#and that time we were down here for black friday and the cashier gave us free pokemon stuffies

[hearty-an0n]

being kind and nice is the ultimate superpower in america. i keep getting free stuff

[let-them-read-fics]

Yours Truly (Pt. 2)

Requested By: Some of you!

Pairing: Jisoo x Fem!Reader

AU: College

Word Count: Part 1 -> 9,786 // Part 2 -> 7,433

Warnings / Misc. -- Angst, Pining, Fluff

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Here's the second and final part of the imagine, gang. I hope you enjoy the adventures I wrote for you! Let me know about your fav part(s)!

♡ Happy Reading ♡

Part 1 -- Click Here

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

5.) Epiphanies

A Week Later

"Yuqi, why the hell did you drag me here? I'd so much rather be writing…" you shove your hands further into the pockets of your hoodie and look at her with a scowl. Rows of people fill the bleachers around you, everyone excited for the football game that's scheduled to start soon. Happy couples sit together all around the stadium, and the sight only works to remind you of how weird things are with Jisoo right now.

"One: it's a Friday night and you need to let loose, and two: I wanted to come, so you have to tag along by default. The rules of friendship are very simple, Y/N," she trails off, tilting her head at you with a smile. 

"Well I am gonna go get some food," you imitate her, "Do you want anything?" You stand from the bench and look down at her, noticing how her permed hair sticks up in a few different places. You smooth it out for her as she answers, "Nachos, please." 

"Alright, dork. I'm sure the line's kinda long, but come look for me if I'm not back in 20." She pats your butt as you leave, and you just shake your head with a smile. 

"--I know! Did you hear about Lee's new girlfriend? I heard she got in a fight with his ex last ni--"

"I'm fucking starving bro."

"Yeah, they totally hooked up at Jackson's party!"

Various conversations work their way to your ears as you walk towards the back of the line, but you attempt to not get too invested in the gossip. As welcoming as your school tends to be, even it has its fair share of scandals and drama. You've never been one to care about rumors though, and you don't plan to start now.

"I heard that Jisoo likes someone." 

Funny how plans can change in an instant, don't you think? 

You can't find it in yourself to ignore the childish desire to eavesdrop, so you listen in as the line slowly shifts forward with each new customer served, doing your best to be inconspicuous. 

"Supposedly she's been into them for a while but they don't know about it. I guess Lisa is planning to get them together tonight or something, I don't know." You recognize the brunette speaking as Seulgi, a dance major that you share a couple classes with. She's talking to Yeri, whom you've seen a few times in passing. 

That must be why she was defensive about the kiss; she has feelings for someone else. 

"Ooh, that'll be interesting. I can't say that I'm not disappointed, though; now Jisoo's gonna be off the market." The shorter girl frowns, basically reading your mind with her statement. You've never fooled yourself into believing you have a chance with Jisoo, but knowing that she'll be whisked away by some lucky classmate of yours definitely isn't an easy pill to swallow. 

You pass the remaining wait time by imagining who that person may be. Jisoo has a lot of friends, but you've never seen her around campus with any particular love interest; she always puts her studies first, deciding that her education is far more important than any potential relationship.

You remain lost in your thoughts until it's your turn to order.

"Hey Y/N, what can I get for you?" The cashier greets, resetting the register as she grins at you. 

"Hi Yeji," you smile back, happy to see your old friend again after what feels like forever. Your busy schedules have kept you from hanging out much lately, but seeing her now is something you're grateful for. "I'll take two waters, a medium nacho, and 1 hot dog, please." 

"You want everything on it?" She asks in reference to your last request, assuming you still stick with the order you used to go with in your childhood. 

"You know it. And make sure to--"

"--spread the toppings out well. I remember, girl." She says with a wink, turning around to get started on your order. The familiar interaction warms your heart, aided by the idea that some things never change. After she packages your things up in a convenient little container, you thank her and pay, walking away with a promise to meet up at the school's café next week.

About halfway back to your seat, something unexpected happens.

"Rosie, we can't buy out the whole place. This is the 4th trip we've taken back here and the game hasn't even started yet!" You freeze as you round the corner, almost dropping your food as Jisoo's low voice sounds off nearby. 

"Unnie, I didn't even get to eat much of the other stuff at all! Lisa and Jennie stole it and shared it with everyone else," the artist pouts, rolling her hands into fists at her sides like a toddler. 

"Fine. But this is the last trip I'm taking." She warns, rolling her eyes when the Australian attacks her with a flurry of kisses. "Yah! Let's go before we miss something." She says, pushing her off of her with a smile on her face. 

Even her voice makes your heart ache, and it reminds you of what her kiss felt like against your lips. It was short, no doubt, and barely there; but the sparks remain, waiting to be reignited anytime she's around. Maybe you're just destined to pine.

----

"There you are! I was literally about to go steal some food from Shuhua because you were taking so long." 

"Yeah, yeah," you say, sitting down beside Yuqi with the cardboard box in your hands. "You're lucky I love you enough to pay for this. Now I'll have to survive on 3 grains of rice and ramen for the next few weeks." 

"Oh, the struggles of being a broke college student." She says woefully, clutching her hands together in front of her chest to add to the effect. 

"Precisely," you agree, scooting closer to offer her some nachos. When she tries to greedily take the whole tray of them, you're quick to stop her. 

"Ah, ah, ah," you warn, pulling her wrist back down. "We're sharing, chica." She huffs, but eventually settles down and decides to shove her face full instead of protesting anymore. 

Now, with your best friend happily eating, you relax and begin to prepare yourself for the match. 

--

"LET'S GO!" You shout with Yuqi, chanting together as your school's anthem echoes throughout the stadium. The rival team has been behind the entire game, but they closed the gap in the last few minutes and now it's neck and neck. Your band plays loudly to encourage your team, and it seems to be working; they manage to repeatedly hold the others off and keep them from scoring. 

It's the start of the fourth quarter now -- the home stretch. With their spirits still high, your team continues to keep victory out of their opponents hands. The black paint underneath their eyes is really streaked now, showing all the effort and sweat that they've put into the game so far. A beautiful sunset just previously gave way to a rapidly darkening evening sky, allowing some stars to peek out now.

"My high school team sucked; this is epic!" Yuqi says, making you laugh. You tear your eyes away from the heated game to say something to her, but all thoughts soon disappear from your mind and you stop mid-sentence. 

She notices your sudden silence and looks at you, only realizing what's happening once she follows your line of sight. Jeong is standing against the metal fence that borders the track, mingling with everyone at the bottom of the bleachers. That doesn't bother you, but what you see next certainly does; you spot Jisoo beside him, giggling at something he said as he tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. 

"Oh shit," Yuqi breathes out, fully grasping the weight of the situation now. She doesn't even attempt to give him the benefit of the doubt, because he knows how in love you are with Jisoo and yet there he is, flirting away. He's the only other person besides Yuqi who knows of your feelings for the brunette, and you really trusted him with it. Clearly that was a mistake. You blink a few times and set your jaw, quickly looking away as he moves closer to whisper something in her ear over the noise of the crowd. 

"I'm gonna head out to the car. Just let me know who wins," you mumble, brushing past her on your way toward the exit. You know there's no way you'd be able to focus on the game anymore after seeing that, so going is your best option. She catches your arm before you can slip away, and says, "Wait, I'm coming with you. And don't even try to tell me no; I can always watch highlights later. I'm not gonna let you be alone right now." 

Knowing it's pointless to argue anymore, you nod once and wait for her to gather up her trash and coat. "Let's go," she says, taking your hand after tossing her garbage in the can conveniently placed at the end of your row. She squeezes it a few times for reassurance, and a bittersweet smile works onto your lips at the gesture. 

You don't notice how Jisoo's eyes follow you, every fiber of her being yelling at her to go after you. She hates seeing you sad, and although she isn't 100% sure of the reason for it now, all she wants is to cheer you up. 

"So, Jisoo. Do you have any plans after the game?" Jeong smirks, quirking a brow suggestively at his own question. Jisoo grimaces, saying, "Yeah, I do. I have to study." She tries to find you in the crowd again, but it seems that you've already slipped away. 

"We're throwing a party tonight, you should come." He leans a little closer to her, but she takes a step back. The only reason she's even talking to him right now is because Lisa introduced them, and it would be impolite not to. She turns him down, yet again sneaking a glance around the stadium. 

"No wonder Y/N's too chicken to ask you out; you're hard to get, but I don't mind a challenge." Her head whips around at his statement, heart regaining that familiar uptick at the mention of you. "What?" She blinks, not believing her ears. Surely she was just hearing things. 

"I said I don't mind a challenge," his words come out slightly slurred, and the effects of the alcohol he's been drinking are beginning to show themselves in all the wrong ways. The more he talks, the less Jisoo can stand him. "Look, Jeong -- I'm not interested. I'm sure there are other girls here that would love to get to know you, but I'm not one of them. Now, if you'll excuse me," she says, turning her body to the side to maneuver around him and get to the stairs. He lets her go without another word, his pride too bruised to come up with a more fitting response than a muttered insult. 

She makes quick work of getting to the parking lot, where she spots you approaching Yuqi's car, head hanging a bit. Seeing you upset saddens her, and she's determined to find out what's wrong. 

"Y/N! Wait up!" The shout catches your attention, and you slowly spin around. Jisoo begins to jog out to you, and a scoff slips past your lips (though you don't put much effort into stopping it). You're hurt, and half of the reason for your pain is staring right back at you like nothing happened. 

"What do you want, Jisoo?" You sigh, not looking forward to where this conversation will most certainly go.

"I want to talk, Y/N." She's in front of you now, scanning her eyes between yours to gauge your reaction. 

"What is there to say? Just go back to talking to Jeong; you looked like you were enjoying yourself." She can hear the jealousy laced in your tone, and things finally -- finally -- begin to click for her. 

"Is that what this is about?" She asks in reference to your sadness. The question isn't accusatory at all; she's genuinely trying to piece things together. 

A disbelieving laugh leaves you at that. How is she still so oblivious? "Yes, Jisoo, it is. I just had to witness someone who I thought was my friend flirt with my crush. So yeah, that's what this is about." Sensing that she doesn't know what to say, you decide to conclude things for her. This is already pitiful enough, and you'd rather spare the both of you from having the "it's not you, it's me" talk. 

"Look, I get it. You don't like me back, and you were only trying to be friendly by inviting me to the rehearsal that night. Just please, for the both of us, forget it even happened. Forget all of this. It was a mistake, and I won't do it again."

Jisoo hates that you're jumping to conclusions without even knowing her true feelings; you automatically think that she couldn't possibly feel the same, and you use her moment of silence as a form of evidence to prove that. The complete opposite is true, though you'd never give her enough time to straighten out her jumbled thoughts and tell you that. 

She finds her voice when you turn away, and she reaches out to touch your hand. "Stop, you've got it all wrong." Your eyes glance down to your intertwined hands, but you wiggle out of her grip with a heavy sigh. Over your shoulder, you shakily say, "You don't have to pretend for me, Jisoo. I'll be alright. If he makes you happy, then so be it." 

With that, you get in Yuqi's car and tell her to drive away, leaving Jisoo to deal with the sinking feeling in her chest that worsens as the car's tail lights grow dimmer and dimmer in the distance. You're gone, and she really has no idea how to come back from this. 

6.) Broken Hearted

The next few weeks were hell. You avoided Jisoo as much as possible, too embarrassed to face her after what happened and too weak to be close to her again. You'd surely fall even harder if you allowed yourself to grow any closer, so you didn't take the risk. How could you? Falling alone isn't an enjoyable experience, and you've been teetering on the edge of no return ever since that afternoon at the daycare. 

It was hard enough to escape her hold -- her face was everywhere, plastered on ads and bulletin boards all throughout campus, on reminders and sign ups for student council. You used your sick days in order to hide away in your dorm and block out the world, only being comforted by Ryujin when she wasn't busy with her own life or Yuqi when she could spare a few hours. They always made sure to care for you as much as they could, knowing first hand how tough heartbreak can be -- especially with the added stress of schoolwork. 

One person you thought about often was Jeong. Every time he'd cross your mind, dirtying up your brainwaves with the mere notion of himself, you'd grimace. He didn't deserve the attention, and yet you couldn't help but question why he did that to you. He hadn't reached out since that night, likely due to Yuqi giving him a piece of her mind after the game. He made it clear that he wasn't sorry, and that if given the chance, he'd play his cards even better and hopefully score a date with Jisoo. 

Maybe that was the worst part of it all. Hearing that it hadn't just been a stupid thing he did because he was drunk; he realized the weight of his actions, and he'd do it again, over and over, without caring about how you fit into the equation. That football game was simply a turning point, hidden in plain sight as an unassuming night for you to hang out with Yuqi. But you learned more then than you had ever intended to; Jeong's selfish, and he probably never even cared for you in the first place. The idea of that makes you feel dirty -- like you wasted so much of your time with such a horrible person, sticking up for him and defending his name when he wasn't around when he never even deserved that in the first place. You wish you would've known who he really was back then; you would've stayed away. 

Unbeknownst to you, Jisoo was struggling much like you -- minus the whole "betrayed by a best friend" situation. Every time that she showed up in class, she hoped with every piece of herself that you'd walk through the door and grace the room with your presence. You seldom ever did, though -- but when you ran out of free days of absence and were forced to attend class in order to keep your grades up, you never even uttered a word to her. She'd make it a point to ask questions in class, hoping that hearing her voice would bring something out of you, as yours did to her. She longed to talk to you again, if only for a minute; but your resolve remained strong, and her determination grew weaker as the days went by. 

Being the person she is, though, she knew giving up wasn't an option. After a few weeks of that cycle, greeting stands were placed at the front doors of each complex on campus, manned by different members of the council. She came up with a story for the administration on the fly, using her people skills to convince them that it would be good for student morale and getting more people to join clubs. It was a great effort, but she underestimated your avoidance skills; you thwarted her plans again, slipping right through her strategically linked fingers. 

Eventually, she lost hope. She exhausted every option she knew to try, and the girls ran out of new ones as well. Seeing their unnie so upset saddened them, and they did all they could to cheer her up in any and every way they knew how. 

7.) Premiere Night

"Y/N, get up. You're gonna shower and get dressed if I have to force you to do it myself." Yuqi commands, blasting into your room and flipping on the overhead light that shines far too bright for your liking. 

"Mmm," you groan in protest, not even bothering to roll over. 

"I mean it; don't test me, you know I'm true to my word."

"Why, Yuqi?"

"Because we're going to the performance tonight. The big show that everyone has been going on about is premiering, and you're coming with me to see it."

"I can't do that." You say, her words sobering you up from your sleepy stupor.

"I know who the lead is," she informs, already knowing about your reasons for being hesitant, "and that's precisely why we're going. You can't keep living like this, so either go get your girl, or agree to be friends with her and work past what you're dealing with." 

"You sound like a mom at the end of an 80s movie."

"80s movie moms are valid, so I'll take that as a compliment. Now go!" She shouts, shoving you off the bed. You tumble to the floor in a heap of blankets and pillows, still managing to hit your funny bone as you let out a pained groan. 

"Remind me to slap her later, Ryujin." 

"Will do." She salutes, reaching a hand down to help you up. With one last glare at an annoyingly bubbly Yuqi, you head to the bathroom to shower. 

----

"How do I look?" You ask, looking yourself up and down in the skinny mirror attached to the wall. 

"Is it gay if I say I'd ask you out?" Yuqi asks with a smile, fanning herself animatedly when you strike a pose. 

"Very much so, yes." 

"Well, hand me the rainbow suspenders, then." 

You push her over with a laugh -- the first real one you've shared in a while -- and wrap her in a hug. 

"Thank you, for real. I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have you." You say against her shoulder, pulling back to look at your roommate and add, "Either of you." The three of you settle in for a group hug and tell a few more jokes before Yuqi finally drags you out of the dorm. 

----

"How does it feel to be back in society?" Yuqi whispers, leaning in close to you to read the seat numbers printed on your tickets. 

"As lame as ever." You add, amusingly unenthused. 

"You're never gonna convince Jisoo to date your dumbass with that attitude." She retorts, feeling a little guilty when she sees your expression change upon hearing her name. You're afraid to see where the two of you will stand at the end of the night, so saying it's still a sore subject is the understatement of the year. 

"I'm messing with you, dude. If she doesn't want to be with you, then it's her loss; but I highly doubt that's the case. I've heard she misses you a lot." For once, Yuqi's words are halfway encouraging to hear, and you let out a light smile. 

"Well I'm prepared to worry about that whole situation later. For now, let's find our seats and enjoy the show." Your best friend quickly agrees, and the two of you squeeze through the crowds in the aisles to get to your row. 

----

"Jisoo, I promise you'll do well. You've been practicing for months; you've got this," Soo-hyun says, rubbing his co-lead's back in reassuring circles. The certainty in his deep voice gives Jisoo some semblance of security, and she stands to look at him with one final, nervous sigh. Stage fright has never been this big of an issue for her, but the size of the crowd and the idea that you might be out there scare the hell out of her. She wants you to be there with all of her heart, but she doesn't know if she'll be able to handle watching you walk away again. The past few weeks have been torture, and she misses your presence and witty remarks more than she ever thought possible. 

"Thank you, Soo-hyun. I'll meet you out there in a couple minutes, just let me collect myself."

He nods and says, "Take your time. I'll let Mrs. Choi know," before leaving and shutting the door behind himself. Now alone again, Jisoo digs through her personal bag that lays neatly on the small futon of the dressing room. When her fingers come in contact with that familiar material she's spent hours staring at, she bites the inside of her cheek and unfolds it for the millionth time. Multiple poems and blurbs litter the page, accompanied by cute doodles and cartoons here and there that give it a personal feel. She's spent the time away from you methodically working through the different writings, restraining herself from reading all of them in one setting so that she can have new content from time to time. 

She's down to the last one, now, and a surprising sort of realization hits her when she reads it. It instills within her a sense of determination -- determination to get you back and set things right, one way or another. She makes a plan to find you after the performance.

-- After The Performance -- 

It was even more spectacular than you ever imagined it could be. The school spared no expense in getting the best props, employing the most skilled technicians on hand, and recruiting the best artists that the school had to paint the backdrops. Everyone behind the scenes worked tirelessly to produce the best show possible, and their efforts really paid off. 

And, of course, you can't forget the actors. 

The entire cast was incredible, their talent matching some of the world's most sought-after stars. Every part was played to perfection; even the smaller, supporting roles were acted with passion, really bringing the piece together as a whole. The production left you wanting more, too inspired and awestruck by the amazing performances to be content with just seeing it once. So, after numerous calls for an encore, the cast returned to run through a few of their key scenes. 

---

As the cast takes their final bow, large cannons placed on either side of the stage shoot out bursts of colorful confetti, and you watch it flutter down around them. Some try to catch a piece or two to add to their scrapbooks, wanting to have a trinket from their college years, while others just hug each other and twirl around with content smiles on their faces. The crowd continues its loud cheering, and eventually you find the courage to sneak a glance at Jisoo.

To your surprise, she's looking right back. 

Her eyes hold a mixed softness; she's proud of herself and glad that you came to support her on such a big night, but part of her wants to escape the busyness of it all and tell you everything she's been feeling. She'd be content with looking at you forever, she realizes, as she studies you. You're the true star in her eyes, always shining so bright and making everyone feel at home whenever they're around you. She hopes you know how special you are. 

Mrs. Choi approaches the cast from stage right, gathering their attention to congratulate them and commend them for their performances. Jisoo reluctantly looks away from you, unsure if it's the last time she'll be seeing you tonight. The thought upsets her, but there isn't much she can do about it right now; so, she gives her attention to her professor and flashes that smile that makes everyone weak in the knees. 

You knew it was just a matter of time before she'd be pulled away and immersed in some conversation about the show, but the selfish side of you never wanted her to look away. No matter how confusing things may be because of all of your unresolved issues, she still looks at you like she always had before -- her gaze is kind, albeit bittersweet, but it's full of care. Seeing her like that makes you feel like even more of an asshole than you already do -- maybe you should have just listened to her at the game. Running away was an immature choice, rooted entirely in your own sadness in that moment as you deprived yourself of any explanation she could've offered, though you can't judge yourself too harshly. The situation is complicated, and you still don't know whether to hate yourself for running or go easy on yourself in light of what happened. 

