#and only got around to finishing it last night

[wndaswife]

there’s no need to be brave | wanda maximoff & fem!reader

Sometimes things get to be too much, but you know you can always go to Wanda to feel safe and loved. She reminds you how important it is for you to be taken care of.

Word count: 3573

Tags: it’s all fluff, some humour, age gap, lightly implied age regression during one scene, wanda takes care of you and kisses you and is patient and loving and gentle

The front door rattled softly as you unlocked it. From the kitchen, Wanda looked up from her dinner preparation, anticipating your presence after coming from your afternoon classes. 

She gave you the keys to her place a month ago when your classes didn’t align as much with her work hours as it did for your last semester. Now that you had the keys, it was easier to see each other without your schedules aligning. 

You set down your bag in the living room, shedding your coat on top of it, before practically sliding your feet over to the kitchen lazily. You didn’t even lift your head; it was only the vague figure of Wanda that you needed in order to navigate around the counter and wrap your arms around her body. 

Her arms were trapped under yours, forcing her to wiggle them out of your hold so she could hug you. 

“Baby, are you alright?” she asked, her voice light but her tone concerned. 

You buried your face in her chest. You had meant to reply to her question, but as soon as you opened your mouth you no longer wanted to answer, so you mumbled incoherently into her soft breasts. 

“Sweetheart,” Wanda tried again, leaning back to get a look at you.

Finally, you lifted your head, squinting as you looked up at her in the light of the kitchen. She immediately cupped your face with both hands, brushing back your hair. 

“I hardly got any sleep last night,” you said, straightening so your face wasn’t in Wanda’s chest anymore but now facing her. 

Her eyes followed yours as you looked around the kitchen while you spoke. One hand dropped to your shoulder, her thumb stroking you softly while her other hand remained cupping your cheek. 

“Yesterday, I woke up at eight to study, then last night I slept for two hours before my nine a.m. class, then took an hour nap between classes, and my head hurts and I think I’m getting tunnel vision and I’m scared I’m gonna start hallucinating soon, because isn’t that a sign of sleep deprivation?”

Wanda opened her mouth to say something, but you continued. 

“At least I’ve eaten, but I don’t know if it’s enough, because I was still hungry while coming over here, and I can’t go home because they’re fixing the hydro so I don’t have running water until midnight — I don’t know why they scheduled the construction in the middle of the day — and I want to shower, and it was so cold outside–”

Suddenly the hand that had been cupping your cheek was over your mouth, and you finally looked at Wanda who was staring at you with a gentle gaze. Upon meeting her eyes she smiled at you, so subtly that the corners of her eyes crinkled just slightly. 

Slowly, she put down her hand then wrapped that arm around your waist, holding you against her. She dropped her other hand from your shoulder and held your hand. 

“You can shower here. My water is working just fine,” she said slowly. “I’m preparing dinner now, so stay over tonight and we can eat a proper meal together. If you’re hungry now, anything in the kitchen is yours.”

She watched your expression relax and your shoulders untense, and she smiled a little when you tried to shuffle closer although you were already standing against her. 

“Take another nap, baby. Shower in my room then sleep in my bed.”

You nodded wordlessly. 

As your face relaxed and when your mind seemed much less troubled, Wanda took a good look at you. She stroked your hand with her thumb. 

“You do look tired…” she said sympathetically. “Please go up to shower — it’ll relax you. Are you still hungry? I can make something for you before you have your nap. I’ll go up after you’ve finished showering.”

Internally, you felt like teasing her for how she was very much talking to you like you were her child. But oh, how badly you just wanted to be taken care of like a child. 

You nodded again, looking up at her. 

Then, at the sight of her face, her pretty face and her beautiful eyes, and her soft hair and the slope of her nose and the line and curl of her lips, you leaned in for a kiss. 

Wanda pulled back slightly, and your eyes darted up from her lips to her eyes. She let go of your hand, lifting her own in front of your face, wiggling her fingers a little. 

“Don’t lick your lips; I was handling raw meat before you came in and I touched your face,” she warned, smiling guiltily. 

You looked over to the counter and saw Wanda’s bowl of ground meat, and around it, her spices and other vegetables she had yet to prepare. 

At the sight of your to-be dinner and the idea of Wanda preparing it and cooking it all up, you laid your head on her shoulder and buried your face in her neck. 

“Oh, doll…” she whispered, cradling the back of your head as you tucked your face under her jaw. 

“Now you’ll have to shower, right? Because I rubbed raw meat on your neck?” 

Maybe you were imagining it, but you could hear Wanda’s grin forming even though your face was buried in her neck. When she spoke next, you were at least sure that she was speaking while grinning. 

“Is that what you were doing?” she asked. “You could’ve just asked.

Wanda tucked your hair back, exposing the side of your face. She kissed your temple. “Give me a few minutes to finish with the meat, so I can refrigerate it. Wait for me upstairs.”

After some minutes, Wanda found you sitting on the edge of the tub waiting for her. She smiled at the sight of you wrapped in a towel, looking up at her as she entered. 

Eagerly, you all but lept from your spot and turned to run the shower, testing it with your hand until it became warm while Wanda undressed behind you. 

When she had taken all her clothes off, she approached you and undid your towel before laying it on the sink. 

You turned, wrapping your arms around her, feeling her smooth bare skin immediately warming your own upon contact with her. 

“I washed my face,” you informed her before squeezing your eyes shut and puckering out your lips. 

A soft kiss was then pressed to your lips, your lips relaxing from its puckering. Wanda’s hand came to your cheek, her thumb brushing against your cheekbone tenderly. 

“My sweet girl…” she whispered softly as she parted from the kiss. 

In the shower, Wanda washed your hair with her shampoo instead of yours. 

“I’m… feeling kinda…” you started quietly, looking down and playing with your fingers. 

“Mmm?” Wanda hummed, busy with massaging her soapy fingers against your scalp. 

“Kinda… little.”

”I know, baby,” she replied softly. “Just let me take care of you.“

You wondered if Wanda, too, imagined that she heard your smile when it formed bashfully at her response, like you had in the kitchen when you heard her grin.

Earlier, you had been planning to tell Wanda about the other things which had made you feel upset, like how you were behind in your readings and how you were almost certain you did terribly on your midterm paper.

But in the shower, all those things just disappeared. 

A part of you worried for just a moment that Wanda might even think you were being silly or overly dramatic for being upset over only the things you mentioned earlier, so you figured you ought to tell her the whole story. 

But when Wanda turned around and let you wash her hair, you knew there was no way she’d ever think that about you. 

It made you feel like crying. 

Really, you didn’t know why you felt the urge. Maybe it was because it was just a touching sentiment, or because you were overcome with how safe and cared for you felt, in the steam and warmth of Wanda’s shower, her hair in your hands, and her bare body just a few inches from you — Wanda just a few inches from you. 

When she turned around to start washing your body after her hair was rinsed, her eyes fell upon your face for just a moment, and within that moment, you could tell that she noticed you looked like you were about to cry. 

And when you really were about to cry, you didn’t notice yourself; it was Wanda’s immediate comforting that made you realize you were. 

Then, at your soft hiccups, you knew for sure you were crying. 

Her arms surrounded you, and you buried your face in her neck. Your damp cheeks blended with the wet warmth of her skin, making your face feel flushed. 

“Shh, it’s okay now,” she spoke gently. Her arm wrapped around your waist had her warm palm against the middle of your back, her other cradling the back of your head. “I know it gets hard…” 

You sniffled and opened your eyes, watching the water drip from the ends of Wanda’s hair through your bleary eyes. 

“You’re tired and frustrated,” she said. “You just need to be taken care of, right?” She felt you nodding against her shoulder slightly.

“There we go. It’ll be alright, honey. All you need is a little bit of time.”

Your arms squeezed around her waist. 

“I need you,” you insisted. 

“I’m here, Y/N.”

Though you felt you didn’t need anything to eat until dinner, Wanda prepared a snack for you anyway, insisting that you eat something. You asked her to wake you up for dinner because you didn’t want it to get cold before you woke up.

You wanted to wear her pajamas too, so she picked out a comfy pair for you. You were practically beaming as you snuggled down into her neatly-made bed. 

After a few minutes, Wanda came up with some apple slices and some peanut butter on the side. She told you to get to sleep right after eating, and you weren’t even worried you’d accidentally keep yourself up.

With dinner being prepared and Wanda promising to wake you up once it was finished, you snuggled into her bed, promptly falling asleep in her pajamas after eating the snack she put together for you. 

Over dinner, now that you felt far more rested but still extremely eager to sleep cuddled up to Wanda soon, you spoke about her day, and very little about yours, since you didn’t want to think about it.

She sat beside you, touching you occasionally, her hand rubbing your shoulder as she spoke or playing with your fingers that were laying on your thigh.

She asked how you liked dinner, and scooted closer to you when you told her how much you liked it. 

“When was the last time you had a full meal, baby?”

“A full meal?” you asked, thinking about what qualified as a full meal, let alone a meal at all. 

She squeezed your hand as she took a drink from her glass. “One cooked in a kitchen, and warm.”

“Instant noodles in a pot, two evenings ago.”

“That’s not a meal, Y/N.”

“Then… A week and a half ago. When I went for dinner with my friends.”

Wanda let go of your hand and tucked your hair behind your ear. “You need to eat better, baby. Can you come over more often?”

“Can I sleep over more?”

The corners of Wanda’s eyes crinkled when a smile immediately formed on her face, the tips of her ears rising just a twitch. “Please do,” she answered. 

While you were brushing your teeth, Wanda came up after getting the dishes into the dishwasher. She insisted she do it herself while you got ready. 

She smiled at the sight of you still in her pajamas, brushing your teeth in her washroom. She approached you and pressed a kiss to your cheek, your mouth full of minty suds. 

When you had both finished getting ready, you crawled over the bed and laid your head down in Wanda’s lap and brought your knees to your stomach, like a puppy. She set her phone down and laid her hand on your head, massaging your scalp and forehead softly.

Satisfied and relaxed, you closed your eyes. 

“I miss you when you’re busy at school, baby…” she said softly, her voice gentle and a little sleepy. 

You opened your eyes and turned onto your back so you could look up at her. The lamp on her nightstand embraced her in a warm glowing outline around the crown of her head through her hair, making the soft glow look like a halo. 

“Really…?” you asked. 

Her warm hand cupped your cheek, her thumb stroking your skin. She nodded. “So much. I think of you all the time, Y/N. Our phone calls aren’t enough.”

You turned your body and pressed your face against her stomach. 

After a few silent moments of Wanda brushing her fingers through your hair. “Why don’t you take care of yourself? You need to eat and sleep properly, honey.”

You muffled indiscernible words into her stomach, not really trying to give an answer. 

“Are you listening, Y/N?”

You spoke, intelligibly this time, albeit still against her stomach. “Yes, I’m listening.”

“Let’s get into bed,” she said, taking your chin in her hand and making you look up at her. She smiled down at you and you turned your head to kiss her palm. 

You weren’t ready to stop clinging onto Wanda even after she turned off the lights and you got under the blankets together; your arms were wrapped around her waist snugly, your head tucked under her chin. Her hand gently stroked the back of your head.

Your breathing was in time with Wanda’s in a way that when her chest expanded as she inhaled, your shoulders relaxed as you exhaled, creating a subtle push and pull of your bodies’ contact.

“I think I might’ve done really badly on my midterm paper,” you said quietly, turning your head and opening your eyes, looking at the subtle shifting of her shoulders.

“Really?” she asked, continuing to stroke the back of your head. “Why?”

The heavy ache in your chest that arose when you normally thought about your terrible paper had somehow dissipated, and in its place a dull and hollowed out feeling where you expected to feel its weight. 

You tightened your arm around Wanda’s waist, pressing your chest against hers. 

“I knew it was terrible as I was writing it. I was just in such a rush. I didn’t take the time to plan it — nothing,” you explained. The words felt like a confession, finally releasing what you’d done without denying it to yourself and storing it deep within that ache that was presently missing.

“What happens if you get a bad mark?”

For the first time, you genuinely thought about a future that took place after receiving the paper’s grade. “I guess I’d have to talk to a teaching assistant about it… Or my professor.”

Wanda hummed in acknowledgment. “It’ll be alright, Y/N. It’s a midterm for a reason; it's not your final, and you’ll certainly have ways to make up for it.”

“But it’s just stupid…” you mumbled, hiding your face in Wanda’s chest again. 

She pulled her head back a bit and looked down at you. “What’s stupid, baby? Come on, look at me when you’re talking.”

“No, I don’t want to,” you replied childishly. 

Wanda gave in with an exhale through her nose and rested her chin on top of your head again. “Can you tell me what’s frustrating you?”

“I’m just stupid. I’m supposed to be able to do these things properly, and I can’t.”

“It’s not that you can’t, Y/N, it’s just that you couldn’t for that assignment. Don’t call yourself stupid.”

“It’s easy for you to say,” you insisted. “You weren’t there with me when I knew I could’ve done better.”

Above you, Wanda clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and sighed. She took your chin in her hand and forced you to lift your head from her chest. 

You looked up at her. 

“Why do you want me to scold you so badly, hm? You want me to agree with you and tell me you should’ve and could’ve done better, and that you’ve done a terrible thing?”

The suggestion wasn’t entirely far from what you had been trying to do, but the idea of Wanda actually doing it made you upset. You felt your bottom lip tremble a little. 

“Why won’t you just make me feel bad about things? Just make me feel bad about things I do.”

Pads of her fingers pressed against your cheeks and Wanda frowned as she looked down at you.

“I would never do that, Y/N,” she told you softly. 

You couldn’t tell if you felt more defiant and stubborn, or overwhelmed again by the realization of how much Wanda loved you. 

“Why not?” you asked. 

Her hand combed down your hair until she was holding the side of your face in her hand. “I love you. You’re loved when you’re with me. That’s why.”

You rubbed eyes with the back of your wrist, feeling an onset of tears. You didn’t want to cry — it wasn’t the time, and all you’d been doing since you arrived was cry and whine and want Wanda’s attention. 

“Oh, baby…” Wanda whispered, kissing your forehead and pulling your head against her chest again. “I know. You’re just feeling overwhelmed.”

You wrapped your arm tightly around her waist again, now feeling her shirt dampening against your cheeks. 

“I will always be proud of you, Y/N,” she spoke against the top of your head. Her hand rubbed your upper back. “I will never scold you for falling behind or making a mistake when you tried your best. And I know you did. You’re a hard worker and a good girl.” 

At her words, your silent tears grew into soft sobs and pathetic whimpers which you didn’t care enough to try and silence. 

Wanda asked with a sweet and patient tone, “You’re a good girl, right, sweetheart?” 

You nodded against her chest. 

She pulled away and lifted your face up with two hands. She wiped your tears away and craned her head down to kiss you softly. 

When she pulled away, you sniffled and immediately wrapped your arms around her neck to give her a hug. 

Several quick kisses were pressed to your cheek, and Wanda hugged you tighter. You knew that her arms were hugged around your torso, but it really felt like she was hugging you all over.

“You will always have somewhere to go to be loved and cared for, Y/N. I love you so much,” she said, her lips brushing against your temple. 

You were a mess of sniffles and whines. “But I can’t come over as much as I want. I wish I was with you all the time. I wish I didn’t have to go anywhere, ever.”

“I know, sweetheart. I wish you could stay here all the time and wake up with me every morning, and be here every time I get back from work. I wish neither of us had to do anything.”

Her fingers combed through your hair. “But I’ll always be here for you, Y/N. I’m not upset when you can’t visit. I know you get busy and I want you to do well in school. You’re a very smart girl.”

“I love you, Wanda,” you said. Your words were slightly muffled but your lips were close to her ear, so she could hear. “I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you in my life. I love you so much.”

Wanda’s arms tightened slightly around your body. “I love you too. I don’t know what I’d do without you either. Talking and being with you is my favourite part of every day. You’re the most important thing in my life.”

For the rest of the night, you and Wanda talked about how you’d figure out having you come over more. Now that you had keys to her place, you could come whenever you wanted, even if she was at work, and stay until she got home. 

She suggested you come over just to eat between classes even if she was out, but you said you weren’t ready to be at her place without her yet; it would feel too lonely and you wanted to see her every time you came over. 

In the morning, Wanda made you breakfast while you brewed the coffee. You didn’t want to miss her when she left for work, so you woke up early and decided to study on campus before your first class, so you could leave with her and spend more time with her in the car. 

Everything in the world and in your life made so much sense when you were doing your daily tasks with Wanda, as if your ordinary life was meant to be aligned with hers. 

This was the woman you were supposed to spend your life with, and it was no wonder everything felt better when you were with her.

[jeonginsleftcheek]

Catch me when I fall (1)

THIS IS PART ONE BCS TUMBLR IS AGAIN ACTING LIKE SHIT SO IT WILL BE DIVIDED INTO TWO PARTS!

pairing: hyunjin x afab!reader

genre: fluff, angst, smut

wc: 21.2k (30.6k both parts)

synopsis: An artist finds inspiration in a dancer, and the dancer finds hope inside the artist's paintings.

warnings: alcohol, mentions of death

nsfw warnings: multiple sex scenes, making out, mutual masturbation, grinding, oral (f and m), blindfolds, fingering, squirting, unprotected sex, creampies

a/n: i am sorry this is so long and detailed!!! i just love soft artist hyunjin sm😭🫶🏻 also can you tell i suck at french hahaha

~ masterlist

~ divider by @strangergraphics

The sky had darkened, snowflakes silently falling down and catching onto Hyunjin's hair that was peaking out of his beanie. He could see his breath as he exhaled, disappearing into the cold air like a puff of smoke.

He shivered, his hands digging further into the pockets of his coat as he stared at the huge building before him. Usually, he wouldn't be out when it's this cold, but something had pulled him out of the comfort of his bed and dragged him out into the night.

There was a show in the theater, a performer he saw many times before but would come to see again in the blink of an eye any time he got the chance.

Tonight was that chance as Hyunjin took a few long strides after playing around with the puffs of air, the snowflakes around him gently grazing his rosy cheeks.

He finally walked into the building, standing in line to get his ticket checked. The air inside was warm, like a hug from a loved one inviting him closer. The lady at the entrance smiled at him as she looked at his ticket.

"Good evening, Hyunjin." she said, already acquainted with the young man.

"Good evening, ma'am." Hyunjin greeted politely before he finally walked into the theater, looking for his spot. He always liked to sit in the gallery as it gave him the best view of the stage.

Hyunjin sat comfortably, biting his lip in anticipation for what's to come. The murmur of the audience ceased as the lights in the room dimmed, a single spotlight shining onto the curtains.

Hyunjin gulped, leaning at the edge of his seat.

Soft music started playing and the curtain finally opened, revealing you standing in front of the silk that was secured on the ceiling.

His eyes started shining immediately as your performance began. You gave an elegant wave, your smile brighter than any spotlight, shining right onto the audience.

As soon as you started climbing up, Hyunjin's heart fluttered because he knew what was next. You wrapped the silk skilfully around yourself and Hyunjin tried, as always, to follow every small movement, to learn your routines, to understand how you did all those beautiful tricks that had captured his heart.

He stopped breathing for a moment as you let yourself fall, your body rolling against the silk as you caught yourself, bending and stretching yourself into all sorts of shapes. In Hyunjin's eyes you were art, your body was art, your hard work was art, your beauty was nothing but pure art.

He was infatuated and inspired by you, watching you move and command the stage so gracefully, like it was nothing.

When you finished and bowed to the audience, Hyunjin's ears filled with the sound of clapping and he stood up, weaving through the bodies of onlookers and disappearing into the black night.

He didn't want to accidentally run into you as he couldn't express into words the way you touched his heart with your dancing. You shined so brightly from afar that he was afraid he'd be blinded if he came any closer to you.

Hyunjin would later paint a scene inspired by your performance, but never display it in his gallery.

It was created only to give him comfort.

-

The cold morning air seemed to bite at your cheeks as you strolled through the city, trying to bury your face into your scarf as much as you could. The streets were mostly cleaned, the snow that had fallen last night was swept aside.

Your steps were hurried and purposeful, you had a goal in your mind. You woke up this morning with an urge to visit the gallery. One of many, but this one was your favorite.

You had no idea who owned it or who the artist was as they insisted on staying anonymous but you felt connected to them. It's as if they were painting for you, sending you a direct message that said 'hey, I'm here, I care, I understand.' You felt comforted and welcomed every time you walked into that gallery, every time you were surrounded by those paintings it was like a loving touch, telling you you're not alone.

As soon as you walked into the gallery, the world became quiet and contemplative, all the overstimulating noises and lights of the city disappearing.

A new exhibition of paintings decorated the walls and you made sure to stop in front of every single one, taking your time to revel in each detail the artist put onto the canvas. It seemed that they were feeling nostalgic and even a bit dark, judging by the paintings of lonely city views and lonely looking people.

You understood. Of course you did. After all, it had been three years since the accident and even though you healed on the outside, the wound on your heart still stung. Subconsciously, you rubbed your ring finger with your thumb as you continued looking at the paintings.

And there it was again, that comforting feeling, like this person knew exactly what you were going through, like they could read your mind and feel your emotions. A signature adorned every painting, the initials H.H. When you closed your eyes you could almost see the hand that put them there.

-

Hyunjin wasn't supposed to come to the gallery this morning, as the official opening wasn't happening until the evening, but he wanted to check if everything was in order.

At first, he didn't recognize you as you had your back turned to him but once you moved onto the next painting, Hyunjin saw the side of your face and stopped in his tracks.

His throat went dry immediately, his heart pounding against his chest as warmness spread through his body. There is no way you are actually here. He stared for some time and you must've sensed eyes on you as you turned to look right at him.

Hyunjin thought his world had stopped in that moment. You could say the same thing.

Your heart skipped a beat and you gave the handsome stranger a polite smile before tearing your eyes away from him reluctantly.

Hyunjin contemplated if he should approach you and how to actually do it without sounding like a creep. Saying 'hey, I watch you perform!' would probably be weird and chase you away and Hyunjin couldn't have that.

This was his one chance. What are the odds you'd come into his gallery?

He bit on his lip nervously as he slowly approached you. You were standing in front of a painting of an older couple walking hand in hand in the snow, everything around them fading away as they looked at each other. It was the only hopeful painting in this particular exhibition.

"You seem to like that painting a lot." a voice broke you out of your thoughts, scaring you a little as you turned abruptly only to be met with a pair of warm eyes belonging to the handsome stranger.

"I do. It makes me feel secure. And warm. Even though it is cold around them and everything looks dead and abandoned, they are smiling at each other, their cheeks are rosy. It's like they don't even notice the snow, only each other."

Hyunjin's heart started beating fast, his stomach felt weird and he knew what the feeling was even though he hasn't felt it in a long time.

"Yeah, they're too infatuated that they wouldn't even notice the world falling apart around them." Hyunjin smiled as he stared at your face.

You kept looking at the painting as he studied you. He'd never seen you up close like this, only far away on stage where you shined like the sun, and now up close you were still warm but Hyunjin could see the worry and melancholy in your eyes.

There was an aura of sadness around you, like you were carrying something heavy, but Hyunjin knew what it was like to carry a burden that weighs you down every single day.

"They are. I think this is my favorite painting of this exhibition." you said and Hyunjin beamed.

"Really? It is? I'm so glad!" he got too excited and you looked at him with a confused smile.

"I mean, it's my favorite too." Hyunjin chuckled awkwardly. "How did you find out about this gallery?"

The handsome stranger persisted and even though you felt a bit awkward with him practically interrogating you, something pulled you to stay and talk to him.

"I come here a lot. I check out every new exhibition." you said and Hyunjin almost started hyperventilating.

"Really?!" Hyunjin wondered how he's never seen you at the openings.

You looked at him, wondering why he was so excited about someone else's paintings.

"Yeah. It's like this artist understands the way I feel, like we are connected somehow."

Hyunjin's heart skipped a beat as he stared at you with wide eyes. He couldn't believe you admired his paintings so much; and not just that, you had found yourself inside him.

"Yeah? I feel the same." he said as you chuckled at him, still feeling a little awkward.

"Well, it was nice talking to you but I should go now."

Hyunjin opened his mouth to say something, anything to make you stay but you were already walking away, giving him a timid and polite wave, unlike the grandiose one you give on stage.

He didn't even manage to wave back before you walked out of the door. He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he watched the door, his heart beating fast against his chest.

A part of him hoped you'd come back in but a part of him was relieved you left because you made him want to bounce off the walls and squeal like some school girl with a crush and that scared him. He turned to look at his painting again, the old couple so entwined in each other.

Hyunjin started to reminisce.

Two years ago

It was another cold winter morning, when Hyunjin woke up to an empty bed. The side where his lover laid was cold as his hand landed there, searching for the familiar warmth. When he found nothing but a void, his heart dropped in his stomach.

He had been fighting with his partner for the last few months, the ugly words they both said breaking them apart more and more each day.

Hyunjin knew it was inevitable, who he once considered the love of his life was just a passerby in the journey he was on, just a lesson to learn from; it was over even before it officially ended.

As he stood up, he saw it; the empty drawers and empty side of the closet. With an ugly heaviness weighing down on his chest, he slowly made his way to the kitchen. To his surprise, his partner was sitting there drinking coffee with a sullen look on their face.

Hyunjin then noticed the suitcase by the door.

"I thought you already left." Hyunjin's voice wavered as he swallowed the tears threatening to come out.

"I think it's only fair to at least say goodbye after four years of being together." his partner said, putting the cup down.

"So, you're really leaving?"

"I'm sorry. It's just not the same as it was. I don't- I don't love you anymore." they whispered and in the silence around them, Hyunjin heard his heart shattering into million pieces.

"Y-you don't mean that." he whispered, hands rolling into fists as he dug his nails into his skin.

"I do, I'm really sorry. I tried to make it work, but we haven't been us in such a long time that I don't know how to get back to that." his partner sighed.

"Yeah, since you started acting cold and distant." Hyunjin said bitterly, clenching his teeth and willing himself not to start crying.

"I'm sorry again. I really hope you find happiness, Hyunjin. You deserve it." with that, his now ex partner turned around, leaving out the door and out of his life forever.

It was as if everything collapsed around him and he was left alone in the cold. There was nothing stopping the tears from falling now.

Ever since that day, Hyunjin built a wall around his heart, the love he once saw as comforting, carefree and safe was now a frightening gamble.

He couldn't see himself falling in love again until there was you. Maybe, just maybe it was possible to open up his heart once again, even though it scared him deeply he was determined to get to know you more.

-

Another wonderfully executed performance was finished and you reveled in the well-deserved cheers and claps of the satisfied audience.

The curtain closed and you let out a breath full of excitement and relief. You were hugged and praised before you could escape from everyone, change into your clothes and just have a moment to yourself.

You decided to walk through the corridor of the gallery since most of the audience left and if they were walking out you'd blend into them in your big coat and make your escape.

As you strolled, you noticed a familiar figure in the distance. It was the handsome stranger you met at the gallery the other day. You stopped for a moment, your heart picking up speed as your lips parted. He noticed you, his eyes wide, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Both of you just stood there for a moment, before he smiled and slowly made his way to you.

You also started walking, a small smile spreading on your lips as he kept his eyes on you.

Hyunjin couldn't be more excited to be running into you, thinking you'd left through the backdoor after the performance only to find you here.

In his excitement, Hyunjin miscalculated a step and before he could catch himself, he was falling.

You gasped, rushing towards him but it was too late, he was sprawled on the soft carpet of the theater, a grunt escaping his lips.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" you quickly reached your hands towards him and he grabbed them, getting up.

His face was red and he looked breathless, avoiding your eyes.

"M'fine. My dignity is not." he said with a frown, dusting off his jeans with his hands.

"It's okay, it happens to the best of us." you giggled and he finally looked up at you, his face becoming even more red.

Even though he was dying of embarrassment, Hyunjin's stomach was full of butterflies, swirling around his insides and making him nauseous.

"Or just to me." he shook his head, making you chuckle again.

"You saw me perform?" you asked curiously and he nodded, biting on his lip as a nervous habit.

"I hope you enjoyed." you smiled and warmness spread around Hyunjin's heart.

"Enjoyed?" he chuckled. "It was breathtaking as always." his smile dropped when he realized what he said.

"As always?" you looked at him confusedly, tilting your head.

"I mean... last time... well. Ughhh... I come here often to watch you perform. Not like in a weird way! Oh my god I'm so sorry, I probably sound like a creep. I just admire your dancing, that's all, please don't kick me." he flailed his arms with a funny look on his face.

"I'm not gonna kick you." you laughed. "I'm very honored to have people tell me they come back to watch my performances. And by people, I mean you since you're the first person to tell me that." you added, your own cheeks becoming rosy.

"Oh. Thanks for not kicking me." he chuckled. "I'm Hyunjin, by the way."

