. Sirius turned towards Harry with a big, toothy grin.

“Have so much fun tonight, Pup. This will be one of the best nights of your life, make the most of it.” Harry felt himself being pulled into his father’s arms, and sunk into the feeling. Sirius’ hugs always felt like coming home. He smiled as he separated from the embrace. They both smiled at each other with a silent acknowledgement, before Harry turned and left the backyard through the gate, like the others.

Everyone was already piled into the limousine when Harry approached it. The door was still open, waiting for him. With a smile, he climbed in and sat in the seat closest to the door, right next to the blond that could make him so happy and so incredibly nervous at the same time. As he sat, Draco grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. They shared a brief look between each other before looking up at the sound of one of their friends’ voices. It was Blaise’s cool, calm speech. “So, are you guys ready to have the night of our lives?”

Everyone smiled, looking around at each other and chattering away about the songs they hoped would be played, or the food selection, or complimenting each others’ outfits. Harry found himself staring at Draco once more, admiring him.

Watching you is all that I can do, I’m speechless!

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Thank you so much for reading this!! I had so much fun writing it! I may write a sequel in which they have an after party, but that's only a maybe. Hope you enjoyed!

A big shoutout to @dreamingamongthestars for reading this fic and always encouraging me no matter how annoying I am!! Lots of love to you always.

[otonymous]

A Bolt From The Blue (MLQC Shaw - NSFW) - Part III: Near & Far

Description: Promising beginnings and a premature end throw you into a tailspin Warnings: NSFW/18+: Explicit/graphic language & mature themes — reader discretion is advised.  Potential trigger warnings: depictions of mild PTSD symptoms, mentions of death of a close family member, disappearances, “breakups,” angst, profanity Word Count: 1882 words (~9 mins of falling in love and wallowing in angst 😱😂) Author’s Notes: If you’re still following this story, please accept a giant (virtual) hug from me to you!  Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and this piece of work! 💖 Without further ado, I present to you part 3 of my slow-burn Shaw fic, written for the lovely @op-peccatori​ as part of my follower milestone celebration.

As always, dear reader, please note the potential trigger warnings listed above, and happy reading! 😊

Jump to Chapter(s): One | Two | Four

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“You can relax, you know.  I won’t try anything funny while you sleep, not my style.  Besides, isn’t this much better than camping out on the floor?”

Nodding your head before you realize that Shaw probably couldn’t see you in the dark, your “Yes” comes out in a mewl so pathetic you wished you could immediately take it back.

His snicker shakes the bed, reverberating across squeaky springs to where you lay beside him, right at the edge of the twin mattress as you tried not to let your hands touch.

No matter how much you wished for them to.

Beyond the window, a neon signboard paints electric shadows on your walls in splashes of pink, flashing in time to a rhythm Shaw tapped out with one foot beneath the covers.

“Is it cool if…if we didn’t draw the blinds tonight?  I can’t sleep in complete darkness.” He had asked you earlier that evening, towelling off his hair as he emerged from your bathroom wearing a shirt your ex had left behind along with your broken heart a year and a half ago.

Snoopy looked much better riding his skateboard across Shaw’s broad chest anyways.

And there, in the midst of an awkward arrangement where sleep would surely prove fleeting, the sounds of the night: the low hum of the refrigerator, the pawn shop’s sign buzzing just on the other side of the windowpane…the tick-tock of the clock on the wall, steady like Shaw’s breath beside you as it counts down precious time—

“I’ll be out of your hair first thing tomorrow morning.”  

Ba-bump.

“No, there’s…there’s no rush.  Honestly.”

“Can you really afford to miss more work because of me?”

Silence.  You couldn’t refute the truth.

“Tell you what, in exchange for putting up with me, you can ask me anything you want.  I’ve seen the way you look at me sometimes; surely you must be curious about some things.  Might as well find out before I go.”

Your stomach knotted, clenching tight.  He was right.  For all you know, it was now or never.  “Why did you join?  The triad, that is.”

He is silent for a moment, as if trying to find the right words to piece together.

“I’m looking for my brother.”

Out of all possible answers, this wasn’t one you were expecting.  Turning onto your side, you study the handsome profile of his face — watching as pink mixed with lavender in the most ethereal way until you were overcome with the sense that in this vast ocean of life, you and him stood on very different shores.  Eyes still fixed on your ceiling, Shaw continues.

“He was an undercover cop, working to infiltrate the ranks of the group I’m currently a part of.  I only found out by accident, and he made me swear up and down not to breathe a word of it to mom.  Then one day…he was gone.  Just...disappeared off the face of the earth.  Mom and I went down to the station every day for months, knew the names and faces of everyone who worked in that building, but it was like Gavin never even existed.

“It was too much for her.  I came home late from school one day — found her on the floor, barely breathing.  It was dark in the apartment…so dark.  She had probably just drawn the curtains.  By the time the paramedics arrived, she was already gone.  Heart attack, they said.  

“I lie awake at night sometimes, wonder how I’m going to tell him that mom’s no longer here — go through the motions in my head, rehearsing every line.  ‘Cus I know that sooner or later, that day will come.  There’s no way he’s dead.  I know my brother.”

A glimmer at the corner of his eye catches yours.  Beneath the covers, your fingers inch towards his, finding courage in the darkness to brush against his pinky as if the sliver of warmth could express what words simply couldn’t convey.

“With mom gone, there was nothing to lose.  I joined the group, worked hard…did what they needed me to do to gain their trust, all while collecting scraps of info here and there — whatever I could get my hands on in the hopes that it’ll lead me to Gav.”

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.

Tiny drops of rain speckle your windowpane.  And when Shaw’s finger hooks around yours as if in a solemn pinky swear, the tears burning your eyes finally fall.  You don’t ask him how many years it’s been, the dirty deeds he’s had to sully his hands with.  You don’t question him about the father he doesn’t mention.  All you can do is watch as a solitary drop rolls down the side of his face before soaking into lavender strands fanned out on the pillow, the way his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows back bitterness only he knew.

In spite of it all, he is the one who chuckles when he turns towards you, eyes red rimmed even as his brows rise in feigned exasperation when he says, “Why are you crying?!  I’m the one with the tragic past here!”

And when you start to cry even harder, his soft hushes of “Shh, shh…I’m sorry, that last part was a joke.  It’s all right, everything will be okay, I promise,” burrows deep into your heart and you believe him.

Because when he reaches towards you — the thumb wiping the tears from your eyes calloused yet gentle — you are struck by a sense of overwhelming tenderness:

In the carefulness of his touch.

In the way he regards you with the sincerity of some unspoken emotion.

In the entirety of this man whom the rest of the world has already written off.

And that is when you know…

“I didn’t mean to make you cry by telling you all this, I’m sorry.”

…that you are in love with him.

“I’ll make it up to you.  Ask me another question.  Maybe something less depressing this time.”  

A smile spreads across his face.  You wished there was a way for you to keep the warmth of his hand on your cheek forever.  Sniffling, you try again.

“Wh-why did you keep coming in to my store everyday?  There’s a lot of other convenience stores in the area—”

A flash of panic in those amber eyes, and Shaw is turning over with lightning speed until all you can see is the smooth expanse of his back.

“Changed my mind.  A guy’s gotta keep some secrets!  Goodnight!”

“You’re a good girl, aren’t you?”

Wrap your arms around the pillow.

“Good girls shouldn’t concern themselves with bad boys.”

Bury your face into its cushiony fill.

“Or have you forgotten that I’m wanted by the police?”

And inhale deeply.

Shaw’s scent on your sheets is faint now, so much so that you can’t be entirely sure you’re not imagining it, having gone through this ritual countless times since the day Shaw left your apartment…

…and stepped out of your life.

                   *                                         *                                          *

“Is there…any way I could stay in touch with you?  I-I just…just want to make sure you’re okay…”

Voice trailing off, you watch as Shaw gingerly shrugs one arm then another through the sleeves of his leather jacket, still wearing the Snoopy t-shirt he had slept in the night before after you told him he could keep it.  His own was torn beyond repair, stubbornly dyed in blood regardless of how much you scrubbed at it.  And when he hesitated still, you said he would just be doing you the favour of taking out the trash.  

Smoothing down the front of his jacket, Shaw glances at the phone in your hands — eyes tracing along your eager fingers, poised to type.  The expression on his face is unreadable, as if the man you had spent the night sharing secrets with was nothing more than a figment of your imagination.

“It’s better if we don’t.  I’ll be fine, just laying low for the next while — boss’s orders.  And I don’t want the cops coming around to your place again.  Detective Whatshisname looks like he could be really good at hounding pretty girls like you.”

That smirk again, so familiar to you by now.  And in the compliment that would’ve made you blush bright red before, nothing but a smokescreen.

“Shaw, I don’t mind—”

“You’re a good girl, aren’t you?" The force in his voice cuts, and you barely breathe to feel his finger curl beneath your chin, tilting up your face until you have no choice but to meet his gaze.  Those eyes are dull, like molten gold frozen beneath a layer of impenetrable ice.  “Good girls shouldn’t concern themselves with bad boys.  Or have you forgotten that I’m wanted by the police?”

The shiver that runs electric down your spine makes the hairs on your skin stand on end.  It was like looking at a stranger.  Heart racing, your palms grow clammy with sweat, unsure of exactly when your phone had dropped from your hands, slipping away like…

“I don’t care about the cops!  I’ll deal with them—”

“DEAL WITH WHAT?!  You think that just because you managed to turn them away at the door that it makes you a hardened criminal?!  WE are not the same, okay?  My life is worthless.  I’ve already signed it away a long time ago, I’m ready to give it up without a second thought.  But you…you’re different. Y-you’re kind, innocent.  You’ve got your whole life ahead of you.  One day, you’ll make someone the luckiest person in the world, be a beautiful mother to beautiful children.  Don’t sell yourself short…not for someone like me.”

The silence that descends is thick, suffocating.  You don’t speak, afraid to open your mouth because it takes all your concentration just to keep the tears from spilling from your eyes.

Finally letting go of your chin, Shaw reaches behind his neck to undo the clasp on the thin gold chain he wore, the jade disc pendant that hung from it still warm from the heat of his skin when he places it in the palm of your hand.

“It’s not much, but it was a gift from my mom and the most valuable thing I own.  You saved my life, so it’s yours now.  Maybe…maybe one day, you can give it to your own child.”

Lump in your throat, you can barely breathe, let alone tell him there was no way you could accept something that precious, something that priceless.  That you didn’t drag him home that night, broken and bleeding, in the hopes of gain; not for money, not for love.

He curls your fingers around the heirloom, gentle thumb pressing on index, middle, ring then pinky in turn before your fist finds itself held tightly within the press of his much larger hand for one…two…three seconds…

…before those purple Chuck Taylors take him to your door…

Slam.

…and just like that, the man with the lavender hair is gone.

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Forgive me for trolling, but there really was only one bed LOL!  Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter, and please stay tuned for what may be the final instalment in this Shaw saga! - XOXO

Jump to Chapter(s): One | Two | Four

Thanks so much for reading! 💕 Check out more of my work here! 📚(Please do not repost/copy/alter my work.  Reblogs, on the other hand, are a-ok and much appreciated! 👍🏼💖)

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

The Best Things ~ J.V. (Part 10)

A/n: What, thought I was done with this series. HA NO!! I still have a playlist for this shit and it fuels me. Just, slowly.

Word Count: 5000+

PLAYLIST

Masterlist

"Parents will never admit to this, but they always have a favorite." Jerome looked at Jeremiah as he lounged on his chair. "Right, brother?" Harley felt eyes on him so he looked over, only to look directly in Bruce's eyes. There was something there that spoke to Harley what both boys knew- this wasn't about Bruce. The younger boy seemed to be trying to reason or apologize without words, but Harley just looked away. It was far too late for that bullshit. "The one who cleans their room. Does their homework." Every word was a twist of a knife Harley didn't realize was buried in his chest. He was maybe the one who understood Jerome the most. Maybe that's why they'd gotten this far with each other. "Who doesn't try to kill everybody." Harley smiled. "Little Mr. Perfect here? Yeah. He was that guy. He was adopted by rich folks. Went to the top schools, then a top college." Harley suddenly felt angry. Angry at Jerome's family. At everyone in Jerome's past, in fact. Especially at Jeremiah Valeska. And you know what... at Bruce Wayne too. "Meanwhile, I got dragged through the circus by my depressed, alcoholic mother. Forced to clean up elephant dung every day."

"Who cares?" Someone in the crowd shouted. People began to speak up in agreement.

Harley stepped forward. "Don't interrupt the man!" He hefted his bat and the crowd suddenly went silent.

Jerome looked pleased, but his smile died quickly as he returned to his little rant. Harley moved behind him, running his free hand through Jerome's hair every once in a while. "Do you know how big those things are?" He was completely calm, but in a sort of empty way as his eyes searched out people in the crowd. Harley recognized the plea. For understanding. For pity. For anything. Someone to get him and not judge him and tell him that he was right to be doing what he was doing. Everyone's disapproval didn't stop him, but he yearned for someone to love him and it was so very clear to Harley now more than ever that it upset him. Why were people always so cruel? "But I know something mommy and daddy," Jerome continued. "They never knew. You’re as crazy as I am." Jerome dropped the mic, standing. "It's in your DNA." He turned to Jeremiah, Harley right next to him, still brandishing his bat as he watched Jerome's back. "See, we got the same blood running through us. We are practically identical. You are a killer." He had a knife and he moved close to Jeremiah, obviously trying to put him on edge. "It's in your nature. Stop trying to fight it." He cut Jeremiah's ties and there was a pause. "Take your best shot."

"What?" Harley demanded, turning around. He found his body stiff with panic. Hard to move and respond with. Jeremiah was holding the knife Jerome had been a few seconds before. He went to step forward to stop this, but Jerome held up a hand. Harley looked at Jerome with rage. "Jerome-" Jerome shushed him.

Perhaps the man still could take Harley by surprise.

Jeremiah looked at his brother, his features slowly twisting with more and more anger until he screamed, trying to tackle Jerome to the ground but failing. Jerome giggled as he kicked Jeremiah and Harley frowned. He stepped away, irritated that Jerome hadn't at least cued him in on this part of the plan. At least given him a head's up or something... As he looked away, he noticed Bruce. This time the boy was looking at Jeremiah, his face twisted in pain and anger. Harley rose an eyebrow. He'd seen Bruce be pissed by injustice before, but there wasn't just his sense of right or wrong driving him to these emotions. There was a sort of protectiveness in the way his hands curled into fists. He'd only seen it when someone had gotten a little too rough with Y/n back in the days, or when Selina had been in danger those few times Harley had seen Bruce get protective of her.

What were the odds that Harley wasn't the only Wayne that had a crush of some kind on a Valeska?

From the way he struggled against his ropes, Harley was starting to think they were getting more probable by the second.

Everything was cut short as gun fire went off on the rooftops, diverting Jerome's attention just long enough to be shot in the shoulder by Jim Gordon. Bruce escaped, Jerome's trigger didn't work, and everyone was scattering as a giant blimp began to inch across the sky. Harley moved to Jerome, slinging Jerome's arm around his shoulders. Jerome pulled away though. "What's up?" Harley demanded, desperate to escape in the chaos.

Jerome groaned. "I have an idea. But we need to go up." Harley hesitated but then nodded, both of the men running to a nearby building and up the flight of stairs to the roof. Harley hid just out of sight when Jerome told him to. Jim busted onto the scene moments later and Harley ducked out of sight, moving so he could still see even if he couldn't quite hear. Words, at least. The gun shots he heard clearly. One to Jerome's hand, knocking the phone away. Another to his stomach, and Jerome was falling. Back. Off the ledge and over.

Harley almost threw up. He was stunned, eyes wide as he watched Gordon scramble forward. He only got comfort when he heard talking over the side and saw Jim reach down a hand... Harley rushed forward, hitting the back of Jim's head with the bat he still had. The officer crumbled.

"Gordon?"

Harley leaned over the side to see Jerome barely dangling by a pole. "You idiot." Only now did Harley realize he was crying. He reached down but Jerome just frowned, not taking it. Something then dawned on Harley and the boy paled. "You weren't going to take his hand either, were you?"

Jerome grunted, rolling his eyes. "This is the end of the line for me, Harley."

"No the fuck it isn't," Harley snapped back. "You promised me we'd talk about us later." He shook his hand, offering it again. "You've been driven by hate and loneliness and spite your entire life. You didn't think past that night you killed your mom, did you?” Something changed in Jerome’s face, but Harley was too angry to stop. “You barely tried to hide it, and you made minimal effort to get away with it. Then after, you stayed in Gotham to, what? Destroy your brother?" Harley scoffed. "I'm tired of this Jerome. Damnit, I'm tired of watching people suffer." He sniffed and Jerome's face seemed to relax as he actually listened. "We can kill whoever you want, I don't care. But my brother and your brother have a crush on each other and it's hilarious and I need you here to laugh with me about it, okay?" He choked up. "I need you to rule this stupid town with me. Or to not to. Maybe we could stay lowkey or leave. Maybe we could hide out somewhere and just go missing or fake our deaths and never show our faces again so no one knows we're around to even find us. Maybe..." He shrugged. "You can take me to whatever hell you want to Jerome. Let's blow more things up and kiss over dead bodies. You don't have to ruin your brother just because he ruined you. Or maybe you do. Whatever. Just come back with me, okay? Please." Harley stretched out his hand more and Jerome got a new look on his face.

He took Harley's hand, and Harley hauled him up, struggling only minority. The second he was standing, Harley grabbed his face and kissed him. Jerome hooked his good arm around Harley's waist, keeping them close. "You love me."

Harley held tightly to Jerome, closing his eyes as he tried to let go of the mental image his brain was trying to create of Jerome being flattened on the street below. "More than I even love myself," Harley confirmed. "It's probably why I've stuck around, really."

Jerome hummed. "Our brothers have a thing for each other, huh?"

Harley laughed. He leaned back and Jerome reached up, wiping the tears away. "Maybe we could just let them be." Harley shrugged again, struggling to come up with the words to explain how he was feeling. "If they really do like each other..."

"My brother is as messed up as I am," Jerome warned. "I'm at least fun- he's just manipulative."

Harley nodded. "Then what better way to break them than have them break each other, hm?" Harley nudged him. "And if he does end up being total shit, then we can turn him crazy just like you want to with that gas of yours." Harley sighed. "Just, I don't know, my brother deserves to be happy. He's lost his parents and now his brother and his whole world is on its head and-" he stopped cold, sucking in a sharp breath. "It's his birthday today." The day occurred to him suddenly and he looked up at Jerome, pleading. "Would it be too much to ask for?"