When Yuqi sees you stand up and shuffle towards the end of your row, she sends you a warning look. 

"Dude, I'm not gonna run away. I'm literally just gonna step outside for some fresh air, I promise." She visibly relaxes, no longer having to prepare herself to wrangle you back into the seat. 

"Fine. But if you aren't back in 15 minutes I'm coming to track you down. You really need to talk to her." 

You sigh, nodding in agreement. "I know, trust me. Just let me get my thoughts together first." She sends you off to do just that, but not until the two of you complete the special handshake you made up all those months ago. 

---

Brisk air rushes over your skin in waves the moment you exit the side door of the building, automatically sending goosebumps to raise in its wake. It feels nice, though; it grounds you, and works to cool off your heated skin. The atmosphere inside was thick with the tension you've been feeling ever since what happened that night at the game, and its effects were only heightened by the raw performances of the evening. Passion and longing were the driving factors of the play, ironically, and many of the scenes drew eerie parallels to your current situation. So, it's no wonder that you're thankful to step away from it all for a bit.

You greet a few stray audience members that're puttering around outside as well, opting to walk down a little further away from them and lean against the building. The wall's brick material feels rough against your back, lightly scratching it whenever you shift your weight from one foot to the other. You don't mind it, though; it's oddly nostalgic, somehow. 

When you hear the door open again, you think nothing of it. The metal hinges latch just the same as they had for you, so there's really no reason for you to even look up. However, that all changes when you feel someone's eyes on you.

Unprepared is leaps and bounds away from being a fitting statement to describe how you feel in that moment; Jisoo stands merely 10 feet away from you at most, right next to the stage door that she just came out of. Her hands fiddle with the drawstrings of her costume, seemingly always needing to be occupied when she's nervous or unsure of herself; it's a habit you've picked up on after seeing it so many times. 

The longer you look at her, the more you want to look away; she's so beautiful it hurts, and the silence is eating away at you. You can't blame her, though; neither of you know what to say or do, and the only thing you seem capable of is staring at each other. When you break the intense eye contact you were sharing to turn away, only intending to take a minute to collect yourself, Jisoo is suddenly set in motion. 

She's afraid you'll leave again, and she's prepared to fight even harder for you this time.

I love you as the stars love the night sky

A fateful, cyclic romance

A game of eager greetings and reluctant goodbyes

Those words -- ones that you remember penning one day in class while completely entranced by Jisoo -- roll from her lips effortlessly, as if she had spent time committing them to memory. She had, in fact; whenever days passed without her even catching a glimpse of you, she always found herself unfolding that note again, tracing a finger over the curve of your unique letters as she reread the poem. It always brought her comfort to think that you were in just as deep as her, and a similar sense of hope blossoms in her chest now when she spots an unbelieving smile tug at the corner of your lips as you slowly turn to face her again. 

You're still into her, and she's falling even deeper at the realization. Maybe she didn't lose you after all. 

She takes calculated steps towards you and breathes a sigh of relief when you stay put, not showing any signs of running. The wheels in your head are going into overdrive now, turning and churning as you process her little recital, and she prays with all of her heart that you won't be upset once you put two and two together. 

"How did you…"

"You dropped it one day, and I picked it up. I meant to give it back to you, but I guess I just never got around to it." She feels a little guilty for keeping it as long as she has, but it's served as a way of keeping you close during your time apart. Those bits and pieces of you, scattered around on that page, encapsulated by the annotations and doodles you so kindly left behind, have stayed in her heart. Ever since she discovered it all that time ago, it's never been very far from her; she cherishes it more than you'll ever know. 

"You didn't show it to anyone, right?" Your voice is laced with worry, lowered a bit to keep others from overhearing. 

"No, no! Of course not. I just… kept it for myself. You're really talented; I couldn't stop reading your stuff." 

"Thank, I guess?" You awkwardly chuckle, still a bit rusty on how to interact with her after everything. Plus, to be fair, having your crush read one of the love letters you wrote about her is a bit unheard of. Newfound territory, you think to yourself.

"How long?" You ask after a minute of silence, only realizing how loaded your question is after it slips past your lips, turning into a puff of steam in the chilly atmosphere. "How long have you… felt that way about me?" You quickly add, "Assuming that you feel what the poem says, of course." 

An amused smile tweaks her lips at how cute you are. "I do, Y/N. I always have; ever since that afternoon at the daycare." 

"Really?" The question is quiet, full of childlike disbelief. 

"Really. It was always you." She says it freely now: unafraid.

The sentiment is sweet, but memories of the football game come flooding back and you're reminded that as much as you want to skip this next part, you still have things to discuss. 

"What about Jeong?" 

"What about him?"

"Did you ever like him?"

"No. The girls thought so, but it was just a misunderstanding. That's why Lisa introduced us at the game; she thought I had a crush on him, but I told her that you were always the one I was looking at. I told all of the girls that, after that night." 

Her confession renders you speechless -- only capable of listening and nodding every now and then. She takes advantage of your silence to finally explain herself and tell you everything she's been dying to. 

"I didn't know you felt the same until our talk in the parking lot. I mean, I was hopeful after some of the moments we had, but I didn't know for sure until then. I wanted to beg you to stay and hear me out, but you left before I had the chance."

You blink a few times as the reality of her words begin to sink in. "I had no idea…"

"Yeah, well…" she trails off, unsure of what to say next. She's forgiven you for walking away, knowing you were just hurt, but the whole situation still left a bad taste in her mouth. So much pain could've been avoided for the both of you if you had just listened.

"How did they take it?"

"They yelled at me for waiting so long to tell them, but then they tried to help me get you back. Remember those student council booths?" She leans in a little closer to ask that last line, her lips pulling to the side in that iconic smirk of hers. 

You audibly gasp and point at her animatedly. "I knew that was you!"

"Mhm, pulled some fancy-sounding excuse out of my ass to convince the board, and boom; 20 brand new tables set up the next day. I still can't believe you managed to slip past them, though. I mean, c'mon, have you seen how talkative those kids can be?" 

"Trust me, it wasn't easy," you laugh with her. "I had to sneak to the back entrances like a drug dealer." 

"I can totally see that." 

"I'm dedicated, what can I say?" The stupid hair flip you do makes her laugh even harder, clutching her stomach as those beautiful sounds slip past her lips. 

As your shared laughter eventually turns into soft chuckles, she smiles at you, saying, "I really missed this. I missed you, so so much." 

"I've been a wreck without you, Jisoo. It's honestly embarrassing." 

She looks at you with something new shining in her eyes, and she carefully contemplates what she's about to admit. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course." 

"I rarely cry, Y/N, but I did over you. So you have no reason to be embarrassed. It seems like both of us were pretty bad off." She looks down after saying that, scuffing her foot against the concrete of the sidewalk. Being vulnerable isn't usually easy for her, and she never really lets people see that side of her -- not even the girls. She feels like she has to stay strong for them to keep things running smoothly, but she fails to realize how important her own feelings are. You're different, though; she feels like her entire collection of secrets would be safe with you, and you make her feel secure enough to be open like that. 

When she feels you step closer and hook two fingers underneath her chin, her eyes dart up to yours and her heart speeds up. Your other arm hesitantly wraps around her waist, giving her plenty of time to step away and deny you. You've spent so much time convincing yourself that she couldn't possibly want someone like you that you're genuinely surprised when she steps further into your embrace, pulling your arm tighter around herself. 

Her right arm comes to rest loosely on your shoulder as her other hand caresses your forearm, rubbing various patterns against your smooth skin. "I tried so hard to get you to pick up on my flirting," she starts, playing with the baby hairs at the nape of your neck as she holds you close. "Every touch," she runs a finger down your arm, leaving a trail of electricity in its wake. "Every look," she moves her hand from your neck to your cheek, cupping it sweetly as she gazes into your eyes. She strokes your skin with the pad of her thumb, smiling beautifully when she feels you nuzzle into her hold even more. 

"And that kiss…" she says, sounding breathless at the mere thought of it. "I wanted it to last forever." 

"Why didn't you tell me that, then?" You ask, not even a trace of anger in your tone. You're determined to let go of all the hurt and fear that your misunderstandings have caused, opting instead to finally get the answers you've wanted for so long. "After I came back from putting Aera to bed you were just… different. And then when you said it was just a part of the script--"

"I know. I was afraid that if I let myself have you like that -- if I let you in all the way -- there'd be no going back." When she sees the confusion building in your eyes, she continues on. "I don't usually let myself get distracted; I can't afford it. You know how seriously I take my studies." You nod, recalling the numerous times you've found her in the library until it closed, studying hard for the exams everyone knew she'd ace. "But you wiggled your way past every line of defense I ever put up. You became my favorite distraction." A dopey grin tugs at your lips at receiving that title, and you subconsciously hold your head a little higher.

"But I wasn't prepared for that. You make me feel things that I've never felt before, and I really didn't think I could afford to let myself have you. Not fully, anyway. I could deal with a crush; I told myself I could keep you close enough that I wouldn't miss you, but far enough that I could keep myself protected."

"What changed?" You ask, smoothing your hands over the small of her back, feeling the heat radiate from her skin. They've worked their way under the hem of her shirt during your conversation, subconsciously seeking to share her warmth, and Jisoo has been acutely aware of it the entire time. 

"When I saw you walk away like that I didn't know what to do with myself. I've had people leave before, so it's not a new thing; but I never missed them like I've missed you."

A bittersweet, melancholic look settles on your face at that; she deserves every good thing that the world has to offer, so knowing that you played a part in her sadness -- whether it be direct or indirect -- disheartens you a bit. 

"But you're here now, and that's all that matters." She says, leaning her forehead against yours. 

"And I'm not going anywhere," you affirm, holding her even closer than before. She brushes her nose against yours with a quiet sigh, relieved to be in your arms, caught safely in your warm embrace. If falling feels like this, she's more than okay with it. 

"Can I?" You ask, glancing down to the heart shaped pillows you've dreamt of having against yours again. 

She nods, uttering a soft, "Please", as she tilts her head to the side in expectancy. You close the remaining distance, bending your knees slightly to tighten your hold on her waist and pull her flush up against yourself. Both of her arms wrap around your neck now, occasionally coming down to tilt your head and allow her better access, or run her fingers through your hair. It's sensual and meaningful, but an air of urgency hangs in the air, thickening it the longer her lips are on you. Both of you are making up for lost time, so it's no wonder you're so eager. 

She takes your bottom lip between her teeth as she backs you up, pressing you against the brick wall that you had migrated a few steps away from during your conversation. If she were kissing anyone else, perhaps she'd care about the strangers staring, or what they might say; but as she stands here, feeling your hands explore her body in the ways that she's dreamed of and your lips kiss her senseless, that's the furthest thought from her mind. Her hands grab at the collar of your shirt, balling the material up in her palms as she pushes her lips against yours from a new angle. 

When you eventually pull back for air, you can't help but say the phrase that's been sitting on your mind for weeks. "I love you." 

Her heart speeds up to match yours, both of them racing as you look at each other with giant smiles on your faces. "I love you, too. If you hadn't already guessed that," she chuckles, leaning up to kiss you again. This one's more innocent, though -- full of giddiness as you replay each other's declaration in your minds. 

"Y/N L/N IF YOU AREN'T OUT HERE--"

Yuqi bellows loudly, blasting through the side door and out into the chilly night air. The metal smacks against the wall from the force she exerted, and you physically cringe at the sound. Jisoo does the same, quickly pulling away to find out what's going on. 

When Yuqi's line of sight settles on the two of you, her eyebrows raise and a smirk lands on her lips. "Well, well, well. Looks like my work here is done," she says, cocking her head to the side self-assuredly when she sees how swollen both of your lips are and how mussed your clothing is. You send her a look that she registers as "Get lost", and she retreats back into the performance hall with her hands raised in surrender.

"Idiot," you mutter under your breath, shaking your head as you watch the door close behind her, its poor hinges still recovering from her assault. Jisoo's giggle makes you turn back to her, finding a breathtaking smile forming on her lips. "You're so cute," she coos, poking your cheek, "especially when you blush like that." 

You fight the bashfulness that attempts to take over, managing to cock a brow at her and say, "Hey, watch it -- I might not be so kind in my next poem if you don't stop teasing me." 

"Aww, don't be like that, baby." 

She tenses up after realizing she let that pet name slip out at the end, but your smile only widens. 

"Say that again."

"Baby," she drawls in her signature sultry tone, stepping closer to you again. 

"Mmm, I could get used to that." You hum against her lips, pressing yours to them at the end of your statement. 

"Good, because there's more where that came from." 

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhm," she settles into your arms again, looking into your eyes with so much love you nearly swoon. "This is only the beginning for us." 

[theblacklupins]

The bunch of keys in Remus’ hands jingled as he unlocked the glass door, opening the doors to the big space of bookshelves filled to the brim with leather bound books. Turning around, he smiled serenely as he looked around. Sunlight filtered through the gaps of the curtains.

He opened them, light now illuminating the entire bookstore. He sighed as he turned on the air conditioning, letting a cool breeze sweep over the entire shop.

He loved his job. He was surrounded by things he loved and it was all so calm and peaceful. Everything was what it was supposed to be.

Remus went behind the counter, clearing up any dust that had been left behind the day before. He looked at the clock.

“Eight,” he murmured, smiling softly to himself. “Gives me an hour, then.”

He shrugged on his coat, fixed his hair a bit and headed out with his wallet and phone, locking the doors again.

He headed down the street to which he’d just moved into, admiring the cute houses and occasional shop. He smiled brightly when he walked up to the place he’d been coming to ever since he opened his store.

He pushed open the glass doors, the smell of baked goods and coffee making his stomach rumble.

He stepped up behind two people who were queuing, silently pulling out his phone to scroll through Instagram. He smiled at Lily’s selfie with Marlene and Mary in the background. He commented sarcastic eye roll emojis and hearts and put his phone in his pocket when it was his turn to order.

“The usual, Mr. Lupin?”

Remus smiled shyly and he nodded, looking up only to find his breath taken away, as always.

Because in front of him was the cafe cashier, Sirius Black, wearing a white apron and a black turtleneck underneath, hair tied up in a messy bun.

“Yeah,” Remus replied a little breathlessly. “The normal.”

“Iced latte and chocolate muffin!” Sirius yelled to the people manning the food and drinks a few meters behind him. He faced Remus again, shaking his head amusedly. “Don’t know why you still drink an iced latte in this cold ass weather.”

Remus let out a small laugh. “Don’t know either.”

Sirius perked up. “Almost forgot. Now, don’t tell anyone, but...”

Sirius slid a paper bag with two warn double chocolate chip cookies in it. Remus blinked and shook his head, trying to refuse but Sirius pushed him away as another customer entered the store. Remus sighed as he took the cookies and waited at the side of the store for his order. In less than ten minutes, his name got called and he collected his order, sending a fleeting smile towards Sirius and then rushing out of the cafe.

Every day it was like this. Head over to the cafe, buy breakfast, maybe flirt a little with Sirius, run out to tend to his bookshop and be busy for the rest of the day. Only talking to Sirius once every day, and then going to sleep thinking about his smile.

It could be better, but Remus wasn’t going to start complaining.

He sighed as he bit into the muffin, deciding to save the cookies for later.

𓅰𓅰𓅰

Remus woke up late on a Friday, because he’d been up late arranging and sorting out the new delivery of books that he’d ordered. He only collapsed on his bed at two in the morning, not even bothering to change his clothes.

He woke in a panic at fifty minutes past seven and hurriedly got ready and went down his bookstore. His apartment was situated a level above the bookshop, so it was much more convenient instead of having to wake up much earlier and then having to walk. Which meant that even if he woke up late, he wouldn’t be too late.

He managed to run down the stairs, nearly twisting his foot and unlocking the doors only eight minutes late. Thankfully, there weren’t any customers yet. People usually came in in the late afternoons or just before dinner, which gave Remus plenty of time to sort out orders and deliveries for books.

But only after a half an hour, people started coming in, streaming through the doors and browsing the shelves. Remus was surprised; usually only a few people came in once a day. Why so many now, and in such a short amount of time?

“Hey!”

Remus jerked, head looking up and eyes widening.

“Sirius?”

Sirius grinned, now wearing a leather jacket instead of his usual white apron. “Hey, stranger. Noticed how you didn’t come into the cafe today. Here.” He placed Remus’ order of iced latte and chocolate muffin — plus an extra two cookies — and leaned against the wooden counter.

“Nice thing you’ve got going on here,” Sirius commented lightly, smiling at the books. “It feels like it would be calm. Well, calm if there weren’t a crowd of people here right now.”

Remus laughed. “Yeah, sorry, don’t know why either. Usually it’s really quiet until later. And I didn’t head to the cafe because I woke up late. Been up all night sorting everything out.”

Sirius pursed his lips. “I... may know the reason why you’ve gotten a bunch of customers all of a sudden.”

Remus narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why?”

“I may have... promoted your bookstore a bit? Yesterday?”

Remus blinked. “What?”

Sirius scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, I, uh, went onto my cafe’s social media platforms and uh, promoted your bookshop.”

Remus whipped out his phone and went to Twitter, searching the cafe Sirius worked at, and sure enough, a picture of his bookshop, taken while Remus wasn’t in. The light from the sun illuminated the inside through the windows, making the entire shop nearly glow. The caption above stated:

Mr. Lupin’s bookshop is a must to visit once you’ve bought from us! Books and cafe delights are something to bring peace to heart and mind. Check out Mr. Lupin’s bookshop and you won’t be disappointed, with your favorite titles about romance, adventure or fantasy at your fingertips with a cup of coffee right beside.

Remus’ eyes widened and he looked up at Sirius, who smiled sheepishly. Before he could say anything, though, a few customers started to line up. Sirius had to move to the side so Remus could help them.

Once that was tended to, Remus faced Sirius, who had sidled up next to him behind the counter. “You— you really did that.”

Sirius grinned. “I did.”

Remus smiled softly, blushing just a tiny bit. “Thanks. This... really means a lot to me.”

Sirius’ grin turned softer, quieter, more of an adoring look than a smile at that point. “You’re welcome. I’m glad it made you happy.”

An elderly woman came up to the desk, holding a copy of Anne Frank. “Hello dears, how much is this?”

Remus helped her with her payment, and when she had the paper bag in her arms securely, she asked sweetly, “You boys look very sweet together. Reminds me if my own grandson and his husband.”

Remus blushed and became flustered, trying to explain how he and Sirius weren’t together, but he was silenced when Sirius replied, “Thank you, ma’am. I like to think we look good together too.”

She smiled serenely and walked out of the store, leaving behind a stuttering Remus.

“You...”

“Go out on a date with me, Remus Lupin?” Sirius asked quietly, fiddling with his fingers. “I know— we don’t talk a lot, but I’m really smitten with you and I’m hoping—"

Remus cut him off with a chaste kiss, only pressing in a couple of seconds before parting.

“Yeah, I’ll go on a date with you,” Remus breathed. He jumped when a wolf whistle sounded through the shop, and everyone started applauding. Remus blushed furiously and shrunk back, glaring at Sirius who grinned at him and bowed as if he was part of a show that dramatically changed everyone’s lives.

𓅰𓅰𓅰

“So we’re having a coffee date right?”

“Would be wrong not to, to be honest.”

[cali-holland]

Forever and Ever, Ch. 1: The Proposal

Tom Holland X Osterfield!Reader, Wedding Series

With the help of Harrison and Charlotte, Tom picks out the perfect ring for you, and now the time’s come for the perfect proposal.