"Y/n. Though you probably know that." you said, remembering your name is on all your performances. "You didn't tell me you knew who I was yesterday." you added and Hyunjin sputtered.

"I- well... I didn't want to sound like a weirdo though I probably do right now." he smiled awkwardly.

"It's fine." you chuckled with a shrug.

The sound of lights being turned off on stage made you jolt a little.

"We need to leave, they're closing up the theater." you said.

"Oh, right." Hyunjin turned as both of you started walking towards the entrance.

"Are you tired?" he asked as you neared the door.

"Not particularly." you said, stuffing your hands into your pockets.

"You wanna grab something to eat?" Hyunjin's heart was jumping around in fear and excitement as he asked that question, but in his mind it was now or never.

You looked at him for a moment before you gave him a smile. Something about him pulled you like a magnet and you couldn't resist.

"Sure. Why not." you said and Hyunjin sighed in relief.

"Good night Y/n, Hyunjin." the lady at the door greeted and both of you chuckled, wishing her a good night too.

The cold air hit you like a sharp slap to the face and you pulled your beanie down, adjusting your coat to keep your neck warm. Hyunjin buried his face in his scarf as you rounded the corner onto the busy street.

"Wanna get some street food?" you asked, not being in the mood to sit at a fancy restaurant and wait for a meal to be cooked. You wanted to be outside in the fresh air, not minding the coldness of it.

"Sure, I feel like walking anyways." Hyunjin nodded and you smiled, making your way towards a hot dog stand.

"Not the healthiest option but I really don't care tonight." you chuckled and Hyunjin agreed, insisting on paying for both of your hot dogs.

The two of you kept walking through the streets, the Christmas lights were everywhere still adding to the atmosphere of coziness even though the actual holiday had passed.

"So, what do you do, Hyunjin?"

"I'm an artist. I know that probably sounds pretentious but I am lucky enough to live from my art." he chuckled before taking a big bite out of his hot dog.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful! What kind of artist?" you asked, your eyes sparkling with all the lights, making Hyunjin's stomach swarm with more butterflies.

"I paint mostly. But I do dabble in other media." he answered. "Right now I'm trying my hand at ceramics. It's just a bunch of weird and failed shapes for now but I think I can get there." he added with a chuckle.

"Sounds fun. I've never tried it."

"You should some time." Hyunjin said, wiping his lips with a napkin and throwing it in the trash. "What do you do when you don't perform?" he added with a curious smile.

"Oh, I teach classes to other dancers. Beginner and advanced, but mostly I deal with beginners. I've been told I'm very patient so I'm usually the one to teach people from scratch."

"Is it fun?" Hyunjin asked as you finished eating too, now ready to wash it down with a drink.

"Some days it is very fun. Some days it's frustrating. But I think it's like that with any job." you shrugged.

"It is, I feel like that too. Sometimes I wake up and just paint the entire day like I'm in some kind of trance whereas some days I can't even hold a brush in my hand." Hyunjin admitted.

"Oh yeah, I've fallen out of the silk many times on bad days. Luckily, we have safety mats so it wasn't too scary. Though I did bruise a few times. I'm used to it." you said, looking around and spotting a bar that looked decent.

"I guess people get used to the hardships." Hyunjin said and you nodded with a small smile.

"Do you wanna grab a drink?" you asked and Hyunjin beamed at you.

"Of course!" neither of you wanted the night to end yet when it was so promising, something sweet hanging in the air above you, making you feel at ease with someone you had practically just met.

The bar was almost completely full and the sound of people chattering was almost louder than the music yet you had managed to find two available spots at the counter.

The last time you were at a place like this brought up some unpleasant memories. But you put them aside, instead focusing on Hyunjin who got redder in the face the more the night went on and the more drinks you shared.

He was more talkative then earlier, giggling and hiccuping from time to time as the two of you talked about any random topic that came to mind.

You couldn't remember the last time you were so at ease with someone as you were in his presence, even though he was basically a stranger.

Well, maybe you couldn't call Hyunjin a stranger anymore, not after sharing a nice evening like this one with him.

But as he got more cheery with each drink, you sank down lower against your own will. Too many memories that were still haunting your dreams were surfacing now, especially in your intoxicated state.

Hyunjin noticed you were getting quieter and less attentive, wondering what has got you feeling like this. His eyes fell to your hand, where you kept rubbing at your ring finger, obviously doing it subconsciously.

"You wanna get out of here?" he leaned closer towards you, his hand sliding on the bar, his fingertips almost touching your elbow where you had leaned on it.

"Yeah." you said with a breath of relief.

After paying for the drinks (you had decided to split the bill), Hyunjin and you made your way outside.

You realized it was past midnight as you made it out, the quietness of the night a welcoming change after the loud bar, the emptiness of the streets like a reward after being surrounded by the crowd of people inside.

"Are you okay?" Hyunjin asked cautiously, swaying on his feet a little.

"I'm fine, just got lost in my thoughts. Sorry about that." you gave him a smile.

What you wanted to say was 'I don't wanna be alone tonight', but for some reason you didn't have to say anything. It's like Hyunjin could read your mind.

"We could take a walk?" he suggested and you nodded quickly, burying your hands in your pockets once again.

The walk was quiet at first, Hyunjin sobered up a little and you felt much better being out of the bar, just walking next to him.

"It's really cold." you shivered.

"It is. I'd suggest we drive around but we've both been drinking so I don't think that's a good idea." Hyunjin shivered too, realizing he almost couldn't feel his face from the cold.

"Nope, definitely not." you said.

Hyunjin contemplated inviting you to his apartment, but it felt too soon. Then he remembered he had the keys to his gallery.

"There's a place we can warm up."

"Oh? Where?" you asked, noticing how Hyunjin stepped closer to you, the warmth of his body radiating towards yours.

"The gallery you come to." he took out a set of keys out of his pocket, dangling them in front of your face with a smile. "I know the owner."

Your brows furrowed but against your better judgement, you went with it.

The gallery wasn't far so the walk was short and mostly silent, the only moment where silence was broken was an abrupt shout from a drunken passerby yelling 'Happy New Year!' to the two of you.

You yelled the good wishes back, chuckling as the man stumbled and his friend caught him, leading him away from your sight, mumbling about him being a lightweight.

You stood in front of the building and Hyunjin took the key out again.

"Are you sure the owner won't be mad we're here after hours?" you asked, crossing your arms over your chest and hugging yourself in an attempt to keep warm.

Hyunjin giggled at you as he unlocked the door.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"If you say so." you said quietly as the two of you walked in.

Hyunjin closed and locked the door, grabbing his phone so he can turn on the flashlight.

"There's an office in the back." he led the way, not wanting to turn on the lights lest people think the gallery was open and try to walk in.

"Okay." you said, somehow trusting this man you barely knew.

The office was more cozy than you had expected, full of paintings and knick-knacks, looking more like an art studio than an actual office.

It was spacious and had a nice view on the park outside and a comfortable looking couch.

Hyunjin maneuvered through the multiple empty and half-empty canvases, picking up papers and brushes here and there.

"Sorry about the mess. Make yourself at home, I'll go find some wine." he said and you nodded as you took your coat off. You hung it on a rack where Hyunjin hung his before sitting down and sinking into the couch. Hyunjin had turned the heating on, as well as some low music before coming to join you as he carried a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"You're still shivering." he noticed and you shrugged.

"Until the heating does it's thing, I guess." you chuckled with a shrug.

"I'll bring you a blanket." he offered and you wanted to protest but he was already skipping away.

A few moments later both of you were tucked under the warm blanket after kicking your shoes off. The wine was unlike any you had tried before, it woke up your taste buds and slid easily down your throat. Hyunjin even brought some snacks to go with it and you felt relaxed even when your knees brushed against his slightly.

Hyunjin's cheeks became rosy at the contact as he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that you were sitting here with him, sharing a bottle of wine and talking like you were just some old friends catching up.

"This wine is exquisite." you commented.

"I would hope so, I bought it in Paris and paid a pretty penny for it. I was waiting for a good opportunity to open the bottle." Hyunjin smiled, taking a sip and savoring it.

"And this is a good opportunity?" you chuckled as warmth spread through your body, you were definitely becoming tipsy.

"I deemed it as one." he smiled at you, scooting closer and you got a whiff of his cologne. It was intoxicating and the way he was looking at you felt intimate, like you were two lovers who already knew each other.

"So, Paris. I've never been there." you said.

"I've been multiple times. It's a charming city, though it's not all they make it out to be." Hyunjin said.

"How so?" you asked, not noticing how Hyunjin was now even closer to you, both of you leaning on your elbows. You placed your hand down and Hyunjin's followed yours, right behind it, his fingertips playing with the soft material of your sweater.

"It really shines from afar, as many things do. Once you get there though, the reality slaps you in the face. Lots of streets are really dirty, trash everywhere, lots of rude people. It's just a working, bustling big city like any other. But there is history in its buildings, in its monuments. There's art. The more you go back, the more you crave to be there." Hyunjin explained as you downed your glass, noticing how he was getting dangerously closer to you, his fingers caressing your arm just under your bicep.

"I'd like to see it from my own eyes too, experience the city in its entirety." you tilted your head as your eyes got droopy, a nice buzz appearing inside your head.

"You should go some time. You gotta see Paris at least once in your life." Hyunjin's fingers ran up your bicep slowly.

The air between you became heavier as he stared into your eyes while his fingertips slowly traveled to your shoulder. The tension was palpable as you set your glass aside, inviting him to do the same.

After one last sip, Hyunjin put the glass on the coffee table too, next to the almost empty bottle.

Your breathing got deeper as he touched the side of your neck gently, timidly like he was asking for permission to touch you further.

Your own hand inched closer to his free one, your fingertips touching his. Hyunjin took your hand in his and you noticed just how much bigger his hand was than yours as it almost disappeared inside his. He gently swiped his thumb over your skin as he leaned closer to you.

Your heart was beating hard, on the verge of jumping out, your brain yelling at you and asking you what are you doing, but your body betrayed you as you felt shivers run up your spine and a familiar burning between your legs that you haven't felt in a long time.

Hyunjin was falling apart just the same, a small piece of the stone around his heart breaking and rolling away as you looked at him so sweetly, your eyes giving away your longing and your fear.

He understood. He understood the fear you carried within you as he himself lived with it constantly. So, Hyunjin wanted to savor every second with you, slowly, gently and quietly.

He brought your hand to his lips, gently kissing your knuckles, one by one as you let out a little gasp. He then kissed the top of your hand gently before leaning closer to you again, pressing your palm against his cheek and holding it there.

His other hand held the side of your neck, his fingertips reaching the back of it as he scratched your nape gently.

You wanted to tear away from him and run but he gave you such a feeling of safety, one you almost forgot exists. Hyunjin sensed that you were like a scared animal so he approached you slowly, not wanting to scare you away.

He leaned in, his hot breath hitting your skin before he pressed his lips on your cheek. It was enough to send a wave through your body, one that crashed right in your core.

Hyunjin pressed another kiss into your cheek, then another, and another. You didn't know what to do with yourself as you haven't been this close to someone in a long time so you let your hand fall from his face to his shoulder where you gripped at him.

Hyunjin's lips traveled to your jaw, leaving soft kisses along the line of it towards your ear before coming back to your lips. He looked at you for a moment, fingers tangling in your hair and playing with the strands. You were tongue tied and struggling to breathe as he stared at you intently but softly at the same time.

You didn't say anything so he leaned in again, kissing the corner of your lips before finally pressing his soft lips into yours. You didn't react right away, too shocked while you registered what was happening.

Hyunjin kissed you again so you shut your eyes, moving your lips against his. He tasted of wine and alcohol from the bar and his lips were the softest you'd ever felt against yours. You found yourself hypnotized as you kissed slowly, your warm breaths mingling together as you kept breathing each other in, sharing your air.

Hyunjin's hand on the back of your neck gripped you more firmly as he pressed his lips against yours harder and you grabbed at his sweater with both of your hands, trying to ground yourself somehow, before your body floated away completely.

The slow music, the buzz from the wine and the warmth from Hyunjin's body under the blanket made you feel like you were running a fever. You fell into a rhythm, kissing him and tasting his lips, alternating between having his upper and bottom lip between yours.

Hyunjin felt the heat equally as you did, a rush of blood to his core, making his head spin even faster than it was before. He felt as if he needed you in that moment, just like he needed the air to breathe. Hyunjin's free hand landed on your waist as he licked at your bottom lip, asking for entrance.

You wanted to fight against it but you couldn't, melting into him as you parted your lips. He pushed his tongue in, lapping at yours and tasting you. You were intoxicatingly sweet even though you tasted like alcohol, you had him under your spell and he didn't want to stop.

You bunched his sweater in your hands as he leaned in closer, kissing you harder as his tongue explored your mouth, his hand gripping your waist.

What are you doing?, a voice rang out in your head.

You ignored it and continued kissing Hyunjin, this beautiful and gentle man who had quite literally fallen in front of you tonight, whose name you hadn't known until a few moments after that.

Hyunjin grabbed your face as he kissed you fervently, both of you were now swallowing each other's moans as you had become more desperate with each passing moment.

What are you doing?, the voice asked you again and panic started seeping inside you.

Again, you tried ignoring it as Hyunjin bit on your bottom lip, pulling it between his teeth, his large hands holding your head as his thumbs caressed your cheeks.

He pecked you once, twice, again before he kissed you softly again, his lips slick with spit.

Something nagged at you and you could feel the all consuming fear inside you, almost bringing tears to your eyes.

Quickly, you teared your lips away from Hyunjin's, pushing at his chest as he didn't realize you were pulling away.

"Stop!" you said, your voice breaking as your eyes filled with tears that you tried to blink away.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Hyunjin looked concerned as he gently caressed your cheek.

"No, I need to leave." you said, shaking your head.

"Leave? Now?" he looked confused.

"I'm sorry, it's very late and I just remembered I have something in the morning." you talked as you scrambled to get up and put your shoes on.

Hyunjin knew what you said was a bullshit excuse.

"It's late, stay here. We don't have to kiss if you don't want to. Just... Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." he looked genuinely concerned as you grabbed your coat.

Oh, this sweet man.

"No, no, you didn't. Really. I just have to go." you said, hurriedly making your way out. Hyunjin followed after you as he grabbed the keys.

"Are you sure? I can walk you home at least." he said.

"Don't worry, I'll call a cab." you forced a smile as he unlocked the door reluctantly.

"Will I see you again?" Hyunjin asked, his hand on the door handle.

"Maybe." you whispered as he opened the door.

You didn't even button your coat when you ran out into the snowy night as Hyunjin watched your figure disappear, his fingertips pressed against his lips where he could still taste you.

What did he do wrong? He had no idea why you would suddenly run out on him. The melancholy he felt earlier was back, eating away at him as once again he was left alone.

It's been three weeks since you had seen Hyunjin. You felt stupid and embarrassed for running out like that as soon as you sobered up, wanting the earth to swallow you up after you realized how dumb your excuse sounded.

What bugged you the most was the look on Hyunjin's face as you left. He looked so blue but at the same time, it seemed like there was a flicker of something familiar, like it happened before.

You couldn't wipe that look of his out of your mind. So, you decided to finally go to the gallery, hoping to run into him or someone who knows where he is.

You had no performances scheduled for these past few weeks so you knew you wouldn't run into him at the theater, though you weren't even sure that he'd come see you after the way you left things last time.

It was snowing outside again so you hurried up, almost slipping on the ice that had formed on the sidewalk as you gripped at the door handle.

A new exhibition was adorning the walls and you looked around, seeing no one but a few people just looking at the paintings. As your eyes scanned the room, you noticed all the paintings had something in common.

They were all scratched with angry black circles. No matter what the actual painting underneath showed, the black void was covering it. You gulped as you went from painting to painting, the beautiful colors and brush strokes were all drowned under the the ugly scribbles.

There was one single painting in the corner that wasn't scribbled on and as soon as you saw what it was, your heart stopped.

It was a bottle of wine, and not just any wine, it was the one Hyunjin and you had shared that night coupled with half empty glasses on the table. There was a quote scribbled next to the bottle on the table and it said 'Les étoiles ne peuvent briller sans l'obscurité'. You stared at it as your eyes watered, quickly turning around and leaving out of the gallery with hurried steps as you yanked the door open.

You had just missed Hyunjin as he walked out of the office, his head lifting up from the papers he was looking at only to see the doors closing as you already rounded the street.

-

It has been four weeks since Hyunjin had last seen you, not that he counted. You had a performance at the theater and he stood in front of the poster, seeing you with your bright smile and sparkly clothes, shaping yourself together with the silk. Thoughts started swirling in his mind.

Two years ago

When his partner left him, Hyunjin moped around his apartment, not eating, not sleeping. Everything seemed dull and dark, even painting didn't lift his spirits up. Any time he picked up a piece of paper, it would end up crumpled and thrown wherever. The entire apartment was a mess, but Hyunjin's heart was even a bigger mess.

Something nagged at him to get out of the apartment, the place filled with memories of them laughing together, sharing kisses, being happy. Of the cold look his former lover had on their face as they left him.

Hyunjin dressed warm, burying himself in his coat as he left the apartment. He walked around aimlessly, all the couples holding hands and smiling at each other just adding to his loneliness.

Then he saw it, a poster on the theater wall.

'Aerial silk goddess, y/n! Tonight at 8pm.'

Something pulled him to the beautiful shape he saw in the picture so he randomly walked into the theater and bought the ticket.

Hyunjin had never seen something like this live and seeing you perform had him at the edge of his seat. You were ethereal and breathtaking, moving so beautifully that he wished he didn't have to blink so he didn't miss even a milisecond of watching you. There was something in your movement that had mesmerized him, the way you controlled your body and the silk, how brave you must be to lift yourself up so high and know how to twist and turn so you don't fall.

That night, Hyunjin had finally painted.

Present time

Hyunjin didn't want to let you slip away. Maybe you had shared but one evening together, but there was something untangible between you. Hyunjin had never kissed someone he just met, usually he'd take his time due to his shyness and his cautiousness, but you were an exception. It's like he couldn't help his lips gravitating towards yours.

It seemed that his heart was beating in his stomach as he rushed into the theater, almost knocking someone over and apologizing quickly.

"Good evening, Hyunjin." the older lady at the entrance smiled.

"Evening, Lena." Hyunjin greeted back.

"Here's your ticket." she said.

"Thank you." he paid and rushed upstairs to the gallery.

His leg was bouncing up and down as he waited for the performance to start and as soon as the curtain opened and his eyes fell on you, it was as if his soul was at peace. All the worries and difficulties would disappear ever since that first time he saw you dance until now, even after you walked out. It didn't matter. Hyunjin wasn't going to give up easily, he never did, he was a fighter.

When you finished, Hyunjin quickly got up and rounded the building, waiting for you at the back door and hoping this time you'd come out there and not the front door.

His intuition was right as the door opened and you walked out, stopping in your tracks when you saw him.

"Hyunjin!" you exclaimed, your eyes wide.

"Hey. Came to see you perform, I couldn't miss it." he said as the two of you walked closer to each other.

"Oh." your face softened. "Thank you." you paused. "Look, I'm really sorry for last time, I shouldn't have run out like that in the middle of everything."

"It's okay, maybe you can make it up to me tonight? I mean, we don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with. We can take a walk?" Hyunjin suggested, playing with the end of his scarf nervously.

"Sure, I'd like that." you smiled and just like that everything was falling into place. The two of you started walking the same path as you did the last time.

"I went to see the last exhibition in the gallery." you broke the comfortable silence between you.

"Oh... you did?" Hyunjin swallowed with a nervous smile.

"H.H. The initials. It's you, you're the painter and the owner of the gallery." you said, turning to look at him.

"I am. Sorry for not telling you earlier." he gave you a small smile.

"I understand, you want to stay anonymous." you chuckled. "But the paintings...They were very dark. Except the one with the wine bottle..." you trailed off.

"Ugh, don't mind it. Painting is a way to get my thoughts and emotions out. I'm fine, really." Hyunjin smiled though it didn't reach his eyes completely.

"Stars can't shine without darkness." you quoted the french writing that was on his painting, and Hyunjin looked at you wistfully.

"But aren't the stars so beautiful and worth it?" he asked.

"They are." you said as both of you stopped walking, shivers running up your spine.

"Are you cold?" Hyunjin asked and you nodded.

"Wanna go for a drive?"

"Yeah, let's do it." you said and Hyunjin led you to his car that was parked near the gallery.

After unlocking the car, Hyunjin opened the door for you and you got into the passenger seat, buckling up as he got in too. Hyunjin turned the heating on and blasted some music for the atmosphere as he pulled out of the parking lot.

The two of you fell into a comfortable silence as Hyunjin drove the half-empty roads and you stared out the window at the city passing you by, your thumb rubbing at your ring finger again.

As he pulled up to a red light, Hyunjin noticed the movement and wondered again why you were doing that.

"I'm kinda hungry. Are you?" he asked after turning the music down.

"Yeah. We can go to a drive through?" you suggested, noticing it was getting really late and everything was probably closed by now.

He agreed and you ended up getting some junk food, with Hyunjin finding a nice quiet spot to park at with the view of the city and the stars.

"We can get in the backseat." he had suggested and your heart skipped a beat.

"Sure." you nodded, noticing the redness of his cheeks.

Both of you had shed your coats, leaving them up front as you got cozy, Hyunjin turned a light on and the car was heated up enough for the two of you to relax and enjoy your meal.

"I didn't think I'd be eating junk food in the back of a car on a Friday night but here we are." you chuckled, making Hyunjin giggle too.

"I mean, it's a new experience for me too." he said.

"You must be such a forgiving person." you said after a moment of silence.

"Why do you say that?" Hyunjin asked, taking a bite out of his cheeseburger.

"Well, I feel like I insulted you with the way I acted last time. It's just... it's been a while for me. I panicked and overreacted." you explained.

"I figured as much. Actually, it's been a long time for me too." Hyunjin smiled understandingly. "Two years to be exact."

"Three for me." you added with a chuckle.

"Okay, so we're both a bit rusty and it's okay to make mistakes. There's more than one chance, right?" Hyunjin looked at you, his eyes sparkling with a hopeful glint.

"There is." you said quietly.

It dawned on you just then that you were sitting in the backseat of his car in the middle of nowhere and your stomach did somersaults.

Hyunjin felt the same, he was sweating from nerves, having you in his car, so close to him where no one could bother the two of you.

When you finished with your food and drinks, Hyunjin put all the trash in the big bag, getting out of the car to throw it in the can.

The whiff of cold air that reached you in that moment was refreshing as you took a deep breath and waited for him to come back.

"Woo, cold!" Hyunjin practically slid back in, closing the door loudly behind him and you chuckled at his antics.

"It's warm in here." you scooted closer to him.

"Yeah, it is. It can get even warmer." he gave you a little smirk, his hand reaching to touch yours.

"I bet." you whispered as the two of you leaned in.

"Just before we do anything, don't feel pressured. Stop me any time and I'll drive you home instantly." Hyunjin said as he grabbed your hand, entwining your fingers and playing with them.

"Okay." you nodded, squeezing his hand.

Hyunjin used his free hand to guide your face towards his. You melted instantly and even though you had tasted him only once before, you missed the feeling of his lips against yours. You got as close to him as you could and Hyunjin put his hands on your waist, holding you gently.

You placed your hands on his neck, pushing him harder against you, making him gasp into your mouth. Your fingers played with the hair on the back of his neck as he pushed his tongue into your mouth, and you welcomed him. His kisses were getting desperate, as were his hands, moving up and down your waist, lifting your sweater up a little.

When you broke apart for air, you noticed a pretty mole on the side of his neck so you pressed your lips into it and Hyunjin gripped at you, a gasp escaping his lips. His neck was sensitive, you noted in your head, so you started pressing more kisses above the mole, up towards his jaw.

Hyunjin's breathing got deeper, his fingertips sliding under your shirt. You leaned back to look at him, his eyes were hooded with lust, probably mirroring yours. You threw your leg over his thighs, sitting in his lap and Hyunjin moaned quietly when you pressed yourself closer to him.

"Please. Kiss my neck more." he begged, throwing his head back as he squeezed your hips.

How could you deny him when he looked so pretty giving himself to you?

You let your lips wander all over his neck, Hyunjin moaned and gasped as you kissed and nipped at his skin. His hands slid under your shirt and you pressed your core into his, making both of you moan. Even under the layers of warm winter clothes you could feel him straining against his jeans.

You kept kissing and biting at his neck as Hyunjin moaned quietly, his hips moving up into yours. You felt like some school girl making out with your crush, almost chuckling at yourself.

The fears and doubts you felt last time were still gnawing at you but you knew you weren't doing anything wrong. Though a piece of your heart would always remain taken, you could give the rest of it.

"Hey, fun trick." Hyunjin smirked as he caressed your lower back, fingertips dipping down to the swell of your ass.

"What?" you looked at him confusedly.

"The seats go down." he said, still smirking as he reached somewhere under the seat, and they fell down quickly making both of you topple over as you squealed in surprise.

Hyunjin started to laugh and you couldn't help but laugh with him. He looked at you with sparkly eyes and the sweetest smile ever and your heart skipped a beat.

"I don't usually do this." you said, needing to clarify that.

"Me neither." he breathed out as his big hands roamed all over your back.

"I'm nervous." you admitted and Hyunjin giggled.

"If it helps, I'm a nervous wreck too." he said before turning you over slowly, so he was on top.

"It helps." you whispered as your breath got knocked out of your lungs.

Hyunjin looked at you for a moment, his hand caressing your head and playing with your hair before he leaned in and kissed you gently, playing with your tongue.

The kiss was sloppy and messy, your teeth collided a few times but neither of you gave a damn. Hyunjin's hands became more curious, dipping under your shirt to touch your stomach and your waist.

You arched into him and he took that as a sign to continue, his hands sliding up to cup your breasts.

"Mm." he whined against your lips as he started massaging them, his thumbs rolling over your sensitive nipples. You were glad you put on only a flimsy bra you usually wore after a performance.

Hyunjin seemed to appreciate it too, his fingers dipping into it to touch your skin directly. He detached his lips from yours and you chased them, making him chuckle lowly as he leaned in and started kissing your jaw.

His lips traveled down to your neck as he kissed you hungrily just like you had kissed him. His tongue lapped at your skin, his hands still playing with your chest and you couldn't help the little moans escaping your lips.

You got so wet just from kissing him, touch starved and longing for more. Your legs fell open and Hyunjin noticed, his cock twitching painfully inside his pants.

"Can I mark you?" he asked, his eyes darkened as he stared at you, fingertips caressing your neck.

"Yes." you said breathlessly and Hyunjin licked at your skin before sinking his teeth into your sensitive spot.

"Ah!" you gasped, gripping at his upper back, digging your nails into him. Hyunjin's hand slowly slid towards your pants as he sucked a love bite into your skin.

His hand stopped at your navel as he kissed your collarbone, his fingers dipping a bit under your pants.

"Can I, please?" he whispered, pressing his forehead against yours.

"Yes, yes." you nodded quickly and Hyunjin pecked your lips softly a few times as he unbuttoned your pants.

He nosed your cheek before leaving gentle kisses everywhere on your face as his hand slid lower towards your warmth. He kissed your neck again as his fingers inched closer to where you needed him the most. Hyunjin leaned back to look at your face when he pressed his finger into your clit.

You gasped, arching into his touch, your eyes fluttering. He bit on his lip as he watched your reaction, drinking in your pretty face, flushed with arousal and want. He circled the bud with his fingertips while you moaned quietly, your hands pushing under his sweater and the shirt he had underneath it.

His skin was hot under your palms, the softness of it inviting you to touch him more. Hyunjin reveled in your touch, melting as his fingertips dipped between your clothed folds.

"You're so wet." Hyunjin licked at his lips as he touched you gently, coaxing more arousal out of you.

You looked at him as your face burned, embarrassment seeping in but you ignored it, letting your hands slide on his body, exploring his firm abs. You could feel his stomach quivering as soon as you ran your hands there, playing with his happy trail that lead to his core.

Hyunjin cupped your breast with his free hand, pulling your bra down and playing with your nipple as he pushed his hand into your panties, touching your pussy without anything covering it. You clenched around nothing immediately, your hands working to unbutton his pants.

You looked at him, his eyes were narrowed and full of lust but there was something soft still inside them.

"Touch me, darling." he breathed out as you hesitated. You pushed your hand in his underwear, clenching around nothing again when you felt just how big and hard he was, dripping pre cum in your palm, throbbing to be touched by you.

Hyunjin whined at the restricted movements, pulling his hand out of your pants just to slide them down. Your face instantly flushed in embarrassment when you remembered the panties you wore today.

Hyunjin looked down and giggled at your pink panties that said 'Finally Friday!'.

"That's so cute." he laughed and you smacked his arm.

"Shut up." you whined, covering your face. "I didn't think you'd be stripping me tonight." your voice was muffled behind your palms.

"I was hoping I would." he teased and you smacked his arm again, making him chuckle.