Jerome pursed his lips. "When he hurts him-"

"You can kill him, and I'll help you."

A smile finally grew on Jerome's lips. He knew this was a win-win. Either he was wrong about his brother and they all got somewhat of a happy ending, or he was going to see some actual fun. Either way, it was going to be entertaining. "Fine." He sighed. "We have to get to his little base quick then, though." His smile grew and Harley felt himself get excited.

-

"Hey Handsome."

Jeremiah jumped at the sound of Harley's voice. He went tense, looking around for his brother who usually accompanied the boy in front of him. No sign. "What are you doing here?"

Harley shrugged. He was pretty amicable so Jeremiah calmed even if he didn't totally relax. "I killed Jerome."

That seemed to take Jeremiah by surprise. Understandable. He wanted to doubt Harley, but the boy's expression was open and honest. Even vulnerable, like he was apologizing. "Why?" He asked instead of voicing doubts that were slipping away. Harley was wearing a casual t-shirt and jeans now, different from the little fancy get up he'd been wearing while with Jerome. There was something different about the boy in front of him as well. Something distinctively different than the Harley that had flirted with him a foot away from Jeremiah's brother, who was presumably also Harley's boyfriend.

"He tried to kill Bruce." Harley sighed, leaning against the wall behind him. "We had an agreement that Bruce was untouchable. If he died accidentally because he was being an idiot, fine. But Jerome sought him out specifically. And on his birthday." Harley clicked his tongue, shaking his head back and forth. "Bruce can hate me. He has every right to. But he's still my younger brother." He looked away. "He means everything to me, you know. We used to be best friends." He smiled softly but then looked back at Jeremiah, clearing his throat. "Sorry. I'm sure you're not wanting to hear that after I've told you your own brother is dead."

"No,"Jeremiah reassured. "It's actually quite a relief." Harley nodded as if he understood. "Wait but why did you come here? Just to...tell me that?" Harley held up a purple package with a huge silver ribbon. Only then did Jeremiah realize the boy had been holding it at all. "And what's that?"

"Jerome came up with a gas. Had Scarecrow make it himself. Kind of like fear gas, but it makes you..." Harley tilted his head back and forth as he searched for the word. "More like Jerome, to put it nicely. Unhinged." Jeremiah stepped back from the box, curling into himself. "I didn't want his plan to succeed, so I'm here to step in."

Jeremiah looked at Harley, confused again. "Why would you care what happened to me?"

A smile rose to Harley's face, soft and rather attractive. Jeremiah had already come to terms with the fact that he was attracted to Harley Quinn. He was also attracted to Bruce Wayne, so maybe it was just that the Wayne bloodline produced very good looking men. Whatever it was, Harley seemed much more welcoming and friendly now compared to his flirting the last time they'd had an extended conversation. One where Harley had stood up for Jerome and seemed to hate Jeremiah. One that had left an impression to someone who was quite opposite of the man standing in front of Jeremiah now. "I see the way my brother looks at you."

Jeremiah felt his heart pick up. "You- what?"

Harley giggled. "I don't think even he knows yet, but he does have some feeling toward you. I figure he's lost enough people. Had far too many opportunities for something he deserved pass him by. He's sacrificed enough." Harley stepped forward, closer to Jeremiah. "I guess I want to get you guys together. Maybe one relationship between a Valeska and Wayne can actually work out." Harley's smile was strained here and Jeremiah felt pity for the boy. "So what do you say? You couldn't tell him I was around, of course, but I'm sure you'd do a lot better with a bit of help."

Excitement rose up in Jeremiah's features. "You can stay here if you want. I have a free room I could make into somewhere you can sleep."

Harley grinned. "How sweet. I actually would appreciate that, if you don't mind." He stepped away. "I have to dispose of this, but... you know, I think we're gonna be good friends." He nodded in a silent farewell and Jeremiah smiled in return. Harley found his way out himself. Jeremiah didn't think anything of it as he was far too excited thinking about the possibility that Bruce Wayne could return his feelings on any level, as well as the possibility of having a real guy friend his age. Ecco was cool, but branching out a bit wouldn't hurt.

It took five minutes for Harley to find his way out. He skipped to the waiting car then got in the driver's seat, starting it up and taking off. Jerome grinned from the passenger seat. "How is it that you got around without that little blonde girl following you?"

Harley scoffed cockily. "If you and him think the same, then I can just as easily figure out that maze of his as you can. The same way I assume Ecco has it down as well. She knows Jeremiah like the back of her hand. The same way that I know you." He shot a wink at Jerome who smirked, leaning back in his seat.

"So you're my little secret weapon, eh?"

Harley giggled as he pulled to a stop at the building they'd been hiding out in since escaping Arkham. "Something like that."

Jerome leaned over, catching Harley's chin in his fingers, and then Harley's lips with his own. The kiss was slow and deep and purposeful, and it made all of Harley's insides light on fire. "You know, I love you too." Harley's head was spinning and he couldn't wrap his mind around that kiss let alone the words that had followed it. Jerome had never kissed him like that.

"What a joker," Harley croaked. It had become a bit of a running gag  to call Jerome that. "Cute but totally rude."

Jerome's hold on Harley's face tightened. He looked angry. Maybe Harley had offended him. But how could he have? “You know Harley, I show you every time I've been genuine. You've seen me afraid. You've seen me sad. You've seen me confused. You've seen me have many other emotions beside just amusement and anger which is what most people see. You've seen me about to jump off a building and end it all for god's sake." Harley swallowed, trying not to let that exact instance come back to him as a memory in his already muddled state. "Do I look like I'm joking to you?"

Harley wet his lips. "Why me?"

Jerome smiled, giggling softly. "Because you're just like me, and you accept that. You thrive off of it. I don't have to bend and twist to get it out- you wear your crazy like a badge. You walk through fire to be with me just because I've asked you to. Because you love me, and I like it, even though I’ve despised the thought of love... until now. You're probably the only person in my life who's ever loved me." His hold loosened in favor of caressing Harley's face. "You were right, you know." He snorted, as if amused by the sentence. He must not have said it a lot. "You can't just belong to me. And you don't. I belong to you too. I really would do anything for you." Smiling, Harley leaned forward and kissed him again.

There was a certain excitement in the moment. Jerome loved him.

There was also a sense of dread. A sense of being locked up, in a sense. Jerome had never been loved before. Had never loved anyone more than he loved himself before. He wouldn't handle it well if Harley was hurt or left him. Harley couldn't imagine wanting to leave Jerome after everything they've been through, but normal relationships always had the recognition that it might happen, right? You dreaded that moment and hoped it never happened... By the look in Jerome's eyes, Harley knew that wasn't a possibility. They were stuck together forever now. It was Jerome's Harley and Harley's little Joker. Forever.

Or, at least, until death do them part.

-

"Hey Lovebird," Harley greeted brightly one morning.

Jeremiah scoffed, but he was smiling so Harley knew no harm had been done. "Good morning Harley."

Harley waved at Ecco who nodded at him in return, a small smile on her face. "Any plans today?" Harley asked, setting himself down next to Jeremiah.

A little coy curve of his lips was answer enough, but Jeremiah explained anyway. "Bruce is coming over today to see the new prototypes." Here he got excited, going into full nerd mode. Harley and Jeremiah had begun to get close. It was kind of wild to see a sane version of Jerome. Boring though. Harley could never bring himself to spend too much time with Jeremiah before he needed to visit his boyfriend again.

His boyfriend. Jerome had finally made it official and had picked up the pet names again. Harley was weak over it. He didn't think he'd ever have a boyfriend, let alone one who was so unapologetically proud of being with him. Someone who really loved him and encouraged him to be himself. It was exhilarating.

Ecco brushed her fingers along the back of Harley's head. The boy knocked out of his thoughts and looked up to see Jeremiah looking expectantly. "Oh sorry." Harley blushed, embarrassed. "What did you say?"

Jeremiah shook his head, but he still had that amused smirk on his face. A teasing expression. Lighthearted. "I was saying that I was thinking about maybe asking him on a date after. If... if you think it's not too early to do that? Or if he won't totally shoot me down?" He got nervous.

It seemed that Jeremiah had gotten into the habit of ignoring little odd things Harley did. He still hadn't asked how Harley so easily found his way through the maze, nor did he question little moments like just now. What could Harley be so happy about? Maybe he wrote it all down to Harley's time with Jerome and his excitement for the possibility of his brother being happy or something. I think Jeremiah was basking in the feeling of watching two brothers really care about each other- something he never experienced but undoubtedly had wanted in some way or another. Harley was curious but couldn't ask, himself. All the odd things he was doing didn't need to be brought to light in favor of exposing the little odd things Jeremiah was doing. And Ecco seemed to trust Harley enough, as long as he made no move to hurt Jeremiah in any way. So for now, it was fine. I guess.

"I don't really know," Harley relented. "The only relationship I've ever been in wasn't exactly... normal."

Jeremiah suddenly got very serious. "Of course, sorry."

"No worries," Harley dismissed. "I just mean I would probably be a bad gauge of timing. I think you should go for it though. Maybe try to be subtle, but definitely drop some hints and give it a try." He smiled and Jeremiah mirrored the expression, relaxing as he daydreamed just a little bit about things that might happen if this whole thing went well. "Until then," Harley continued, flicking Jeremiah's shoulder to get his attention back. Jeremiah blushed, making Ecco smirk and roll her eyes. "Let's make some dinner. Nothing will get him to stay like some good food, and knowing him, he'll probably have skipped a meal again while still unsure if Jerome is alive or not." Harley looked at his hands.

Jeremiah swallowed. "Yeah, makes sense." He moved to Harley, nudging Harley's shoulder with his own. "Come and help me?" He was trying to be a good friend and keep Harley distracted from sad thoughts. Little did he know that Harley was simply annoyed. He just wanted to be happy with his boyfriend without his brother trying to find them both and throw them back in that hell hole Arkham.

"Fore sure," Harley responded anyway, forcing a smile. "We better hurry. Waynes have high standards for food."

-

Harley chilled in the room with all the monitors as Jeremiah showed off his prototype to Bruce. Jeremiah had moved the operation to the room to allow Harley to listen in and gauge Bruce's reaction to things. Harley couldn't help without coming out and revealing himself, but Ecco went back and forth so if Jeremiah really needed a hand he could give advice through her. Harley and Ecco together were really good at coming up with solutions and dealing with romance. They seemed to be able to find a whole braincell between them, and it worked well. It was quite impressive actually.

Bruce seemed super interested in Jeremiah's little project, but every once in a while those eyes full of light and excitement would turn from the energy thingy - Jeremiah had explained it maybe hundreds of times to Harley, but he still didn't exactly get how it worked - to Jeremiah, and his eyes would get even brighter; his smile even wider. Harley got it, honestly. Jeremiah was shy and soft spoken for the most part but get him talking about his idea for this cleaner power source and he came alive in a way that made him all levels of adorable. He used his hands to talk when he was excited, and kept looking between the project he was explaining and the boy he was explaining it to. Every time the boys' eyes met, both of them got a little pinker and it made Harley giggle.

"They're such nerds," Harley scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"They're idiots," Ecco agreed. "Which is crazy considering they're both seen as geniuses in Gotham. Especially Jeremiah." They both laughed softly before Ecco headed out again, leaving Harley alone.

Watching them took quite a while, and as time passed Harley found himself getting more sad. He wished that he could do things like that with Jerome. Flirt and geek out together and share little looks and innocent moments. Go on dates and hold hands and share long looks and dusty pink blushes. Harley wondered if Jerome had ever looked at him like that. No, such a soft look didn’t belong on Jerome’s face.

Eventually it ended and outside the compound, Jeremiah asked Bruce on a date. Obviously the boy said yes. Inside, the trio of friends celebrated as Bruce went home that night. And after they’d cheered and congratulated, Harley told Jeremiah that he needed some air and headed out.

This was another odd thing that Jeremiah was choosing to ignore. Sometimes Harley stayed the night and sometimes he didn’t. No one questioned it.

Harley headed to the hideout where Jerome was waiting for him. He was busy though, seeming distracted by a small book and lots of drawings. Harley planted himself on the couch to give Jerome some space. Whether he was planning or just musing, Jerome likes his space when doing it. Harley was willing to wait and give it to him.

In the quiet, Harley’s mind wandered back to his thoughts from earlier. He imagined just for a second, a world where Jerome’s smiles were soft. Where his smiles were warm. Where his eyes were wide and his words were honest and soothing. Where his touch was gentle. Where they were together and they cuddled in the park during lunchtime and had a picnic as Jerome rubbed his back and they both lay in peace and quiet. He imagined kisses that brushed rather than bruised. It was a sweet thought. A fantasy he’d loved as a child.

Did he still like it? Could he imagine himself in a life where he got a job and wore a suit or even a tshirt and jeans like he had been for Jeremiah? Like he had when he wasn’t Harley Quinn? Honestly, he couldn’t.

A frown took his face. He had nothing to distract him and icky feelings began to rise up, so he defaulted to habits that had yet to fail him. He went out to the store and got a drawing notebook and a pack of pencils and then colored pencils and got to work. He sat and drew as he continued to wait for Jerome, sifting through his mind.

He expected to draw that fantasy. That park and the grass and the serene expressions on his and Jerome’s faces. He couldn’t seem to bring himself to do it though and instead spent the next however long drawing memories rather than fantasy. All of them were Jerome, and there was blood everywhere. Most of them were just doodles, but the expressions he focused on. He made sure to capture the twisted enjoyment in each recall.

Only then did he divert to that sort of calm Jerome. Not Jeremiah, who was a coward and awkward and kind of annoying and paranoid and boring. A Jerome who’d grown up in a place that was loving and a world that was accepting.

This drawing took time. It was detailed and careful as Y/n drew the smiling face of a boy that had been destroyed before he even had a chance to begin. There was softness and warmth and gentleness and it made Y/n grown even more deeply.

“What’s that?”

He hadn’t realized Jerome and gotten up, but it didn’t bother him to show his boyfriend what he was doing. Harley had nothing to hide. “I’m having these thoughts. Watching Jeremiah and Bruce today...” he shrugged. “It made me think.”

Jerome hopped over the back of the couch, landing next to Harley. He tilted his head in curiosity. “Think about what?”

Harley offered a small smile. “You don’t want to hear about it.”

Raising an eyebrow, Jerome countered, “You don’t know what I want to know. Tell me!”

Sighing softly, Harley gave in. “You know every tine we have sex, it’s rough. And every time you kiss me it’s hard and desperate. Like it might be the last time. Every time you look at me there’s a heaviness in your expression. Like your affection for me is weighed down by something. By fear or anger or lust rather than love. And- I mean I don’t mind it. I like our sex.” He chuckled, rolling his eyes at himself. “I don’t know I just saw how they looked at each other today. And the awkward way that they communicated. Being coy and innocent and flirty. It was kind of cute. Made me realize I’ve never had anyone look at me like that.”

Jerome nodded as he listened. He was getting better at that as time passed. He was easily bored and antsy, but spending time with Harley seemed to ease him in some way. Just enough that the two could hold out a surprisingly functional relationship. It was why Harley spoke so honestly now- there were no more secrets between them.

Jerome tugged the book and writing utensils out of Harley’s hands, setting them on the ground before pushing him down on the couch. “Is that what you want?”

Well that wasn’t expected. “Do I want someone else? Of course not.”

“No,” Jerome corrected. His hand rose to stroke Harley’s neck. The boy shivered. “Do you want me to be gentle?”

“I-“ Yet again Jerome had somehow surprised him. “Why?”

Jerome shrugged. “You deserve the world, my dear. If you want someone to look at you like those idiots in those sappy movies, I’ll do it at least once. My motto is that you have to try everything at least once to see if you like it. It’s how I figured out I like men.”

That made Harley chuckle. He touched Jerome lovingly, humming in thought. “You don’t have to change for me, J.”

“I know.” His hips dipped and he grinded into Harley. The boy beneath him gasped, his lips parting and his head pressing into the couch as his grip fighting in Jerome’s arm and shoulder. “Do you want me to do it or not? Just so you know.”

Taking a second to regain his breath, Harley nodded. “Just as long as you’re in charge.”

Jerome grinned. “Good, because tonight I’m in the mood to make you feel really good.”

-

Male reader tag List: @sheepfather

[ciggylungz]

High school

Butterflies and bandaids-

Chapter 2: High school

Y/N has never been more nervous for a first day of school in her life. High school, gag. Today is something she's been nervous about yet highly anticipating since she was little, partly to blame on movies glorifying high school when both her older siblings, and her best friend sing a different tune about it.

And that lands them where they are now, Harry sitting on his best friends bed eating a bowl of cereal he snagged from her kitchen, her mom topping him off with some milk while he made his way up to her room.

She's nervously tugging at her clothes in the mirror while making little upset noises, turning to the older boy with a nervous frown

"Do I look ok h?" She tugged on her shirt a bit and he nodded while chewing, speaking with his mouth full

"Look fine love, we all have the same uniform, we literally all look the exact same dont worry about it." he'd managed to swallow while talking and she nodded still uneasy

"But I feel like I look dumb in it.."

"We all look dumb in it, it's ugly. You pull it off well though love, blazer's a little loose but other than that you look great" He gave her a smile and she nodded sitting next to him on her bed to put her shoes on and he blew into her hair

"Curls are tickling my face girl, watch where you swing them might end up making me sneeze into them" he chuckled at his own joke and she rolled her eyes at him in the mirror.

"Cmon gimme a smile Y/N, don't be so nervous sweetheart I'm gonna be there, I'll make sure you're ok, swear by it." He held his pinky out to her and locked them together, doing their handshake before he gets up, cracking his back and grabbing his bowl taking it downstairs both of the teens going into the small downstairs bathroom to brush their teeth, Harry having his own toothbrush there since he practically lives at their house.

Y/N nervously followed Harry as they started walking to the school fiddling with his blazer sleeve as they walked , only when he cast a glance down at her did he realize how scared she looked, he knew his girl was shy but she'd never been so nervous to go somewhere before causing him to halt and gently hold her cheeks, pouting when he saw her glossy eyes, tisking and dabbing the corner of her eyes

"Relax, breathe...there you go, Dont panic Yn, it's a half day anyway just 3 hours, you'll be alright I swear and we can hangout after and watch movies, Can even get some snacks on the way back" she'd let out a deep breath and nodded

" I'm sorry...get so nervous...been trying to work on it, probably should have asked mom for one of my xanax Cus I feel like I'm gonna have a heart attack" he just rubbed her back gently

"You'll be ok, cmon just 3 hours" he reminded her as he took her hand and guided her into the building.