Warnings: sexual themes, swearing, a lil bit of blood/violence and kind of an abusive ex? (it’s a flashback though)

Word Count: 4100

Series Masterlist

Masterlist   Tom Holland Masterlist

“We keep this love in a photograph

We made these memories for ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts are never broken

And time's forever frozen still

So you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet

You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home”

Photograph, Ed Sheeran

~~~

“How’s the online shopping coming?” Harrison asked, strolling into the living room when he knew you were away at work the next day. Tom let out a frustrated groan, throwing his head back on the couch.

“There’s too many choices! I don’t understand how there can be so many shapes.” Tom stated and Harrison sat beside him to look at the engagement ring website on Tom’s laptop.

“I believe they’re called cuts.” He laughed, looking over the categories and images. “God, you’re right. How are there so many options?”

“This makes no sense.” He sighed, “How do I know which one Y/N would like the most?”

“Might sound cheesy, but I think she’d say yes even if you gave her the shittiest ring.”

“Well, that’s helpful.” Tom rolled his eyes at his friend.

“Why not go in person tomorrow? Y/N will be at work anyway.” Harrison suggested, standing from the couch.

“I don’t really want paparazzi to find out, but I guess I have no choice.” He paused, “Do you think you could come with me?”

Harrison laughed, turning back to his friend. “You’re talking to the wrong sibling. I’ll call Charlotte and see if she can go with you.”

By the time you got home from work, Tom had cleared out his search history to make sure there was no evidence of his ring shopping. You had no clue anything was up, even when you saw that your younger sister texted him while you two got ready for bed that evening.

Spotting his phone light up on the bedside table just as you were about to get into bed, you asked, “Why did Charlotte text you?”

“Probably just asking if I’m back home. I think Harrison said something about your mum inviting me over for dinner this week.” He lied with a shrug as he climbed into bed on the opposite side. While his room (which was actually your room as well) was big, it still only had one night stand on your side of the bed. Any other night, Tom wouldn’t care about it, trusting you completely with his phone, but now he was worried you’d get curious and check Charlotte’s texts. It wasn’t that strange for Charlotte to text him when he got back into town, but he got lucky by remembering Harrison’s mention of family dinner plans, something he’s gotten accustomed to at the Osterfield household.

“Oh yeah, she did tell me that. Friday, right? I just assumed you’d be free.” You laughed, making yourself comfortable under the covers by snuggling into Tom’s warm embrace. “If you don’t want to-“

“No, of course I’d love to. Your family’s my family.” He reached up and knocked on the wall behind him, just for Harrison, whose bed was on the other side of the wall, to hit the wall back. “See?”

Through your fit of laughter, you managed to say, “God, he’s going to think we’re going at it.”

“Hm, well, why don’t we?” Tom winked at you, his trailing down your waist.

“As much as I missed you, I’ll pass. One of us actually went to work today.” You teased, nuzzling your face into his neck and pressing a chaste kiss to his sweet spot. “Besides, I’m still sore from last night.”

“That good, huh?” He smirked and you leaned up to kiss him.

“Watch it, Holland.” You joked, and he couldn’t help but think that one day you’d have that last name too. Tom pulled you closer to him, intertwining your left hand with his, as you laid down with your head on his chest. As you drifted off to sleep, he mindlessly traced over your ring finger, mind racing with what the perfect ring would look like right in that very spot.

The next day, you went away to work as usual, and Tom put on his most incognito outfit- dark hoodie, dark jeans, sunglasses (though it wasn’t actually too bright out), dark baseball cap. He was completely unrecognizable for the paparazzi.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Harrison asked as he and Tom got in the car because, while Harrison still felt that Charlotte was the better sibling to ask for help, he wanted to go as moral support for his best friend. You know, best man duties and all that. In his casual white t-shirt and jeans, he looked the exact opposite of Tom.

“I’m not having anyone recognize. Not today.” Tom insisted.

“Whatever you say.” He laughed.

The two of them met Charlotte at the ring shop, after they parked a little ways away (because Tom didn’t want his car to be parked right in front of the store- that’s too “obvious”, according to him). Charlotte, just as Harrison had, commented on his rather dull outfit, but yet again, he always wore black in some form. Despite their fashion remarks, Tom was glad to have your siblings with him, or rather his future in-laws, you just didn’t know that yet.

“What about this one?” Charlotte asked, pointing to yet another ring. She’d shown Tom nearly a dozen rings that she thought you’d like, meanwhile Tom was overwhelmed by the choices. They lost Harrison to the men’s section shortly after walking inside because he wanted more.

“I don’t know. This is all so much.” Tom sighed, looking at the pretty engagement ring in the glass case. It was delicate and beautiful, but he still didn’t know. He had been told that the ring will “speak” to him, that he’ll just know when he sees it. He wished it was as easy as knowing you were the one for him; all it took was one glance at you and he knew he wanted to be with you forever. You were his forever.

After what must have been the twentieth “what do you think of this one?” from Charlotte (which he did deeply appreciate her help), Tom was ready to give up hope on this store. Maybe this store didn’t have the perfect ring. Shoving his hands in his hoodie’s pocket, he scanned over the rings again, the shiny silver beginning to blur together.

“Check this out.” Harrison called to them from across the store.

“Haz, mate, I don’t want to look at one of your rings.” Tom answered, running a hand over his face.

“No, you div. I like this ring for Y/N.” He replied, and both Tom and Charlotte immediately came over to him. Sitting in front of Harrison, in the back corner of the case, was the most perfect ring Tom had ever seen. He was speechless, and he knew it was the one.

“Can we see that one please?” Charlotte asked the worker, reading Tom’s slacked jaw expression as one of pure amazement. The worker pulled out the ring from behind the glass, and Harrison and Charlotte both exchanged a look of ‘that’s it’ while Tom examined it.

“Yes. That’s the one.” Tom nodded, and the two siblings let out their bated breaths in relief. As Tom and the worker settled out the measurements and price, Harrison waited with his sister by the door.

“And now he just needs to propose.” Charlotte laughed.

“I bet he’s going to faint before he even gets the words out. Y/N will just have to piece it together.” Harrison joked.

“Do you know how he’s doing it?” She asked.

“Oh yeah, she’s so going to cry.” Harrison watched the cashier slide the pink ring box over to Tom, finalizing the deal, and he felt a wave of pride overcome him. His two favorite people in the world were getting married; he wasn’t sure if he’d make it through this without shedding a few happy tears himself.

~~~

Tom let out a sigh, taking a step back to examine his bedroom. From the Christmas lights strung around the room to the bed sheet hanging on the wall across from the projector, everything was perfect. There were even a few rose petals scattered on the floor. He ran a nervous hand through his hair, his other hand slipping into his pocket to fish out the little pink box. Opening the box, his heart started to beat impossibly faster. It had only been two days since he bought it, but he felt like he could stare at it forever, and, well, if you said yes, then he’d gladly stare at it forever.

“Y/N,” He mumbled under his breath, beginning to pace a little. Another deep breath escaped his lips as he continued quietly rehearsing, “Y/N Osterfield, will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

Tom had never jumped so high in his life, but he eased up immediately when he realized it was just Harrison in the doorway, arms crossed as he took in the new look to Tom’s room.

“So? How does it look?” Tom asked, closing the box and pocketing it once more. His hand remained in his pocket, thumbing over the object, like he was worried the box would vanish into thin air. He felt his hands start to shake a little at the unimpressed look on Harrison’s face.

“Like you’re going to be engaged by the end of the night.” He said encouragingly, unable to hide his happy smile any longer. “Now, come on, lover boy, she’ll be here any minute.”

“Do you think she’ll be able to tell? I want to surprise her.”

Harrison looked at the room again and then at his nervous friend, who was a little too nicely dressed for a casual movie night in; yet again maybe Harrison just wasn’t used to Tom wearing anything but sweats and a hoodie around the house. It seemed obvious, but maybe you would be too tired from a day at work to notice. Before he could reply, Harry shouted from downstairs.

“She’s here!”

Quickly, Tom and Harrison rushed out of the room, closing the door softly behind them. They went to the kitchen, where Harry and Tuwaine also stood, all four of them trying to act casual as they waited for you to come inside.

“Ed Sheeran? Are you sure?” Tuwaine asked, questioning Tom’s choice of music for the night.

“Yes. What’s wrong with Ed Sheeran?” Tom refuted.

“It’s a little unoriginal.” Harry added, and his brother narrowed his eyes at him.

“Unoriginal?”

“I brought dinner!” You announced, walking into the house. Tom sent his brother and friends a quick look of “don’t say anything” before he went to greet you at the door. His smile widened as he saw you, kicking off your shoes beside the shoe bin, balancing two bags of takeout.

“How was work?” Tom asked as he took the bags from you.

“Boring. Wish I could’ve been here with you.” You replied with a smile, your arms wrapping around his neck to bring him in for a kiss. His hands found your waist, the takeout bags hanging from his wrist, as you kissed him like you hadn’t seen him in weeks, not that he was complaining though because there was plenty of lost time to make up for.

Just as your tongue brushed over his lips, making him smile into the kiss, Harrison walked in the room, scoffing, “Get a room.”

“Don’t worry. We will.” You stated, not stepping out of Tom’s embrace as you looked at your brother. Harrison just rolled his eyes at you. You let go of Tom to make your way to the kitchen with both boys following behind you.

“Remember when you hated Tom?” Harrison teased, his normal playful smile on his face as he eyed you cuddled up to his best friend across the dinner table.

You rolled your eyes at his attempt at a joke, “Hate is an overstatement. Besides, I obviously got over that ruined dress a long time ago.”

“What happened to change that?” Tuwaine asked innocently. All eyes fell on you and Tom, and you remained uncharacteristically quiet, opting to drink some water instead of responding.

“Just time, I guess.” Tom shrugged, doing his best to save you from the topic.

While you did spend the first year of knowing Tom completely ignoring his attempts at being nice to you (which ranged from him offering to help you with groceries when you and Harrison still lived at home together to him greeting you when you walked in a room), your hostility seemed to change over night for the bystanders that were your siblings, his brothers, and your mutual friends.

It was sometime in the fall of 2014; Tom didn’t really remember the day exactly, or rather the night. He just remembered that he wasn’t in the mood to go clubbing with Harrison in some no-name London nightclub, but he went nonetheless. He soon lost his friend to some girl in the crowd, and Tom found himself perched on a barstool, nursing a beer. He checked his phone with a sigh; it’d been only half an hour since he walked through the door. He scanned the crowd in front of him, looking for any sign of Harrison, when his eyes caught sight of you.

Out on the dancefloor with a carefree smile on your face, you still managed to take his breath away. It had been over a year since the incident, and you hadn’t backed down from your grudge against him. Meanwhile, for Tom, he wanted to keep trying because, maybe one day, you’d tolerate him enough that he could actually talk to you. All he heard from your mutual friends (not Harrison because he’d never speak highly of you to another guy, especially one that he already knew was crushing on you, even if Tom refused to admit it) was that you were incredibly sweet and kind and funny and smart and basically everything Tom was looking for. Sighing again, he took another drink of his beer and returned to his previous task of seeking out Harrison.

When he still came up empty handed looking for his friend, Tom’s eyes managed to find their way back to you, but this time that same smile wasn’t on your face. No, you actually looked pissed off, an expression that Tom was very used to seeing. It was then that Tom spotted a seemingly very drunk Richard beside you, Richard from the party, Richard who had been your boyfriend for the past few months, Richard who Tom absolutely loathed. He hadn’t heard much about your relationship, except for the fact that Harrison thought Richard was a “conceited, manipulative asshole” who wasn’t good for you at all. Curiously, Tom watched you interact with him as you crossed your arms, saying something that made Richard roll his eyes at you and grab your elbow forcefully. As Richard dragged you out to a hallway of the club, Tom immediately shot up to follow you two.

“Let me go. I told you, Richard, we’re done.” You said, trying to get out of his painful grip.

“No, we’re done when I say we’re done.” He barked back. Tom took that as his cue to step in, standing a bit taller as he did so.

“Hey, leave her alone.” Tom interjected, and you looked at him, surprised by his appearance.

“Tom, what the hell are you doing here?” You asked. It was Tom’s turn to be surprised; you’d spoken to him, and you’d used his name- up until this moment, he thought you didn’t even know that.

“Pool boy?” Richard scoffed, and you and Tom simultaneously rolled your eyes, “Run along. This is between me and my girlfriend.”

“Sounds like she isn’t your girlfriend anymore.” He hardly got his taunting comment out before Richard let go of you just to punch Tom square in the nose. Tom stumbled backwards a little and regained his footing to punch him right back. Richard staggered in surprise by the force of the blow, and you took the opportunity to grab Tom’s hand and run from the hallway back into the crowded club. He didn’t protest as he followed you through the swarm of people, allowing you to take him out of the club.

“Why did you do that?” You said quietly, once the two of you were outside in the cold night air. You let go of his hand and didn’t even turn to look at him, opting to pace the sidewalk a little while he leaned against the wall, clutching his nose.

“He was harassing you.” Tom stated. When you heard the slight nasaliness to his voice, you turned to look at him and your eyes grew wide as you realized his nose was bleeding.

“Oh god,” You winced.

“Dick packs a punch.” He tried to laugh, but the humor was lost from his grimace in pain.

“Come on, my place is around the corner.” At your offer, Tom furrowed his eyebrows at you in confusion. Playfully, you added, “I can’t leave my knight in shining armor to bleed out on the side of the road.”

“I doubt I’d bleed out from this.” Tom mused, and the two of you began to walk back to your apartment. 

A comfortable silence fell between the two of you until there was a particularly brisk gust of autumn wind, making you instinctively shiver. Your sleeveless dress did nothing to shield you from the chilly air, and Tom noticed. Ever so awkwardly, he started to try to shimmy out of his jacket, mindful of his bloody hand. You paused, looking over at him in confusion, “Are you trying to give me your jacket?”

“Shut up.” He mumbled, embarrassed but still trying to take off his jacket to offer it to you. Biting your lip to keep yourself from laughing at the humor of it all, you helped him.

“What is it with you and jackets?” You joked, slipping it on over your shoulders. Seeing as he was in a long sleeve shirt and jeans, and that your apartment was just ahead, you weren’t going to decline his offer.

“I don’t know.” Tom shrugged, laughing a little at the memory, “I’m just trying to be chivalrous.”

“Very chivalrous, indeed.” You nodded as a laugh escaped your lips.

“Maybe one day, I’ll get it right.”

Tom felt that maybe this lighthearted air between the two of you was a step in the right direction for the two of you, even if he was clutching his bloody nose the whole time. Back at your apartment, he propped himself up on the bathroom counter and you got a few rags together to clean him up. With his legs spread, you stood in between them, wiping the blood on his nose off with a wet rag.

“Thank you, by the way.” You mumbled, concentrated on your work.

“Anytime.” He answered, his eyes studying you closely, memorizing every detail of your face. This was the first, and hopefully not the last, time that you had been this close to him and, damn, did he enjoy it.

“Let’s not make this a regular thing.” You teased. “And can you, um, can you not tell Harrison? He tends to get overprotective.”

“Shit.” Tom groaned and you immediately stopped your actions, thinking you’d somehow managed to hurt him. “I forget Harrison.”

“At the club?” You asked, a small smile coming over your face, and he nodded sheepishly.

“He was off dancing with some girl.”

“So he forgot about you.” You joked, before seriously adding, “You should probably let him know you left, but-”

“I won’t tell him. This is our secret, I promise.”

And Tom still fully intended to keep that promise. Years down the road, Harrison still had no clue that your ex was the one who almost broke Tom’s nose, but it’s not like your brother remembered that night anyway. All he knew was that the very next day, when you came over for drinks with him and the boys, you and Tom spoke to each other. And, well, Harrison couldn’t help the small flicker of happiness that filled him to see his best friend and his twin sister getting along... finally.

“Yep, just time.” You nodded, sending Tom a small, grateful smile.

Dinner seemed to last forever for Tom; you just did not eat fast enough for him. He even started doing the dishes while you sat at the table and talked to Harry just to distract himself from the itching nerve to just drop down on one knee right in front of you. It didn’t help that Tom knew Harry, Harrison, and Tuwaine were all anxiously wanting you to leave; they didn’t want to contain the secret any longer either. After nearly an hour of self-restraint on his part, he finally suggested you change out of your work clothes.

“So what movie tonight?” You asked as you made your way down the hall with Tom.

“I was thinking we could do something a little different tonight.” He said, a small smile playing on his lips. You eyed him skeptically before turning to open the bedroom door. You felt yourself choke up at the scene before you. Taking in the roses and lights as well as the room’s overall new romantic atmosphere, you were speechless.

“C’mon.” Tom slid past you in the doorway, holding out a hand for you. When you took it, he led you all the way inside the room, closing the door behind you.

“You did all of this for me?” You breathed out in disbelief, still processing the dramatic transformation.

“Of course.”

As you sat down beside him at the foot of the bed, in the perfect position to view the projected image, Tom quickly got out his phone to play the slideshow. Hearing the familiar tune of Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph”, you smiled, snuggling into Tom’s side. You watched in admiration as various pictures floated across the screen.

The very, very ugly first picture of the two of you together at 17 (with Dick cropped out and Harrison’s face replaced with a heart emoji). One of the many pictures the two of you took together when you went to Paris for your three year anniversary a few months ago. Goofy selfies you’ve taken together that should never be seen by anyone else. One taken by Harrison when Monty and Tessa’s leashes got tangled, trapping you and Tom together, before you were even actually together. A photo of you two in the world’s worst matching Christmas sweaters two years ago because Tom thought it’d be funny (and it was). Another photograph taken straight from a gossip magazine of the two of you at the Far From Home premiere (it was your favorite picture from the red carpet but also you couldn’t find it without the watermark); immediately following that one was Tom helping you remove your make up after the after party, make up wipe in hand (you two weren’t 100% sober when that was taken).

All of them were pictures of the happiest, most memorable days in your life, all moments that happened with the love of your life. As the song came to its bridge, Tom shifted out of your embrace to stand up, his hand deep in his pocket. When he turned to face you, his face dropped, realizing you were very teary-eyed.

“Darling, no, you’re not supposed to cry.” Worry was flowing through him now. What if you didn’t want this? What if you said no?

“Tom, yes.” You nodded, biting your lip to refrain from full on crying.

“Yes?” He repeated, suddenly confused.

“Are you going to ask me to marry you or not?” You teased. With a laugh, Tom got down on one knee in front of you, pulling out the ring box and opening it to present you with the most beautiful ring you could’ve imagined.

“Y/N Osterfield, the first time we met, you called me a dumbass, and I still am, but now I’m your dumbass that doesn’t know how to write one of those cheesy proposal speeches. You’re my best friend and my soulmate, and you know me better than anyone else. There’s no one else that I’d rather spend forever with, so will you spend forever with me and marry me?” Tom asked, hands shaking a little due to the nerves. Smiling and nodding, you leaned in to kiss him, despite the awkward angle from you still being on the bed and him still kneeling.

“Yes, yes, yes.” You mumbled happily between kisses. 

Laughing, Tom pulled away from you, “Don’t forget about the ring.” He took the ring out of the box and you held your left hand out to him for him to slide it onto your ring finger. You looked at the ring in awe for a moment.

“I love you, fiancé.” You said, eyes trailing for your ring to Tom.