"It's okay, I'm wearing pjs under my sweater." Hyunjin took his sweater off, revealing a short sleeved shirt with a cartoon dog sleeping on it.

You started giggling and Hyunjin's face flushed like yours.

"Laugh all you want, it's the most comfortable t-shirt that I own."

"It's cute." you said, grabbing the back of his neck, your fingertips caressing him and playing with his hair.

Hyunjin smiled as he leaned in to kiss you, his hands sliding on your stomach and lifting your sweater up. You let him take it off, your hands tugging at his cute pjs. He chuckled and took it off too and you almost had a heart attack.

You knew he was handsome but you had no idea his body was this perfect. You had an urge to kiss and worship every inch of his skin. Hyunjin's heart started beating fast under your mesmerized gaze.

"What?" he chuckled nervously.

"You're beautiful." you said and he chuckled again.

"Says you." he smirked, his hands on your shoulders as he slowly slid your bra straps down. You unhooked it and took it off, watching Hyunjin's reaction as he licked his lips, staring at your chest with blown pupils.

He leaned in and started kissing your collarbone, your skin hot against his lips as he reveled in the softness and sweet scent of you. He kissed the swell of your breasts before licking at your nipple and taking it in his mouth.

You whimpered, arching into him instantly and he closed his eyes while he sucked on your breast, his hand sliding down to your panties again. Hyunjin hooked his fingers into the end of them and you lifted your middle so he could take them off.

As soon as they were off, your hands were back on his pants and Hyunjin moaned around you as he looked up at you. He leaned back and took his jeans off together with his boxers, making you drool instantly.

"Oh."

"I hope that was a good 'oh'." he said with a cute smile gracing his face, his eyes filling up with innocence for a moment.

"More than good." you smirked, wrapping your hand around his heavy cock. Hyunjin exhaled loudly, his brows furrowing and his body shivering when you slid your thumb against his slit.

"Fuck. I'm probably gonna cum fast, I'm sorry." he chuckled awkwardly, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Me too." you giggled and he looked at you, his face softening.

"Oh, I know darling. I'll make sure you do." Hyunjin said lowly, his hands sliding on your inner thighs, making you open your legs more. Being flexible came in handy as you were spread completely for him and Hyunjin's cock twitched at the sight.

Hyunjin's fingers slid against your wet folds, teasing you with his fingertips dipping between and then coming back up to play with your clit. You felt like you were burning up slowly as you teased his slit, smearing the beads of pre cum on his tip.

He took in shaky breaths as you touched him, sliding your hand down to grip him, making his hips jolt into your hand.

"Y/n." he breathed out as he massaged your clit in circles, pressing his fingers harder into it.

"Hyunjin." you moaned, slowly moving your hand and he bit on his lip as he closed his eyes and threw his head back.

"Say my name again." he groaned and you whimpered out his name as he pressed his finger against your folds.

He looked down at you, needing to see your face when he pushed it inside you. You gasped, moaning at the feeling of his long finger touching you where you hadn't been touched in so long other than by yourself.

Hyunjin fucked you slowly, in the same rhythm as you moved your hand around his cock, watching every twitch of your lips, every flicker of fire inside your eyes, every time your brows furrowed, every time your lips parted in a gasp.

His other hand was on your breast, playing with your nipple and squeezing as your free hand landed on his bicep, gripping onto it for purchase.

You leaned up to kiss his collarbone as you flicked your wrist and moved your hand faster and Hyunjin melted, moaning as he slid his finger out.

"One more?" he pressed two of his fingers against you and you nodded quickly.

"Please." you whimpered and he pushed in, eliciting another gasp out of you.

Hyunjin matched your pace, driving you crazy and making your hand stutter for a moment before you regained control of it. You were determined to make him feel good as he was determined to satisfy you. He found your sweet spot when you moaned loudly, saying 'right there!' so he fucked you faster as you gripped the back of his neck and pulled him in closer, kissing him desperately.

Your tongues entwined in a passionate kiss, as you brought each other closer to ecstasy. The air inside Hyunjin's car became so hot that it was hard to breathe, as both of you moaned and kissed, not caring about spit and the sweat forming on your bodies. Hyunjin couldn't help himself as he rutted into your hand all the while driving you insane with his pretty fingers. The wet sounds of your pussy and his cock were making you feel even more aroused, your legs shaking as you felt your orgasm building up.

"I'm close!" you whimpered.

"Me too. Cum for me, darling." Hyunjin groaned, leaning his forehead against yours and kissing your face as he fucked your brains out with just his fingers.

"Mm, yes!" you whimpered, twitching against his hand as you came and squirted all over your thighs and the seat.

Hyunjin gasped, quickly pulling his fingers out so he could grab his cock, letting your hand rest for a moment as he tugged on it a few times only to explode on your clenching pussy, his cum landing in spurts all over your core, inner thighs and navel.

"Fuck." he groaned, collapsing on top of you, neither of you caring about all the stickiness.

Hyunjin buried his face in your neck as you wrapped your arms and legs around him, one of your hands buried in his hair and the other gently caressing his back. His hand was resting on your breast, squeezing occasionally as the two of you slowly came down from your high.

You were so wrapped up in him, the weight of his body on yours, his warmth, his soft skin, his spent cock resting on your inner thigh, his breath tickling your neck. You hadn't felt this close to someone in years and your eyes welled up with tears. Hyunjin laid blissfully against you, his heart beating fast in tandem with yours, he smiled as he pressed his lips gently into one of the marks he had left on your skin.

When you sniffled, Hyunjin was alarmed and looked up at you instantly to find you crying.

"Y/n, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he panicked immediately and you shook your head.

"No, it's just... This is embarrassing. But I think I was really touch starved." you admitted and Hyunjin smiled at you softly as he wiped your tears away.

"Well, I am too. It's okay." he said, kissing your cheeks.

You held him tighter against your body, your lips sliding down his neck again where you found his sensitive spot and sank your teeth into it. Hyunjin whimpered, his limp cock twitching against you.

You sucked until a pretty purple bruise appeared on his soft skin, kissing it a few times as he breathed deeply.

"I'm sorry if I ruined the mood with my crying."

"You didn't ruin anything." he smiled, this sweet, beautiful and gentle man and your heart kept fluttering as you gently touched each other everywhere, curiously exploring each other's bodies.

"I just..." you started and Hyunjin could see you were struggling.

"You don't have to explain anything. Just tell me when you're ready." he said, kissing your forehead.

"Are you even real?" you asked with a smile and he laughed, his face becoming so red and adorable.

"I am." he smirked and kissed you hard to prove the point.

You didn't think you could love again but now a flicker of hope was starting to burn within you. Hyunjin held you in his arms like you were his entire world, caressing you gently as you kept touching his soft skin. Somehow, you dosed off while he kept you warm.

"Y/n."

"Huh?" you blinked confusedly until Hyunjin's face materialized in front of you, realizing he had pulled his coat over your body, his arms still wrapped around you and your legs tangled together.

"The sun will be up soon. You wanna get dressed and watch the sunrise?" he whispered and you smiled tiredly at him.

"Yeah." you nodded.

The two of you spent a few minutes trying to find all your clothing and Hyunjin found a water bottle so you could get hydrated.

As soon as you were wrapped up in your coats, you finally left the car and walked outside.

The crisp morning air was very much welcomed after the stuffy atmosphere inside the car that you had created. You took in a deep breath as Hyunjin left the doors open and came closer to you, leading you to the front of his car.

He leaned on the hood, pulling your body into his and holding you flush against him, your back pressed into his front. The first rays of sunshine were brightening up the sky as he held you tightly.

His lips brushed against your ear before he spoke.

"Si tu pouvais lire dans mon coeur, tu verrais la place où je t'ai mise." Hyunjin whispered and you giggled as his breath tickled your skin.

"I don't know what you just said but it sounds romantic." you said and he chuckled.

"It is." he smirked as you looked back at him.

"You're not gonna tell me what it means, are you?"

"Nope." he answered, his cheeks rosy.

"I had to google translate that quote on the painting." you shook your head and Hyunjin chuckled.

"Look at it this way; you're learning a new language." he said with a smug smirk, making you giggle.

The next few moments you enjoyed the comfortable silence and the warmth of his body pressed against yours as the sun slowly came out. You couldn't believe you had welcomed the dawn with Hyunjin, the images of the two of you in his car stuck in your mind, making your body react instantly as your face heated up, your heart beating fast and your core throbbing.

"I don't wanna go home yet." Hyunjin said, pressing a kiss to your jaw.

"Me neither. We could get breakfast?" you suggested and Hyunjin smiled, his eyes warm and hypnotizing as he looked at you sweetly, the sun adding to his shine.

"I like the way you think." he said with a smile as you turned around in his arms.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders as he pressed your body into his, staring into your eyes. You leaned in and kissed him as the sun warmed up your back. Hyunjin kissed you like his life depended on it and when you tried to pull away, he cradled your head in his hands and kept kissing you until you were breathless.

"Let's go, I'm starving." he said when you parted and you agreed.

Hyunjin drove and put some music on, singing along at first absentmindedly until you giggled so he turned to you occasionally and sang dramatically, making a show of it.

"You know it's like not even 7am?" you laughed at him.

"I know but I didn't sleep so I'm wired." he chuckled, turning the music down.

"What did you do while I slept?" you asked as he pulled up to a red light.

"I enjoyed your presence." he smirked, grabbing your hand and kissing it. "Give me a kiss before it turns on." he motioned to the light and you leaned in with a chuckle, pecking his lips before he kept driving.

Hyunjin found the closest diner and the two of you spent the early morning hours together, a warm cup of coffee and a stack of pancakes being the perfect ending to a beautiful outing.

Somehow, Hyunjin made it easy to forget about everything, to just have a good time and enjoy the moment you were in. You didn't want to part from him but you had work in the afternoon and you needed some sleep so you don't fall and injure yourself while instructing the other dancers.

It was close to 9am when you walked out of the diner.

"I'll drive you home if you want." Hyunjin said with a little sigh and a sweet smile still etched on his face.

"Sure." you nodded.

You were crashing by then, really wanting to catch up on some sleep, not even the coffee helped wake you up.

"This is where I live." you pointed to Hyunjin as he pulled up in front of your building.

He leaned back on his seat, his head resting on it as he looked at you with a look of pure infatuation, the lovesick look you recognized very well.

"Well, this was wonderful. I don't remember the last time I did something like this." Hyunjin said.

"Probably high school." you said and he giggled.

"Definitely." he shivered thinking of those times. "When can I see you again?" he asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"I'm free on Sunday." you said and he smiled, relief flashing in his eyes.

"You wanna come to my place?" he bit on his lip, looking you up and down, making your heart skip a beat. "I kinda suck at cooking but it would be fun to make dinner together?"

"Sure. I'd like that." you said, your cheeks warming up.

"I live above the gallery so you know where to find me." Hyunjin's hand found yours, playing with your fingers as he looked at you sweetly.

"6pm sound good?" you asked.

"Perfect." he whispered and leaned in.

You met him in the middle, kissing gently and softly as the world melted away around you.

"See you Sunday." you said as you walked out of his car, giving him a little wave.

"À bientôt, ma chérie." Hyunjin whispered to himself as he watched you enter your building.

Sunday couldn't come soon enough for Hyunjin. He was practically vibrating the entire night on Saturday, tossing and turning in his bed as he kept thinking about you, flipping image after image in his mind, of the last time and how it will be this time.

You weren't any better, a kind of excitement building up inside you and making you squeal into your pillow. You never thought you'd feel like this again, not after what happened three years ago. You pushed all those thoughts in the back of your mind and focused on Hyunjin, his kisses and touches, his warm eyes and cute smile.

Both of you had sweet dreams that night.

-

It was a colder evening as it snowed again and Hyunjin waited next to his window so he can see you come out of the cab and come get you.

He played some slow melancholy music that was creating a warm mood inside his apartment and with his heart beating fast in anticipation to see you, Hyunjin thought the city never looked as romantic as it did tonight.

He observed the falling snowflakes melting into the ground around all the people who walked hurriedly on the street. Yes, it was cold and dark but to Hyunjin every little snowflake danced beautifully just like you did, twirling in your silk like you were some ethereal being.

As soon as the cab pulled up, Hyunjin ran off to grab his jacket and meet you downstairs, almost tripping over his own feet on the way there.

You lifted your head when you heard a door opening and a breathless Hyunjin appeared in front of you, a toothy smile spreading on his face instantly.

"Hey, handso-" you were about to compliment him, but Hyunjin had already gripped the back of your neck and crashed his lips on yours, knocking the breath out of your lungs.

You grabbed at his jacket, pulling him closer as he kissed you like his life depended on it.

"Oh." you inhaled the cold air when you parted.

"Missed you." Hyunjin pressed his forehead against yours and your face started burning like a forest fire.

"Already?" you chuckled.

"Didn't you miss me?" he pouted cutely as he held your face.

"I missed you too." you said and he smiled, kissing you again.

"Let's get inside." he shivered as he grabbed your hand and led you inside the building.

You were interested to see how he decorated his apartment, being an artist and all and you were not surprised to see that it was a creative mess.

"Sorry if it's messy, I'm always painting or doing something so everything ends up everywhere." Hyunjin noticed you were looking around.

"No, I like it. It's... eccentric." you smirked and he laughed shyly.

"Thank you." he said.

"What happened to that wall?" you pointed at one of the walls in his kitchen that had messy paint streaks on it.

"Well. That was a few years ago when I was frustrated because I didn't have any inspiration to paint so the wall was the victim of my frustrations." Hyunjin explained as he grabbed a bottle of wine.

"Did it get you out of the slump?" you asked curiously.

"Not really. Something else did." he smiled, his eyes sparkly. "Wanna start with some wine?"

"Sure." you nodded.

"This is Muscat d'Alsace, it goes perfectly with what I planned out for dinner." Hyunjin smiled as he poured the wine. "I fell in love with it when I traveled to the Alsace region in France. It's a wonderful blend of German and French culture and food." he added before swirling the liquid and smelling it, prompting you to do the same.

He took a sip and you followed, the fruity taste and the subtle floral note landing nicely on your tongue.

"It's wonderful." you said and Hyunjin chuckled.

"I'm glad you like it." he said.

"What are we cooking?" you asked.

"To go with the theme of Alsace I wanted us to make tarte flambée but it's not the same if you don't have a wood-burning oven with a stone floor which I obviously don't own. So we can make bacon, cheddar and onion quiche as a substitute."

"Sounds good to me." you smiled and Hyunjin came closer to you.

"Are you hungry, ma chérie?" he smirked, his eyes narrowing. "Cause I'm very very hungry." he pulled his lip between his teeth as he looked at you like you were the most delicious meal ever.

"Oh, I'm hungry too. I'll even have room for dessert." you smirked back at him, your hand sliding from his wrist slowly up to his shoulder.

Hyunjin's eyes fluttered for a moment as he sucked in a breath. It was obvious that even the littlest touch drove him insane. He was drawn to you like a moth to a flame and you felt him pulling you in more and more with every second you spent with him.

He kissed you slowly, sensually as his hands landed on your waist, fingers splayed and tickling you lightly. You caressed his face, melting into his sweet lips.

"We better get started if we want to get to that dessert quickly." he winked at you and you chuckled, your face becoming red.

Hyunjin pulled up the recipe on the internet and sifted through his kitchen to take out everything you'll need. You put your hair up so it doesn't annoy you while you cook and Hyunjin stopped in his tracks immediately as you organized the groceries.

"Ah!" you squealed in surprise when you felt his arms wrapping around your middle. His lips followed, pressing on the back of your neck gently, his hot breath making goosebumps rise on your skin.

"Qui t'a donc fait si jolie, tu me rends fou..." he whispered before kissing you again, right where you were most sensitive.

You turned putty immediately, grabbing at his hands that were holding you tightly.

"Hyunjin..." you had no idea what he said but it could've been a love spell as you kept falling deeper into him, becoming a fool with a crush or maybe something more.

"Sorry, I'll stop distracting you." he pressed a little kiss to your shoulder and you giggled, almost telling him that no, he shouldn't stop and he should keep distracting you.

The two of you then fell into small talk as you cooked together, taking sips of the sweet wine, the sound of laughter filling up the space. Both of you hadn't felt like this in a long time and Hyunjin was happy that his apartment seemed brighter the moment you walked in.

"Now we wait for it to bake." Hyunjin put the quiche into the oven as you leaned on the counter, taking another sip of the Alsace wine.

"How long?"

"10 minutes." Hyunjin came to you, wrapping around you again. His lips were on your face instantly, kissing your cheeks and jaw. You chuckled as he pressed his body into yours, your hands tangling in his hair while your lips attached to his.

"I love this music." Hyunjin whispered, swaying a little and pulling you with him.

"Is this John Coltrane?" you asked and Hyunjin chuckled in delight.

"It is. From his album Ballads, first song." he smiled as he leaned his cheek on yours and the two of you started slow dancing. Something stirred up in your stomach and your chest, you almost felt like throwing up or screaming with excitement while the two of you enjoyed the slow, intimate moment.

The world quite literally disappeared and nothing mattered but the two of you. You could love again, you were becoming more and more sure of it.

Hyunjin kept kissing you and holding you during the 10 minutes before you had to take out the quiche. His hands never left you even while you waited for it too cool down a little.

"Oh. This is amazing." you said after tasting it.

"We did it together." he smiled. "It's very close to tarte flambée, but one day hopefully you can try the original thing."

"I hope so too." you said and the two of you continued eating.

After dinner, you helped clean up and Hyunjin took you to his room where he had a working space for painting.

"When I said earlier that something else got me out of that slump... it was you." Hyunjin admitted, his cheeks red.

"Me?" your eyes widened.

"Please, don't be creeped out." Hyunjin sighed as he took out a few canvases, all of them having one thing in common - you and your silk.

"Wow." you let out a chuckle.

"You inspired me a lot. You're my muse." he said, his hand on your cheek.

"I am?" you asked and he nodded as the two of you sat down on his bed, still holding yout glasses of wine, the last drops left from the bottle.

"Two years ago I went through a bad breakup. It left my heart completely shattered, so much so I thought I'd never paint or love again. But then I accidentally went to the theater and saw you perform. You looked unreal, you still do whenever you dance, even when you just sit here in front of me, y/n." Hyunjin said and your heart started beating faster. "I started painting again after seeing you performing, showing your art to the world."

"Hyunjin, that's so sweet." you swooned and he giggled.

"It is?" his brows shot up and you nodded quickly.

"Mhm. Adorable." you smirked, putting your glass on the nightstand as well as Hyunjin's. His lips parted as you turned back around to look at him, your eyes filling up with lust and hunger.

You grabbed his face, kissing him as you sat in his lap. Hyunjin's hands landed on your hips immediately as he pulled you closer to his body, hands sliding to your ass as he gripped at you.

You kissed until you had to part for breath all the while Hyunjin grabbed at your ass and hips.

"You're so addicting, darling." he looked at you with hooded eyelids.

"You are too." you said, placing your palms against his chest and pushing him down.

Hyunjin gasped as he let himself fall, his hands on either side of his head as he looked up at you sweetly. You leaned over him, moving some hair out of his face as he blinked at you.

"So pretty." you praised him and he reveled in your words and your touch as you slid your hand on his neck down to his chest and navel then back up again, brushing against his nipples.

Hyunjin started breathing harder the more you touched him, your hands dipping under his shirt. He kept looking at you as your hands explored his soft skin, his abs, his waist to his chest as you started playing with his nipples. Hyunjin whimpered quietly, his hands clenched into fists as he lifted his hips into yours. You could feel he was getting excited already.

You slowly started grinding against him as you pinched his nipples, making Hyunjin groan while he matched your pace.

"Y/n." he whimpered, his hands gripping at your thighs.

"Hyunjin." you placed your hands on his neck and his eyes fluttered as he leaned into your touch.

It was incredibly sexy to see such a beautiful man giving himself to you so eagerly.

You stopped your movements just to leave kisses on his neck and collarbone, taking your time to press your lips into every beauty mark you could find. You took his shirt off and continued kissing his chest as he wrapped his arms around you and closed his eyes.

He opened them when you brushed your lips against his nipple before pressing your tongue against it and playing with him.

"Mm, darling." Hyunjin whined, arching into you, his hands going up and down on your back, moving more desperately with each swipe of your tongue.

You kissed down to his stomach as he kept shivering against you, his hand caressing your head. You looked up at him as you placed your lips on his happy trail and Hyunjin gasped a little, his dick twitching in his pants.

"Oh god." he groaned when you licked at the happy trail before pressing a kiss to his clothed tip. "Please."

You smirked, leaning back and unbuttoning his pants. You slid them down, looking at his cock almost bursting out of his boxers. Hyunjin watched your hand as you gripped him through his underwear before palming him shortly.

"Fuck." he cursed, pushing into your hand as he tried desperately to get any kind of friction.

"Don't worry, I'll make you feel good." you whispered, hooking your fingers in his boxers and pulling them down. Hyunjin whined as his cock slapped his stomach, shutting his eyes tightly when you giggled in delight.

"Mm, do what you want darling." he groaned.

You pressed your finger into his slit, smearing the pre cum and teasing him as he opened his eyes and whined. You slid between his legs, leaning down and pressing your lips to his inner thighs, your free hand gently fondling his balls as your other massaged his tip.

"Ah, fuck!" Hyunjin's hips jerked, his thighs trembling while you stimulated him. "Keep going." he begged, his hand tangling in your hair, the other gripping at the sheet beneath him.

Your lips came closer to his cock and his breath hitched as you pressed them on the base of it. He leaned up a little to look at you and you smirked at him, wanting to worship him and tease him all at once. He looked so adorable with his face flushed and his eyebrows furrowed, lips swollen and his legs spread. You pressed gentle kisses into his cock, following the vein to the tip as you slowly traveled up, making him twitch every time you touched him. Hyunjin gasped quietly as you licked at the vein before dipping your tongue into his slit, tasting the salty pre cum and then swirling your tongue around the head.

"Oh god." Hyunjin groaned again as he gripped at your hair. You whimpered quietly, your eyes fluttering as you wrapped your lips around his tip. "Sweet girl." he moaned, ruining the little makeshift bun you had from when the two of you were cooking.

That spurred you on so you slid down, taking more of him in and enjoying his taste and the heaviness of him on your tongue. You gripped the base as you squeezed his balls lightly, sucking on him harder and Hyunjin's hips jerked up involuntarily.

A string of curses left his lips as he pulled on your hair. You moaned around him, sucking on him faster and enjoying the pretty moans that were falling out of his mouth. You wanted to hear more of him, you wanted to drive him crazy, have him shiver against your face while you milked him dry.

Hyunjin started shivering the faster you went, using your hands, your lips and tongue to bring him to the edge. He thrashed against the bed, hips lifting up into you and making you gag around him as he fisted the sheets.

"I- I can't!" he moaned out but you didn't stop.

Hyunjin moaned desperately as he exploded, filling your mouth up with his warm cum as you swallowed every last drop, overstimulating him a little until you were sure he was completely limp.

"Fucking hell." he let out a chuckle of disbelief. "You did so well." he added as you hovered over him with a cheeky smile. Before you could answer he pulled you in for a kiss, tasting himself on your tongue and moaning into your mouth. He stripped you slowly as he still came down from his high, his lips pressed into every inch of exposed skin they could find. He rolled over so he was on top, detaching from your lips to take a good look at you.

You were ready this time, wearing a nice set of black and red lacy lingerie and Hyunjin chuckled.

"No 'Finally Sunday' panties?" he teased and you laughed, smacking his arm as your face warmed up.

"Shut up, oh my god." the two of you laughed as he scooped you up on his arms, hugging you tightly.

You held each other for a few moments before he gently laid you down again. You let him take off your bra and his hands caressed your body softly.

"Thank you for dressing up for me but I like you much more when you're all natural." Hyunjin smirked, sliding your panties off.

"Well, here I am." you said nervously, his room being brighter than the car.

"Gorgeous." he licked at his lips as he looked at you. "Do you trust me?" he reached towards his nightstand, opening the drawer.

Your lips parted as you stared into his warm, sweet eyes.

"I do." you whispered and Hyunjin smiled.

"Close your eyes, ma chérie." he said and you did so, anticipation building in your stomach. Hyunjin's spent cock twitched at your compliance. He watched your chest rise and fall with every breath you took as he grabbed the blindfold in the drawer. You felt the soft fabric on your face and gasped as he wrapped it around your eyes and tied it.

"Stop me any time, okay?" he said, his thumb swiping over your lips slowly.

"Mhm." you nodded.

You had no idea what he was going to do, where he was going to touch you but you knew he was searching for something as you heard him rummage through the drawer.

"Relax, my sweet." Hyunjin smirked as you wriggled around, gripping at the pillow under your head.

You waited with bated breath and then you felt it pressed against your nipple. You gasped when your mind registered it, Hyunjin had found a clean soft brush to tease you with. A whimper escaped your lips as he moved the soft bristles up and down your sensitive nipple, changing it to left and right movement as you shivered.

He leaned in closer, his warm breath hitting your face as he continued slowly torturing your nipples, the touch was so gentle that it left you craving more, driving you completely insane as you gushed arousal from your core.

Hyunjin smirked, enjoying seeing you like this as he nosed at your cheek before kissing you softly. He leaned back and took one of your hands in his, pressing a kiss to your wrist and you moaned as he sped up the movements on your nipples.

Hyunjin's lips danced on your skin as they traveled up your arm and you were becoming breathless. Hyunjin could see and smell your arousal and it was making him feel intoxicated, his cock reacting to you right away. Suddenly, all the stimulation was taken away and you whined.

"Shh. I got you." Hyunjin shushed you, before you felt his tongue against your nipple. A little moan escaped your lips as he played with you, taking your nipple in his mouth and sucking on it. You wished so badly you could see his face and his lips wrapped around your bud.

Hyunjin's hands slid up your inner thighs to your throbbing pussy and he spread you apart, his thumb finding your clit immediately.

"Ah!" you moaned, jolting as he slid his thumb against your sensitive clit. "H-Hyunjin!"

He sucked on your breast harder, one of his hands holding your pussy open to expose your clit as he grabbed the brush again, moving it in circles against your bud.

"Oh!" you whimpered, shaking as he attacked your clit with fast movements, now giving your other breast attention too. "Please!" you begged as he dipped the brush into your wetness, gathering it and bringing it to your clit again.

"Tell me what you need, chérie." he whispered, kissing your nipple.

"More." you groaned as he smirked.

"Patience, my darling." he chuckled before continuing his ministrations. You were a whimpering, shaking mess with just the little stimulation he was giving you. Hyunjin noticed the goosebumps rising on your skin so he pressed into you harder, moving the brush faster as your slick coated it completely.

"Hyunjin!" you grabbed at his arm, digging your nails into his biceps.

"Let go for me." he kissed your neck gently a few times before pecking your lips. You moved your hips in tandem with his hand, bringing yourself to ecstasy as you came, moaning his name. Hyunjin played with your clit until you were whimpering and closing your legs around his hand.

He finally threw the brush aside before taking off the blindfold. You blinked a few times while your eyes adjusted to the light.

"I need to taste you." Hyunjin looked almost crazed with lust and a wave of warmness passed through your body.

"Yes." you whispered breathlessly. He kissed all the way down to your pussy before spreading it apart again and pushing his tongue inside instantly, making you whimper and jolt.

"Oh wow!" you exclaimed as he started eating you out immediately, his tongue fucking in and out of your wet hole, lips slurping at your essence and nose brushing against your clit.

Hyunjin gripped at the back of your thighs, pushing your legs down to spread them more as he continued making out with your pussy, moaning into you as you whimpered loudly, gripping at his hair and pressing his head against you.

"F-fuck, Hyunjin!" you whimpered as tears of pleasure gathered in your eyes.

"You taste the sweetest, ma chérie." he said lustfully before sucking on your clit, his fingers pressing against your folds. You urged him on with your moans and the way you pulled on his hair, giving him just enough pain that made him hard. Hyunjin couldn't help pressing his cock against the mattress to feel some kind of relief. He pushed his two of fingers inside you, fucking you as his tongue lapped at your swollen clit.

Your moaning got louder and Hyunjin almost came on the spot just from your taste and the sounds you were making for him. He scissored his fingers inside you, his other hang gripping your thigh. You looked down at him and the image of him rutting against the mattress while he pleased you made you come undone as you exploded, squirting on him and gasping in shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" you felt embarrassed when you saw his face covered in you.

"For what, darling? That was so hot." he wiped at his face before leaning down to give you a few more kitten licks and a few kisses to your clit.

"It was?" you shook a little.

"Yes, I can't get enough of you. Will you let me have you completely?" Hyunjin looked at you with eyes full of lust as he hovered over you, his tip pressing against your wet folds.

"Please, I need you." you whimpered and Hyunjin smiled before grabbing his cock and running the tip all over your entrance, giving attention to your clit and slapping it a few times with his tip.

