#and now that i don’t work there anymore and she’s super busy i never see her and always feel like i’m bothering her if i reach out

[miniatureliterature]

Just realized I have 0 super close friends anymore and haven’t really since undergrad. And even in undergrad i never saw them anyway because I pushed myself to graduate early and was always super busy, so I haven’t really hung out with friends regularly and with deep conversations since high school. And wish I could just snap my fingers and fix that

[victory-cookies]

.

[lizzieisright]

I actually asked another creator this too, but if your requests ARE open, can you do a comfort fic where Abby starts dating reader and it's like her first relationship outside of a manipulative/controlling/abusive relationship? where abbys just super sweet and reassuring and just :((

I love your writing sm so!!

Palestine: what can you do

I'm ready to suffer (and I'm ready to hope)

Okay actually I saw these amazing women who are paediatric PTs on youtube and thought Abby would make an amazing paediatric PT, so this is modern au! 

Tw for the mentions of abusive situations. 

/-/-/-/-/-/-

When you finally leave Sandy you swear to not ever date again.

And you don’t.

You find a therapist and start spending more time with your friends again. They’re incredibly supportive of you and they don’t let you sit at home, always asking you to hang out or go somewhere. They’re eager to introduce the world back to you and it’s wonderful, but you’re exhausted. Sandy took every piece of you and it's damn hard work to gain it back, and dealing with the fear of being shamed for not having a good time when your friends put so much effort into it is very hard. It takes a lot of reminders from them to make you feel okay, but somewhere in your mind you still expect them to blow out on you. They never do.

And you start to feel like you’re in a good place now. Of course, when we feel like we’re finally free, the Universe needs us to remember how much work is still ahead of us. Your reminder comes to your work at the end of the work day on Friday with a bouquet of lilies that smell as suffocating as the person holding them.

“Hi baby.” Sandy smiles at you, but you don’t move closer than 3 feet. You want to go around her if she had a bomb in these flowers.

The good thing - you expected it. You weren’t surprised to see her here, so she lost her element of shock that would have disarmed you.

“What do you want?” You ask coldly.

“Come on baby, it’s Friday! I thought it would be a good time for us to go on a date, discuss what happened and you know, make up. I miss you.”

You clench your fists. She wants to discuss what happened - is she ready to admit her mistakes and change? Is it a sign that everything will work out this time?

No. No “this time”.

“I have plans.”

The angry furrow on Sandy's face just proves you made the right decision. The bouquet falls on the floor and she starts crying.

“I thought you loved me!” Sandy howls and your colleagues are now paying attention to the whole situation. “You have a date, don't you? Already moved on, huh? Fucking slut.”

It's humiliating, but you understand with horror that you're used to it. It's not the first time when your coworkers see Sandy in this state.

“I'm just hanging out with Niki.” You reassure Sandy because you don't want to hurt her - she is a human after all and she was always so jealous, so insecure about your loyalty. People betrayed her in the past, and you have a hard time blaming her.

“Of course, the moment I'm out of the picture Niki is there to lick your wounds! I bet she does more than just licking your wounds.”

The shame flares up and you take a breath. You slipped up. You fell for her shit again.

“It doesn't concern you anymore.”

You don't wait for her answer, too scared she will get to you again. You turn around and go into the office where she will not be allowed to follow.

At your next appointment with your therapist, you're pissed off at yourself.

“Why did I even speak to her? I knew it would end badly!”

“Well, it's normal to speak to people when they speak to you. You told her you're busy and she tried to manipulate you again, but you slowed down, noticed what she was doing, and made the right decision. I'd say this situation shows how much progress you've made. You protected yourself.”

These words bring you back to reality. You sigh.

“She will come to my work again.”

Dr. Spencer hums.

“You told me before that you would like to explore different opportunities in your work field. Maybe you should take yourself on that.”

This is how you end up getting a job as the nurse in a paediatric clinic. It is in a different place of the city and takes a different route, so Sandy won’t be able to catch you at a metro station if she tries. You don’t tell your colleagues where you’re going, just saying you wanted to take time for yourself and relax, removing the possibility of Sandy finding you again.  

You're excited - working with kids and helping them seems like an opportunity to heal something in yourself by doing something good. The head of the clinic, Sevika, gives you a tour after your final interview to meet the team and she also introduces you to the doctor you’ll be working with.

“Doctor Anderson?” Sevika calls when you enter the office. “Do you have a minute?”

“Yeah, hang on.” The voice of this woman is soft and friendly, and it reassures you.

“I want you to meet your new nurse.”

Something falls and you hear a children’s song playing and the room is not illuminated by different colours. Adorable.

“Sorry, it’s a mess here.” You hear her voice again and then Dr. Anderson emerges.

You just stare. She is tall and has broad shoulders, her compression shirt under her scrubs shows off her muscled arms - which is expected, she is a PT - her blonde hair is braided and her braid rests on her shoulder. Dr. Anderson is incredibly pretty, and you’re a woman enough to admit it and stay professional.

“Hi. I’m Abby.” Dr. Anderson smiles and holds her hand for a handshake.

You tell her your name and shake her hand - god, the grip these women have here.

“Would you walk Ms. (Y/n) through everything here?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Dr. Anderson shows you everything: where is all the equipment, the toys for kids, the changing room. She tells you all about the protocols - which you’re familiar with as well, except for dealing with overprotective parents and dealing with kids’ pain: at your previous clinic you mostly worked with adults.

“I’m very excited.” You admit after your tour is finished.

“Yeah?” Dr. Anderson grins. “Be prepared to learn a lot of baby songs.”

You laugh and feel very optimistic. You feel like you can have your life back now.

Your first day might not go as smoothly as you wanted, but Dr. Anderson is patient with you. She doesn’t snap at you when you follow her instruction wrong for the third time and doesn’t tell you off after patients leave. She just gives you tips and leaves it to you to correct it. You don’t know if she notices how you flinched in fear when you made a mistake the first time or if she is always like this, but you’re grateful anyway.

The kids are adorable and resilient, they don’t give up and it makes you cry a little. The way Dr. Anderson praises them and holds them and explains to parents what she is doing is admirable. Watching her hold a 3yo toddler on her palms is equally impressive and attractive. Dr. Anderson is attractive, it’s hard not to be drawn to her, but you shove your emotions deep, deep down - it’s incredibly unprofessional. You complain about it to Dr. Spencer and she just chuckles and reminds you, “Attraction happens unconsciously and you can’t control it, so stop fighting it.” It annoys you that she is right.

After three months working together you become friends and you call Dr. Anderson Abby now. Because honestly, she looks absolutely ridiculous in her Hello Kitty cap. You find your rhythm and now you work extremely smoothly - you know exactly when the kid needs to be distracted or when Abby needs your help during different exercises.

And Abby doesn’t tell you - because she is also aware how unprofessional she is - but she adores you. You’re so good with kids it makes Abby jealous sometimes, how you somehow know what exactly will stop the kid from crying. You’re also good with her - you take as much as possible from her shoulders and Abby now has someone to rely on.

She knows she is ears deep in love when you send her a video of a bright squeaky octopus and tell her you’re going to buy it for her office and then a few days later you admit to her that it’s actually a dog toy and you got in a pet section. Abby cackles and promises not to tell anyone. Especially since the octopus is a hit with a few kids she is treating.

Abby is desperate. She knows she can’t ask you on a date, but love makes a fool out of the best of us, so on the day that marks four months since you’ve been working together, Abby goes to Sevika’s office to embarrass herself.

“You’re embarrassing yourself, Dr. Anderson.” Sevika tells her as much. “Ms. (Y/n) is not employed by you and you have no authority over her. Ask the girl out and don’t waste my time. If it goes south I’ll just send her to Grayson.”

“Thanks, Sevika.”

“Get the fuck out, Anderson.”

Abby laughs and goes back to work, hopeful.

And Abby is not delusional - you do like her. She is caring and patient and funny as hell. But you’re too scared both because you’re her nurse and because as much as you work in therapy, Sandy doesn’t let go of you. Dr. Spencer had to deal with your multiple spirals after you started working with Abby and fucking up or thinking you’re fucking up. “Now name me 10 things that are different about Dr. Anderson and Sandy” was said at least 5 times. Well, your life is routine based so you schedule your spirals once a month, it seems.

So yes, you like Abby a lot. But you’re so broken that when Abby finally gains courage and,

“Do you have plans this weekend?”

“Sleep for 12 hours counts?” You laugh, oblivious.

“Would you-“ Abby takes a big breath and now you’re panicking, scared she’ll tell you something mean. “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

You just stand there and stare at her in shock. Abby gives you time, but her nerves are not that strong, so she gives up when the silence starts to feel too big.

“I’m sorry.” Abby says as politely as possible, not wanting to burden you with her disappointment. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“I-uh- no, it’s okay! I just- I didn’t expect it.” You say while anxiety is buzzing inside you. “I upset you, I’m sorry.” You cringe when you understand you projected onto Abby again.

“Hey, it’s totally fine. I understand, believe me.” Abby smiles.

You’re too scared to agree - you don’t feel like you’re ready for dating - so you let the awkward silence fill the room.

That evening you spend overthinking, convincing yourself Abby deserves better, that you’re not good enough for her and you can’t involve her in your issues.

“So Dr. Anderson, who you like, likes you back?” Dr. Spencer asks when you retell her the whole story. “Why don’t you tell her you’d go on a date with her?”

“Because I’m not what she needs. She needs someone who is better than whatever I am.” Dr. Spencer nods compassionately. She wants to bring your attention to how you speak about yourself, but she chooses to go on a different route.

“Don’t take her choice away. Let her decide what she needs. After all, who is the expert on her needs?”

“She is.” You admit and feel like you can breathe again. You're not responsible for Abby's choices, so you can't decide for her. It makes you feel free.

Abby is not having the time of her life on Saturday evening, moping around and cringing at herself for asking you out and reading the situation wrong, when her phone rings. She sees your contact and her heart speeds up from anxiety and hope.

“Hello?”

“Hi, it’s me. I-um. I’m sorry for yesterday, I was just- Sorry, not the point. Is your offer still standing?” You sound extremely nervous and it’s cute. Abby smiles and chuckles, happy.

“Yes. Of course.” She says softly and hears your shaky sigh. “Are you free tomorrow?”

You’re very nervous on your first date with Abby - you don’t want to upset her. So you dress and redress and redress until you think you don’t look too embarrassing. Abby smiles and compliments your outfit when she sees you, and some of your anxiety goes away. You’re painfully aware that you feel like you’re walking on eggshells during your date - Abby took you to an art gallery and then to dinner - and you know it’s not because of Abby. Abby has been so sweet and considerate the whole time and you’re sure she doesn’t feel comfortable with how tense you are at some moments, but the past still grips you tightly.

So you come clean to her when you go for a walk after dinner.

“I’m sorry I’ve been weird.” You start and Abby looks at you to show that she is listening. “My past relationship was not great and I’m dealing with the aftermath now. Sometimes it’s hard for me to stay grounded in reality.” You’re so deeply ashamed of yourself you can’t look at Abby. You expect her to dump you right away, or laugh at you, or call you weird, but nothing like this happens.

“Oh.” She says, surprised. She thought you were just shy, but it makes sense. “Thank you for telling me. Is it why you didn’t agree to the date when I asked you on Friday?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” You cringe, but Abby looks at you softly.

“Don’t. We all have our battles. I’m glad you called me back.”

You can’t help your smile. Abby can’t help but to ask if she can kiss you.

The first sign of how “not great” your past relationship was happens three weeks into dating. It was the end of the day and you were packing your things when your phone made a sound. You quickly checked it and then looked at Abby, panicked. Abby stops packing her bag, worried.

“Did something happen?”

“N-no. My friend just texted me. She asked me if we could go for drinks.” You admit, scared to lie to Abby and scared she will not be pleased with you. “Can I?”

“Can you what?” Abby asks, confused, but your mind is registering it as anger. You take a breath to calm down.

“Can I go? If you don’t want me to, I won’t, I promise.”

Abby stops completely. Her heart breaks when she understands what is happening, and why it’s happening.

“Baby, hey. Take a breath, yeah?” She speaks softly and comes closer to you to hold your hands gently. “I’m not going to be mad if you go anywhere, especially to meet your friends. You don’t need to ask my permission, okay? You’re your own person with your own life.”

You sniffle and Abby coos and hugs you tightly.

“I’m sorry.” You say into her shoulder. “I just-“

“It takes time to heal. I understand.” You cry even harder in her arms. “I promise I’m not going to be mad about it. Can’t be sure about Kyle though.”

You laugh through your tears - Kyle is a two year old who is obsessed with the noises you can make. It’s the only thing that keeps him calm when he does his exercises, and you have to be in the room during his appointments.

“Thank you.” You tell Abby honestly and she kisses your forehead.

You’re still nervous when you go to see Niki the next day, but Abby just tells you to be safe and call her if you need her, and that she can pick you up if you want her to. You’re not sure, and you tell her that, and that you will text her if you change your mind. It’s scary, to put a boundary, but Abby just kisses your cheek and tells you to have fun.

“You look so happy.” Niki tells you after you caught up on mundane news and gossip.

“I’m actually dating someone.” You confess and Niki's mouth hangs open in a dramatic shock.

“Really? And how is it going? What’s her name? Do you have a picture?”

“Her name is Abby. We work together, and she is amazing.” You giggle and show Niki one of the pictures you took together when you were fooling around at the clinic.

“Wow. She looks strong.” Niki winks and you get flustered. “I hope she treats you well.”

“I told her about Sandy. She has been very patient with my bullshit.”

“It’s not bullshit.” Niki frowns, stubborn. “Sandy is a fucking psycho and she really hurt you.”

“Abby told me she can pick me up if I want her to, but I’m not sure. It’s hard to understand what is normal behaviour and what is not.” You admit and Niki squeezes your bicep, showing her support.

“Well, when we hung out while you were with Sandy, she texted you constantly and then showed up ten minutes later to drag you out of here.”

“It wasn’t like this at first.”

“No, at first she was just constantly texting you and asking you about stupid shit.” Niki says pointedly and eyes your phone that hasn't made a sound during the whole evening. "I think your girlfriend just cares about you. You know, like a decent person."

You end up texting Abby and asking her to come when you and Niki feel like it’s time to go home. Abby replies with a thumb up, and then 20 minutes later she enters the pub and smiles at you. You introduce Niki to Abby and they shake hands while you laugh at Niki’s face when she gets to experience a handshake with a PT.

“Are you ready to go or do you guys want to have some more time? I’ll wait.” Your heart feels swollen from feelings: Abby is so sweet you can’t help but nuzzle into her side. “I feel like this is the answer.” She chuckles and Niki coos at you two.

“Let’s go.” Niki smiles like a fox, happy to see you happy.

“Do you have a ride?” Abby asks Niki while she gives you her forearm to hold on to. “We can drop you off.”

“No, I called a taxi already.” She smiles and winks at you.

When you go outside Abby takes off her jacket and places it around you shoulders and you smile like a lovesick idiot. It’s not even this chilly, but Abby still thinks of your comfort.

When Niki is safe in her taxi, you both get inside Abby’s car as well.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yeah.” You smile.

“Good.”

The fights, as it turns out, are not scary or loud or violent - you’re baffled by the fact that Abby actually listens to you when you voice your concerns. You expect her to lash out or tell you you’re imagining things or that you’re making a villain out of her, but nothing like this happens. Abby has her own issues: she is very problem-solving focused and her first reaction is “how can I/we fix this”, and it hurts when you actually want her to comfort you, but you both learn how to deal with it. You honestly can’t even call them fights, they’re more like troubleshoots.

What is scary is that the first few times when you voice your problems and Abby reacts like a normal person, you bottle up your anxiety. You exhaust yourself with overthinking: is Abby going to leave you? Are you too much to handle? Are you being a burden? How long before your stupid whims will make Abby sick of you?

You can’t bear it. You see how patient Abby is with kids, how she pushes them just enough for them to progress and evolve, how kind she is, how she calls them “sirs” and “ma’ams” when they do something on their own, and all you can think is that you don’t deserve her. How amazing Abby is and how fucked up you are, and how much problems you cause.

You’re spiralling, and you know it, able to recognise your own insanity now, but you can’t stop it. But the one thing Dr. Spencer taught you is to speak up, and one day, when you’re at Abby’s place, you find your courage to speak up.

“Am I being too much?”

“Hm?” Abby is confused. She is often confused when your issues come out of nowhere. “What do you mean?”

“Will you break up with me because I ask for too much?” You ask quietly, really trying to ignore how your voice shakes because you’re on the verge of tears.

Abby stares at you for a second, but in the next she is hugging you. The dam inside you breaks and you sob into her chest, letting all anxiety go out.

“I will not leave you. I’m here. You don’t ask for too much, baby, you barely ask for anything. Ask for more, ask the world from me, okay? Ask for the most ridiculous shit, it’ll only make me love you more.” Abby murmurs and your sobs get louder. “Let it out, yeah, let it out. I love taking care of you, it’s my favourite thing in the world.”

“I’m just so scared.” You say into Abby’s chest as you cling to her. “I want to be deserving of you.”

“Baby, you’re deserving of me just by existing. You’re here and this alone makes me happy.”

Abby lets you cry it out and then brings you some water when you calm down. You are still vulnerable and anxious, but Abby cuddles you and talks to you to soothe you. 

“Do you think I'm weak?” You ask her ten minutes later and Abby chuckles. 

“Quite the opposite, actually. I don't think if I went through what you did I would ever let myself trust someone again. But you are brave. And you're so incredibly kind and thoughtful. The only weakness you have is probably sweets.” You both chuckle. “And I'm very angry that there's a person who dared to hurt you like this and put this bullshit into your head. Honestly, can you give me her address? I know exactly how to break her bones.”

“Can you promise to tell me if dealing with me gets tiring?”

“Of course.” Abby promises you genuinely, because she knows this moment might come - she is only human. But she knows that even when this moment comes, she will be by your side. 

+ 1 nsfw

When you first have sex you're both very worked up and you cling to Abby impatiently, clawing at her shirt and her pants, not really sure what you want to be gone first. Abby thinks it's cute, how needy you are, and she tells you as much before she can think.

“Someone is needy, huh?” She teases you and expects you to get flustered, but instead you freeze and look at her, wide eyed and hurt. 

“Sorry.” You say, ashamed, and Abby's heart breaks. She takes your face into her palms and looks into your eyes with such tenderness you have to look away. 

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like this. I like how enthusiastic you are. It makes me feel wanted.” Abby smirks and your cheeks heat up. “Is there… is there anything I need to be careful about?”

“I’m not really good at sex.” You admit. “I wasn't able to make my ex cum.” You don't tell Abby the whole story, you don't want to ruin the mood, but Sandy was never happy with your skills: she had to watch porn on her phone to get aroused when you topped. And she hated when you didn't do as she wanted when you bottomed and how needy and pathetic you were. 

“Well. I don't trust your ex’s opinion since she is a piece of shit.” Abby smirks. “And sex it not about destination-”

“It’s about the journey, I know.” You chuckle. Dr. Spencer likes this saying so much. You take a breath and brace yourself: you know sex is not a place where you can hide something from Abby without hurting you both. Honesty is crucial in sex. “I don't think I can undress fully. Can I leave my shirt on?”

“Of course. Can I- can I still touch you under it? I really wanna feel how soft your tits are.”

You hide your face in embarrassment and giggle. You nod and Abby kisses your cheek.

“If you don't enjoy something, tell me, yeah? And if you want we can really make your ex look stupid.” 

“How?”

“With you I really don't need much to cum. One stroke wonder if you will.”

You snort and hit Abby's shoulder. 

“You're horrible.”

Abby grins and kisses you. You do make Sandy look stupid that night, when Abby's thighs close around your head and she cums on your face so hard your ears start to ring. 

[miguelhugger2099]

Omg first off LOVE!!! your wiring literally *chef’s kiss* imagine Miguel x reader suggestive smut where they’ve been both super busy and haven’t had time for each other and tension has been building up to this point.

Worth the Wait

nonie im gonna sob. not only was i so excited to see you be my first ask, this is also my first ever written smut!! aaaa im so nervous so please have mercy !! i jumped on my laptop as soon as i saw this and its so late right now haha im a little tired but i didnt want you to wait at all !! im not sure if i wrote too much or too little lol regardless i really hope you enjoy and if not i'm more than happy to make something else and thank you sososo much for the compliment <3333 the ask wasnt specified if it was fem!reader or not so i made it gn!reader just in case <3 Miguel x GN!Reader, Smut, too embarrassed to proofread it, Word Count: 3,681

“Hey, Miguel, do you think you could stay late tonight? Boss wants you in the lab for testing.” A short woman popped her head in his room, her hair neatly tucked in a high bun. Miguel stopped his pacing in his office, his glasses lifted on his head using it as a headband to pull back his fringe. He placed the beakers in his hands down and took off his gloves while ruby eyes glanced at the clock on the wall. He was supposed to leave in a couple minutes.

Miguel’s eyebrows scrunched up, tsking under his breath and turning to look at the woman. “Can’t someone else be there? Peter can oversee it instead.” He pleaded, exasperated. She gave him a sympathetic look and sighed.

“Sorry, Miguel. He specifically asked for you.” Not wanting to be the bearer of bad news anymore, she slipped out the door and shut it behind her, leaving Miguel to groan and slump his shoulders. He stared up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, breathing in and out to calm his anger. It seemed like these days all he ever did was overtime at work. He fiddled with the golden band around his left ring finger, his other hand twirling it mindlessly for some comfort and also a silent apology to you.

His heart ached as he made his way to his desk, picking up his phone and dialing your number. He licked his lips while he brought the phone up to his ear. Miguel wasn’t prepared to hear your voice, happy and hopeful and only be met with disappointment.

“Miggy?” You answer happily. A small smile forms on Miguel’s face.

“H-hey, baby. You doing alright?” He asked, taking a seat on his swivel chair and leaning back to stare at the photo of you two on his desktop.

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m finishing up dinner. Are you on your way home?”

Miguel’s smile dropped a bit, realizing once more why he had called in the first place. “Um, about that, mi corazón. I have to–”

“You have to stay the night, don’t you?” You cut him off, disappointment evident in your voice. Miguel’s heart clenched at the sound.

“I…I do. Believe me, I don’t have a choice or I’d be there in a heartbeat.”

“It’s okay, really. I’m not mad or anything. This month has been hectic for both of us. I just… I just miss you is all.” You speak softly over the phone. He missed you more. He wanted to be there.

“Lo siento, bebé. You know how much I hate being away from you.” He apologized. “How about tomorrow, huh? I have off. We can go out and get a drink. Or maybe stay home? I know how much you love my cooking.” He offered, his heart beating faster at the thought of spending time with you again. That feeling sank when he heard you let out a quick puff of air in annoyance.

“I can’t. I’m working this weekend. Six days in a row,” You rolled your eyes just thinking about it. Your job always had a way of pushing your buttons. Miguel’s jaw clenched as he heard you. Miguel never really liked this recent event of work taking up his time from seeing you. He hated it even more when your job took you away from him. “God, I really thought we’d have tonight together at least.”