••

Three hours came and went and soon the pair was reunited outside at the school fencing, Y/N smiling when she sees the much taller boy approaching her and he gave her one right back

"Ahh there's my girl! See I told you, piece of cake. You nailed it love, proud of you" they did their handshake before he hugged her to his side, walking with her towards the little corner shop to get her the treats he promised

"Take your pick" he told her as they stood in her favorite isle, the candy isle, smiling as he watched her scrunch her freckled nose up and nibble her lip as she thought about it, they both already knew what she'd pick, yet she always thought about alternatives even when she knew they didn't have a chance, picking up her usual, a pack of bubble gum and a little baggies of cherry candies she likes, smiling at he pays for them and hands her the little packages kissing her head as they both chew a piece on the way home.

The boy absentmindedly spit his piece in the street as they approached her house earning a immediate halt from his best friend

"Harry! I told you, don't spit gum on the ground a bird will eat it and die!" She exclaimed rather passionately and he groaned

"Sorry sorry, forgot" he stuck his tongue out as he picked the gum off the cement and wrapped it up tossing it in the trash, earning a smile from her

"Good boy" she patted his cheek and he rolled his eyes and pushed her hand away

"You sound like my mom, cmon I wanna watch movies before the monsters get home from school, how does your mom handle 6 kids? Miley literally BITES!"

"Harry she's teething, she's a baby"

"She's feral" he muttered making both of them laugh as she unlocks the door tossing her bag on the couch and slipping her shoes off, both of them making the haul up the stairs towards her room

"Gonna change, you have clothes here to change into ,put them in the third drawer mom just did wash" she motioned to her dresser as she pulled out a pair of pajama shorts and one of the oversized hoodies her brother had given her with his university name on it, stripping the tights off unaware of her best friends flickering glances at the girl literally stripping in front of him, innocently, yet he's a teenage boy he can't help himself sometimes.

He watched as she slid her skirt off, boy short style pale blue panties coming into his view, quickly covered with the sleep shorts, shirt off next showing her standard nude colored bra before she slid the hoodie on, putting some fuzzy socks on and flopping on her bed, pulling her phone out while he changed, forcing himself to think of dead puppies and old people so he didn't pop a stiffy over his best friend, they'd changed in front of each other since they were kids, his mom even gave them a bath together a few times when they were little and got dirty in the garden, but of course they were both little and innocent then...Yn didnt have the curve in her waist, the small yet perky breasts, the more filled out figure, hips and ass back then, yet she'd always been beautiful, he seems to find himself finding her more and more beautiful on the daily.

He changes quickly and crawls in bed with her plugging his phone in and leaning back into her yellow pillows, so comfortable in her rather girly room to even be worried about looking silly with her flower printed sheets and couple stuffed animals in the right corner against her headboard. The room is comforting and familiar, he could navigate it with his eyes closed, Thats how much time he's spent in here over the last 10 years of friendship.

She pulled her curly locks into a messy bun and tied her hoodie strings like she always did, grabbing her candy and the remote handing it to him while she pops open the bag, setting her phone down.

"So tell me about your first day love, what's the verdict?" She shifted the candy to her cheek and swallowed the bit of saliva that collected in her mouth

"Was ok...still a little scary, lot bigger than middle school, some older girls were being bitchy, I didn't appreciate that. Had science and English with some people I knew last year and met a girl named Penny and a boy named Elijah, they're very nice, Eli was very nice to me so I felt a little better." She crunched the Cherry snack between her molars as she finished talking and he hummed

"Wow, already finding new best friends are we?" He teased and she let out a breath through her nose

"Not a chance, you're my Harry. Could never replace you, wouldn't ever want to. Love you to bits" the young girl smiled at him and he smiled back, warmth crawling up his chest at her sweetness

"Love you more princess bubblegum, cmere gimme a cuddle while we watch something"

[baeklination]

Ocean: the surface

Date:201010

Warnings/Contains: au. Fluff-ish, pre/light smut, (angst-ish?)

Pairing: Baekhyun x F.Reader

WC: 1850

NOTE: This is a prologue.

the deep (2)  Masterlist

                              ¤¤

  Gawa has decided the week's holy day is Saturday. Having a big dog in the city has its challenges; not being able to let him run freely in the wild, and other dog owners thinking he's a menace. In truth, Gawa is a menace. But the lovely "jump into your bed in the morning, follow your every move, eat every crumb you drop"-menace, not the scary dog people perceive him to be due to his rottie-pitbull DNA. (No, Gawa is everything other owners wish their dog was.) So having this park not thirty minutes walk from your home has been a blessing. 

This is your time to wind down. Usually. Today, same as last week, that man is here. Last time he at least had the decorum to pretend he was busy with his phone. But not now.  He's leaning across the fence, just looking - smiling - at you. You smile back with a little nod, hoping it will send him on his way, but also hoping it won't. He chuckles and runs his hand through his black waves. When he cocks his head and mouths "come here", you get a burst of butterflies shooting through your stomach. You're a goner. 

                             ¤¤

It starts with one thing

  Walking into the restaurant you immediately see you're out of place. Businessmen, business women, upper echelon people all dressed in black, slicked back hair and heels reaching to the heavens. In your blue denims and white blouse you not only look out of place, but feel it. If one of these people were to look up and spot you their fork would fall to their plate, alerting everyone that there's an intruder among them. You're surprised they haven't sniffed you out already… Nervously fidgeting with the zipper of your pink bag (why did I try to look cute for him..!) while damning your not so shiny shoes you hear him:

"You came…"

In keeping with the rest of the patrons he's wearing a black suit and tie, hair moderately styled to a soft wave. But Baekhyun looks different from the others. He looks...damn near perfect. The distinction between the two of you was glaringly obvious, but you hadn't realised it until now. 

"I didn't know we were going somewhere fancy like this...", you say, trying to look relaxed, but in your mind you're wondering if you'd even be able to pay for a drink here.

Sure, one could say custom dictates Baekhyun pays, since he asked you out, but not wanting to be guided by tradition you should at least offer. (What if he lets me? If he thinks it's a novel idea..!) You know you should just tell him how it is. Not being able to afford certain things - certainly not these types of luxuries - isn't something to be ashamed of. But you can't. 

Sensing your discomfort Baekhyun takes you to the side:

"Would you rather we went somewhere different?"

"Yes..!", you blurt out before backtracking "I mean, I know you picked this place and all, but it's so...and everyone's - you're so…", you trail off, trying to not overreact by letting the burn in your eyes come through. 

"Hey...", he says, taking your hands in his. "We'll go somewhere else if you're that uncomfortable. I just wanted you to join me since I always eat alone here. I thought it'd be nice to be accompanied by such a pretty little thing as you", he smiles. 

You can't help but feel flattered.

"Really? I mean..."

"Really. Besides… Look at them. Not a single soul will give you a second look - no, I don't mean it like that", he chuckles. "I'm trying to say they're all too busy being busy, thinking about themselves, you know."

Knowing Baekhyun's right and not wanting to be rude you muster up a little courage. 

"Okay, you're right. But if one of these fuckers look at me funny…"

Blowing smoke of course, you've never been in a fight your whole life. 

"Shh! They will if you talk like that."

"Oh, sorry", you giggle into your hand. 

When he interlaces his fingers with yours, guiding you to your table, you feel better, protected even.

"Ah, Mr. Byun - and who might this lovely young woman be?", the waiter says with a glint in his eye.

"You never coat it on like that when I'm alone, Freddie. Not pretty enough?"

"I would, but we don't want everyone to start talking, do we?"

"Well, I don't want everyone to start talking about this one either", he says, taking your hand. "She's mine."

His phrasing is perhaps a little caveman like, but the way he says it is endearing. 

"I'll give you a moment to look over the menu", Freddie says with a wink, but is halted by Baekhyun. 

"No need. We'll have the beef tartare, and a dry white."

"Beef isn't really my favourite", you say tentatively, afraid of offending Freddie. 

"Trust me, you'll love it. It's great."

"Mm...okay. I'm sure it's lovely."

                                          ¤¤

  Baekhyun had been right, the tartare was great. In fact, everything had been. He'd been a true gentleman all lunch, totally focused on you; asking about work, your family, and of course Gawa. He even stood up when you went to the ladies room. Being dropped off at your apartment had never felt less colourful. It wasn't a monetary comparison; it was the warmth emanating from him being taken away. When he asked if he could see you again and said his goodbye with a soft kiss you felt like Cinderella. 

                                      ¤¤

I’ve put my trust in you

  After three dates, a couple of bouquets and a hundred texts and calls in two weeks you knew it for certain - you'd been swept off your feet. You'd left Gawa with your mom for the night, 'cus this date was different - you were having dinner at his place. Riding the elevator to the eleventh floor you are more nervous than the first date; looking in the mirror for the seventh time you decide to wipe away your lipstick (don't want it to smudge if…). 

Baekhyun opens the door an leans on the frame with that disarming smile:

"Aren't you a sight…"

"Oh, stop it, Baek..."

"Stop? Never. I can pause. But sweetie… It's Baekhyun, not Baek, okay?"

For the umpteenth time you forget he doesn't like that nickname. 

"I know. Baekhyun."

"Come on, let's eat. You hungry?"

"I could eat", you chirp.

Truth be told you were famished, but vanity had made you opt for a dress that left little to no room for gorging. You knew it was silly when you picked it, but you wanted to look really nice. You wanted him to find you sexy.

Going through the kitchen to a dining room your eyes widen as you take it all in; the long table, standing in the middle of a dark room, is filled with candles all the way up to the two seats at the end where a bottle is on ice and two plates hide their contents under lids. 

"Wow… Did you do all this?"

"I should just say yes, but I had help. I've a friend who's a party planner. Asked his advice. I prepared the food myself though", he continued excitedly. "Come on, see what it is."

Lifting the lid you see your favourite dish. Your exact favourite. 

"Is this..? This isn't from Jade Garden, is it?"

"I don't cook, and thought better safe than sorry. Hope you're not disappointed. Gawa will be happy though."

"Gawa..?"

"I got some braised chicken for him."

"You did..!? That dog is gonna end up spoiled."

"If you love him, I love him”, he smiles.

                                       ¤¤

"Full?"

"I don't get how I can feel so hungry yet get full in three mouthfuls. I wish I could eat like you."

Shoving his chair back he reaches for your hand.

"My little bird. Sit with me."

The jitters are always the worst in the beginning. Sitting down on his lap he wraps his arms around your waist and looks at you for a moment. Realising how much your ribcage is rising you can't hold back your laughter, Baekhyun mimicking you. Even as he's guiding you towards him by the nape of your neck he lets out a chuckle. 

  It's quiet. Only the sound of dragged out kisses and fabric being touched disturb it. When he shifts his weight you feel the bulge beneath his dress pants. Your approving moan lets his hands travel further, undoing your zipper at the back, letting your dress fall down, stopping short of showing your nipples. Kissing his way down your neck, hands feathering your back he breaks the silence:

"I think we should...move to the bedroom… Don't you..?", he finishes, pushing down your dress further. 

As it runs over your nipples it sends a shiver down your back. But even so it doesn't match the one you experience from seeing Baekhyun; sinking lower in his seat, pressing his groin upward, he takes your nipple between his lips - the other being firmly caressed by his hand..

                   ¤¤

"Shit!", Baekhyun exclaims, rolling onto his back.

There's a sheen of sweat on his heaving chest, which plasters him onto you when he pulls you in and showers kisses on you.

"God, woman..! We're gonna have to see about getting you on the pill first thing Monday", he sighs "Or I'll go broke with all the condoms I'm gonna have to buy."

"Oh, get...", you laugh into his chest. 

"Dead serious, sweetie. And next time we'll do it the other way…"

"Other way?"

"You know…", he says, smacking your ass "...other way."

"Trying the whole menu in one night? And here I thought you were respectable, Mr. Byun…"

"Give me ten minutes and I'll respect the hell out of you."

"Where are you going?"

"Hydration. Getting water. No stay, I'll bring it in."

"I'm just gonna check my phone, see so mom hasn't called or anything."

Seeing Baekhyun in the kitchen, his silhouette outlined by faint spotlights your heart skips. (I really just had sex with that beautiful fucking man…)There's nothing exciting happening on your phone (thank you, God), so you make your way back to the comforts of Baekhyun's bed.

"News..?"

You shake your head in reply and cuddle up, accidentally falling asleep on him.

Having one of those falling dreams you flounder, sliding off him.

"Shit, you scared me", he laughs, mostly at his own reaction. 

"I scared myself, Christ! Sorry... Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I wasn't asleep", he says, rolling on top of you.

Pushing your legs open with his, the flush in your torso is instant. His hair caressing your forehead as he buries his tongue in your mouth; his length pressed against your stomach; his weight on you.

"It's only me, right?", he whispers as he aligns himself to your entrance. 

"Only you..?"

"It's only me you're with?"

"Oh. Yeah. It's just you."

"Good."

With one hand on your waist he slides in and starts rolling his hips. 

"I wouldn’t like it if I found out you were doing this with someone else."

[mischiefandi]

My Home - Drake Walker

A/N: hi everyone! This is the fic I wrote for @riseandshinelittleblossom ‘s Quote Me On This writing challenge! Thank you Steph for organizing this and for letting me participate on such short notice <33 I hope you guys enjoy it. (the quote I had to use is in bold). I always wished MC got a backstory in TRR, so here is a potential one

Warnings: mentions of gun violence, theft, crime, alcoholism, foster care, jail, etc. I would like to disclaim that I know these themes are very difficult for a lot of people so I want to make it clear that I mean absolutely no disrespect to anyone who can somehow relate to this story. This is a dark and angsty fic and I don’t mean to offend or hurt anyone who reads this. Reader discretion is advised.  

Word Count: 3.1K

Pairing: Drake Walker & Iris Jones (MC TRR)

Ringing. Dozens of cellphones buzzing in luxurious purses and warm pockets, an array of ring tones echoing throughout the ballroom, and shocked gasps and quiet curses followed suit, a great number of nobles turning their heads to gawk at Iris. Her face was pale with worry as she nudged Maxwell in the ribs, her eyes darting from duke to duchess.

“What’s going on?” she asked in a hushed tone and her question was answered with a big gulp, a cell phone being pushed in her direction.

Time stopped when she laid her eyes on the article on the screen, the earth shattering words hitting her in the face like a pack of bricks.

NY Thief Turned Duchess of Valtoria, the shocking details of Duchess Iris Jones’ past:

The ballroom started to spin, the faces surrounding her all blending into one big cloud of color and the whispers tripled in volume. Iris couldn’t believe what she had just read, the memories flooding back to her. Somehow, her past had caught up with her, just like she had always known it would.

Her eyes desperately searched the crowd for her friends, the ones she had hoped would never find out about her deepest and darkest secret. Hana’s brow was furrowed in confusion and Maxwell’s face turned paler than the Lythikos snow. Iris’ eyes met Liam’s hurt and bewildered stare and her heart shattered, the darkness of the situation settling in. She had broken his trust, as well the others’. Now, they all knew who she really was. And what an unfortunate reality it was.

Her initial shock slowly turned to anger as she bit back her tears, her blood boiling. Someone had uncovered her past life and had tried to use it against her, sabotaging her reputation once again, publicly humiliating her in front of the court. Someone was still out to get her, after all of this time and all of her hard work. And this time, maybe that someone had finally won.

“Iris,” a voice called out, and her head snapped in its direction, lips parted in anticipation as she finally met Drake’s gaze. He stood a few feet away from her, eyes completely focused on hers. His arms rested along his sides, fists clenched but his expression utterly unreadable. She kept looking at him, tears finally spilling over her lids, unable to control her anguish as she faced her lover. She didn’t care about the court, not really. All she cared about was him, and she had lied to him about it all. The man she loved more than anything in the world, her everything.

The moment was abruptly interrupted when a pair of gruff hands wrapped themselves around her upper arms, gripping tightly at her gentle skin as she was dragged off by members of the Royal Guard, and her first instinct was to fight them off, trying to push them away but in vain.

“Stop. I can explain, let me go!” she grunted, emotion tainting her words as she tried to get out of the guards’ custody.

The crowd gasped as they dragged her away from where she had been standing, walking over to the grand ornate doors of the ballroom.

Iris’ eyes met Liam’s again and she mouthed the words: “I’m sorry” before looking back at Drake. He was pushing people out of the way, cursing and shouting at the other guards trying to keep him away from his fiancée.

“Let me through. Goddamnit, let me pass!” he exclaimed gruffly, almost shoving a guard to the ground.

A series of shouts and voices calling out Iris’ name were swallowed by darkness as the doors closed in front of her. She let out a strangled sob, unable to contain the panic building up inside of her. She couldn’t believe what had just occurred. It had all happened so fast. The moment had been over in a flash, but she kept reliving it, over and over again as the guards dragged her to her palace bedroom.

“What am I going to do?” she thought to herself.

Iris had spent hours in her room, the guards standing behind the door. She had paced up and down the room for what now seemed like an eternity, time ticking by so slowly she could’ve sworn it was the next day if it weren’t for the pitch black sky behind the tall glass windows of the bedroom. She had also curled up into a ball on her bed and sobbed, face hidden away in the palm of her hands, unable to control the waves of distraught that had washed over her at the ball. Now, she sat on her bed, bloodshot eyes fixated on the floor as she bit through four of her fingernails, foot anxiously tapping against the floor while her anxiety levels rose higher.

No one had come to talk to her yet, and she couldn’t even tell if that was a good thing. Maybe she was staying at court, maybe she’d be stripped from her newly given title, maybe she’d be shipped back to New York where she belonged. Maybe.

She was terrified.

What scared her most wasn’t losing Cordonia. It was losing Drake. She had never imagined she would ever find someone like him to protect her and love her the way he did. She had always just thought she’d end up unloved and alone, but he had seen something in her no one else had ever even noticed, something even she couldn’t see, and she thanked the universe every day for it. She had found a home in him, but now, maybe she was going to lose that too. And it was all her fault.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an angry voice and the sounds of footsteps tapping against the marble floor of the palace, volume increasing as it got closer and closer to the bedroom door.