You moaned, arching into him as he leaned over you, kissing you passionately while he pushed in.

"Slowly, please, it's been a while." you whispered, hiding your face in the crook of his neck and looking down at where he was disappearing inside you.

"Of course." his voice was strained as he held back, spreading you open slowly like a delicate flower blossoming. You wrapped around him snuggly and perfectly, sucking him in as he kept pushing further.

He made you look at him as he bottomed out, both of you moaning. Hyunjin wrapped his arms around you as you clung onto him like a koala, inhaling his scent and kissing his ear and neck. He giggled as he played with your hair and caressed the back of your neck.

"You can move." you whispered as you kissed his cheek.

"Mm, darling." Hyunjin groaned as he started moving his hips languidly, making you feel every inch of his hardness inside your warm core.

"You feel perfect around me, my angel, my muse." he praised you, fucking you slowly. You opened up your legs completely and he grabbed one of them, putting it over his shoulder as he leaned down to kiss you.

"You feel perfect inside me, too." you groaned as his tip pressed into your sweet spot. "T-there!" you whimpered, trying to grab at him.

Hyunjin fucked you a little harder but still slowly, taking his time as he leaned back a little to kiss the side of your leg, down to your ankle, the gentle kisses driving you insane as he spread you open with his cock. You were almost making some kind of half split and you were thankful that you were flexible so you could feel Hyunjin buried deep inside you.

He gripped your foot, kissing the side of it as he looked at you hungrily.

"Darling." he whined, pushing your knees to your shoulders. "I wanna be inside you forever." Hyunjin groaned, fucking you harder as his hips slapped against your ass.

"Ah, please Hyunjin!" you cried out, your mind almost completely gone as he brought you pleasure like you've never felt before.

"Please what?" he smirked a little his hands grabbing at your breasts and massaging them.

"Harder, please!" you whimpered.

"Harder, huh?" he kept smirking as he pressed you down as started fucking harder into you, bringing his entire weight onto your core. You shook as you moaned his name loudly, exploding around his cock and Hyunjin twitched inside you.

"Gonna cum too." he whimpered, scrunching his face up in pleasure.

"Inside me." you breathed out, eyes rolling back from pleasure.

"Are you sure?" his eyes widened a little as he looked at you, all spread out for him.

"I'm sure." you wrapped your legs around him, bringing him closer, your hands on his back. Hyunjin gripped at your hips and buried his face in your neck, fucking harder into you as his teeth sank into your skin.

"A-ah!" you moaned louder and louder, Hyunjin's hips stuttering as he started moaning into your ear before he gripped at you tightly and exploded, burying his warm cum deep inside you, riding his high as he kept fucking into you.

"My darling." he said it so sweetly as you held onto each other, both of you sweaty, wet and breathless. Your ears were ringing, your legs cramping and it took you a moment to even realize that music was playing from his living room this entire time.

"Stay with me. Sleep here, I wanna hold you in my arms." he said as he kissed you.

"I'll stay." you smiled, caressing his face and moving the hair that stuck to his sweaty forehead. Hyunjin looked at you cutely, that lovesick look on his face again before he slid out of you and laid his cheek on your breast.

"Let's just stay like this for a moment." he whispered.

"Okay." you said, carding your fingers though his hair.

He was like a comfort blanket on top of you and despite all the stickiness between you, you almost fell asleep.

"Hey, don't fall asleep yet, chérie." Hyunjin lifted his head up to look at you. "We still have dessert left."

"I thought this was the dessert." you giggled and he smirked.

"It was. Special kind of dessert." he wiggled his eyebrows. "But no, I bought crème brûlée for us. I wanted to make it but I don't think they'd taste very good so..." he trailed off and you chuckled.

"You're so sweet, Hyun." you whispered, caressing his head.

"I think that's you, especially after tasting you." Hyunjin smirked, tickling your sides and making you laugh.

"Shut up." you groaned in embarrassment, covering your face.

"We should clean up, pretty." he said, kissing your wrists and hands.

"Yeah, um, I didn't bring anything for a sleepover." you uncovered your face as Hyunjin sat up and pulled you up with him.

"You didn't want to spend the night?" he pouted and you shook your head.

"I didn't want to impose on you." you played with your fingers as Hyunjin gently placed his hand on your knee, caressing you with his thumb.

"I invited you over, you're not imposing at all. I'm looking forward to having you next to me all night."

"Well then, I'm looking forward to being here with you." you whispered as he pressed his lips against yours.

"I'll give you some clothes to sleep in. And I definitely have a spare toothbrush somewhere." he said as the two of you made your way to his bathroom. You chuckled as you walked in and saw different paintings on the walls, most of them chipped and unrecognizable.

"Ignore that." Hyunjin's cheeks got rosy as he led you to the shower.

He adjusted the temperature of the water and kept turning to look at you. You were rubbing your ring finger subconsciously again before you noticed he was looking at you.

"What?" you smiled, your face heating up.

"You're so gorgeous." he said, pulling you towards his body.

You had barely managed to shower with both of your wandering hands as you kept touching each other and kissing, after years of being touch starved it felt right to be skin against skin.

Hyunjin brought you a clean pair of his boxers and the shirt with the sleeping doggy.

"Here." he smirked and you chuckled, smacking his ass with the shirt as he laughed, trying to dodge and run into the kitchen. You got dressed and followed him, feeling so relaxed and cozy.

"I'm ready for a snack actually." you said and he agreed, taking out the sweet crème brûlée. "I have chocolate milk." he said and you giggled.

"Sure, why not." you shrugged and the two of you sat down to eat.

"These are good." you commented. "Not as good as the real thing probably." you added and Hyunjin shook his head.

"Nowhere near." he spoke with his mouth full, his lips pouty and you giggled, putting your hand on his face and wiping the creme off his lips before licking it off of your thumb.

Hyunjin's face flushed as he looked at you, pinching your cheek quickly to tease you and you swatted your hand at him, letting out a noise of protest. He laughed, enjoying the simple and sweet moment you shared.

"Are you sleepy?" he asked after you got ready for bed.

"Yes and no." you shrugged.

"Me too. I kinda don't wanna go to sleep yet because morning will come faster and you'll have to leave." Hyunjin pouted.

"I don't want to leave yet." you shook your head.

Hyunjin suggested watching a movie, so the two of you got comfy in his bed, him wrapping all his limbs around you and pressing his cheek against your breast. It was sweet, having him so close and caressing his head, back and arm as he touched your waist and tummy. You had changed the sheets earlier, everything was fresh, the place was warmed up and the tv was playing some random movie that neither of you really paid attention to.

Hyunjin felt so blissfully happy in that moment and he wanted to have you impossibly closer, he wished he could crawl inside your heart and sleep in there. He did actually almost fall asleep in your arms as you comforted him with your touches. The voices on the tv seemed louder and his eyes snapped open.

"Y/n?" he called out, nuzzling into your chest.

"Yes?" you whispered.

"I'm glad you're here." he kissed your collarbone before looking up at you sweetly.

"Me too." you smiled.

Hyunjin got cozy again and you looked back at the tv but he was suddenly awake so he started talking. For some reason, you weren't too sleepy either so Hyunjin and you spent hours just talking about random things, your high school days, funny accidents while you danced, how he had managed to hide his identity as a painter... There was always something new to talk about, from the most useless debates to the most profound thoughts about life. You enjoyed talking to Hyunjin as much as you enjoyed kissing him and having him inside you.

It was almost 4am when your eyelids got heavy but Hyunjin sat up.

"I just remembered a song." he said.

"A song?" you asked and Hyunjin scrambled to get up before playing I Melt With You.

"Come on, dance with me!" he urged you on and you started laughing.

"Hyunjin, it's like 4am." you kept chuckling as he started dancing around.

"I know, just the right time to do this! Come on, get up baby!" he grabbed your hands, moving them up and down.

"Oh god." you couldn't stop laughing as Hyunjin pulled you out of the bed.

You danced like idiots, spinning and spinning without a care in the world and almost bumping into furniture as you squealed and laughed. The world spun around you and you toppled over together, with you on top of him.

Then the world seemed to stop as the song faded away and was replaced with a silence. Hyunjin reached up to put your hair behind your ear.

"Kiss me, chérie." he said and you giggled, pressing your lips into his.

"We should sleep now at least." you said when you parted.

"Okay, I guess we need to. Are you gonna stay for breakfast?" Hyunjin asked.

"I will." you smiled.

"Sweet." he chuckled.

The two of you got comfortable under the blankets as Hyunjin spooned you, pressing himself against your body and sneaking his hand into your shirt to hold your breast.

"Bonne nuit, mon cœur." he whispered against your hair as you drifted off into dreamland.

-

You haven't slept this well in so long that you woke up wondering what year it was. Feeling Hyunjin pressed up against you, being wrapped up in his warmth and his scent made you feel so cozy. You laid there for a moment, just waking up and enjoying the slow morning. You had an urge to look at Hyunjin so you turned around in his arms carefully, your eyes landing on his sleeping face.

He looked so peaceful and cute, his pouty lips parted as he nuzzled closer to you. Your heart swelled at the sight of him and you started caressing his head. Hyunjin's eyes fluttered open after some time and as soon as he saw you, he smiled, closing his eyes again in delight.

"Good morning, angel." he muttered and you chuckled quietly.

"Good morning." you said.

"Slept well?" he asked, pushing his face into your neck, his breath tickling you.

"Yes, you?" you held him tighter.

"So good." Hyunjin pressed his lips to your neck, giving you small kisses, his lips brushing against the sore spot where he had sucked a mark last night.

Your lips pressed against his forehead and you felt him smile against your skin. You enjoyed the quiet moment, almost falling back asleep until Hyunjin's stomach growled. You leaned back to look at him and his eyes widened before he laughed cutely, his cheeks red.

"I think someone's hungry." you poked his stomach and he swatted at your hand and then grabbed your wrist pulling you on top of him as he laid on his back.

"Hungry for you, ma chérie." he grabbed your face and kissed you as you giggled into his mouth.

"Cheesy." you commented and he rolled his eyes playfully, kissing you again.

Eventually you did get out of bed and made some toast and a cup of coffee.

"It snowed all night." you noticed as you stood up and looked out the window, holding your cup. Hyunjin came up behind you immediately wrapping his arms around your middle as he leaned his chin on your shoulder.

"Yeah, it's probably really cold outside. So you can just stay here." he said, inhaling your scent and closing his eyes.

"I wish I could but I have rehearsals all afternoon." you sighed, caressing his hand.

"Mm let's cancel everything and just be together." Hyunjin kissed you neck with a smile.

"That's not how life works." you chuckled, putting your cup down and wiggling to turn around so you can look at him.

"Blah." Hyunjin faked disgust as you laughed at his scrunched up face. You grabbed his cheeks and kissed him.

"We can see each other again soon." you said.

"How soon?" he asked and you chuckled.

"Soon." you said as he huffed.

You changed into your clothes and Hyunjin barely let you leave out the door, hugging you and kissing you until you were out on the street. You had also finally exchanged numbers, something you had forgotten to do earlier and promised each other that you'll call.

Hyunjin waited until the cab you called drove you away and when he came back up to his apartment, he couldn't wipe the smile from his face. The entire place was full of you, your laughter, your voice, your touches. The bed was unmade and it smelled like you. Hyunjin wanted to drown in it. He couldn't wait to see you again.

It was here. The day you had dreaded and avoided to think about. You felt the impending doom as it approached but you tried to ignore the gnawing feeling inside your guts making it's way up slowly and wrapping around your heart.

You had locked yourself in your apartment for the last three days, calling the dance studio and telling them you're sick. The curtains were pulled over your windows completely, drowning you in darkness. You had no will to get up or answer to any of the calls and texts you've been getting. You saw that they were mostly from Hyunjin but you couldn't face him right now, if you did you'd fall apart completely.

It had been exactly four years since your life stopped, four years since you quit believing, since you lost all hope. Hyunjin had been the only person to awaken something inside you since then but in your darkest moments, you thought he's better off without you. The baggage you were dragging around was like shackles around your ankles, making it hard to climb out of the pit you had long made home in. The tears wouldn't stop coming as you thought about your past and the pain you felt that still teared you apart, albeit less than before but you were convinced it would never go away entirely.

You thought about Hyunjin and how sweet he is, how loving he seems to be, how much he apparently likes you. It scared you more than anything, the thought of what could be something beautiful, only to be lost one day, taken away from you like it already was once before.

You sank deeper into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Hyunjin was scared too. You haven't been answering his messages or returning his calls for a few days now. He kept replaying that night you spent at his place, trying to find a hint that would let him know why you were avoiding him. But, he couldn't find a reason other than maybe you just didn't want to see him again, maybe when you got home you realized you only wanted it to be a one time thing. Maybe you didn't want him like he wanted you. But still, some kind of gut feeling was telling him something else was wrong.

Hyunjin mentally prepared himself for your rejection as he got dressed, deciding to go look for you at your place.

You were lying on your couch, absentmindedly staring through the tv, not even looking at what was happening on the screen when you heard your bell ringing. You groaned quietly, burying your nose further into your blankets. The ringing persisted, followed by a series of knocks.

"Go away." you muttered quietly.

"Y/n, it's me. Please open the door." you heard a muffled voice, recognizing it instantly. Your eyes went wide for a moment as you contemplated.

You didn't want Hyunjin to see you at your worst but something pulled at your heartstrings as you heard the desperation in his voice. Your legs led you to the door. You needed him, you really needed him.

The door opened just as Hyunjin was about to knock again, his hand lifted up mid-air. He gasped when he saw you looking pale and tired. You looked at him wordlessly as you gently grabbed his wrist and pulled him in, pushing the door closed at the same time.

"Hyunjin." you fell into his arms, your face buried in his chest instantly as you wrapped your arms around his waist.

"Shh." Hyunjin soothed you as you gripped at him, your hands grabbing at his winter coat. You stood like that, just melting into each other for a few moments as Hyunjin looked around, seeing your curtains pulled all the way together, your apartment a mess.

"Mon cœur, what's wrong?" he asked as he leaned back, taking your face in his arms and making you look at him.

You shook your head as tears gathered in your eyes. Hyunjin took his coat off quickly and led you to your couch so the two of you could sit down. As soon as you got there, Hyunjin's eyes fell on the coffee table. He tilted his head as he picked up the framed picture, examining it. His eyes widened when he noticed it was you with another man, the picture obviously being a wedding photo, you in a white dress and the man in a suit as the two of you smiled at each other while holding hands.

"You're married?" Hyunjin's brows furrowed.

"I was. My husband... he passed away four years ago." you swallowed as Hyunjin looked up at you, sadness in his eyes.

"Y/n. I'm so sorry, I had no idea." Hyunjin grabbed your hand quickly, wanting to soothe you. That's why you always rubbed your ring finger subconsciously, he thought, you were probably self-soothing, a habit you had playing with your ring when you used to wear it.

"It happened so suddenly. Everything was so quick, we had no time to react. We had been drinking that night with friends. Of course we had a stupid argument on the way home and the last things I said to him were hateful. He yelled, I yelled back. He lost control of the wheel and we swerved, it happened in a matter of seconds, so fast that I didn't even realize what was going on. Not until the car stopped spinning and I laid there and just saw him all... bloody and lifeless. I'll never forget that, he took his last breath and he was gone, ripped away from me just like that. I always blamed myself, why didn't I suggest taking a cab? Why did I pick a fight over him not washing some dirty dishes, something so insignificant in hindsight. Why didn't I die with him?" you sobbed as you told Hyunjin everything, finally letting it out after holding your thoughts back for years.

"Y/n, I can't even imagine the pain you went through and I'm so sorry but you have to know that it was an accident, it is not your fault. Sadly, these things happen and we have no control over them." Hyunjin held your hands in his, caressing your skin with his thumbs.

"I know and that scares me. What if it happens again?" you swallowed, looking at him.

"What if it doesn't? We can't live in fear like that, we'd never get out of the house and do anything. You have to take a leap of faith in life. Otherwise you'll just be stuck in the same rut over and over again. Take a chance. With me." he smiled a little, wiping your tears away gently.

"I come with so much baggage, Hyunjin. I have loved so much once that a piece of my heart will always be his."

"I'm okay with that." Hyunjin nodded. "I've loved and lost before too. Not that I can compare it to what you went through but a piece of my heart was taken away when my ex left me too. But we have a whole lot of heart left to feel again, don't we?"

"I guess we do." you sniffled. "What now?"

"Now, we open up the curtains and let the sun in."

Tears brimmed in your eyes again as you threw your arms around Hyunjin and hugged him tightly, a choked sob escaping your lips.

"It's okay, I'm here." he held the back of your head with his hand, his other hand moving in soothing circles on your upper back. Having him in your presence was like you had taken a happy pill, the fear, worry and sadness slowly traveling further and further away from your aching heart.

When you parted, Hyunjin stood up and pulled the curtains open slowly, making you whine a little.

"Come see." he beckoned you to come closer and you reluctantly stood up to join him, your eyes still adjusting to the brightness.

"What am I looking at?" you asked as he grabbed your hand, bringing it to his face and pressing a sweet kiss into your skin.

"The snow is almost melted." he whispered, his lips lingering on your skin. You chuckled and he smiled, pulling you into a hug.

Hyunjin was sweet and gentle with you, helping you clean up your apartment and cook a nice warm meal. He distracted you with all the funny stories he could remember just to lift up your spirits.

"You know what always helps me relax? A nice, warm bath." he smiled.

"Are you sure you're not just trying to get me naked?" you smirked, your mood better than before.

"Oh my sweet, I could get you naked any time I want." he winked and you laughed as your face heated up, your stomach fluttering.

"Mhm." you mumbled with an embarrassed smile.

"Tell me I'm wrong." he leaned in closer to your face, his hands on your thighs as he looked up at you after you tried to hide away from him.

"You're not." you said and he smirked playfully, giggling and pecking your lips.

Together, you prepared the bath and the mood in the bathroom as you lit up some scented candles and dimmed the lights.

"Fancy." Hyunjin wiggled his eyebrows, making you laugh.

You checked the temperature of the water and Hyunjin stood behind you, pushing his hands under your shirt and caressing your back.

"Ah! Cold hands!" you jumped a little but still leaned into his touch.

"I'm trying to warm them up." he smirked, his hands running over your stomach to your breasts as he cupped them, massaging them lightly.

"Mhm, right." you shivered against him. "Let's get undressed."

"Don't need to tell me twice." Hyunjin kissed your jaw before he leaned back, getting rid of his clothes. You did the same as Hyunjin watched you, his eyes filling up with hunger. He got in first and then spread his legs to make room for you.

"Lean against me." he reached his hand out to you and you got in slowly, sitting between his legs and leaning your back on his chest.

"You know how you said my dancing inspired you to paint?" you said quietly and Hyunjin hummed, tracing patterns into your waist and stomach with his fingers.

"Your paintings gave me hope to keep going." you whispered as you leaned your head on Hyunjin's shoulder and looked up at him. The meaning of your confession made Hyunjin squeeze you tighter against him.

"Y/n..." he whispered as you sat up, finding it hard to look at his face all of a sudden. Hyunjin leaned in closer and brushed his lips on your shoulder as you kept talking.

"It was really hard to find an ounce of strength to even get up in the morning. I was wondering why should I even keep going, you know. Nothing made sense anymore, it's like that person is there and you're so used to it that you forget to appreciate the fact that you have them in your life. But once they're gone you realize just how much you had, and then suddenly your life is completely different than it was before. I couldn't even recognize myself anymore, anything that brought me happiness until then just became bleak." you stopped to take a breath and wipe your tears as Hyunjin held you and listened, his chin on your shoulder.

"I walked past your gallery many times but for some reason I never really paid much attention to it. And then one day I went for a walk just to escape how I was feeling inside the apartment. Something pulled me to go inside suddenly, I just had to see. I remember the name of the exhibition too, it was called 'On the wings of love' and all the paintings were just so uplifting and gave a feeling of pure love, something I had in my palms but it slipped through my fingers. It hurt to look at the paintings but it hurt in a good way because it gave me hope that it still exists and that someone out there has what I had." you explained. "And now after meeting you, I realized I saw you in the gallery that night but you never noticed me. You were standing there with someone, looking at the paintings as the two of you laughed. You passed by me before leaving out the door and I remember being slightly jealous of what you seemed to have."

Hyunjin's breath tickled your skin as he kissed your shoulder and neck gently.

"Doesn't it seem like fate?" he said. "Like we were meant to find each other. I think everything happens for a reason as shitty as that seems sometimes. You found hope inside the exhibition I painted for my ex, you saw me there with... him. Life is kind of ironic like that, it seems. I thought I had it all too but then he just left me like I was nothing." you grabbed Hyunjin's hands, caressing them.

"I met him in Paris. He was there for a modeling job and I happened to attend fashion week. I saw him on the runway and thought I was hallucinating an angel. But he was far from that. Of course everything was wonderful in the beginning but the more time that passed the more he started to neglect me. He always found some excuse, mostly it was his job. He worked all the time, long hours and trips. I asked to join him on his trips since I can literally paint from anywhere but he'd find some new excuse saying he wouldn't have free time to spend with me since he'd be working the entire trip. And then there'd be pictures of him out drinking and stuff, being handsy with other people. I don't know if he ever actually cheated on me and I don't want to know but it hurt so bad. I watched him fall out of love and it was my worst fear coming to life right in front of my eyes. I knew he was going to leave and yet when he actually did it, I felt like my world had crumbled into pieces."

You turned a little to look at Hyunjin, seeing his eyes filling up with tears and your heart hurt.

"How could someone fall out of love with you?" you whispered and Hyunjin stopped talking, his eyes widened slightly as he searched your face. You leaned in and kissed the tears that slid down his cheeks. His lips broke into a smile as his eyes fluttered shut and he leaned his forehead against yours.

"Kiss me." he said quietly and you grabbed his face, kissing him with everything you have. Hyunjin pulled you closer, the water sloshing around you as you grabbed at each other.

When you parted, you were breathless, your hands squeezing at his shoulders and his wrapped around your waist.

"I'm glad we talked about this." you said and he nodded.

"Me too." Hyunjin smiled as you played with his hair, leaning in to peck his lips a few times before leaving sweet kisses all over his face. Hyunjin started giggling at your attack of affection as your lips found his cheek, his nose, his eyelids.

"Let me wash your hair." you whispered against his lips.

"Okay." he whispered back, kissing the corner of your lips.

You turned completely so you were facing him, wrapping your legs around his waist as he pulled you closer. You grabbed your shampoo as his hair was already wet and Hyunjin looked at you with a soft smile on his face. With your hands tangled in his hair, you started massaging his head.

Hyunjin hummed, closing his eyes, his hands traveling up towards your chest. He opened his eyes and grabbed your breasts, squeezing them and you chuckled.

"Hyunjin." you warned him playfully.

"What? They're there." he teased with a smirk, his thumbs rubbing your nipples as he cupped your breasts. Your hands stuttered a little as arousal built within you. Hyunjin decided to stop distracting you and just relax while your gentle hands massaged his head. The intimate and quiet moment between you felt like a dream, like you had to pinch yourself to see if it was really happening.

Hyunjin couldn't stay still for too long as he started teasing you and playing with the bubbles, making you laugh at him as you rinsed his hair.

"Quit squirming, you'll get shampoo in your eyes." you chuckled.

"Sorry." Hyunjin pouted, staying still for another moment as you finished up.

"There. All done." you said, caressing his head.

"Thank you for that." Hyunjin said, gently kissing your lips.

"Of course." you whispered, the two of you exchanging kisses until you were almost breathless. You turned around in his arms as he offered to wash your back, wanting to soothe you more. He was definitely getting excited as were you and the gentle touch on your back as well as him kissing your neck and shoulder whenever he could kept making you more needy for him.

"Hyunjin." his name felt like a prayer as he pulled you flush against him and you felt him pressing against your backside.

"My darling." he breathed out, grabbing your legs and pulling them over his so you were spread open for him. A whimper escaped your lips as you leaned back on his shoulder, your neck exposed. He kissed the side of it, licking at the droplets of water before sinking his teeth into your flesh. You moaned while his hands kneaded your breasts and pinched your sensitive nipples.

"I need you." you moaned as he licked at the love bite he created on your skin.

"I got you, pretty." he whispered in your ear, hand sliding between your legs. Anticipation bubbled up inside you as Hyunjin gently touched your inner thighs. He squeezed your flesh a little before his hand cupped your pussy, making you whine. He shushed you, kissing your jaw and pressing at your clit, playing with it gently. His other hand was busy on your chest, pinching and pulling at your nipples. Your eyes were closed as you let go completely, leaving everything in Hyunjin's hands. His lips never left your neck as he slowly slid his fingertips between your folds.

Your breath hitched as soon as he pushed in, spreading you open with his pretty fingers.

"Ah!" you moaned, pulling your legs up more so you could grab at his thighs. Hyunjin pressed you closer to him as he slowly started moving his fingers inside you, his other hand now on your clit.

"Hyunjin." you moaned, your nails digging into him.

"Say my name, mon cœur. Let me hear you." he whispered against your ear as he kept kissing your neck, fingers moving faster and harder.

"Hyunjin!" you kept moaning his name like it was the only word you knew in that moment and he kept fucking into you faster, his other hand flicking your clit quickly, all of the commotion making the water slosh around and splash on your floor. You didn't give a damn in that moment, all you cared about was Hyunjin.

Sweet Hyunjin who did everything tonight to make you feel better, to lift you out of the slump you were in, to make you forget about the pain.

Your legs trembled, almost closing around his hand as you whimpered loudly and came, arching your chest while Hyunjin watched you trembling against him, thinking how fucking beautiful you looked in that moment, completely and utterly his.

"Oh." you gasped when he pulled his fingers out, still playing with your clit gently and Hyunjin chuckled at your cute habit of gasping like that.

"I think we should get out of this water now." you scrunched your face up and Hyunjin laughed, jostling your body a little.

"It's getting cold anyways." he agreed.

The two of you got in the shower and the water ran down your bodies as you held each other.

"What about you?" you whispered while Hyunjin caressed your back.

"Don't worry about me tonight." he said.

"But I want to make you feel good." you looked up at him and he smiled.

"You're already doing that." he kissed you passionately, his tongue dancing inside your mouth, exploring and tasting. The two of you kept kissing and touching the entire time as you showered. You didn't even notice how tired and exhausted you were from being sad for days but Hyunjin noticed and that's why he didn't want you to worry about him tonight. After finally getting dry and warm, Hyunjin ordered some food for the two of you, cuddling you while you waited.

"Hey, don't fall asleep just yet." he giggled as you were practically already sleeping on his chest.

"Sorry." you mumbled sleepily.

You ate in a daze and when you finally got comfortable in your bed, Hyunjin wrapped his body around you.

"Sleep, my sweet. I'll be here in the morning." he whispered sweetly, kissing your cheek.

Everything will be okay.

~ part 2

taglist: @moonchild9350 @janepg @velvetmoonlght @hwanghyunjinismybae @jehhskz @porangporangmeong @laylasbunbunny @laughatdanger @jeonginslefthand @sapphirewaves @s3ungm1nxxl0ve @painterhyunjin @starlost-mochi-x @saintcosette @ooshyana @frehyun @scarlet789 @skzdust @schniti-is-in-the-house @eastjonowhere @sona1800 @channiesrightasscheek @justwonder113 @yvettemint @inaribu00 @httpdwaekki @possum-playground @ria-april @yn-x-them @mariahxrrera @0omillo0 @halfwinterhalfuniverse @cooldeermagazine @delulkpopstan143 @todorokiskitten @compersian @azxulskz

[harrywavycurly]

Worth the Fight: Bad Energy

Masterlist: Here

CW: language, mentions of baby stuff, pregnancy symptoms and one moment where Ethan is mean (not to you lol)

A/N: I feel like y’all are working your way to a good place and maybe y’all can be friends soon if nothing happens that could potentially get in the way?👀✨

Tag List: @kookjipao @msolbesg @lomlolivia @namoreno @outofthisworl-d @mema10 @watarmelon212 @natykn @sassamanda77 @st-ev-ie @ghayda0 @hannah9921 @indierockgirrl @chaoticthoughts2022 @lizsogolden @gmikaelson @styleswithaseaview @sofaritsalrightt @babegoals @fangirl509east @one-sweet-gubler @stylesftcher @umadirectioner @last-saturday-night @montgomery-929496 @laughterismytherapy @hisparentsgallerryy @jerseygirlinca @behindmygreyeyes @mads3502 @tpwkdpr @unfuckwitablenarry @itscoucouharry @latedirectionerera @ell0ra-br3kk3r

Summary: You and Harry have sort of an odd routine going and the two of you begin discussing baby names and rocking chairs✨

“Morning.” Harry softly greets you when you open your apartment door, you give him a small smile as you move out of his way so he can enter your apartment allowing him to head straight for your kitchen. You let a yawn escape you as turn so you can follow him after closing the door but Harry pauses right before he enters the archway of your kitchen and turns his head to look at you over his shoulder. “Don’t forget to-”

“Lock the door.” You finish for him with a tired sigh making Harry have to bite his bottom lip to keep the soft chuckle to himself. He enters the kitchen while you turn and quickly lock the door so you can join him and take your usual spot at your little table while he busies himself with cutting fruit and the random veggies.