Miguel was quick to reassure you. “Hey, hey. Listen. We’ll have a day together. Eventually there’ll be a day for just us–all about us, I promise.”

When Miguel had arrived home, it could barely be even classified as night time with the way the sun had been peeking through the horizon. He dragged his body through the door, a cold home awaiting him. After kicking off his shoes, he dumped his coat and bag on the floor and made his way to the kitchen, eating the leftovers of the dinner you two were supposed to eat together before trudging back to bed. He saw you lying there on your side and he felt exhaustion drag him down.

Miguel slipped in under the covers beside you after striping himself of his clothes, leaving him in his underwear and slipped his arm around you. He pressed your body flushed against his, Miguel’s larger body enveloping yours protectively. His nose buried itself in your neck, his lips grazing your shoulder. His hand rubbed your stomach and then slid up to rub up and down your waist. Sneakily, he ran his hand under your shirt while his lips left small kisses on your neck and shoulder. You stirred awake as you felt the sudden touch of someone else.

Miguel felt you move so he pulled you tighter to him, keeping you caged in that position. “Mig…?” You called out sleepily. You felt something poke you from behind and groaned. Miguel continued to kiss your neck, his teeth coming out to gently nip at the skin making you shiver. He simply hummed his response.

“‘M home.” He murmured. He slowly turned you on your back, towering over you slightly with your leg between his. Miguel’s arm rested by your head while his attacks became more intimate. You leaned your head back, allowing him more access and his other hand on your hip squeezed you in appreciation. You bent your leg up on the bed slightly, your knee caressing his growing bulge in his boxers. Miguel let out a low groan, his hips grinding on you for some friction.

Your hands finally reached up to his hair, curling your fingers around his soft wavy brown locks. Miguel took this as an opportunity to capture your lips with his, muting the soft moans you were letting out. His own knee spread your legs apart, rubbing in between them to add to your pleasure. You felt a jolt of pleasure run down your spine, bucking your hips up instinctively. Miguel sighed against you, his hand on that had been gripping your hip, moved down to the hem of your pajama pants. He teasingly pulled it down, letting it snap back to your body and making you whine. You felt him grin through your kiss. Cheeky bastard.

Before he could ease his hand down your pants, your alarm had blared through the room, shocking the both of you and separating yourselves off each other. Miguel scowled while you clambered up to grab your phone. “The hell was that?” He grunted, displeased with being interrupted. You fumbled with turning it off, placing a hand on your chest to calm your fast beating heart.

“My alarm. I have a morning shift.” You moaned, tossing your phone back on the counter and standing up from the bed. Miguel blinked twice before getting up with you. He reached out his hand to grab yours in an attempt to stop you.

“Woah, woah, hey–what’s the rush?” He asked, turning you around and cupping your cheek. “We can at least have these couple minutes, can’t we?” His voice dropped an octave, leaning down to press a kiss on your cheek. Miguel tried to kiss downwards but you stopped him, albeit unwillingly.

“Amor, you know damn well how Nueva York’s traffic is in the morning. I’m not gonna be late and get my ass in trouble ‘cause you can’t keep it in your pants.” You slipped from his arms with a playful roll of your eyes and walked to the kitchen. Miguel scoffed, slightly offended, his eyes watching you walk away and looking down at your ass.

“Don’t act like you weren’t enjoying it.” He grumbled, looking down at the tent in his boxers wondering what to do with it now.

For the next week, it had been nothing but just pure torture. With the month making you and Miguel work away from each other, this week was stretching that limit. When Miguel worked in the morning, you’d work at night and vice versa. Each time without fail, you managed to slip in a few teasing touches. Waking up Miguel by sitting on his lap and peppering kisses on his cheeks with his hands grinding your hips down on his hardening cock. Miguel cupping your ass and giving it a squeeze when you came home from work while he was on his way out. Both of you were on the brink of breaking by this point. These small acts were supposed to tame the fire within you, not burn it brighter.

Eventually, it was finally your day off after a long weekend. A break from customer service and passing out as soon as you got home. Miguel had work today but he texted earlier that he’d get off on the hour he was supposed to this time around. You felt bad. He’d been working so hard and today had been no different. He took a shift earlier than usual so he could come home earlier without anyone being there to suddenly ask for him to stay. Lord knows he’s pushing those forty hours into overtime.

From the bedroom, you heard the door open, keys jingling as it was turned to unlock it. You got up from the bed and peered out the door, seeing Miguel kicking off his shoes and coat while tossing his bag carelessly on the living room chair. “Welcome home.” You greeted him. He dragged his feet closer to you with his head down, the top buttons on his white button up were popped open, exposing a glimpse of his collarbone. Miguel immediately wraps his arms around you, pulling you in for a comforting hug. You followed suit, hugging him back since you sensed he probably had a rough day. He hummed in response, settling for resting his chin on your head. You stayed like that for a while just holding one another until you felt his hand run under your shirt to feel your soft skin against his calloused hands. They continued up and up your spine until your shirt was lifting up with him. “Miguel.”

“What?” He grumbled. One hand slid down under your pants, getting a quick feel of your ass and pulling your pelvis to him. You gasped and tightened your hold around him, feeling the warmth of arousal ignite in your stomach. “I need to have you. I can’t wait any longer.” His soft touching became more possessive, roughly grabbing your ass and tugging on your shirt and pants.

“Miguel.” You repeated his name, this time in a whimper. Your own hands slipped down his collared shirt and lightly scratched your nails on his large back which made him shiver. He pulled back and you saw his eyes hazed with desire, pupils blown wide.

“Please…” He whispered, his lips brushing up against yours. Your hands fell to his buttoned shirt as you looked up at him. Your heart raced in your chest–the sheer want of having you all to himself finally after weeks was too good to pass up. You nodded and the pleading look on Miguel’s face dropped as he immediately bent down to kiss you. You let out a squeak of surprise between his lips right before giving into his needs and kissing him back.

He tugged your pants down to your ankles before lifting you out of the puddle of clothes and bringing you to the bed. Once you were laid on top, you watched Miguel fumble with his belt. His large hands quickly unhooked the metal making it chime and the soft zipping sound of the leather sliding out his belt loops. He practically ripped himself free from his clothes, not even unbuttoning his shirt and just lifted it up and off his torso. You saw his girthy length, standing tall and proud with a slight red color tinged at his tip while the rest of him was a slighter darker color than his skin. His tip was already oozing with precum. A sight you had always welcomed. It became clear to you that Miguel had been thinking about this for a while–maybe all day. Miguel crawled on top of you, helping you out of your shirt and underwear and kissing you again while his hands roamed your body.

“I’ve waited so long. Did you miss me like how I missed you, cariño?” He sighed between your lips. Your hands clutched his shoulders, one leg hooking around his waist.

“Always.” You whimpered back.

“On your knees. Now.” He growled. You felt your heart skip a beat, another heartbeat going straight to your core. Stumbling, you got off your back and got on your hands and knees like Miguel wanted. This position has always made you flustered. It was both embarrassing and exhilarating not seeing what Miguel could do to you, or even get to put your hands on him–solely relying on feeling.

Perfect timing, his hands met your ass, grabbing them and massaging them. “So perfect,” He murmured. His finger grazed your aching hole where you were the most sensitive, purposefully teasing the nerves on your body. He took pleasure in the way you writhed beneath him, succumbing to his hand. His thick cock rubbed up against you, smearing his leaking fluid on you for even better access. Then ever so slowly, gliding in his fat weeping tip inside and penetrating your walls.

You both moaned in unison. The feeling of being stuffed was like finally feeling that last puzzle piece snap in place. “Uff, fuck–I’ve missed you,” He groaned, his breath shaking as he leaned over your body. His one hand held the headboard in front of him while his other hand held the plushness of your hip tightly. Miguel’s body was shaking as he entered you slowly, stretching you out after a long time of not seeing each other like this. You whimpered, falling from your hands onto your elbows as you shook with him. “Ease up, cariño, así es.” He praised, leaning back to watch his cock disappear inside you. His pride swelled at how easily he seemed to slide in you even after so long, his mouth curling into a sly smirk.

“Mi–guel…” You choked out a moan. You whined and gripped the pillow underneath your head tightly in your fists. You had forgotten just how huge Miguel was, his covered bulge was nothing compared to the real thing. Panting, you heard your heartbeat in your ears, turning your head to rest your cheek on the pillow.

Miguel’s hand left the headboard by this point, choosing instead to rest on your back, running down the curve of your spine to press your head down. You whimpered and clenched around him which made him let out a string of curses under his breath. You felt him push himself to the hilt, his balls gently smacking against the curve of your ass. He groaned, his hand on your head gripped your hair to still himself from pounding you immediately. The two of you stood there, breathing heavily while you felt each other. You could feel him throbbing inside you, twitching ever so softly. Miguel bit his lip to hinder himself from cumming on the spot with your walls convulsing around him, weakly attempting to suck him in deeper.

You wiggled your hips, bucking them back against Miguel with a pathetic whine. “M-move…plea–” You got cut off when Miguel slipped out of you, and then he slammed back inside making you scream and shake. He then began a steady pace, enough for movement but not as quick as you wanted. Still, you mewled and clutched at the sheets while his cock was ravaging your guts. The hand on your hip wrapped around your lower stomach, his bicep flexing as he held your weight up to fuck your from behind.

“Too long. It’s been too fucking long since I’ve fucked this needy hole properly.” Miguel sighed, huffing with each thrust of his hips. Your eyes rolled back and your jaw slacked open. Skin slapping echoed in the room along with the wet smack of sweat between your bodies. It was a symphony of lust and desire. An aching instinct to be reunited like this. You pleaded for more–a little quicker, a little harder– and Miguel who loved you so much didn’t want to deny either of you this ecstasy. He then used both hands to grab onto your hips and started to drag your body back and forth on his dick, drilling himself in you like a toy. Miguel used up all his frustrations of not being able to see you all this time, his eyes drinking in your writhing form while he bucked into you abandonly.

“Yes! Yes! Fuck–Miguel…!” You squealed, involuntarily squeezing him which made me grunt and buck his hips faster. You babbled nonsense while your core bubbled up the feeling of an orgasm. You screwed your eyes shut as you allowed Miguel to hump against you. He leaned over you again, pressing kisses on your back, murmuring things you could barely hear over the sound of your own moans.

Suddenly, Miguel had pulled out again leaving you feeling empty and light headed while the feeling of an impending orgasm disappeared. He let go of you, your hips bouncing on the bed without the support of his strength holding you up. You opened up your eyes, glazed with pleasure and shakily tried to look behind you. Before you could, Miguel took your body and flipped you on your back. It all happened quickly before you could even register what was happening. He took your legs and tugged your body closer to him like a ragdoll. He spread them wide then pressed them up against your chest. You lolled your head up and you saw his fringe had fallen to his forehead, sticking to it with his sweat. His chest was heaving up and down, the glow of the moonlight highlighting the carvings of his muscles perfectly–it made your breath hitch.

Miguel then loomed over you, nuzzling his head into your neck again. You leaned your head to the side making him gain more access to you. His teeth bit your soft flesh, his lips suckling your skin to leave tiny bruises along the side. “Ah–” You squirmed and gasped when you felt Miguel slide back into you again. You quickly wrapped your arms around him, your hand running through his already messy hair. You pressed his head closer, your eyes opening up hazily to stare at the ceiling while Miguel starts his pace again.

“So tight, just f’me, hm? You have no idea how much–” He moaned in between speaking, the lust clouding his mind. “H-how much I needed you. I should’ve just brought you to work, bend you over my desk and fuck you however long I want,” He shuddered at the thought, his hips stuttering while you whimpered and arched your back off the bed. “Oh, you like that?” He grinned, his voice oozing with arrogance. You nodded, your eyes shutting closed again and desperately lifting your hips to match his thrusting.

“Next time, bebé, next time. I promise. You’re doing so, so, good. You feel so good.” He slurred softly, his hips snapped harder, his cock twitching and swelling inside you.

“Mig–Mig–I can’t,” You moaned, your screams getting louder the harder Miguel went. “Oh, god, Miguel!” Miguel kissed you, swallowing all your moans while he slipped his tongue in your mouth. Your eyes rolled back and your legs wrapped around his waist the moment he let go of your thighs. His hands traveled around your body, feeling the shape of your silhouette back into his memory. He grabbed at anything he could hold onto before curling around your ass for a small squeeze.

He pulled away from the kiss, breaths mingling for a moment until Miguel rested his forehead on your shoulder. Your hands raked down his back and you dug your nails into his giant back, leaving streaks of red in their wake from scratching him. He moaned from it–the pain only adding to his pleasure-fueled mind. Miguel peppered kisses on your shoulder, making his way down to your chest.

“Miguel, I’m so close–so, so close…” You whimpered.

“I know, ángel, me… me too. Solo enfocate en mí, hm? Just let me have you.” He pleaded, his rough moans turning into whimpering as he neared his end. You responded with a weak ‘uh-huh’ then clinging onto Miguel for support.

He murmured in a jumble of Spanish and English, his breath hot on your neck while you screamed and pleaded for more, how good it felt, anything to get both of you going. Miguel lifted your lower half up, relentlessly pounding into you while he cursed lowly, burying his head in your shoulder again. You felt the bubble in your abdomen about to snap.

“Miguel, I–!” You tried warning him but instead the waves of your orgasm flooded your body, cumming on Miguel and making a mess between your legs. You twitched around him, milking his cock for all it’s worth. Your legs shook until you went limp, fucked out of your mind. Miguel whined, speeding up to catch his own release.

“Fuck–!” He moaned, feeling his cock pump out his creamy fat load inside you, painting your walls white. Miguel’s entire body tensed up, stilling up against you while he slowly came down from the high. His strokes gradually slowed down, pumping the final ropes of cum, while he softened inside you, huffing and puffing with you. He shakily but carefully pulled out of you after a few moments. You whimpered when he completely left you with a soft wet shlick.

Miguel fell beside you, exhausted and spent. Still, he reached for you, bringing your shivering body in his arms. You curled yourself in his chest weakly, feeling his hand play with your hair. He kissed your forehead, basking in each other's afterglow. He brought the covers up over you two for some extra warmth.

“I’ll…get us cleaned up in the morning…” He huffed with a tired smile. You grunted in response, too numb to speak but satisfied nonetheless.

can you tell this is my first smut? hahaaaa dontanswerthatillcry

[thebearer]

hii I though it would be cool if you show what the atmosphere would be like when reader and Teddy visit the bear for the first time since the fight? Maybe for their family dinner? Also I totally love ur work, super cool

relief lol. genuinely relief.

like they knew carmen was getting better. he’s still so fucking private but he ducks out early every tuesdays and thursdays in the middle of prep and they all pretend they don’t know where he’s going, but they know he’s going to his therapist.

still there’s this kinda tense vibe even after you’ve went back home. carmen seems better, and it’s not out of the ordinary that you haven’t shown up bc teddy is so little, but they’re still a little like “oh shit what if she left him?”

until you show up unannounced at family with baby teddy. she’s bigger now, it’s less of a risk and you’ve missed seeing them. probably after you and carm have settled back to normal (post smut lol let’s be real) and you come to see everyone.

tina actually sighs of relief. like she is so fucking happy bc she nearly killed carmen. wouldn’t talk to him for weeks, weeks, it was like worse than when he started. a worse cold shoulder bc she heard a sliver of what he did (not even the whole thing).

I do think they all see a change with him. that they don’t have to walk on eggshells around him. he’s not blowing up as more anymore. tried to talk calmly and not lose his shit when things get out of control. talks more instead of bottling things up. actually lets other people do things. and follows through. both at the restaurant and at home.

definitely is more appreciative in general. not so mean and doom and gloom. i feel like he got called out by someone (richie or jimmy i can’t decide), “I don’t know why you’re so fuckin’ miserable all the time. what more do you want? you got a wife, a healthy baby, a successful business, and a family that’s- yeah, it’s kinda fucked up- but they love you.”

and that really floored him bc that is genuinely all he ever wanted. it was stuff he never thought he’d have and now he does and he’s still sad and moody and mean all the time?

he’s so touchy at family dinner. everyone’s coping over teddy, and so you actually get to eat a meal without juggling. carmen’s not overly pda (let’s be realistic, it’s carmen) but he kisses you when he greets you (HUGE lol) and keeps his hand on your thigh. looks at you with the most lovestruck gaze while you giggle and talk with the others. just complete adoration. he always has but it’s different now.

[rxmqnova]

Say that request are open so I have one for Scarlett x sister!reader

Reader is Scarlett younger sister maybe we are around 15-17. We used to be really close to Scarlett when we were younger but don’t see her anymore because she’s always busy with work. So one day she promised us she would take us out but completely forgets about it and she doesn’t realize into the next few days that she forgot she had plans with us and comes over to her parents house to try and make it up to us.

Idk if this makes any sense….

Forgotten sleepover

Y/N: 15 years old ——————————————————

NO ONE'S POV Humming her favorite song Y/N's finishing up her make-up, so she could go out with her older sister tonight.

Scarlett and Y/N used to be very close. Y/N used to tell her sister everything, she used to sleep over at her house nearly every weekend, though over the last few years they seem to have grown apart.

It's been a really long time since Scarlett had time for her little sister. It's not that she wouldn't want to, because she would want nothing more, but she's been working really hard on her own skin care line, The Outset. And if she's not at The Outset office, she's on set.

Y/N's been begging her older sister to make some time for her and it finally happened. It's Friday and the two are going out for dinner and then Y/N's even sleeping over at Scarlett's house just like the old times which she's super excited about.

Last few touches and Y/N's ready to go. She takes her bag and rushes downstairs to put on her shoes as Scarlett should be here in any minute.

Minutes after minutes pass though and Y/N's still waiting, thinking whether she should call her sister or not. Scarlett promised to spend time with her, so she surely needs to be here soon.

Meanwhile Scarlett shuts the door of her house, a sigh of relief escaping her lips after another stressful day at work. The blonde can't wait to have dinner, take a shower and go to bed. So that's exactly what she does, completely forgetting about the sleepover she promised to have with her little sister.

After nearly 2 hours of waiting Y/N gives up, tears filling her eyes while she's rushing back to her bedroom. She was so excited to finally see her sister and to spend some time with her and Scarlett just doesn't come.

———

The weekend flies by fast and it's Monday now. Scarlett still hasn't realized anything, though she's quite confused as why isn't her sister answering her calls and messages.

The blonde sighs after calling her little sister for what feels like a 100th time this morning. Right now she's home and about to drive to The Outset office.

She opens the calender on her phone to check what she needs to do today, her eyes widening when she spots what she had planned for last Friday's evening.

She needs to go to work though, so that's what she does and her entire day gets filled with thinking how could she make up last Friday to her baby sister.

When Scarlett finally leaves the office, instead of back home she drives to her parents' house, hoping Y/N would be home and she could make it up to her somehow.

She immediately heads upstairs, knowing her sister is most likely to be in her bedroom. And after knocking and opening the door, she finds her little sister sitting on her bed and scrolling on her phone.

"Mom, I'm really not hungry right now" Y/N says without looking who's at the door, making Scarlett let out a chuckle which makes Y/N look up. "What are you doing here? Don't you have some super important work to do?"

"Don't be like that, Y/N" Scarlett sighs, walking over to her sister's bed and taking a seat next to her.

"I was waiting for you 2 hours. I was so excited and you didn't even let me know you wouldn't come" Y/N crosses her arms over her chest, looking at her older sister.

"I'm sorry, I had a really stressful day and I just-"

"As always" Y/N scoffs. "You never have time for me anymore. I just want to spend some time with my sister. Am I asking too much?"

"Honey, I'm really, really sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you" Scarlett places her hand on her younger sister's knee, giving it a rub, though Y/N just rolls her eyes in response.

"Don't promise me anything when you can't fulfill the promise, Scarlett. I don't want to be disappointed again" Y/N says, her arms still crossed as she's looking at her sister.

"… Okay, fine. Pack your things. We're leaving" Scarlett orders, Y/N furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "Come on, we'll have the sleepover"

"Scarlett, I have school in the morning. I-"

"I will drive you to school on my way to the office. You'll probably be there a bit sooner, but whatever. So? Are you coming or not?" Scarlett raises an eyebrow, watching her sister's still confused face impression and waiting for an answer.

"I- Y-yeah, I-I'm coming"

"Good. I'll talk to mom about it and wait for you downstairs" Receiving a nod, Scarlett makes her way downstairs while Y/N's rushing around her room to pack everything.

———

"I didn't really have time for cooking, so pizza for dinner?" Scarlett asks, closing the door of her house as the two just stepped inside.

"Sounds good" Y/N smiles, suddenly dropping her bag on the floor and practically jumping into her sister's arms, holding her tightly and never wanting to let go of her again.

Scarlett looks at her sister confused before shaking it off and wrapping her arms around the younger girl, a smile forming on her face.

"I missed you so much" Y/N mumbles out, still holding her sister tightly.

"I missed you too, sweetheart. I'm really sorry about last Friday, Y/N/N. I'll try to work on my schedule, so you and I could hang out more. Would you like that?" Scarlett asks, placing her hand on Y/N's cheek and rubbing it with her thumb.

"That would be awesome… Only if it's not too much of a trouble for you though" Scarlett can't help but smile on her sister's words, pulling Y/N in for another tight hug and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you so much, Y/N/N" Scarlett smiles, pressing another kiss to the younger one's forehead.

"I love you too, Scarly"

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

Scarlett Johansson masterlist

Masterlist

[idkwhatever580]

Her pt. 2

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x reader

Prompt: after y/n gets rescued what is in store in the next chapter of her life with Natasha?

Warnings: cursing

Pronouns: she/her

A/N: I’m super excited about this one. Make sure you read chapter one first so you have some insight on how nat and y/n met!!! I hope y’all like it :)))

Here’s part one :))) I’m working on a master list I swear -> https://www.tumblr.com/idkwhatever580/749750524015984640/her-pt-1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/n’s pov

I cannot believe it’s been a whole year since I met Natasha.

She and the avengers immediately took me in and I found myself going over to the compound much more than I expected.

I still have my house in Long Island. But I never stay there really anymore. Ever since Natasha and I started dating I haven’t spent too much time there.

It only took three months for me to virtually move in with her. Although I do wish she’d come with me sometimes.

But I don’t really worry about that since one of the floors in the tower is my new soup kitchen. It’s open twenty four hours a day and there are at least 2-6 people working there at all times.

As promised Tony Stark and SHEILD helped me get my business up and running.

I make homes for the homeless. Sometimes they are bigger more communal homes and sometimes they are tiny one or two person homes.

My first two homes are side by side. They were for gran and pops. They were always my biggest supporters and still are.

My program has changed so many lives. There are so many people out there who just need a little bit of love.

Sometimes the homeless people will use the homes as a forever home but most often they get jobs. Become more financially stable and independent and then they will move out. It’s really great. Because I see so many people I’ve helped become something. Someone.

There are so many who have told me they thought they would never amount to anything. And a few of them have become very successful even as far as becoming a CEO.

I am incredibly proud of my work.