“I love you, too, fiancée.” He replied and leaned in to kiss you. With his lips moving with yours, he brought himself up off the ground, blindly climbing onto the bed as you laid down on the blankets. Murmuring into your lips, Tom repeated his words happily, “My fiancée.”

~~~

Tag List: @viagracex @theamazingtomholland @Hellomoveonby @heyitsshrez @harrisonosterfieldhazmyheart @joyleenl @t-o-m-hollands @lonikje @sleepybesson @sunkisseddreamer @hollandsamor @in-a-lot-of-fandoms-tbh @gorrillaglue23 @petersoftboyparker @musicalkeys @duskholland @biebsmylife95 @dummiesshort @perspectiveparker​ 

Tom Holland Tag List: @quaksonhehe @tomkindholland

Series Tag List: @thefallenbibliophilequote @wassup-peoples @thevelvetseries @greatpizzascissorstaco @tomhollandsotherpinkytoe

[ptersparkers]

truth or dare

summary: you’re the new girl moving in between the cut and figure eight, and sarah wants nothing to do with you. at least, not at first. 

warnings: mentions of alcohol, swearing, and typos, probably. 

notes: omg i’m so happy you guys like what i write for sarah and i read all of your requests! i’ll get to them at some point, promise.

add yourself to my taglist!

Rumor has it that there was a new girl moving onto the Outer Banks for the summer. The only reason why this was special news is because the newcomer lived on the cusp of The Cut and Figure Eight. If Sarah was being honest, she didn’t care about anyone other than the friends she called her family. To watch them “freak out” over someone new who’d be staying in between the two sides of the island made her even less excited for the summer. She had just gotten comfortable with the Pogues - why was something threatening that?

“Maybe we should see if she comes to The Wreck,” JJ proposed one late Friday morning. “You know, see what she looks like.”

“How do you know this person is a ‘she’?” Pope asked. 

“Call it me being hopeful,” JJ replied, winking at the boy. Sarah rolled her eyes.

“That’s gross,” Kiara said, scoffing as she took a seat in the hammock next to Sarah. “Why don’t we just leave this family alone and not do anything stupid this summer?” 

“I agree with Kie,” Sarah said, high-fiving the girl next to her. “You all sound so desperate.” 

“Can’t argue with the Kook,” John B. joked. Sarah gave him a playful glare and bothered him for a bottle of water. 

“Whatever,” JJ said nonchalantly. “It’s all fun and games, really. Summer’s here and I don’t want to do anything that’s not having fun.” 

“I’m gonna head home,” Sarah announced, standing up. “Dad wanted me back for lunch but I’ll be free after one. Meet back at the Chateau?” 

“See ya later,” Pope said, giving her a mock salute as Sarah exited the living space. 

When Sarah walked outside to where her car was parked, she saw you looking down at your phone with a confused expression. What you wore was definitely not appropriate for a summer in the Outer Banks - a long sleeved turtleneck with white tapered pants. Your hair was slicked back in a low ponytail and gold jewelry littered your hands and fingers. 

“Hey,” you said, looking up. Sarah’s attention snapped out of her thoughts and she looked at you, trying to act as if she hadn’t been checking you out. “Can you tell me where The Wreck is?” 

“The Wreck?” Sarah asked, clearing her throat. “Uh, yeah, if you walk down the block and make a right, The Wreck should be on your left.” You took the black sunglasses off of your eyes and looked at her for a brief moment before putting them back on. 

“Thanks, uh...,” you trailed off. 

“Sarah,” she replied. 

“Sarah,” you repeated. “I’m Y/N. I just moved here, if you couldn’t tell.” You gestured at your outfit and laughed at yourself. Oh boy. 

“I can tell,” Sarah said, laughing. 

“Sorry, I don’t wanna keep you if you’re going somewhere,” you said, lazily pointing at her car keys.

“Oh!” Sarah said, momentarily forgetting that she was going home to meet her family for lunch. “I could give you a ride, if you want?”

“What about the whole ‘stranger danger’ rule?”

“I’m not an axe murderer,” Sarah said, laughing. 

“Maybe, but you don’t know if I’m one,” you said, matching her stance with a smirk. Sarah chuckled. “Kidding. I’d love a ride.” Sarah knew she’d be a few minutes late with the time you two had spent talking and the detour she’d have to take. Whatever, she thought. I’ll just say I lost track of time. 

“So, where are you from?” Sarah asked, turning on the engine and leaving the Chateau. 

“New York,” you replied. “My mom’s from the Outer Banks originally and this is the first time we’re staying here for an entire summer.”

“You’ve never visited before?”

“A few times,” you said. “It was when I was much younger and we didn’t stay for very long. I can’t really remember much, if I’m being honest.” 

“I’ve lived here all my life,” Sarah said with a quiet sigh. “It’s nice when there’s no weather storms.”

“I’ll bet. The snow can be deadly in New York when it’s wintertime,” you said dramatically. “But I love it. It’s home, you know?” 

“Yeah,” Sarah said, unsure of what to say. Her car had approached The Wreck and you smiled gratefully at her before unbuckling your seatbelt. 

“Thanks, Sarah. I owe you one,” you said. 

She waved you off. “Nah, it’s not a problem.” You stayed put for a moment before grabbing a sharpie from your bag and holding your hand out for Sarah. She raised an eyebrow and gave you her hand to which you wrote your phone number on it. 

“Here. Don’t be afraid to use it.” You capped the sharpie and put it back in your bag, a satisfied smile on your lips. 

“How will you get home?” Sarah asked.

“My parents are meeting me here,” you explained. “I’ll be fine. See you around?” 

Sarah smiled. “Yeah, see you around.” 

***

“She’s hot,” JJ yelled from outside of the Chateau a week after Sarah had first met you. “And I mean like hot, hot.” 

“Who are you talking about?” John B. asked, quirking his eyebrow from the book he was currently reading. 

“The new girl,” he replied. 

“How do you know she’s not a Touron?” Kie inferred. 

“Heard her talking while I was at the surf shop,” he said, sitting next to John B. “She was telling the cashier about moving here for the summer while he rang her up. Something about moving from New York?”

“New York?” said Kie. “Damn. That’s a whole different lifestyle.” 

“I can’t even begin to explain what she looks like,” JJ retorted. “Like, Kook meets Pogue.”

“That doesn’t help,” Pope said, throwing a pillow at him. It hit JJ on the side of the head and Sarah laughed. 

“I can, um, ask her to hang out with us this afternoon,” Sarah said timidly. All eyes turned on her. “What?” 

“You mean you’ve met her and had her number this entire time?” JJ asked. 

“Um, yes?” 

He scoffed. “You’d keep me from meeting my one true love?” 

Sarah rolled her eyes. “I met her last week before I went home for lunch. She needed directions to The Wreck and I gave her a ride.” Sarah swore JJ’s eyes were going to pop out of his sockets. 

“And you’re telling us this now?” 

“Jesus, JJ,” John B. said. “Calm down, would you?” 

“All I’m saying is Sarah’s keeping me from meeting my future wife and I think that’s a felony.” 

“So fucking dramatic,” Kiara said, rubbing her templed. 

“She gave me her number after I dropped her off but I haven’t texted her yet,” Sarah explained. 

“Well what are you waiting for?” JJ asked, standing up from his spot to stand next to Sarah. “Text her, woman!” 

Sarah pulled out her phone from her back pocket, rolling her eyes at JJ’s eagerness. When she hovered over your contact and was about to type a message, she started at the blank text box. 

“What do I even say?” 

“Here,” JJ said, taking the phone from Sarah. The blonde tried to fight for her phone but JJ’s height allowed him to raise her phone over his head. “Would love to see you again, come meet me at The Wreck,” JJ said. “Let me add a wink emoji for good measure.” 

“Don’t you dare!” Sarah exclaimed, trying to run after JJ. 

“Too late!” he said, handing the phone back to the petite blond. Sarah groaned when she saw the message had delivered and furiously typed another message. 

“Jeez, you’re making it sound like I want a second date,” she said, huffing. 

“Well I want a first date,” JJ replied.

sarah: sorry about that message. my friend stole my phone

She waited anxiously for you to reply. 

y/n: lol, it’s okay. you sure that wasn’t coming from you? 

Sarah tried her best to not get flustered in front of her friends. 

sarah: i mean, i really want you to come hang out with me and my friends

You didn’t miss a beat. 

y/n: i’d love that! and this time i’ll wear proper clothing lmao

sarah: we’re gonna be there later this afternoon, is that okay with you?

y/n: be there or be square!! 

Sarah giggled and the Pogues looked at one another, confused as to what had pulled out such a high-pitched laugh from the blonde. 

“Okay,” Sarah said, looking up. “Y/N’s gonna meet us at The Wreck.”

“Y/N,” JJ said, letting your name slip off of his tongue. “I like it. Easy to say, but I can’t wait to hear her say my name.”

“Jesus,” Kiara said, playfully banging her head on the side of John B’s arm. “Can you stop being weird for just one second?”

“Nope,” he said, winking at her. “I’m gonna get her to go on a date with me by the end of the month. If it happens, it happens.”

“And if it doesn’t happen?” Pope asked. 

JJ shrugged. “I’ll shut up about girls for the rest of the summer.”

John B. snorted. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.” 

“I swear,” he said, crossing his heart. “You guys can call me out on it and I won’t argue with you.”

“Okay,” Kiara spoke. “I can get behind this.” 

“So, do we have a deal?” JJ looked around the room and stuck his hands out, waiting for an answer.

“We have a deal,” said John B and the rest of the group agreed. 

Sarah didn’t know how she felt at that moment. While the rest of the Pogues sat around and laughed at whatever Pope had just said, she couldn’t help but replay the conversation that just occurred in her head. There was no way she actually had some feelings for you, a stranger she had met a week ago, right? Besides, did you even like girls? 

All she knew was she couldn’t wait until this afternoon. 

***

The Pogues had gotten to The Wreck ten minutes earlier and Sarah didn’t know why she was so anxious. You were just someone she met so why was her leg bouncing up and down? 

“Tell me why I’m kind of nervous,” said JJ. 

“You’re acting like you’ve in love with her,” Pope said. 

“I mean, basically.” 

Kiara rolled her eyes. “You haven’t even spoken to this girl. What if she’s an absolute nut job and ends up getting all of us arrested?”

“She’s not a nut job,” Sarah said. 

JJ shrugged. “I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m excited to convince someone to ditch the Kook lifestyle.” 

“I don’t think Y/N knows what that means,” Sarah replied. “She’s just gonna be here for the summer.” 

“Still,” he said, taking a french fry from the center of the table. Kiara’s father had graciously provided the group with a free lunch, thanks to Kiara’s insistence and promising him that they would help him build the shed he had in his backyard. 

“Sarah?” you said. Your voice rang through her head and she whipped her head around at the sound of her name coming from your mouth. Her lips lifted upwards and drank in your appearance - high waisted mom jeans, a black tank top, and a loose linen button down shirt draped over your shoulders. 

“Y/N,” Sarah said, standing up from the table she sat at. You met her halfway and gave her a squeeze, looking over her shoulder to see four pairs of eyes on you. 

“Hi,” you said, offering a small wave and a genuine smile. 

“Woah,” Sarah heard from behind her. She looked at the boys and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. JJ was obviously starstruck and John B’s mouth was hanging slightly ajar. Pope was the only smart one; he hadn’t bothered to send a wink you way or made any attempt to make it seem like he was gawking at you. 

“This is Y/N,” she introduced. “She just moved from New York last week.”

“JJ,” said the blond, standing up and almost tripping over himself. You chuckled at his antics and held your hand out for him. JJ, being the flirt he was, pressed a kiss to the back of your hand and Sarah let out an audible groan.

“Stop being weird,” she muttered. 

“I guess chivalry isn’t dead,” you commented as JJ held your hand limp in his. JJ winked. 

“Never, Y/N.” 

“This is Kiara,” Sarah said, pointing at the only other girl at the table. Kiara grinned and waved at you from where she sat. “That’s Pope.” Pope awkwardly waved and stood up to shake your hand, which you did. “And that’s John B.” Sarah could see the hint of pink appear on John B’s cheeks. The boy, who had never really paid much attention to girls, was flustered over someone he had never spoken to before. 

“Nice to meet you all,” you said. “ So do you go by John or John B?”

“The ‘B’ stands for Booker,” he explained. “But everybody just calls me ‘John B.’”

“That’s unique,” you commented. “I can’t say that I’ve ever known anyone who refers to themselves with an initial.” 

“What about me?” JJ asked. 

“Well yours like a nickname,” you said. “I feel like JJ might be pretty common.” JJ didn’t respond and Sarah chuckled. “Anyway, I’m starving.”

“Whatever you want is in the house,” Kiara explained. “My dad owns The Wreck and everything’s on us.” 

“Oh, no,” you combated, pulling your wallet out. “Absolutely not. I’m more than happy to pay for my meal.”

“Chivalry isn’t dead,” JJ mocked, winking at you. 

“Seriously,” Kiara said, pushing your hand back. “Don’t sweat it.” 

“You guys,” you said, jutting your bottom lip out. “I haven’t even known you for ten minutes and you’re gonna make me cry.” 

The Pogues laughed and Sarah was glad that you all had gotten along so nicely. 

As the weeks went by, Sarah hid in the shadows when it came to you. Whenever you went to parties at The Boneyard, you were constantly surrounded by Kooks, Tourons, and other Pogues alike. When you were with her friends, JJ and John B. hadn’t stopped pestering you about life in New York and it was almost as if they were in a silent competition of who could take you on a date first. 

But whenever Sarah could get you alone, it was like no one in the world mattered. You were more open, honest about how you felt about moving to the Outer Banks and what you missed about New York. She could feel her heart continuously growing whenever you spoke about things you didn’t say whenever John B. or JJ were around.

It was Pope who had noticed Sarah’s feelings for you and encouraged her to go for it. Sarah hadn’t considered the idea of falling for a girl but that changed the second she saw you wear a long sleeve on the hottest day of the summer. She just didn’t know if you felt the same. 

***

“Okay, truth or dare,” Kiara said as you all sat on Sarah’s boat in the middle of the bank. It was a fairly warm night and Sarah had offered to use her boat, equipped with fairy lights, snacks, and refreshments. 

“I’m far past the point of telling you we aren’t in middle school because we’re just gonna play it,” JJ said, shrugging. He took a seat next to Kiara while you sat in front of him, Sarah to your left, John B. to your right, and Pope on the other side of Kiara. 

“I haven’t played this in ages,” you said, laughing. You had one beer earlier that night but decided to stay sober for the rest of the night and fostered a bottle of cold apple juice. 

“John B,” Kiara said. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” he replied. 

“I dare you to raise your hand for the next three rounds every time you want to say something.” 

“Are you being serious?” he said, deadpanning. 

“John B. didn’t raise his hand!” JJ exclaimed. John B. raised his hand reluctantly and you all took turns making fun of his predicament. 

“Sarah, truth or dare?” Pope asked.

“Truth.”

“Out of everyone here, who would you date if you had to?” Sarah stared at Pope and wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face. 

“I’m not answering that,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“You have to!” JJ exclaimed. “You answer or I throw you overboard.”

“You wouldn’t,” she said. “Actually, don’t answer that.” 

“So who’s it gonna be?” JJ wiggled his eyebrows, taunting the blonde who wanted nothing more than to turn the boat around and crawl in a hole. 

“Y/N,” she mumbled. 

“I’m sorry?” Pope teased, cupping his ear with his hand. 

“Y/N,” she said a little louder. “She’s the only one of us who isn’t a complete dumbass.” 

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” you said while the Pogues laughed. 

“Y/N,” JJ said, turning his body to look at you. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” you said with a shrug. 

“I dare you to kiss the hottest person on this boat.” 

Sarah’s stomach filled with dread. She was overcoming the embarrassment of Pope’s question but couldn’t bear to watch you kiss her friends and, again, seriously thought about cutting the game short and driving back to the dock. But what would only look weird. 

You weren’t stupid. You knew JJ and John B. hadn’t been shy about their infatuation with the new girl who would be staying in the Outer Banks for the summertime. JJ had been over flirtatious with you that you had grown accustomed to his behavior and it didn’t bother you as much when Kiara told you that’s how he behaved around every girl he hadn’t known for a long time. 

When JJ asked the question, you looked around the group and made sure to keep lingering eye contact with the two boys who looked like they were trying hard to seem more attractive in that very moment. You bit your lip, taking your sweet time choosing the person you’d kiss to fulfill the dare. You locked eyes with JJ and he licked his lips. Sarah felt her stomach drop.

But before JJ could do anything, you turned to your left, cupped Sarah’s jaw, and pressed your lips against hers. 

Sarah paid no mind to the gasps of her friends and, instead, relished the feeling of your ultra soft lips moving against hers. She didn’t know what to do with her hands because her mind was wrapped around the fact that the girl she liked was kissing her, really kissing her, in front of her friends unapologetically. 

“Okay,” Kiara said, coughing. You broke apart and there was an audible “pop,” Sarah’s lip gloss shining apparent on yours. You turned to look at JJ, who sat with his mouth wide open, speechless. The boy sat with stars in his eyes and he couldn’t help but feel flustered at the fact that all this time he had been hitting on someone who didn’t swing his way. Or at least, not this time. 

“I’m shook,” Kiara said. “But I totally saw that coming.”

“I second that,” Pope said, pointing at you both. 

“Hold up,” John B. said, scratching the back of his head. “Now I feel like an idiot.”

“I bet JJ feels like a bigger idiot,” Pope said, not bothering to hide his laughter.

“Shut up,” he said, shaking his head in an attempt to get rid of the blush on his cheeks. 

“You poor baby,” you said, standing up. You walked behind JJ, who you had grown comfortable enough around, and hugged him from behind. “Your efforts were really sweet.” You pressed a kiss to his cheek and he laughed, squirming to get out of your grasp as the group began to laugh at your antics. 

“Chivalry still isn’t dead,” he said. “I’m just not gonna hit on you anymore.” You let go of JJ and returned back to your seat, looking at Sarah. 

“You good, Cameron?” you asked, quirking your head to the side. 

“Perfect,” she said, her confidence building. “You?” You bit your lip and nodded. 

“Almost. I think I need another kiss.” 

***

taglist:

@princessdolan​ @ashyramblings-ficrecs​ @fanficscuziranout​ @caswinchester2000​ @jellyfishbeansontoast​ @karleeluv​ @briannarto @pogue-h​ @hyluas @angelic-ashleyaileen @mfmaddyperez.

yall i do not know why tumblr is letting me tag some of you im so sorry

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Happy new year everyone 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

I know 2020 has been hard for everyone.

And I want everyone to know, suffering isn't a contest and we all suffer in different ways. But I feel I should give my year in Review. Just some things that happened to me personally.

This was an intense, and long and spiritual and emotional journey for me...

I really discovered what it meant to have community, family and what my life means to me.

But I feel I need to get this in writing cause I can remember the year with vivid detail and I will probably forget if I don't get it down.

Do I have to share this publically online to my tumblr account for a bunch of strangers to see? not really.

Do I want to?

Yes. I think so. Just from how so many people on tumblr and real life have touched me.

This is kinda long and no one needs to read this.

(idk how to do a readmore on mobile. But this is where I would add it later. No one needs to read if they don't want to.)

January/February: (and some background on the last five years of my life cause.....well. it's important.)

As people knew, I got way into Invader Zim last summer. I spent most of my waking life working a dead end job at a grocery store. I lived a sad lonely life, going straight home to a single dark studio apartment. With not many material possessions outside of games, my laptop and my tablet to my name. Half of my material loves, such as home furnishings and books were still in boxes from when I moved in. In case I ever had to move again, or get some "big screenshot or copywriter" job in the city.

....

I lived in that city in the same dead end job and apartment for five years.

No friends. No social life. I often refused to make doctor appointments or attempt to establish myself in that city. I didn't even talk to anyone in my workplace.

Work. Go online. Go to sleep.

I lived like that for five years.

I thought it was good.

Even my therapist thought I was doing well.

When I really wasn't. My main character flaw I struggle with is motivation.

I can talk to someone about very detailed plans I have to fix a problem... But I tend to never follow through.

Just because I can describe in detail how to fix my personal problems, it doesn't mean I will do it.

(I have gotten better at this but it's a major struggle)

I might have been a Zombie during the day...

But by night I was pouring my soul into my AU and my analysis.

After being so thoughly ignored or overlooked by the Naruto fandom and the Undertale fandom, I felt like I had finally found my home and was settling into a community there.

I just loved that people loved what I had to say.

Especially my AU.

It's no secret that a lot of themes in my au revolve around found family, grief, and loss.......

Fatherhood, in particular.

What it means to be a father, how much do you need to try when you mess up, how willing should a child forgive their parent, especially those that have wronged you and how much of it is factually accurate and simply a self projection of what children want their parents to be and visa versa... What amount of forgiveness and change is nessasary...is it needed?

....

It's no secret that a lot of my AU is a giant coping mechanism for my Dad's death. Espessially the falling out and growing closer with a lot of my family members throughout the years following his death. (Most of the time I keep it ambiguous to how it relates to my personal life unless I include a readmore that states so outright. I feel my au can be enjoyed by a variety of people in the fandom who don't need to know me as a person or my life story.)