It’s been almost two and a half weeks since Harry came over to your house far too early in the morning just to make you some green juice and since then he’s been coming over every other morning. The only difference is he now changes what he puts in the juice depending on how you’re feeling about certain fruits or vegetables and he also secretly adds a bit of protein powder because he knows you’re in more of a snacking stage and the odds of you sitting to eat a whole meal are slim. Most of the time the two of you engage in some simple small talk while you sit at the table and watch him cut things up, not getting too deep about anything minus Harry asking questions such as how you slept and if you’re feeling okay or if your ankles are still swollen.

“Do you want pine-”

“Oh please don’t even mention that evil fruit.” You say with a groan making Harry just nod as he puts the pineapple back in your fridge and grabs a mango instead. “I don’t understand why something that tastes so good has to hate me so much.” You pout as you place your chin in the palm of your hand while your other one rests on your bump as you lean over your small kitchen table.

“I’m guessing it’s still causing you some reflux issues then?” He asks as he looks around your fridge for the bag of spinach he just brought over the other day.

“Yes but sometimes I think it’s worth it but not today.” You explain with a yawn making Harry take a half step back from the fridge so he can turn his head and look at you with a raised brow. Normally you’re a bit sleepy when he comes over for your morning juice before you head off to work or he has to go run an errand or attend a meeting but he’s never seen you this tired before and it makes him a little concerned about how well you slept last night.

“How did sleep last night?” He questions as he hears you let out a small sigh as you close your eyes and give him a shrug.

“I don’t know if I actually got any sleep last night so I guess that would mean I slept horribly? No that sounds a bit dramatic. I’d just say I slept not very well.” Your mumbled rant like explanation makes Harry chuckle as he shakes his head and closes the doors to your fridge, he places the fruits and veggies for you juice on the counter near the cutting board and then turns so he’s fully facing you.

“Well come on then.” You slowly open your eyes just as Harry takes a few steps towards you with his hand out. “You can drink your juice in bed and take a nap afterwards or something. But you need rest. It’s important.” He tries to not sound bossy or rude because he knows the two of you are in a weird place right now and he doesn’t want to do or say anything that would make you upset enough to kick him back out to just being allowed in your hallway.

“You’re just trying to get me out of the room so you can put weird stuff in my juice.” You accuse him with a playful glare as you sit up and take his hand so he can help you get up from the chair.

“You caught me.” He jokes as he wraps his hand around your smaller one before taking a step back so you have room to stand in front of him. “I’m just trying to load your juice up with things you hate.” He adds as you let go of his hand and head out of the kitchen, he stands there for a moment not sure if you want him to follow you or not since really the only rooms he’s ever been inside of in your apartment are the living room and kitchen.

“Can you grab my water for me please? I left it on the counter.” You call over your shoulder as you make your way to your bedroom. Harry doesn’t hesitate as he turns and grabs your green and pink water bottle off the counter and walks out of the kitchen into the living room.

He catches a glimpse of you just before you enter your bedroom at the end of the hallway and for some reason he feels nervous as he stands there with your water bottle in his hand. For a moment he worries that you’re only being this relaxed about him entering your bedroom because you’re exhausted and don’t really know what you’re doing or saying. But then again he knows you well enough by now to know you are usually always the one who tries to be polite and civil out of the two of you, it’s usually him that messes it up with his unkind words or actions. So he just shakes off his nerves and heads down the hallway to leads to your bedroom, he can’t help but pause at the door on his right that he knows is your spare bedroom because you told him one morning how you’re happy you splurged for the two bedroom unit when you moved in so the twins won’t have to share a room with you.

When you get to your bed you look over your shoulder and when you don’t see or hear Harry you quirk a brow as you turn and take a few steps towards your bedroom door. You poke your head out and you can’t help but smile when you see him standing in front of the twin’s room, you take a few more steps so your about halfway between where he’s standing and your bedroom.

“You can look inside if you want.” Your voice being so close to him makes him jump a bit causing the ice in your water to clink against the metal sides of your bottle.

“Oh uhm I don’t-”

“You don’t what? Want to see where your children will be sleeping and playing while they’re with me? That’s rude.”

“Well when you put it like that then okay yeah I’ll take a look.” You chuckle as you reach for your water bottle so you can take it from him, Harry chews on his bottom lip as he turns to look at you and when you just give him a reassuring nod as you take a sip of your water he places a hand on the doorknob and twists it open.

Harry feels his heart beat faster as he takes a step inside the room, he obviously knows that you’re carrying twins meaning two babies but seeing two cribs set up really seems to make it feel all the more real for him. He steps further inside the room and places a hand on one of the cribs as he looks around the room. The walls are a soft white and to no surprise you’ve hung up a little bookshelf in the corner that has a few books already on it, the cribs are also white and when he looks down he sees you picked out matching sheets for them that have little story book animals on them such as Pooh Bear and Petter Rabbit.

“It’s not done yet but sometimes when I can’t sleep or I’m restless I come in here and-”

“Did you put these together yourself?” He asks as you walk over to the dresser on the opposite side of the wall the cribs are on.

“I did yeah.” You answer as you turn and look at him, his eyes are a little wide and you know he wants to say something about how that couldn’t have been good for your back or your ankles. “It wasn’t very hard and it didn’t take long.” You explain as you place a hand over your very obvious baby bump, giving it a soothing rub as you walk over to the bookshelf.

“I haven’t uh-I haven’t gotten cribs or really anything yet.” He informs you as he runs his hand that’s not gripping the side of the crib through his hair as all of a sudden a feeling of being unprepared and overwhelmed with things he needs to get begins to hit him like a tidal wave.

“That’s fine Harry these were just on sale so I grabbed them. You have plenty of time to-”

“What if they come early and I don’t have anything still? Or what if they hate the cribs I pick and never want to sleep in them or-” A soft hand landing on top of his that’s gripping the crib makes him stop his rambling. He blinks a few times as he tries to calm his breathing down before he looks over at you and sees you giving him a small yet comforting smile.

“They’ll like whatever you pick Harry because you’re their dad and they’ll know you picked it just for them. Now I’m sure there’s going to be days and nights they don’t want to sleep but it won’t have anything to do with the cribs you get them.” You do your best to reassure him and ease him away from the edge of the small anxiety attack you know he is mere moments away from having.

“Would you uhm maybe want to help pick some things out for them?” He knows he could ask his mom or sister to help him but honestly for some reason he feels like picking the furniture for his nursery would be a good experience for the two of you to have.

“Sure oh actually your mom invited me shopping tomorrow she wants me to help her pick some crib sheets so would you want to just join us for that and we can look at cribs and stuff as well?” You feel a tinge of nervousness as you tell him about the plans you made with his mom, not sure if he is aware that she reaches out to you to see how you’re doing and even comes over for the occasional cup of tea.

“She told me about the two of you having plans tomorrow.” You let out a sigh of relief as you move your hand off of his and place it back on your bump. “Are you sure you would be okay with me joining you? I don’t want to get in the way.”

“She’s your mom Harry so of course I don’t mind you joining us.” Harry watches you closely as you speak so see if he can find any hints that you’re lying just to save yourself from hurting his feelings. But when you just stare at him for a few moments before taking another sip of your water he knows you’re being honest, you really don’t care if he comes with the two of you tomorrow and oddly enough he doesn’t know how to feel about the fact he’s going to be shopping for his twins with their mother and his mother.

“Okay I’ll uhm call her later to set up the details.” You just nod as you turn and head for the door while Harry still stands with a hand on the crib closest to it. “I’ll uhm go-go get started on your juice.” He fumbles over his words as he finally releases his grip on the wooden frame of the crib and turns around so he can see you standing in the doorway with your back towards him.

“Okay but don’t try to sneak any carrots into it this time or I’ll probably start crying.” You warn as you take a step into the hallway.

“Carrots are good for-”

“I don’t care what they are good for Harry they ruin the juice and make it a disgusting color.”

“The juice is already a gross color? It’s green.”

“Says the man with big dumb green eyes and green shorts on?” To that Harry decides to ignore your comments about his eyes and takes a moment to look down at his outfit, having forgotten he came here from the gym so he is in fact wearing green athletic shorts and a gray tank top with his neon colored running shoes.

“Just go lay down and I’ll bring you your carrot free juice okay?” You give him a smug smile as he stands at the end of your hallway near the living room with a hand on his hip while you stand in your bedroom doorway with your water bottle in one hand and the other also on your hip.

“Okay.” Harry rolls his eyes at how happy you sound all because he agreed to not add any carrots to your juice, he watches as you turn and enter your bedroom and waits a few moments till he hears the sound of your water bottle being placed on your nightstand before he turns to go to the kitchen.

“Oh and Paris is in the living room!” You shout as you fold your covers back so you can climb into bed, wanting to give Harry a heads up on the orange cat’s whereabouts since he still doesn’t seem to like Harry therefor thinking it’s okay to still use his ankles as little chew toys.

As if on queue Harry hears the all too familiar sound of a bell jingling from behind him just as he begins to cut up the mango that he decide would be a good substitute for the pineapple in your juice. He freezes the moment he feels the soft hair and slightly pointy whiskers rub against the back of his calf, Paris’s go too move before he sinks his teeth into the flesh right above Harry’s ankle bone. Harry takes a deep breath in preparation for the pain he knows he’s about to endure and sure enough maybe two seconds later he feels Paris bite down on his ankle as he starts to purr while Harry releases his breath and lets out a groan.

“Fuck sake Paris how long are we gonna be doing this mate? I’ve been here how many times now and you still don’t like me? I’m making your mom homemade green juice for Christ sake what else do you want from me?” Harry rambles on as he looks down at the orange cat who is just sitting there staring at him all innocently as if he didn’t just make a meal out of his poor ankle.

“One day you’re going to like me. I just know it.” Paris tilts his head to the side and looks up at Harry for a brief moment before he decides he’s done in the kitchen and walks off leaving Harry standing there with a half cut up mango in one hand and a knife in the other.

Harry isn’t sure if he’s dreaming or not, because surely there’s no way you actually said what he just heard come out of your mouth.

“I’m serious.” Your simple statement answers his question as you cross your arms over your chest and stare at him with a very stern look in your eyes that he’s never seen before, granted he hasn’t been around you for very long but still he’s never seen you look so serious.

“It’s a rocking chair how can it be haunted?” He wonders as he looks at the wooden chair in question that’s currently sitting in between the two of you.

The two of you are in the middle of a antique shop looking for some things to go on the wall in your nursery and also to see if they have any baby furniture that could potentially go in the nursery at Harry’s house. While it upset you a bit it’s no surprise to Harry that his mom suddenly “wasn’t feeling well” as soon as she found out you had invited Harry to tag along on today’s shopping trip, he knows very well she’s fine at home on her couch watching her shows and researching things for her garden. And while normally Harry would be annoyed at her subtle ways of trying to interfere in his personal life he’s thankful his mom isn’t here to witness him look absolutely lost on why the mother of his children thinks used rocking chairs can be haunted and refuses to buy one.

“Not haunted but it could hold bad energy from the last person who used it.” You explain for the second time as you scrunch your nose up while looking at the chair. “What if the last person who sat in that chair was a weirdo? Or was a serial killer?” Harry rolls his eyes at your ridiculous reasoning for why the chair could have bad energy.

“Oh come on what are the odds Ted Bundy used to rock his kids to sleep in this rocking chair.” Harry playfully argues as he points to the chair while you drop your hands from your chest so you can reach over and smack Harry’s arm with an annoyed huff making him glare at you.

“Why would you say that? Now we really aren’t getting it you asshole.” You snap as you give his arm one more smack before turning around and heading further down the aisle of old vintage looking furniture. Harry lets out a sigh as he runs a hand over his face because it’s only been half an hour since the two of you started this shopping trip and at this rate he’s not sure if the two of you will still be on the decently good terms you’ve been on the past few weeks by the time it’s over.

“Are you really mad? I know you’re more emotional than normal right now but it’s just a rocking chair and it doesn’t have to go in your house it can go in mine.” He tries to reason with you as he follows behind you down the aisle, he hears you let out a scoff at he mention of you being emotional and he instantly knows that wasn’t the correct thing to say.

“It’s not just a rocking chair Harry.” You quickly turn around to face him making him take a step back so he’s out of reach making you unable to smack him just incase you get the itch to do so again. “It’s where you put your babies to sleep while singing a lullaby and where you soothe them when they are upset and-and where you sit and read to them before bed and I just don’t want one that someone has already had all those special moments in. Even if it’s not going in my house I know my babies will still be sitting in it with you and I just-”

“Okay okay we can get you a brand new chair that no one has ever sat in just-just stop crying.” Harry’s words are rushed as he takes a small step towards you so he can place his hands on your shoulders, you didn’t even realize you were crying until you finally feel a few tears roll down your cheeks. You sniffle a few times as Harry bends his knees so he can be eye level with you. “I promise you will get whatever rocking chair you want. Just please stop crying.” He’s practically begging you at this point and giving your shoulders some gentle squeezes as you wipe your eyes with the sleeve of your cardigan

“Oh sorry am I embarrassing you?” Your voice is a mixture of harsh and watery making Harry let out a sigh as he stands up and drops his hands from your shoulders. “Because news flash Harry pregnant people cry a lot okay?” He doesn’t want to start a fight with you so he just stands there and lets you take your frustration out on him because it was his poor choice of words that caused this reaction from you in the first place. “It’s not like I can control it either. I just cry all the time over the stupidest stuff.”

“I just don’t like seeing you cry.” You almost don’t hear his admission as he looks down at his feet while rubbing at the back of his neck. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to make you upset I didn’t know you uhm had such strong feelings about rocking chairs that’s all.” He explains as he looks up at you making you let out a huff as your arms fall to your sides.

“It’s okay.” You tell him as you adjust the strap to your purse, Harry watches as you make a face of slight discomfort and he can’t even stop himself before he’s reaching over and grabbing the strap, he raises an eyebrow as his silent way of asking if this is okay and when you just let the strap of your bag fall into his hands he smiles as he takes your giant purse and puts the strap over his shoulder.

“I read somewhere that most people hyper fixate on one thing during their pregnancies and I just think mine has been the nursery. Mainly the furniture in it. So that’s why I uh had my-my little moment about the rocking chair.” You tell him as a way to help him get a better understanding on what’s going on in your mind, since you know having a breakdown in the middle of a store isn’t ideal especially for him. Mainly because anyone within a few feet of the two of you would be able to tell instantly who he is thanks to the short sleeves of his worn out Rolling Stones shirt letting his more recognizable tattoos be on display.

“Gemma’s was the car seat. She read every single safety review on hundreds of car seats and I swear she still doesn’t even like the one she uses everyday.” You smile as Harry talks about his sister, doing his best to help make you feel like he really does get it and that you being very particular about what you want in the twins nursery is totally normal.

“Oh speaking of Gemma I was thinking of Nora if one of them is a girl.” Harry feels as if his feet all of a sudden don’t know how to work as you turn around to begin heading down the aisle, tossing out a baby name as if it’s just a suggestion on what the two of you should eat for dinner and not a possible name for one of your children. “And I like Anne as a middle name and I know it’s her middle name and obviously it’s your mother’s name so I thought it would be cute?” You add having no clue Harry is still frozen in place a few paces behind you.

“Uhm-uh you’ve been thinking of-of names already?” He asks as he quickly rushes to catch up to you before you turn to head down another aisle that has framed art.

“Yeah? I’ve been thinking of names since I found out I was pregnant but I’ve just now narrowed the girl name down to that one.”

“And it’s Nora?”

“Yes I like Nora.”

“Nora is nice. I think I like it.”

“I’m glad.”

“So Nora as in Jones?”

“Uh more like Roberts.”

“And who’s that?” You stop mid step and turn to face Harry who has a very curious expression on his face as he flips through a bin of floral themed art.

“Nora Roberts is an author.” You answer making Harry just nod as a small smirk forms on his face.

“Should’ve known.” You roll your eyes as he looks over at you. “Of course you want to name our daughter after an author while I want to name her after a musician.”

“Well at least both Noras are talented.”

“You’re missing the most important part of this whole thing.”

“And that would be?”

“We just agreed on something.” The grin he gives you leaves you no choice but to smile back. “Nora Anne Styles? Or did you want them to have your last name? I’m fine with hyphenating it if you-”

“Styles is fine.” Harry feels hit with an odd swirl of emotions at your answer, knowing that you want the twins to have his last name makes him have a sense of pride but also makes him feel slightly nervous that one day they might hate having the same name as him. “I haven’t thought about boy names yet.” You tell him before you turn to look at a bin that has framed posters.

“Uhm how do you feel about Edward?”

“Edgar? Like Allen Poe?”

“Uh no I uhm said Edward not Edgar.”

“Oh sorry. Edward-Edward what?”

“James?”

“Edward James Styles.” You whisper it at first making Harry nervously rub his lips together as he listens to you repeat the name a few more times before nodding. “Okay yeah I like it.” You say with a smile as you place both hands on your bump before you turn to face him.

“Wow we are two for two.”

“Better stop before we break our streak or you even worst you make me cry.” Harry rolls his eyes as you take a step towards him while holding a hand out. He doesn’t know what you want his hand for but he turns so he’s facing you and gives it to you anyway with a quirked brow. “Can you feel that?” You ask as you place his hand on the side of your bump, he’s about to shake his head no when all of a sudden he feels like tiniest something press against his palm.

“Is-is that one of them?” You just nod as Harry stares down at his hand that’s pressed firmly against your bump. You watch his eyes go from wide and shocked to soft and glossed over so you place a hand over his and give it a small pat just as he lets out his first sniffle.

“Figured it was your turn to cry in public.” You joke as he blinks a few times trying to stop the tears from actually falling and rolling down his face.

“Thanks.” He says with a wet chuckle as you move his hand to the other side of your bump so he can feel another tiny little movement.

“I think they are stretching or something.” You explain as Harry just stares at his hand with a look of pure amazement. “They’ve been extra active today though.”

“I bet it’s because of the carrots I snuck in your juice this morning.”

The laugh you let out has Harry imagining for a moment this is what it would be like if the two of you weren’t just a few levels above being complete strangers who are having kids together and instead you were just two people happily shopping for nursery decor for their twins. It’s moments like this that he desperately wishes he could remember more about the night he met you because it’s glimpses of you like this, laughing at a stupid joke he said that have him feeling like you are so easy to be around and he’s sure that’s how he felt about you that night as well. But the harsh reality that Harry is very aware of is moments like this are rare for the two of you, he’s already made you cry today so he just tries to live in this moment that has him feeling a comforting sense of happiness as long as he can because sooner or later he knows it’s going to come to an end.

You let out a groan as you stretch your legs on your couch letting your sock covered feet land in Ethan’s lap which makes him just roll his eyes when he looks down and sees you wiggling your toes at him. He turns to look at you and lets out a laugh when you poke your bottom lip out and continue to wiggle your toes, a combination you know he can’t resist. Ethan lets out a huff as he places his phone down on the table next to the couch so he can use both hands to gently rub your slightly swollen ankles.

“You’re so lucky I love you because I usually never touch feet for free.” He states making you laugh as you get comfortable and go back to reading one of the pregnancy books Anne gave you the last time she came over. “Oh so how was the shopping trip the other day? Didn’t see you two on the news and you never called me to bail you out of jail so that must mean it went well?” He asks with a teasing tone that makes you roll your eyes as you flip a page in your book.

“It did go well actually I got a few new books for the twin’s bookshelf.” You begin as you lower your book a bit so you can see Ethan’s face over the top of it. “We picked baby names and-”

“Excuse me?” His eyes are wide and his hands momentarily stop rubbing your ankles as he snaps his head in your direction. “You did what now?”

“We sort of agreed on two baby names. I told him the one I’ve been thinking about for a girl-”

“Nora Anne?”

“Yes and he liked it but he thought it was because of Nora Jones.”

“Well yeah you can’t expect Mr. Asshole to know who Nora Roberts is.” You glare at Ethan for a moment making him just shrug because he doesn’t get what he did wrong so you just continue on explaining the baby names.

“But then he had an idea for a boy name and it’s uhm well it’s Edward James St-”

“James? As in Ethan James your super attractive young neighbor?” He all but shouts as he stares at you with an excited grin on his face and you just nod and laugh because you knew he would react this way to finding out the middle name Harry picked unknowingly wanting to give his son just so happens to belong to the very man he can’t stand.

“Exactly.”

“Weird way to ask me to be their godfather but I accept.” He says with a shrug as he goes back to focusing on rubbing your ankles.

“Don’t get crazy Ethan no one has asked you to be anyone’s godfather.” You explain with a laugh making him let out a dramatic sigh.

“Here I am rubbing your feet and ankles and you don’t even think I’m godfather material? That’s just rude.” You playfully glare at him when he turns his head to look at you with a smile. “But really I’m glad it’s going well with him I know you’ve been through some shit with that asshole so I’m happy that he seems to be making an effort to do things that are actually nice and helpful.” You just nod as you try to focus on the page you’re reading in your book.

“Yeah it’s been-”

“I saw photos of him out with another girl last night.” You drop your book to your lap as Ethan lets out a sigh of relief, feeling ten times lighter now that he’s spilled the beans about something he wasn’t sure he was going to tell you about or not but he figures you deserve to know the whereabouts of the father of your children.

“What are you talking about?”

“I saw photos of Harry out with some chick in a god awful tacky green silk dress with yellow-”

“Ethan.”

“Right sorry.” He runs a hand through his hair as he turns his body a bit so he is facing you, but makes sure your feet are still comfortably resting in his lap. “He was out at some club with her and they left hand in hand and got into his car and the only reason I known it was his car is because I recognized the driver.”

“Is that all?” Ethan raises an eyebrow at your question because you’re handling this rather differently than he expected.

“Uh yeah-yeah that’s all.”

“That’s okay.” You say with a slow nod before you grab your book. “He’s single he can be seen with whoever he wants.” You explain as you turn to the page you were just on, ignoring the look of confusion on Ethan’s face and the way your heart feels like it just dropped to the pit of your stomach.

“It’s okay if it’s not okay you know that right? He’s the father of your babies and it’s perfectly normal to feel attached to him in a way that no one will ever understand.” You can’t look at Ethan as he speaks or you’ll lose it so he just gives your feet a little squeeze before he reaches over and grabs the book out of your hands. “Look at me.” He says as he tosses your book onto your coffee table, you slowly look from your hands that are resting on your bump over to his face and then finally you meet his stare.

“He told me he had plans with his mom last night. That’s why he couldn’t come over to help put up the curtains I got for the nursery but he said he’d do it the next time he’s here to make my juice.” Ethan lets out a sigh as he watches your eyes get glossy as you let him in on a piece of information that you weren’t going to share with him because it seemed unimportant until now.

“God this wouldn’t be happening if you would’ve went with Zayn for your baby daddy.” His voice is serious but you know he’s joking as he reaches for one of your hands.

“Zayn wasn’t an option.” You explain with a sniffle as you try to stop the tears from falling with a few blinks.

“That’s a shame because that man is-”

“Was she pretty?” You mumble as you look away from Ethan and down at his hand that’s got a firm hold of yours as it rests on your bump. You don’t know why you asked because you know it doesn’t matter but you can’t help but be curious.

“Fuck no. She was hideous.” He watches the corners of your mouth twitch as you fight off a smile. “You’re the hottest woman that man has ever been with. Hands down.”

“You’re just saying that so I won’t cry.”

“No I’m not.” He argues as he gives your hand a squeeze. “I’m saying it so you’ll make me the godfather.” He smiles at the sound of your laughter even if it’s a littler watery sounding it’s better than the sound of you bawling your eyes out, that’s one sound he is sick of hearing from you. “I love you. You’re going to be okay.” You let out a sigh as you give his hand a squeeze making him smile.

“Thank you. I love you too.” With that Ethan lets go of your hand so he can lean over and grab your book off the coffee table and hand it back to you. The two of you silently deciding that you’ve had your fill of gossip for the evening so he picks up his phone with one hand and scrolls his social media pages while his other lazily rubs at your ankles. While you try to focus on the words on the page of your book you can’t help but let your mind wonder to the reasons why Harry would lie to you and if you should even bring it up to him. But as you get comfortable on the couch and Ethan lets out a soft sigh you decide that you’ll just deal with Harry later and enjoy your time with one of your bestfriends, refusing to let the man with the big dumb green eyes ruin anymore of your evening.

[clarii]

Title: Just Chilling

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: Eddie Munson wasn’t your boyfriend- at least, that’s what he told people. But after one careless moment at a gig shatters everything, he realizes too late that losing you is the last thing he ever wanted. Now, he has one chance to fix it, and he’s willing to put his heart on the line to do it.

Warnings: Angst, hurt/comfort, mild language, fluffy ending

Eddie Munson wasn’t your boyfriend.

At least, that’s what he told people.

But if you asked anyone else, they’d swear otherwise. The way he held your hand absentmindedly, thumb tracing circles over your knuckles. The way he always pulled you onto his lap instead of letting you sit anywhere else. The way he kissed your forehead before dropping you off at home, murmuring a soft “ Sleep tight, sweetheart.”

If he wasn’t your boyfriend, then what was he?

It was a question that lingered in the back of your mind more than you wanted to admit. But you never asked, because Eddie-loud, dramatic, full-of-himself Eddie- shut down when things got too real. You weren’t stupid. You saw the way he stiffened whenever the word relationship was mentioned. You heard the way he brushed off questions about love like they were ridiculous.

Still, he acted like he was yours. So you let yourself believe maybe, someday, he’d say it out loud.

Then came the night that shattered everything.

Eddie’s band, Corroded Coffin, had landed a gig at The Hideout- a bigger crowd than usual, packed with regulars and newcomers alike. You were there, of course, front and center like always. His biggest fan.

He caught your eye as they set up, flashing that boyish grin that made your stomach flip. You winked at him, and he tilted his head, mouthing, For me?

You rolled your eyes but nodded. He knew you hated being in crowded, sweaty places like this, yet here you were. For him.

The show was electric. Eddie was in his element- head-banging, fingers flying over his guitar, voice rough and wild as he screamed into the mic. And you? You were completely lost in him.

Then, during a break between songs, someone from the crowd called out, “Hey, Munson! That your girl?”

Eddie looked up, confused.

The guy gestured toward you, smirking. “The one you’ve been making heart eyes at all night.”

The crowd laughed. Your cheeks burned.

Eddie hesitated, glancing at you for half a second. You felt it then- that flicker of uncertainty, the moment where he could choose to claim you.

Then he shrugged.

“Nah, man. We’re just chilling.”

Just. Chilling.

The words hit harder than any guitar riff.

You barely heard the crowds reaction, barely noticed Gareth giving Eddie a What the hell, dude? kind of look. Because the only thing you could focus on was the way your stomach twisted, the way your heart squeezed so tight it physically hurt.

Eddie turned back to his guitar, ready to jump into the next song- until he saw you.

Or rather, saw your back.

You were already walking away.

His fingers froze on the strings. Panic surged through him like a bolt of electricity.

You weren’t staying to watch the rest of the show.

You weren’t waiting for him after.

You were leaving.

And that’s when he knew.

He fucked up.

—

Eddie barely made it through the rest of the set. His head wasn’t in it anymore, and he knew the guys could tell. The moment they finished, he shoved his guitar into its case and bolted out the back door, scanning the parking lot for you.

Nothing.

His heart pounded. You always waited for him after his shows, always teased him about the way he got lost in the music, always let him wrap his arms around you and press a sweaty, breathless kiss to your temple.

Not tonight.

Tonight, he was alone.

—

You ignored his calls. His knocks at your window. His voice outside your house at midnight, begging you to just talk to him.

Each day that passed without you felt like a slow, agonizing punishment.

For the first time in his life, Eddie Munson was terrified.

Because he realized something.

You weren’t his.

And he had no one to blame but himself.

—

The next Corroded Coffin gig rolled around a week later. Eddie couldn’t bring himself to care. Playing didn’t feel the same without knowing you were there, watching, cheering, rolling your eyes at how much of a show-off he was.

But he had an idea. A desperate, last-ditch effort.

And he needed help.

So, he did something he rarely ever did.

He asked his friends for it.

It was Robin and Dustin who came to your house that night.

“Look,” Robin started, hands on her hips. “ you know you don’t want to see him, and honestly, he’s been a colossal dumbass, but-”

“He’s miserable”, Dustin interrupted. “Like, really miserable. And he wants to fix it.”

You crossed your arms, unmoved. “Then he can come here and say that himself.”