And honestly it’s so exciting to see what changes I can make every single day.

For example. Today is the release date of my nationwide program.

All over the country a program is being launched where homeless people can find shelter, rehabilitation centers, and other necessities for free so they can have a second chance at life. I am doing some interviews today.

Unfortunately Natasha isn’t here. She has a mission. I’m a little sad that she won’t be with me tonight as the program launches but the show must go on.

I check my watch and see it is time to leave for the opening ceremony and I go downstairs to find Happy.

I smile and say

“What’s up Happy! Are you ready?”

He smiles sadly and says

“Yes I am ready. But I must inform you that I am only your chauffeur tonight. Unfortunately I cannot be your plus one.”

I frown when he says this because he was supposed to fill in for Natasha and now I have nobody.

“Oh. Well. That’s okay!”

I smile and cover up my disappointment. He drives me to the red carpet and helps me out. I kiss his cheek accidentally leaving a lipstick stain and I say

“Thank you. Have a good night Happy.”

He usually goes home and I have a different driver drive me home.

I walk to the red carpet by myself and put on my best smile. I make it about halfway through the carpet and an arm snakes around me and this mystery person says

“Am I late?”

“Oh!”

I jump and put my hand to my chest and I look at my beautiful girlfriend with a huge smile on my face and I say

“Jesus! You scared me!”

My brain doesn’t even register that she’s back since I’m in the zone and then I do a double take and say

“Wait! What!?”

She giggles when I realize and I slap her chest and say

“I thought you were at a mission?!”

She chuckles and says.

“I got off early enough to make it. That’s why Happy isn’t here with you. I tried my best. But I couldn’t get the best suit”

She looks down at her suit and I look her up and down and say

“You look amazing baby. Perfect right here with me.”

I smile and give her a kiss. We always wear matching lipstick colors so that we can kiss and not get it messed up.

Then I put my hand on her chest and we keep taking pictures.

The rest of the night goes smoothly and I give a speech. I talk to a few people who have helped my journey and then we head home.

I get changed and wait in bed for Natasha. She takes a while so I complain

“Nattyyy”

She comes out of the bathroom and smiles and says

“Yes baby?”

I hold my arms out for her and pout

“I missed you”

She gets into bed with me and says

“I missed you too.”

Once we’re comfy she looks me in the eyes and says

“Goodnight my love. You have done such amazing things for so many people and I am so lucky to be yours.”

I smile and say

“I love you baby. Goodnight”

We kiss and drift off into a nice comfortable sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: guys this is so bad. It feels rushed and blah. Idk how I feel about it. I became so unmotivated and just wanted to move on to the next thing but I didn’t want to just leave it. 😭🔫

[dejwritesarchived]

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀human, choso kamo

it's been two years since the fall of the jujutsu world, and now choso kamo is finally able to keep the promise that he made with special-grade sorcerer yuki. to no longer live life as a curse but as a human. just his luck; his bubbly next-door neighbor is the one that helped guide him through it.

♔ ˖ ✧ — general warnings: female reader, her/she pronouns, female anatomy described, black reader written in mind and their will be descriptors, modern au but also in jjk verse, kinda my own interpretation and theories on how jjk will end, super self-indulgent bc it's my bday, neighbors to lovers (is that a trope), love making yay, mention of other jjk characters, a lot of jumps that are separated by dividers btw, somewhat plot twist at the end // smut warnings: missionary position, hand holding, mentions of hickeys/love bites, usage of spit, big d*ck choso is a warning in itself, implied of oral (m.receiving), handjob // word count: 5.5k, minors dni.

YOUR NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR, CHOSO, WAS EXTREMELY MYSTERIOUS. He only came out of his apartment for a couple of things—going grocery shopping, possibly working, and jogging. You never saw him being friends over. You never saw him bring a lover over. Nothing. Your curious mind always wondered if he was just a loner; maybe he didn’t have any family members alive. It was just him in the small countryside of Japan, and he was just taking his very lonely days day by day. Or was it cruel of you to assume? It wasn’t really your business as a young foreigner just enjoying her youthful years of traveling. 

You’ve been everywhere, searching for a permanent home after deciding to step away from your actual job. Malaysia, Nigeria, Brazil—you have been traveling for a while, and now it seems you may have found your permanent home for good. The small town wasn’t as busy as Tokyo, but it got lively when the people got together to throw small festivals to celebrate things. If you recall, tonight’s festival celebrated the anniversary of the eldest married couple living in the community. Everyone was prompted to bring a dish, baked goods, or gifts. You took it upon yourself to make onigiri because it was one of the easiest dishes you couldn’t butcher without the eldest questioning your cooking skills.

With your best outfit, you glanced at Choso’s door and began your journey down to the main court of the community with your dish. You could hear the laughter and music of the people in the community as they were setting up. You could see the eldest couple, Mr. and Mrs. Aoki, slowly dancing to the music that was blasting through the speakers. Huge smiles on their faces caused their eyes to crinkle and for them to hold on to each other a bit tighter. Despite such a fast-paced song playing, they took their time indulging in each other’s company as if they wouldn’t have each other anymore the next day. 

“You look gorgeous,” You heard one of your friends, Hinata, say. 

“I can’t let you outdress me this time,” You joked while placing what you brought on the table with the other variety of foods. 

“It’s only room for just one hot person in the small community, and it seems like it’ll be me,” He responds. “Now it’s three,” He jokingly sighed in despair.

“Three?” You questioned as you were glancing over the drinks that were offered.

“You, Me, and your neighbor,” Hinata responded. He ran his fingers through his sandy brown colored hair before speaking again, “I’m so jealous. I’m stuck with Old Man Keigo as my neighbor.” 

“He’s not that bad.” You laughed.

“He knocks on my door at three in the morning, asking if I have seen his cat. I didn’t even know we were allowed to have pets.” Hinata sighs.

“Choso literally never leaves his place. I don’t even think he watches tv,” You responded. 

“Still better than Keigo,” Hinata answered. 

“Is it, though? You’re not curious about why he’s so lonely? If he has a family? Friends? If he wants to make friends?” You asked, and Hinata’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“Maybe he’s running away from his past life,” Hinata said while searching for a plate. “You should give him some food.”

“Why do I have to do it?” 

“You have an adorable, friendly face. Would you rather Old Man Keigo do it?” Hinata’s head motioned to the older man, who was nodding off to sleep in the corner. The children in the community managed to begin to place items on his lap to see how long he wouldn’t notice.

“The goal is to get him out of his apartment, not scare him in.” You grabbed the plate out of Hinata’s hand. “How am I supposed to know what foods he likes? If he’s allergic to anything?” 

“Hm, just give him one of everything. Now my lovely friend has arrived to help me get through this party. Toodles.” He disappeared in the sea of people, leaving you alone with a plate of food.

You knew he was most likely meeting with his local drug dealer, getting his weekly weed fix to get him through his work week as an administrative assistant at a law firm. 

You did what Hinata suggested, placing one of everything on the plate. You were positive that the amount of food on the plate would have been the same amount that the community's people would give him. Especially considering that some already whispered about him. They weren’t bad whispers or gossip but whispers of kindness. You remember Mrs. Aoki telling you how he helped her carry her groceries in her house. Or the young mother that lived in the home down from your complex told everyone that Choso taught her young son how to ride his bike without training wheels. So, if Choso were to finally leave his home—maybe he would see how kind everyone was and how this community was like a huge family. He had already been helping out around here.

As soon as you were done, you returned to your apartment. Your steps were slow and steady to prevent you from spilling food everywhere. When you reached Choso’s door, you mentally prepared yourself for what to say. Should you do an introduction first before giving him the food? Should you lie and say Mrs. Aoki told you to bring the food? What if he doesn't accept the food? Well, that wouldn’t be so bad. You were his neighbor who only said hi or bye to him, giving him food. He’ll probably think it’s been poisoned or something.

You knocked three times. Two times softly before a loud one that could be heard in the small apartment. You stepped back when you heard the sound of the door unlocking. When he stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist, your heart glanced down in embarrassment. Your brown skin heated, and your heart felt like it was flinging around your chest like a balloon that had just deflated. You never thought a plate of food was so interesting until now.

“Uh, I’m sorry for interrupting your plans. I just thought that I should bring you food from the festival. Mr. and Mrs. Aoki are celebrating their anniversary.” Your words were moving so fast that he even was trying to comprehend what you were saying.

You took a deep breath before speaking again, “You never leave your apartment, so I thought it would be nice to get you some food. I wasn’t sure what you like, so I bought a bit of everything.” Your hands extended the plate outward, and he grabbed the plate out of your hand with the hand that wasn’t grasping on the blue-colored towel that was wrapped around his waist. 

Now that the plate was no longer in your hands, your curious eyes couldn’t help but take a peek at his body. His body was like it was sculpted by the best sculptor in Japan. The many Greek statues of God’s body used him as a reference if possible. 

“Thanks,” Choso says, and his lips curve into a sly smile before he returns back into the comfort of his own home.

With a smile on your face, you turned around to return to the celebration and Choso on your mind. The festival continued, and you even shared a rolled blunt with Hinata to end the night as you gossiped about random things. He asked about Choso and could tell by how your glossed lips curved into a smile that it went well. He didn’t question more of it since the intoxicating high of marijuana finally hit him. However, he did point out that he believed Choso and you would get along quite well. 

Hinata’s prediction wasn’t far off, considering two weeks afterward, Choso tagged along with you to go grocery shopping. You remembered dragging your shopping cart down the stairs loudly as he followed you. 

“What’s up with the cart?” He asked as he walked by your side; he noticed that you didn’t take the usual turn towards the community exit but instead went towards one of the elder's apartments.

“Oh, I usually go grocery shopping for some elders. It helps so I won’t have to carry all the bags from the grocery store.” You gave him a smile. “You have to work smarter, not harder, so you won’t have back problems in your early thirties.” You joked.

Choso’s lips formed a perfect shape ‘o’ as he realized how smart the idea was. The closest grocery store is about a fifteen-minute walk from here; it would make sense to have something that would be easier for you to carry your bags. His dark eyes followed you as you went door to door, asking some of the older people if they needed anything from the grocery store. You did with such a bright smile that Choso found his cheeks growing hot as he watched you respectfully bow before wishing farewells to your neighbors. 

Kindness, you had so much of it and weren’t afraid to give it out. Perhaps that’s why Choso admired you so much. You were like a ray of sunshine; he questioned where you were during the Shibuya, Culling Game, and other events that shook the sorcerer world. How could someone like you be so kind and bubbly when such events happen? He wondered if you had family members that died during the Shibuya incident. 

“I have three people's grocery lists and money. You know you don’t have to tag along if you don’t want to.” You said as you dragged the cart behind you. 

“I have nothing else to do, and I have grown to enjoy your company compared to your friend,” Choso admits as he walks by your side. “He’s a hyper one.” 

“Oh, Hinata? Yeah, you have to catch him when he’s off work. Other times he’s either high on weed or caffeine.” You chuckled. “I appreciate the company, then. It isn’t a lot of people around our age that live here.”

“I noticed,” Choso responds. He shoved his hands in his leather jacket pockets. “I like it like that compared to the city.”

“You used to live in the city?” You asked as you stopped at the crosswalk. 

“Well, I work in Roppongi as security at some clubs. That helps pay the bills and such. I did live there originally, but it was too busy there. As if Roppongi never sleeps or something. So, I moved.” Choso explained while you two crossed the street.

You noticed that your arms kept bumping into each other with each step you took next to each other. It was like two magnets that kept gravitating toward each other despite being far apart. 

“You as a security guard? You don’t give me security guard vibes,” You chuckled.

“Really? My boss says otherwise,” He runs his fingers through his hair. “He said I look intimidating.” 

“Maybe it’s the mark across your face.” You motioned to your own face. “What is that anyway? A tattoo? Birthmark?” 

You watched as Choso rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. His cheeks staining the color of red before speaking, “Birthmark.” He says before his eyes averted downward in embarrassment. 

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” You nudge his side. “It’s cute.” She adds before skipping ahead to enter the grocery store. 

Choso followed behind you with heated cheeks as you held the first list. You were putting stuff in the cart you brought along. “Have you always lived there? Seem like everyone knows you.”

“Only for about four months now. I traveled a couple of places before settling here.” You answered. “I must say that Hinata did make it much easier. I was like you at first. All bottled up in my apartment, and then Hinata became my friend. The rest is history; Hinata even decided to set me up with one of his friends.” 

“And how is that going?” Choso asked. 

“He canceled the first two dates, and we’re supposed to hang out another day,” Your shoulders shrug as you look at Choso, who couldn’t quite comprehend how nonchalant you were taking the situation.

“What about you? Anyone special in your life? Met someone nice during your security gigs?” You asked while grabbing another thing off the shelf. 

Choso took the other list out your hand and started to search if any item on the list was in the aisle you two currently were in. You couldn’t tell if he started helping to avoid your question or if he was genuinely being kind. He reached behind where you were standing to grab something behind you. 

“I don’t really do relationships. Yeah, I have had flings here and there.” Choso explained. “So, there’s no one from my security gigs.” He chuckles. 

Your eyebrows raised in curiosity at his question, but you didn’t want to pry anymore into his business. You took the list from his hand and motioned for him to pull the cart. With a sly grin, Choso followed behind you. The dark-haired male was growing comfortable with you, and he couldn’t explain to himself the warm feeling he felt when he was around you. 

A DRUNKEN HICCUP ESCAPED your lips as you let your head fall into the palm of your hand. Your mind felt like it was spinning, and your body felt like it was a bowl of Jell-O. You brought the glass to your taking another sip of the intoxicating alcohol that you knew you had too much of. Finishing the last bit in the glass before letting your face collide with the table you sat at. You knew it was irresponsible to drink alone, especially considering you had to travel about five blocks to your house. But you didn’t think you would get stood up by Hinata’s friend. They were supposed to be here to walk you home and ensure that you got home safely. But they didn’t bother again.

You sat up, running your manicured fingers through your coils, before you saw a familiar figure walking by the bar that you were in. It seemed like he felt your drunken glare since his eyes met with yours when he turned around. Choso. You hadn’t seen him since he told you about his brother when you guys walked together to the grocery store. You watched as he raced to the door to approach you, and you couldn’t hide the foolish grin on your face. 

“Choso! Come, sit down and have a drink with me!” You shrieked, holding up the empty bottle of sake. 

“You’ve reached your limit, Y/N. It’s time to go home.” He says.

“But he hasn’t shown up yet. Hinata’s friend didn’t come.” 

“Just stay here while I pay your bill, okay? Don’t move!” His finger points at you, and you can only smile and give him a thumbs up.

You plopped back into your seat, watching as he paid for the drinks you had within the night. He returned and helped you up, but you stumbled back, causing him to grab a hold of your wrist to catch you. He noticed the short skirt you wore tonight and wanted to question if you were cold, but right now, he had to get you home. A long sigh tumbled from the dark-haired male before he unzipped his hoodie. He tied the hoodie around your waist and turned around. “Hop on.” He says, motioning to his back. 

“Choso, you’re going to carry me all the way home. You’re such a gentleman.” You happily sigh as you climb onto his back. 

He carried you in silence until you were so curious about why he was out so late. “Why were you out so late? It can be dangerous out here when the sun goes down, you know?” Each word that left your mouth was interrupted by a hiccup. 

“Says the drunk one; someone could have taken advantage of you if I didn’t see you.” Choso lectured. “You’re so irresponsible, you know?”

Your lips formed a pout as you wiggled your legs with each step Choso took. “I just thought he would show up. I’m sorry for my ir-responsible-ness.” 

Choso chuckles at your words, considering that you completely butchered the last part of your sentence. “It’s okay. But to answer your question, I just went to the cemetery to visit my brother. It’s much more peaceful for me when I go at night.” 

“Well, did you enjoy your visit?” You asked. 

“I did. I’m sure he’s tired of me bothering him, though.” He responded.

“Well, I wish I would have been able to meet him. If he’s as cool as his older brother, I’m sure I would have liked him and his company.” 

“He would have liked you also. Especially considering you being so nice to me. Seeing the good in every fuckin’ body. Including that guy that stood you up.” 

You grew silent. Choso’s words suddenly sober you up. You blink several times before speaking, “He promised he would come.” 

You found yourself repeating that phrase again and again. 

“I heard you the first time you said it,” Choso answered as he began to walk up the steps connected to the complex's top level. “Just wish you would see that the guy clearly isn’t interested in you.” 

“And how would you know that? You told me weeks ago that you don’t do relationships or haven’t even been on a date. Just hookups,” You backfired. 

“I don’t need to be a relationship expert to see that you deserve better than to get stood up in some busted bar that hardly anyone knows about as if the guy is ashamed and is afraid to be with a foreigner. Now, can I have your keys to open your door?” 

Silence overcame the two of you again. Why were you two so comfortable enjoying each other’s silence? Why was his silence so comforting? Why did it calm you down? Why did his words hit you so hard like that? 

“I think I left my purse at the bar.” 

“Seriously?” 

“I’ll just go wake the landlord up; I’m sure he has a spare key. Then I’ll just go get my purse tomorrow. I'm friends with the owner, so I’m sure she’ll put it up for me.” 

Choso didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked next door to his apartment, unlocking the door. “No need to be a nuisance to the landlord so late at night. You can crash here until the morning, and I’ll get your purse.” 

“You’re so kind. One day I will pay you back plus some.” 

Choso opened his apartment, and you were in awe at how he decorated his small space. Maybe, your mind was mentally hyping it up due to the alcohol in your system. But you felt at peace in here; it could have been because it smelt like Choso. A scent that you grew familiarized with the more you spent time with him. You noticed how clean his place was. He had a couple of plants in the corner that were clearly taken care of. He had a record player in the other corner with a stack of vinyl records. Your eyes couldn’t help but remember the small details in his apartment. So caught up in your surroundings you don’t even notice Choso kneeling down to remove your heels after your feet finally hit the ground. 

“I could have done that myself.” You said.

“Mhm, sure.” He sarcastically responds before searching his closet for something you can change in. He gave you a shirt and some shorts. “The bathroom is all yours.” 

You stumbled into the bathroom to change into the clothes. The shorts and shirts are clearly too big for you. Your arms wrapped around your waist as you glanced at yourself in the small mirror above the sink. You looked a mess, and you couldn’t believe that Choso saw you in this manner. Felt like he was viewing you at your lowest all because you got stood up by some guy. 

Choso seemed to be getting ready to shower when you were done in the bathroom. You swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in your throat before walking further into the room, “I can sleep on the floor. I am the intruder here.” 

“Nonsense, I don’t mind sharing the bed. Unless you’re like-“ 

“No, it’s not that. It’s just you’ve done so much for me tonight. Carried me home, paid my bill at the bar, now this.” 

“It’s okay. It’s kinda on my list to be kind to someone similar to how my brother would be.” Choso answered truthfully. 

Your eyebrows raised at his comment, but you didn’t argue as you climbed into the bed and got comfortable. You rolled over on your side and tugged the blankets further on your frame to attempt to sleep. Choso went on to take a shower, and minutes later, he joined you in the bed. The bed sank downward when he joined you, and you hated to admit that you wanted to move closer foolishly. You bet he was a wonderful cuddler; he had the arms for it. Before you could utter goodnight to Choso, the alcohol you consumed caused your body to finally relax on the fluffiness of the bed. Your eyes fluttered, attempting to fight your sleep until you finally fell into a deep slumber. 

When morning came upon you, you woke up and could feel an arm around your waist and warmth upon the back of your neck. If you concentrated hard enough, you could even feel Choso’s face upon the top of your coils. It took you by a shock that you didn’t fall asleep twisting your hair and throwing on a scarf, but then you remembered the events of last night. You remembered the piggyback ride. You remembered the talk about you being too kind and always seeing the good in everyone. You remembered forgetting your purse. You figure you were such a nuisance, so you had to make your grand mistake.

You attempted to wiggle out of his grasp, but the grip got a bit tighter. A subtle groan escaped from Choso before you wiggled your way to turn around to face him. Your lips gasp apart to stare at the sight in front of you. His black hair sprawled across his face creating the most reckless bed hair. You took in the way he let out a soft snore here and there. How long his eyelashes were. The birthmark that decorated his pale skin started from one cheek to across the bridge of his nose and to the other cheek. Your cheeks heated, seeing his eyes flutter open and catch you staring. 

“Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you.” You stuttered your words out in embarrassment before turning around to break eye contact. You’ve given up wiggling away at how close the two of you were, but he didn’t loosen up the grip either. Actually, he pulled you closer. As if he didn’t want to let you go. 

“Choso?” You asked as you could feel the tip of his nose on the back of your neck. 

Your skin was littered with goosebumps, and your body's hair stood up. 

“Hm.” He groggily answered. 

“I may have been drunk, but I do recall you mentioning a list. You said one of the things on the list was to be kind to a person the same way you would think your brother would. Is that what you’re doing with me?” 

“Yes.” 

Now you were back, turning around to meet his sleepy alluring gaze. “And you think your brother would do this? As in, cuddle his neighbor?” 

“He’ll carry you on his back if you were too intoxicated, but I don’t know if he’ll do this. I can stop if you want,” His arm detaches itself from your body, and your body suddenly feels cold without it. 

You grabbed it and put it back on your waist. “No, I’m okay with it. It’s just I’m curious to know why me. Why be kind to me?” 

“Because you’re kind to me. Always been kind to me.” He answers truthfully. His fingers brushed one of your coils out of the way, and those goosebumps returned again. 

“I know, but no amount of kindness equals cuddling and shit.” You said. “I’m not complaining because this is very comforting, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to be kind to me-“ 

“I think I’m in love with you.” 

“What? Choso, that’s such a-“ 

“I know, and I’m not expecting a response to that just yet. I know it’s quite hard to process especially considering that you’re most likely hungover at the moment. But I am willing to wait whenever you’re ready.” His eyes shifted closed as if attempting to fall back asleep.

“And what if I have a response to that right now?” You asked.

“Then, spit it out already.” 

When those words left his mouth, you rolled a bit closer to place a kiss on Choso’s lips. It started off innocent at first. Quick, subtle pecks before the kiss deepened. Before he pulled you closer, by the way, to taste more of you eagerly. Just as his strong arms brought you closer, you could feel his cock poking at your plush brown thighs—rubbing against you for some form of friction that caused Choso to let out a breathy sigh in between breaks of the kiss. Your hand climbed in between the two of you to rub at his hardened cock through the gray fabric of his shorts. 

“Shit,” Choso’s head fell back on the pillow after biting at your full plump bottom lip. 

The heated makeout session lasted until the two of you were breathless, and your mouth was wrapped around his cock until he began to feel your pussy around him. You tore each other's clothes off until they decorated the wooden floors. The taste of Choso stained your tongue, and you felt like you were intoxicated. Not due to the alcohol you consumed the previous night but to Choso’s actions. He kissed your neck and collarbone with his body on top of yours. The kisses on your golden skin made you whimper out for more, and for you to grow wet. His teeth bite down, and the gasp that you let out causes all the blood to rush to his cock. Choso’s fingertips tip toed in between your bodies to cling onto the fabric that was in between his callous fingers from indulging in toying with your clit. 