“Move aside and let me in. Now.” Iris heard and her heart throbbed as she recognized Drake.

A polite “no” could be heard, followed by a quiet but stern voice speaking.

“You will let him pass. This man should be granted the opportunity to speak to his fiancée.”

Liam.

Finally, the door opened and Iris shot up in a flash, hands curled up into fists, furious but anguished, ready to defend herself if need be.

Her heart swelled at the sight of her fiancé standing in the doorway. He seemed to be shaking in his wrinkled suit, either from anger or fear, and the look on his face turned the blood in her veins to ice, her lungs clenching as she tried to speak.

“Drake, I-“ she tried to say when he bolted towards her, closing the distance between them and throwing his arms around her, pulling her into a warm and desperate embrace.

“-I don’t care. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter,” he declared intensely as he tightened his hold on her, heart beating uncontrollably and she broke down in sobs.

“It does matter. I have to tell you-“

“-No, you don’t,” he insisted as he looked at her. His heart broke a little at the sight of the fat tears rolling down her cheeks and he placed a comforting kiss on her forehead. Iris let out a shaky breath before finally breaking the embrace. She took a step back and avoided his gaze, instead staring at the floor in embarrassment. She did have to explain, if only to make sure he knew the whole truth and not just the story the tabloids were trying to sell.

“You might wanna sit down for this,” she said, gesturing to the bed. Drake followed her hand and frowned as he placed himself on the edge of the mattress.

“Jones, I don’t need to hear this.”

“Maybe, but I need to know I told you everything.”

She sat next to him, still avoiding his stare and fidgeted with her dress, her long trembling fingers twisting the silk fabric into a small ball just above her knees. This was it. After all this time, she was finally going to open up about her past. This disturbing reality shook her to her core.

“What is it?” Drake asked, watching her fingers shake.

“I’m afraid that when I tell you, you won’t see me the same way anymore.”

Drake reached out to hold her hands in his, tentatively caressing them with his thumb in soothing circles.

“Don’t say that,” he whispered and she squeezed her eyes shut, a single tear rolling down her cheek and landing on her burgundy-colored dress.

“Okay,” she simply said before turning to him.

“My mom got pregnant with me when she was really young, around 19 years old. I didn’t grow up with a dad because he left her when he found out. It was just the two of us in a crappy apartment in the Bronx. My mom was really depressed and she started drinking a lot. She barely even seemed to notice that I was around,” Iris said before sucking in a breath, pausing for a few seconds before resuming her story.

“She left when I was 14. I got home from school one day and she wasn’t home. I waited but she never came back. I tried to hide it but it didn’t take long before I was put in the system and I became a foster kid. I kept running away from my foster homes ‘cus they all sucked. Half of my foster families couldn’t remember my name and they were all assholes anyway.”

“I’m sorry,” Drake muttered, the frown on his face intensifying. No one should have to endure those things, least of all her.

“I-,” she started, before inhaling slowly. “It is what it is. But growing up alone and afraid all the time, I just had a lot of unresolved issues. I ended up meeting a boy. He was good to me at first, made me feel like I was special, like I was the most important thing in his life. I thought I loved him, because I had never known anything else. He was a drinker, just like my mom, and he knew all sorts of people, all involved in shady business. He never really gave me any details about what his friends did, but I knew that something wasn’t right.”

“What was his name?” Drake croaked, heart pumping steadily like the calm before a storm.

“His name was Ty. One day, we were talking and he told me he wanted us to get married. We were gonna run away together and start a life somewhere new, far away from New York. We just needed to some money to get started. I trusted him, so when he told me his plan, I was naïve enough to believe him. I never should’ve.

“The plan was simple enough. We were gonna steal liquor from the bar he and his friends used to go to. The bottles were pretty expensive so we were gonna sell them and use the money to leave before we could even get caught. But something went wrong,” Iris said, her voice wobbling slightly.

Her pulse was quickening by the minute as she remembered the scene, memories flooding back in her mind. She was sweating and trembling, voice completely clouded by a veil of emotion. It was getting harder and harder to keep her cool. This was the part that was going to change everything, the part that would destroy all the things she had worked so hard to get.

“The bar was closed. He used a crowbar to smash the window of the back door and opened the lock from the inside. It was just me and him. We grabbed the most expensive bottles and put them in big duffel bags. But then he told me he was gonna empty the register. I told him it wasn’t a good idea but he didn’t listen, and he started to shout at me, telling me to wait in the storage room with all of the bar supplies. I was terrified, so I did what he told me and I stayed in the back room with the bags full of the stuff we had stolen when I heard a shout and the sound of something smashing.”

Iris’ breathing became erratic and she almost wheezed as she tried to continue telling her story.

“I dropped the bags and ran inside of the barroom, and he was there, holding a gun to the owner’s head. I don’t know when the owner got there or what happened before I came in the room but he was screaming, pleading for his life. I couldn’t believe what was going on, I didn’t even know Ty owned a gun. The owner’s face was bloody, like he had just been beaten up. I couldn’t recognize the look on Ty’s face. Like he was proud of what he had done. It scared me to my core.

“Then I heard sirens coming from a distance and I knew that if we didn’t leave straight away, the police would catch us and we’d never be able to leave and do what he had promised me we would do together. He looked at me and smiled, and suddenly I felt like maybe It was going to be okay.

“He raised his arm towards the ceiling and shot at it. The sound of the gunshot completely blindsided me and I covered my head with my arms. Bits of the ceiling started to come down on us. I thought Ty had done it to distract the owner or something so we could get away. But when I opened my eyes, he was gone and the gun was at my feet.”

Iris exhaled a shaky breath before looking back down at her feet, tears cascading down her flushed cheeks as she cried out.

“The police came in and arrested me on the spot for armed robbery. I quickly realized Ty had used me. He didn’t care about the liquor bottles, all he wanted was the cash from the register. He took all of it. And he left me there to take the fall so he could get out. He didn’t care about me. I was just a stupid teenage girl who’d been naïve enough to trust him.”

Drake’s eyes were wide with shock and he let go of Iris’ hands, passing his fingers through his hair as he tried to process what he had just heard. This made her heart break.

“What happened next,” he inquired, voice steady but quiet.

“I don’t know why but the owner didn’t press charges against me. I still had a court date but apparently there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest that I had had a big enough part in the burglary to go to an actual juvenile detention center. Instead they sent me to some sort of group home for young delinquents which was basically juvie but I didn’t have a record at least. It was hell.

“I did my best to fly under the radar and eventually when I turned 18, I had another court date. They decided I wouldn’t have to go to jail and I was free to go. I left the group home and tried to look for a job. I just wanted to get as far away from that part of my life as possible. I worked as a waitress in a tiny bar and I eventually made enough money to move to Queens in a small apartment just for me. I changed my name and got a new job at another bar, made a few friends, moved on. I became tough, but at least I had gotten out of that place. Ended up working at this new bar for 6 years, until you came in, and my entire world was turned upside down.”

Drake grunted approvingly, eyes locked on the floor beneath his feet. Everything he had just learned was unbelievable. Iris had never told him about her past, only small details, things that seemed normal without the context he had just been granted.

He knew she loved her mom’s mac & cheese as a kid, but he hadn’t known it was because her mom never made anything else. He knew Iris was an avid fan of Queens, but he had never realized it was because it had been her first real home. He knew she was tough as nails, but he had never understood where her immense strength came from.

A sudden urge to hold her washed over him and he instantly pulled her into a warm and protective embrace, the act taking Iris by surprise. Her eyes were wide with shock and she gasped, her heart rapidly beating against her ribs.

“You don’t hate me?” she cried, unable to contain the emotions bubbling beneath the surface.

“Hate you?” Drake asked. He pulled away just enough to look her deep in the eyes, sending her a warm look as he smiled softly.  

“I saw that you were perfect and so I loved you. Then I saw that you were not perfect and I loved you even more,” he said softly.

Iris’ heart throbbed and she cried in her lover’s arms, relief spreading over her in an overwhelming wave.

Never in a million years had she thought she would find someone who could love her unconditionally the way he did. She had just told him about her entire past, every sordid little thing about the person she had once been, the person she had despised for so long. But if he could find a way to forgive her, maybe she could learn to forgive herself too. Iris held him tightly, thanking her lucky stars for giving her a home like this one.

After a few minutes of peace and quiet in each other’s arms, Iris looked up at Drake, a frown spreading on her beautiful face.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. How do I fix this?” she asked.

Her lover look down at her and smiled.

“I don’t know, but we’ll find a way…together.”

And eventually, they did.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed my fic! ty for reading :)  feedback is always appreciated!!

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[onepdumpsterfire]

Summary: Usopp moves to the city after a year since his mom died in a way to feel closer to her. There he looks for a roommate and finds none other than Zoro himself. what fate has in store for them is left for a later date lol

Roommates

Usopp . Zoro

It’s been almost a year since my mom died. She’s been sick for a long time, so I knew this was coming for some time now.

Even so, knowing didn’t stop it from hurting just as much.

Since her funeral, all I’ve done is coop myself up in our house. I’d probably turn into a hermit if it weren’t for my neighbor, Kaya. She came around whenever she had the chance.

That was nice of her considering what she has been going through…

But the more she worried about me, the guiltier I felt.

I know that she can't help but take care of people. Hell, It's why she’s been studying pharmaceutics, but I also know she can do so much more with her life. She could be some big-city doctor or researching to cure cancer!

Wouldn’t that be so much cooler than being stuck in a no-name city, too small to even afford more than the one clinic it has?

In any event, that’s only one of the reasons why I’ve decided to move away for a while. I think some time out of this house would do me some good.

The city that I’m moving to isn’t all that big and a bit further than I’d like it to be, but that’s the point of moving, right?

One way or another, I chose this city because my mom fell in love with it. She used to tell me about how, when she was young, she used to travel all over! She’d seen it all. Every tourist attraction and big-name city, but there was something about this city that just took her breath away. She told me that this place managed to calm her need to be constantly moving. This is also where she got pregnant with me then later she moved back to where she was raised and had me.

As much as she loved it there, she wanted me to go out on my own and find a place that would ‘sate my most wild urges and fuel my deepest desires,’ as cheese-ly as she put it.

At first, I thought she was joking.

I thought that she only liked that place because it’s where she met dad… It’s also why I hated this city.

My father was a coward that ran away as soon as my mom got sick. Though, she never blamed him for it. I never got to as her why, though. Years later, I did ask her if I was right. That she only romanticized this place because she fell in love there. However, she told me that he was only part of the reason why she loved this city so much, and that if I didn’t believe her then I should go find the depth of this city for myself.

I debated with myself for the longest time. Whether this was the right choice, or if I was ready to set foot in the place I used to loath so much. But being here now, I feel so much smaller than I thought I was. I’m nowhere near the heart of the city, but the sheer enormity for this place makes it feel like it’s trying to swallow me whole.

Sure, back home we had a lot of open fields and the horizon was always noticeable, but here the buildings towered over everything. It felt like a tsunami that threatened impact but never collided. The horizon was replaced by millions of stars that fell from the sky and sat just out of reach so that if you got too close thy’d turn into someone else’s day. Someone’s life.

There are so many people here that It almost made it feel lonely. Being surrounded by so many lives yet being so far from them. A mirage in a desert, one could call it. It promises life, but the closer you get the more you realize you could never get close enough.

I guess I was too much of a coward to be as alone as I felt when I first stepped foot here, though, I’ll keep telling myself it’s because the apartments here are too pricey and I only managed to land a job as a gas station attendant. Nevertheless now I’m sitting on the first floor of a fully furnished two-bedroom apartment checking a roommate wanted ad I posted earlier this week.

So far there have been only two people who wanted to move around this area, but one ghosted me after a few messages and the other ended up creeping me out so much that I had to report his account! I just hope the last person that answered my ad isn’t as much of a weirdo as the previous two.

They seem to be a bit curt, but I shouldn’t get too picky. Rent for next month is gonna be due soon, and there is barely anyone who wants to live near this area as is!

I’m sure that they’re nicer in person! I shouldn’t worry. It’s just two days.

Two days.

-2 days later. Thursday 2:30 pm -

When I arrive at the coffee shop, I walk straight to the back of the line. It isn’t that long and I’ve got here thirty minutes early, so I should have time for a drink before they get here.

Should I get something for them too? No, that’d be weird, and it would probably get cold by the time they get here.

The person in front of the line leaves and we all step forward.

Shit.

Someone arrives and lines up behind me.

I didn’t ask for their name! I don’t even know if they’re a boy or a girl!

The next person leaves and we take another step forward.

Is it too late to ask? Would it be weird if I did?

Another step forward

What if they’re a girl? Would they feel uncomfortable living with a guy?

“-ir?”

I did put on the ad I was a dude though…

“-cuse me, sir?”

“Huh?” The barista’s voice brings me back to earth. “Oh, sorry!”

“It’s okay!” her chipper voice rung out, “could you repeat your order? I didn’t quite catch it.”

“O-oh, sorry. Sorry. I didn’t mean to talk out loud. I was lost in thought, I guess... haha ...” I looked up to their hanging menu, more so to look away from her than to figure out what I wanted.

After putting in my order I take a seat at the very back.

Ten minutes later my drink was ready and my anxiety was rising again.

What if they don’t come?

Five minutes later and I sent them a message to let them know I’m here.

Maybe I could’ve phrased it better?

That sounded weird…?

God, is that a typo?

five minutes later

They haven’t answered, but that’s okay! It’s only been five minutes. Can’t expect them to be by their phone 24/7 right?

I’ll play some games on my phone to distract myself. Yeah, that’ll be fine. It’s fine.

I take a big gulp from my drink

I downloaded that new game. My hopes aren’t high for it, though. I found it via a random Facebook ad. Hopefully, it’s not one of those scams that say 90% of people can’t pass level five, but it’s only ‘cus no one lasts long enough to get to level five.

Hmmm… it seems plays well. A bit of a lag but the graphics are awesome! The old-style, pixelated art and bright, neon, solid colors give it a very retro vibe. The ads between levels kind of ruin the experience, though.

Guess they gotta make money somehow, right?

I wonder if they’ll go away if I turn off my data and Wi-Fi.

I shouldn’t just in case the person I’m meeting tries to reach me.

Could be fine for a round or two, though, I’d anxiously suffer through all of it.

I shouldn’t just in-

A sudden scraping sound from the chair opposite of me jolts me from my hypnotic state. “Hey,” a green-haired man in front of me mutteres before taking the seat he pulled out.

Taking in his form as he makes himself comfortable, my mind begins to race. Green dyed hair with roots of black hair showing. Fitted, sleeveless Nike shirt and black basketball shorts paired with a white pair of sneakers.

Oh, god. What’s with the green hair? He looks super buffed. Am I about to be mugged? No, that’s stupid. He wouldn’t have sat- in a cafe, really?

I quickly glance down at my phone for the time.

Exactly 3. Is he super punctual? More than likely a fluke, but impressive nonetheless. What if he’s a perfectionist?

My thoughts continue to swarm around my head, buzzing in an insatiable mob until a humming silence washes over me. Like one of those box televisions from back in the day. Not broadcasting anything in particular, stuck on a blue screen, droning on in silence.

The sudden stillness in my thoughts came so abruptly that it almost gave me whiplash. That aside, I need to focus now and answer him.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t ask for your name-” I left my statement open so that he could fill in the blank“-Zoro”

“R-right, Zoro. My name’s Usopp,” I waved my hands like the gesticulation would somehow help my words form into a coherent sentence, “but you probably already knew that from my ad... Hah..” I gave a quick huff before pushing through my awkward inexperience with ‘interviews’. “I was thinking we could talk and get to know each other before I take you to see the apartment.”

“That’s fine by me,” Zoro relaxed further in his seat. “What do you wanna know?”

Right at home, ain’t he.

~Do you smoke? “No”

~Are you a messy person? “I don't have a lot of things other than clothes.”

Doesn't quite answer the question but ill take it.

~Do you have friends over often? “No”

~What do you do for a living? “I’m a bouncer at a bar near here.”

Explains the muscle.

~Can you pay rent on time? “Yes, actually I brought the first month’s with me. Your ad said that split cost between the both of us plus the utilities would be $487 right?” Zoro dug around his pocket before pulling out a folded wad of cash and handing it to me.

“U-uh yeah,” tentatively I reach over to take the money. “Yeah...” I doubt I can find someone else by the end of the month. Zoro’s my safest bet at getting a roommate before next rent's due. He doesn’t seem so bad, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.

...I guess this means there’s only one more question to ask.

“Do you wanna see the apartment?”

[1-800-choke-that-snoke]

Hello, friends! This is a piece written for @itsaconquestofimagination in celebration of Eid al-Fitr. It’s been more than a year since I’ve written any fic, so I’m still shaking some rust off. I might continue it in the future as a multi-chapter piece in the near future. 

~1800 words, sfw, fluff

                __________________________________________

7:59 

You impatiently tap your fingers on the counter, watching the tiny screen of your phone as the time glows brightly on your phone screen. You made sure to straighten up your tiny living room, clean out the horribly decayed food in your fridge left by your roommate, bring out the fourteen empty mugs piled up in your room. 

Footsteps. 

You couldn’t help but smirk a bit as he walked onto your porch. You’d recognize his gait anywhere: heavy, smooth, purposeful. He stopped at your door, and there was the slightest moment of silence. 

8:00 

The doorbell rang. Kylo was always precisely on-time, a trait encouraged by his mother, and later beaten into him by Snoke. You answered the door with a bit more enthusiasm than you intended, cheeks burning. “Kylo!” you beamed, beckoning him inside. 

“Hey, (Y/N),” he said pleasantly. He gave you a warm smile, but you still saw the tiredness in his eyes. He stepped into the tiny apartment, ducking a bit to keep his head from brushing against the doorway. He had his hands stuffed deeply in his pockets, a nervous habit of his, as he stood by the tiny kitchen counter. 

You went into your refrigerator and pulled out the Brita filter he bought for you when you first reconnected, when you first moved into the apartment. You weren’t too fond of using it everyday, but you always made a point to use it whenever he was over. “So, Kylo Ren, what brings you here on a Sunday?” you ask, pouring a couple glasses of water and handing him one. Normally, his Sundays were reserved for late-night family dinners. Tense, passive-aggressive, uncomfortable family dinners, minus one ‘mysteriously disappeared’ father.