My Dad passed away in 2016 in February and my family still feels the aftershocks to this day.

It's part of the reason I moved to the city, alienated myself from my family and people that loved me and refused to experience life for five years.

My entire world was Zim, and I was okay.

March: When America finally realized and started to feel the effects of the pandemic....

A lot of people got scared.

Me included.

I didn't have any streaming services or access to the news. So I only heard accounts from my mom.

I didn't understand why the store was so dead quiet and empty for a few days, then it went into mass chaos and panic in the span of two days.

It felt like Retail black friday in the worst way. Everyone was packed like sardines. Everyone was yelling. The lines at the registers bled into the clothing department.

I was witness to customers shoving others for toilet paper, being rude to cashier's and just overall unpleasantness.

At the time, I didn't even fully grasp what the pandemic was, and I feel a lot of people at the time didn't either.

I ended up absentmindedly scratching my eyebrow in front of a customer and she screamed and villanised me for it. That they didn't want groceries touched by my "unclean hands"

I ended up breaking down into tears.

The customer behind me gave me a hug and told me I was doing a great job.

But the damage was done. It was the final straw, I couldn't stop crying and I was breaking apart.

Thankfully my Boss (the one who likes me) pulled me aside and asked what's wrong.

It was then that I quit. No notice. Same day. I had to get out of there.

I was planning to move to an apartment with my sister in the summer, but my Mom offered for me to move back in with her temperarily just so I can get out of the city and away from the pandemic.

So I did.

I got scared, broke my lease a month early and quit my job of five years that gave me nothing back.

He told me, "take care of yourself and your family, I won't keep you here, do what you need to do."

So I did.

April-June:

A very eventful few months.

My mom offered for me to live at her place, but for some reason she was acting like I would live there forever. That this wasn't a temporary arrangement, and that I didn't have an apartment set up already.

This was in large part to my sister, who had lived with my mom taking advantage of her for years.

Even though my sister and I were going to move in together, I was just never sure about it cause of how she never packed her stuff or made any effort to find a job.

My mom often acted like I was lazy and not searching and was treating me like... Well, an unruly teenager instead of a woman of 29 years. She acted like I was a failure for returning home when it was her idea in the first place.

I would have just been petrified in the city.

Like usual, I retreated to my au again.... And in the spring, something eventful happened.

In may, 8th 2020:

I was invited by @rissynicole to join an invader zim discord.

Now, I've never really used discord before. I always thought it's interface is too confusing.. and I'm a member of a few other iz discords and I usually don't follow them that closely.

Rissy assured me it was different cause some friends of thiers made it and it was smaller.

Before I knew it, I was sharing memes and getting to know everyone there.

It wasn't long after I invited my partner in IZ crimes, @paketdimensioncomic who was genuinely wary of iz servers due to a bad experience with the last one they were a part of.

But soon they were sharing memes and laughing with everyone else.

My eyes were starting to open and I was able to connect to fans of my work in an interpersonal way. And I was able to discover new artists and aus I never knew about.

I was also able to meet so many others of the community and invite them to the server myself.

The moo-ping 10 server kept me sane while I was living with my judgmental mother.

Not only that, the summer was very productive for my au.

Drawing was all I did, and it was a huge break from the job as a cashier I had.

Not only that, June came, and with it, me and Ceph's first collab fic:

A result of us just going back and forth in our DMs constantly about Professor Membrane and how he changed in ETF for the better and how much we adamantly stan "trying-to-be-a-good-dad-brane" and how much of his ETF development has to be implied off screen in order for the emotional resolution in the movie to matter.

The only reason I never professed my love for Membrane as a character in the fandom before the fic dropped was.... Well....

Membrane can be a decisive character in the fandom and I was so worried people would hate me if I did an analysis on him, simply because he's not the best parent in the world. (As an understatement)

Ceph and I really encouraged each other to scream our love for the science himbo loud and proud more frequently and so often.... I actually start to see less Membrane hate posts and breakdowns then their used to be.... I like to think it's a combination of Me and Ceph's influence, along with ETF and the Quarterly's painting Membrane in a slightly more nuanced light then he was previously.

I never wrote a collab fic before and it's such a rewarding and fun and unique experience that I don't think I'll ever have again. And I love working with Ceph on our fics so much.

So much so we did it again...

July-August:

I never thought I would be one of those people who writes NSFW IZ fic... But here I am.

The Brainbrane au started.... An au of my au where Membrane and the Computer fall in love and Membrane makes him a body.

This ship was based around the idea where we joked that Membrane and Zim's Computer would have funny interactions if they ever met, under the pretense Membrane thinks Computer is Zim's parent.

Our headcanons morphed and shifted until we just full blown started shipping them.

Just because Membrane and Zim's Computer have overall REALLY entertaining chemistry.

It's a character dynamic never seen in the show or comics (yet) and I imagine thier interactions to be nothing but entertaining banter.

The fic was also born from spite... Making fun of the troupes and cliches that we found personally destestible in some questionable zadr fics.

So an angry ace and a demi-bisexual collab on a porn and end up blessing the fandom with

Compapa headcanons,

Computer being recognized as a more common used fanon character,

The ship of Brainbrane.

The fandom having a crisis of "oh God, not only are we xenophiles we're technophiles too!!!" Or "why you gotta give Zim's Computer an ass"

More android Computer designs

It was an eventful summer.

In the midst of all this, I moved into my new place, got a new job, and I was able to see my friend (who is def my platonic straight soul mate) who lives in Indiana.

She came to visit, showed me how to decorate and how to take care of my body better! Things were looking up! It was great.

September-November:

My job was at a boat store. If was approaching the fall and my hours were being severely cut.

I was getting into a rut of depression again.

I thought things were changing but the same routine I was trying to escape from was the same thing coming back.

But instead of letting it take hold, I decided I was going to do something about it... I was gonna visit a museum and go with my sister. Just... variety stimulation.

Well that didn't happen.

I talked about this shortly in my au itself...but..

My sister had a complete mental breakdown.

She stopped taking her meds, went off the deep end and was in the hospital a total of five times throughout November.

A lot of it was acting out and the perfect storm of environmental factors that made her scream and act out so she would keep going back to the hospital.

It was traumatizing for me.

I just can't explain what it's like. For her and for me to be in that position.

I'm not telling the full story and a lot of bullshit things happened I won't share here.

She got diagnosed with bipolar one and my mom expected me to be a caretaker for her.

I threatened to disown my family and move away out of state.

It was just too much for me to handle.

So much I was a nervous wreck.

I tried to pick up a second job... Cause my sister was in the mental ward so frequently and couldn't pay the bills.

But I was fired within a week cause I was so stressed I couldn't retain the basic information they were training me for.

It was an office job.

My dream.

It could have been.

I was fired from something I really wanted.

I was only there for three days.

I could not retain any information.

I was a mess.

My sister was a trigger, my mom wanted me to live with her. I couldn't live like this.... I had to get out.

I had to get out.

December:

Remember my Indiana friend?

Well the first week of December is my birthday.

My 30th to be exact.

While I did pick up a seasonal position at Target (not my first pick)

I took the first week of December off so I could spend time with her. Cause she agreed, I needed a break from this crap.

Surviving 30 years is cause to celebrate and if I had to celebrate with my sister I would have cried.

I know there was a risk traveling out of state during a pandemic...

But I needed out, I needed a friend..

And I kinda wanted to look at the place since I was considering moving there.

My friend's mom was sick so she avoided me and her daughter and got us a hotel room.

It was fun! I got to swim in a salt water pool, we talked about Naruto, I showed her the iz and su art books I brought, also Computer and Membrane tea.

I also got to meet her other friends and get crunk. And her bf who is super nice and funny!

I had a super fun birthday....

Until her mom told my friend that her grandparents had covid and that was what she had. And my friend got sick within that same day.... As did I.

I owe so much to her family.

I was an entire state away...about a ten hour drive from home.... She let me stay at her house. "The covid house" we called it.

Cause everyone (except the father. He avoided everyone and booked a hotel immediately cus he was an ER doctor) had covid within a day.

I called in, the test results were positive and I had to stay with her family for ten days quarantine before I could work again.

Which would have been fine....

If my tumblr didn't log me out perminately of my old account. @dana-chan325 .... Which really sucked cause I had a constant headache and was too sick to engage with tumblr or much of the fandom. I didn't want to make a new account when my head was in a bad fog and I could barely breathe or smell.

It's not like I saw much of my friend either.... We all slept at different hours and she had more symptoms then I did.

It was just netflix, danganronpa v3 and cry.

I was miserable, but at the same time.... Not?

I really feel like God himself was the one who pulled me off from tumblr, and my living situation.

Maybe a whole extra week feeling like a bobblehead was what I needed.

It gave me some much needed clarity on my relationships with my mom and sis and friend.

Running away to Indiana was not the solution here.

Once I was better within ten days and no longer had a leave of absence, I drove home.

I am glad I fully recovered (but from how I understand it, my dear friend is still ill. I'm praying for her)

I might have gone to work a bit too soon, cause I had an asthma attack after trying to unload a single cart in the span of six hours.

My boss lectured that my speed was unacceptable, and even though I explained the covid situation and breathing problems many times, she threatened that I'd be fired if I'm that slow again.

Que the next few days of work where they put me on register.

Instantly I was sent into a panic remembering the last time I was on the register and how that panic attack caused me to quit.

I even asked if I could go back to stocking, since my breathing had improved. My boss assured me that I was put on the register cause they needed help and nothing to do with my covid thing.

Then as December concluded and the new year began, my boss said that this was the last shift for me cause my position was seasonal and they were letting a lot of people go.

I then asked why I was on the schedule for Sunday, and he told me to ignore it and I'm free to reapply for full-time.

I mean.... They can act smart about it...

But putting your general merchandise stocker onto register after she had an asthma attack and missed working the first two weeks of December due to covid.....

Not a good look.

So once again, I'm jobless once more.

Will probably continue to live with my sister for awhile.

But I do not feel as if it's a bad thing....

I met so many good people this year....

My friend's family even gave me 500 usd to cover my rent since I couldn't work for a majority of December.

I've seen evil and good from humanity this year. I've seen acts of god, good friends and what my real family means to me as well as friends I consider family.

This year really made me look back at the person in the mirror and say,

"I deserve better."

And actually worked for it this time.

Oh and after Christmas I got a horrible yeast infection that burns over most of my body currently.

Very accurate doodle to the pain I'm in right now.

(seriously my body is a fungus.)

But hey, good news, I respected myself enough to go to the doctor about it!!

So that's progress.

I really hope 2021 holds good things for me.

Thank you to the mooping 10 server for always being there and keeping me sane,

Thank you tumblr for liking my au and everything.

AND A SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU TO @evartandadam and her family for housing me and my dumb diseased ass. Everyone, she is an angel and I can't express how much she means to me. Please check out her art and buy her stuff on redbubble.

Anyways... Byebye 2020.

I look forward to what I can accomplish for myself this year.

[ravenbrenna09]

Jij Verliest - Chapter Seven: Clip 5&6

master list

...

note: I’m sorry, I’ve given up on actually making the texts. Also I didn’t italicize the texts because everytime I do, Tumblr doesn’t always get them all for whatever reason.

...

Maandag 11:52

Chat: Broerrrs + Luc

13 July, 11:52

Jens: ROBBE. IJZERMANS. What part of ‘text us about it’ did you not understand?

Robbe: Lucas. You could’ve warned me at least.

Lucas: Sorry.

Aaron: What happened to ‘Chill Jens’?

Moyo: Caps lock must’ve been on. 

Jens: Caps lock was on. Didn’t feel like changing it though. It served a purpose.

Moyo: What’s going on?

Aaron: Yeah, what do VDS know that we don’t?

Lucas: Um, do you want me to tell them?

Robbe: I can’t have one blissful Monday afternoon, can I?

Aaron: Of course not, it’s Monday.

Lucas: Robbe had a *visitor* this weekend. Someone who showed up on Friday night. And didn’t leave until this morning 👀 Should my sources be correct… 

Robbe: Zoë or Milan?

Lucas: My sources are confidential.

Moyo: Please tell me it was Sander.

Robbe: Yes, it was Sander.

Moyo: Thank god. Wait, are you being serious?

Jens: Yes! And *someone* forgot to tell us.

Robbe: I’m sorry, I was busy.

Aaron: Yeah, we know what you were doing all weekend.

Robbe: Cuddling and watching Harry Potter?

Moyo: You’re boring.

Robbe: Haha 🖕🏻 Sander didn’t think so. Also, who else would it be, Moyo?

Moyo: Worst case scenario? Thomas. Best case scenario? A random one nightstand.

Jens: Thomas? As if.

Moyo: That’s why it was the worst-case scenario.

Lucas: If it was Thomas, none of us would be able to stop Jens. And I’m thankful it’s not because I’m sick of his face. And my boyfriend isn’t in jail.

Aaron: Seconded.

Moyo: Third.

Jens: You guys know I almost always agree with Lucas. But I am also sick of Thomas’s face. And I would need bail money. 

Robbe: Yes, I know. I have a rotten ex-boyfriend. Luckily, I have a new one that’s ten times better.

Jens: Yes. Did he explain why he was distant?

Robbe: Yes, he did and I forgive him. I would’ve forgiven him anyway, but he did explain. And we’re together now.

Jens: Good. That’s all that matters.

Robbe: So, since we all know what *I* was doing this weekend: how were all of your weekends?

Lucas: the Netherlands was fun. Got to see Isa and the girls again. Plus, Mom kept trying to force-feed Jens. She told him he was too skinny.

Jens: She said the same thing to you. Why are you singling me out?

Aaron: Amber and I went out to lunch with her mom on Sunday.

Moyo: My girlfriend’s roommates were out on Saturday night. So we ended up cooking together. The first try was a bit of a disaster, but we managed to make something good the second time.

Robbe: That’s great. I’m glad everyone had fun.

Lucas: When are we going to meet this mystery girl, Moyo? You seem smitten.

Jens: Yeah, you do. And you call me whipped. You should see you.

Robbe: But you are whipped.

Jens: I’m not denying it. But he’s also whipped.

Lucas: You are.

Moyo: When are we going to meet Sander? As your friends, he’s just as important as you are.

Robbe: I don’t know. Probably about the same time that you introduce us to Noor.

Jens: Wait, Noor is your mystery girl?

Moyo: Aaron!

Aaron: I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING. I haven’t even told Amber!

Jens: Wait, Aaron knew about this and not me? I’m offended, bro.

Lucas: I’d like to know how Robbe knew. Because if Aaron didn’t tell Amber, he didn’t tell Robbe.

Robbe: My source is confidential.

Moyo: Robbe, I hate you.

Robbe: Don’t hate me. She’s a great girl. Plus, it’s not like you two are sly. At our movie night, you two were far more comfortable than you should’ve been.

Moyo: Yeah, you’re right.

Jens: I feel like my entire world has changed. 

…

Dinsdag 17:45

When Robbe had stepped into the tattoo parlor a little before 17:00, Alicia had leapt over the edge of the counter and bounced across the empty lobby. She had tackled him, nearly causing both of them to crash onto the floor, and her electric blue ponytail smacked him in the face. Robbe recoiled slightly from the accidental slap before sinking into her embrace. Once she pulled away, she bounced on her feet, looking like she might explode from excitement. 

“I’m so happy to see you here again!” she said, grinning. “I was starting to worry that I would have to deal with grumpy Sander for the rest of my life.” Robbe chuckled and Alicia smiled proudly. “But I’m glad to see that you two have made up—you did make up, right? He has just seemed happier today and yesterday and I’m assuming it’s because of you.”

Robbe laughed. “Yes, we did.”

Alicia bounced again, still grinning. “That’s great! His shift is over in a few minutes…” She trailed off, eyeing him suspiciously. “But I have a feeling that you already knew that.” While Alicia continued to eye him with playful suspicion, Robbe shrugged and grinned. “Sorry, my mom always tells me that I seem strange to people who don’t know me. It’s just I’ve heard so much about you from Sander and he’s practically family so I’m pretty protective of—”

“No, it’s okay, I understand—”

As if on cue, Sander stepped out of the hallway. Even after a long day of work, his bleach-blond hair was still immaculate and pristine. Today, he was wearing another black shirt but this one had Emilie’s Tattoo Parlor printed across his chest. He looked tired, but Robbe wasn’t surprised. He had worked the early shift. 

Stopping at the desk, he placed down a binder and adjusted the strap of his bag a little higher on his shoulder. Glancing up, his eyes caught Robbe talking with Alicia. As soon as he spotted them, he grinned brightly over at them, all tiredness fading from his face, and said, “Alicia, leave my boyfriend alone.” His tone was light and teasing as he crossed the room. Sander wrapped Robbe in a hug before moving towards the parlor door. “I only have him for an hour before he has to go to work.” 

“Oh right,” Alicia said, smacking her head like she forgot. She grinned at Robbe, waving goodbye at the two of them. “Have a good dinner!” 

“Tell Britt hi!” 

Leaving the tattoo parlor, Robbe collected his bike before following Sander down a well-tuned series of turns to their destination. With one arm around Sander’s waist and the other steering his bike, Robbe felt like he was right where he was meant to. Robbe didn’t know where they were going—just to some restaurant that Robbe had to try—but he followed Sander’s gentle tugs and guidance with ease. Once they arrived at the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Robbe locked his bike up and let Sander drag him inside. 

Robbe didn’t know what he had been expecting from the small restaurant, but it was one of the best pizzas that he’d ever had. As soon as they walked in, the cashier recognized Sander and proceeded to tease him about taking too long to bring his boyfriend around. When the cashier brought them their pizzas, moving before Sander could get up to get them, they were hot to the touch and fresh from the oven. 

As they ate their food, Sander would reach out to feed Robbe a bite of his or brush a hand on his thigh beneath the table. Every time Sander did something, paid attention to him, his heart grew three sizes. Even so early into their relationship, he felt so cared for. Robbe tried to do the same. He would reach out to hold his knee or hold Sander’s hand beneath the table. And Sander never shied away from Robbe’s touch. In fact, he seemed to blossom with it. 

As they left the restaurant, hand in hand and laughing, the cashier tried to say it was on the house for their favorite customer and his boyfriend. Robbe blushed profusely at their comment and Sander merely chuckled, thanking them. As soon as the cook called the cashier’s name, Sander quickly dropped the money to cover the order (and more) into the tip jar before dragging Robbe from the restaurant. 

Even though it wasn’t that long of a ride, Sander insisted on driving Robbe back to the flatshare. Their only trouble was getting Robbe’s bike in the car, but they managed to make it work by tilting it a little. The ride itself was short and relaxing. Sander drove with one hand on the wheel and the other was wrapped gently with Robbe’s hand. As he weaved through the traffic, Sander talked in vivid detail about a tattoo that he did earlier this afternoon as Robbe listened intently. 

As they pulled into a stop outside the building, Robbe got curious. “Hey, Sander.”

“Yeah?” Sander asked. 

“What were you thinking about, that night at the bar?” Robbe asked. 

It had been a question on Robbe’s mind for a while. His thoughts of the night were abundantly clear—okay, maybe slightly buzzed—that the random stranger with an armful of tattoos who sat down next to him and offered him a smoke and gave him an impromptu therapy session was hot. As he nursed his hangover the next morning, Robbe had briefly entertained the thought of meeting him again but Robbe had thought it was an impossible feat. Seeing Sander walk in that bar less than a week later… it had felt like a sign.

One that Robbe had been simultaneously curious and terrified of. 

When Sander was quiet, simply staring at the steering wheel with a small smile on his face, Robbe added, “I’m sure that it must’ve been one hell of a crappy impression.” 

Sander glanced up at him with a small look of disbelief and a scoff. “What makes you think that?” Sander teased. 

Robbe turned in his seat, facing Sander with a mischievous smile on his face. He placed their joined hands in his lap, running his finger over the back of his hand. “I don’t know, but if I saw a guy sitting quite dramatically on the floor—I think that was your wording,” Robbe said and Sander laughed, “and lamenting his ex-boyfriend, it wouldn’t have been the best first impression I’ve ever made.”