Robin sighed. “He wants you to come to The Hideout. Just for a few minutes. No pressure to stay. No tricks. Just…hear him out.”

You hesitated.

Going back to the place where it all fell apart? Where you felt humiliated? Where Eddie made you feel like you were nothing to him?

Yeah, no thanks.

But…if he really wanted to fix things, why would he bring you there?

Unless-

“Did he say what he’s gonna do?” you asked suspiciously.

Dustin grinned. “Nope. But I do know he’s been pacing like a lunatic and mumbling to himself all day.”

Robin smirked. “That means he’s planning something big.”

You chewed on your lip.

And against your better judgment….you caved.

—

When you walked into The Hideout that night, the first thing you noticed was how Eddie was already on stage, gripping the mic with white-knuckled hands.

The second thing you noticed?

The way his eyes locked onto you the second you stepped inside.

Everyone else faded. The noise, the crowd, the band. It was just you and him.

He took a deep breath. Then, with everyone watching, he said-

“ I lied.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, confused.

Eddie’s gaze didn’t waver from yours. “Last time we were here, someone asked me if you were my girl. And I said, ‘We’re just chilling’.

A beat of silence.

“That was the biggest lie I’ve ever told.”

The entire bar went still.

Eddie licked his lips, voice raw. “You are my girl. You always were. And I was a fucking coward for not saying it.”

Your throat tightened.

Eddie shook his head, almost laughing at himself. “ I was scared. Scared that if I made it real, you’d realize I wasn’t good enough for you. That you’d leave.” His voice dropped. “But I lost you anyway.”

You swallowed hard, feeling every eye on you.

Eddie took a shaky breath. “So, I’m saying it now, in the place where I ruined it. In front of everyone.” His voice was steady now, sure. “You’re my girl. And I love you.”

Your heart stopped.

He loved you.

Tears burned at the corners of your eyes.

Eddie’s expression softened. “ I know I don’t deserve it, but… if you’ll have me, I want to be yours. Officially.”

The silence stretched.

Then, finally-

You stepped forward.

Eddie barely had time to react before you grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down into a desperate, breathless kiss.

The crowd exploded, but all you could hear was the pounding of his heart against yours.

Eddie Munson was yours.

And this time, he wasn’t afraid to say it.

[sotwk]

Not A Bad Thing (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Inspired by the song lyric: "Don’t act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me." Not a Bad Thing by Justin Timberlake

Word count: 1.7 k Genre tags: romance, hurt/comfort, love confession, pining, idiots in love, friends to lovers Rating: Teen Content Warnings: Brief mentions of implied abuse. Tons of sap with a side of cheese. It's indulgent, okay? ;) To Read on AO3: LINK

Not A Bad Thing

Bucky Barnes x Reader

“May I come in?” he asked with gentility borne from manners of a bygone era. On top of that, he observed the etiquette of the digital age, and texted you that morning to ask first whether he could drop by for a visit. 

Maybe saying yes had been a mistake. Maybe you should have heeded logic instead of gut reaction. But after last night, your mind remained too cloudy to process logic.

The vibe between you was suffocating as you settled into the living room, even with the TV on in the background to drown out the silence. As though this was your first time alone in a room together. Never mind the many all-nighters spent hanging out over boxes of Thai takeout, you pounding out thesis edits on your laptop while he snorted and guffawed at his latest survival show binge--a ritual developed over the course of a year that finally helped you cross the finish line to your Master’s. If only you had discovered sooner that the solution to your crippling focus and anxiety issues lived just two floors above you. 

“I want to make sure you're okay,” Bucky finally said. Never one to hedge around a difficult conversation, one of the most refreshing things about his friendship. As he studied your face for answers his eyes were soft, not judging. Nonetheless, you couldn’t help but duck behind the rumpled curtains of your unbound hair.

“I’m fine.” You inhaled a bracing breath and tugged the cuff of your sweater past your wrist. “It’ll be fine.” You’ve been repeating that to yourself all day, and were just about convinced of it. 

“It will be,” Bucky agreed. “As long as that asshole doesn’t show his face around here.”

You straightened up abruptly. “Don’t say that--”

“I’m serious. If I run into him in this building again, or see him within a hundred feet of you, there will definitely be a problem.” You saw his gloved hand clench into a fist, and a conflicting mix of worry and satisfaction swirled in you. Preston had threatened to do the same to your oblivious neighbor multiple times, never realizing that it didn’t matter that he was a taller and bigger man and a self-crowned Alpha who always got his way. Bucky would have him eating carpet before he could take a swing. 

“He’s not worth getting yourself into trouble over.” 

“He’s not. But you are.” His calm tone was cracking, his demeanor darkening with each word. “He owes you an apology. He should be on his knees begging for forgiveness he doesn’t even deserve to get.”

“It was an argument.” You tugged on your sleeve again. “A bad one, the worst one. But the last one. He and I are done.”

Bucky said your name, sternly but gently, spoken in a way that seemed to pry off the shield you had flung up to keep him from the truth. Your pulse quickening, you dropped your gaze to the floor. “I don’t know how much you heard last night--”

“I heard all of it--and more,” he said. “I know last night was one of many. I know how he’s been treating you for weeks now. I hate myself for never saying a word about it.”

The admission should not have shocked you. Superhuman hearing would pick up regular conversations from the next building over, much less a couple of floors away, and Preston had taken to unloading his frustrations at increasingly high volume on his more recent visits.

“The way he spoke to you, the things he called you--” Bucky stopped short, his jaw tight with rage that he needed a moment to tamp back down.

Bitch. Whore. Despite the sting of Preston’s words, you felt a wash of relief that your now ex-boyfriend had taken off before Bucky appeared at your door last night to check on you. You wondered at the restraint it had taken your friend to hold off as long as he did, and to let you turn him away, if he truly had overheard everything. 

Because of the other half of the story. The other things that Preston and you were yelling at each other about; the primary cause of all those escalating fights. 

“It was my fault.” The statement jumped from your mouth, escaping you in your weakness.  “He--he was already drunk and upset, and I made him even angrier. He was SO angry…”

You sniffled and pressed the heels of your palms against your welling eyes. Suddenly Bucky was crouched right in front of you, clasping two hands around your forearm. His ungloved thumb brushed lightly, but purposefully, over the bruised muscle underneath your sweater. He knew. Of course he did.

“Don’t put this on yourself,” he said. “Nothing excuses his behavior. Not even…”  There was a pause, only for the second it took him to push through his hesitation.  “....not even if the things he said are true.”

Your whole body stiffened in flight response, and when you pulled your arm away, he released his grip, again proving he was the exact opposite of Preston. Again demonstrating exactly how he had stolen your heart away from the guy you’d been with since high school, with you barely noticing.

“You did nothing wrong,” Bucky continued. “Neither did I.  But I wanted to… I…” He laid his hand briefly over his mouth, a half-hearted attempt to stuff back in the cat already out of the bag. “I was tempted to. So, so badly. Even just to say something.” 

“You wanted to warn me about him,” you said miserably. 

Bucky shook his head. “I clocked his jealousy the day I met him, but I couldn’t blame him for that. Any guy with a brain should be scared of losing you. But after a while, I started to realize he did have a serious reason to worry.”

Realizing where this was heading, you felt a nauseating twist in your stomach. “I can explain. It--I didn’t mean to--” You bolted to your feet and stepped around him, propelled by the need to run from your own embarrassment. You moved as far away from him as possible before the wall stopped you.

Where should you start apologizing for this mess?  For calling on him regularly to spend late nights, sometimes overnight, at your apartment, appointing him your “study buddy” as though you were some middle-schooler? For declaring him your “good luck charm”, making him feel obligated to keep coming? For ignoring the fact that you’d been spending far more time with the handsome neighbor than your own boyfriend, maybe as a subconscious retaliation for said boyfriend always choosing the company of his Goldman-Sachs colleagues over yours, while simultaneously accusing your grad studies of eating into “his” time? Or perhaps, the cherry on top that sent Preston over the edge: inviting Bucky to join last night’s celebration for the completion of your thesis, “just for the pre-dinner drinks”.

“The only thing I want to know is whether any of the stuff that guy went on like a lunatic about is true. Was he right?” Bucky pointed to you, then himself, in a back and forth gesture. “You and me…do you… are we--”

“Wait, wait.” He threw up both hands. “Don’t answer. If I make one more dumb mistake, I’d be just as much of a pig as he is.”

He strode forward, and there was just something in his approach that not only kept you from skittering away, but drew you in. Even as you stared at the toes of your socks, you shuffled a few steps closer.

“If you hadn't kept asking me to come over and keep you company, I would have found some way, any excuse, to invite myself,” he said. “The nights I've spent with you have given me peace I haven't felt in a hundred years. I was never going to give that up.”

As soon as he was close enough, he reached for your hand. Slowly, making sure you showed no resistance. The touch of his bare hand against yours for the first time sent tears flooding from your eyes, now that you could accept the fact that you've been so hungry for it this whole time. 

“I should have said something the minute I saw things weren't right between you two. I knew you were too good for him, but I was a coward. I didn't know if I could handle not being able to convince you to choose me instead. I didn't want to risk losing you as a friend, even though I always wanted to be more. And have more of us, more of you.”

“Bucky.” Your voice was so small and tight in your throat you could barely hear yourself. “You're the one who's too good for me.”

He snorted. “No offense, but that's the biggest load of crock I've ever heard.”

“I handled everything wrong! I used you, I used Preston…”

“What else is a man supposed to do but make himself useful to the woman he loves?!” he exclaimed suddenly. “How else will you decide which one is worth your time?”

“But Preston--’”

“...he hurt you when he thought he might be losing you.” Bucky said. “While it killed me everyday to know you were with him. But if he’s what you wanted, I was willing to take what little piece of you I could have.”

“That's what drove him crazy,” you whispered. “He noticed you weren't holding just a little piece of me.”

His tense expression broke into a grin, and when you glanced up at the right time to see it, his gaze locked onto yours. You sniffed, swept your free hand over your splotchy cheeks, and smiled back.

“God…” he muttered, sliding his hand from your wrist up to your elbow, tugging you a bit closer. “You’re so beautiful.” For a second, he looked embarrassed. “Sorry. There’s a lot of things I’ve been holding back from telling you, and now the dam’s finally burst.”

“A lot of things?” Your hand ascended his shoulder to curl around the collar of his jacket. “Funny, I have only one thing to say.”

“I’m listening.” The arm he wrapped around your waist was impossibly gentle for something made of literal steel.

“I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”

“And that’s a good thing, right?” This close to yours, his eyes were strikingly blue with intensity. “That makes you happy?”

“You’ve always made me happy.”

What little space remained between you disappeared in the circle of his arms, and he paused long enough to chuckle against the corner of your mouth. “And to think I’m finally just getting started.”

Want more Bucky? SotWK's MCU Masterlist

[opheliachoi99]

Toothbrush ლ

FEATURING : Reo Mikage, Kunigami Rensuke, Isagi Yoichi, Yukimiya Kenyu, and Nagi Seishiro

ABOUT : You're relationship was like into the point of "What are we?" type. Leaving your toothbrush at their place was their last straw.

note : got really busy because of uni.. But enjoy!!

❥･• Reo Mikage

— Reo was peacefully sleeping on his bed with only boxers on. You, as a cheeky person woke up early and prepped up and slowly left his room, leaving a letter on the pillow you used when you slept next to him.

— Time Skip —

Reo soon opens his eyes, as the sun hits his Iris. He turns to his side, expecting you to be there, but it was an empty spot, leaving Reo sulking.

"She's always like this. Does she even know what are we? Or has she not decided yet..." Reo asked himself, as he sat up from laying in bed. Then he turned to the spot you slept in and saw your letter.

Hey plum head~ I enjoyed last night, I went out early, got some errands to do, see you again anytime ;)

"Tch- reasons." Reo just threw your letter back to his bed and went in to the bathroom to freshen up.

He picked up a toothbrush, as he was gonna start brushing his teeth, he paused and scanned the toothbrush he was holding, it wasn't his..

It was yours.

"Fuck this." He placed your toothbrush and went to grab his phone back in his bedroom, and dialed your number.

...

"Hello? Hey plum head! You called?"

"Fuck this shit, come back here, right. now."

You felt shivers down your spine at his tone "Woah there, what happened? I'm coming back tomorrow to return your sweater dumbass" you teased "No. Now."

You went silent in the end of the line.

"What are we.." He suddenly added.

"What are we? Uhm... Friends?" You awkwardly replied.

"Friends don't do what we do, baby come back please and let's sleep all day. I have enough with this shit." He sighed. Your stomach felt a tingle "B-but I—"

"You left your toothbrush here. Are there other reasons not to come back right now?"

"HUH? I DID? SHIT" You slightly panicked and ended the call.

And a few minutes then, you immediately arrived. "That was quick" Reo smirked as he was sitting on the edge of his bed, still with only boxers on "I- uhm.. Hi?" You said as you slowly took off his sweater.

You got startled as he suddenly stood up and carried you in bridal style and threw you in bed "HEY! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"Stay. I had enough. Everytime I wake up in the morning I couldn't see that ravishing face of yours." He said as he suddenly kissed you "Now, answer me. What are we?"

You just stared at him filled with love in your eyes, and kissed him back, Reo was stunned.

"Guess.. Plum head."

❥･• Kunigami Rensuke

— Kunigami woke up and was about to hug you but, you were no longer there. "The heck?" He said with a bit if frustration in his tone. He sat up and spaced out for a moment and sighed.

"This woman sure knows how to play with me" He let out a cackle, and shook his head as he went to the bathroom.

He then saw your toothbrush. He just scoffed, grabbed his phone and took a picture both of your toothbrushes.

Rensuke : [ sent a photo ] Cute, like a married couple.

As he was about to put his phone down to brush his teeth, he heard a notification from his phone

You : [ HUH— I LEFT MY TOOTHBRUSH?! JUST GREAT- I'm so sorry T-T I'll get it back this Friday ]

Rensuke : [ Nah, now. Let's brush our teeth together ]

You : [ You gotta be fr- ]

Rensuke : [ Sent a photo ] In a few seconds imma dump this in the toilet >:) ]

He noticed you left him on seen, probably so pissed by the situation, he laughed. "That should do the trick."

— Time Skip —

As he finished showering, he suddenly heard someone barging on the door "KUNIGAMI RENSUKE! GET OUT THIS INSTANT!" He chuckled.

"Well it did work" He smirked, as he got out from the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around him "Wha— HEY!! GO CHANGE THE HECK?" He suddenly pounced you, leaving you laying in bed while he was hovering over you.

"Why do always leave me hanging like this.." He spoke as you two had a heavy eye contact "What do you mean?" You got startled as he suddenly kissed you "That."

Your lips suddenly went apart, not knowing what to say. "What are we... I don't want to be like this any longer... The toothbrush was my last straw." He cried.

"I love you!!" You suddenly screamed in his face, leaving him speechless.

"I love you okay!! Damn it.. I thought we're just gonna be friends, I guess we levelled up" You chuckled. He soon scooped you into a hug, and kissed you again.

"FINALLY!! WOOOO!! I CAN FINALLY CONFIRM I AM NO LONGER SINGLE!!" Both of you laughed while still laying in bed.

❥･• Isagi Yoichi

— Isagi woke up as he slowly went to the bathroom being unbothered. But then, he saw your toothbrush next to his. Staring at it for a while, then gasped as he realized.

"SHIT.." Was the word that first came out from his mouth. He quickly went back to the bedroom and saw the bed empty.

"You got to be kidding me.." He grabbed his phone and called you.

"C'mon, pick up the phone..."

...

"Hello? Yoichi?"

He gulped for a second before responding to you at the end of the line. "Where are you..?" He waited for you to reply. "Uhm.. Back home?"

"Oh c'mon, I feel so dumb right now.. Can you come back? It's always like this... You left your toothbrush here"

"Oh shit- REALLY? Can you bring it over?" You pleaded "I could, but I will not." He replied "AW— WHY? Just because it's "only" a toothbrush?"

"I want you to come back here, baby." You went silent.

"B-baby...?! Yoichi.. What's got into you?" "Why stuttering? I said what I said. Now come back, your baby needs you" You sighed "I guess it's time.." You ended the call.

"Huh? Time—?" You left Isagi dumbfounded at what you said.

— Time Skip —

"Yoichi..." You arrived as he stood immediately from bed "PLEASE PLEASE" He suddenly hugged you "Please, don't leave like that next time... You do this every single time..."

"But I thought we're just friends?" You tried to confirm "Do friends kiss each other at night? Make out at nigh—"

"OKAY OKAY I GET IT" You groaned as you stared at Isagi, looking back at you with his boba eyes. "What are we..."

"Okay, maybe I do love you.." "Only maybe?"

"I do. Love you. Yoichi." You sighed, but smiled. "There I said it."

Isagi gave you a peck on the lips "I love you too.. FINALLY I CAN GET TO SAY THAT" He pulled you back to his bed.

"Yoichi... Can you let go— you know what, nevermind, let's rot ourselves in bed the whole day" He hummed as he agreed with your idea. In which you two had closed your eyes and went back to sleep.

❥･• Nagi Seishiro

— Nagi woke up so late, he soon started to stretch his body, but instantly got up from bed because of his leg cramps from stretching.

"Ouch! Ouch!" He groaned. He lazily yawned once again and turned to see an empty space next to him.

"She's gone. Again." He sighed, he stood from his bed and went to the bathroom.

As he was still half asleep, he grabbed your toothbrush by mistake, he noticed beforehand. "This isn't mine.." He paused for a few minutes, he stared at his reflection in the mirror for a while.

"IT'S HERS.." His energy soon boosted through the roof, trying to find his phone. It took him a couple of minutes to notice his phone fell at the corner of his bed, "shit."

He soon tried to call you but didn't respond, leaving him pouting in bed. "She always leaves me like this.." He sighed.

— Time Skip —

You soon decided to return at Nagi's place with a bunch of foods from the convenience store, only to see Nagi laying in bed, staring at the ceiling with zero thoughts.

"Uh... Shiro? Hello? Yoohoo!! Brought breakfast for us— HEY!" He suddenly pulled you back to bed.

"Don't scare me like that again... Leaving without a trace..." He hugged you tightly.

"Uhm.. Shiro you okay? Has something bumped your head? Or are you just hungry?" You asked.

"What are we?" Your eyes widened as he asked the question so randomly "What?"

"I don't need to repeat it.. You heard what I said.." He stared at you blankly. "C'mon. Before I could say something crazy.."

"I.. I.."

"I love you." He whispered.

You froze, "Shiro..." "I love you. Don't leave me again like that please. I'm too lazy to wake up early, please don't leave without me noticing.."

You laughed "Shiro, you're so cute.." You gave him a kiss on the forehead "So was that an 'I love you too'? Hmm?" You chuckled.

"Well, I love you too..." You awkwardly reply "We're official now, you're mine now!" He cuddled you tightly in bed, leaving you feel ticklish. "SHIRO STOP!! IT'S TICKLISH!!" You couldn't stop laughing.

"Leave your toothbrush here so that everyone will know that my future wife is living with me."

"Toothbrush? HUH? I LEFT IT HERE?! "Shh... Let's go back to sleep.." He said as he laid your head in his chest, in which you felt warmth and slowly drifted to sleep, and Nagi lazily spoke with his chasmic voice.

"You can always leave a toothbrush at my place baby."

End.

[rafesbuzzcutseason]

chasing city lights

chapter 6 - you look good

synopsis: you move to new york to start fresh, hoping to find comfort in the city’s atmosphere. that’s when you meet sarah cameron, where she takes you to a concert and you catch sight of the lead band member, rafe cameron. it only takes a moment for you to realize you’re captivated by him. as sarah helps you navigate your new life in the city, you start to get pulled deeper into rafe's world—the music, the fame, the chaos. the more you get to know him, the more you realise that rafe is not just the rock star he seems to be. he’s wrestling with his own demons, and the last thing he needs is someone like you getting close.

masterlist

cw: lanuguage

✧˖ °. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁‧₊˚ ☾. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁˖°✧

you headed out of bed and made your way downstairs to where everyone was having breakfast, a rush of nerves taking over you entered the room, searching for the group.

you could feel rafe's gaze on you before you even looked in his direction, and when you did, you could see his eyes narrow, his look unreadable.

"there you are!" sarah spoke, "thought we were gonna have to leave without you." she laughed.

"don't be silly i just needed my beauty sleep." you laughed back. "what's the plan for today?"

"thought we could have a walk around a bit before we had to drive back?" cleo asked.

"sounds good" you said as you grabbed some pastries. "you gonna come rafe?" you asked him directly as he was yet to address you.

"i will if you are" he said quietly, making your heart skip a beat, his remark not going unoticed by the rest of the group.

jj cleared his throat, and a small smile played on sarah's lips, enjoying the small interaction between the two of you. "alright lets get going then, you guys ready?" she said.

"yeah lets go" topper said bluntly, a shift in his usual upbeat demeanour, but he quickly bounced back as you all made your way outside.

after a few hours walking around, you all made your way back to the hotel to pack up your things and get ready for the drive home. the boys had a flight to san francisco for their show before they were headed to LA for their last nights on tour there.

you had all made a rough plan to fly out to LA for the last show, making sure the whole group was there to celebrate the end of tour.

as everyone made their ways to their rooms, you hung behind with rafe, walking slower than the rest of the group, intenitally from you, and hoping it was for rafe also.

"how are you feeling to be finishing the tour?" you asked him, breaking the silence.

"sad, but ready for a long break and to spend some time at home" he replied leaning against the door as everyone got into their rooms.

you nodded understandingly, "LA will be good though. it'll be my first time there."

"no way? i'm gonna have to show you around then." he responded smugly.

"yeah?" you pushed.

"yeah." he smiled, "can't have you lost in the streets of LA now can we?" his height meaning he had to lean closer to you to get his words across.

"i guess we can't."

"i'm happy you're gonna be there." he added

"you are?'

"course." he responded quickly. "always nice to know there's a pretty girl in the crowd cheering me on." and with that, he turned away from you and made his way to his own room, leaving you flustered and stuck in your stance, taking in his words. pretty girl?

as you went to open the door, it flung open and sarah dragged you in.

"oh my god not to be a CREEP but i heard that all" she said excitedly. "y/n he likes you. i knew it i knew it!" she shut the door with an exagerated slam, not even giving you time to process what just happened.

"lord sarah what just happened." your voice barely above a whisper.

"he literally just called you pretty. i KNEW he was acting different around you, he's been so nervous." she squealed.

"are you sure it wasn't just rafe being rafe?"

"stop right there. look i'm not blind. it all makes sense now, the way he's always looking at you. i just thought he was trying to figure out his opinion on you, but he likes you. rafe isn't the type to throw out compliments like that, he's always playing it cool, he doesn't care about anything. but the way he just spoke to you? that was different"

"you don't mind?" you asked nervously.

"i would if i hadn't got to know you like i do now. i'm so protective of him and his whack ass fans, but i love you y/n, you've become my best friend in such a short time, i want you happy, and i want my brother happy. do you like him?"

"fuck, maybe. what does this mean?"

"i don't know, but i know LA is about to get a whole lot more interesting." she grinned. "come on let's hit the road and chat with the girls. we need to come up with a plan."

and with that, you finished packing and headed out the door, making your way to the car for the long drive home, where you were sure a lot would be unpacked.

✧˖ °. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁‧₊˚ ☾. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁˖°✧

a/n: feeding you all today, felt the slowburn needed to be RESOLVED. anyway just wanted to clarify you can tell who's ig story it is by the profile pic as i'm not sure if that was clear or not my bad

taglist: @hoefordrewstarkey @marleymarleymarleymarley @bee-43 @cherryhoneybabe @skye-44 @drewrry @drewrry  @yesterdaysproblemm @pogueprincesa @dylsdaily @rafeysworldim19 @valyrianflower @kaiparkerwifes @judesgfirl @4urvalidation

[hurtspideyparker]

Spideypool. Spideypool. Fluff. Like. Nice day for both.

"Oof!" a puff of air leaves Peter's mouth as he's jarred out of his sleep.

"Peteyyyyyyyy," comes the weight on his chest. "I missed you last night. You left me all alone! I only had those idiots to hang out with on patrol all night."

He pauses a moment. "Yes, I'm talking about you!" he says to himself. Well, not himself, but definitely not to Peter.

Peter brings a hand up to rub the grogginess out of his eyes, groaning and doing his best to stretch out under the all-encompassing body laying on top of him.

"Wade, I was sleeping."

"Ooo I love that morning voice. I could find deep sea fishies never before seen in that depth."

Peter sighs and closes his eyes again.

"Petey? Baby boy? You can't do this to me, I've missed you for forty years and forty nights. I just got you back. No, noooo!!!"

Two days. It's been two days.

Peter hums tiredly; there's no way he can fall back asleep with Deadpool whining in his ear.

"Wade I just finished my paper. Big, long, no-sleep paper. I went to bed 20 minutes ago."

Deadpool seems to shrink in on himself a little, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh. So you don't want the breakfast burritos I brought?"

Peter's stomach does growl at the scent of cheesy eggs and bacon, but he can't get himself to sit up (and no, it has nothing to do with the 200 pounds of muscle curled on top of him).

"Ughhh. Maybe later. I think I'm just gonna close my eyes a little longer. You can do whatever," Peter murmurs, already slipping back under.

Deadpool gasps, which really should have been Peter's first warning, before he's suddenly being pelted with dozens of kisses all over his face.

"Ah! Wade, that hehe hA that tickles!"

Deadpool's lips are quick yet deadly, the light brush of them feather light. When they travel down his cheek to his jawline Peter tilts his head back in laughter, giving full access for his neck to be attacked next. That really gets him, a big gasping laugh jerked out of him at the tickling of his weak spot above his Adam's apple, and next thing he knows they're tumbling off the side of the bed in a tangle of giggles and bedsheets.

Peter lands on Deadpool this time, his strong arms immediately wrapping around Peter in a warm support.

"Oh my god..." Peter says breathlessly with the last dregs of laughter. "What was that?!"

"You said do whatever, and I wanted to kiss all your cute little freckles."

Deadpool presses one last kiss to the tip of Peter's nose, "there, got em all!"

The kiss-drunk man hides his blooming cheeks into the softness of Deadpool's chest, rubbing against the material of his dark hoodie.

"Mm. That's cool..." his voice fades out.

"Petey?"

Soft snores come in reply.

Deadpool looks down at the tuffs of unruly curls and pulls Peter closer to him.

"Welp, guess I'll stay here then."

Deadpool settles into the floor like the perfect boyfriend pillow he is.

[starredblood]

NOWHERE GIRL

PART TWELVE

kang sae-byeok x fem!reader

synopsis: when ji-yeong goes missing you and sae-byeok go on a fever dream goose chase.

wc. 4.1k

warnings: a bit of physical altercation and the usual angst TT

(nowhere girl masterlist)

Your first day after cutting ties with your parents officially was dull. But in the best way. Your entire day was just waking up to head to school and then you headed straight to the art gallery. The workaholic trait both your parents have finally rubbed off on you, it’s addicting to stay away from home so you can’t bear the thoughts that try to consume your mind.

But now that the day is officially over, you enter the apartment. It’s so quiet and dark once you enter, it frightens you all the time.

You groggily remove your shoes and rip off the buttons on your button-up shirt, ready to let sleep overtake you.

When you finish doing to night routine and put on your comfiest pajamas you throw yourself onto the bed and let your muscles finally get some rest.

It was only eight o’ clock but were so tired that you didn’t even do your usual phone scrolling down a social media rabbit hole tonight.

The loud banging coming from the entrance door distrusted your half lulled state. You gasp yourself awake and press your palm to your beating chest. At first you thought you were experiencing a nightmare but the banging continued. It was like whoever was standing on the other side wanted to tear the door open.

As you descended down the stairs you take a deep breath before looking into the peephole. You cross your fingers hoping that danger isn’t lurking next to your apartment.

Your heart skips a beat when you see that it was Sae-byeok all along. Without further thinking you open the door with a great speed.

“Hey, are you—“

“Ji-yeong never came home since she left yesterday.” Sae-byeok says, her voice shaking horribly.

Her body was stiff, pale in the face, and she looks like she had seen a ghost.

Your stomach twists up hearing the news. “W—What?”

“Please, help me.” she begs, her deep voice replaced by something small and desperate.

“Yeah, of course.” you say without further hesitation. “But, Cheol—?”

“I dropped him off with my neighbor.”

You nod. “Let me get my jacket.”

It takes you less than a minute to head out the door. You didn’t put too much thought into the fact that you still had on your pajamas or that you were sporting your indoor slippers.

“Can you track her on your phone?” you ask her once you both ran out the building.

“Yeah, but it says she’s offline.” Sae-byeok says, running her hands through her short unruly hair in exasperation. “Fuck, I’m scared what if Deok-su actually got to her?”