His plush lips kissed your lips, and in between the heated kiss that was causing Choso, he could only say. “Tell me what you want, Y/N.”

When you made eye contact with Choso, you felt so soft inside. Butterflies erupted in your stomach as you stared up at Choso. You lean up to kiss his lips, but he pulls back. “Tell me what you want,” He’s dipping down to kiss upon the bite mark he left on your flesh. “Use your words.” 

“I want you.” 

Those were the words Choso wanted to hear. In just a quick and eager motion, he’s pulling your panties down. Like a hormonal teenager, he’s letting his hardened, clothed cock rub against your wet folds teasingly. Your juices staining the cotton fabric of his grey-colored Calvin Klein briefs. You wouldn’t believe labeling him as a tease, but he drove you insane. How can he make you confess that you wanted him and edge you on until you can feel your own essence staining the inside of your thighs? 

He kisses you lightly, but it feels heavy and rough because it takes your breath away. His right hand tugged down his boxers fully, and you couldn’t help but feel your heartbeat increase at the weight of his cock on your abdomen. He hawks some spit in his hand to coat his cock in it, wanting to make this experience pleasurable and comfortable for you. With his fingers intertwined with yours, he’s sliding inside you. Choso felt how tightly you gripped at his hards, with your eyes squinted shut, getting used to his large size. 

“I’m sorry.” He’s repeatedly saying as he’s peppering your face with subtle kisses. His cock rested inside you until you finally opened your eyes. 

The once intense feeling of his cock stretching you out was replaced with the satisfying feeling of wanting more. Choso didn’t need to hear your voice to begin moving. His hips rotate forward into the cushion of your spread thighs. It was quite a sight to see how your pussy was swallowing his cock with each thrust forward or roll of Choso’s hips. However, the half-curse-half-human couldn’t think straight with how your moans echoed in his ear. They sounded so sweet, so wonderful. One of the most beautiful things he has heard after that band Tame Impala. His callous hands, you were sure had many sins imprinted on them, push your thighs apart just to tug his cock out of you.

“You’re going to make me come, fuck.” He said breathlessly. 

Even with his comment, he still pushed himself fully inside of you again. Surrendering in wanting you to feel full once more. The sound of his headboard smacked against the wall, and Choso was so grateful that you were his neighbor because any other person would have been knocking on his door for him to keep it down. 

You never really thought that this would happen. That you and he would cross such a line to express how you felt for each other. But you weren’t complaining; you enjoyed the way Choso’s hand grasped at every part of your body. You enjoyed the way his face was red as ever due to a mixture of the feeling of his cock being balls deep inside of you and exhaustion. Or how he let his fingers rub at your clit to send the most dangerous electric shock down your spine. 

“I’m about to come.” Your words tumbled out like a broken record. 

Before capturing your lips onto his—Choso says, “That’s what I want.” 

And with those words cursing your lips, you felt like you were on cloud nine. The enthusiastic feeling felt like you were tugging a rubberband back and letting it snap back into its rightful shape. The lower half of your body felt like it went through a slight shock as Choso fucked you through your orgasm. In your mind, you were screaming for him to just come inside you. But you knew that could have just been the bliss of the moment. As if he read your mind, he’s pulling just as his face scrunched up in pleasure. His cock twitches in anticipation as thick ropes of cum begin oozing out, decorating your tummy. The only thing you could do was admire the sight of Choso coming down from the fleeting feeling of busting a nut. 

Just like that, your relationship with Choso blossomed when his body collapsed next to yours, and the only thing that you could hear was your loud thoughts about a mere promise you made two years ago. But you knew that the only thing that mattered right now was the fact that Choso was happy. 

The autumn leaves crunched under your shoes as you walked around the cemetery. You grew accustomed to visiting here once every month since you managed to start the progress of that promise you made to him. When you finally found the tombstone you were looking for, you could tell that someone had stopped by possibly a day before you. Bright red tulips were next to his picture to replace the ones you put out a week ago. Placing the flowers down before kneeling to pay your respect, you smiled brightly before speaking. Quite odd to be talking to a tombstone, but you were sure he could hear you somewhere. 

You placed the flowers on the grave as you kneeled to show your respect. You smiled brightly before speaking to the tombstone that sat in front of you. It was wonderful to see that the gifts and flowers that were around still looked fresh. You assumed someone else most likely was here before you. 

“Hey, Itadori, it’s me. Y/N. I just wanted to update you on the promise I made to you.” You let out a sigh, realizing that you had lied to Choso.

You fed him some story about moving here to Japan after exploring the world, despite you technically already being familiarized with Japan. You’ve witnessed it all before deciding to leave the sorcerer world behind for good. Granted, it sat heavy in your heart, and you felt like a coward not helping in the gruesome war of taking down Kenjaku and Sukuna. But you had to put yourself first, which you wanted many of your friends to do. 

“Choso is doing well, just like you said he would. He’s okay, and he’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about him, Itadori. He’s adjusted to the human world quite well. He no longer feels like a curse but a human. ” 

​━━ ♡ ​TAGS // @maydayaisha @eiflawriting @violxtbxbyy @shirohyorin @kama-star @maxi8898 @calandra24 @tashniko @certifiedlovergir1 @alekstraszas @soumies @thismf7 @shyartnerd564 @longloes @succubusonthedoorstep @stunnababyyabyyy @comatosebunny09 @si00p

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There's Only One Thing Left to Say, This Time (Undertale Fanfic)

New fanfic time! When I started writing this, I got the idea mostly because 1. I've been having trouble "moving on" from things in my own life recently and wanted to try processing it through fic and 2. it was the end of the school year for me and I had been saying a lot of goodbyes, so it felt thematically relevant. I wrote almost the entire thing impulsively at like three am a couple weeks ago and really impressed myself lol.

Chara Week Day 7: Free (I know it's over, but shhhh it still counts)

Summary:

You're having trouble saying goodbye, but the thing is that you don't have to! If you keep Resetting just before it's all over, you'll never have to be by yourself again. Right? You haven't known them long, and maybe they weren't super nice at the start, but they were there for you every step of the way. They listened to you and helped you when no one else would. You can't just let them disappear… You can't. ...But you can't keep doing this forever, Frisk. You have to let me go.

Characters: Chara and Frisk

Word count: 4,763 words

(Ao3 link in reblog!)

There's only one thing left to say this time,

I hope you're fine, goodbye.

– “Goodbye” by The Altogether

It isn’t until the third True Reset that I realize what this is all about, and when I do, I feel silly for not realizing it before.

I can still feel the way the bitterness worked its way under my skin the first time you brought everyone back. Which, is actually quite impressive on your part! Seeing as I don’t have skin anymore. I suppose it worked its way under your skin, then, because you wouldn’t stop apologizing to me in your head as you made your way through the Ruins. I should have been the one apologizing to you, Frisk. It’s no business of mine what you do with your own life, and you have no business feeling my emotions for me. This connection we have can be troubling, at times.

Still, it felt like a betrayal, and you offered me no explanation, so I could not understand.

I understood a little better when you decided to stay with Toriel for a while. Despite my obvious frustration and impatience, you sat and listened to her snail facts. You let her show you that bug-hunting spot she mentioned, and you spent time helping her run errands and letting her teach you how to cook. You even got to the point where she started giving you classes, as if you planned on staying. I assumed it was sentimentality, then. Perhaps there was something about the Underground that you didn’t want to leave behind. Maybe you weren’t ready to go back to living on the surface just yet. It’s not as if I could blame you for that one.

What I didn’t notice (and what I am noticing now), was how much attention you were giving me. And well, it’s not that I didn’t notice. I was just too busy being annoyed about it, and rightfully so. Can’t the narrator of your life narrate in peace? I do not care for superfluous conversation. And that’s not even the worst of it. Frisk, you should not be so casual about sharing control of your body, That’s like, the one thing you should never have to share. Sure, it happened one time, but I only stepped in because you were so afraid, and I didn’t even realize it was happening until it was me that the spears were getting shot at. That’s different. I will not take control of your body just to eat a slice of pie. Your pity for me is insulting.

What’s troubling is that it doesn't seem to be going away.

You take your first shivering step into Snowdin (for the fourth time, I can’t help but note) without so much as a glance behind you. This time, you left Toriel with no hesitation, and I know it’s because you know I didn’t want to stay. You’re not even trying to hide it. This is when I finally decide it’s time to confront you.

What are you doing? I ask.

“I’m…walking?” you respond, confused, through thoughts. Your boots crunch satisfyingly through the snow to prove your point. Crunch, crunch, crunch. I huff in frustration.

Frisk. Why do you keep Resetting?

This stops you (and your crunchy boots) in your tracks, and suddenly I can feel anxiety radiating off of you. You weren’t expecting me to ask you this directly.

When you don’t respond, I continue, a little bit of venom coating my words despite my best efforts. For the third time now, you have made it to the end, broken the barrier, only to start all over again. Do you not feel even the slightest bit of remorse?

“Of course I feel bad!” you’re quick to say, as if you’re surprised I would assume otherwise. “But…we’ll still get there again in the end; it’s not that big a deal.”

That’s a horrible excuse.

“Why’re you so angry about it?” Your voice comes out sharp in the frigid air.

Why are you so stubborn?

“What’re you even talking about?!”

You’re trying to delay the inevitable.

You’re about to debate me on that, too, in a defensive way rather than a genuinely angry way. But you stop, because you suddenly understand that I understand, and the anxiety returns. You continue walking after a brief hesitation.

Goodbyes are never easy, I say, as gently as I can. (It ends up sounding forced anyway.)

You ignore me, and I allow you to.

~~~

What are you going to do once you get back to the surface? Once you decide to stay?

You’ve made it to Waterfall at this point, having made it through Snowdin without much event. You’re getting a little tired of doing the same thing every time; I can tell, but you would never admit to it.

You kick a stone on the ground, watching as it disappears into the dark grass. “I dunno.” (“I dunno-”) (“-dunno-”)

Your own voice travels around you in echoes and fragments. You really shouldn’t talk out loud like this in the middle of all these echo flowers. Number one, it’s annoying, and that should be reason enough, but number two, you shouldn’t make a habit of talking out loud to the voice in your head at all. People are going to think you’re weird. And I mean, you’re already pretty weird, but do you really want the reputation of “the weird kid who talks to themself” stuck to you even after I’m gone?

I didn’t even realize you were listening to all that, but you flinch at that last part, not only mentally but physically too, and I try to ignore the fact that you’re proving my point.

I hum thoughtfully. You “don’t know”? That’s certainly an issue then, isn’t it?

You start to fidget with the hem of your sweater and return to talking to me through thoughts, much to my relief. “I just haven’t thought much about it.”

This is a lie. But I don’t point that out to you.

You’re in a part of Waterfall that you’ve never seen before. Admittedly, it’s not much different to the parts you have seen before, but the fact that it’s new at all is good enough for you. You’re trying to explore the area as much as you can this time around, because you’ve realized just how expansive Waterfall really is and the curiosity you came here with the first time still hasn’t left you. You’ve barely seen a fraction of the place, and you definitely won’t manage to see all of it, but you’re certainly going to try.

I might take this time to remind you that no matter how many times you’ve befriended her in the past, Undyne is still hunting you down in this timeline. So maybe taking the time to look at every blade of grass there is to look at isn’t the best idea. But whatever.

There are quite a few echo flowers growing in this area, as I mentioned before. It seems more secluded than the rest of the caverns that make up Waterfall, if that’s even possible. You can see the main path you usually walk from where you’re standing, separated from you by a large expanse of luminescent cyan water, and an overwhelming sense of calm washes over you. It’s like this is a little cove carved out just for you, safe from everything that may hurt you. It’s hard for me not to feel the same sense of calm. Whether it’s just the spilling over of your emotions or completely and entirely mine is hard to tell, but it doesn’t really matter.

Why don’t we sit here for a minute? I ask. You let out a breath and descend to the ground, hugging your knees and resting your head against the rough cavern walls without hesitation, as if you were waiting for me to say just that.

It’s nice to just be here, for me, with you, like this. Together. Your hands are intertwined in the way that I know means you’re trying to hold my hand, in whatever way you can. We look out at the stillness of the water, listening to the sound of rushing waterfalls in the distance. We both must be thinking about the same thing, now, because although I don’t agree with the Resets, I understand why you don’t want to leave, to some extent. Have you convinced me that you’re right? Have I felt this way the entire time and simply didn’t realize until now? I can’t say for certain. But I’m becoming increasingly aware of my own fear of reaching the end.

“Chara?” you say, voice cracking a little. The sound of my name spoken aloud and echoed around by the echo flowers startles me. “It’s just that…I really, really don’t wanna be by myself again.”

I feel tears pricking at your eyes. The honesty in your voice stings.

You won’t be by yourself, I try halfheartedly. Everyone will be up there with you.

You reposition to rest your head on your knees. “You know what I mean,” you whisper, and after a moment you say. “You’re not gonna be there.”

…Right. Of course.

That is the funny thing about good things, see. About journeys and stories. And lives. They end. Sometimes (always) too soon.

I do not know what I was expecting the first time you made it to the surface. What, was I just going to live inside your head forever? Would you want that? Would I? The strangest thing happened when you stepped over that threshold where the barrier once stood, when everyone else followed you out. I felt you pull away from me, and then I watched the back of your head as you walked out into the sun. It was a bit disorienting. I wasn’t seeing through your eyes anymore, I was just…there. Watching. Barely even there, because I couldn't feel you there justifying my existence anymore.

I don’t think there was a doubt in either of our minds about what that meant. As everyone else chatted in awe of how beautiful the sun was, you looked back at me (although I don’t think you really saw me, just the empty opening of the cave). There was confusion, or sadness, or panic on your face. I’ve never had to read your face from the outside before, what a funny thing to realize. Whatever emotion it was, it was enough to make you Reset. And then again, and again. It really was for my sake, then.

This makes me feel a strange mixture of things, but the feeling of guilt sticks out like a sore thumb. Frisk, I don’t want you to feel any sort of…obligation? Or anything? To keep me alive. I’ve been wanting to be dead for a long time.

It’s a lame attempt at humor to lighten the mood, but as soon as I think it, I realize how unfunny it sounds. It kind of stops being a joke when it’s true.

Still, you reply, “It’s not like that. You know that.”

You are making some awfully bold assumptions here, though they’re not entirely false. I’m inclined to ask, what is it like then? Would moving on with your life not be the best option here? Everything is going to work out for you. And, hey, you won’t even have to put up with an annoying ghost in your head anymore.

“What if I like the annoying ghost in my head?”

Well, then you’re weird. But we’ve already established that.

That gets a smile out of you. “See? You always make me feel better,” you think, and I want to roll my eyes at that. I want to remind you of all the times I made you feel worse rather than better, but I stay quiet for now.

“…Before I came here,” you start, eyes trained on the ground as you fidget with the grass there, “I was alone a lot. It wasn’t so bad, but…it wasn’t so good either.” You shrug one of your shoulders. “I dunno. I didn’t think about it much. I had to take care of myself, and there was never anyone there…to say it’d be okay, or to tell me dumb jokes, or just be there…y’know?”

Yeah. I do know.

…

“I kinda panicked when I left the Underground and you weren’t there. You were just…gone, and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t even really mean to Reset, I just didn’t think, and I-“

You sigh.

“I just really care about you. You’re like my best friend, Chara- ‘N that’s what it’s like. It’s like saying goodbye to your best friend.”

Oh.

Ha ha. Yes, I really do know that, don’t I?

“Wait, augh. I-I probably shouldn’t’ve said it like that, I’m sorry-“

No, Frisk, there is no need to apologize. It is fine. It’s fine.

Your fingernails claw into the grass and the dirt beneath.

I know. I know what you mean. I really do.

I try not to think of my brother. I fail.

I did not think you would care so much. It’s- (stupid), I want to say, but you are not stupid. (See, caring about me always gets people hurt), I want to say, but that’s not your fault. (What did you expect?), I want to say. (I don’t believe you), I want to say. (I don’t understand you), I want to say. I can’t- I can’t say any of that. I can’t say anything to you, right now.

You- you nod, a little concerned, but you give me space. You bring your hands together again and gaze out at the water again for a minute. Then, finally, you decide to continue onwards. You have a fish monster to face.

~~~

Being here doesn’t get easier, no matter how prepared I am after each Reset. The grey, achromatic walls and floors. The feeling of despair in the air. The stillness. It directly contrasts my memories of warmth and color and love in this home. It reminds me too much of dust.

I stay quiet as you kneel in front of the save star. It glows in a steady, consistent way, light flowing out from the center and disintegrating at the edges. A comforting feeling washes over you, as it always does, and you step into the house.

It’s as lonely as ever. You should just get this over with. The monsters that are always here to greet you at this phase of your journey stop you on your way to the kitchen.

“A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins,” one of the Froggits begins. You stand there with your hands clasped together and listen politely, as you always do. I put up a mental barrier between myself and the world and try not to listen, as I always do.

The key on the kitchen countertop glints in the other room. You wait for the Froggits to finish speaking before grabbing it and returning to the hallway. You make your way to the far end of the hall to grab the second key, too, before entering my old room.

You open the gift boxes and take the locket and dagger out without a word. I relish the familiar weight around your neck as you reach back to fasten the locket’s clasp. It helps me find the words I want to say.

Frisk. I don’t want to keep doing this.

You’re surprised to hear me speak, but you listen.

What we talked about earlier… It’s not that I don’t want to stay. I think…you’ve helped me a lot too. And I’m really glad I met you. I’m just tired of feeling stuck in the past. A part of me…wants that, but. It hurts, being here but not being able to do anything. To fix anything.

Plus, I mean. You!! The barrier’s broken thanks to you! You and…Asriel, of course. At least, it will be. Again. It’s… I’m glad it worked out in the end. Even if it took a really long time.

I wish things could be different. I wish I could stay, at least a little longer, but I don’t want to take this away from them. Or from you. I made my choice a long time ago, and this is already more than I deserve.

…

Are you…crying?

You’re holding your arms around yourself, as well. What is this???

“A hug,” you say through thoughts, sniffling.

Oh.

“I’m sorry for making you feel like that.”

It’s not your fault.

“I shouldn’t’ve kept Resetting, though. I knew it upset you the first time…”

I understand why you did it now, though. It’s okay, really.

“Okay…”

You rub your eyes with your sleeve and stand up, giving yourself a self-assured nod.

“Don’t worry. This will be the last time.”

~~~

When it’s time to fight Asriel, we’re both filled with determination. The nothingness surrounding us erupts in color and light, illuminated by kaleidoscopic starbeams and glimmering stardust. Attacks rain down on you from above, and you weave your body between them masterfully. You can’t evade them all, but I’m there cheering you on. A blast from Shocker Breaker shatters your soul; I reach out to press the pieces back together. But it refused!

Asriel floats above you, smirking with confidence in his power. You aren’t afraid of him anymore. You know all too well what he’s capable of, but you know him better now than you did when you first encountered him, just a human and a flower with a million untold secrets between them. He’d laid all his puzzle pieces out before you, and you can’t help but see the whole painful picture before you now. He’s stuck in a cycle, much like you but nothing like you at all. You’re going to help him bring it to an end. (Once and for all.)

The attacks keep coming, but you persist. You reach out to your friends within Asriel’s soul and remind them of who they are. Undyne, whom you admire for her enthusiasm and sense of justice. Alphys, whose intelligence and desire to do better inspire you. Papyrus, whom you enjoy hanging out with for his optimism and dedication. Sans, who tells you jokes that make you laugh and whose laid-back attitude puts you at ease. Toriel, who cares for you as her own child and made you feel safe when you first found yourself in this unfamiliar place. Asgore, whose presence is both comforting and sad, knowing of the difficult decisions he’s had to make in his life. Once you’ve reached out to all your friends, there’s only one thing left to do.

It seems that there’s still one last person that needs to be saved.

So you reach out to Asriel. And I do, too. He’s not the same as he was all those years ago, when we were just two kids playing in a muddy flower garden, and neither am I. But it’s still him, despite everything. He resists…and he’s still crying out to you as if you’re me. It hurts. I watch him do this every time, desperately latch on to the belief that I’m not really gone, and the ironic thing is that I have been here the whole time.

“I’m not ready for this to end,” he says, confident façade cracking.

It ended a long time ago.

“I’m not ready for you to leave,” he says.

I know.

“I’m not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…”

…

“So, please…” His voice shakes, laced with despair. “Stop doing this… And just let me win!!!”

He raises his arms and summons all his magic for one final attack. Your vision is overwhelmed with color as the blast hits you, and you barely register the way he screams at you to stop holding on as your HP drops, with each passing second, to an impossibly low number. But it never reaches zero. You don’t die; your soul doesn’t shatter, because you’ve made it this far and you’re not about to give up now.

Finally, the world grows silent as the sound of magic rushing past your ears subsides. You’re exhausted, though Asriel is barely even paying attention to you anymore. He closes his eyes. Suddenly he seems so small inside his godlike form, too small to really be the Absolute God of HYPERDEATH.

“I’m so alone, Chara…” he says. “I’m so afraid…” They’re echoes of words I’ve already heard him say three times before, but they feel like acid nonetheless because it’s my fault and I’m the reason he’s like this, but you firmly tell me that it’s not. I don’t know if I can believe you, but I lean into you and try not to say anything more.

…

The world fades to black, and Asriel stands before you, looking the way I remember him once again. He’s covering his face, wiping away his tears and probably trying to hide the fact that he’s crying, too. He always was a crybaby, wasn’t he?

“I always was a crybaby, wasn’t I, Chara?”

Ha. Indeed.

He pauses for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. “…I know. You’re not actually Chara, are you? Chara’s been gone for a long time.”

You open your mouth to protest, but… Come on, Frisk, I can’t do that to him. Not after all that.

“But… Are you sure?”

I’m not… I am not here to stay. It would be a mistake to get his hopes up.

You twist your fingers together, disappointed, but you close your mouth anyway.

I’m only half-listening as he continues, asking for your name (which you have given him three times already) and apologizing for his actions. This is the last time I’m going to see him, is it not? He will break the barrier, and then you will go to the surface with everyone else. And I… Well, I don’t actually know what will happen to me. I won’t be able to come with you. I know that, at the very least. It looks like it might really be the end for me. I don’t know how to feel about that.

You tell him you forgive him, as you do every time. It seems only fair to you, after everything he’s gone through. A part of you understands him, even though most of you doesn’t, and you hope the knowledge that somebody in the universe forgives him gives him some solace. He smiles at you sadly.

He can’t stay, he tells you. With a deep breath, he closes his eyes in concentration. The human souls gather around him as he rises into the air, hovering around him in a circle, and the monster souls follow suit, glowing in the darkness. With the combined power of the human souls and every monster soul in the Underground, each pulsing with the same desire…the barrier is finally broken.

It’s over. There’s a weighty sense of resolution to it now. I don’t want you to Reset again. I know you won’t.

I stare at Asriel through your eyes as he lowers to the ground again, head tilted down, eyes closed. He looks so tired. He tells you that he needs to go, that you should go be with the people that care about you. You should just forget about him, he says. As if that would be possible.

Every word feels like a countdown, and I want to do something, but I can’t move. I need him to forget about me. I can’t be here messing everything up. I don’t…want him to forget me. But I don’t want him to hurt remembering me. I don’t want to stay here… I don’t want to go.

You hug Asriel. To my surprise, your arms tighten around him as you allow me to slip into control. “Just for a minute,” you think. The feeling of warmth and his sweater under my fingers and my chin on his shoulder hits me so suddenly that I can’t stop my tears from running down your face. I relax into the hug, though. I close my eyes and try to forget where we are and what we’ve been through. I don’t want to let go…

When he finally pulls away, he gives me a weird look, but it’s gone in a moment.

“I’ll miss you,” I say without thinking.

He laughs. “Please don’t.”

And just like that, he’s gone again.

“You okay?” you ask as you slip back into control. Your presence is comforting beside mine in your mind.

I am, I say. Yeah.