“I don’t know,” Sander said. He put the car in park before turning to Robbe, who was waiting impatiently beside him. Sander tugged their joined hands back into his lap before turning Robbe’s over so the palm was facing upward. Sander trailed a finger along the lines of his palm, leaving Robbe squirming in his seat. “I think you made quite the first impression.”

This time, it was Robbe’s turn to scoff. He leaned against the leather of the car, relishing in the feeling of Sander’s doodles on his palm. “You know as well as I do, I could’ve done a lot better than bitching about my ex with someone—”

“No,” Sander said, interrupting him lightly. His voice was quiet like he was having a private conversation with himself and Robbe watched on, biting down on his lip. “That wasn’t the time I meant.” 

Robbe’s eyebrows pulled tight, staring at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Sander’s eyes darted up to meet Robbe. He could see the panicked expression in his eyes, like he didn’t expect Robbe to hear his secret confession. Quickly, his expression shifted to nervous. A small lopsided grin formed on his lips as he tilted his head to the side. Sander’s hand fidgeted around his and Robbe twisted his hand around to grasp at Sander’s fingers. 

“Sander,” Robbe said. “What is it?” 

“Um,” Sander said, biting down on his lip. “Last August, I went to the bar with my roommates after a long day at work. While I was waiting for them to show up, I spotted this beautiful man standing at the bar talking with the owner like he did it every day.” 

Sander’s eyes raised, catching his brown ones in an instant, and Robbe was certain his heart stopped in his chest. Him, Robbe realized. Sander had seen him before. 

“Before I could work up the nerve to talk to him, to get the name of this beautiful man who turned my world upside down in an instant, his boyfriend showed up and whisked him away from me. I thought that was the end of it—that I missed my chance until…” Sander trailed off. 

Robbe felt his stomach flip, nervous and excited. Bringing Sander’s hand to his mouth, Robbe placed a kiss against his knuckles. Sander followed him with a heavy gaze in his eyes and the corners of his lips quirked up nervously. “Until?” Robbe asked, his lips brushing against Sander’s knuckles. 

“Until…” Sander continued. Robbe scooted closer to him—or as much as he could in the small confine of the car. He was practically leaning over the console, trying to get as close to Sander as he could. Sander glanced at Robbe nervously. “Until last month. It had been a rough few months, but I was starting to come out of it. It was my first time out of the apartment other than for work for a month and I looked over and saw the beautiful man in the bar again.”

Robbe giggled. 

“As soon as I saw him, I knew that he was the one. My mother used to tell me that there was no such thing as a coincidence,” Sander said, reaching up to wipe a thumb across Robbe’s flushed cheeks. “She used to go on and on about how ‘what is meant for you won’t pass you by’—”

“Is that what the quote on your side is?” Robbe asked, quietly. Sander paused, staring at him. “I saw it on Saturday but your arm was covering most of it.” 

Sander grinned. “Yes, it is. Now, back to the story—” 

Robbe mumbled out a quiet ‘sorry’ and Sander gave him a stern look. 

“When I saw that beautiful man for the second time, I knew that the universe was trying to give me a sign and I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity. When I saw him head outside to get some air, I followed. But I only managed to learn his name before the universe ripped him away from me again.” He let out a heavy sigh and slumped his shoulders. “But, lucky for me, I managed to find him again, not even a week later, and I knew that I couldn’t let him get away from me again.” 

“Wow,” Robbe said, breathless. Sander looked up at him with nervous eyes, staring at Robbe intensely. He let out a breath, reaching up to take Sander’s face in his hands. “You really saw me that long ago?”

“Yes,” Sander whispered. “Since the moment I saw you, I’ve wanted you, Robbe IJzermans… even before I knew what your name was.” His eyes scanned Robbe’s face. “Are you mad?” 

Staring at Sander for a few seconds, Robbe hastily undid the seatbelt around him. He could see the worried look on Sander’s face, like Robbe was going to climb out and never look back, but Robbe simply climbed on the seat. His knees dug into the leather as Robbe leaned across the center to press a deep kiss against Sander’s lips. He clung to the strands of Sander’s icy blond hair, holding on for dear life, as Sander let out a grunt. 

Since the beginning, Sander had always seen him. Whether it was last month outside the bar or last year inside the bar, Sander had seen him. He had seen Robbe in the comfort of his bed, in the disarray of a friendly gathering, desperate in a tattoo parlor, and so many moments in between. Robbe wanted Sander to see him in all of his moments and moods, just like he wanted to see all of Sander’s faces and facades. He wanted all of Sander, everything he could get them. 

Sander’s words from last Friday came rushing back: Robbe IJzermans, since the moment that I first saw you, I have wanted you. 

“So you’re not mad?” Sander asked, breaking their kiss. 

Robbe shook his head, practically panting against Sander’s mouth. “No, I’m not mad.”

“Good,” Sander said, quietly. “I was worried you might be.” 

“I’m not. I promise.” 

Robbe moved to kiss Sander again. Robbe wanted to kiss him a little harder. Robbe wanted to pour every single emotion bursting out of his chest into the kiss for Sander—for Sander to taste—at the same intensity Robbe was experiencing from him. But, at the last second, Sander pulled away a mischievous smile on his lips and Robbe couldn’t help the whine. “What were you thinking the night that you first saw me outside the bar?”

Robbe chuckled. “I could only think of one thing—” Pausing, Robbe leaned forward. His knees were strained from this position, but he didn’t care. Stopping a hair away from connecting their lips fully, Sander glanced up at Robbe with a mischievous look in his eye as Robbe grinned. “—Fuuucccckkk, he’s so hot.”

Sander laughed but his laugh was muffled by Robbe’s lips pressing against his. 

[princeprince81]

Adventure#50: UEFA Euro 2020 Night

With the Covid-19 situation, we are not able to enjoy our favourite activity, which is to watch the matches live outside, soak in the atmosphere and enjoy our drinks. Nowadays can only do it at home.

Last Friday after work, we had dinner and beer at Gyu Kaku, Waterway Point. Joey was in her tight black one piece dress that makes her cup D boobs stands out and big round ass stands up even more, and a pair of small red thongs.

"After eat, can go back and watch the matches tonight. Got Switzerland vs Spain and Belgium vs Italy." I told Joey.

"Yeah. If not so boring." Joey replied excitedly.

Throughout the dinner, we chatted about the usual topics over food and 4 jugs of beer; Work, gossips, teasings of Joey's colleagues. During dinner, Joey was also getting her ocassional glances from uncles or guys from other tables, all hoping to catch a glimpse of her red thongs.

We reached home at around 10.45pm, changed out of our office wear and into casual home clothes. Joey removed her bra and thongs and changed into a tight blue jersey and short fbt shorts, showing her 2 erected nipples clearly, with her big round butt cheeks peeking out of the shorts. (Pardon us for not showering immediately as we are quite bloated from the food and drinks)

We were sitting down at the sofa, channel surfing while waiting for the match to start. It's probably due to the food and drinks plus long day of work, we actually dozed off on the sofa. The next moment I woke up, it's already 30 mins into the Switzerland Spain match. I turned around and saw Joey still sleeping with her legs bent and wide open. I can see her pussy clearly from the side of the loose inner lining.

"Match starts already. Time to wake up." I put in fingers through the lining to stroke her pussy and to wake Joey up. It didn't take long for her body to react and pussy to get wet.

"Hmm.. Why.... Ahh. What you.. Ahh doing. Hmmm don't want la.. Tired.. Ah.. Dirty la.. Never shower.." Joey woke up lazily, sat up and push my hand away.

"Finally you are awake. No ma. Just wanna wake u up for the match. Nice smell ma. " I replied as I showed her my wet fingers and take a sniff. Very strong smell, especially after a long hot day and night.

Match was rather entertaining and went all the way to extra time and penalties, with Spain the eventual lucky winners.

"Wah 1st quarter finals match and so exciting liao. Later big match leh. Let's go get some snacks from 24 hrs Sheng Siong." I ask Joey.

"Huh, now meh. Almost 3am liao leh. Match gonna start." Joey replied. "Still need change again."

"Can la. Change what? Wear like that ok what. Let's go now. Fast fast. Now no crowd one." I stood up, opened the door and rushed Joey.

"Huh, no bra and panties leh." Joey said.

"Aiyo, faster la. No one at this hour one la. Some more so dark. Who see." I wore my slippers and rushed Joey again.

Finally she stood out and came out reluctantly. While she is sulking in the lift, I gave her right erected nipple a pinch while smacking her butt. "Piak!!"

"Wow. That was loud. Haha. Nice nipple too." I teased Joey.

"Tsk. See la. Told you already, still ask me don't need change." Joey grumbled.

"How I know your nipples so big and erected ah. Okok we faster buy and come back. Match starting liao. No point go back up again." I told her.

We fast walked to the Sheng Siong and went straight to the snacks section. Seems like there are a few groups of uncles who also had the same idea as us. Can hear from their drunk accent while they are choosing the snacks and discussing about the earlier match.

We stood behind a group of 3 uncles in their 60s to wait for our turn. 1 of them is squatting down to choose from the bottom section while the other 2 are looking at the top section.

While waiting for our turn, I slid my hand slowly down to her ass and caress her butt cheeks lightly. Joey seems bit irritated from the waiting. Then without warning, I slid my fingers from underneath Joey's FBT shorts, through the lining and ran my fingers quickly up and down her wet pussy. That definitely startled her and she pushed my hand back and took a step forward. The sudden movement caught the attention of the group.

"Oei. Kin la. Choose faster la. Here aircon very cold one leh." one of the uncle that is standing commented with a smile. He must have saw Joey's erected nipples.

By then Joey is a bit pissed and she went forward, in between the group impatiently to get the snacks without waiting for them.

She tiptoed and stretched up to the top section to get a bag. This movement made the jersey pushed against her nipples even more, making the boobs shape more obvious. Her FBT shorts also rode higher, exposing her butt to the uncle that is squatting next to her. He definitely can see and smell her pussy as her lining were loose and he was so close, with his mask not covering his nose.

Next Joey squatted down quickly to get a bag of nuts from the bottom shelf. It was the last few bags, hence she has to squat a bit wider and stretch out all the way in. From my angle, it seems like the uncle squatting next to her was fingering her while she is squatting down and sucking the other 2 uncles.

"Let's go." Joey stood up and went to the cashier. All these happened and is over in less than a minute.

As I was walking past the group, I heard the uncle who is squatting mentioned words like "没有穿，奶好大，chee bye smell，屁股很大，看到chee bye, etc"

We paid up and walked by quickly to catch the match, with Joey making noise complaining about the drunk uncles, smelly from their alcohol la, old cocks smell la, hope they lose their bets etc.

By the time we reached home, we were bit hot and sweaty again and it's about 10 mins into the game.

Luckily the match is rather exciting and we forgotten about the incident after a while. Soon it's already half time break.

"Wah, so hot and sweaty from just now. You la. Go buy what snacks." Joey started to grumble again in her semi lying down position, legs opened and facing me.

With one swift action, I bend over, pulled her FBT lining aside and started licking her pussy. "Hmm, no sweaty la. Uncle like it. Come, uncle clean for you already. 好骚的味道，忍很久了啊。" I told her as I began eating her pussy, in the living room with the curtains opened.

"No.... Don't.. Ahh... Not.. There.. Ah.... Dirty.... Uncle... Ahh. Haven't wash.. Ahhhh ahh. Hmmm. Today.. Ahhh. Work.... And sweat.. Havent bathe.. Ahhhh ahh. Smelly.." Joey gets turned on and started to plead.

"Uncle like your smelly chee bye. No need wash." I continued licking profusely as I lifted up her jersey to tuned her nipples. "他妈的，奶头这么大，这么硬。Very horny right. So wet already, 流出来了。你要吃uncle的吗？" I stood up next to her, remove my shorts and underwear as I inserted 2 fingers into her dripping pussy.

"Ahhh. Ahhh.... Yes... 要。." Joey pushed her mouth towards my unwashed cock as her moans get louder. "Ahh.. Hmmm ahh.. Taste.. Is.. Ah.. Strong.. Ahhh"

After few minutes of sucking and almost cumming, I stopped her. I pulled down her shorts and fucked her hard in missionary position with her legs wide opened. "You are fucking wet. You smelly and horny chee bye. Sibei shiok." I pumped hard.

All Joey can do now is moan with her eyes half opened, enjoying the fucking. We managed to cum together, as I shoot into her pussy, just in time for second half.

We took some tissue to clean ourselves up and continue watching the second half. We ended up dozing off on the sofa after watching the last goal.

We only managed to wash up the very next day late morning. By then the living room does have some light sex smell. Kinky yet sexy smell.

Now we wonder which team will win the UEFA Euro 2020.

[hazbbyhaz]

sleepless || harry styles

six

pairing: Harry Styles x OC

synopsis: getting back into everyday life

disclaimer: slander of ones self, child abuse

I want to be with you, it is as simple and as complicated as that.

- charles bukowski

After finishing her tea, Avery told Harry that she was tired and made her exit. The way home had been cold and rainy, upon arriving back to her flat she realized that it wasn't much better. She walked into the kitchen in search of more tea. Coming up empty-handed, she decided to brew a pot of coffee. That would keep her awake, at least.

In the corner of her living room sat an old piano, she had bought it a couple of years prior at a flea market. The thing worn and very out of tune, but adorned with a wonderful message written in metallic silver sharpie. “Girls just wanna have fun.” she wandered over to it, taking a seat on the small bench, letting her fingers wander over the unfamiliar keys. She understood them just as much as she would a foreign language.

Her long, fragile fingers pressed down on the white stripes, the atrocious sound it makes sends a shiver down her spine. Closing the lid of the piano and setting her mug on top, she contemplated what else to do. The main goal was to stay awake, as it always was. Everything that she did from the moment she came home to the moment she went back to work was focused on just that. Anything she could do to take her mind off of that would happily suffice.

So, for the next half an hour she read a book, made another pot of coffee, sat down to compile a list for the grocery, started a bad french movie, drew several small doodles on her grocery list, and eventually made her way out to he balcony to see if her neighbor's cat was in sight.

At 1:30 am she went back inside due to the cold air. Once settled, she was greeted by a deafening silence. It isn't unfamiliar. All her nights went like this. She wasn't living her life, just waiting for the time to pass. Sometimes she would stand inside of her tiny bathroom, look into the mirror for a good while and take in her appearance. The bags under her eyes, the sunken face, and the slumped shoulders,

On rare occasions, she would fall asleep. This was almost always met with her waking up in a panic. Nonstop tears and shakes. Always alone. Always.

Tonight Avery was again standing in the bathroom. She thought about the party while she brushed her teeth. You were dumb. You were acting stupid and weird and everyone must have thought you were crazy. Everyone.

She opened her bedroom door, crawled underneath the sheets of her bed, and fell asleep with a racing heart.

“Mummy! I painted you something!” I exclaimed, running into the kitchen. The piece of paper in my wand-waving around like a flag. Mummy was standing there, her eyebrows knit together, and a stern expression on her face. That look alone made me stop in my tracks.

“What did I tell you, Avery? Huh?! What did I tell you!” She yells, looking down at me. I lower my gaze, hiding my paining behind my back.

“Not to run in the house.'' I whisper apologetically, looking anywhere but her. Mommy's hand connects with my cheek and I fall backward, the painting falling to the floor. Tears fill my eyes as she slaps me for a second time. “I’m sorry, Mommy… I didn't mean to make you mad”

She kneels in front of me, making sure that we are on a small level. I think that she might even want to hug me. Say that she is sorry and that she didn't mean to hit me, and ask if I am okay. As I step forward with outstretched arms she grabs my hair, pulling me closer. “You know what you are? An ungrateful brat. And that's all you will ever be.”

Avery shakes the whipped cream container for the second time, the disapproving gaze of the customer in front of her beyond prominent. At last, a bit of whipped cream topped the caramel frappuccino with cinnamon, almond milk, and sprinkles.

“That will make 3 pounds, please.”

The girl placed 3 pounds on the counter, took her coffee, and left without saying another word. She joined her boyfriend who was waiting patiently outside for her. As soon as the door closes, Avery lifts the curtain that leads to the back of the shop. “Tom! I think we're out of whipped cream!”

An annoyed grunt is the only answer she receives before Tom makes his way to the front of the shop. “Again? Maybe we should stop selling those damn frappuccinos.”

“Any new job offers?’” Avery asks, wiping her hands on one of the nearby dish towels. A look at the clock reminded her that her break would start in just a couple of minutes.

‘Not really,” Top sights, leaning against the counter, his gaze fixed on the big window, overlooking the street. “Maybe I should make the salary a bit higher, but I don't have that kind of money. It's hard enough for me to even pay you, but we really could use the extra help around here. I'm telling you, the very next person who puts in an application will get the job. You will get a bit of a break around here too. Do you think you could run out and get some more whipped cream? The next delivery doesn't come till Friday.” He reaches into his pocket, pulling out five pounds.

“Sure,” Avery is already on her way out of the shop. “I got it covered.” Tom gives her a thankful smile, putting the money back into his pocket.

“You're a real one, Avery.”

Avery was never very fond of receiving compliments. They always made her feel very uncomfortable and she never knew how to react to them. Genuine smiles or a grateful glance meant a lot more to her. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy. Words were too easy. Everyone could say something without meaning it.

She scurried across the street to the nearest Tesco to get three more containers of whipped cream. After paying and a highly uncomfortable small talk with the cashier, she made her way to her favorite bagel place. While making her way there, she decided that four things made her life bearable. Tea, the neighbor’s cat, genuine smiles, and bagels. There wasn't much more to it.

She went with her usual bagel order accompanied by a black tea, finding a nice spot towards the back of the shop to sit, the three containers of whipped cream sat close beside her. Her eyes ran over the pages of the book she had brought with her, but she just couldn't seem to concentrate. Her eyes simply just float past each word, not truly reading. The nightmare from last night was still at the forefront of her mind, weighing her down today. She regretted going to bed at all. It always bought this with it. You couldn't have one without the other.

“What's got you looking so miserable?” A voice suddenly asked. Avery jumped back, nearly losing her grip on the book. Harry stood looking down at her. His silhouette blocked the sunlight flowing in from a nearby window, so she couldn't quite make out his features. “I’m sorry, I didn't want to scare you.”

“It's okay,” She breathed out. “Hi, Harry.”

He smiled at her before placing the coffee in his hands, of which she hadn't noticed before, down on the table, taking a seat across from her. “You look tired.”

She always looked tired. He must have noticed. Everyone noticed. “You're very charming, you know that?”

“I get that quite a lot.” They sat in silence for a while, Harry sipping his coffee, occasionally settling his gaze on Avery. She completely gave up on trying to read her book and focused her attention on her bagel and tea. The afternoon sun lit up the shop, every table in front of them being illuminated in a warm glow.

Avery enjoyed the silence and Harry didn't seem to mind it either. She still didn't understand the stranger she had met and kept on meeting, but it was nice. It was different having a person around, like having a friend. “Do you wanna go out tonight?”

“What?”

“My friends and I are going out tonight and I thought you might want to accompany us,” Harry explained, his eyes not leaving her. He was worried. About what? She had no clue, but he wasn't very good at hiding it. Not at all.

“Wouldn't that make me even more tired?” Avery questioned, referring to his statement from earlier.

“I'll give you some energy.”

“How does that even work?”

“You will have to come to find out.” He smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Avery agreed to go out with him and his friends, also agreeing to meet him at her flat. Avery left first, leaving Harry to sit a bit longer at the table. As she walked away, the warm glow of the sun hitting her face in the perfect way, Harry wasn't sure he had ever met someone more lonely.

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[aj-writes-here]

To forget about this bitter feeling for a while, I wrote this in less than 30 minutes because I needed it and I hope you guys enjoy this one 😢 

It’ll Be Fine.

It seemed as there was anything to do. Was that the end? All of the efforts, the suffering, were for nothing? His own voice echoed in his head as he saw the reddish landscape in front of his eyes. So many casualties, impossible to reach to a concrete number. Erwin, Mike, his old and new squad, you being injured. He tried to stay steady, not letting his emotions took over him, but it was hard. The fear of losing those whom he cared about, to be alone. Again. And then it happened.

''Commander Hanji!'' He heard screaming, and then looked at the inert body about to be crushed by a titan.