“Well, I thought that since Eid starts tomorrow—” 

“Eid ends tonight, actually,” you said, bringing the glass to your lips. 

“Oh,” he muttered nervously, looking like he missed the date for an important exam. “Uhm…” He cleared his throat, redness burning across his face, unable to meet your amused gaze. “So, Wikipedia lied to me…” 

You snorted into your water, nearly choking with laughter. 

Kylo stood silent, taking a moment to work his nerve back up after his blunder. “Uhm, your… the fasting is over though, right?” 

You nodded. 

“Great!” He smiled in relief, his plan getting back on track. You couldn’t help but smile with him. You loved the way his dark eyes lit up, the temporary disappearance of the otherwise permanent fatigue etched on his scarred face. “Since your family is too far away to visit, I thought we could go ou—” He cut off, losing his nerve for just a moment. “Uh, I thought we could have a little celebration of our own.” 

Your heart fluttered. “And, uh, what did you have in mind?” 

He cleared his throat. “Well…I thought I could take you to your favorite restaurant.”

You cocked your head a bit. It was a lovely offer on his end, but Dex’s Diner was a nearly two-day drive—you’d definitely need to cut class to make it, and that wasn’t something you were willing to do. Well, maybe you’d make an exception for Kylo…

“They just opened up a new Dex’s nearby,” he said, a slight eagerness creeping into his voice. “It’s only a couple hours from here.”  

“Really?! Where?” 

“Inside Disneyland.” 

You gasped in delight, absolute joy spreading across your face. He grinned; his ears reddened behind his thick, plushy hair. “So, I’ll pick you up tomorrow?” 

“For sure!” You paused. “You’ll still hang out tonight too, right?” 

“Absolutely.”  

                                                            ***

Kylo had a tendency to switch between suave and painfully awkward. You, however, had quickly grown quite comfortable in his presence, cozy, so you found the morning car ride to be quite lovely. The two of you rode in tranquil silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. 

After getting out of the car and stretching your legs in the parking lot, you started packing your bag for the trip—or in Kylo’s case, stuffing his oversized pockets with loose change, breath mints, his wallet—and a knife. “Kylo Ren,” you said gently, unable to suppress an amused smile. “You can’t take your switchblade into Disneyland.” 

“It’s not a switchblade. It’s my asthma inhaler.” He gave you a mischievous wink and you couldn’t help but smile a bit as he slipped it into his pocket. 

Sure enough, the bag checker pulled him aside after he emptied his pockets. 

“I’m sorry sir, but unfortunately you cannot take a weapon into the park,” she said flatly.  

“It’s actually my asthma inhaler.” 

“Oh. Yes, of course. My apologies.” The checker handed Kylo the knife, much to the horror of a nearby group of moms. “Enjoy your visit!” 

                                                           ***

Kylo reserved your seats nearly two weeks in advance, so you were able to completely bypass the line that stretched nearly fifty people, smiling sweetly at the glaring faces you cut in front of. The two of you sat right beside the pond, filled with ducks and little turtles. 

“Hello! I’m Lewy Mitaka and I’ll be your server for the evening,” the tiny waiter chirped pleasantly, placing a large platter of hummus, muhammara, and hot pita bread on the table. “What would we like to drink?” 

“Mango sharbat, please,” you said sweetly, “Light ice.” 

“Just water for me,” he grumbled, not looking up from the menu. He glanced at his watch: 11:45. “(Y/N), are you ready to order?” he asked you, his voice noticeably softer when addressing you. 

You nodded. You’d memorized the menu years ago; you could recite it in your sleep. “Lamb quzi, please. A side of rice biryani, and some honey halva,” you said, handing over the menu. 

“I’ll have that, too. It comes recommended from a good friend.” He winked at you, causing you to turn beet-red, and Lewy smiled as he scribbled on his little notepad.

“Okay! We’ll have your food out very soon. Enjoy your visit to the park.” 

The food arrived in less than fifteen minutes, and the smell alone triggered a loud growl in your stomach. Kylo somehow timed everything perfectly, like he always did. He bounced slightly in his chair, excited to eat, always ready to eat, but he waited, his soft brown eyes focused on you, as if he was waiting for a cue. 

You cleared your throat, blushing with his gaze held so intently on you. “Yes, Kylo Ren?” 

“Uhm, I know you’ve told me this before. There’s a little thing you say sometimes. You know, before you eat.” He was always eager to learn, even before he met you. It was so different to the emptiness he was raised on, the darkness under Snoke’s thumb. There was so much richness to it, so much community and joy. 

“ I say ‘Bismillah’,” you said warmly. 

“Bismillah,” he said slowly, cautiously, the phrase flowing smoothly on his tongue. “Bismillah,” he repeated. The smile he gave you was almost enough to make you fall out of your chair. 

The food was fantastic, as always. Kylo was quick to jump to the main dish, but you saw his brow furrow as his Mickey Mouse knife failed to cut through the tender quzi. “Damnit, these knives are so dull,” he growled, furiously sawing at his lamb to no avail. He whipped out his switchblade and started cutting through the meat with relative ease, much to your amusement. 

Lewy walked up to your table, nervously clutching a stack of menus to his chest. “Excuse me, sir, is that a pocket knife?” 

“It’s my asthma inhaler,” he said flatly, still slicing up the meat. 

“Ah.” Lewy relaxed his shoulders. “My mistake. Please enjoy the rest of your meal.” 

With your stomach nearly bursting, you two decided that it would be best to avoid any tumultuous rides. Thunder Mountain was a short walk away, so the two of you queued up behind a father glued to his phone and his little son, no older than four. The boy was trotting up and down the line, boisterously greeting any stranger who would acknowledge him. He made his way to you and Kylo and held up his battered Batman toy, one of its ears broken off. “Lookit Batman!” he squealed. Kylo couldn’t suppress the ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and gave the child a curt nod. 

As you moved up in the line, you came to stand inside the fake cave behind the deafening waterfall. You leaned on the slippery railing, watching the falling water. Despite the noise, you found it comforting, almost hypnotizing, and it blocked out the sounds of screaming children. Kylo leaned beside you, but his movements were a bit more hesitant than usual. 

You kept your eyes on the waterfall, but you focused on Kylo slowly edging toward you. Yes, you thought to yourself, your pounding heart leaping into your throat. You were careful not to turn your eyes on him, not wanting to spook him. Yes, yes, it’s happening. He was less than a couple inches from you, and you saw him raise his hand, hover it slightly over yours. Yes yes yes—

“Escue me!” 

Kylo yanked his hand back and whipped around, startled by the child standing at his feet. 

Nooo, you thought bitterly. Evil child, evil…

The little boy turned his head this way and that, gaping at Kylo’s scar, completely mystified. “Mister, what happen on your face?” 

An evil smirk crept across Kylo’s lips. “I got attacked by the vampire hiding in this cave.” 

The child started howling, his echoing screams bouncing off the cave walls and scaring everyone in line, and latched onto his father’s leg. His father, unable to pry him off, awkwardly limped out of line with the dozens of glaring faces following him out. 

You leaned against the railing—now a little closer to the front—and Kylo joined you once again. He cleared his throat, keeping his eyes locked on the water. Despite the noise, you could hear him clearly—his voice could cut through anything, another one of his uncanny traits. “Remember when I said I wanted to start a Quranic class?” 

You nodded. It was just last week. When you were younger, when he was full of life and love and curiosity, he was always asking questions, always wanting to learn, to connect. And now, after all this time, you could see it returning. 

“Well, registration opened up a few days ago, so I signed up for the intro course. I start on Tuesday.” 

“Kylo, that’s fantastic!” you beamed. 

Warmth fluttered in his chest, and the two of you fell into a comfortable silence, watching the waterfall. From the corner of your eye, you could see him cautiously edging closer to you. You chose not to react just yet, not wanting to risk frightening him. Slowly, delicately, he put his enormous arm around your shoulder. You leaned fully into his embrace and held his other hand against your cheek, relishing his warmth against the chilly air. 

[talltalesandbedtimestories]

The Hunter Who Loved Me (Part 1)

Series Page

Characters/Pairing: Dean Winchester, Castiel, Jack Kline, Dean x OFC

Series Summary: Part Three of Some Sunny Day. Dean's trying to balance his new relationship with Julie and his need to hunt. How long can he keep it from her? And can Julie keep her curiosity at bay?

Section Word Count: 6300

Section Content: language, fluff, dirty talk, smut, Domestic!Dean, Slight Dom!Dean

How did I get so lucky? That this was turning into just another day in her life with Dean Winchester made her shake her head. This has to be what it feels like to win the lottery.

Julie sprayed the top of the sliding glass door with a window cleaner. She took time to enjoy all the sexiness on the other side of the glass, the view of Dean in her backyard, while attending to her household chore. A few final touches and Dean would be done with the assembly. Crouched down and bent at the knees, Dean added some utensil hooks to the side of the grill. Unknowing, he was giving her all of that gorgeous, serious profile of his to study. Sunshine streaked through his hair and flamed the fiery orange-red tips incognito most of the time. She wiped away the cleaner slipping over her view. 

The grill had been an impromptu purchase on her end the weekend before. She and Dean had gone to, of all places, a home improvement store together. He had noticed a couple things around her house that needed fixing. But he wanted to run the ideas past her and some options before he went ahead and did anything. It was very domestic and thoughtful of him. It brought a huge grin to her face. 

He’d snuck a peck on her cheek when they were alone in the garden and patio center, talking about the drop in price of some seasonal stuff. His eyes lit up at a behemoth gas grill. He whistled and spouted off the stats: three burners, one on the side, plus a sear station burner to boot. The sucker could deliver 60,000 BTUs, which according to Dean, was awesome. Those meaty, handy fingers of his glided over the stainless steel top. Julie heated up.

It was decided that since Julie was throwing Brigida a surprise birthday party that following weekend and the October weather was pleasant enough, why not buy a grill and make it an outdoor affair. Most of the guests would end up outside anyway. Would Dean be keen on manning the meat for her? Julie tossed the unintentional innuendo out and had the six foot plus Adonis blushing in the middle of the display floor.

Satisfied with the streak free glass, Julie went out to check on Dean’s status. He leaned up from his work position and smiled. “All good. She’s ready for action. Just lit her up.”

Julie nodded, sighing in relief. “Cutting it close.” A couple hours from now the guests would arrive. And Brigida would definitely be on time, if not earlier, an hour after that.

“Yeah. But, it only took me threatening three store clerks at nine am this morning. Pulled a working igniter out of the floor model to get this baby up and running.” He waved both hands in the air with a flourish. “Now, we’re golden. No more nose crinkles. The meat’s marinating in your fridge.” He cocked a thumb over to Wes and Samuel’s house. “They’ve got the booze covered and some side dishes.”

“You need me to dash out for anything else before I finish up my food and the cookies to go along with the ice cream cake?”

He shook his head and drew her in by the waist, their bodies snug. “You trust me with all that fire power?”

Her hand rubbed over his vintage AC/DC t-shirt right under the collar. Sweat stippled his brow from the running around and grill tweaking. The mix of it with his sharp, clean soap scent got her warm and tingly. God, how does he make sexy so effortless? “You can handle it. I’m no Prometheus. You should worry more about my mom trying to take over the grill once she gets here.”

“Hey, it’s her birthday. If she wants the tongs and spatula, I’ll hand them over and be her sous chef.”

Julie smiled. “She’d probably love that.”

He grinned and bent down to dust her bottom lip with his mouth. “How many we gotta feed again?”

She rattled off the memorized total. “Twenty-two, not including us. Fifteen adults, three kids, two teenagers, and two dogs.”

Dean tipped his head. “Piece of cake.”

Julie smirked. “Not pie?”

His fingers flirted over the denim covering her ass. “Saving your pie for later.” He leaned down again for a deeper kiss.

Julie’s backyard had never seen such activity. Lawn chairs scattered over the freshly mowed lawn. Stacey and Carl’s two older children, Evan, 10, and Rory, 7, played cornhole in the driveway. Brigida had latched onto their youngest boy, two year old Dylan, right after everyone had given her a Happy Birthday surprise welcome. Karen’s boyfriend, Carter, the New York Mergers and Acquisitions lawyer, Wes, and Carl kept Dean company by the grill. He seared chicken, flipped hot dogs, checked and rechecked the pork ribs, sipped his beer, and took doneness requests for the beef burgers. 

Samuel chatted under the covered patio with Karen, Stacey, Cat and her partner Sheila, along with the handful of Brigida’s Little Italy neighbors that had made the short trek out of the city to celebrate. Karen’s teenage boys hid most of the time, busy on their phones under the shade of the carport. Julie attempted to involve Karen’s oldest, Khaleel - a sullen 16 who more than likely wanted to be anywhere else - asking if he would man the playlist blaring out of the portable bluetooth speaker. The younger by two years, Kevin, emerged from his cocoon to explain TikTok to Dean. The explanation only furrowed the cook’s brow even more.

Julie caught Dean’s this-is-for-the-guests smile settle into the I’m-actually-kinda-glad-to-see-you version when Cas and Jack finally showed up. Cas had picked up some weekend shifts to make ends meet. Jack was still working his side job as much as he could, balancing school, to save up for his trip to Texas over Winter Break. He was going to MIRL with this fantasy girl if it was the last thing he ever did. At least, that was the confession he had told Julie as the four hung out for a movie and pizza over Dean’s a month back.

Cas took his usual post at Dean’s right side by the grill. Julie glanced over every so often at the comical duo. Somewhere between Abbott and Costello and Martin and Lewis. Dean monitored his friend’s interactions with the new group of men. If Cas needed to pull back on the conversation a bit or shift to another topic, Dean cued him with a slight shake of a head or cough. Cas held his beer in a fierce grip and mimicked Dean when he took a sip. God, there is so much codependency there. What they hell did they go through together? Dean gave Jack a pair of tongs and had him man the second round of dogs. Jack smiled from ear to ear like a teenager getting the keys to the car after passing his driver’s license. And, he’s like a second dad to that kid.    

As was always the case in hosting, and determined to not have her mom lift a finger, Julie barely had time to relax or eat for the first hour of the party. She made sure the other food got served when Dean plattered and presented grilled meats. The two of them used a lot of hand gestures and miming to coordinate everything. Dean would every so often switch things up and make Julie blush with a few obscene ones.   

Once Dean had been schooled by Cat on Salt and Pepa’s breeds - a Samoyed and Belgian Sheepdog, respectively - he had them eating out of and drooling into his hands for scraps. Cas and Jack procured a frisbee from the outdoor toys and tossed it back and forth with the kids. The dogs played monkey in the middle.

Dean called out to Julie once everyone else was situated and eating. “Jules! Got a medium-well burger with your name on it, ready in a minute.” He winked over. She set the last of the latest round of drinks in front of guests and gave him a thumbs up.

Stacey cooed. “Knows just how you like your meat, does he?”

The old college friends did their share of giggling and cackling. Julie pointed a finger from Samuel to Stacey. “No more of your red wine for this one.” 

Carl tapped his wife’s knee. “Take it easy, sweetie.” Stacey gave her husband a slobbery raspberry on the cheek.

“That is a sweet ride.” Carter pointed to Baby in Dean’s driveway as her owner snuck behind Julie. He presented a cheeseburger on a perfectly toasted bun. Julie smiled at the lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles - all her favorites - already on top. The charred meat and fixings smelled divine. Her stomach grumbled. A side glance noted her mom’s own smiling face. Brigida stared over at the both of them while talking to the two older couples.

“Well, you can take a look under the hood later if you want, Carter. Rebuilt her more times than I can count.” He whispered in Julie’s ear. “Eat something before you pass out.”

She grinned, wanting to tease that he sounded like Brigida, but thought better of it. Stacey and the crew were watching their interactions like hungry vultures, ready to pounce on anything too tasty to tease about.

“So, Dean, if the ladies have another girls’ night, maybe we can get us a poker game over at my house.” Carl interjected.

Sheila chimed in, “Only if I can join.”

Julie overheard Cas whisper to Dean in confusion. “Wouldn’t Sheila be a part of girls’ night?”

Dean muttered back, “Not if she has better taste in music than the rest of them.”

Carter shook his head. “Oh, God, you wiped me out last time we played poker Sheila.”

Dean cocked a brow and gave Sheila a lopsided grin. “Some actual competition. Sounds like we gotta make that happen soon.”

Sheila tipped her beer to Dean and gave his frame a thorough inspection.

“My poker skills would benefit from someone new to play with, as well.” Cas nodded to Sheila. “I know all of Dean’s tells at this point. It’s getting rather boring.”

Sheila patted the empty seat next to her. “You might be my new best friend, then, Cas.”

Cas smiled and puffed out his chest.

Dean whispered to Julie, “Should I break the news that he hasn’t a shot in hell?”

Karen helped Julie with some of the kitchen cleanup before dessert. It was really a ruse for alone time and girl talk.

“How was it?” Karen asked in a hushed tone, in case anyone snuck in. She’d known about Julie going on birth control again. Had actually been the one to give her the idea in the first place.

“Which time?” Julie smiled. “We’ve been at it every night since the middle of this week when I surprised him.” She added. “Sometimes two or three times.”

“Jesus. Two or three? Carter’s five years younger than me and two times in one night has never… never happened. Three?” Karen fanned herself over the sink and running water. “How are you handling all that man, Jules?” Her brown eyes widened while she rinsed plates to drop in the dishwasher. 

Julie answered by holding her hands apart to approximate Dean’s length.

“Get the fuck out of here!” Karen’s voice raised. She slapped a palm over her mouth at the outburst. Water and suds flew everywhere.

Julie crossed a finger over her chest, blinking at the water that splashed her face. “When have I lied under oath?” 

“Be careful or you’re going to get a UTI.” She added in a whisper, “From all that fucking.”

Julie laughed. “I booked a follow up with my gyno as soon as I got the prescription. I see her next week.” She whispered back. “Kar, it was amazing, mind blowing before this. But now, it’s like…” Julie trailed off, daydreaming about her lover in the backyard. Her insides sore, throbbing with the memory of him; a deep and beautiful stoking she couldn’t wait to experience again. 

“I think Carter and Carl have crushes on him.” Karen shook her head. “Carter might come in his pants if he gets that car tour.”

“Don’t tell Cat, but I think Sheila might be crushing, too.” Julie giggled.

“We heard that!” Stacey and Cat screamed in unison. Karen and Julie screamed back in shock. Cat, a bit tipsy herself this afternoon, sported a toothy grin. From Julie’s vantage, she was lighter than usual, airy even. One of her arms draped over Stacey’s shoulders as the duo sashayed into the kitchen.