~~~

Outside, clouds drift lazily across the sky, a beautiful gradient from lilac to yellow to frame the setting sun. Over the edge of the mountainside, you can just barely see the tops of trees stretching out into the distance, leaves tousling gently in the breeze. Tall buildings silhouette the sky on one side, and on the other, more mountains.

The light streams in through the exit to the Underground, of which you stand behind. One of your hands is cupped over the other in front of you, and you run your fingertips over the knuckles absently. You have been standing here for a while, hesitant.

Congratulations, partner, I start in an attempt to ease the tension, you’ve saved everyone once again.

“We did,” you correct. “And Asriel.”

Of course. And now, think about it. Everyone is free for real. They can see the sun, the sky, the stars… There’s a whole future ahead of them. And you get to be a part of it. That’s amazing, is it not?

“Mhm…”

You could stay with Mom. She would make you breakfast in the morning, read you bedtime stories at night. I bet Undyne would be willing to teach you some sick fighting moves. Anime nights with Alphys.

“I could hang out with Sans and Papyrus.”

Yeah! You could learn how to make music with Napstablook. That might be fun. And Mettaton might need some help becoming a star on the surface, too.

You giggle. “I think he’s got that covered.”

Maybe. I smile along with you. But, aren’t you excited? Not everything will be easy, but you have so many people supporting you.

“I know…” You sigh through your nose. “You deserve all that too, though; it’s not fair.”

Hey. The lilac is disintegrating from the sky, fading into a deep orange. Some of the wind makes it into the cave, crisp air whistling through the doorway and cooling your skin. Hey, you know what? It’s worth it. It’s okay.

I think there are tears in your eyes again. Come on, please don’t cry.

I can’t stay here forever. I’m already overstaying my welcome, being dead and all. I was supposed to be gone a long time ago, but…I got to meet you by some miracle, and that makes it all worth it, I think. Even if I can’t stay.

“Charaaa…”

I laugh a little. Don’t worry about me, Frisk. Really. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

You hug yourself- “Hug you,” you correct. Oh. Okay. You hug me, and I, try to hug you back? It’s a little bit awkward, but I appreciate it all the same. The emotional vulnerability is starting to make me uncomfortable, but I need you to know I care about you. I know you’ll be okay.

Ha ha, this goodbye stuff is pretty hard, huh?

“Goodbye,” you say simply, with a teasing smile.

Oh, not so hard for you, it seems. Well then, “goodbye” to you, too.

I pause. …And good luck out there, partner. I think Asriel said it best: take care of everyone for me, okay? Even him.

You nod and give me a shaky little thumbs up. That’s the spirit! (Pun always intended.)

With a glance over to the others, who are in the other room, chatting amongst themselves and waiting for you, you decide you’re finally ready to go. You let everyone know, and the excitement in the room is palpable as you all make your way to the exit. They make a fuss out of you, ruffling your hair and smiling back at you. You let them leave first, and then at last, you step over the threshold yourself. I feel our connection sever.

And then I’m watching the back of your head as you walk away again. Before you reach the others though, you turn around to give me a small wave.

That’s it, I guess… I can’t exactly wave back, but I wish you well and thank you for everything. Together, you and I allow time to continue on.

[mbakuetshurisprincess]

A Betting Woman

AN: Hey y’all! So I’m trynna do some palate cleansers while I work on BTB3 cause lord is that one just emotionally taxing to create lol. 80% of this fic is just Riri and Shuri talking about you and how they view you so there's that. This was heavily inspired by the wonderful work of @generallysapphic who is thee supreme when it comes to Shuriri postings. There's someone else who wrote a Shuriri fic but I can’t find them anymore. Just some cute shit to post fr. Set on a timeline where you went with Shuri to defeat Namor but Riri is a super genius. 

Summary: Normally these types of moral dilemmas don’t bother Riri but after meeting your girlfriend, the queen of Wakanda. Riri decides to pay you a visit to end things. 

Pairing: Shuri x Fem!Reader, Riri x Fem!Reader and the beginnings of Shuri x Riri.

Warnings: Cursing, mentions of D/S dynamic, kissing, i think thats it. 

Translation: Sthandwa - my love , Entle - Beautiful & Usana - baby. 

Word count: 2,864 

Suggested listening: WILSHIRE - Tyler, The Creator. 

“It's morals I really have, it's lines I could never cross But you got somethin' that make All them good intentions get lost I try to keep it together, never felt this way”

Riri knocked quickly on the door three times, rocking on her heels as she did it. 

“Busy right now!” Someone called from the other side of the door. The genius didn’t know if the voice was yours or not but she didn’t care.

‘Oh no, that bitch did not.’ Riri thought to herself. She brought her fist to the door and knocked harder this time. Everything was always on your schedule and Riri was going to be damned if her ending this fling was on your time too. She heard some rustling around and the bed creek before the door opened up enough to reveal a person on the other side. 

The person Riri was expecting to see behind your dorm door was you, it was your room after all. Instead, she was met by the exact person she was here to talk to you about, Shuri. The taller woman stood in your doorway leaning up against the post. She was wearing a black sports bra and a matching pair of black sweats with golden embroidery on the side. The sweatpants hung low on her waist and Riri could make out the band of Shuri’s boxers. ‘She’s a Calvin Klein girl huh,’ The thought came to the mechanic quicker than she could stop it and she mentally cursed herself for getting so off track. 

“Riri Williams, right?” Shuri tilted her head to the side, allowing the name to roll off her tongue. 

Riri’s eyes flashed over Shuri’s figure one more time before she finally pulled herself together. “Yeah that’s me,” She cleared her throat. “Is uh Y/N here?” Riri tried to look further into the room but Shuri blocked her movements with her body. 

This unintentionally gave the younger girl an opportunity to ogle at the Queen’s perfectly sculpted abs and steal a glance at her waistline again, so she wasn’t complaining. 

“No Y/N is busy right now, can it wait?” 

Snapping back into the conversation Riri finally got back to her original plan. “No it really can’t wait, I’ve been needed to talk to her about this.” 

Shuri pondered over Riri’s words for a few moments looking her up and down as she did. Riri wondered if she might melt under Shuri’s gaze. Something about the monarch was slowly starting to make her weak in the knees. She averted her eyes back down to the floor, once again sneaking glances at Shuri’s body as she did. 

“Well I’m sure whatever you wanted to tell her, you can tell me and I’ll relay the message,” Shuri suggested. She had noticed the way Riri was staring at her and decided to play into it. “Is it normal for American girls to make it this obvious when they’re checking someone out, or is it just you?”

Riri snapped her head back up to meet Shuri’s eyes, “What!? I wasn’t- Why would you say that? No, I wasn’t! '' Riri slowly started panicking.

Had she really been that blatant in her staring that the queen would notice? And this was totally not what she came here for or what she had rehearsed saying. 

Shuri relished seeing Riri’s cheeks flush with a dark red blush as she tried to regain herself. “Ah. No matter.” Shuri said with a smile. “What is it that you wanted to tell Y/N?” 

‘No fucking way.’ Riri thought to herself. ‘No fucking way did I just get bested at my own game! Bitch had me stuttering over MY words when I came here to end shit with HER girlfriend. I can’t go out like that.’ 

Riri opened her mouth to speak, after brainstorming something logical like ‘No I need to talk to her in person.’ or ‘I literally have her location and know she’s here right now. I need to speak with her.’ All of those would have been rational things to say but instead what came out of Riri’s mouth was fueled by nothing but good old-fashioned Chicago pride. 

“I’m fucking your girlfriend.” She blurted out.

Shuri tilted her head to the side and chuckled lightly before turning around and closing the door behind her. Riri was left standing in the dormitory hallway staring at the now-closed door. What the fuck was she thinking?? Telling the Queen of arguably the most powerful nation in the world that you were not just seeing her girlfriend, but FUCKING her? Surely that was enough to get her killed and probably in a way no one would know. She would just slowly fade out of the popular consciousness until no one remembered her name; all over some pussy. Great pussy at that, but still. She was roused from her thoughts by the door opening and Shuri standing on the other side once again. 

“I know you’re ‘fucking my girlfriend.’” She said the last part in air quotations with a chuckle. “Are you going to come in so we can finally discuss this or just stand outside confused?” 

The question caught Riri off guard and she stood there staring at Shuri, unsure of what her next move should be. She hadn’t planned for this at all. She had expected to come to your dorm room today and completely end things with you. Normally she didn’t have an issue with sleeping with people who were cheating on their partners. That was someone else’s moral dilemma not hers. But after interacting with Shuri today while she was a guest speaker at a lab on campus, the guilt started eating her alive. 

Eventually, Shuri got bored of waiting and grabbed Riri’s shoulder pulling the small girl into the dorm room and shutting the door behind her. 

“Come in and sit down.” Shuri walked back over to the bed and hopped onto it. When Riri didn’t move it prompted Shuri to speak again. “Do not act like you do not know her room entle, make yourself at home.” 

Riri wanted to ask what entle meant but decided that was the least of her problems right now. She made her way over to the bean bag in the opposite corner of the room and sunk down into it. She could hear the sound of the shower running in the bathroom connected to your dorm and assumed that's where you were since your location had pinged as here, yet you weren't in the room currently. 

“She shouldn’t take too long,” Shuri said noticing where Riri’s line of sight was going. “We can wait till she gets here or you can ask whatever you’d like to ask now.” 

The younger girl shifted in her seat and contemplated what Shuri had proposed. “I’ll wait for Y/N to get out of the shower.” 

Shuri nodded and picked back up the book that was lying on the bed. Riri watched Shuri intently as she read. How was she being so cool right now? Sitting in the same room as your girlfriend's lover would typically draw a stronger reaction out of the average person but the royal seemed to be in a very relaxed state. 

‘Duh’ Riri thought to herself, it’s because Shuri already knew. She had told Riri already so her presence couldn't have been that much of a surprise to her. This thought in turn only raised more questions for Riri. 

‘How long had she known?’

‘Was she upset with Y/N?’ 

And most importantly,

‘How much did she really know?’ 

Shuri looked up from her book and caught Riri staring at her once again, which must be a theme for the night. Riri cleared her throat and spoke. “I change my mind, I’d like to ask my questions and you answer them.” She paused, “Right now.” 

Shuri chuckled at the girl's forwardness. “Y/N did say you didn’t have much patience, I see she wasn’t lying about that… Among other things,” 

Riri swore when Shuri said it she caught Shuri looking her up and down. Shuri didn’t even give her enough time to react before continuing. “But go ahead, I’ll do my best to answer them.” 

“How long have you known about us?” 

“Since the beginning,” Shuri replied simply. 

“And you’re not mad?” Riri questioned, sitting up in the bean bag chair.

“Why would I be?” Shuri questioned back with a genuine look of confusion on her face. 

Shuri’s look of confusion was replicated on Riri after hearing her answer and seeing the woman's face. “Uhh, because while you’re in Wakanda saving the world and shit, I’m here with two fingers buried deep in your girl!” 

“Just two? Normally she likes three but whatever works for you guys really.” Shuri’s sarcasm left Riri’s mouth agape and which only fueled Shuri’s laughter. Once she had pulled herself together Shuri apologized and said she would actually answer Riri’s question, earning a huff of agitation from her. 

“You already answered your question in your question, entle.” Once again Shuri spoke coolly and used that entle word that Riri couldn’t understand. 

“What the hell does that even mean!” Riri sucked her teeth as she spoke. “No more weird shit, no more nicknames in other languages, just explain this shit to me 'cause it’s not making any sense.” 

Shuri nodded, understanding that Riri did deserve the full story. She wanted to wait for you to come out of the shower but the combination of not knowing exactly how much longer you were going to take and her sensing Riri’s agitation; she was compelled to speak. 

“What I mean by that is you gave yourself the answer already. Y/N is here for school for most of the year and I’m kept busy looking after Wakanda. My love has needs that unfortunately due to the distance most of the time I cannot fill. She’s permitted to fulfill these needs in any way she chooses, as am I.”

Riri looked dumbfounded once again as she digested Shuri’s words. “So you’ve known this whole time?” 

“Mhm.”

“About everything?” 

“Pretty much yeah.” Shuri tapped her fingers on her stomach where they lay interlaced. 

“Even the sex?” Riri probed. There was no way Shuri was just so chill about this. 

Shuri was humored, sensing that Riri was hoping to incite an angry response. “Yes, even the sex. Of which I only heard good things about so I must give you credit Ms.Williams, you kept my girl satisfied.” 

The blush returned to Riri’s face and she felt her lips creep into a smile upon hearing Shuri’s praise. Her cocky side came out and she decided to get smart. “You weren't worried I was gonna take her from you?”

“Oh, not for one second. Y/N’s collared, she’s not going anywhere anytime soon.” Shuri replied confidently. Seeing Riri’s confusion she moved her hand down to the necklace resting on her chest; holding it up before letting it fall back down. “Never noticed her necklace? I know she doesn't take it off.” 

Riri’s mind flashed images of you and to Shuri’s credit in all of the scenes, a golden necklace with a small claw was hanging from your neck. Even in the ones where Riri’s head was buried between your thighs and your head was thrown back as you cam-

‘Focus Riri!’ She thought to herself. 

“So she’s your submissive?” Riri clarified.

“Wow, you are pretty smart. Maybe you do live up to that genius title after all.” Shuri quipped with a smirk. “But yes, Bast has gifted me with an amazing girlfriend and sub.”  

Riri desperately wanted to make a smart remark back at the royal but she stifled it in favor of getting more information about your dynamic Shuri. What she had learned thus far intrigued and turned her on. “And she listens to you, a hundred percent of the time?” 

“A hundred and fifty percent of the time.” Shuri corrected her. “Does she not do the same for you?”

“Hell fuckin no she does not!” Riri exclaimed. “There is not a bone in that girl's body that knows how to listen, everything with her is a fight.” 

“My Y/N? Never. She knows better than to even make me repeat myself.” Shuri was baffled at what Riri had said but also intrigued at the idea of seeing a more bratty side of you.

“I don’t believe it, she’s not physically capable of listening.” Riri tapped the side of her head to mimic how hard-headed you acted with her. 

The sound of the shower turning off, signifying your arrival soon gave Shuri an idea. “Do you want me to show you just how well she listens?” 

A smirk slipped onto Riri’s face as she picked up on Shuri’s idea. “Yeah I do, show me how well your girl listens.” 

Shuri let out a puff of air along with her laugh and nodded. You stepped out of the bathroom looking down at something on your towel. 

Let the show begin.

Your bathroom door was on the wall that ran parallel to where your bed was, so when you looked up you were first met with Shuri. “Whew! I needed that baby, I don’t think I was conscious for the first ten minutes of that shower.” You beamed as you made your way over to the bed, still unaware of Riri’s presence in the room. 

“Of course sthandwa. And more to come tonight, you know that. We wouldn’t want to be rude to our guests before that though. Why don’t you go say hello to our friend.” Shuri nodded past you and to the corner. 

You spun around confused at what “friend” Shuri was referring to and immediately alarm bells began ringing in your head. There sat Riri, looking calm as ever manspreading on your bean bag chair. 

“What’s up ma.” She said with a smirk. 

“Oh fuck no.” You murmured under your breath. Never in your life did you expect to mix your worlds like this. Sure both women had known about the other but never in a million years had you imagined them to be in the same room together. You instantly started moving towards the bathroom door, hoping to lock yourself in and formulate a plan without being under either woman's gaze. 

Of course, Shuri calling out a strong “Stop.” ended all hopes of that as a means of escape. “Go give Riri a kiss, I’ve taught you better manners than that.” 

You looked back at your girlfriend as if she had lost her mind. Yes, you had told her every detail about your relationship with Riri and described the sex in explicit detail. But to kiss her in front of Shuri? Something about that felt so wrong it was right. 

“You know I won’t repeat myself without punishment, usana. Go.” Shuri gestured over to Riri who was taking the whole scene in. She watched as you shifted your weight between your feet, debating if you would listen to Shuri. If Riri was a betting woman, she would have bet her entire life savings at that moment that you wouldn’t listen. 

Good thing Riri didn’t like to bet. 

You walked over to Riri and gave her a small smile, slightly embarrassed knowing that Riri just watched you fold to Shuri. “Hi.” 

“So you do know how to listen the first time?” Riri concluded, the smirk still on her face. 

“Only when the right person asks me.” You maintained, crossing your arms across your chest to keep the towel from falling. Shuri heard your response and let out a light laugh and a “Be nice my love.” 

“You heard what your girlfriend said though ma, gimme me a kiss.” Riri sat up in the beanbag chair awaiting you to make the move. 

You looked back at Shuri one more time, kissing other girls had never been an issue for you before but for some reason doing it in front of her felt different. Secretly it turned you on to know that your girlfriend not only ordered but encouraged you to kiss Riri. 

Fuck it. 

You bent down and Riri pulled your face to hers so that your lips met. As soon as they touched Riri hungrily devoured them savoring the taste of you. By now you knew her style and you opened your mouth slightly so her tongue could come in and meet yours. Shuri watched from the bed as you two made out, turned on by the hunger you both displayed. She could tell the two of you were getting into it, Riri especially as she brought her other hand up to cup your cheek.

Deciding this was the perfect opportunity to prove her point Shuri ordered. “Step back Y/N.” 

Once again if Riri could bet she would have bet her life on the fact that you wouldn’t pull away. You loved kissing and she could tell that you were especially enjoying this little makeout session by the way your chest was heaving up and down. 

And once again it was a good thing Riri didn’t bet often. 

You unlatched your lips from Riri’s and stood back up, taking a few steps back in the process. Riri’s eyes flashed between yours and Shuri’s unable to believe what had just happened. 

“Told you she could listen.”

[via-the-cryptid]

one of you, I don’t remember who but if it was you then here you go, mentioned Ellie befriending Ace. it took me a minute to realise that you probably meant the psychic little girl and not the pirate, but… now that I think about it, that’s actually a really good idea.

first off, I’m going to start by saying that I barely remember anything about Ace except hat she was super psychic, scared the Joker shitless once (good for her), and I think ended up dying as a result of her powers overloading her brain. I also remember Batman stayed with her until she died, but past that, nothing! so if my interpretation of her is off, well, that ain’t Via’s problem.

picture this: Ellie, approximately 14 in physical terms, only been alive for like a year or two. it’s post-Portal Incident II: The Reckoning, so her body is stabilized but her powers are going bat-crazy. she’s alone in an unfamiliar city with far too many restless spirits, being chased by actual supervillains, and she’s scared. maybe she ducks into an alley or hides in an abandoned building, and maybe one of those spirits was watching.

it’s been a long time since anything has caught Ace’s attention in the mortal realm. she likes to check in from time to time, see what’s happening as the world moves on without her, but it’s useless to linger over what she can’t affect. in the end, it only ever makes her miserable.

but sometimes, she can’t help but watch. sometimes, like today, she sees another little girl in trouble. she thinks, ‘she’s like me’, and she needs to know that this girl makes it through the night. even if she doesn’t, Ace still has enough power in death to show her a good dream before another ghost is added to Gotham’s countless number of lost souls. she follows the girl into the building, watches as she curls up in the corner, out of sight and barely there.

and then she looks straight at Ace.

“Did you want something?” Ellie asks, and she doesn’t break eye contact with the spirit floating in the doorway, even as her eyes go wide. “If you have unfinished business, I might be able to help, y’know, so long as you’re not trying to cause trouble.”

“You can see me.”

“Sure can. Kinda hard not to, your outfit’s pretty distinct.”

It’s the outfit she died in. Ace doesn’t really want to wear it anymore, not when she’s so far removed from that era of her life, but it isn’t like she knows how to.

“So,” Ellie says, “what’s your deal? Are you just here to watch it are you picking a fight? ‘Cause I’ll warn you, I don’t know how to play poker and everyone else so far has refused to reach me.”

Ace blinks. “I’m not here to fight with you.”

“Okay, cool. Are you… here to fight someone else?”

“No. I was watching you.”

“Well, that’s a bit unsettling.”

“You were alone, and you looked cold. I had to make sure you weren’t going to die in here.”

“Again?” Mutters Ellie, and Ace’s expression snaps from intrigued to guarded in less than a second.

“What does that mean?” She asks, glaring right at Ellie, and the other girl grimaces.

“Did not mean to say that one out loud. Okay, so hi, I’m Ellie, and basically I’m dead—”

“What? No, you’re not. I would be able to tell if you were dead.”

“Half-dead, then. I was a clone OFA guy who was half human and half ghost, ‘cept I was falling apart, so I decided to fix it by doing the same thing he did to become half-ghost, and I ended up standing inside a portal to the Ghost Zone while it was opening. Make sense so far?”

Ace’s jaw is dropping, but she can’t seem to find it in herself to care. “Half-dead.”

“Oh, we’re still stuck on that, then. Basically, if you— actually never mind, I don’t really know how it works. I can turn from ghost to human, if that helps.”

“How?” Ace whispers. “You said you were… falling apart. And a clone. And half-dead.”

“Well, now I’ve got two out of those three, since I fixed the first problem. Do you want to maybe sit down or something? This is gonna be a long story if you want the whole thing.”

Yes, she absolutely does. Ace float across the room and settles in next to Ellie, folding her knees up to copy the other girl’s pose. “My name is Ace.”

“Nice to meet you, Ace. I’m Ellie. Wait, I think I said that already.”

Somewhere on the other side of Crime Alley, unknowing of the two girls hidden away in a long-forgotten corner, Edward Nygma slams his head down on the desk as he once again fails to pinpoint the location of the mysterious white-haired girl.

[luvsfootball]

red is the colour - darwin nunez.

requested by - anon

request - hi! i've never requested anything before but could i request a darwin nunez fic? preferably something related to reader comforting/calming him down after his red card? it's okay if not, but i'm super excited you write for him bc it seems like most ppl don't 🥹🥹

author’s note - don’t be scared to request!! i’m happy you’ve requested and i hope you enjoy!! sorry it’s short, i’ve been really busy with college.

his moment of madness came as a great shock to you just as much as the fans. darwin was normally a calm guy, but something in him just snapped today.

you watched in horror as darwin headbutted the player and he went down, and darwin received an instant red card.

the other family member’s in the box were confused at what made him blow, and you apologised on his behalf before grabbing your daughter, leaving to go and check on him.

normally you weren’t allowed back here during a match, but jurgen klopp made an exception for you. he knew darwin needed someone right now.