Levi sat in the bed faster than he could ever imagine, his heartbeat racing like crazy. It was hard to tell if he was sweating because of the weather or his strong emotions. Looking at the corner of the room, he saw the air conditioning on. So it wasn't the heat. He touched his face, his cheek, and his eye to be more precise. There was no scar. Both of his hands were in front his eyes, ten digits. Outside the window a turquoise lake was shinning at the sun rays, clear sky, and green trees swinging softly and the slight summer breeze. The clock told it was past ten am, had he slept that much? His body was still shaking, and he was alone on the big bed. Levi got rid of the sweaty shirt, noticing at how his chest was going up and down in an attempt of calming himself. That wasn't his home, but then he remembered. Holidays. Summer holidays. Running a hand through his hair he took a deep breath, repeating to himself that it had been just a dream. A quick shower could work, he thought as standing up and walking to the bathroom. The war water washing his body helped his muscles to relax after all of that unconscious tension. Once he was out, he remembered the plans for that Friday, you were all going to the lake, and some other friends were joining the cabin you were staying that same night. Wearing a black short and a black tank top, he opened the door and got down the stairs. Everything was quiet, and suddenly the images of his dream were hunting him again. What if something had happened? What if that dream was an analogy of something that he had lived? He couldn't tell, but then, a voice hit him.

''Jean just called, he said they managed to fix the car and that they're arriving before ten pm'' He recognized that voice, it was Erwin. Levi noticed that the voices were coming from the kitchen.

''Call him again to tell him to bring some gummies! I forgot to buy them'' There it was. That was Hanji's voice and he sighed in relief. Even though he would never admit it.

''That's because you got excited with those smart light bulbs'' Your voice. Now his heartbeats were at a normal pace. 

''How many of those did she buy?'' Erwin asked looking at you with a smile.

''Only six! They were so pretty'' The four eyed woman exclaimed with excitement.

''I can't blame her, they were.'' You nodded, finishing what was left of your cookie.

''See? I'm not crazy,'' shrugging her shoulders, she asked again ''Mike hasn't arrived yet?'' ''No, he said he was going to the store in town. I'm sure he got stuck with the cashier'' Erwin added, washing his hands, fingers covered with peanut butter because of the sandwiches he was making.

''He's-Oh, the sleeping beauty is awake'' You interrupted yourself and then smiled widely at Levi standing at the entrance of the kitchen. ''You were finally sleeping, I didn't want to wake you earlier.'' A sweet smile was still on your face. He looked a bit paler, eyes with a mix of relief and concern.

''Uh... Are you good shorty? Or is it that this girl here didn't let you sleep?'' She gave you a flirty look, lifting her eyebrows two times.

''Hanji!'' ''Are you ok, Levi?'' This time was Erwin's turn. ''You look as if you saw a ghost.''

''I kinda did.'' The three of you laughed at his dry comment, but you knew something else was up.

He helped packing some sandwiches and fruits on a bag, it was a sure thing that you all were going to get hungry after swimming at the lake, and honestly having breakfast there was going to be more interesting than staying at the cabin, and it that way you could use the rest of the day to make lunch, and wait for the rest to come. Once at the lake, Hanji was the first of getting into the water.

''Oi, be careful you idiot. Try not to step on anything poisonous.'' Levi shouted from his spot on the grass, making her laugh.

Erwin got to the water as well, just until the water touched his knee since he was still using his phone to call Mike and let him know that you were at the lake in front of the cabin. You were about joining Hanji, but a lost gazed Levi caught your attention. His eyes were caught on his friends at the lake, and he just moved his eyes to analyze his hand one more time. No digits were missing. Sitting next to him, you kissed his exposed shoulder thanks to the tank top. He looked at you and suddenly all of his confused emotions felt calmer.

''Are you sure you good, love?'' Your calm expression was a light to his life, he could just stay there and look at you for hours.

''I am, brat. Just go there and enjoy the water.'' He replied, looking back at the lake.

''You had another nightmare, didn't you.'' Those words made his head look at the grass below him. ''You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.'' you held his hand, caressing it softly.

''I...'' He stopped for a moment ''It was one of the shittiest nightmares ever.'' Levi was still looking at the grass, and then his eyes went back to Erwin and Hanji ''Those idiots. I care about them. They are important to me, even if I don't show it.'' 

''The fact that you helped Hanji choosing her smart lightbulbs before coming here tells me that you do show it.'' you smiled a bit, remembering how Levi was reading the specifications of different brands to help her. ''Or when you answer the phone at two am because Erwin needs you to check some urgent files because he is busy with something else.'' You kept your smile, comforting him.

''Do you think they know?'' 

''Of course they do. Otherwise, they wouldn't take your shitty humor and grumpy face'' You teased him and kiss his shoulder once again, hearing him scoffed.

''And you?'' This time, he turned his head to look at you.

''Me what? tilting your head to the side, you gave him a curious look.

''Do you know that I care about you too, right?''

''You don't even have to ask yourself that question. I have no doubts about it, Levi.'' Despite your friends being a few meters away from you, you gave him a short and innocent peck on his lips. 

''That's good, then.'' He mumbled, daring kissing you for a while longer. Just a delicate dance of lips against lips.

''I love you. And they do too. Don't let your nightmares make you think the opposite'' You caressed his cheek as he grabbed your hand to squeeze it lightly in his way of saying I love you back.

You got distracted when Mike arrived, an obvious mark of red lipstick on his neck. You stood up and ran towards your friend.

''You dirty man! I bet you didn't even buy the wine!'' You teased him, trying to look if the mark was a kiss. Hanji joined you too, trying to look for more signs of the lipstick.

Somehow the two of you managed to get him to the water, splashing it towards him, even making Erwin ran to hide his phone as the war water began. Levi looked at the scene with peaceful eyes, knowing that those awful things were only inside his head. The group splashing water against each other meant everything to him, and he couldn't deny he felt the same way about the other group of younger idiots that were arriving later. He even smiled to himself while you tried to tackle Erwin, failing monumentally.

''Yo, Levi! Come here before we make you!'' He heard Hanji screaming at him and waving a hand. 

''Do it and then you'll spend the rest of the holidays tied to a tree, four eyes.'' He shouted back, huffing at her hysterical laugh.

You smiled looking at him more relaxed, you were not forcing him on going to the water, sometimes he needed his space. But he knew that you were always going to be there for him, and seeing you being happy and laughing with the people he most cared about was enough to let himself know that everything was going to be alright. One way or another, things always found a way to be alright.

[oscars-wifeyyy]

Chapter 5 (Mother Hen)

Time had passed, two months to be exact, and Oscar had been continuously trying to get Lilo to talk to him, but to no avail. She wouldn’t even give him the time of day while Cesar didn’t want to give Oscar the time of day, he had to since he is his brother. It was a constant of having him send her flowers and her favorite snacks, waiting at the school so he could catch her and try to talk, to sometimes even working on her car to get her to even say thank you. All of it ended with no words being exchanged, but a head nod in thanks from Lilo.

Slowly, his efforts had diminished and came to an end. His efforts were deeply missed by Lilo because she finally had felt wanted by the man that she had fallen for, but didn’t have the courage to approach him, scared of looking desperate in front of him. It was finally a Friday, the day where she has training right after school, the school bell rang telling all the kids that school was out and they could do whatever they wanted within their parents guidelines. Lilo sprinted to her car to try and get to her training session on time to see Cesar there waiting.

“Salad? What are you doing?” Lilo unlocked the car and shoved her things in the trunk to take out her workout bag.

“Can I come with you to training? I want to get more fit,” Cesar smiled.

“Sure. Get in,” Lilo chuckled.

The two drove to the town over and went inside the MMA gym to meet with her coach. When they stepped inside, Cesar was mesmerized by the hugeness of the gym and how popular Lilo was there, but he understood why Lilo was popular, she was Lilo. Lilo greeted her coach with a hug and pulled Cesar to her to introduce them.

“Martin, this is Cesar. He’s like my baby brother. Is it possible for him to train with us? A little easy on him though, this is his first time,” Lilo asked.

“For sure,” Martin nodded, “go tape his hands up and start him on a mile run,”

Lilo nodded, “thanks, Martin!” Lilo tugged Cesar into the taping room and grabbed a roll of white tape, “sit,”

Cesar sat down and watched Lilo tape his hands with concentration, seeing her in her element had made him proud of his best friend. After a minute or two, he was done so she motioned him out to the main room.

“Alright, so you are gonna run a mile around the area. A mile is about 6 laps,” Lilo explained, “now...go,” Cesar started running.

Lilo went back into the taping room and asked one of the people in there to tape it. Once she was done, she went back out and ran alongside Cesar then ran the last two laps by herself. The two went back to her coach and they started in various exercises and Cesar was learning beginner moves of the MMA. After a very intense hour training, they were finally done and on their way back home with music blasting through the speakers and dancing. When they got home, they saw Oscar’s car so Lilo stood next to her car to watch Cesar walk inside then went inside her house to take a shower and do her homework.

She came out of the shower, dressing into a pair of pajama pants that made her butt pop and her father’s US Marines shirt. Her backpack was still in the trunk of her car so she put on her nike slides, but a knock was heard so she walked to the door and looked through the peephole and saw Oscar. She groaned, but opened the door anyway so she could still grab her backpack, Lilo shoved past the cholo and felt his eyes on her butt. The senior had came back from the car with her backpack and put it down next to the door, turning back to Oscar to ask what he wanted, but that stopped when he was suddenly in her face and his lips were on hers. She had felt herself let go and start to kiss back, but the incident had returned to her mind so she pushed with all her might, forcing him to take a step back. They stared at each other, out of breath, but Lilo grew frustrated.

“Why? Why did you just kiss me?” Lilo put her hands on her hips, “I was just a hit and quit, right? No, I am not playing your game anymore,”

“Lilo, just listen to me,” Oscar closed the front door, “please. I just said all those things because the Santos was with me. No puedo mostrarles que soy débil con mis sentimientos por ti,” (I can't show them that I'm weak with my feelings for you.)

Lilo shook her head, “No puedo estar con alguien que no pueda mostrarles a todos que quieren estar conmigo,” (I can't be with someone that can't show everyone that they want to be with me.)

“Quiero estar contigo así que por favor dame la oportunidad de mostrarte que ya no me importa lo que digan,” Oscar put his hands on Lilo’s waist. (I want to be with you so please give me a chance to show you that I don't care what they say anymore.)

Lilo sighed, “I don’t know, Oscar. I know it’s hard for you to say to hell with whatever the Santos say since you’re their leader,”

“I can do it,” Oscar placed a hand on the back of Lilo’s neck. He leaned down and kissed Lilo, only this time Lilo had let him and kissed back.

“Fine, but if you mess this up then no more. I’m serious,” Lilo looked away.

Oscar nodded, picking up Lilo’s backpack, “c’mon. You go do your homework,”

The two walked back into her room to lay on the bed while she did her homework, but Oscar couldn’t help but stare at Lilo while she had her glasses perched on her nose and concentrated on the papers and books around her. To him, she was the epitome of beauty and he hoped that she would be his for a long time. Oscar softly smiled when her eyes had kept closing for a few seconds at a time so he looked through her planner that showed her homework and realized that she was almost done with an exception of a couple questions on her math that he knew he could in minutes so he took all the papers and books. He put it away in her backpack and moved her to lay down on the bed, moving to leave, but Lilo reached out and grabbed his wrist.

“Stay for the night, please,” Lilo’s eyes were drooping.

“Sure,” Oscar smiled and laid down next to her.

The next morning came and Lilo had felt the sun in her eyes so she squinted and felt something around her, looking down she saw a familiar arm. The events that had happened last night had flooded into her mind and she was smiling. She finally had the man that she had fallen for and he finally had wanted her back, but it dropped when she heard the front door open so she slowly detached his arm from around her and walked to the kitchen. However, she saw that it was Cesar with some breakfast food from a restaurant nearby.

“Wassup, Salad. How are you?” Lilo smiled.

“I’m good. Have you...seen my brother?” Cesar looked down.

“I’m right here, mano,” Oscar yawned.

Cesar looked shocked, turning to face Lilo, not believing that Lilo had forgiven Oscar, but she nodded to confirm that she did. His face had slowly grown into a huge smile because it had been a chance for the three to act like a family. He shook his head then held up the bag of food.

“Breakfast is here so let’s eat,” Cesar smiled.

The three stood around the dining room to pack their plates with all the food they wanted only to move to the family room to watch Netflix while eating. There was a little argument on what to watch until they settled with the Walking Dead. When they were done with their food and had everything clean and put away, Lilo had a great idea.

“You guys, we should go to the mall and do some splurge shopping. I got some money and, Cesar, no offense, but you need some new stuff,” Lilo wrapped an arm around Cesar.

“Yeah, I’m down,” Cesar nodded, turning to look at Oscar.

“Let’s go,” Oscar shrugged, “I gotta change though,”

The brothers went to their house to start getting ready as well as Lilo. Lilo decided to wear high-waisted destroyed jeans, a black belt to hold it up, and a black cropped tank top with a flannel over. She did her morning routine then waited for the brothers to be done by walking out of her house, grabbing her wallet, to head over to their house since they were gonna take Oscar’s car. Everyone was finally done so they went to the mall that was a town over so there wouldn’t be any drama or anything. Once their car was parked, they went inside and walked around the mall, going into a store or two until Cesar saw a board shop so he went inside with Lilo and Oscar trailing him.

Oscar finally wrapped an arm around Lilo’s shoulder, allowing it to rest there. Lilo was shocked to say the least, but let it play out and wrapped her arm around his back. Cesar saw the interaction, but didn’t say anything, scared that if he said anything then they would pull apart and forget the whole thing. The younger brother walked around and saw the new deck that he had been eyeing, turning to see Lilo smiling at him, winking as if telling him to get it so he did and walked to the register. The cashier rang it up and Lilo went up from behind Cesar and handed the cashier her debit card and once the transaction was done, Cesar hugged Lilo tightly.

“Thank you, mana,” Cesar whispered.

“No problem, papacito,” Lilo chuckled, “now let’s get some Potato Corner and frozen lemonade from Wetzel’s Pretzels,”

Oscar crossed his arms, “I could have gotten that for Cesar,”

“I don’t mind. I wanted to,” Lilo smiled at the taller man.

Oscar scoffed, but leaned down and gave the shorter girl a kiss on the lips, grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. Cesar went to Potato Corner to order them the largest barbecue french fries with Oscar’s cash while Oscar and Lilo went to Wetzel’s Pretzels to order three frozen lemonades for everyone. Oscar couldn’t help, but wrap his arms around Lilo and put his hands on her muscular butt which made her cheeks go red; however, she loved having his hands on her butt.

Once everyone got the fries and frozen lemonades, they sat at a table with Cesar on one side and Oscar and Lilo on the other. Oscar’s hand on Lilo’s thigh while the other was getting fries or taking a sip of his drink, Cesar was eating and talking to Lilo, and Lilo was smiling at Cesar talking about Monse while caressing Oscar’s forearm. The three looked like a perfect family to the outside eye even though they were far from perfect.

[scornedlove]

Chapter Thirty

ROBYN

It’s amazing what good sex can do. When we left the mall, Rocky took me to his duck off spot at Manhattan beach, where we set some rules to our situation. No questions, no venting, and no expectations. We promised to keep emotions out and orgasms in. If either of us broke any of the agreements, that would be the end of our rendezvous.

After we both had a clear understanding, he got to work like his life depended on it. He took me to heights I’ve been desperately needing right there on the sand and in the back of his car. I rode him so good, I woke up the next morning sore as hell with a little pep in my step. 

What I didn’t expect, was Dre’s face to be the first one I saw when I arrived at the boutique. There was an all black Chevy Impala parked in the very last space, with some guy watching him. Guess he found a new driver. He kept glancing in all directions as if he was Dre’s bodyguard. All I could do was roll my eyes when I noticed Dre. He was holding a box of muffins and some flowers looking like somebody killed his dog.

I took my time getting out the cab, then slowly approached him with no-nonsense on my face. There wasn’t enough orgasms in the world to make me forget about him calling me an addict. When I got in front of him, I paused, waiting for him to speak first.

“I hate when you’re mad at me” he admitted, holding out the gifts.

“Is that what you think of me? An addict?” I quizzed, ignoring his offerings. 

“See, I knew you took what I was saying the wrong way. You know I don’t think you’re an addict, but you do need help. Which is why this is the last time I’m giving you these” he stated, pulling a pill bottle out of his pocket. It must’ve been evident that I didn’t want to take them from him, because he urged, holding them out for me to grab.

“I don’t want anything from you. Matter of fact, forget I even exist” I frowned, turning my back on him to unlock the door. I was early this morning for a reason and he was cutting into my time.

“Anna you gotta stop pushing the people who care about you away. I talked to John this morning and he told me-”

“Oh please, because YOU care about me right? Go care about those stupid tramps you got prancing around in them tight ass clothes at your clinic.” I bumped him out of my way, knocking the pill bottle from his hand as I entered the building.

I locked the door and peeped out the window as he scrambled to find the bottle without dropping everything else he was holding. The scowl on his face as he mumbled to himself when he picked it up, showed he was done trying. 

I hadn’t noticed before, but John was parked across the street waiting for him. He jogged over to the car without looking back, clearly cursing my name. 

“Bet his ass won’t come back now” I shook my head, thinking out loud.

“Damn it’s been forever since I’ve seen you!” Meagan’s animated voice scared the crap out of me.

“SHIT” I yelled, clutching my chest.

“Sorry, I ain’t mean to scare you” she giggled, coming from around the front counter. 

“What you doing here so early? I didn’t see your car out there.” I snapped, glancing around the store. 

“Oh, my mom needed to borrow my car, so I got dropped off today.” she explained as if this was the norm. Jenn, Frankie, and I were gonna have to have a talk. I gave them a key, so how did Meagan end up with a copy?

“So who’s that guy waiting out front?”

“What guy?”

“There was some guy” I explained, as I went to see if he was still there. He was gone and now I was starting to wonder if I was just overthinking. “Nevermind....you know we don’t open for another hour and a half right?”

“Yeah, I know. It was either be early or be late. So, here I am” she shrugged, walking over to the window to see what I was looking at. “Is that Dre”?

“I’ll be in my office if you need me” I yawned, ignoring her question as I jogged up the stairs.

It felt good being back in my workspace. I didn’t realize how much I missed being here. I started to notice that every time I’m in a low place, I avoid the things that really make me happy. Just then, an idea came to mind. It had been awhile since I’ve been inspired, so I wasted no time pulling out my pad letting my hand flow as I began to sketch. 

When I finished a couple of designs and going over the numbers for the past few weeks, I smoked a blunt, made some coffee, and promised myself today would be great before I went downstairs to join my crew. 

“Bitch, you don’t need no more vacations!” Frankie exclaimed, as Jenn finished counting the day’s deposit. While she did that, Frankie and I were reviewing the reports for the past quarter. For some reason, every time I was here in the shop compared to my vacation days, sales were up by thirty percent. I wasn’t complaining, but it did seem strange. 

“It makes sense if you ask me.” Meagan piped in. “Customer’s appreciate when you actually show up for them”

“Girl you still here?” I quizzed sarcastically. She was sticking her nose in places she had no business and it was starting to piss me off. “I appreciate your hard work. Enjoy the rest of your night and go get some rest. You’re off tomorrow so I’ll see you Thursday!”

“She’s off Thursday too!” Frankie corrected with a nod.

“Oh, well see you Friday” I grinned with a wave. She stood there lost for a moment, then finally agreed that she was tired as she grabbed her things and headed towards the door.

“Which one of ya’ll gave that heffa a key to my shop?” I asked crossing my arms over my chest as I glared from Jenn to Frankie.

“Not me” Frankie threw his hands up in defense. 

“What makes you think she has a key?” Jenn quizzed, unamused.

“She was the first one here today. I don’t trust her and I don’t appreciate my key being copied. I’m changing the locks.”

“I think your exaggerating” Jenn shook her head in disbelief.