“Only speaking the truth.” Karen raised a hand as the other still clutched her chest at the friendly fright.

Stacey waved a hand. “I get dibs on Dean when Jules is done with him.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Julie rolled her eyes. “Not planning on it anytime soon, Stace.”

Cat opened her mouth. Her eyes caught the threat Julie’s eyes beamed with an intentional telepathy. Cat snapped her jaw shut before the other ladies noticed.

“Not fair to keep all the juicy details to yourself.” Stacey whined, sliding out from Cat’s grip and into one of the kitchen chairs. She slumped over the table, elbow propped, cradling her chin in a manicured hand. “Some of us have needs.” She sighed.

Cat leaned against a counter, eyes glazed behind her glasses. “I think Brigida’s had one too many.”

Julie was happy for the segway but not pleased with the content. She settled her own glasses against the bridge of her nose in a nervous tick. “Really? A saw her with a glass of wine. But, she usually only has a little.”

“I think Wes and Samuel made her a special birthday cocktail.”

“Ugh.” She wiped both hands down across her face. “Love ‘em but those men and their alcohol.”

Stacey did her best pigeon impression again. “Do you love ‘em as much as Dean?”

A very deep throat clearing had all four ladies turn their head to the hallway. Dean stood there carrying a huge empty platter covered in meat bits and juices. “Am I interrupting something?” Julie blushed at the proud grin on his face. He skimmed past Stacey’s seated frame. Stacey was eye level with the denim hugging his ass and licked her lips. He excused himself again and slid around Cat, lifting the platter over Julie’s head winding past, to end up near Karen by the sink. “This is a nasty one. Let me take care of this, Karen.” He offered.

She shook her head. “Hand it over. Least we can do after you did such a stellar job at the grill. You got Kevin to eat a burger that doesn’t come in a fast food bag.”

“That is high praise. Thanks.” He smiled and gave Julie a once over before asking, “Anything else have to go out?”

“You think I should grab the ice cream cake out of the basement fridge?”

“It might be a good idea soon.” Dean shrugged. “Everyone’s either winding down or is pretty hammered.” He glanced over at Stacey.

Julie nodded and pointed at the counter behind him. “Would you take that tray out with the dessert plates and all the other necessities? Pretty please?”

He winked. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Stacey groaned. “Ugh. Could you two reel in the cuteness?”

Julie ignored the request. “Thank you. Cat.” She turned to ask her friend. “Wanna help me with the cake?” 

“Um, sure.” Cat hesitated.

When they got down to the basement, Julie listened to ensure Dean’s heavy steps had made their way out the sliding door and Stacey and Karen were busy talking in the kitchen.

“I’m not the best person to ask to carry a cake upstairs.” Cat mumbled.

“You can spot me.” Her hand rested on the fridge handle. “Speaking of looking out for me…”

“I know. I haven’t reached out much since that last conversation we had.” Cat shrugged. “You sounded happy that night, with him. I figured I should mind my own business for once and stop investigating.”

“Thank you, Cat.” Julie smiled.

“He seems decent, Julie. A good guy, even. Simple. Easy.” Cat waved a hand. “I don’t mean either of those things as a negative.”

Julie laughed. “I know. But, trust me, he’s anything but simple or easy to figure out.” She tilted her head. “I’ve been thinking... would you send me over a couple of those books you found?”

Cat pursed her lips. “I’ll think about it.”

It was ten o’clock by the time Dean and Julie finished with a majority of the clean up from the party. The last dishwasher load had been started, all the guests had gone home, and Brigida was fussing in the kitchen. Dean looked like a very uncomfortable giant next to the birthday lady.

“I don’t need-ah to stay.” Brigida insisted. “Dean-ah can take me home.” Her Italian accent was a lot heavier laced with alcohol.

“No, Dean can’t. None of us should be driving, Ma. We’ve all had a bit too much to drink. You have your extra meds here in your room. You’re going to take them, drink lots of water, and go to bed.”

She waved her hands. “I don’t want to be in the way.”

Julie rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Brigida, we just threw a party for you. How could you think you’re in the way?” Dean asked with true sincerity in his voice.

“Dean-ah.” She clutched his forearm. “I don’t want-ah you to run home. And, I know-ah this one won’t leave me in the house alone-ah. Thinkin’ I won’t be able to walk twenty steps without falling over and knocking myself out-ah.”

Dean shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, I’m pretty tired. Long day.”  

“Ma, Dean can stay over if he wants to.” Julie widened her eyes to encourage Dean to play along.

“Ye-yeah. Sure. We’re both exhausted.” He faked a long yawn and stretched out an arm. “Sooo tired. Gonna conk out as soon as my head hits the pillow.”

Brigida grinned. “You are a bad liar.” She tapped his tummy. “Fine. I’ll get myself ready for bed.” She raised both arms at Julie. “Appy?”

“Very happy.” Julie smiled. “Need me to help you with anything?”

“No.” Brigida motioned for Dean to bend down. She gave him a very long mama bear hug and then squeezed a cheek. “Thank you.”

Julie’s heart warmed at the interaction.

His facial features squirmed under Brigida’s vice grip. “Welcome.”

When she retracted her fingers, she announced, “I’ll be up early cleanin’ and makin’ breakfast.” She shuffled out of the kitchen. Her loud voice rang out in the hallway. “Don’t come down here naked in the morning, Dean-ah. Not-ah unless you got plans for me.”

Dean snorted as Julie yelled. “Ma!” 

Dean shook his head. “She’s even more of a pistol drunk.” He wrapped arms around Julie when they were alone. “I’ll hang out until she’s in her room and sleeping. I don’t think it’ll take long. Help you clean up some more. Then, I’ll duck out.” His kiss was soft and warm.

Julie hummed. “You heard her. She’s making you breakfast.” She shrugged. “You can stay.”

Dean smiled. “Sweetheart, if I stay, we won’t be sleeping.”

“Good.”

They took turns in the upstairs bathroom. Dean first, as usual, since Julie took longer with her nighttime skin routine. Cleanser, applied to her face in gentle circular motions, wiped away the makeup and sweat from the day. Cool water splashed against her skin. Splashes of moments from the party entered her mind. Her mom’s absolute shock and then subsequent soft crying at the surprise. Stacey wrangled the girl power squad together for a group selfie. It would post onto the social medias before Stacey got well and fully sloshed. Cas pulled her to the side to give her a genuine, heartfelt thank you for the invitation. Jack assisted with the dish clearing without even having to be asked. Mom’s ancient, pudgy neighbor, Lydia, who didn’t move once from her seat under the patio, tugged at Julie’s wrist to tell her she needed to do a better job holding onto this man than the last one. 

She patted away most of the wetness with a face towel. This man. She opened the medicine cabinet to put away some items and grab the moisturizer. Everything she disliked about her face on bright display under the bathroom lighting. The pads of her fingers danced over the circles under her eyes and some of the wrinkles forming around her mouth. All those old Italian women and their snarky little comments. Wondering what Dean’s doing with me. Even with all of his secrets and all that she still didn’t know, she still felt that tug of insecurity. Not being good enough. His imperfections, the cracks appearing over the months of infatuation and obsession with this man, were making themselves known. But they were all things she could handle and cast aside at the end of the day. Because all it took was that one second of his eyes locking with hers in that way. That very Dean way. Craving it in that moment, she hurried and worked the cream into her skin.

She entered the dark bedroom. The only illumination was from the television, the volume low and muffled. White light from the screen flashed like lightning over Dean, laid out on the still made bed. 

He had slipped on the grey and blue plaid pajama bottoms Julie bought him. She picked them up as an afterthought one Sunday shopping when he’d started staying over a couple times a week. He came across them, folded and waiting, on the unspoken but understood side of Julie’s bed that was now his. A lopsided grin had been given as thanks.

There was a reason I didn’t buy him a shirt. A remote in hand rested on his tummy and that luscious bare chest. He cradled his head atop two pillows with his other palm; his biceps curled, primed, and ready for action. Legs crossed at the ankles and his foot swayed with an ancy rhythm. The image of him stretched out imprinted in her brain under the bright pops of light as if someone were taking lots of polaroids of this magnificent specimen.  

He turned to her, smiled, then whispered, “Wanna watch something?” The remote was used as a pointing device toward the floor. “I can’t tell if that’s a chainsaw or your mom snoring.”

Julie nodded. “I told you, you can hear everything in this house.”

“Maybe soundproofing needs to be another project.” He frowned. “This is going to be torture.”

She giggled low and soft, hands on her hips, cinching in her oversized nightshirt. “Why?”

His fingers skirted over the comforter creeping in her direction. “Cause I want to make you moan like the other night.” 

That very Dean way. The sexy stare made her smile drop. “Thought you were tired.”

“Come here, sweetheart.” He gave her a chin nod.

Julie sighed and eased onto the bed, aware of every creak and squeak. “Karen was right.”

“‘Bout what?” He opened an arm. His embrace clutched her to his warm chest.

She snuggled in. “You’re going to give me blushing bride syndrome.”

“A blushing what now?”

His lips pressed to hers cut off an immediate response. She nibbled on his chin when he released. “Too much sex. You know, can cause issues down there.”

He pulled back to study her face. “I’m not going to apologize for wanting you.”

“Not asking you to.” She pressed into him.

Mischief lined his lips. “Maybe I should take it easy on you. Give you a break. Since we have to be quiet and all.” He flashed the all-knowing, hot shit grin that stopped her heart. “I mean, we know you can’t keep that dirty little mouth of yours shut when mine’s all over you... or inside you.” His voice was husky and gritty, breathing near her ear. 

“Oh, really?” She whispered her retort. “Who was the one panting and groaning last night about how hard he was going to come?”

Dean latched onto one of her knees. The pull dragged a thigh to rest over his hip. His warm hand traveled and danced along her skin. It snuck under the night shirt; pushed it high up past her waist. Fingers clutched at the top of her bare ass and kneaded. He shifted into her more and wedged their bodies tight. “Nah. You couldn’t have heard that. You were too busy screaming my name over and over.”

A jarring motor-like sound drifted up from Brigida’s bedroom for only a second. They froze in place. Dean chuckled. Tangled together, Julie rested a finger on his mouth. “Shhh.” She pressed into the softness of his perfect pout with more force and threw in a nose crinkle for good measure.

“I wasn’t going to say anything…” His lips struggled to release the words under her finger. Julie had learned early on upon their meeting that Dean enjoyed teasing out a variety of reactions from her.

She sighed and relented the tiny attempt at restraint. “What?”

“When you were in the bathroom earlier and I got a good listen of it all. Actually had something to compare it to.” He paused. “You snore like your mom.” His grin spread slow and wide, lips pursed tight.

Julie’s eyes widened on defense. “No, I don’t.”

“Yeah, you do.” He nodded, still grinning, lifting his brow for emphasis. “Get so loud.” A slight, controlled circling of those strong hips began. The motion matched the sensual rhythm of his verbal descriptions. “You start off so nice and quiet. Then it’s up. And up. And up. Like a freight train in here some nights, sweetheart.”

A few more seconds of silence followed. “Shit.” That was the only admission Julie would allow, listening to his description of her inherited sleeping habits while succumbing to the wondrous feel of his body lighting her up. “Don’t compare me to my mother while doing that, Dean.”

Dean laughed and gave her another chin nod in victory. “Still. Proves my point. Can’t help yourself. Way louder and noisier than I could ever be.” 

Julie nuzzled close, finding the tunnel under his arm. Firm strokes down the slope of his back relished in the heat vibrating through his body. She ran a thumb back and forth over that plump pillow of a bottom lip. “You were the one that almost broke my headboard. Remember? Talk about noise.” And talk about fucking hot. “White knuckling it to get some leverage, slamming it into the wall.” His mouth parted and a hunger filled his gaze. She grinned at the erection hardening more in the pajamas against her patch of curls. “While you were slamming into me.”

He caught her thumb with a clench of teeth. His tongue flirted along the pad before he sucked at it with a low moan. His lips released it when he whispered back. “That was a memorable fuck, sweetheart. You under me. Letting me ride you so hard. Wish I could pound you like that for days. Wreck us both.”

“Jesus, Dean.” Julie moaned, rocking soft against his clothed cock.  “There wouldn’t be anything left of me.”

The hand left her ass, skirted under the shirt. Those meaty fingers landed on the curve of her breast and massaged into bliss. “But what a way to go.” He groaned, then peeled away enough to dip down and mouth a nipple through the shirt. “Shit, got me so hard.” He spoke between licks and sucks. “I wanna fuck you. All. The. Time.” The warmth and wet of his mouth soaked through to the taut nub. “All I could think about today was getting you alone. Here. Like this.” He nudged at the material with his nose to expose the dark, pebbly flesh to the air and his mouth. “Sliding inside you again. Nothin’ but me and you.” He suckled at her tit. When he came up for air and met her gaze, he whispered in that smoke and honey tone. “It feels like home inside you, Jules.”

Dean’s eyes lit up with another flash from the television. Glassy, eager and laser focused with intent. He always downplayed his ability to convey and verbalize feelings. But that confession, those six words - It feels like home inside you - made her whole body shiver. Like the night they’d first had sex. You feel so safe. It had been four little words back then. Not THOSE three little words. But it was pretty damn close.

“I think we should give ourselves a challenge.” The seriousness faded from his face, replaced with that impish grin. “A quiet, well contained, controlled fucking.”

Julie giggled, her body still buzzing from his actions and words. Her hands answered, pulling the pajamas down past his ass. He lifted up from the mattress an inch to assist with the disrobing. The fabric bunched around his knees.

He groaned when she tugged at his cock, free and rigid. She curled toes and peeled the material down far enough so he could shake his feet out the rest of the way. “Turn around, baby.” His voice held an authoritative tone. “Everything. Off.”

In the process of her slow and quiet one-eighty flip she rid herself of the nightshirt. The cool air in the room prickled at hot skin. He moaned at the sight. “That’s not being quiet.” She tisked.

He lassoed her in with a bear hug, onto her side, this time her back sealed along his chest. A haphazard pull at the band released the ponytail. His fingers brushed away strands. Searing lips attacked the exposed flesh of her neck. “Are you gonna be good for me?”

She stifled a moan and nodded.

“Hm.” Fingers slid into the folds, finding the wetness. “Very good so far.” He pushed farther in and searched. Circled her entrance. “All this for me already?” He groaned in her ear. “Goddamn, I wanna get my mouth on that. But we know you really can’t contain yourself when my face is between your legs.” Those fingers ended up at his mouth. She could smell her excitement, inches away. The sound of his lips sucking and his moans stoked her need. “Maybe a challenge for the morning.” He thought aloud.

His body, large and eclipsing, leaned up, shifting. His cock slid between the cheeks of Julie’s ass like a heat seeking missile. She let out a pitiful whine and bit her lip. They hadn’t even talked about that as an option. But every time his cock got tantalizingly close the thought had crossed her mind. She’d never wanted to try, not even with Steve. But Dean. Dean made her want to experience everything.

The sex with Dean had been many things over the past months: fun, playful, sweet, luxuriating, romantic, fast, rough, hard, naughty, and tons of dirty talk. Yet, none of that fifty shades stuff or roleplaying she had anticipated. Almost vanilla sex in comparison from what her mind could conjure up. 

Almost, but never vanilla. Not with Dean. It was that French Vanilla ice cream that you’d get at a family owned creamery worth a two hour drive. One made by an artisan, churned by hand. One bursting with flecks of vanilla bean hitting all the taste buds. It was rich, creamy, indulgent, velvety, cool, lolling about on your tongue, savoring the flavor in the moment, crystalizing a memory for wonderful recollections.  

Still, there was a palpable restraint by Dean, holding back, in terms of physical limits even if never in vocal declarations. Sometimes she thought she could feel the inner shift in Dean. It could be an imperceptible tell if their bodies weren’t so connected; a retraction of his muscles under that worn skin and the myriad of scars she would cling to in mounting desperation of the most amazing kind. He never out and out stated it. Dean never would. But she felt like the pilot in this jet when it came down to it. He was her trusty co-pilot, offering suggestions but always adhering to the final decision, charting her course, making sure she stayed on track, allowing her control. Allowing her safety. 

“No one’s gonna be quiet if we give that a try tonight.” Dean read her mind, again keeping her on track with the original plan. He scooted down, cupping her figure with his. “Any other night, sweetheart, you let me know.” He dotted her back with kisses and wedged a knee between her legs. The motion splayed her bottom half, spreading her. His palm crooked under her knee, bent it just so. “But, this way.” The cock tip pressed at the entrance. “I think we can both get what we need and not wake sleeping beauty.” He licked little patches along her shoulder blade. “What’s that thing you always say?”

Jesus, why is he teasing me now? “When?” She huffed out.

“When you come over and decide to clean up my kitchen.”

“No muss, no fuss?”

He rumbled into her back and began the slide. Inside. “Yeah. That’s it. No Muss. No Fuss.” His large palm grabbed at her breast, latched onto it, thumbed the nipple. She could feel the strength of his hips guiding the wondrous length and girth of his cock. He bottomed into her and stopped. She wanted to feel how tight his ass was clenched in that moment. Sought it out with a hand and squeezed. “Hm.” He approved of the action. “How does that feel, sweetheart?” His voice, low, deep.

“You feel so good inside me Dean. You feel good everywhere.” She moaned when the controlled pistoning switched on. 

“Hm. So, the quiet part is gonna be impossible for you, huh?”

She moaned again, softer, she thought. “This is me being quiet.”

“Baby?” He moaned out the question.

“Yeah?”

“Would you be alright if I helped keep you quiet?”

A fire lit up in her belly. “Yeah.”

He groaned. An arm threaded between her rocking body and the mattress. His hand slid up her chest, over her neck, her jaw. Settled over her mouth. “If it’s too much.” He panted. “If I get too carried away, you tap. Okay?”

She tapped his ass cheek to confirm she understood. Listened to his inhales and exhales. His thumb wedged between her upper lip and the underside of her nose. Two massive fingers clamped over her mouth. The other two had a firm grip under her chin, ensuring her lips stayed closed. All while he pumped in and out of her from behind, slow and purposeful.