“darwin?” you whispered, opening the door and popping your head around the corner. your daughter, isabela, padded over to darwin who scooped her in his arms immediately.

“i’m sorry,” he murmured, looking utterly defeated as he refused to make eye contact with you.

it wasn’t just the team he felt like he’d let down; he was sad for you. he knew you had taken the day off work to come and see the match and he’d gotten a red card.

“you don’t have to apologise to me.”

a groan left his mouth and he slammed his head against the locker, screwing his eyes shut. “i do. you took the day off work to come here and support me, and i can’t even play anymore.”

isabela looked up at her dad, putting both of her hands on one of his knees. she couldn’t talk yet but she could stand with a little bit of support.

“papa.”

darwin’s eyes shot open and you looked down at isabela. her smile was wide and she shared a toothy grin with you as she repeated her first word over and over.

“you’ve just made me the happiest papa ever.”

you joined darwin’s side, sitting next to him as you both cooed over your daughter and her first words.

even though darwin had gone through a really tough day, he was glad he had you two by his side here with him.

[bellarkeselection]

Yellowstone kayce dutton

Reader is trying to sneak off to met her Stalker of a ex to tell him to stop calling her

Kayce shows up at the place where she's meeting the ex she's relief to see him

Ex gets jealous " this your boyfriend "

" yeah " kayce tells him even though they're not together ( yet ! )

Super protective kayce <3

Is This You Asking Me Out

Throwing my phone across the room I screamed seeing the unknown text message number from my ex. I wish he would stop calling me. I had moved back to Montana a few months ago and he had followed me wherever I went. He was a complete stalker of my life never wanting to let me go after I left his ass on the back porch of his parents house. Coming out of the bunkhouse I passed Kayce my bosses son. “Hey Y/n, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“It’s not your business, Dutton. I’ll be back to finish up my missed work later tonight.” I brushed past him in a huff climbing in my truck and tracking his phone since he had told me where he was if I wanted to change my mind and take him back.

Walking up the stairs if his porch once I parked the truck slamming the door. I pounded my fist on the door seeing Joseph answer the door smirking at me. “Y/n, I was hoping you’d finally come to your senses. Come in and let’s make you for lost time.”

“Actually no that’s not why I’m here.” Crossing my arms over my chest I snapped at him.

He raised a brow at my words. “And why not?”

“Because you have been stalking me since we broke up. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can barely breathe because I am so terrified that might come back and abuse me like you did when we were together!” I raised my voice at him stomping my foot on the ground trying not to cry in front of him.

Joseph stepped out onto the porch harshly grabbing me by my shoulders throwing me into the wall. “We are meant to be together, Y/n!”

“Joseph, I don’t care about you anymore!” I croaked out when he moved one of his hands around my throat until I heard a truck pull up and I gasped seeing the youngest Dutton. “Kayce?”

The cowboy made his way up the stairs grabbing my ex by the back of his jacket throwing his body against the fenced railing of the porch. “Get your hands off of her….are you okay?” Kayce came over to me gently pushing hair from my face seeing that my elbow was bleeding from when he threw me.

“What are you doing here…not that I mind it. But how did you know where I was going?” I asked gripping onto his forearm when he helped me to stand.

He responded before Joseph punched him in the rib. “Beth told me about what you told her. Then I followed your tracks - ugh!” He threw him down on his back where him and Kayce kept fighting until the former navy seal managed to overpower him.

Joseph grunted with Kayce holding his arms twisted behind his back. “So this is your new boyfriend?”

Before I had a chance to respond Kayce did for me releasing his grip on him. “Yeah I am, asshole.” He got to his feet offering me his hand and we quickly left the porch leaving my stalker ex on the porch.

Shutting the truck door we both remained silent on the way back to the ranch. Tapping my fingers on my knees I turned my head in his direction confused. “Why did you tell him we were together when we aren’t. You do realize that now he will come after you to get to me. Why would you do that to yourself?”

“Because I do love you, Y/n. It wasn’t a lie just to piss him off.” Kayce shifted his gaze in my direction lightly gripping the steering wheel. “Nobody should treat you the way he clearly does you.”

Blinking my eyes I couldn’t form a straight sentence when I asked the cowboy sitting across from me. “Is this your way of asking me out, Kayce Dutton?” Kayce and I had instantly became closer the first day we met. But I never thought the guy that was so close he could be my best friend also had feelings for me.

Kayce began turning the truck to put it in park on the side of the road undoing his seatbelt. “No, this is.”

“What are you doing p?” I asked with a half hopeful grin on my face watching his movements.

“I ain’t waiting till we get home to kiss ya.” He leaned over the counsel where I pressed my back against the front of it when he cupped my face in his hands. His brown eyes met mine before he crashes his lips onto mine gently.

I gasped taken back by the kiss before running my fingers up his chest. Moving my hands around his neck I deepened the kiss hearing him moan when I tugged on his hair. “Kayce, I love you too.” I mutter into kisses until we break it needing air to breathe.

“With that said I think it’s time I take you out to dinner, darling.” He sat back down in his seat putting the truck back on the road. Reaching across the counsel I intertwined my hand with his grinning like a child. I knew Kayce would never be what Joseph was to me. He would always be the guy I was meant to be with.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 The Places We’ll See

The Places We'll Be: Your mortality comes into question and the two beings who love you more than life can’t handle the inevitable.

Warnings: Angst, Morpheus and Hob Are Idiots™️.

To Note: Morpheus/Dream x Female!Reader x Hob Gadling, Idea from this post by @writing-fanics.

Word Count: ~4.2k

Previous | Masterlist

“Something is bothering you,” Monica commented, eyeing you up and down as the pair of you sat at a cafe and enjoyed a spot of afternoon tea. You both had gotten jobs in the city after graduating from your PhD programs and regularly had lunch for afternoon tea together to catch up on your daily lives. Ergo, she was quite privy to your relationship between the Professor and the ‘Broody Hot Guy’. “Did you have a fight with them? Can’t imagine what you’d get into a squabble over considering they worship the ground you walk on.”

“They’re avoiding me,” You absentmindedly replied, your mind wrapped up in how distant Hob and Morpheus had become lately. You’d spent seven months happily in a relationship with them, nearly overwhelmed by the magnitude of their love, and not once had a bump in the road. At least twice a week you fell asleep wrapped up in their arms and love, and woke with innumerous marks upon your body along with incredibly sore muscles… You had never felt this loved before. But now you were drifting away. Monica raised an eyebrow at you in concern, lowering her cappuccino.

“Hob and Broody Man, avoiding you?” She repeated for confirmation of your nearly unbelievable statement. You continued to stare out into the village, oddly undisturbed by such revelation. “Has anything come up that they’re busy with?”

“No,” You softly replied, feeling the painful sting of their avoidance fresh within your aching heart once more. “They— there’s nothing going on with them… they’re just avoiding me.”

“Oh babe,” Monica replied, fully taking in how much this change in events was effecting you. You’d been the picture of elation these last seven months, glowing with happiness that infected anyone who laid their eyes upon you. But now you were retracting your sun, your happiness, and the signs were staring to visibly appear. “Maybe, maybe you just need to get away from them for a couple of weeks, sort yourself out you know? Focus on you. Don’t think about boys. Don’t think about your heart. Just think about yourself.”

You wanted to, but you could no longer see yourself without seeing Morpheus and Hob standing by your side. The future seemed ever so bleak without them in your life…

“God, Monica I can’t,” You whispered in frustration. “Every time I close my eyes I see them. I can’t escape it no matter what I do.”

Monica blinked, then frowned, mulling over your words. You really had been completely enraptured in your relationship. There was never bringing up you without bringing up either Hob or Broody Man. Well, there was only one thing she could think of when pulling you out of this dip.

“Okay, so, I was going to save this for your birthday, but I’ve got vouchers for a super exclusive spa outside of the city. I think I should cash them in early and drag you away from all this relationship hub bub.” You went to protest but Monica shut you down before you could get a word in edgewise. “No, babe, you need time away from them, clearly. Whatever bullshit they’re up to that’s affecting your relationship goes bye bye.”

Your eyes dropped to your cup of tea and your shoulders slumped. Perhaps it really was time to put some distance between yourself and your lovers. Something wasn’t working anymore and it was affecting you.

“Alright, I’ll put in notice for PTO,” You agreed, lifting your eyes back to Monica. “I think — I think it’s time I get some space from them. If they’re avoiding me, it’s not like they’ll notice if I start avoiding them.”

“Something is up with her,” Hob softly commented as he gazed out the window of The New Inn. Morpheus had been quietly contemplating the dreams and nightmares of his realm as of late when Hob spoke, and quickly turned those thoughts away to address his love.

“To what do you speak of? Is she ill?” Morpheus questioned, straightening up in his seat. Hob blinked and then sighed, slowly turning his head to look at Morpheus.

“Ill? I don’t think so… but it’s been nearly two weeks since she last visited and we haven’t really been talking on the phone. She rarely even texts about her day.” Hob explained, worry filling his body. Your behavior had changed. You weren’t nearly as open about your daily activities, you no longer made sure to update him or Morpheus on the drama in your workplace, Hob couldn’t even remember the last time he got to kiss you let alone have you in his bed.

“She is being… distant,” Morpheus spoke, his mind now entirely focused on you. Your smiles. Your voice. Your kisses. The way your naked body felt snaked with his. Now he was thinking about what he and Hob had been agonizing over these last few weeks: your mortality. They were going to lose you, the one they adored most, to the inevitable: death. Morpheus had thought to speak with his sister about such topic, but he knew that he could not change what Destiny preordained.

Yes, something bothered you and Morpheus was upset that you weren’t automatically finding comfort from either Hob or him. Were they not there as your partners to support you? A cloud of upset and depression began forming over Morpheus’ head, for he loathed the idea of you upset and alone. Clearly he had done something wrong! Both Hob and Morpheus began stewing within their minds, wondering what was wrong with you and still dreading the idea that at some point, they were going to lose you.

You’d packed a bag for your week long stay at the Spa resort Monica had booked with her vouchers and shipped off to the country side without a word to Hob or Morpheus. You’d wanted to tell them where you were going, but you had been reminded by Monica that this was to get away and not think about them. So you kept your mouth shut and just left… it wasn’t like you had been talking with them regularly every day recently so they weren’t going to even notice you’d gone. You hadn’t even gotten a text from Hob yet about your whereabouts.

That was a clear sign something was indeed wrong.

Laying on the bed of you room, you stared at the ceiling and tried to take your mind off what your world revolved around. You thought about the spa pool fed by natural springs, that would surely feel nice on your skin. Or maybe you’d cash in the deep tissue massage Monica had told you that would be life changing. You were skeptical and didn’t think it would be that effective in changing your life… but your friend was convinced. Speaking of Monica… Her ringtone started blaring and your hand searched for where you had dropped it on the bed beside you. You found it and answered.

“What’s up?”

“You’re already thinking of them, aren’t you.” You blinked at her astuteness and draped an arm over your eyes.

“I’m not intentionally doing so, Mon,” You said with a sigh. “I really am not.”

“We’ve been here for a day, babe, it’s time to think about you.” Monica stated. “Put your bathing suit on, we’re going to the thermal suite to get our pores opened up and ready to be pampered.”

“I don’t think the pores will be the one that’s pampered.” You replied dryly. Monica snorted at you, not humoring you in the slightest.

“Bathing suit, on, now.” She commanded. “I’ll be over to collect you in five minutes.” She hung up on you and you stared at the ceiling, not feeling the slightest bit interested in visiting the thermal suite. Monica wouldn’t take no for an answer so it was best that you went and changed before she arrived. Rolling into a sitting position, you looked to your suitcase and sighed yet again.

You got yourself into your simple bikini and wrapped a robe around your body, tying it at your waist. From hat you had read about the thermal suite, you could have either a hot or cold experience, or both. Knowing Monica the best, she was going to try and steam cook you until you were an overly steamed vegetable. Maybe that would steam your brain to mush and you’d stop thinking about them. Monica arrived and you departed to the thermal suite. As you walked she chatted to you about her office gossip and her office neighbor’s proclivity to stick fish in the microwave at work. Your nose wrinkled at the thought of microwaved fish. Bleh.

Monica approached the door to the thermal suites and grasped the door handle, making a spectacle of opening it for you with a flourish. Rolling your eyes, you entered the suite and took a deep breath. There was an almost overwhelming scent of herbal oils, but that scent made your muscles relax just from the smell. Perhaps this would make you stop thinking about Morpheus and Hob. Monica talked with the attendant for a moment, discussing the plan you and she had for the spa. More like what she had planned.

First you’d enjoy the steam bath to open your pores and sweat out the supposed ‘impurities’ in your body. Then you’d take a plunge in cold water to wash off your body. You really weren’t looking forward to that, but Monica had bribed you with a body massage afterward so you’d take the plunge. Once you had your massage, then you would sit in the dry sauna while Monica repeated the steam bath cold plunge combination. You thought she was a bit crazy but if she liked it… Dropping your things off in one of the lockers, you stepped into one of the steam bath room and took a seat on the bench.

The air was thick with steam, obviously, and made it seem like it was hard to breath for a few moments. You adjusted to the steam and leaned your head back in your eyes closed.

“Glad to see you actually attempting to relax.”  Monica’s voice floated into your ears and you made a face rather than open your eyes.

“Well I’m here aren’t I? Might as well try and relax and not think about Hob and—”

“Ah!” Monica cut you offbefore you could finish your sentence. “No, bad Y/N, bad. Now repeat after me. We are not talking about boy troubles, we are relaxing.” Seriously? You opened an eye to see Monica staring you down with an entirely serious look upon her face. “Come on, say it.”

“We are not talking about boy troubles, we are relaxing.” You robotically replied, closing your eye again and taking a deep breath of the water logged air. You had to admit that she was right. You were relaxing, not thinking about the very reason you were at the spa in the first place! Letting your body and muscles relax, you sank into the wooden bench and focused on the way the steam reacted with your body. Your pores did open up, but you also could feel the beads of saline sweat running down your temple and gathering at your back. Periodically little jets would add more steam into the room, making you feel like you were going to melt right into the bench. “I think I’m melting, Mon,”

“That means it’s working,” Monica sighed to you, her voice revealing just how relaxed she was. You cracked open your eyes and rolled your head to look at her. She was sprawled out, limbs askew and clearly enjoying the almost insufferable heat.

“Well if it’s working does that mean I can leave? This is suffocating and I feel gross,” You complained to her. Monica snorted at you opened her own eyes. You were staring at her with a pleading look, hair sticking to your neck and beads of sweat rolling down your skin.

“Fine, but no skipping on off to your hotel room. Go and enjoy the cold plunge and the dry sauna.” Monica told you, closing her eyes and relaxing once more. “I’m gonna sweat every drop of impurity out of these clogged pores.”

“Whatever floats your boat,” You muttered to her while pulling your body to your feet. Departing the steam room, you took a deep breath of the fresh and water laden air. It felt nice to be out of the heat and humidity. You eyed the cold plunge pools and chewed your lip. Well if you were going to truly experience the full spa experience you should go and jump in. “Damn it,” You grumbled to yourself.

Walking over to the edge of the cold plunge, you eyed the water and pursed your lips. This wasn’t going to be pleasant, but it was supposed to have health benefits.

“Okay, here goes,” You murmured before stepping forwards. Dropping into the cold water, your body jerked at shivered from the shock of the cold water hitting your hot skin. You had to admit to yourself that as your head popped back out of the water, you felt refreshed and clean. But you were cold. So you hauled your body out of the cold plunge and reached for one of the fluffy robes on standby. It felt just as soft as it looked brushed against your skin.

Pushing back your hair, you looked around to see what else the thermal suites offered. You picked out the doors to the dry sauna, so you could go and enjoy the heat again… but something in you pulled you away from sitting in the heat again and you chose to head for the small sitting area overlooking a picturesque view. Taking a seat on one of the chairs, you grasped your upper arms and stared out at the perfect landscaping. You had promised Monica that you wouldn’t think of Hob and Morpheus, but they had become your entire world. Your entire universe actually.

“Heat getting to be too much?” You weren’t expecting someone to speak to you, but twisting your head to look at the person who had spoken, you were greeted by a kind smile from a woman.

“Very,” You agreed with a small smile. “I don’t usually go to spas.”

“Then what brings you to one now?” The woman asked, soft brown eyes meeting yours. Something about her, something about her reminded you of the same energy Morpheus gave off. 

“My friend is trying to distract me from my complicated relationship but all this heat seems to do is make me think about it more.” You explained to her, twisting your fingers together in your lap. “Never had a relationship that literally consumed my every waking thought. It’s ridiculous.”

“Mmh, my brother will do that to you,” she replied with a small chuckle. Brother? You blinked and eyed her closer. The necklace she wore giving you a big fact cue to who she was. You gulped.

“Oh, so… is it my time?” You tentatively asked, feeling unease and regretful that you would die like this. Hob and Morpheus was be beside themselves wondering what had happened to you… then again with the way they had been avoiding you the past few weeks... Death shook her head.

“No, no it’s not your time.” She told you with a calming smile. “I decided to drop by and talk to you because my brother is known to be an idiot on occasion.” You blanched at her openly calling Morpheus an idiot. Wow, she really was his older sister. Death chuckled at your facial expression. “I’m not afraid to call him out, Y/N.”

“Wow I like you already,” You unconsciously murmured. You knew that Morpheus had a fragile ego he would never admit to and bristled at the slightest criticism. It was refreshing to hear that someone could knock him off his high horse.

“Dream is a complicated being,” Death continued. “And I know you aren’t at this spa because you want to be.”

“Hob and Morpheus are ignoring me,” You stated before cringing. That sounded so needy of you. “I don’t mean that as a clingy girlfriend or something. I spent seven months almost at the point of running away from them they were so clingy to me. Now it’s like I hardly exist to them. I swear they’ve even been ignoring me.”

Hurt was clear on your face and Death had half the mind to smack her brother over the head. You continued to speak.

“I mean, do they not realize they are squandering the time we have together?” You asked, waving a hand. “They’re both going to outlive me, I know that, they know that. Why are they wasting our precious time together?”

“I think your mortality is the very reason why they are avoiding you.” You blinked at her words and raised your eyebrow in disbelief. “They know your mortality has a time limit and that scares them.”

“So their automatic response is to stay away?” You asked incredulously. “Do they not see how much that hurts?”

“Sometimes men act irrational when they’re in love. Hob and Dream are no different.” Death explained to you. “Time is precious to you, how much are you willing to give them?”

“All of it.” You softly murmured, staring out the window. “I’d give them ever second I have left if I could, but at this rate…” You trailed off and sniffed, reaching up to wipe your burning eyes. You hadn’t cried over it yet, but now you were pretty damn close. “So here I am venting about my relationship woes to Death while Hob and Dream probably have no idea I even left London.”

“If you had all the time in the world, what would you do?” You snorted indignantly at Death and eyed her with a wry smirk.

“Smack both of them over the head with a wooden spoon for being such idiots. Hob barely takes care of himself these days and Morpheus has been so moody it’s getting pathetic.” You grumbled, crossing your arms and slumping back in your seat. “Someone has to take care of them, especially after I’m gone.”

Death never made deals, never strayed from her job save for once centuries ago because of a bet. But now she was thinking otherwise. She could make an exception, just one more time. For her little brother.

“I’ll tell you this, Y/N,” Death told you, making sure you were looking her in the eyes. “You can have all the time in the universe to love them, as long as it is what you want. It’ll be a challenge, my brother isn’t easy to love. But I think you can do it.”

You stared at her with your jaw slack. She wasn’t saying what you think she was saying… was she? But the smile on her face was telling as Death stood up from her seat. She bid you goodbye and left you sitting by yourself contemplating your entire life. Immortality as long as it was what you wanted. That took your worry of time out of your relationship. Your heart didn’t ache nearly as bad as it had five minute earlier. You were still going to give Hob and Morpheus the riot act for avoiding you. Stupid men. You leaned back in your seat and sighed deeply, now you could actually start relaxing.

You’d gotten back from your spa trip pampered, preened, and softened. You were pretty sure your skin had never been this soft nor glowed this beautifully. Monica had picked up on your attitude change but hadn’t said anything for the rest of your spa trip. She had just enjoyed the spa with you. After she had dropped you off at the New Inn, you headed upstairs to Hob’s flat. You knew that it was finals time and he would be busy grading papers and exams so you figured that you would get his laundry done while washing your own and perhaps fix a meal or two so he had something to eat.

Key’s in hand, you unlocked the door while adjusting the bag on your shoulder and relaxed as you entered the warm flat. Home sweet home. Funny how Hob’s flat felt more like home than our own. Kicking the door shut behind you, you headed for the kitchen first to drop off your purse and jumper. Entering the large kitchen, you dropped your keys in a bowl and eased your purse from your shoulder with a heavy sigh.

“You left,” You paused in place at the accusatory words of your anthropomorphic lover. Taking a deep breath, you eased your bag from your shoulder and turned to address the Endless.

“You and Hob seemed plenty busy at the time,” You coolly shot back, raising an eyebrow. “Given your lack of presence in my life as of late, I hardly thought you’d even notice.” Morpheus’ eye twitched at your words.

“Y/N—” You raised a finger, cutting off the Endless.

“No,” You said sharply. “You do not get to call me in that tone, Morpheus. Not after you and Hob all but ghosted me for the last three weeks.”

“Beloved, Hob and I—” Morpheus tried again, desperate to appease your clear iration.

“Are being entirely idiotic!” You exclaimed with a flourished. Morpheus’ eyes glowed at your insult but you didn’t back down. “You two imbeciles have been avoiding me!? Why!?”

“My love, we have been agonizing over your mortality and the reality that one day we will lose you.” Morpheus explained to you, his being aching at the inevitable idea that he and Hob will lose you to Death. You snorted at him and the Endless glared at you for making light of your death.

“Seriously?” You questioned incredulously. “That’s why you and Hob have been avoiding me? Because I’m going to eventually die?” Morpheus flinched at the word, cementing the fact that you were correct in your statement. Death had told you they were agonizing over your mortality, but finding out that your eventual death truly was the reason the men you loved more than anything in the universe had ben avoiding you, made you so mad. “You— you— you absolute ninny head!!” You burst out, making Morpheus blink at you in concern. Clearly something had happened to you on your trip.

“Beloved, Hob and I love you so intensely that the mere thought of you perishing brings us agony,” Morpheus explained to you, stepping up to your body and reaching for your face. His fingers lightly traced your jaw. “Have you any idea the pain it brings us?” Oh you could see the visceral pain in his eyes, you could see it clearly.

“Morpheus,” You sighed out, raising a hand to lightly wrap your fingers around his wrist. “Hob can barely take care of himself and you look like you’re going to start crying every ten minutes unless you receive a hug, you think I’m gonna let you two go back to your old lives? Death won’t come for me until I want her too.” Morpheus froze beneath your touch, his mind soaking in the meaning of your words.