“Come on let’s think before we jump into the worst conclusions.” you reassure her, reaching to grab her arms to prevent her from ripping her hair off of her scalp. “You said she had to do something important yesterday, right?”

Sae-byeok’s eyes move around rapidly, trying to collect her thoughts quickly as possible. “She went to visit her dad in Daejeon prison. I—I called but they said she left last night.”

“Maybe she got lost or something and could be wandering near the prison?”

“Could be.” Sae-byeok says, breathily. “But Daejeon is a big city how the hell are we going to find her?”

“Let’s think of a way to get there first and we’ll move on from there, okay?”

Sae-byeok, who’s at this point hyperventilating, doesn’t seem convinced but she doesn’t have a better plan than that so she just nods.

You pull out your phone to find the directions to the prison. “That’s a pretty far commute. We have to take the subway then the bullet train. That’s the only method of transportation she could take to go that far.”

“I—I can’t afford a twenty dollar ticket.” Sae-byeok mutters.

“Just pay me back by buying me a meal one of these days, okay? Let’s go!” you say, yanking Sae-byeok’s arm and running on foot to the nearest subway station.

After the twenty minute subway ride, you got dazed by the complicated maze that was navigating the railway for the bullet train. Running around like headless chickens, Sae-byeok finally figured out the location of the bullet train that was departing in five minutes.

“I should’ve brought water bottles.” you say, out of breath. You sink down in a seat after successfully making it the last second inside the bullet train.

Sae-byeok’s heavy breathing was loud beside you. She presses the back of her head on the seat and stares at the ceiling possibly still in fight or flight mode.

“It’s an hour train ride what if—what if we can’t make it on time?” Sae-byeok whispers, her eyes shinier than usual.

You’re in disbelief that her of all people would cry so you convince yourself that it was just the reflection of the light perfectly hitting her irises.

You check your phone’s map again. “We could look around any late night spots near the prison like…like restaurants, or motels, or convenience stores. Oh, do you have a recent photo of Ji-yeong?”

Sae-byeok is unresponsive. You shot your head up and saw that her eyes are shut tightly and her lips quivering. So you go and place your hand gently on of top of one of her trembling ones, waiting for her to look at you.

“If we can’t find her tonight we will report her missing to the police but let’s stay hopeful, okay?” you reassure her. “Ji-yeong is strong and resourceful.”

Sae-byeok still remains silent, the stress of losing her best friend is overwhelming. You understand that this is a weight too unbearable to sit on and that Sae-byeok isn’t going to be rationally thinking until Ji-yeong is found safe and sound.

Your head began throbbing due to dehydration and the stress of coming up with a thousand scenarios to what might’ve happened to Ji-yeong.

Back in high school, Ji-yeong was always known as a rebel child often defying her elders. You would often hear stories about how she used to like wandering around the neighborhood in the middle of the night smoking and drinking because her home life was unbearable. There was a point in your life when you judged her for it. But when she came to your doorstep the summer before senior year, you welcomed her in after seeing the look of distraught on her face. Like she witnessed something unimaginable to the human psyche.

Ji-yeong never revealed why she ran away from home but you had the rumors and the various hints she left. And with the piece of viable information Sae-byeok gave you, you probably have a few assumptions never to be spoken aloud. It astounded you how much grit and determination she had to keep trudging forward. And you are sure that if she truly got lost in the streets of Daejeon, that she would find a way to maintain herself. But you just hope that she isn’t scared shitless right now.

“This is it.” Sae-byeok low voice breaks you from your looming thoughts. She nudges you in the ribcage to get off your seat.

“The prison isn’t far from the station. So, I guess we can start looking around here.” you say a once you both get off the train station. “Maybe she’s in a train lobby or somewhere with customer service.”

After an hour, you guys searched every section of this large train station. You knocked out on very stall and talked to any workers that were still around this late at night but not a single sign of Ji-yeong was seen. Your legs are cramping up but you try shaking the feeling away.

You could visibly see the hope in Sae-byeok’s eyes die down with every minute that passes by. That’s when you suggest to look around the nearby areas.

The streets of Daejeon was bustling with activity as it was a Friday night and it was time for partygoers to arise from hibernation of the weekday. However, it wouldn’t be too hard for Sae-byeok to spot her with her height difference compared to yours. Her eyes dart around the crowds of people like an eagle.

After last nights rain, the air was hot and humid and you already began sweating profusely not to mention being surrounded by other peoples clammy bodies. You were feeling delirious and your heart couldn’t stop racing but try to hold it together. Deep down you know Sae-byeok needs you to be the calm one in this situation.

“There’s a motel nearby, let’s go ask there.” you suggest and lead her to where the map is suggesting you should go.

A ten minute walk lead you guys to the small motel secluded in this bright lively city.

“Hi, ma’am,” you greet hurriedly at the clerk. “our friend is missing, do you know if you’ve seen this girl possibly rent a room here?”

Sae-byeok whips her phone out and shoves the picture of Ji-yeong at the clerks face, startling her.

“Sorry, I haven’t here and I’ve been here since noon.” the worker says after inspecting the photo carefully.

“Fucking hell.” Sae-byeok groans.

“Thank you, ma’am.” you quickly bow and lead Sae-byeok out the motel, ignoring the scowl growing on the motel workers face.

“What’s your great plan now, huh?” Sae-byeok scoffs.

“Hey, I know this is a high stress situation but don’t lash out on me right now, okay?” you snip and go back to your phone.

Sae-byeok paces back and forth in front of you while your fingers rapidly type other possible motels nearby you can ask.

That’s when you hear Sae-byeok mumble your name and tug the hem of your sleeve. You look and question at the person she’s pointing at.

“Is that Ji-yeong’s purse?”

Sae-byeok’s face turns stone cold, but her dilated pupils tell a different story. She looks like she’s ready to pounce on whoever she’s glaring at. You swallow thickly peering ahead and look at the homeless man lying against the wall of a closed shop. He’s layered in multiple blankets and beside him is a bright orange flap purse you vividly recall seeing before.

“It—It looks like it.” you mutter. Now, it was time for you to panic.

Next thing you know, Sae-byeok is on the other side of the street and on top of the man who desperately tries calling for help.

“Sae-byeok!” you cry out and run in the middle of heavy traffic to get across. When you make it Sae-byeok has her pocket knife pressed on his neck.

“You’re seriously asking for help right now when you stole my friend’s purse?!” she bellows, her grip on his coat getting tighter as she shakes him violently. “What did you do to her?!”

The man starts vibrating in fear, his eyes popping out of his skull. “I—I—I stole it earlier today from a lady at—at—“

“Hurry up and say it!”

You glance around nervously, a few people in their cars and passerby’s are throwing looks and you’re scared one of them might get the police involved.

“At the train station!” he answers fast.

Sae-byeok adds more pressure to the pocket knife on his skin. “You’re lying, fucker.”

“No, I swear! I ran—she chased me all the way to the supermarket but she ended up losing me there. I—I swear please!”

“Is it, Local Food Farmers?” you ask him after searching the nearest supermarket.

“Yes, yes that one! That’s the last place I seen her yes!”

Sae-byeok throws him back on the ground with mighty force, making him land with a thud. She snatches the purse back and pulls you to run away from the scene she just caused.

“I don’t see any cash on here.” Sae-byeok growls, rummaging through Ji-yeong’s purse. “I should go back and—“

“Hey, stop it!” you hiss, pressing a firm hand on her chest to prevent her from turning back around. “Fighting a homeless man isn’t going to help us find Ji-yeong faster.”

Sae-byeok sighs in defeat and continues walking, still inspecting every item in Ji-yeong’s bag.

Of course, the supermarket was closed a long time ago and nowhere around the vicinity were there any signs of Ji-yeong as all the surrounding shops had been long closed as well besides a club down the road. While you were biting your nails, anxiously trying to find a solution on your phone maps, Sae-byeok’s sinks down on the edge of the sidewalk and burys her face on her hands.

“She’s nearby, Sae-byeok. You have her purse so we know she has to be here.” you say reassuringly, bending down to pat her back. “It’s so obvious now what happened. When she left she got mugged just as she was about to go to the train station and I bet her phones probably dead too so she’s trying to find a way to contact us.”

“If her phones dead wouldn’t she ask for someone else’s to call me?” Sae-byeok says muffled as her face was still covered.

She was right but you didn’t want to agree to make her more nervous. So, you pry her up and suggest walking around the block one more time. You didn’t want to admit it but you were also starting to lose hope.

“It’s midnight.” you sigh. “Should we go to the police?”

Sae-byeok removes her hands off of her face and becomes expressionless, like she was trying to dissociate from the situation. It was starting to worry you more.

“I think it’ll be more beneficial if we go—“

You stop mid sentence and gasp at the feeling of a cold sticky hand touching slight skin on your waist.

“What’re you doing out here in your pajamas, hon?” slurs a drunken man. You whip around to face a business man whose outfit is sloppily thrown on. He stumbles backwards to eye your entire body before skidding to get closer to your face. “Looks like you’re trying to make it to the bedroom quicker.” he reaches over to grab your arm.

Your flight or fight response kicked in and you use all your strength to hit him square in the face. Immediately, you felt awful watching how he stumbled backwards and landed on his rear end. You don’t know why your brain made you feel so guilty, he deserved it.

“Fuck that hurt!” you wince clutching your bruised knuckles.

“You little bitch I think you—you fucking broke my nose!” he stammers, dropping his bottle of alcohol to clutch his nose. The club goers down the block began watching and recording the commotion, you could hear their murmuring. “I’ll teach you—!”

The man tries getting back up to lurch towards you again until Sae-byeok goes and kicks his chest causing him to fall back down on the sidewalk. She grabs your non injured hand and quickly drags you both away from the scene.

“Where are we going?” you whine, your knuckles still throbbing in pain.

“A convenience store to get an ice pack for that.” she says, throwing you a quick frown. “I think I saw one down here.”

“But the police station is on the store side!”

“You’re injured—!”

“We are going to waste time, Sae-byeok!” you say, putting your foot down. She scoffs at your stubbornness. “Hey, don’t look at me like that! The pain will go away—“

“Your hand is all red!”

“It’s not like I broke any bones!” you protest and start walking the opposite way and hope that the man you just punched isn’t still there. Sae-byeok tries to pull you back but you swat your arm back. “Stop it! If it still hurts after we go to the police station then we will go to a convenience store, okay?”

“Ugh! Why are you being like this?” she barks back. “You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.” she grumbles lower but you heard it clear as day.

You huff in frustration and keep marching to the police station with her stomping angrily behind you.

There was heavy tension between the two of you the entire walk to the police station. You felt bad for throwing a fit when Sae-byeok was trying to help, but her last comment to you pained you a little and got in the way of you apologizing.

“Hello ladies, how may I help you?” says the police officer unenthusiastically at the front desk.

You send Sae-byeok a glare, hearing her mutter how annoyed she was with you again. But you quickly clear your throat before speaking.

“Hi, sir, we’d like to report a missing person. Her name is Park Jiyeong and she was last seen near here last night after getting mugged by a homeless man.” you explain, forcing a tight lipped smile.

The officer doesn’t respond right away and gives you an odd look. He turns around in his swivel chair and whistles over to one of his co-workers.

“Hey, Officer Lee, didn’t you arrest a young lady last night named, Park Ji-yeong?” he calls out to the worker.

“What?!” you and Sae-byeok say in unison.

The co-worker, in the middle of his meal, pauses mid-chew and nods casually before going back to eating.

“What did she do?” you say, appalled.

“Fought a homeless man and injured one of our officers—accidentally I think is what my partner said but let me figure that out.” he says with a sigh and stands up from his seat. You and Sae-byeok exchange worried glances. “To bail her out one of you needs to fill out the paperwork. Take a seat in the waiting room first and I’ll have you fill it out.”

When you both sat down in the waiting room, Sae-byeok starts shaking her legs uncontrollably, clearly freaking out. You bite your lip trying to decide whether you should try to talk to her or not. But you decide against it, feeling like you’ll only irritate her more than she already is. At least you stopped thinking about your swollen hand.

When the officer comes back you stand up to go fill the paperwork.

“Do…” you hesitate speaking as you read over the paperwork. “Do we have to pay any bail money?”

“Although she elbowed the officer by accident. However, legally speaking she needs to await trial,” he explains. That’s when your body starts leaving your soul. “but it’s been a long day so just fill that paperwork out and…stay out of trouble.” he raises a brow at your bruised hand which is of course your dominant one that you’re singing the paperwork with.

“Oh my god, yes of course officer thank you thank you we will!” you beam and deeply bow before finishing off the paperwork grinning ear to ear.

“Ji-yeong!”

After twenty more minutes of waiting, Sae-byeok throws herself on top of Ji-yeong once she arrived at the waiting room, squeezing her tightly. This reconciliation made tears brim from the corner of your eyes, you couldn’t believe it just yet.

Ji-yeong looked a mess. Her mascara completely smudged, her hair was tired up messily and she had a faint scratch mark on her chin. However she had a huge smile of relief seeing you both in front of her—you are sure she thinks you two are a figment of her imagination as well.

“About fucking time.” Ji-yeong sighs in relief. “I can’t wait to charge my phone and catch up on my—“

“Why the hell didn’t you call me?!” Sae-byeok queries loudly. Your breathing pauses when you actually saw a tear roll down the stone faced girls cheek.

“I don’t know your phone number but I asked the officer to look up your bakery and call them but no one answered and I could only make one call!” Ji-yeong whines, rubbing the sides of her temples. “My dad is a heartless monster, I got robbed, they threw me in jail and now you’re yelling at me…So, can we just go home so I can go to my room and cry?”

“Have you eaten anything yet though?” you frown. “Do you want to get something here on me?”

“No, let’s get out of here I want nothing to do with Daejeon anymore!”

“You’re fucking unbelievable.” Sae-byeok hisses, wiping her tears furiously with the end of her sleeves.

“I’m sorry,” Ji-yeong frowns. “to both of you. Thank you for coming for me though. I—I was starting to believe for a second that no one would actually come looking for me.” she mutters softly. You can’t even imagine to have the braveness Ji-yeong possesses. She starts sniffling but trying her best not to become teary like you two are. “Can we go now please?”

No one muttered a single word the entire ride back home. It was hard to process the events that unfolded and every so often you would check up on the girls who sat in between you, dazed in their own thoughts. You are sure they both share the same migraine you are suffering through right now.

By the time you all arrived at their apartment it was three o’ clock in the morning. The girls didn’t question your presence once you entered inside with them. It was like you never left back in March.

Sae-byeok enters two minutes later with a groggily Cheol who she was cradling like a baby over to their room. You hear Ji-yeong slam the door to her room loudly while you were heating up water on a pot to make tea to help calm any unsettled nerves.

“You still remember where everything is?” you heard Sae-byeok’s faint voice behind you. You turn and see her leaning against the doorframe of her room.

“Nothings changed here.” you mumble. “You want tea right? I’m making for three.”

Sae-byeok nods and starts approaching you. For some strange reason, your muscles start to get tense when she leans against the kitchen counter getting awfully close to you.

“I don’t think, Ji-yeong will want anything right now.” she says, looking sullen again. “We should give her space—she went through a lot.”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

You quietly pour the boiling water into the mugs and dip the tea bags inside.

“Your hand…is it still swollen?” Sae-byeok asks, timidly.

After remembering the small argument you two had earlier, your heart sinks. The hurt you felt by Sae-byeok’s words came back.

“A bit but it’s nothing.” you mumble and then sigh in defeat knowing that there’s no way around avoiding the awkward tension. “And I’m sorry—“

“Do not even finish that sentence. I’m the one who should be sorry. We were both frustrated and scared and I said things I didn’t mean.” Sae-byeok says firmly. “So, I’m sorry.”

“…You’re forgiven.” you say quietly and you hear Sae-byeok let out a breath of relief. Did she think you weren’t going to accept her apology?

“And you’re sleeping here tonight, right?” she asks you after you pass her a mug.

You finally look at Sae-byeok and notice how her eyes shifted now. What was once a look of fright and desperation is now replaced with security and comfort. They’re completely softened over.

“You’re finally letting me stay here? I never thought I’d see the day.” you say sarcastically and she rolls her eyes playfully. “Joking. But yeah if that’s okay with you? It’s already late so...”

“I’ll get you a blanket and pillow then.” she announces quietly and heads back to her room.

When you made your way to the living room couch, you managed to hear Ji-yeong’s muffled cries making your stomach knot. You wanted to head over to her and try to soothe the pain she must be in, but Sae-byeok knows her better and if she says to give her space then you need to do that.

A minute later, Sae-byeok comes back with the pillow and blanket. You mutter a thank you and was ready to call it a night but to your surprise she sinks down beside you. She takes a few sips of her mug before clearing her throat.

“By the way, you can take a shower and borrow something of mines for now I know we both did a lot of running and sweating tonight.” she says in her casual flat tone of voice. “I know you hate my taste in clothes but—“

“I never said hate. I told you to experiment.” you scoff with a playful smile on your lips. “I would love to take a long hot shower right now so thank you for offering.”

Sae-byeok nods and finishes the rest of her tea to your bewilderment as yours was still piping hot.

“I…don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there to help me. So, thank you for that.” she says, sincerely.

You are too nervous to look at her. Thats when your stomach began to flutter with butterflies, a common sensation you began feeling nowadays. “Of course.” you gulp.

“And it was admirable seeing how calm you handled—well everything.“

“Admirable?” you laugh.

“I don’t know that’s the best way I could describe it.” she shrugs, scratching the back of her head.

“I punched a guy so I don’t know if calm is the best way you should describe of my behavior.”

“That pervert deserved it.” she says, scoffing when she replays that moment in her head. “Also, was that your first time ever punching someone?”

“Yeah and hopefully my last because that seriously did hurt at first.” you say, pouting at your slightly swollen knuckles.

Sae-byeok snorts a your comment and rises up from the couch. “Okay, I won’t keep you up any longer I’ll go get you the clothes and a towel.” she pauses abruptly to look down at your feet. You look at her, puzzled. “By the way, nice bunny slippers.”

“Oh, fuck off!” you hiss, your face turning bright red.

🏷️: @monroesturnns @knfthxv @jumpedthenfell-13 @peelover25 @karli6 @kissedberries @bitchybananaflower @laurenkenss @saebyeokbliss @everly-summers-solace @we1rdth0ughts

[pinksugarberries]

🪷 could I rq a nam-gyu x reader where he’s your toxic, annoying ex trying to win u back :33

Obsessed? nah.

nam-gyu being a shitty ex towards fem!reader

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﹒　૮꒰◞ ◟ ꒱ა　⸝　new upload!　❜

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　⸝⸝　　◦　　tags: toxicity, female reader intended, jerking off, manipulation, slight mentions of cheating, nam-gyu being annoying, stalking?, mentions of sex, drug use (i’ve never used a drug in my life so i just tried to describe it the best i can)

　⸝⸝　　◦　　a/n: HI NOONIE!!! i hope i did this like how you requested, i apologize for being slightly late, i was feeling a bit like a BUM!!!! if this wasn’t what you wanted, you should msg me and critique me lol

not proofread… pt.2?

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you hated him, as you should’ve. he was extreme controlling, possessive, and overlay friend to any other girl!

going through his phone during the night and finding nudes from other girls was NOT what u expected.

as anyone would, you broke up with him and he.. well… freaked the fuck out.

after you leave you shared apartment, , changing the lease so it’s only in his name, he didn’t realize how fucked he was.

a couple hours after you leave, or even days he would continue to text you.

“wtf did i do to you?” “baby talk to me” “hello? are you gonna keep fucking ignoring me?” “all i’ve ever done was love you, but you never cared.” “was i not enough for you?” “who r u fucking now?”

after he realized you were gone, he didn’t decide to remise on what he did that was bad. why would he do that? instead, he started doing harder drugs and going to more clubs than he did while you to were dating.

while he was leaving one of the clubs he visits 6 out of the 7 days of the weeks, he sees you walking out.

he walked towards you with a cheeky smirk as he tapped your shoulder.

“hello—“ you said, cutting yourself off as you saw nam-gyu, he looked ever more of a mess. you shoved his hand off your shoulder and looking at him with an annoyed face. “nam-gyu what do you want?”

he looked at your with his completely stoned eyes as the hung low. he still had that shitty ass smirk on his face you wanted to slap off.

“well, what happened babygirl..?” he said, his speech slurred from all the drugs and alcohol he’s consumed in the last few days. “you know you can talk to me.”

you simply said “you know what you did.” and walked away.

he was too drugged and drunk to chase after you, so he just got in a rental car, which he used to follow you around without you knowing.

as he continued to follow you, he found your new apartment complex, writing it down in his notes app and driving back to the apartment he used to share with you.

as he went home, he crashed on the couch and had an idea.

he opened his phone, going on instagram, making a new account and immediately searching your username up.

he took his pants off, now them lying somewhere in the trashed apartment, opening your photos.

i’m sure you know how this went.

he started to jack himself off, imaging it was your hand. even though he “hates your guts”, he would like to have sex with you again.

when he finished, he finished directly on his phone, holding it tightly in his other hand as he looked up at the celling.

he put his phone down as he reached for a pill bottle, his duck still out.

he reached for the ecstasy , popping a few pills as he looked at all of the nut on his phone.

[witchygagirlwrites]

Jay Halstead x Reader

Jay wants you but won't admit it until he sees someone else wanting you

Sex, clothed sex in the precinct?

You sat next to Kim, trying to listen as her and Adam told you about something Makayla was doing at school. You were desperately trying to act like your attention wasn’t on your partner or the way his lips moved around the edge of that beer bottle, the way his hand gripped it. Fuck, you were losing your shit. Hailey bumped you lightly and whispered “Are you good?” 

You shook yourself out of your stupor and nodded “Yeah, I’m um gonna go pay my tab” she nodded and slid back to let you move over her legs out of the booth. “Hey, hold up. I’ll walk with you. Need to pay mine too” Jay called and you tried not to show on your face that you were mentally cursing. You needed a breather away from him. You weren’t sure what the hell was going on lately between you and your partner of the last two years but the dynamic had shifted and it was choking you.

You forced a smile onto your face and cut your eyes at him as you made it over Hailey’s legs “Well come on then Halstead. I don’t go all night” he rolled his eyes “Like you got anywhere to be” you shrugged “Sorry if all of us don’t keep a rotation of beds to hop out of like some people” and grinned when he shook his head. 

You walked off from the table and heard his footsteps right before his hand brushed your lower back “You know I don’t have no damn rotation” you looked over your shoulder at him and shrugged “None of my business if you do, now is it?” then kept walking. 

When you made it to the bar, you leaned on the end and waved for Herrman. He nodded so you waited and felt Jay staring at you. You finally turned to face him “Yes?” he shook his head “You’ve been quiet tonight. Is something wrong?” A small smile slipped onto your face at the concern in his voice “No Jay, I’m good. I think I’m just tired” he studied your face for a moment then finally nodded “You know if you ever need me, whenever that may be all you have to do is call. I’ll come to you” 

You nodded then let a smirk slip onto your face “What if I call and you got a woman in your bed?” He rolled his eyes “Dammit, I’m trying to be a good friend, a good partner and you gotta call me a slut” You gasped lightly, grabbing your chest dramatically “I did not call you a slut! I implied you were!” he took a step closer to you, putting your back against the bar and his chest just a breath away from yours. You cut your eyes up to meet his, swallowing hard as he said “Sweetheart believe it or not I don’t need to be fucking a different woman every night. A real man doesn’t” 

“What does a real man do then Jay?” you asked and he leaned closer, hands caging you in and letting his lips brush the shell of your ear “A real man finds one woman, only needs one woman” he chuckled lightly when you cut your eyes up at him and shoved him, both of you laughing like you hadn’t probably just looked like you were on the verge of making out to the entire bar. “You’re an ass Jay” 

Your heart was pounding in your ears and you were fairly certain your panties were on the verge of being ruined just from that innocent of an interaction. Hell maybe you were the one in need of a random bed to hop into? He grinned “Still being honest”

About that time Herrman came back over and handed Jay a receipt then walked off. “Wait Herrman! My tab!” you called and he looked back with a grin “Your partner paid for ya sweetheart” you looked back at Jay who winked at you “You can get the drinks next time” you shook your head “You’re a pain” he nodded “Been called worse”

“Can I ask a question?” Adam asked and you groaned “You can ask, don’t mean I’m gonna answer” how the hell you’d managed to get stuck with Ruzek when partners had gotten switched around you weren’t sure but Hailey was with Kevin and Kim was with Jay while you were in the damn surveillance van.

“You and Halstead?” you nodded, eyes never leaving the screen but when he didn’t finish the thought you cut your eyes at him “What about me and Jay?” he shrugged “Are you two?” “Are we what Adam?” you asked and he rolled his eyes “Are you sleeping with him?”

“ADAM!” you gasped and he held up his hands defensively “Hey babe, this is a safe space. I have a daughter with my partner. I’m not judging” you shook your head “Christ, no. Ok? Jay doesn’t look at me like that. I’m just his partner” he nodded slowly, turning back to the screen then looked back at you “How do you look at him?” “RUZEK!” you warned and he nodded “Ok ok, sorry sorry”

Were you that obvious even to Adam? Damn what were you gonna do? You couldn’t very well be walking around looking like a love struck puppy at your partner, one of your best friends if he didn’t feel the same. It was pathetic and could ruin your friendship and partnership. “I think he wants you if it helps any” “Kim and Mack are the only reasons I don’t shoot you” you told him and he grinned “Thank god for my girls then”

__________________

All of you stood together after the takedown. You poked at your arm where a bullet had grazed it. It didn’t really hurt, it was just the surface, might need a stitch or two but nothing serious. You heard Voight call your name and turned towards him “Yeah boss?” he nodded towards your arm “You need an ambo?” you shook your head “Hell no. I can drive myself to med” 

“Like hell. I’m driving you to med” Jay spoke from behind you. You turned to see him walking towards you, his eyes glued to your arm. Voight nodded “Ok, Jay take her to med then you two just come back to the precinct. The rest of us will finish up here and meet you two back at the house”

“Yes sir” you replied and Jay nodded towards his truck “Come on” you followed him out. Once the two of you were in his truck, he cut his eyes at you “Are you ok?” you smiled “I’m fine Jay, really” he shook his head “You got grazed sweetheart” you rolled your eyes “Don’t be dramatic Halstead” he reached a hand out to brush against yours “I’m not being dramatic. My partner is bleeding from a bullet” your heart flipped when his hand brushed yours and Adam’s words flashed through your head..nope you were not doing that. “I’ll be ok. Your brother will throw a stitch or two in and boom, I’ll have more scars to explain to any dates that go well”

He shook his head “Any man seeing any part of you and worrying about scars is a fucking idiot” you felt your face warm but played it off by saying “Well you’re lucky men get sexier with scars” he laughed lightly “So do women sweetheart”

“What do you think about this joint task force?” you asked Jay as the two of you sat in his truck, watching a house that was a place of interest. He shrugged “I don’t know. Sometimes other teams play well, other times they get in our way” 

“Guess we’ll see” you replied, eyes staying on the door of the house. He nodded “What happened to that last guy you were dating?” your head whipped around towards him “Lukas? We split like seven months ago Jay”

He nodded “I know. Why did you two split?” you shrugged “Wasn’t the right fit I guess?” “Oh” he replied and you felt a bit put off “Why do you ask?” he shook his head “No reason” you turned to face him “Jay, I can read your bullshit” he shrugged “Was just wondering”

“Why are you perpetually single since you and Erin split?” you asked and he grinned “Wouldn’t you like to know?” and turned his eyes back to the house. Oh this asshole! “Got your eyes on someone?” you asked and he cut his eyes at you “Do you?” oh this was the game he was playing, ok cool. “Nope, not at all” you replied turning to face out of the window but not missing the way he was still watching you intently.

“Don’t date some other asshole who doesn’t understand who you actually are” he added after a moment and you rolled your head to look at him “Don’t date some other bitch who is only interested in the fact that you’re hot. You’re actually more than a pretty face Jay” he grinned “You think I’m pretty?” you rolled your eyes “Christ, shut up!” and shook your head.

Voight stepped out of his office and everyone looked up. “The feds are headed up” all of you stood, walking around to sit on the edges of your desks as Trudy led a team of seven people up the stairs. Three women, three men then an older guy around Voight’s age.Guess a team was really picked to match intelligence this time.

Voight went around and introduced everyone one by one. Sara, Nikki, Henri, Paula, Samuel and Logan. Their boss was George. The decision was to combine the teams and make three teams of four. 

You and Jay ended up getting paired with Nikki and Samuel. Nikki was a bit taller than you with braids and dark brown eyes that were a gorgeous shade and a bright smile. Samuel was around Jay’s height, just as broad with light brown hair that was a big longer but suited him and he had hazel eyes that were damn near the shade of honey at the moment. “Look forward to working with you” he told you with a smile when he shook your hand.