“Feel so fucking good.” He whispered. His mouth pecked at her back, shoulder, her side, her arm, anywhere it could reach. “Four nights into your ‘I’m on the pill’ surprise.” He panted out his confession. “I’m sure I’m going to come down eventually, Jules. If that gives you some hope. About this blushing bride thing.” A soft growl left his mouth. “I mean, I’m no Superman.” She moaned into his hand when his pace and thrusts picked up. He was still very much in control and not rocking the bed like she knew he could. “But, I am Batman.” His chuckle vibrated into her back.

He shifted, circled, found that spot in her and focused all his energy. More muffled moans erupted from Julie.

“Shhh, sweetheart.” He used more of his palm against her mouth now, pressed harder against the flesh. “Be good for me.”

The subtle restraint was electric, increasing her pleasure tenfold. The sounds of her slick and his rutting inside her only made her more wet.

“I gotta feel you cum.” He begged. His other hand glided over the top of her thigh, rested against the mattress and palmed her pussy. “I’m gonna work you quick, baby. Okay?”

She nodded as much as she could with the hold of his hand.

He parted the folds, found her swollen clit and took no mercy. It was hard, fast. Explosions of light began popping into her brain. Her body jerked with slight tremors. It wouldn’t be long. “Yeah, that’s it. I love it when you come undone. Cum all over my cock.” Dean whispered.

His voice tipped her into the orgasm. She moaned, tightened, while he continued to pump.

“Yeah, right behind you, Julie. Yeah. Fuck.” And, he was, chasing her with his own orgasm. The pulsing of his cock, the spilling of him inside, warm, mingling with her wet he’d produced. His pants and groans against her back. His weight on her body, hand still cupping her mouth. “Man. I give us an A for effort. But, I wasn’t much better than you in the sound department. I might need a damn muzzle.”

Julie smiled into his palm.

“Sorry, baby.” He removed his hand from her mouth. “Should have tapped me. You okay?”

She nodded into the comforter. “Oh, yeah.” Eased onto her back. “Definitely. Can we do more of that?”

He laughed, staring with those beautiful eyes, crinkles extending the gleeful expression on his face. That very Dean way. “Sure.” He shrugged. “Just maybe not tonight?” He kissed her lips, then flashed her an exhausted smile. “I really am pretty beat. Been one helluva long day.”

Julie nodded. “Me too.” She tapped his forearm. “Bathroom again for me and then sleep.”

“Don’t be long.” He collapsed onto his back and closed his eyes.

She smiled, closing the bathroom door. He’d be asleep by the time she slipped back into bed. The sounds of his snores would cover a variety of animals from a grunting pig to a snarling lion. But she wouldn’t tease him in the morning about it. She promised to give him a pass.

Part 2

Series Page

[the-lupine-sojourner]

In the Night [Secret Santa Fic Exchange]

Okay, so I accidentally blew my identity, tried to cover it up, but then blew it again cus I needed a few last-minute questions answered. *sigh* Anyway, I ended up going with Bakugo and making it a short little X Reader piece. 

This takes place shortly after the Kamino Ward incident and just before the Deku vs Kachan Round 2 fight. 

Sorry this is short, but I just wanted to write a sweet little scene! You mentioned you like angst with a fluffy ending. I think I accomplished that. 

Anyway, hope you like it!

God Bless and Happy Holidays

~The Lupine Sojourner

You walk down the hall, unable to sleep. 

Ever since the Training Camp, you’ve been having nightmares practically every night. 

The torture of not knowing where Katsuki was or what was being down to him was enough to fuel some rather demented dreams. 

Even now, having him back in the new dorms, where you could see him, reach out and touch him if it wouldn’t piss him off, your dreams continued to haunt you with disturbing scenarios of what could have happened should the rescue have failed. 

So you frequently came out to the living area to sit and try to ground yourself before attempting any more sleep. 

Tonight, however, there was something different. 

Namely, the figure sitting in the chair you normally collapsed in. 

That figure, as you crept closer, was revealed to be none other than Katsuki Bakugo. 

Not wanting to disturb him, you tried to tip-toe past him. 

You thought you were sucessful until his voice rang out softly in the still dark of the living area. “The hell are you doing awake, L/N?” 

You jump a little. 

“We-well, I, uh, I couldn’t sleep.” You confess, feeling awkward. 

“That much is obvious. What’s you problem?” The question, you somehow knew, was not meant as harsh as it sounded. That was just how Katsuki talked. 

“It’s stupid.” You mumble. 

“It ain’t stupid if it keeps you up at night.” Katsuki points out. For whatever reason, he was always nicer to you than anyone else, in his own way of being nice. 

“I keep seeing you. You’re still captured and the rescue didn’t work. They do horrible things to you.” Katsuki sucks in a breath. 

“Damn. No shit it keeps you up.” You take a breath to keep your composure. The loss of sleep was taking a toll and you were exhausted. 

Katsuki gestures to you, beckoning you closer. “C’mere. This...this is something my mom told me about after...after I got away. She said it helps to ground yourself. Give me your hand.” You do. He puts it over his heart. “Feel it. I’m right here, alright?” He then lets your hand go, smacking it away, and you swear there was a blush on his cheeks. “Yer tough, Y/N. S’why I like you...well enough.” You smile. He’d never ever admit to friendships, but you could read between the lines, despite a part of you wanting more than just friendship between you. 

“You’re tough, too. I can’t even imagine what you went through.” Katsuki grimaces and turns away, standing and walking toward the large window. 

“Look, it’s no big deal. It’s over and that’s that. No reason to keep talking about it.” You nod quickly. The last thing you wanted was to push Katsuki away. 

“R-right. Sorry.” 

It’s then you notice something off. Katsuki is...trembling. Daring to move a little closer, you notice tears in his eyes. You stand there, frozen, unsure what to do. 

“I was so damn weak!” He growls, hands balled into shaking fists at his sides. “I couldn’t do a damn thing!” 

You throw caution to the wind and hug Katsuki, unable to hold back. He stiffens, but you don’t let go. 

“You stayed strong! From what I’m told the League tried to recruit you and of course you never fell for it. You stayed your course and you even held off the villains until Izuku and the others, uh, got you out.” You figured calling it a rescue was not the best move, somehow. “Izuku said you were holding off the entire League all on your own while All Might was holding off the boss villain.” You continue, hardly noticing that Katsuki had slowly moved his arms around you. “You’re amazing, Katsuki. I admire your strength so much.”

“I’m not strong!” Katsuki protests, yanking himself away from you and backing up, tears in his eyes. “I was so damn- -so damn terrified, alright?! You and the other idiots can’t see it, can you?!” You cautiously take a single step toward him. 

“Katsuki, you still fought off the League, even though you were afraid. That means you’re incredibly brave and strong!” 

“Don’t you dare patronize me!” 

You were grateful Katsuki had the wherewithal to keep his voice fairly contained. 

“I’m not patronizing you!” You growl back. “I’m being honest! You’re so amazing, Katsuki!”

“You...you say that like I didn’t cause All Might’s destruction.” 

I gasp quietly. That was the underlying issue, you knew. But before you could say anything, Katsuki was leaving. You jogged after him. 

“Wait, Katsuki!” He whirls angrily, sparks crackling around his hands. 

“What?” He growls. You swallow. 

“You didn’t cause All Might’s retirement. That was that boss villain and him alone.” 

“Bullshit. I was there! I was in the way!” 

“It wouldn’t have played out any different if you had been there versus somewhere else.” You protest. “That villain was so powerful! It took all All Might had just to defeat him. It’s not your fault, I promise.” Once again, you ignored caution and put your hand on his shoulder. 

Something told you it wouldn’t be a good idea to hug him again. 

He walks away but you can see he doesn’t seem quite so guilty and depressed so maybe you’d done the right thing. 

“Don’t tell anyone I was out here, got it?” Katsuki growls, pausing before getting in the elevator. “...But...thank you.” He mumbled as the doors close, so softly you almost didn’t hear it. Knowing he didn’t mean for you to hear it, you pretend you hadn’t, waited five minutes, then went back up to your dorm. 

After all that excitement, you felt a little tired. 

Laying back down in your bed, you felt fairly peaceful, for the first time in weeks. 

Thus, you were able to get a bit of sleep before school the next day. 

[0225pm]

wow the quality of the video really sucks after it has been compressed but well i don’t have a choice!

anyway, i’m moving back to tumblr again mainly cus wordpress sucks and it’s not allowing me to post videos unless i buy their premium plan which is tbh a no cus idk why platforms for blogging should even charge you for the features that they were supposed to have???? also sadly, tumblr also only lets you post 1 video per post limit which is why i’ve put the pics and videos i took into in one but it’s better than not being able to post a video at all.

so it’s our monthsary!!!!

we’ve been officially together for 3 years and 5 months now and wow, i’ve only just realised what a long time that is 😂 honestly, if you want to count how long it has been since we first met each other, it’ll probably be about 8 years now. tho han sees it as 8 years but i see it as 3y5m cus idk who he was back then ya know what i mean? like i know the 3y5m him now than the him 8 years ago.

han sent me his live location as he does so every sat, and i was late. even tho he came all the way to my place i was still late :/ and i was so sorry 😭 i know there shouldn’t be any excuses for my lateness but i have my reasons, even if anyone thinks it isn’t valid :/ so i alr prepared right? like i mentally prepared and visualize what i wanna wear and etc. and so i went to take a shower and all. and then my mom all of a sudden asked me to do things like ordering food for her, clipping her nails, airfrying some sotong balls cus she was feeling peckish. initially she asked me to order food, which i then did but it was immediately cancelled due to the weather. it suddenly rained really heavily. and then while i was in her room drying my hair, she suddenly said she wanted sotong balls which i then went to airfry. and then when i alr did that and continued drying my hair, she then asked me to clip her nails and i was like “i’m going out ibu later farhan will be waiting for me alr” and she was like nvm la it will only take a while. so i did that and then i had to just rush cus i checked his live location and he was alr nearing tenaga area which is so damn close to my place alr. then i quickly picked out the outfit i wanted to wear. i mean come on, it’s our monthsary and i wanted to dress up right and i alr had this mental image of what i wanna wear right? so i took it out, wore it and then i realized that it was still a bit rainy??? like kinda drizzling so i figured he’ll be coming up first to wait till the rain totally stops but he texted me asking me to come down instead. and at this point i was sweating profusely. yeah, it was rainy but i was feeling so warm from rushing and doing so many things at once. oh ya, i was wearing this satin white shirt with shorts and that was my initial outfit like it looks laidback and casual and effortless but i decided to change cus i was perspiring and it felt so uncomfortable wearing a satin material when you’re perspiring like heck!! so i ended up wearing my fav tee with the same shorts and brought my hoodie along. it’s also my fav hoodie from uniqlo. i think their hoodie quality is bomz it’s not too thick or too thin and i wanna buy more but maybe wait till they have sales or something. so i ended up just looking super hobo as heck like it just looks like i didn’t even bother to dress up and i felt sad but i didn’t want han to be waiting even longer.

so when i went down he was alr sitting at the seats at the void deck and i can feel anger radiating within him lol like i knew he was mad and he still had his helmet on and his rain jacket on and all. and then he gave me different options of where to go for our lunch and then i just sat there pondering for a bit. and then i asked him if he wanted to put the jacket and pants at home but he didn’t want to so he took it off and then put it on the table and he took off his helmet as well. and then i asked him if we could eat at genki and he told me that genki was one of the options that he forgot to list so we decided on genki! his anger didn’t last long and as he stood up to head over to his bike i went to him and open up my arms cus i just wanted to hug him lolol then at first he tried to act all “ew” and moved away but he ended up hugging me anyway hehe and then don’t want to let go lol so bobo so cute. honestly i’m still shy??? around him wtf. like when i initiated the hug itself i felt so shy loooooollllll and when he didn’t wanna let go it made me blush wtf but ofc he can’t see cus we have to wear the stupid mask bc of stupid covid. i hate it wtf my face is so sensitive and it’s breaking out bc of having to wear the mask so my skin can’t breathe. like what’s the point of me not wearing makeup underneath the mask when i still break out anyway right zzz hais. ok sorry side track a bit but ya hahaha so then i told him i wanted to show him something!!! and then he was like “eh eh who said you let go” or was it “who said you can stop hugging” but it’s either one la hahaha then i took his hand and pull down my mask and then kissed his hand 😂 then i told him to look and i said “no transfer”!!!!!! hahahahaha cus i was wearing this lipstick and wtf man the formula is damn amazing really didn’t transfer anywhere at all. i even kissed my own hand and i even drank water but not transfer AT ALL. it was a gift i got from two years back i think hahaha for my bday from rai, a kylie kit and i haven’t worn it out before mainly bc the color didn’t suit my skintone cus the shade felt so light but when i wore it this time it felt like the shade was darker somehow? idk if i became pale from staying at home all the time or idk lol but i like the shade now 😌

oh at first i didn’t wanna go to tampines cus we always go to tampines hahaha and i guess i made a face and han teased me about it lol as much as it annoys me it’s a good kind of annoying? 😂 cus he’s so cute whenever he teases me in that way lolol but we ended up just heading to tampines anyway cus he wanted to save up on petrol also and i thought ok ya cus he has to work now and he has to go to and fro everyday so it’s better for him to save the petrol as well. i put on my hoodie and then we went to the usual parking spot at tampines. and then bc both of our masks were down i could actually kiss him hehe. and then from there we walked to the front entrance of the mall cus of this covid there’s only one in and out entrance but entering was a breeze tbh cus even tho there was a long line, we didn’t have to wait long.

then we went up to the escalator. and genki wasn’t crowded at all either so that was great!!! we did the safe entry thing, got our temperature taken and got our seats. then we ordered some food hehe. i was excited cus lol i love genki. not as much as i love my bf but if i have to choose an express sushi shop i would choose genki 😂 i wanted something soupy and filling so i got their beef udon since i alr had their duck udon the previous time we went there. and then i got a drink and chawanmushi as an appetizer. i love their chawanmushi as well and it’s something i will always get. i used to buy their clams miso soup but since it was taken out of the menu, i got their chawanmushi instead. and i was so happy when han decided to try the chawanmushi!!!!! i’ve always knew him as someone that wasn’t into eggs but he actually liked this one!! and he even ate the prawn and the naruto/japanese fish cake when i fed it to him omg 😭😭😭 i was legit so happy wtf hahahaha and then his fried squid came, also one of the hot foods i will always order but usually i’ll get it if i didn’t buy any of the udon. but since i alr got the udon i didn’t order it. and then his mini chicken teriyaki don came and lol the bowl was rly so mini ahahaha i wish i took a picture of it but i didn’t. but it was worth for the price of $4 i think since it was actually filled to the brim. there was even slices of tamago in it. he fed me a spoonful and it was nice!!! i’m gonna try that next time i go to genki if i’m feeling like eating rice 😂 i like udon cus of the chewy texture of the noodles and the soup. and then a plate of mentaiko fries came 🤤 there was A LOT of mentaiko on it it was so amazing and i was so surprise cus i didn’t order it but at the end of the day han said that he saw that i didn’t order the fries so he ordered it for me 🥺😍 so sweet hais and i really enjoyed it. i love genki’s mentaiko sauce it’s so damn goooooodddddd. so salty so nice. and then my udon came hehe and i devoured it. i fed han some too and gave him one of the fish cakes cus i think they made a mistake and put two pieces. the udon was so good i love it hahahaha. and then han ordered a seaweed roll, 2 more beef sushi and 1 mentaiko salmon for me hehe yes i know how to eat salmon now!!!! but it must be seared. i still can’t eat raw ones unless i rly dipped it in soy sauce or if it’s cut super thinly then maybe can try 😅

then after we finished eating, we went up to see if we can catch a movie. i wasn’t sure if we’re allowed to sit together so i asked him to ask first if we have to be separated and yay we don’t have to separate!!! so we decided to watch train to busan 2: peninsula. since we alr watched the first one together and there wasn’t much movies that were showing so we decided to catch the 5:10pm slot. it’s been so so so long since we last watched a movie tgt so this was nice. we didn’t get anything to eat since we just ate and i was still full but we had some time so we went to fairprice and got some candies. then farhan bought a root beer slushy which turns out to be scam!!! cus it’s just ice and it was practically solidified even after the movie was over it didn’t even melt much within 2 hours wtf. and then he also got a hotdog bun 😂

the movie was great. not as great as the first one cus the first one was definitely much more impactful but this one was not too bad. a bit too much “racing” scenes but i guess it’s to keep its audience on the toes. the storyline is a bit meh as well but i guess the suspense from some parts made up for it. it’s quite tragic though.

and then after the movie, i asked han if he still wanted pizza but when we saw the queue there was still a bunch of people waiting for their orders. even some foodpanda and grab delivery riders were waiting so i told him we’ll just order in and at first he was like we’ll see how but i ordered anyway. then we went out to head home and han finally lighted a cigarette. hahahaha he actually had to suppressed his desire to smoke cus we didn’t have time since i chose the earlier slot for the movie and im so proud of him for being able to suppress the feeling and yet not turning into a cranky momok.

while on the way back, he wanted to top up some petrol so we stopped by spc and then he wanted to top up his cashcard so we had to go one big round from the carpark to where he can top up his card but the machine is stupid!!! and he got upset cus he wasn’t able to top up his card. i think he still prefers the card with chip reader than the contactless ones. so then we decided to head to 7-11 so he can purchase one with chip but they ran out. so we decided to find another petrol station cus he said usually it’s being sold there too. so we did and this time round i guess i was being cranky cus the seat of his bike was eating into my skin and it hurts like heck so i told him to just top up the card since they don’t have the chip ones and he needed to top up anyway but then in front there was another petrol station and apparently they had a chip + contactless card there and i think they only accepted cash for it so he came out and then went in back and bought one there. and i was still cranky lol and i was perspiring so much both from my scalp to my body and it was drizzling too so all i wanted to do was head home so i got upset and i lashed it out on him when we made our way back cus he kept trying to make a joke out of the pain i felt and it just triggered me cus it’s like he doesn’t understand how much it hurts??

but it’s not his fault. cus i’m the one that chose to wear shorts even tho i know how much it hurts when i sit too long on the bike. and then he said he’ll cut the netting off but i was like no wtf. cus 1, we don’t meet everyday which sucks but ya we don’t and thus i’m not the one sitting on the back of his bike everyday so having to sit one day out of the week doesn’t bother me as much as having to sit on it everyday ya know what i mean? and 2, the parts that are still protected which is probably about 90-80% of the seat is still useable so it’ll be able to help protect the other areas from getting damage by the claws of cats.

and then when we got back, he wanted to pass his gummies to me but no one in this household eats gummies or candies. my mom can’t even eat sugary content cus of health, my dad isn’t a fan of gummies or candies he much prefers chips and chocolates and my brother too prefers chocolates or ice creams. i don’t like sugary content either but unless it comes from cakes or pastries or ice creams or chocolates so rly, no one is gonna eat it. and then he got mad at me and all i could hear was “you do to me can but when i’m doing it to you cannot” and i didn’t get what he meant by that tbh so i just kept quiet all the way till we’re home. i quickly took off my hoodie, changed into a more comfortable shorts went to take a piss and then went into my room. i sat down for awhile in front of the fan cus i was sweating so much and then i cooled down before i apologized to him and then asked him if he was still upset. i tried to get him to explain what he meant but couldn’t get anything out of him cus he just prefers to sweep it under the rug whereas i like to talk about it so i can see what i did wrong or which areas i have to improve or change so it can better our lives ya know but he’s not like that and i have to understand it so i just kept quiet and then i kissed him and stroked his face and hair a little.

and then he asked me if the pizza was here and i said ya hahaha it’s alr in the kitchen and whether he wants me to take it so he was like yes and as i was going to take the pizza he grabbed me and hugged me tight and i just instantly melted. it was genuinely hot lol i like this kinda shit hahahahaha but i’ve always felt afraid that i was gonna hurt him with my weight so i didn’t dare do anything that will shift my whole weight onto him but he didn’t care and he said it doesn’t hurt 🥺 haissss

honestly going home was all i was looking forward to. it’s not bc i’m horny lol or maybe that’s one of the reason but it’s mainly bc i just want to lay in his arms and just cuddle and give him kisses and also receive kisses. i’ve missed him all week long and we haven’t really been able to talk much since he’s working and he’s always tired when he gets home but it’s good that he’s working hard for his future and for our future.

and then the time for him to head home came. a truly saddening end of the day and he left a little later than usual but i’m just glad he got home safely and didn’t get lectured for being home a little late.