Death would not come for you until you wanted her too.

“Truly?” Morpheus hoarsely broached, struggling to comprehend that his sister would grant him such a precious gift as having you for eternity.

“Someone has to keep you and Hob out of trouble,” You reminded him, taking a firmer grasp on his wrist and sliding your fingers up so you could hold his hand.

“Glad to know you think we can’t take care of ourselves,” A hoarse voice spoke from behind you. Looking over your shoulder, you saw Hob standing in the doorway.

“You’re immortal not infallible,” You stated, holding out your free hand towards the immortal man. “And if I have to beat that into your mind I will.”

“Words’ll do, love,” Hob replied, stepping closer and taking your hand. It warm and fit just perfectly in his. He pulled your palm to his lips and kissed it. “I know were difficult—” You raised an eyebrow and Hob corrected himself. “Stupid, at times, but we love you more than our own lives. The thought of not having you at your side was unbearable.”

“Then stop being an idiot and communicate, we are in this together, Hob Gadling,” You said while pulling the man to you and Morpheus.

“She’s certainly gotten bold,” Hob commented to Morpheus who smirked and leaned into both of his loves.

“It is quite ravishing to watch,” Morpheus added. You fumed with a growl and stomped your foot.

“Would you two knock it off! I’m trying to have a serious conversation here!!” You griped, giving the men a look. “You need to communicate with me or this is never going to work!”

“Forgive us for our egregious folly, beloved, we did not mean to cause you such duress,” Morpheus purred, nuzzling his face into your neck while Hob wrapped an arm around your waist.

“It’s just been the two of us for so long, love, you’ll have to forgive us for falling back into old habits.” Hob said, exchanging a look with Morpheus. “But what is this I hear of Death not coming for you?”

You contemplated on explaining what you had been up to at the spa for you wanted to make Hob sweat after the emotional pain you’d felt… but ultimately chose to divulge your newfound immortality. It was safe to say that when Monica called the next day to inquire if your men where still being idiots, you were still passed out from a night spent sandwiched between Hob and Morpheus.

Date Published: 12/7/23

Last Edit: 12/7/23

Previous | Masterlist

[elizabethwritesmen]

𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜

chapter 2 : poconos

pairing: firefighter!steve harrington x reader

summary: steve comes over to help y/n put up halloween decorations, and old feelings start to resurface.

warnings: smut to come. angst and fluff.

a/n: still no mention of christmas but i promise it’s coming! this one is more halloween themed. slow burn, like always. make sure to read chapter 1 first! link below!

chapter 1 | chapter 3 | chapter 4

The job search over the next few days was brutal. I was exhausted from all the “I don’t think you’re the right fit,” and the “We don’t hire right before the Holidays.” Not to mention the “We just don’t need you right now.” Everything changed, though, in late September.

I was at the music shop, whining to Robin about my fruitless venture to end my unemployment. She was trying to pay attention to me and do her end-of-day inventory at the same time, curled up in the recliner she had in the back room. It was more like a studio apartment than a staff area. It had a pullout couch, two comfy recliners, a bean bag chair, a TV, a tiny kitchenette and a bathroom.

“Why don’t you just come work here?” She asked me, glancing up from her paperwork.

“Here? Like at the music shop?”

“No, in the parking lot directing traffic.” Her sarcasm dripped from her, and I couldn’t see her roll her eyes but I was sure she did.

“Well… do you even need anyone? I know having friends work together can cause problems, too. I don’t want to make things weird.”

“Y/N, you’re like, my oldest friend and we’ve never even argued. I’m not gonna be a hard ass or anything, so there won’t be any opening for conflict. Come in late, I don’t care. Wear what you want. Honestly I don’t care if you show up at all, so come all day every day or a couple days a week. You can do customer work while I do paperwork and I’ll pay you 15 an hour for whatever you work. I’ve been needing to hire someone, I just don’t have the time to get everything done anymore without staying super late.”

“You’re really ok with that?” I asked skeptically, and she stared up at me, annoyance on her face.

“Yes, stupid. Or I wouldn’t have offered. You’re here every day anyway, you might as well help. Plus you’re my best friend, I would love to work with you!”

“Okay, when do I start?”

“Tomorrow if you want.”

“That sounds great!”

And just like that, I had a job. It paid well, considering I was living in an inherited house and my car was paid off. Plus, it was so lax. When Robin said she didn’t care, she wasn’t kidding. We were basically just hanging out all day, it wasn’t hardcore like any job I’d worked before, and we were more like partners than employer and employee.

Only a few days passed before I saw Steve again, the front door bell jingling to signal his entrance. I looked up and the first thing I saw was his hair.

“You working here now?” he asked, eyeing the way my hips were situated in a stool behind the counter. I nodded.

“Robin took pity on me and gave me a job,” I shrugged.

“Naturally,” he grinned lightly, the polite kind you give to someone you don’t know anymore.

“How are you?” I asked, desperate to fill the silent void between us that had never been there before.

“I’m okay, just tired. Thought I’d stop by and annoy Robin for a few minutes before my next call.”

“Busy day?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

The silence stretched on again, and I couldn’t think up a Titanic to break the ice. Thankfully, he did it for me.

“How’s the cat?”

“Great!” I grinned all toothy and big, pulling out my phone and showing him recent pictures.

“Oh, he’s gotten so big. What’d you name him?”

“Poconos.”

At that, he faltered, his jaw opening slightly as he stared at me. He was speechless for a few seconds, and I watched as he regained his composure. “Oh.”

“I figured, you know, it fit since you’re the one who gave him to me.”

He just looked at me. Really looked at me for the first time since I’d seen him again. He had the same look in his eye that he did when we were teenagers, and seeing it was like a breath of spring.

“I should stop by and see him one day,” he casually stated as if it were nothing, “Just in case he misses me.”

“You know, he actually did tell me that he misses you, now that you mention it.”

“Is that so? Well then I’d better stop by soon, I hate to keep him waiting. How’s tonight? On my way home from work?”

“Tonight is perfect.”

“Great,” he was smiling. Like a real smile, wide and bright, filling up the room with energy so positive and radiant I could get a tan from it. I returned it tenfold, and we stared at each other like that until Robin walked in from the back room and interrupted us.

“Are those smiles I see?” she asked, feigning shock as we rolled our eyes. “I never thought I’d see Steve smile that big again. Guess it’s the Y/N effect.”

“Shut up, Robin,” he sighed, an edge in his voice like she said something she wasn’t supposed to.

“Hey! I’m just glad you’ve forgiven her!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air defensively, “Did she tell you about tonight?” I frowned, slightly confused, and so did Steve. “Seriously? You don’t remember?”

“I guess not,” I shrugged.

“We’re putting up all your Halloween decorations. We planned this like, forever ago!”

“Oh shit,” my eyes widened, “I forgot that was tonight.”

I turned to Steve apologetically. More so for myself than him, I was looking forward to him coming to see the cat. He just grinned, “Well since I’ll be there tonight anyway, I might as well help you with it.”

“Really?” I raised a brow. He nodded.

“Great!” Robin clapped, pulling out her phone, “I’ll let Eddie know to come over too. Is he off tonight?”

“He should be, but I don’t know whether he has Candy tonight or not.”

“Candy?” I inquired, “Why would he need candy?”

Steve and Robin shared a look and chuckled, explaining to me, “Candy is Eddie’s 6 year old.”

“Eddie has a 6 year old?”

“Yeah, he knocked some groupie he met at a concert up a few months after you left. He didn’t even know until he opened his front door nine months later and saw a car seat there with Candy inside it.”

“So the mom just left her there?”

“Yeah, with her birth certificate and social and everything. All he knew about her was that her name was Candy Priscilla and she was definitely his. So he got custody and he’s been raising her since.”

“Candy Priscilla?” I furrowed my brows comically, “He never thought to change that name?” I didn’t mean to be mean but… whew. I’d never heard that one before.

“Well at first, he had too much on his plate. And eventually it just grew on him,” Robin shrugged.

“Well,” I hummed, “She can come too. I’m sure she’d love to help, and I bet she’s cute as a button.”

“Okay. I’ll go call him and ask.”

She walked away, leaving Steve and I alone again.

“So…” I drawled, “Guess tonight turned into a group thing.”

“Just like old times,” he mused.

“I’m glad you’re still coming over.”

“I wouldn’t miss a chance to watch you almost fall off a ladder trying to hang fake spider webs.”

I rolled my eyes, defending myself, “I would NOT almost fall! I’m so coordinated!”

“Y/N, I’m the one who brought you to the hospital when you slipped and broke your foot. Do you really wanna have this argument with me?”

With a huff and an eyeroll, I mumbled, “Fine. Whatever. Either way, I’m glad you’re coming.”

“Me too,” he sighed, almost sounding relieved. “I gotta get back to work but I’ll see you and Poconos later.”

“Can’t wait,” I grinned shyly as he left.

Robin came over directly after work and brought a change of clothes to spend the night. The idea was that we’d decorate then watch scary movies to get in the Halloween spirit until we fell asleep. Now, though, the boys had thrown a wrench in our plans.

Soon after we got there, Eddie showed up and helped us drag all the boxes of decor out of the basement and attic. He had his little girl with him, and she was the spitting image of him, curls falling over her little head and bouncing everywhere as she ran. She was wearing a little Metallica T shirt and a pair of red leggings, with some tennis shoes adorning her busy feet.

“She’s perfect, Eddie,” I smiled, glancing at her. He beamed proudly.

“She’s the best,” he hummed, and I could almost see his heart overflowing with happiness. “Candy, come here!”

She raced over to us, her face flush from activity, “What’s wrong, daddy?”

“This is Y/N. Me and Aunt Robin are helping her put up her Halloween stuff, you wanna help too?”

“Yeah!” she squealed excitedly, her huge smile showing off her missing front teeth. She skipped to me, reaching up for me to hold her and I obliged, “You’re pretty. I didn’t know daddy had a friend as pretty as you.”

“No, you’re pretty,” I poked her nose and she giggled. “What decorations do you want to be in charge of, Candy girl? We’ve got fake spider webs, skeletons, and some inflatables.”

“Me and Daddy will do the skeletons,” she told me and I pointed them in the direction of the box.

“I’ll do the inflatables, you take the spider webs,” Robin stated, “Steve can help you when he gets here.”

“But won’t you need help?”

“All I’m doing is dragging them out into the yard and using your grandpa’s blower machine thing to blow them up.”

“Well they’re still heavy. Steve can help you and I can hang the webs alone.”

“Dear God, Y/N, you’re so dense. This is my way of forcing you and Steve to spend time together, so just go with it!”

“Robin!” I screeched, “You’re awful!”

“I just want you to be boyyyyfriendddd and girllllfriendddd again!”

“We were never boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Just because you didn’t admit it doesn’t mean you weren’t.”

With that she flipped her hair and walked away from me, beginning her work. I rolled my eyes, dragging out the boxes of webs and fake spiders, and deciding where on the house they would look best.

About a half an hour passed before I heard tires heavy on gravel and a big black truck pulled into my driveway. Steve stepped out of it, still wearing his work clothes but he looked so handsome in them I could hardly complain. Once he caught sight of me, he smiled, then dropped his tailgate, pulling out two huge spotlights. They looked heavy so I jogged over to help him.

“What’re these for?” I asked as we set them on the ground on each side of the house.

“It’s gonna be dark tonight, so I borrowed these from work.”

“Oh, thank you. These will help a lot!” I grinned, hooking them up to one of the many extension cords I was using and watching as they lit up the cabin and yard.

Just then, Candy came sprinting over. “Uncle Steve!” she squealed, her hair falling all over the place and her arms outstretched for him to pick her up. He did, spinning her around and laughing.

“Hey, shorty,” he cooed, and I couldn’t help the way my tummy fluttered. He was still as good with kids as ever.

“Have you met daddy’s new friend?” She asked him, “She’s really pretty. Don’t you think she’s so pretty?”

He smirked, whispering something in her ear and she gasped, shouting, “Y/N, he said you’re the prettiest girl in the whole world!!!”

I raised a brow, “Is that so?”

“Yes, but he told me not to tell you,” she sheepishly added, “Sorry Uncle Steve.”

“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that,” he gave his best evil laugh as he tickled her into a fit of shrill giggles, and I couldn’t help but giggle along.

“Okay, okay, break it up,” Eddie intervened jokingly, “You’re making an old man jealous. My own kid likes you more than me.”

“Of course she does, I’m the best!” Steve winked.

“The best at being the worst.”

I rolled my eyes at their banter. Some things never changed.

“You losers gonna keep chatting or get to work?” Robin shouted from the other side of the yard, and we heeded her words. Eddie and Candy went to work on skeleton duty and Steve followed me to the boxes of webs and such.

“Maybe I will get to see you fall,” he smirked as he did his best to organize the pile and set up the ladder.

“No chance in hell,” I rolled my eyes, stepping onto the rungs one by one. I swayed a little and he placed his warm hand on my back.

“Would you rather me hang them and you hand them to me?”

“No, you’ll do it wrong.”

“I would rather do it wrong than take you to the ER for a broken bone.”

“You’re not doing either.”

I got a few hung up and grinned victoriously, starting to climb down the ladder but I slipped, gasping. Steve caught me easily, setting me gently on the ground.

“Careful, sweetheart,” he whispered, his mouth right against my ear, his words casting warm breath over my skin and littering me with goosebumps. He was solid behind me, his hands tight on my waist. His chin was resting against the side of my head, and neither of us made any moves to pull away. Instead, I turned my head to the side, staring up at him.

The moment was intense. I could feel my pulse racing and I was sure he could, too.

“You can do the rest,” I quietly offered, and he smiled, nice and slow.

“Smart girl.”

I shivered at those words. I could tell he felt it by the way his eyes slightly widened, taking every reaction to heart, and he pulled me closer to him by my hips. We were only interrupted by Candy’s little voice.

“Y/N, daddy told me to ask you for super glue.”

I snapped out of my trance, staring at her dumbly. Steve rescued me, stating, “I’ll take her to get it.”

“You remember where it is?” I asked.

“I told you, I remember everything.”

He walked inside with her, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I could still feel him. He was so close I could’ve kissed him. If I could count every time Steve got just close enough to kiss me but never did… No wonder I left all those years before. It was pure torture, having what you want and need right in front of you and not being able to take it. I shuddered to think that all my feelings were flooding back. My sad desperation seeping into my bones like a cancer, sealing my fate, except this time I had nowhere to go.

I sighed, moving the ladder and boxes to the other side of the house just in time for him to return.

“You didn’t have to move all this, I had it!” he pouted.

“I wanted to. Besides, you were on an important super glue mission.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have left you here alone but that was life or death.”

“I could tell. I’m impressed you were able to get the job done by yourself.”

He laughed at that, the real kind of laugh that he used to give me before I left. I hadn’t seen it in so long, it made my heart swell.

“I almost forgot how funny you are, Y/N/N.”

I flushed. He hadn’t called me that since…. Well, also before I left. It was a silly nickname, really. A play on my name that I would only ever let him get away with. Not that anyone else would ever use it anyway. Steve would’ve given them an earful and made them apologize for stealing his favorite girl’s best nickname. He was possessive like that, but in a friendly kind of way.

“I don’t know how you could forget, I’m basically a comedian, Stevia.”

He had about the same reaction to his nickname as I’d had to mine. I’d always called him Stevia, because he wasn’t sweet enough to be real sugar and wasn’t cool enough to be Splenda. It was a joke, of course, but it stuck, especially when I wanted to get on his nerves.

“We should probably get to hanging these,” he took a deep breath, changing the subject. I nodded, taking over the job of handing him what he needed while he climbed on the ladder. Anytime he placed something slightly off from where I wanted it, I let him know swiftly and he rolled his eyes and groaned before moving it. I could tell he was annoyed with me, but not really annoyed. Just the I-can’t-wait-to-be-done-with-this annoyed. And after about an hour, he got his wish, so we went around helping everyone else finish up. Around 9, everything looked perfect, and I clapped with joy.

“Thanks SO much guys! It’s perfect!!” I squealed, bouncing on my toes, excitement overwhelming me.

“We aim to please,” Eddie shrugged.

“Now movies?!” Robin suggested, and all of us nodded but Eddie.

“I wish we could stay, but one of Candy’s friends has a birthday party in the morning and if I don’t get her to bed soon, she’ll be impossible to wake up.”

“Please, daddy?” Candy stuck out her bottom lip, letting it tremble slightly for dramatic effect.

“Another night. I promise.”

“Okay,” she sighed, dejected. She gave Steve and Robin both big hugs, then came to me and reached her arms up. I was slightly surprised, but welcomed her in, and she mumbled, “I’m gonna miss you. I want you to marry Uncle Steve so I can see you all the time.”

I blushed from head to toe, and Eddie snorted. I was too scared to glance at Steve, but I had a feeling he was blushing too.

“That’s enough, Candy. We can see her all the time anyway, even if she doesn’t marry Steve,” Eddie grabbed her from me, “But it would be cool if she did.”

I glared daggers at him as he said his goodbyes and left.

“I see nothing has changed,” Steve commented, glancing at his feet briefly.

“Nothing ever does,” I shrugged, walking past him and through the front door. He unplugged the spotlights then walked in behind me. Robin followed, dragging in all the boxes and putting them back in the basement.

“What movie do you guys wanna start with?” I asked, scrolling through the Halloween section on the TV.

“Something extra scary,” Robin requested and I nodded, handing her the remote.

“You pick it, then.”

“Oh, I have the perfect thing,” And with a smirk on her face, she chose Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the one movie I could never make it all the way through.

“Rob,” I huffed.

“What? It’s fine!”

“Robin,” Steve snapped, his voice low, “Pick something else.”

“Why?”

“You know Y/N doesn’t like this movie.”

“What are you, her body guard? She’ll be fine. It’s just a silly movie. And we’re grown now! She can handle it.”

“Robin.” His voice was even lower as he glared her way.

“It’s fine, Steve. She’s right, I can handle it.”

She put the movie on and I curled up on the opposite side of the couch from Steve as she did the same in the recliner across the room. I sighed heavily as the movie began to play.

I made it a few minutes in before the killing started, and I instantly regretted it. Every time there was a nasty or scary scene, I could feel Steve’s eyes on me, watching me cringe and flinch. Eventually, he moved to my side, pulling the blanket off the back of the couch and covering us up with it, his arm around me, pulling me in tight. I couldn’t believe I was that close to him, my heart was beating out of my chest.

“It’s okay. It’s just a movie.”

Just then, Poconos came out of nowhere and jumped on our laps, wiggling his still small kitten butt. I let out a snort, petting him lightly.

“Wow, he’s gotten bigger,” Steve mumbled low enough not to disturb Robin.

“He has. He’ll be full grown soon I think.”

“Still, he’s just a baby.”

We were interrupted by a flash coming from Robin’s phone. She took a picture of us.

“Sorry, you guys are just too cute,” she laughed, putting her phone away. We rolled our eyes, focusing back in on the movie, and I hardly noticed how his thumb traced little circles on my shoulder. Hardly.

Once it got to the scene where a guy gets sawed in half hot-dog style, I groaned and turned to Steve, hiding in his shirt like I always had.

“I remember this being the part where you’d always leave the room.”

“And you’d always follow me.”

“Yeah, I’ve never actually seen the end of the movie,” he chuckled, the sound vibrating my head where he rested his chin. The hand that was on my shoulder found it’s way to stroke my hair, comforting me through the most traumatic scene of all time.

“You never watched it without me?”

“Well if you weren’t gonna see how it ended, it didn’t feel right for me to.”

“Steve,” I sighed, gazing up at him. I could see the dim TV light playing off his features, highlighting them beautifully. He was everything.

He looked down at me as well, and our eyes locked. That had been happening a lot. I winced at how easy it would be to just lean up and kiss him. How perfect it would be. And when he started to lean it, I thought for a moment it might happen. He was so close, his lips almost on mine, I could feel my world slowly collapsing. Then he leaned down to whisper in my ear instead, “The scene is over, it’s safe to look at the screen now.” Shit. He had to know what he was doing to me.

I turned away from, doing as he said, trying to focus on the movie but it was hard. His free hand, the one that wasn’t in my hair, started at the top of my arm and slid it down slowly and gently to my wrist, then found my own, playing around with it for a second before simply holding it. His grip was warm as he squeezed, and I squeezed back, taking a deep breath as my heart swelled again.

The rest of the movie felt like it went on forever, but it finally ended and Robin yawned loudly.

“I’m gonna go to bed,” she announced, grabbing her bag and making her way to the guest room.

“I thought you wanted to watch another movie?” I called to her.

“Not anymore, I’m beat. But you two should!”

The room was silent for a moment. Steve’s hand was still holding mine, but his other hand had moved down to my back, his grip firm.

“You probably have to go soon, huh? It’s pretty late,” I mumbled, unable to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

“I can stay as late as you want me to. I’d rather be here than go home to an empty house.”

“Yeah, at least here you have a cute cat to snuggle with,” I grinned, calling Poconos over and watching as he jumped onto our laps again.

“I think he might be the best cat ever, I can’t believe I gave him up.”

“Yeah, that was pretty stupid of you.”

“Hey now, I gave a cute cat to a pretty girl. I’m a hero.”

“You really think I’m pretty?”

He furrowed his brows at me, “Didn’t you hear what I told Candy? Prettiest girl in the world, hands down.”

“What about Angelina Jolie? Megan Fox? Scarlett Johannson?”

“None of them hold a candle to you,” he shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Why didn’t you think I was pretty in high school?”

“I did, but I was terrified to tell you. The kids used to pick on me for it all the time, especially Max.”

“She used to pick on me, too. She thought I had a crush on you.”

“Well, you did. Didn’t you?” he asked, and I paused, panicking slightly as I stared at him. “That was our thing. We liked eachother more than we should’ve. That’s what made us such good friends.”

“You say that like you had a crush on me, too,” I rolled my eyes.

“I did!”

“Whatever.”

“Really, I did. Swear. Why do you think I tried so hard to make out with you the night after you graduated?”

“No you didn’t! You totally pulled away from me!”

“Because I was nervous and I psyched myself out!”

I huffed, bumping his arm lightly, “Well that was stupid of you.”

“Would you have left if I had kissed you?”

The mood changed. Suddenly, it was much more serious, tension flowing in the air between us.

“No,” I told him honestly.

“Everyone told me I was the reason you left. That’s why I was so angry when you came back, I couldn’t understand why. I still don’t understand why.”

“Some things don’t need to be understood. I’m back now, and it was a mistake.”

“Yeah, and we’re just going back to the way we were like no time has passed. I don’t understand this, Y/N. Not at all. I’ve spent 7 years wondering what I could’ve done to make you stay. Wondering why you didn’t want to stay. Wondering if I did something to hurt you. To make you wanna get away from me.”

“You didn’t.”

“Then what was it?”

I stared at my lap, unsure how to proceed with the conversation. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t figured it out yet, but I was counting my blessings.

“Forget it,” he sighed, “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just watch another movie.”