You just did catch Jay’s reaction to Samuel introducing himself to you. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and damn he looked pissed. You cut your eyes at Adam who gave you a “Told ya so” look and rolled your eyes. That did not mean anything. Jay was not jealous..was he? Samuel was an attractive man…maybe you should flirt a little? Not enough to risk the job but enough to show interest? If Jay rose to the bait it would let you know once and for all he wanted you like you wanted him and well if he didn’t then Samuel would still be an option.

____________________

“Samuel, will you check my vest?” Jay normally checked your vest, even over your unit but Hank had encouraged all of you to play nice, right? Jay met your eyes and raised an eyebrow. All of you were gearing up in your blackout gear. This was a big hit and warranted it. Once you were vested you glanced over your shoulder at Samuel and smiled “Thanks honey” and motioned to his hair “Let me help you”

“Oh, ok” he turned and leaned down for you to help him tie his hair back. All the while you could feel Jay’s eyes boring a hole into your skull. Maybe Adam was onto something? Once you had Samuel’s hair fixed you grinned “There ya go” and walked over to Jay who watched you closely “Done flirting?” you cut your eyes at him “Excuse me?” he rolled his eyes “You’ve been flirting with him for hours” you shrugged “And if I want to, no one else wants me” 

He turned to look at you and you met his eyes before shrugging and walking away. You grabbed the rest of your gear along with the mask that slipped down around your neck until it was needed then walked outside. All of you were riding in Nikki’s suv so that was a plus. You headed for it never minding Jay or Samuel.

___________________

“Is she single?” Samuel asked Adam, not realizing Jay could overhear or more so not realizing Adam had moved them to the point to make sure Jay could hear. “As far as I know man. Ask her out after the job though, not before”

Like hell was Jay letting that happen. You were his, not this FBI asshole’s. Woah where did that thought come from? Yeah time it hit it rang true. You were his, he was yours. He wasn’t letting you go without a damn fight because the jealousy he felt wasn’t even warranted. You weren’t his and yet you damn sure felt like you were.

“MOVE MOVE MOVE”

You ran behind Nikki chasing two perps down and both of you hit them hard, rolling them up in the street as Jay and Samuel caught up from cuffing their own perps. “You good?” Jay asked and you nodded, pushing hair back from your face “Fuckin perfect” this damn task force was doing its job. Twenty arrests in the last two days. You were tired and wound up and needed a break from Jay walking around in his damn black out gear looking like well that.

Samuel offered you a hand to your feet so you took it with a smile “Thanks Sam” he nodded “Of course” and you saw Jay’s jaw tighten. “How many more are on Hank and George’s list?” Nikki asked and you grinned “I think we may be done” 

Samuel smirked at you about the time you heard the two men in question calling everyone to circle up. You snatched your perp up while Nikki snatched hers up, both of you passing them off to patrol before heading towards Hank and George.

Hank looked around “Head back to the precinct. We need to do a headcount to make sure but we believe we got all the targets” you let out a breath and grinned “Thank god” then headed for Nikki’s suv.

______________

Jay’s eyes kept flickering towards Samuel. That son of a bitch had every intention to ask you out. He’d heard him talking about it and had caught him checking you out. He’d break his fucking jaw. 

The moment all of you stepped into the precinct he grabbed your arm as soon as you walked into rollup “Hey, we need to talk” you cut your eyes up at him then looked back at Nikki and Samuel “About what?” he shrugged “Five minutes sweetheart” you sighed “Fine”

______________

You let Jay pull you into the tech room and close the door behind himself. “What Halstead?” you asked and he looked at you “Don’t go out with that asshole” you knew you looked as confused as you felt because what the hell was he talking about? “What?” “Sam” he scoffed and you shook your head,  pulling at the collar of your black out gear “I don’t have time for this shit Jay”

You turned to walk out but he grabbed you and the next thing you knew your back was against the wall and Jay was holding you against it, standing over you “I know you want me as bad as I want you” you didn’t say anything so he leaned down, lips just a breath from yours “Say you don’t and I let you go”

“And if I say I do?” you whispered and his lips crashed against yours. You whimpered lightly when his tongue slipped past your lips, tasting every inch of your mouth he could. His hands went to your hips, gripping tightly. He pulled back enough to speak against your lips “I need you please” you nodded “Ok” he smiled against your lips, hands slipping down to work at the belt and zipper of your tach pants. Once they were loose enough he could get his hand in it he wasted no time slipping his fingers down below your panties. He teased your clit with his thumb and when your head fell back against the wall, a gasp leaving you that he had to swallow with a kiss he slipped one thick finger into you, followed by a second.

Your hand went to his wrist, not trying to move it, just needing something to hold onto. “Jay” you moaned lightly and he grinned against your lips “Be quiet baby. Don’t want no one to hear us” you rolled your bottom lip between your teeth, eyes going from watching where his fingers were working their way in you up to his eyes “I need more of you Jay” you whispered and his eyes widened “What do you want baby?” 

You ran a hand over the bulge in his pants and a low groan left him “sweetheart, can you be quiet?” you whimpered when his fingers hit a spot deep inside of you “One way to find out. If I’m yours fucking claim me Jay” his forehead fell against yours, fingers slowing inside of you. “Princess, if you’re mine that makes me yours too”

You raised your eyes to him “Then take what’s yours” he pulled his fingers out of you and licked them clean before leaving a bruising kiss on your lips. He turned you around, bracing your hands against the wall. You could hear him fighting with the belt and zipper of his pants “I’m gonna take you home with me, take my time” you looked over your shoulder and felt your mouth go dry when he pushed his pants down just far enough his hard cock could slip out “Shit” he grinned “Second thoughts?”

You shook your head “I trust you” he smiled and folded himself over your shoulder to press a kiss to your lips as he pushed your pants down far enough he could line himself up with your opening before sliding in with one hard thrust. “It’s gotta be fast, baby. They’ll realize we’re gone”

You bit down hard on your lip to keep the moan in that wanted to escape from the feeling of him stretching you so damn deliciously “Don’t care, just fuck me please” you whispered and he chuckled “Yes ma’am”

He had one hand at your waist, keeping you upright and the other at your collarbone. He found a rhythm that had his hips snapping into yours at a pace that made your eyes roll back into your head with every damn thrust. “Please don’t stop” you whispered and he laughed. One of his hands came down to your clit, rubbing tight circles. A moan tried to escape you but the hand at your collarbone moved up to your throat, squeezing just enough to cut off the sound before it made it out. The mixture of sensations of his cock slamming into you, his fingers working at your clit and the air getting cut off made your orgasm slam into you so damn hard his hands on you were the only thing keeping you up straight. 

 “Where can I cum?” he groaned, releasing his grip on your neck so you could answer “In me, please” you whimpered and his head fell over on your shoulder “Fuck you want me fallling in love already don’t you?”

He gave a few more hard thrusts then buried himself inside of you, you felt when he came, some of it sliding back down your thighs. “Fuck” you breathed as he moved to pull your pants up then fixed his own. 

He helped you to stand and smiled when he saw how wobbly your legs were. “:You ok?” you nodded, holding onto his arms “I think so” he grinned “Good because like I said, you’re mine but I’m yours too. Got it?” you nodded “Got it”

You heard Adam calling both of your names and your eyes got wide. Yeah there was no way he wasn’t gonna figure out what just happened. “What do we do?” you asked and he grinned “Hope Voight or Platt doesn’t realize?” you shook your head “So much help”

The moment you and Jay stepped out of the tech room Adam’s eyes got wide “Kevin owes me fifty bucks man!” you glared at him “Mention this and I’ll kill you. Say we’re together, that’s fine, risk our jobs, you’re a dead man” he shook his head “I’m not saying shit you horny little fucks straighten up it’s time to tell the feds bye. We can go home within the hour"

You cut your eyes at Jay then nodded “Let’s go say bye in that case. I’m suddenly eager to get out of here” “I bet you are” Adam laughed on the way upstairs.

Jay slipped his hand into yours, just in case Samuel got any ideas. You were officially his, he wasn’t letting you go now. Besides he had so many ideas for when he got you back to his place, to an actual bed with a few hours to spare with you spread out for him. That thought alone had him wrapping an arm around your waist to help your tremoring legs up the stairs a little faster.

You glanced over your shoulder at him and smiled "I'm yours Jay. No need to be jealous" he stopped walking to press a kiss to your lips "I'm yours baby" Adam shook his head "and for once I was right" then kept walking.

[bybobbysbeard]

First Rise

Day 2 for @bucktommyfluffebruary: cooking together. read on ao3

God, what a long day.

It’s shifts like these that make Tommy feel every one of his 45 years. None of the calls were particularly brutal, but they were long. He should have been home hours ago. He definitely put in enough flight time to warrant every second of the 48 off he’s about to share with Evan. The nylon strap of his overnight duffle digs into his shoulder. His feet hurt. He’s got a headache. All he wants to do is crash on Evan’s couch, snuggle, and watch some trash TV. 

He opens the door to the loft and catches the tail end of a frantic sentence. Maddie’s face is tiny on Evan’s phone, propped up against a pile of cookbooks. Even from here, Tommy can see her cheeks are flushed, and she's gesturing wildly with a free hand. Evan has his hands up too, but he’s making soothing movements, trying to bring her energy down.

Tommy’s frazzled brain tunes back into the conversation. 

“It’s fine Maddie, we didn’t have plans to go out tonight, I promise. And you know I’d do anything for Jee. Oh! Tommy just got here. Let me get some food into him, and then I’ll get started right away. Will Chim be able to pick them up tomorrow morning? If I set it to run overnight, I can probably squeeze out an extra loaf. Maybe… four in total.” Evan waves a distracted hand at Tommy, already turning to the fridge and pulling out ingredients. A few sticks of butter, a block of bright orange cheddar, and a glass tupperware of last night's chicken stir-fry are gently placed on the counter. 

“Oh Buck, are you sure? I am so sorry for the late notice, I swear, pregnancy brain has me forgetting my own name.”

“I am one-hundred percent sure. In fact, I have a bag of flour that’s been hanging around that I should really finish off, so honestly, you’re doing me a favor.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have to run, but I’ll make sure Chim knows. I’m sure he’ll text you in the morning.”

“Anytime Mads. Have fun tonight!” Buck waves, adorably, at the phone before Maddie pokes at something on her end and it goes back to Evan’s lockscreen. It’s a snapshot of him and Tommy, all smiles and sunglasses, bare shoulders in the summer sunshine. They had hiked for hours, up and down Mount Wilson. Tommy had gotten such a sunburn. It gives him a strange feeling in his gut when he looks at it; guilty, but heavy with relief. 

It’s from months ago. Before he ran. Before he got his head out of his ass and realized he was sabotaging the only chance at real happiness he would ever have. Before they came back together, had an honest conversation full of shouting and tears, and decided to try again. 

Tommy steps into the kitchen, brushing a kiss over Evan’s cheek and wrapping an arm around his waist in a quick hug. Evan leans into him, humming softly and releasing a blustery sigh.

“Let me drop my bag upstairs, and you can tell me what all that was about.” Tommy murmurs into a stubbly cheek. Evan nods.

He drags his tired body up the loft stairs, and leaves his duffle at the foot of the bed. A quick trip into the ensuite to wash his face and grab some aspirin has him feeling moderately more human.

When he makes it back downstairs, Evan is still getting ingredients out, but he’s moved onto the pantry. Bread flour, salt, sugar, and yeast are spread over the counter. In the next second he’s bent at the waist, digging under the counter and sending pots and pans clanging. He straightens up, biceps bulging in the sleeves of his t-shirt, before setting a chrome monstrosity of an appliance on the counter. Evan flips the lid, pulling out a squarish pan with a handle.

“I didn’t realize you had a breadmaker.”

“Yeah, I bought it a while ago.” His gaze stays focused on the appliance, but his shoulders are creeping up towards his ears. He’s defensive. Probably bought it when they were on their break. When they got back together, Tommy heard plenty from Howie and Hen about Evan’s baking escapades. He’s still weirdly embarrassed by it, but Tommy thinks it's sweet. His boyfriend missed him enough to nearly start a side business. Meanwhile, Tommy just wallowed. Evan is still talking. “It’s surprisingly useful, and super easy. I guess Jee’s daycare is having a bake sale, and Jee was telling her group about the cheese bread I made over the holidays, so Maddie said I would bake a few loaves for them to sell, but then forgot to tell me.”

“And the bake sale is tomorrow.”

“Yep.” Evan pops the p, plugging in the breadmaker. “And she promised Sue from Dispatch a visit with Jee tonight. So, Uncle Buck to the rescue. Alright, let’s see. It’s two o’clock. I could probably make two loaves in the machine before bed, including cooling time, and then it can do another overnight. And I could make one by hand too, I guess.” 

An electric thermometer joins a pyrex measuring cup next to the sink. “Is there anything I can do?”

Evan scoffs, “Tommy, come on. I can see how exhausted you are. Why don’t you sit down, I’ll heat up these leftovers for you, and then you can nap while I make bread. I’ll wake you up for dinner.”

“I wouldn’t offer to help if I didn’t want to. At least let me help get the machine going. You said it yourself, it’s super easy.”

Evan stares, visibly weighing his fatigue against his honesty.

“Okay.” He slides a paper index card across the counter. “Make sure you layer everything according to this. It can change how the yeast activates.”

Evan’s chicken scratch is messy, but legible. The instructions are detailed, nearly overly so, but Tommy’s tired enough to appreciate it. He doesn’t want to have to do any improvising tonight. Evan’s got his mixer out, and is carefully measuring out warm water and yeast into the bowl. Tommy grabs the thermometer. A cup of water, warmed to eighty degrees, goes into the baking pan, followed by butter, chopped into cubes, and salt and sugar.  Evan hands him the cheese grater before he can ask for it. Tommy yawns his way through grating a cup full. They trade ingredients. Evan needs the sugar, and it's time to spread the flour in the baking pan.

Soon the kitchen smells like blooming yeast and melted butter. It’s domestic; takes him back to slow Sunday mornings with his mom. If Tommy wasn’t so tired, he would enjoy it more. They dance around each other, Tommy stumbling more than once when Evan moves unexpectedly and his slowed reflexes make him lag a half step behind. Nonetheless, they pass off tablespoons and cup measurers until Evan carefully tips his dough into a greased bowl and lays a tea towel over it. He sets a timer on his phone. Tommy taps out the last of the yeast grains into the little divot he made in the final layer of shredded cheese. He caps the jar, and yawns so widely his jaw cracks. Evan’s watching him and wincing.

“Okay, thank you for helping, but you are done.”

“Baby, I’m–” another jaw-cracking yawn, “--fine. I can keep going.”

“I know you can. But this pan is ready to go in the machine, my dough needs its first rise, and you need to eat.” 

A steaming plate of chicken stir-fry is set in front of him. Maybe he is more tired than he thought, he didn't even notice Evan putting it in the microwave. He makes his way through most of the meal while Evan tidies up and loads the breadmaker. He leaves the last few mouthfuls, totally distracted with watching his boyfriend. He’s so at home in the kitchen. At ease. He has everything he needs within reach, and he’s done all of the motions so many times, they seem like muscle memory. It’s a privilege to see him so comfortable. 

Soon, Tommy’s resting his chin on a palm and his eyes are closing without his permission. It's toasty in the kitchen, and the breadmaker makes a soothing rumble as it kneads. It lulls him into a doze. Eventually, a heavy palm lands on his back and makes him blink. Then there’s a muscled shoulder sliding under his arm and leveraging him to his feet. He leans heavily against the warm body keeping him upright.

Soft lips press against his temple and the arm around his back jostles him to wakefulness. “You want the couch or the bed for your nap?”

“Hmm. Couch. Wanna be close. And the bed's too far.”

“Okay, honey. I’ll wake you in a few hours.” A few uncoordinated steps before they find their rhythm, and then Tommy is being lowered. Well-worn leather meets his back. A fuzzy blanket is shaken out and smoothed over his legs and a calloused hand strokes over his hair. Tommy’s never felt this cared for in his life. Evan smells like flour, like fresh bread. Like a warm kitchen, and handmade food for a loved one. 

He smells like home.

[universe-friday]

EXCERPT #68:

Hello. I hope somebody is listening.

[...]

If you remember on my last call, old sport, Solus invited me to their place to discuss the current ongoings of the City.

There was no question about whether or not I was going. Solus and I worked out those sinkholes together. We could work out this mystery together too.

The manner in which they invited me, however - that being via a letter telling me to meet them at theirs at 3 in the morning - certainly was worrying me.

Sure, all other times I had been to Solus’ place it was night but, that could not have been later than midnight.

3 A.M. is a little different. It has a reputation! Everyone in the City knows that 3 in the morning is the scariest hour of the day. It’s when the screams are the loudest, after all. All the horrors co-exist in the City exclusively at that hour. 

But, of course, there I was. Leaving the safety of the rooftops not long before 3 A.M. I took the quietest route to Solus’ that I could think of - finally, Nightcrawler’s patrol knowledge comes in handy - and got there without any casualties. Well- I’m talking about me, of course. I did have to fight a couple of cyborgs and ghouls on the way there… One of those blasted cyborgs managed to nick me in the face before I finished it off. My right eye is currently styling a fashionable shade of purple now!

But whatever. They were dealt with, no?

Not well enough, apparently…! As I entered Solus’ place, they were standing facing the back wall, still and stoic. I saw that the room, just as it was before, was covered in papers - but I couldn’t recognise a single piece of paper from last time.

There wasn’t a single thing about the sinkholes. The walls, now, were covered in scrawled question marks across many, messy sheets of paper that were stapled to the walls. A whole wall was dedicated to just tests - breathing tests, listening tests, taste tests.

They had no clue what was going on - just as I did.

Before I even opened my mouth, Solus, who still had their back to me, simply asked me, “What happened to you?”

I managed to stutter a, “What?” before Solus turned around and pointed directly at my right eye.

I had no clue how they knew about my black eye - after all, this room is simply only four walls. They couldn’t see my reflection at all.

Having to disregard my cluelessness, I confronted Solus for sending me outside in the City at 3 A.M.

They told me they were making sure I was the, “right person for the job.” Like what do you mean by that?! We have already worked together. And what does that even mean…? That they have multiple partners…? Contacts…? I suppose I did too once. I doubt Solus would be very willing to share their contacts with me.

But I digress.

Solus and I begin to talk about the City. And the Change.

I suggest that Solus seems to not know anything at all. Just like me.

It is only then that Solus turns around to me, and without saying anything, they take a key and unlock one of their desk drawers.

They reach down and emerge with a pile of papers, the stack, while sitting on their arms, easily covers their whole face. I don’t hesitate to jump and take the top paper off of the stack.

The paper states, “A, B, C, D, and E - Locations of All Sinkholes.”

[...]

[boybandbaby]

The Sweet Escape Part III

911 AU (Prince!Evan Buckley x Fem!Baker!Reader)

previous part

word count: 1926

warnings/tags: angst (I’m a pick me with the way I love the dramatics), classist comment, as always if I miss anything lmk

note: this is a short chapter

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

You’re anxious to deliver today and hoping Buck isn’t waiting for you. Though, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t want to see him. After yesterday, your crush is no longer just that but is fully realized and developed into love for him.

You can’t say you didn’t try, you almost got engaged to the man. You think Buck might know that you actually do have feelings for him even if you didn’t outright state it.

Somewhere between the lines of your statement, “It’ll never work between us. We come from different worlds. We’re too different” lies a confession, you think. One that says I want to be with you but it’ll be too hard and I’ll never live up to the expectations people have for me as your wife.

You think he might actually be in love with you too. “She’s perfect for me.” He had said. All the years of his antics and kitchen visits might be saying everything he can’t.

None of that matters now. He’s engaged. And not to you.

As you descend the stairs, the place just the previous night where yours and Buck’s hearts broke, you hear Bobby explaining the process of making a perfect omelette to Buck. You know he’s there because of course he’s asking questions while Bobby speaks, impatient for knowledge.

“Good morning.” You smile but it doesn’t reach your eyes.

“Hi.” Buck breathes airily, grabbing the box from you.

“Thanks.” You don’t fight him like you usually do, something about being a strong independent woman who doesn’t need his help. Your hands graze each others as you pass him the box.

“Hi Bobby.” You wave to him, hoping to act as normal as you possibly can. “What’s for breakfast?”

You already know but you need any conversation to fill the space.

“Omelettes. Would you like one?” He asks, eyes flickering between you and Buck. Buck has already told him everything that happened yesterday, made sure to do it before you arrived.

“Yes, please. If that’s okay.” You quietly state.

Bobby is surprised as you’ve always turned down his offers to eat. He figures you’ve had a long night and he can see it on your face. He asks what you’d like in yours and you tell him.

Buck is surprisingly quiet as he watches you slip gloves on. You pass him a pair and silently work side by side as he hands you each baked good from the box.

“Congratulations, by the way.” You whisper, only for him to hear.

“Oh… yeah, thanks.” He matches your volume.

“And thank you for inviting me. I never got to say that last night.”

“I’m sorry about the way things turned out. I hope you know I never would’ve put you in that position had I known it was going be like that.” He holds onto your hand instead of handing you the next pastry.

“I don’t blame you for anything, Buck. Your parents are who they are and they have their beliefs and we can’t change that.” You smile softly, pulling your hands from his. “Plus, they’re thinking about what’s best for everyone.”

“Doesn’t feel like it.”

“When you’re King, I hope you’re not a jerk like your dad though.” You laugh.

“And hopefully I don’t get his hairline and wrinkles.” He adds.

You’re both laughing as you finish adding the last piece of coffee cake.

“Buck, here, I made you something to eat too.” Bobby hands him two plates with forks tucked under the omelette. Bobby widens his eyes, trying to send Buck a message. Buck surprisingly understand immediately.

Buck nods his head to the side, a small wooden table that the kitchen crew uses for their breaks. You slip off your gloves, hands clammy as you wipe them on your apron. Buck sets both plates down, one next to the other.

He jumps into action as he sees you slipping your apron strap over your head. He puts both hands on your shoulders and turn you around. His hands slowly run along the two straps tied around your back. It’s unnecessary but feels really nice. He pulls the ties loose and you catch the apron before it hits the ground. You throw it over the edge of the table before he pulls the chair out for you to sit.

It oddly feels like a first date but you know it’s just breakfast with a friend. A friend you may not be able to actually be friends with for much longer. His duties will take him away and you’ll see him less and less. You’ll get the feeling you felt in his absence when he went away for college. He came back that time but you’re not sure you’ll get him back this time.

“How’s your grandma?” He asks as he fills two glasses of water, setting them down then sitting.

“She’s good. Just working a lot. She won’t admit it but she’s starting to slow down. It’s great having Ravi around but he’ll be leaving soon to travel.” You admit.

“You plan on hiring someone else?” He inquires.

“Yeah, we’ll have to. We already have someone in mind but not sure when he can get here.”

“At least you have someone in mind. I could always come help out.” He offers.

“Have you ever baked anything in your life?” You laugh.

“No, but I could try. I’m a fast learner, right Bobby?” Buck calls out to him.

“He just needs to be coached, y/n. Takes a few tries but once he gets it, he’s good. I will say he creates a mess in my kitchen though.”

“That was one time! I spilled the soup one time.”

“Spilled an entire pot of soup just minutes before it was going to be served.” Bobby gives him a look. “Had to take the blame when his mom came down here.”

“Which I’m still sorry about by the way.” He laughs.

You watch him as he goes back and forth with Bobby. He seems so comfortable and carefree unlike when he’s in the spotlight. He has to put on a mask and persona when he’s outside of these walls.

“Well, I’ve got to get going before the bakery opens. Thank you for the food, Bobby.” You collect the plates and utensils before Buck takes them from you.

“And thank you for the hospitality.” You look down to your shoes, the toes touching Buck’s as he stands in front of you.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” He lightly kicks your toe.

“Always.” You smile, kicking his toe back.

Buck lingers in the kitchen, hoping to avoid his duties today. Luck is not on his side.

“Why are you down here?” He heard the voice of his fiancé.

“I like to help out in the mornings.” He says softly.

“Well, I don’t want to worry about my husband sneaking off with some villager.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

“She’s just a friend, June.” Buck refrains from rolling his eyes.

“Is this another friend you’ve slept with or?” June checks her nails, disgust in her tone.

“No, we’ve never slept together.” He sighs. “If we’re going to be married then you’re going to have to trust me.”

“If we’re going to be married then you’re going to have to cut her out of your life.”

You groan as you realize you’ve forgotten your apron on the table. You make your way back into the kitchen when you hear his voice.

“June, Y/n doesn’t mean anything to me. I swear.”

You’d wish you didn’t hear it but you did. You wished you didn’t forget your apron, that way you would’ve never heard it but you wish most of all he didn’t say it.

You think you really need to stop eavesdropping because it does no good for your mental health. The apron is not important, you can always get a new one. You sneak back out and head home, for good.

The bell above the door rings, bringing you out of your dazed state. You’d gotten too much sleep this morning, having given Ravi your palace delivery and hours. In almost 10 years, you hadn’t slept past 5:30am so your body is not used to the rest.

You continue writing in your notebook, brainstorming ideas for new seasonal recipes, not looking to see who has just come in. Your mind is unfocused, bouncing between Buck’s words and the summer strawberry rhubarb pie recipe.

“Good morning.” Buck smiles, bright and chirpy.

When you don’t answer, Ravi steps in. “Uhh good morning sir, welcome in.”

“Hey Ravi.” He waves. “Y/n, you didn’t come by this morning. You forgot your apron yesterday,” Buck tosses you the apron, walking towards the windows where you have a table displaying different pastries.

“Don’t touch anything, Buckley.” You scold.

“I’m just looking.” He raises his hands, smiling. You roll your eyes at him and watch as he intertwines his hands behind his back and leans over to smell a basket of muffins.

“Don’t hover. You’re going to get germs on the bread and then we can’t sell it.” You slam the notebook you were writing in.

“Sorry, bossy.” He smirks. He thinks you’re back to your regularly scheduled banter.

You look up from the counter where you’d begin assembling boxes and meet his eyes. You ignore his question before taking a stack of built boxes over to the storage wall.

“Here let me.” He runs over and attempts to take the boxes from you.

“I can do it.” You pull back from him.

“Just let me help, you’re so stubborn.” He nudges your shoulder.

“I don’t want your help!” You screech before the boxes tumble to the floor. “Look what you made me do! Why are you even here?” You grumble before dropping to your knees to collect the boxes.

Your face is turned down as tears roll down your cheeks and nose, dripping from the tip of your nose and off your chin.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I just wanted to help. That’s all.” Bucks eyes widen when he sees a tear fall onto your cream colored apron. “I came because I was worried about you. You’ve been doing deliveries to us every day since you were 15.”

“Worried about me? Yeah right.” You stand on wobbly feet and make your way to the storage and stack the boxes one by one.

Buck is stunned at your change of behavior. He no longer believes you’re bantering like friends but that you’re hurt by something he did. Yesterday morning had been the happiest he’s been in months despite being engaged to a woman he barely knew. It was the first time you both had “hung out.” A short 20 minute breakfast where he wasn’t Prince Evan and you weren’t doing bakery duties.

All it took was 20 minutes for Buck to feel what it could be like to be normal and maybe be with you. 20 minutes that allowed him to breathe and just be.

He’s wondering what happened in the span of 24 hours to get you to do a 180 on him. He follows you, face confused and flushed with fear.

“Y/n, what’s going on?” He places a hand on your waist, trying to get you to turn back to him. Trying to get you to communicate what he did that’s made you so angry.

“Just go, Buckley.” You wave him off. “And please don’t come back here.” It’s not yelled or spat with venom. He realizes now that you’re not angry with him but hurt by him.

─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅ ☾⋅⋆ ───

next part

[haethel]

Mosaik Role - Garrett (Thief 2014)

Garrett: rigged by me, using Garrett model ripped from Thief2014 by Tokami-Fuko Motion: Mosaik by Anatroccolo Music: 【GUMI】Mozaik Role by DECO*27 Stage: TK GRID FLOOR Ver1.02 DL by TOUKO-P Stage: Cherry blossom front set by Yuki Skydome: space10207 by btabc Effects: WorkingFloor2.fx ver0.0.8 by Harigane; HeatGround by Harigane; ObjectLuminous by Sovoro; MMD Falling Feathers by Spakaford1; Primal poppy from Thief Wiki; o_SelfOverlay_v0_6 by o_Taman; PostMovie_v1_0 By BeamMan; ExcellentShadow2 by Sovoro; XDOF by Sovoro; CheapLens by Sovoro; G_shader by Underbelly (下っ腹P)

[xxplastic-cubexx]

the way u tuck charles hair behind his ear like a dainty elf princess whenever u draw him sends me every time, i know erik would agree 🙏🏻

i fear im adopting 'dainty elf princess' into my vocabulary here on out thank you for this wonderful gift anon

might you accept my small gift in turn ... i was inspired ...