[detachableteacher]

I decided to split the chapter

“Guys! What happened?!” I see the three students, pretty much beat up for some reason. 

Renji has his broken glasses on his pocket, Michio has scars that look like he tried to fight back, and Kyotaro is in the worst state, with the blood from his wounds staining his uniform. None of the injuries seem brutal but they’re in really bad shape.

“We were blindsided,” Michio speaks up. “Can you help us?”

“Of course, come, I’ll patch you up.” And I ask them to follow me to the door of the supermarket, making them wait outside to avoid making a scene. I quickly get some bandages and betadine, rush back to my students with the goods and little by little bandage every wound and bruise they got. “There, now let’s talk about this.”

“Thanks, sensei.” Renji winces a bit from the betadine but manages a smile.

“It’s nothing. What happened to you three?” We start walking to the park.

“We were about to go home,” Renji starts to answer. “Then suddenly these guys ambushed us.”

"What did you do to deserve this?”

“Remember that student Kyotaro had a run-in with?”

“Yeah.”

“He was part of a group in school, if I could say it like that.”

I look at Kyotaro, who hasn’t moved a bit. “Is it the one on the classroom next door?”

Renji nods. “That same one you went to. After all that we didn’t hear anything from anyone about them, then this happened, they approached us and let out.”

“Then they left?”

“Yeah. Kyotaro was badly hurt, so Michio and I helped him up and we were heading to the closest place we can get help, then I saw you.”

“Good thing none of your injuries are too serious. If they had any weapons that would be a different story. Are they Amakusa students, too?”

They all nod. Kyotaro finally speaks, “No way I’d let them lord over us.”

We don’t know how respond to that, but I try. “You sure do care about your friends.”

“They’re my only friends.” I turn to him as he talks. “I’ll hate myself if I can’t stand up for them, for us.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“Of course there’s nothing fun with being pushed around. I won’t have any of it, sensei.”

And idea sprung up in my head. I ask. “You think this won’t be the last time?”

“Of course not, why are you asking?”

“I have something planned, I think.” He turns to me. “Don’t get too excited, no one gets hurt.”

“What’s it going to be then?”

“I’ll try to make a case, with the help of a few other students, of course. I bet the case against them will be stronger if they get caught.”

“Sounds great, sensei!” Renji exclaims. “How would you do it, though?”

I spitball whatever little plan I have written in my mind to them. “We’ll have to keep watch, or this this a regular thing?”

“They just do it whenever they feel like it.”

“If that’s the case, this might take a while, but we’ll get them eventually.”

“Are you sure, sensei?”

I nod. “I’ll make sure it gets done.”

“Thanks.”

After a short pause, now that the air is less tense, Kyotaro asks, probably after looking at me a bit longer than usual. “Sensei, are you really wearing earrings?”

“These?” I take them out and show them to him up close. “Yeah, I’ve had these for quite a while now.”

“I’ve always wanted to wear an earring, but mom and dad don’t want me to.”

“Once you’re old enough, you can have them pierced, I didn’t have these earrings planned, actually. I lost a bet in college and had to get my ears pierced.”

“Oh, I expected something more awesome.”

“People get tattoos and piercings just for the heck of it, even stupid reasons count. Besides, what you should do for now is recover. Are your houses near here?”

“Yeah, sensei, we can manage our way home.”

“Alright, I should head home. You sure you can handle yourselves on your way home?”

“We’ll be okay, sensei.” Kyotaro nods at me with a slight smile.

“See you in class, then, stay safe.”

We wave goodbye and I get up, walking back to my apartment, finally making the dinner I went outside for in the first place.

-----

The next day arrives, just like any other. I guess they didn’t talk much about what happened yesterday, and other than the bandages they’re going about as usual as if they simply tripped on the sidewalk.

On my way to get coffee, Yu strikes up a conversation. “Good morning, Jun! Saw you buying groceries last night.”

“Didn’t notice you, I was focusing more on buying my things.”

“Have you heard about what happened to Yamaguchi and his pals?”

I act dumb, not sure how to react. “What happened?”

“Fistfight, really bad. Good thing someone helped out.”

I give him a stern look. “Were you...”

“Don’t look at me like that! I just saw those three while I was eating at the new restaurant.” From surprised, he gets questioning. “Wait, do you know anything about this that I don’t?”

“Yeah, they saw me on my way home, helped them patch up.”

“They told you what happened to them?”

“Their wounds would’ve told me, but they did.”

“Did they tell you who did it?”

“Yeah, apparently that other student had a posse at hand.”

Yu pulls out his cellphone. “I have some idea.”

“Who?”

“Check these out.” He shows a videos of fistfighting. “One of my students sent me these, and there’s always the same group in every case.”

“Are they from the higher classes?” None of these faces look familiar to me.

“Yeah, this, this and this.”

“Wait a minute... I got an idea.”

“Really?”

“They didn’t tell me what they looked like. If Kyotaro and his friends recognize him then we have a better case.”

“I should’ve thought that myself.”

-----

Classes are still going as planned, and everyone in the classroom I’m in is waiting for lunch to come. I’ve talked to some students and Yu on the plan and will get detailed over lunch.

Before anything, though, I immediately walk to 2-C and as luck would have it, the three friends are leaving the room.

“Ah, sensei!” Renji notices me first. “Were you looking for us?”

“Hey, I was just talking to Maejima-sensei, do these guys looks familiar?” I pull out a copy of the student pictures of the suspects.

Kyotaro’s eyes widen. “Yes. How did you-”

“Maejima-sensei and I will explain everything, follow me.”

We meet at the faculty’s small meeting room to detail what to do, with Yu bringing a few members of the student council and a couple other complainants. This surely won’t be done by today, but you can never be too sure.

“So Maejima-sensei and I have asked for your help to deal with this matter that’s happening under our noses.” I start.

“Is it Yamaguchi again?”

“No, luckily.” I answer while waiting for Yu to put up the slides. “I’m sure you’ve seen these guys.” I show some pictures.

“Isn’t he the one who had a fight with Yamaguchi?” Another student asks at the last portrait.

“That wasn’t the end of it, apparently.” I look at him, and he looks back at me. “After class this student here came back with reinforcements, these guys, and retaliated onto Yamaguchi and his friends.”

“Because of how things might happen, some of you guys will have to get the complainants to this room,” Yu continues. “And some of you will have to back us up for when we approach these guys and ask them to come here.”

And we lay out the game plan. Two teachers and four students, that should be enough. We wait on our positions and in just a few minutes, a student has cued us in to keep keep an eye on what might happen.

“Hey,” I approach the targets. “we need to talk to you about something, can you come with us to the faculty?”

“What?” Everyone’s looking at us at this point.

“Please, just come.”

With everyone looking at us, they grunt in annoyance, mumble “Fine.” and follow us all the way to the meeting room.

-----

As Yu was already tackling all this before I heard of it, I let him deal with the conclusion. While it’s just us two teachers, a couple of overseers and some students from both sides inside the room, there are others waiting outside for what will happen.

The room would otherwise be unassuming if we teachers didn’t make it a storage room on the side. A round conference table surrounded by ten chairs are the features still keeping this room a conference room. Every chair is occupied but I’m standing next to Yu who’s busy explaining the details.

The TV screen and whiteboard blend into the wall they’re on, but the TV is being used to show the collected evidence.

Each student involved gives their testimony about the incidents in question. It starts with the plaintiffs. Questions get asked, and Yu verifies if they’re in the collected footage.

“What were you doing before this?” He asks Kyotaro.

“We had ramen. At the noodle shop by the park.” He answers. “Before that, we went to the arcade.”

“The three of you?”

“Yeah, just me, Michio and Renji.”

“Then after that, how did they approach you?”

“From behind a wall, then one of them grabbed me by the collar and talked shit at me about my girlfriend before punching me straight to the face.”

“The same one as...?”

He nods.

“And you had to punch back?”

He nods again. “I can’t remember anything after that, only the pain.”

After him, his other two mates coroborate their events, and the other party seems to be more that they’re here and not somewhere else.

----

“Are these you in these pictures?”

“Fuck no!” They obviously deny the accusations, and this kind of deflection went on a bit until Yu stops halfway with the back-and-forth.

“Wait, what’s this mark here...” We all look for what he’s seeing. In one of the pictures, one of the arms has a noticable mark. “Roll your sleeves up.” Yu commands the three and after that, one of them has that same mark, what seems to be a scar on the same part.

“But that doesn’t look like anything! Maybe it’s-”

“No, none of these were altered, and we have something for comparison. Jun?”

I guess he means my own scar. After a surprised blink, I take my head off, remove my choker, and reattach my head, showing my scar for comparison.

“How long have you had that mark?”

“I got this two years ago in a knife fight.”

“That had to hurt. Let me just...” Yu checks the arm scar. “Yeah, that kinda looks like the one on this footage, and your hairstyles match.”

“Is no one going to point out that he barely got hurt in a knife fight?” A student interjects.

“Let’s not. One last question, though.Who was the one that Yamaguchi got into a fight with again?”

He slowly raises his hand.

“Did you ask your mates to get even with him last night?”

“I did.”

“You could’ve just left it between the two of you.”

-----

After filing the documents and setting the responsible parties to probation a couple of days later, some students want to celebrate this with us: Yu and me. From the looks of it we’re heading to the noodle place.

In total, a dozen people are going, and take up three tables by the time everyone gets a seat, counting us teachers on a separate table. One bowl for every one of us, each paying for his own.

“Jun,” Yu starts talking. “You sure about it?”

“About what?”

“Yamaguchi. I heard a bit about it, you’re planning to help him out yourself?”

“Yeah. I’m not saying I can fix him, but he can do better.”

“I can’t stop you, but lemme ask, why?”

I fall silent. Yeah, why am I doing this? You don’t exactly see a potential in Kyotaro at first glance, doesn’t scream out special. He fits every known stereotype about students like him, and he’s not the only one in school or class.

I muster an answer, a cliche one. “I don’t know, maybe I’m seeing something in him, as it always goes.”

Yu smirks. “I don’t doubt you, you did pull yourself up after that... thing.”

“But that’s me. Kyotaro’s different.”

“You can do it, you won’t stop, right? If a blast hasn’t, nothing will.”

-----

On my way home after that meal, someone approaches me, it’s Kyotaro, just by himself.

“Sensei,” He looks up at me after a bow. “I’m so sorry that I dragged you into this...”

“No, don’t feel too bad about it, it should be Maejima-sensei that should be apologizing to me.”

He looks at me in surprise.

“You did great, okay? Try not to get yourself in trouble again.”

He doesn’t say anything after that, only a nod before bolting off with his friends. 

“Look at him go.” Yu says as we get walking again. “I think I’m seeing what you’re seeing.”

“Obviously.”

“You know what I mean, Jun. I’ll just let you be with what you’re gonna do with Yamaguchi, how’s that?”

“Sounds good.”

“By the way, he’s already have a girlfriend and he’s like 18. How old are you again?”

That’s definitely Yusei. We laugh it off as we continue walking.

-END

[wolfgangism]

hello!! im kavi, he/they, 19, and im in the est timezone. i’m usually in class or in the lab during the day but i’ll be here in the night and i’m always accessible on discord! this is my kiddo, wolf. if you wanna plot just smash that like button and i’ll IM you here ( but i prefer discord ( so if you wanna shoot me a message instead, my username is greedling#3129 )) . ok lets get into this but before i start rambling: TRANS RIGHTS !!

APPLICATION

∽∕  [ JEON JEONGGUK, AGENDER, THEY/THEM ] hey! you must be that [ TWENTY-TWO ] year old player people were talking about! they kept saying your name is [ WOLFGANG JAEGAL ], but that you go by [ WOLF ], and that you’re a [ INTRIM ] and from [ LOS ANGELES ]. oh! and also that you’ve been working as a [ HORROR WRITER ] while you’re in here. I really hope it’s true, ‘cus i’ve also heard that you’re [ IMAGINATIVE ] & [ COURAGEOUS ], but i’m not going to lie that some say you’re [ UNORGANIZED ] & [ IRRESPONSIBLE ]. wait a second…now that I think about it, you kind of remind me of [ BLINKING NEON LIGHTS, FRUSTRATED TYPING, AND HEARTBEATS QUICKENING AT A JUMP SCARE ], which is pretty cool! see you around then!  ∕∽

TRIGGER WARNINGS: DISCUSSION OF TRANSITIONING, MENTIONS OF CHEATING, DRUG USE

STATISTICS

► basics;

birth name (f, l): daeun jaegal legal name (f, l): wolfgang jaegal age: 22 birthday: may 16 gender: agender (afab) sexual orientation: pan occupation: horror author main realm: they don’t really have a main one, they go everywhere. ► background;

place of birth: canada current residence: los angeles, california education: bachelor’s in creative writing ► physical;

faceclaim: jeon jeongguk eye color: dark brown-black  hair color & style: dark brown, that long-ish haire that jjk has rn.. yea height: 5′9 weight: 153 lb tattoos, birthmarks, scars, etc: scars on chest where they had top surgery. in game: everything is the same except they have ‘typical’ cismale anatomy. they are interested in modifications but haven’t really found anything that interests them yet.

► personality;

positive traits: imaginative, courageous, adventurous, persuasive,  negative traits: reckless, unorganized, irresponsible, stubborn alignment: chaotic good more: wolf is not one to feel regretful. they live in the moment and stand by every statement and action they make. act first, think later. willing to try anything once. will never back down from a challenge. pits themself against their own mortality. facade of being fearless. high spirited mischief maker. 

► misc;

hobbies: gaming, watching/reading horror movies favorite book: if asked directly, they would say their own first published novel, but really it’s carmilla by joseph sheridan le fanu favorite music genre: wolf is the type of person to listen to game and movie soundtracks pets: can barely take care of themself, you think they’re going to have a pet?

BIOGRAPHY

wolf was born daeun jaegal. their biological mother wasn’t prepared for children, not when she had college to finish and when her boyfriend (& wolf’s biological father) was flaky at best. she gave wolf up to her older cousin who couldn’t have biological children of her own. she took wolf in with welcoming arms and raised them as her own child. wolf grew up calling her mom and her husband dad. their biological mother visited often, and eventually told them the story.

when wolf reached the age of five, they began to feel very uncomfortable with themself. when they told this to their mom, she took it seriously and they began to discuss what was going on. around this time, she started referring to them with they/them pronouns and noticed that they were a lot happier in general.

for financial reasons, wolf was unable to go under puberty blockers. instead, when they reached 12, they went with their parents to get their first name legally changed. due to their recent fascination with classical music and wolves.... they decided on the name wolfgang. their mom only agreed to it because they would be able to shorten it to wolf (which they do. the only place their full name appears is on the cover of their books. theyre sort of embarrassed by it but much too lazy to actually go and get it changed again or to even come up with another name).

at 16, their parents surprised them with testosterone. they actually cried. 

at 18, their first boyfriend (who was filthy rich) surprised them with the money that wolf needed to get top surgery. they cried equally as much this time, if not more. 

while all this was happening, at fifteen, wolf actually began on the first draft of their first book. it was really really rough but it was a start. they had an interest in horror since they were a kid. before they started the draft, writing had been one of their only outlets in life. they’d tried singing and music but unfortunately, they were tone deaf and couldnt hold a note for their life. poetry and songwriting wasnt their calling either. what they excelled at, however, was scaring his classmates to death with their short stories.

their first book was published when they were nineteen. it got very popular very quickly and is currently being produced into a movie.

their second book was published just last year right before graduating college and was just as popular as the first. they actually had little to no inspiration for this one. they took lsd a few times at parties, which helped them come up with some ideas. they havent told anyone and they intend it to stay that way.

right after that, they ended the relationship with their boyfriend since highschool (the same one who got them top surgery). their relationship for the past few years had been on/off at best due to wolf suspecting him of cheating, which he was doing. the break up was messy and ended with wolfgang crying for the third time in their life. 

they were thrown into a pretty bad depression, and tried writing again but it was fruitless. nothing they were writing was clicking and people had high expectations that they were afraid they couldnt meet. this also influenced their dysphoria. drug use and drinking increased, and mixing with testosterone was not good at all. they ended up in the hospital after a particularly bad night.

they refused any and all treatment.

wolf decided to use utopia as an escape from life and a way to enjoy themself without worrying about real life. they are also using it to gather inspiration for a new book because they are nothing without their writing. their mom is taking care of their real body.

that’s really all i have. i can’t think of anything else but im surely missing something that i’ll add at a later point. i’ll upload a connections page later. if you made it this far then congrats! heres a gif of them thinking very hard.