“You wanna stay?” I stared hopefully up at him, my eyes glassy and wide, “Even after we argued?”

“Of course I wanna stay. You’re my best friend.”

“You still think of me as your best friend?”

“I never stopped,” he smiled, tapping my nose, “Besides, I knew you’d come back. Nobody can resist the Harrington charm for long.”

I rolled my eyes, handing him the remote, “Just pick a movie, stupid.”

He grabbed it from me and began scrolling, settling on some B movie about a slasher. We settled in, getting comfy with each other again as we watched. Halfway through, though, I felt myself starting to doze off.

When I woke up, I was in Steve’s arms being carried through the hallway to the master bedroom. I furrowed my brows for a second, “Steve? What’re you doing?”

“You fell asleep, I’m taking you to bed.”

“But I wanna stay up longer with you.”

“I know, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ll come see you at the music shop then we can do something when you get off if you want to.”

“Of course I want to,” I smiled, pulling myself closer to his chest and snuggling into his warmth. A second layer, we were in my room and he laid me down gently, kissing my forehead.

“Sleep tight, Y/N/N.”

And with that, he was gone. I could faintly hear his tires as he pulled out of the long driveway.

Three months before graduation

It was far from the first time Steve had parked down the road from my parents’ house and waited for me so we could sneak out to the cabin. It was easy, really. His parents didn’t give a damn what he did and mine never really noticed me missing.

I climbed out my window, hopping onto the ground gracelessly and setting off for his car. It was quicker to go through the treeline in my neighbor’s back yard than to walk on the street, so that’s what I did. There was also no chance of anyone seeing me that way.

Steve was standing by the passenger door when I walked up, smile engraved on his pretty face.

“It’s about time, I was starting to worry about you,” he stated as he opened the door for me, making sure I was completely in before shutting it behind me. He climbed in on his side, pulling off quietly.

“I’ve walked that path about a million times, Steve. I’m perfectly safe. Besides, even if I got kidnapped it would be worth it for the chance to do this with you.”

“You’re too sweet,” he smirked, giving my thigh one gentle squeeze then returning his hand to his own lap.

The ride felt shorter than it was, I suppose the company helped with that. There was never a lull with Steve, he just talked and you always wanted to hear what he had to say. Plus, his hair captivated attention on its own. Finally, we pulled into the rough driveway and he parked.

“It’s a shame it’s too cold to swim,” I sighed, staring off at the water before me.

“It’s fine, I’m in more of a bonfire mood tonight anyways.”

He lead me gently with a hand on my back to the fire pit. I always loved that part of the yard, fairy lights were strung up over it and there was an assortment of patio and folding chairs around it, along with a picnic table beside it.

He set to work on getting the fire going, adding logs, sticks and kindling. Fortunately, the only time my parents used the cabin was to have a fire when it was really cold, so supplies were always stocked up in a little shed beside the place. I shivered as I waited for him to get it going and he turned to me, concern showing on his face. “Here,” he pulled off his jacket and handed it to me.

“I can’t take this, you’ll be cold.”

“I’m working up a sweat carrying these logs, I’ll be fine. Plus, the fire will be going soon. And I’d rather be cold than you be cold.”

“Fine, whatever, sacrifice yourself and your warmth,” I shrugged, yanking the item from him and slipping into it, breathing a sigh of relief. It was so warm from the body heat he’d been cultivating, and it smelled of his cologne.

“You look cute like that,” he smirked, sparing me a glance. I gave him a once over as he continued working on the fire.

“So do you.”

I could see a slight blush on his cheeks in the glow of the flames he’d finally created. Soon, it went from flames to fire, and he pulled a folding chair right next to mine, so close we were almost touching. Almost wasn’t good enough for either of us though, so we reached for each other, clasping hands like we needed each other to breathe. It was always like that. We always needed each other, more than anyone else.

“You sure you don’t want your jacket back?” I asked him, but he shook his head.

“I already told you no.”

I smiled lightly, turning back to the fire. We sat in comfortable silence for a while before he broke it, saying, “I can’t believe your graduating so soon. I’m so proud of you.”

“Do you think we’ll still do things like this after I graduate?”

“I think we’ll still do things like this when we’re in our 30s and you’re married. You’ll be sneaking out of your husband’s bed just to meet me here, at our spot.”

“What about you? No wife?”

“Absolutely not. I don’t need someone telling me all the reasons I shouldn’t be friends with you.”

“You’re silly,” I giggled, “You always have new girlfriends. Surely you’ll get married in a couple years, have a few babies. The real American dream.”

“You’re right, I do always have new girlfriends, and they never like you. Why do you think I don’t keep them?”

“If you found a girl you really just couldn’t live without, you’d have to cut me off, and that would be okay because she would be worth it.”

“I already found a girl I really just couldn’t live without.”

I glanced over at him to see he was already looking at me, his eyes heavy, shining in the orange light.

“You could find a way,” I insisted, tugging on my hand lightly until he let it go then folding it in my lap. I wanted the distance. I wanted this conversation to hurt less, and I thought letting him go would be the way.

“Let’s go on a trip,” he suddenly changed the subject.

“What?”

“A trip. Let’s go on one, after your graduation. Just for a weekend or something. We can get a cheap motel room and eat trashy food and see whatever we wanna see. Just me and you.”

“What about Robin and Eddie?”

“They can come, if they really want, but I am not rooming with him so I hope she’ll be willing to.”

“Well where are we going?”

“Anywhere you want.”

“No, it’s your idea. You pick.”

“I always wanted to go to the Poconos.”

“Why the Poconos? Isn’t that mountains or something.”

“Yeah, I think so. I don’t know much about it but I like the name. Poconos. Poke-a-nose. I think it’d be funny to see how many times I could poke your nose in the Poconos.”

“You are so goofy.”

“That’s why you love me so much.”

“I do. I really, really do. Okay, so we’re going on a trip to the Poconos. Me and you are sharing a room, Robin and Eddie are sharing a room. Or you could room with Robin and I could room with Eddie?”

“Absolutely not. Me and you, one room, one bed.”

“One bed? We’re not in a fan fiction.”

“Fine, two beds. But I get to pick what we watch on TV.”

“Deal. What’re we gonna do there?”

“Get drunk. Sight see. I’m gonna buy you some kick ass lame souvenirs and you’re gonna keep them forever. And there’s gonna be a lot of nose poking going on.”

“This sounds like the best trip ever.”

“The first of many, I hope.”

“Oh definitely. We’re gonna be travel buddies ‘til we’re geriatric. Two veggies in a Volkswagen bus.”

“Oh my God, you’re the worst.”

“It was funny!”

“It was not.”

Our banter continued for the rest of the night until he eventually put the fire out and brought me home. Every second with him felt like it was almost too much, suffocating me with how badly I loved him.

That was the night I started to think about leaving. I’d applied to colleges that were far away as a “just in case”, but maybe one of them could be serious. Anything would be better than pining after Steve for the rest of my life. I had to get away before high school ended and my real life began because seeing him all the time with no breaks or interruptions would’ve just been too much. He would be fine if I left, I told myself. He can still go on the trips and see the sights and poke the noses. He wouldn’t miss me too much.

He wouldn’t miss me.

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Combat Cold Cuts

Tech x Fem!Reader

Summary: Your favorite team of Navy SEALs just docked and are looking for some good food.

Pairing: Tech x Fem!Reader

Characters: Mira (OFC), Tech, Hunter, Echo, Wrecker, Crosshair

Tags & Warnings: modern!AU, sandwich shop!AU, navy!AU, fluff, awkwardness, smidge of angst, military/naval terms and jargon, sad Bad Batch backstories, mentions of death, mentions of war, mentions of injuries

Word Count: 3.2k

Author's Note: If you've been here a while, then you'll know that earlier in the year, when the polls came out, I made a poll asking who from the Bad Batch y'all would want in my Sandwich Shop AU, and Tech had the most votes. So, ta-da! Took me half a year, but better late than never. Also, don't quote me on this, but I may write more for this AU. Also, if you know where the title is from, we can be friends. As always, please enjoy 💚

@clonexreaderbingo Square: Tech

Today begins like any other day for you as you get ready for your job on the naval base. The sky is crystal clear and the sea breeze coming off the coast is refreshing. You’ve been working at the sandwich shop on the naval base for two years now thanks to your friend Mira. You've known Mira since high school, and because she's the wife of a sailor, she lives on base. Her personal recommendation is what helped you get the job and you're forever grateful to her.

You love working on the naval base because you get to interact with all of the sailors. The sailors always have the best stories to tell. Whether it’s their last meal before setting out to sea or it’s their first meal back on dry land, you're always there to smile and laugh at what they say. Sometimes the men are lively and sometimes they're quiet. You can usually tell when something bad has happened while they were deployed, because the normally talkative ones say nothing.

While stopped at the security gate, as you wait for the officer to scan your ID, you can see a destroyer coming into port in the distance. With that class of vessel docking, you know it’s going to be a busy day at the sandwich shop, with lots of hungry sailors looking for good food and someone to tell their stories too. You quickly go through your mental checklist to ensure you properly restocked yesterday, then the officer returns your ID and lifts the gate for you to enter.

“Hey!” Mira calls with a wave and a bright smile as you enter the sandwich shop.

You smile and wave back. "Good morning!"

"Are you excited?" Mira asks as she playfully jabs her elbow into your side when you come around to the back of the deli line.

“For what?” you ask as you rub your side, then throw on your apron.

“Didn’t you hear?” Mira says.

“Hear what?” you ask.

“The Bad Batch are on that destroyer that came in this morning,” Mira answers with a giddy bobble of her head.

“No way!” you exclaim, but quickly hush yourself. “Really?”

“Yup,” Mira says with a pop of her lips on the last letter. “Top scuttlebutt says they’re returning from a super dangerous and top secret mission.”

“Woah,” you breathe. "Incredible."

The Bad Batch. An elite team of five navy SEALs that were pulled together as sole survivors from other teams across the navy. Each member of the Bad Batch has a unique skill set that allows their team to be practically unstoppable in the field. Which is why they are assigned the most difficult missions, because their success rate precedes them. They don’t even use their real names anymore, just the nicknames they've been given over their many years of service.

Hunter, their sergeant, is the only member of the team that began his career as a navy SEAL. He lost his original SEAL team during a special operation involving drug pirates off the gulf of some foreign country. According to sources, he was able to track down the pirates, complete the mission, and bring his dead men back to port for a proper burial. That's how he got the name, Hunter. He's a natural born leader, and there’s not an operation he won’t lead his men into.

Echo, their communications specialist, is a triple amputee and a former sonar technician on a submarine. His submarine was attacked while surfacing from a mission, which is when he lost his right arm and both legs. Unfortunately, the rest of the crew weren't so lucky. He spent a week in a coma, and his best friend he served with died in the bed next to him the day before he woke up. Sometimes you see him sitting by himself at the memorial with two open beers.

Wrecker, their demolition expert, was part of an explosive ordnance disposal unit before a fatal accident. It was supposed to be a routine defusal of a pipe bomb, but his partner misread one of the numbers on the detonator, leading him to cut the wrong wire. Wrecker noticed the mistake and tried to stop him, but it was too late. His partner didn't make it, and neither did the rest of the unit. Wrecker survived, but lost most of his hearing, and all of his vision, in his left ear and eye.

Crosshair, their weapons expert and sniper, wasn't in the navy, but was a scout sniper in the marine corps. The man was born with a cigarette in his mouth and a permanent scowl on his face, and not much is known about his time in the marine corp. However, according to the rumors, his scout sniper platoon was ambushed during a night operation in the tropics. They say he was stranded on one of the islands for thirty-two days before he was found and rescued.

Tech, their cyber intelligence specialist, was part of the cyber command group before he was reassigned to the Bad Batch. While it sounds like a desk job, he was actually involved in combat missions where he provided integrated cyberspace attacks in support of operational plans. Basically, cyber-warfare. Not much is known about what happened to his team, and there aren't many rumors or theories surrounding the circumstances either, so it remains a mystery.

"So," Mira begins with a sly grin, “are you finally going to ask him on a date?”

“Who?” you ask as you pull off the plastic wrap from the condiment containers.

“You know who,” Mira taps your arm. “The smart one with the glasses that you make googly-eyes at whenever he comes in.”

“Oh…” you pause. “That one.”

“Well?” Mira presses while waving a loaf of Italian bread around.

“I don’t know,” you sigh. “Maybe next time.”

“Maybe next time?” Mira scoffs. “Maybe next time? Girl, he could be dead next time!”

You rush to cover her mouth. “Shh! Don’t say that. It’s bad luck.”

Mira mumbles something you can't understand.

"What did you say?" you ask as you remove your hand.

"I said," Mira begins, "they don't need extra help in the bad luck department."

You roll your eyes and return to prepping the deli line for when the shop opens. While it's true that a lot of bad things have happened to the Bad Batch team, none of the members have died themselves. So, is it really the men who carry the bad luck? Or is it another force entirely? You push back the crazy thoughts, because in reality, you're not superstitious, even if Mira tries to convince you otherwise. Instead, you make your conjectures based on the facts in front of you.

One such fact being that the shop opens in ten minutes and there's already a line of hungry sailors outside the locked door waiting to get in. You and Mira exchange a high-five and put on your game faces to tackle the wave of hungry men. There's nothing quite like the midday rush between ten o'clock and two o'clock, but it's even worse when the ships come to port. You know after two o'clock you'll be able to take a well-earned break, but until then it is full-steam ahead.

Sailor after sailor pours into the sandwich shop once you unlock the door. Mira always mans the register and you make the sandwiches. When you first started working at the shop, it was a complete disaster trying to get in sync with each other. There was shouting, crashing into each other, and lettuce all over the floor. But now, the two of you work together like a well-oiled machine, dancing around each other behind the deli line, and communicating like a dream.

Your heart skips a beat when you see the Bad Batch walk into the sandwich shop. The quiet murmurs of the sailors stop for a moment as the SEAL team's stoic presence takes over the atmosphere. The Bad Batch have a big reputation around the base and they've garnered a lot of respect, even from the greenhorns. It's almost like having a few celebrities walk into the shop, but it doesn't last long and the sailors go back to munching and conversing with each other.

You choke down your nerves as they approach the counter and smile. "What can I get for you boys?"

"Large steak and cheese, toasted," Hunter says. "Extra peppers if you can."

"Sure thing," you answer as you make the sandwich. You quickly pop it into the toaster to melt the cheese, then wrap the sandwich in paper, and hand it to Hunter. "One large steak and cheese with extra peppers, warmed, and toasty."

"Thanks, kid," Hunter says before moving down the line to the register.

"Can I get a really large buffalo chicken with extra buffalo sauce?" Wrecker asks excitedly. "And I mean, lots of sauce, and ranch!"

"You got it," you chuckle, then make his sandwich, wrap it up, and hand it to him. "One really large buffalo chicken drowning in buffalo sauce and ranch."

"Aw, yeah!" Wrecker says as he grabs the sandwich. "Thanks a ton!"

You smile and look at your next customer, but he doesn't smile back.

"Large roast beef," Crosshair says. "Make sure the mayo is light and not a single onion touches it."

"Understood," you bristle at his tone, then quickly make his sandwich, wrap it, and hand it to him. "One large roast beef, with a squirt of mayo, and absolutely no onions."

"Finally," Crosshair says as he takes the sandwich. "Someone who can listen."

You let out the breath you were holding in and compose yourself to smile at your next customer.

"Large tuna, please," Echo says. "Extra mayo and no cheese or veggies, if that's alright."

"Not a problem," you answer, then make his sandwich, wrap it up, and hand it to him. "One large tuna, no cheese, no veggies, and extra mayo."

"Thank you, ma'am," Echo says with a nod as he grabs the sandwich and moves down to the register.

"A large cold cut combo, if you please," Tech says. "But I would prefer it if you hold the ham."

"Absolutely," you answer, then make his sandwich, wrap it up, and hand it to him. "One large cold cut combo, but hold my hand."

Tech reaches out to grab the sandwich. "I beg your pardon?"

You look up at him, confused as to what he means. "I'm sorry, did I forget something?"

"You requested that I hold your hand," Tech says. "Are you unwell?"

Your eyes grow wide and your face flushes with heat as you realize the slip of your tongue. "Oh," you stammer. "I'm sorry. I… uh… didn't mean to say… well… I just… um. Have a nice day."

Flustered and embarrassed beyond belief, you rush yourself off the deli line and into the back storage room.

Mira overhears your awkward exchange and waves Tech down to register with a smile. "I can ring you out over here, hon."

Meanwhile, in the storage room, you attempt to pull yourself together. You can't believe you made such a dumb mistake and said something so absentmindedly stupid to the one guy you like, and he's a navy SEAL for crying out loud. He must think you're an idiot, or worse. Although, you're not quite sure what could possibly be worse than being an idiot in front of a man who had perfect scores at the naval academy, but there must be something, and it makes you want to scream.

"Are you doing alright?" Mira asks as she leans against the doorframe to the storage room.

You sigh. "I'll be fine."

Mira walks over to you. "I think I can cheer you up."

"Doubt it," you answer while rubbing your hands against your face.

Mira smiles and pulls out a sticky note. "I got you a date with that smart guy you like."

You peek out through your fingers. "You what?"

"I set you up on a date with Tech," Mira repeats as she waves the sticky note around.

"How did–"

"Ah, ah," Mira stops you. "It's a secret. And by a secret, I mean I just asked him."

Your jaw drops as you throw her an incredulous look. Was it really that easy? All you had to do was ask? Seriously? You're shocked that Mira had the audacity to ask Tech to go on a date with you, but you're even more shocked that he actually said yes. You're not sure how to process this new information, or if you'll ever get your heart to beat normally again. All at once, feelings of excitement and panic intermingle in your stomach and you feel like you're going to be sick.

"Here are the details," Mira hands you the sticky note, a big grin still plastered on her face. "Don't be late."

You take the sticky note from her, and she goes back to the front to continue taking care of the customers. You look at what's written on the small piece of paper, and it's a time and place. The park bench at 1900 hours. You count backwards on your fingers to seven o'clock. Even though you've been working on the base for two years, you still haven't gotten used to military time. You look up at the clock on the wall and see it is two o'clock. At least you have time to get ready.

You spend the rest of your shift trying not to let your nerves get the better of you. You busy yourself with everything possible; to the point where you've swept the floor and wiped the counter ten times already. But you can't help it. You're excited and nervous about your date with Tech. You're not even sure if you know how to go on a date, considering it's been so long since you've been on one yourself. However, you have Mira to help you, so it won't be that bad.

Once your shift is over, the shop has been cleaned and the front door locked, Mira helps you get ready for your date. You explain to her how you feel nervous and how you're worried that you might say something wrong or he might think you're stupid. Mira just smiles and listens as you ramble on, offering the occasional encouragement here and there as she helps you put your hair up. Luckily, you wore some decent clothes today so you don't have to go home and change.

After you're ready, Mira gives you a big hug and a few words of advice. "Just be yourself and you'll be fine."

"Thanks," you say, then separate from the hug.

"Go get em'!" Mira shouts as you open the door to leave.

You turn around, smile, and wave goodbye. Mira knows that you'll call her as soon as the date is over to give her all of the juicy details, but you're happy she's here right now to cheer you on. You close the door to the shop behind you and take a deep breath of the evening air. It's still daylight, since it's summer, and because it's later in the day, you're not worried about sweating or becoming gross from the heat. Steeling yourself, you walk to the park to meet Tech for your date.

As you approach the specified meeting place, you see Tech sitting on one of the benches under a tree. Your heart flutters and your stomach flips as your nerves flare throughout your veins. You try your best to breathe through the anxiety, and you swallow back your fear as you approach him. He acknowledges your presence but doesn't say anything, and then you sit down next to him. You both sit in silence and you fidget with your fingers while trying to think of something to say.

"I–" you both start to say, then stop.

"You first," you both say again, then stop.

You giggle, which helps break the ice. "I've never been good at conversation."

"Neither have I," Tech admits. "However, your colleague was most pleasurable to speak with."

"Oh," you say. "Yeah, Mira is great."

"That is not to say that you also will not be pleasurable to speak with," Tech adds.

You pause for a second as you try to process his words. "Can you say that again, but slower?"

"My sincerest apologies," Tech says. "My military duties require precision of language and I will admit that I get carried away with my verbiage. However, my team finds my speech pattern to be complicated as well, so I would not feel disheartened by your lack of comprehension."

"Uh, thanks," you say. "I think."

"Perhaps I should begin again," Tech says as he reaches out his hand. "I am Tech and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

You smile, shake his hand, and offer your name as well.

Your evening with Tech becomes more smooth as you continue chatting on the bench. Your conversation is filled with quirks from the both of you, as well as giggles from your side, and confused looks from Tech. However, it's nice chatting with someone like him. His speech skills really are incredible and it makes sense why he graduated top of his class at the naval academy. You find him endearing, and the way he gets passionate when he speaks makes you smile.

You carry on your conversation with him for as long as you can; until the sun sets and the lampposts in the park illuminate the walkways for the late night passerby. As much as you don't want to call it a night and leave, you can't help but stifle a small yawn. You try to hide it, but during your brief time with Tech, you've realized that not much goes unnoticed by him. Just thinking about it makes you yawn again, but this time not so subtly, and Tech takes note.

"Perhaps we should adjourn for the night," Tech says. "Your oral reflex and deep inhalation indicates that you are fatigued."

"My what?" you ask.

"You yawned," Tech explains.

"Oh," you chuckle. "I guess I am getting pretty tired. It was a long day at the shop."

"I concur," Tech says as he gets up from the bench. "I assume you will be at your employment establishment tomorrow as well?"

You get up from the bench and stretch your arms over your head. "You would assume correctly."

"Through the power of deduction, will you also be available after you have concluded your assigned duties at said establishment?" Tech asks.

You smile. "Why, yes. That will be the case."

"Then I would like to formally invite you to participate in another mutual discussion tomorrow," Tech says.

"I accept," you answer. "Same time, same place?"

"Indubitably," Tech answers.

"Does that mean yes?" you ask, not understanding the word.

"Without a doubt," Tech explains. 

You smile. "Good night, Tech."

"Good night," Tech says. "Pleasantest of endogenous sensory experiences."

You snort and decide to look that one up when you get home, but only after you call Mira and tell her about the wonderful time you had with Tech, as well as the prospect of seeing him again tomorrow. Although, you highly doubt you'll be able to sleep tonight, since your body feels too giddy and excited to calm down and relax. Mira was right. Life is too short to put off doing things you're scared of, because tomorrow is not promised to anyone, and today is all you may have.

Masterlist

AO3

Tag List: @nahoney22 @commander-sunshine @sunshinesdaydream  @padawancat97 @verndusk @sun-roach @coraex @lickylickylicky @homemade-clones @523rdrebel  @clonemedickix @starrylothcat @mooncommlink @ladyzirkonia @stunkbiggu @cdblake1565 @ladytano420 @moonlightwarriorqueen @anxiouspineapple99 @clonethirstingisreal @dreamie411 @trixie2023 @cw80831 @novas-daydreaming @ca77m3anna @rinwritesfics

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