“Well I think I’ll be the only one with a key since nobody knows how a copy just magically appeared.” I shrugged, leaving it at that. We finished closing the store in silence, but I could still feel Jenn’s attitude. I didn’t let it get to me though. I just rolled me another blunt and smoked until my cab showed up.

Minus the stench on his breath, the driver was a nice guy. He was a college kid trying to scrape up every dollar he could with every minute he had. I remembered those days. I invited him to have dinner with me when we pulled up to Gorgio Baldi, but he declined, which meant I’d be dining alone. Usually, I wouldn’t mind, but the last time I was here was with Chris. I hate that I let him meet me here, because now it will never be the same.

The same place that usually felt warm and cozy, was now big and cold. As I waited for my food, I had an eerie feeling that I was being watched. I looked around the room and noticed how busy it was. There were a few couples, a couple of families, and a group of girlfriends having dinner together. I wasn’t the only loner though. There was a guy, a couple of tables away, with his face in a book while he waited on his food. He was comfortable in his lonesome, but I was not. I couldn’t shake the feeling of embarrassment as the memories of the last time I was here, flooded my mind. 

When the waiter came back with my food, I took it to go. I decided if I wanted to enjoy my food in peace, I’d better stop and get Ollie and Pepe’s food as well. When I entered the grocery store, I was immediately irritated by how long all the checkout lines were. I wanted nothing to do with the chaos going on, so I grabbed some dog food and called it a day. 

As I weaved through the crowds, towards one of the long ass check out lines, I noticed a cashier opening a new lane, so I quickened my pace. I was almost there when, out of nowhere, a guy walked right in my path, causing me to smash my cart into his side.

“Fuck!” he yelled out in pain, scaring me half to death.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you! Are you okay?” I panicked, rushing around the basket to pick up one of the 2-liter cokes he’d dropped.

“I’m good” he winced, massaging his hip.

“You may wan grab another” I suggested, handing it back to him.

“You may wan watch where you’re going, you could’ve fucked my shit up.” he mimicked disrespectfully.

“Scuse me?” I paused, stepping back with a scowl. Who was he coming at sideways when he’s the one that ran into my basket? I fixed my lips to tear him down, but my voice caught in my throat.

“Oh shit! I was hoping I’d run into you again, just not literally, we forgot to exchange numbers.” Rocky lightened up, after recognizing me. I went from wanting to slap him, to wanting to jump his bones, and back to that strange feeling in the back of my gut. How the hell do I keep running into him?

“You following me?” I stared him down, trying to read him. I had to know, this was one too many coincidences. 

“How can I be following you when I’m on my way out?” He asked, waving his receipt.  “I was just picking up a few things for my little sister’s party ”

“Well, uh have fun.” I stammered, before rushing towards the checkout lane. Something about running into him two days in a row made me feel a little uneasy. He knows where I live, which means it’s possible he followed me. 

I didn’t see him or his car in the parking lot when I left the store, but I was more alert the entire ride home. By the time I made it home I convinced myself he lived nearby. That’s the only thing that made sense, so I said a quick prayer and brushed it off.

The next few days, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder. I even went as far as having cameras installed at home. When you live alone, there’s no such thing as being too careful, so I updated my security system too. When everything was finished, I was impressed to say the least. I had everything connected to my phone, plus a couple of panic buttons around the house, in case I ever get caught slipping.

“This shit is dope” Mel exclaimed, as I explained the new system to her. “I just got one question. What’s going on?”

“What you mean?”

“Why did you get all this? Has Chris been threatening you?”

“What? Please! Not everything is about him. I just want to feel safe, that is all”

“You sure you’re not keeping anything from me?”

“I’m sure bitch! Now hurry up and roll up so we can get this movie started” I demanded, changing the subject. 

“Movie? Un-un! You still gotta pack your shit, we leave for Bim tomorrow.”

“Our flight ain’t til 11! I was gonna do it in the morning, you wanna help me?”

“Hell naw! You know how your ass is! It’s gon’ take you forever to pick out 3 days worth of clothes and I’m starving. I’m finna raid your fridge.” 

“Well, how ‘bout you pick my clothes and I fix dinner.” I bargained with a brow raise. 

“Ooooh, deal. I’ll take jerk chicken.” she jumped up a little too happily. “Besides, It’s been a minute since I raided your closet!”

“I betta not find nothing missing!” I called over my shoulder on my way to the kitchen.

CHRIS

"You can’t hold me!" Trey taunted, with his usual trash talk as the shot clock reached zero. We were at his crib playing 2K while Lala and Danni were cooking food, preparing for tomorrow. They were hosting Thanksgiving this year, so the house was smelling marvelous.

“Shut up man! You definitely got lucky” I shook my head in shame.

“Yeah okay, I beat yo ass bro. You just gon’ take that L?” he teased, challenging me to another round.

“Imma have to, I gotta get up outta here. I gotta be at the airport by 7am.” I explained, glancing at my watch. As much as I loved this game, I had other shit on my mind. I needed to figure out how to get Tae to hear me out, and what better way then through her best friend?

“Oh, you gotta get to Mama huh? Can’t miss out on that Thanksgiving dinner!”

“Nah, I’m actually gonna pop up on Tae. Maybe meet the fam and all that”

“Oh yeah? Can she cook?”

“You know what, now that you mention it,” I paused in deep thought. I don’t know. I’ve never had her cooking” 

“Well shit, I guess you about to find out! Good luck!” he laughed, cracking himself up. “But in all seriousness, how’s that going?”

“It’s cool” I lied with a shrug. “How’s the married life?”

“Man, if I knew marriage was the key to turn up the freak in Lala,  I would’ve did this shit a long time ago!” he exclaimed, grinning hard as hell.

“Guess that means it’s going good?”

“Nah, this shit is great. With the way we be going at it, she’s definitely gonna be pregnant any day. That’s if she ain’t already!”

“You fucking stupid” I laughed out loud and damn near choked when Lala came from the kitchen, holding a spatula covered in chocolate.

“Taste this” she demanded, as she strutted towards Trey. She had definitely put on a few pounds since I last saw her. Hopefully he was right and they were expecting. Everybody knew how much they wanted kids.

“Ugh, ain’t that cross contamination?” I frowned, shaking my head.

“Shut up, I’m still mad at you for what you did to my friend” Lala glared in my direction. 

“What you do?” Trey quizzed, looking confused. “You just said everything was cool”

“It was just a big misunderstanding” I sighed as I proceeded to explain the situation. 

“So you’re telling me you passed out next to yo horny ex-fuck buddy and ain’t hit?”

“I swear to God bro”

“No wonder she’s pissed. That just sounds like bullshit” Lala frowned, shaking her head. 

“It ain’t bullshit. Yeah, it looked bad, but I promise ya’ll I ain’t stupid enough to go down that road. I gave her some time to cool off, now I gotta go get my girl back”

“You really love her?” she wondered aloud as she cut her eyes at me.

“I do and I miss the shit outta her. Now what do I gotta do to at least get her to hear me out?”

“Chris, if I help you and you hurt my friend, I will personally help her fuck yo life up.”

“You ain’t gotta worry about that” 

“Okay, you got one shot. The only reason I’m even agreeing to help is because I know how she feels about you. She deserves to be happy. So if you ain’t 1000% sure about her then you should just leave things where they are. ”

“Damn he said he ain’t cheat! If my boy can survive that kind of temptation, then he know what he want. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience. ” Trey exclaimed on my behalf.

“He got a point. Now can you call her for me?

“Why you can’t call her?”

“You know she blocked me” I shook my head as she pulled her phone out.

“You wanna talk to her”

“Nah, I just need you to figure out what she got going on tomorrow so I can pop up on her. I know that seeing me face to face will show her how serious I am.”

“Okay, I can do that.” she smiled, as she dialed Tae’s number. She answered on the second ring and they caught up before she got the information I needed. Tae didn’t even think twice as she ran down her plans for tomorrow. I made Lala promise not to give her a heads up so she could be genuinely surprised. Now all I had to do was show up and speak my truth. How hard could that be?

ROBYN

“If the dog don’t trust it, you know something’s up” Mel blurted to the TV.  We were bundled up together on my love seat because my grown ass wanted to cuddle.

“I never understood why people don’t listen to they dogs!” I agreed, as we cracked our beers and clinked them. We were watching the Conjuring, knowing damn well we were gonna have nightmares from it. I didn’t care, I just needed a distraction.

Ever since the beach sex I had with Rocky, my hormones have been raging. That man had a magical tongue and the fact that he could hang for so long was impressive. I had more than a few orgasms when he’d finally gotten his, and I definitely didn’t expect that from a stranger. I didn’t know if he was really that good or if my drought intensified our encounter. Either way, I was still riding the high.

“You gonna answer that?” I asked, shaking Mel’s shoulder when her loud ass ringtone woke up my babies. Evidently, she was exhausted because she didn’t even make it halfway through the movie.

“Mellie” I called out again, but all she did was roll over and snore louder. I figured it was J when the text notification went off, so I grabbed her phone to let him know she had passed out.

I need another round, last night was incredible. 

What are you doing tonight?

Seeing Michael’s new text along  with no previous messages had my mind going straight to the gutter. I just knew this hoe wasn’t cheating on J. I wanted to wake her ass up, but decided against it. There had to be more to the story. I really hoped so.

My nosy ass could’t help it. I had to get more information. I went through her call history and didn’t notice his name once. I was about to dig even deeper when my phone lit up with an alarm notification. I received a text when my alarm noticed movement within 15 feet of my house. The last couple of times it was a squirrel but this time I was glad I checked it anyway. Apparently I had company.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about this unannounced visit, but smiled when a familiar face paused and took a deep breath before knocking at my door. 

“Sorry for popping up on you” Rocky grinned, when I opened the door.

“So you remembered where I live?”

“I couldn’t forget if I wanted to. My sister lives right across the street” he pointed behind him at the party that was going on. "She throws a mean Thanksgiving eve party if you don’t have anything going on.”

“Oh, um”

“I would’ve invited you the other day but you left so quickly I didn’t get your number” he hinted.

“My bad, I was in a hurry. I would go, but my sis is staying with me tonight.”

“The more the merrier. I bet she’d have a good time too”

“We actually have a flight in the morning, so we’re about to call it a night.” 

“Aight, guess I’ll just see you around.” he shrugged, returning to his party. The throbbing between my thighs wanted to invite him in to have our own little party, but my better judgement willed it away. Instead, I went straight to my room, pulled out my little friend, put some fresh batteries in, and went to work.

[hollypastl]

the disappearance of [REDACTED] ch.2

miya atsumu/reader

Summary: "MISSING: MIYA Y/N" It reads. Underneath is a picture of yourself. Age, height, weight. Everything important is listed. How embarrassing.

Genre: angst/mystery

Warnings: missing persons, time skip spoilers

Notes: crossposted on ao3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/28726002/chapters/70468146#workskin

chapter two: you will live and die for them because that’s your way

Osamu is still as a statue as he processes what his brother’s just told him.

It doesn’t seem real.

“That doesn’t make any— No. I know you’re you and she’s her, but you two are…” He trails off and starts wiping down the bar again. It’s a nervous habit Osamu picked up sometime when he wasn’t watching. “I mean... last week she didn’t act like anything was—”

Atsumu is busy reeling from his brother almost(?) complimenting his relationship that he almost misses it. “Last week?”

He nods. “Yeah, the stall was packed at the Friday game… She jumped in and manned the register so the rest of us could work on finishing orders.”

“Last week, though? You’re positive?”

He nodded.

“You saw her?”

From your usual court side seats, you could hear shoes squeaking and players panting. The thirty second row just wasn’t the same. At the same time, watching the game from a birds eye view gave you a new perspective and appreciation.

You leaned forward and locked on to Sakusa for the serve that would start the set. Your cheek sunk into your hand as his serve shot almost straight into the floor if not for a quick save by Komori that he bounced with only a single arm.

Someone across the way whooped and your eyes darted side to side as the ball hopped in the air and the setter shot a quick toss through the air. Your eyes landed on the spiker it was hurtling towards. From this far away, it was impossible to see, but you knew Suna well enough. Right now he was probably thinking something like, ‘There’s a three man block in front of me, is there really any use in jumping? I’m not gonna land a point anyway, so I might as well conserve my energy.” Still, he leaped for all he was worth and dinked it with his freakishly long fingers at the last second.

“Woohoo!” You screeched. Ignoring the fans who turned around to frown at you. Understandable. Why were you sitting in the MSBY Black Jackals section and dressed in black and gold merch if you were gonna cheer for the other damn team? You glare right back at them and slurp on your empty drink. The action only reminds you that you’re kind of hungry.

Inunaki bumps it back up all the same. Not surprising considering how slow and weak dinks are, but you gasp and groan aloud with the rest of the fans when Atsumu immediately tries to dump the ball back over the net. The play is messy and his hands are easy to read. Suna springs back up and spikes it down before the two even have a chance to tussle over it.

The buzzer rings and the EJP Raijin are awarded the point.

“Now that’s a failure of a setter dump if I ever saw one. Not what you usually expect from a player like Miya.”

“He does seem to be off his game today— oh, and there it is. Coach Foster is subbing in another player.”

“It’s only the second set, and the Jackals did take the first. There’s plenty of time for him to cool off and get back on the court to show us some of his monster serves.”

The commentators switch to talking about the serving skills of the various players at today’s game, which you don’t bother to stick around for. You did come to see Atsumu, after all. No point in staying if he’s not on the court.

You gather your hair in a low ponytail and tie it back, put your jacket back on, and make sure you have your wallet and phone still. All secure.

The stadium isn’t one you’re used to, so you refer to the map in the concrete hallway. The exit closest to the station is the north one and you’re at the southeast. It’s only when you turn to go that you realize you don’t know whether to go left or right.

“Well, it is just a giant circle,” You mutter. “Doesn’t really matter which way.”

From further inside, you can hear the buzzer go off one, two three times, signaling the end of the set. “That was quick.” The halls flood immediately and you’re forced to slow down and trudge through, rather than hyperwalk like you usually would. This whole trip is turning out to be one inconvenience after another. Atsumu is off his game. You’re hungry. People in this crowd keep bumping into you.

“Hey lady, get in line like the rest of us.” One asshole grunts and you reflexively scowl at him and the five brats he’s with. It drops from your face. If you had to deal with five kids under the age of ten all by yourself, you’d be grumpy too.

“Sorry, m’bad.” Curious, (and still hungry) you check what it is they’re in line for. Immediately, you’re in a better mood. Skirting the line, you hop over the gate and swipe some onigiri right out of the display box.

“Oi! What the hell are you— Oh, [y/n].”

“Hey there, stranger! Fancy meeting you here.” In two massive, disgusting, and arguably impressive bites, you swallow the onigiri (which is in no way, bite sized) and pluck the baseball cap off his head.

“Hiii, welcome to Onigiri Miya, what can I get for you today?” You ask, pulling your ponytail through the hat and bumping your hip with Osamu’s. The old man isn’t all that disturbed by the abrupt change in cashier and prattles on a list of items long enough to feed a battalion. You’re quick to click it into the POS and nod your head to the order printer that’s situated further back in their makeshift workstation. “I’ve got this. Go do your thing.” He rubs his hat hair sheepishly. He wasn’t planning on taking it off today. "Here's your receipt, sir. Please pick up your order at the station to your left. Good afternoon, it’s lovely to have ya here at Onigiri Miya, whatcha cravin’?”

“That’s it? What else did she say? Where’d she go after? When did she leave?” Atsumu’s hands buried themselves in his hair, practically pulling it out by the roots.

“I don’t know! Um… The rush came after the second set, I think? N’she left right after. I assumed she just went back in ta watch the game!”

“But she didn’t say anything weird?”

“No! We were so busy I barely said two words to ‘er!” Osamu had never seen his brother look so frantic.

“I’m going back to the police.” He rasped out.

— — —

At the station, Detective Kano looks over your file.

CASE: Missing Persons

FULL NAME: Miya [y/n]

BIRTHPLACE: Sapporo

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Osaka

Looking at it plainly, the answer is clear. As much as his subordinate and your husband don’t want to believe it, you’ve left. Nobody took you or forced you. The reason could be anything. You got bored or felt stifled in your marriage, (it did say you two had gotten married at twenty. That’s awfully young to make a lifelong commitment) you met another man, (always a possibility) or it could be that you were running for your life from an abusive piece of shit. Your case wouldn’t be the first like that and nor would it be the last. He didn’t care how ‘worried’ your husband appeared to be. For all he knew, the bastard could just be worried about people finding out and it ending his career.

"Oi, Tanigashi.” He barked. The rookie’s head shot up. “We find any bodies in the past couple days?”

“Time frame?” She asked, already typing away.

“Last seen on Tuesday, the fourteenth”

“Male? Female? What else, ya gotta help me out here.”

“Twenty two year old female.”

She hummed. “Tourist?”

He shook his head.

“Is she a short emo meets Harajuku model typa person?” She sighed, turned the monitor in his direction.

He sighed. “Nope. Sorry fer wastin’ your time. Get back to work.”

“Detective?” The office secretary popped his head in the door. “The statements you ordered just came in. Should I print them out for you?”

“Yeah, thanks kid.” Kano heaved himself out of his seat and cracked his bones. Years on the force and keeping up with full contact Karate were starting to get to him. Maybe he should take his daughters advice and take up Tai Chi or Yoga.

He crinkles open a wrapper and pops the gum in his mouth, reading the evidence as it’s freshly warm off the machine.

The bank statements aren’t anything out of the ordinary. You’ve withdrawn everything from your personal account. The joint account has been left alone. He jots down a note. ‘Set financial alert for suspicious activity.’

This way he’ll know if one of you tries to remove the other from the account. Again, he noted that you hadn’t withdrawn anything from the joint. As his spouse, you were legally entitled to it. And with Atsumu’s fat check from three seasons of pro sports under his belt, it wasn’t like he would miss a little bit all that much.

If anything, it told the detective that you didn’t hate him. Had you wanted him to suffer, it would be easy to empty the accounts and leave him broke.

“Rule’s out abuse.” He mumbles. Unless you were afraid of retribution should he find you. Though with how thorough you were being, (phone left behind. bank account empty. social media untouched) something told him you didn’t have any plans to be found.

Kano sighs, flipping through more pages and organizing them as he goes.

“This just gets more and more complicated.” He stops. “Hey, kid. Where’s the health report?”

He paled, worried he had missed something. “Ummmmmmmmm.” His fingers click across his email. “Looks like the hospital needs a formal report before releasing any information. Sorry, I’ll get right on that.”

— — —

Tucked away behind more wealthy and more flashy neighborhoods, hidden and huddled by a ring of trees, the only way you could ever know the Miya household was there was if you had been there before.

Which you had.

Ducked below a hill off the main road, it’s a modest split level house which seemed a lot smaller when you were younger. Then again, it had been inhabited by both the boys, their mom, and all the people they attracted. Which happened to be a lot. Despite being more than a little rude, Atsumu and Osamu were always surrounded by people wanting to be their friend.

You park in the driveway and enter through the back door on the porch, which has been unlocked since you first started visiting when you were fifteen.

“Toyo! It’s [y/n]. You here?” You called, walking through the door. No answer.

You walked through the kitchen and down the six steps to the main level.

“Toyo? You in there?” Politely soft, but loud enough to be heard, you knocked on her door. Still nothing.

You swung the door open.

“To—” Surrounded by tissues, old bowls of food, and shivering, was Miya Toyo in all her glory. “Gosh.” You whispered. “I knew you were sick, but this is ridiculous.”

Quietly, you grabbed the heating pad in her nightstand drawer and plugged it in, setting it next to her on the bed. Then, gently pulling the covers up and smoothing them out. Not that it mattered. The woman slept like a rock. You wondered if she had always dealt with being sick like this: alone, with no one to care for her.

Then you were headed back towards the kitchen. The door to Toyo’s room was carefully shut. You didn’t want your noise to wake her up. On the way back, you shuddered. No wonder she was sick, she kept the house colder than an icebox.

You made a pit stop at the boy’s room, sliding open a closet door, grabbing a hoodie, and smelling it.

“Hmm… Yeah, that’s Atsumu.” You recognized and quickly pulled it on. The man threw a fit anytime you wore Osamu’s clothes, so you had learned to differentiate the two. You chuckled. That was one of the ways you had figured out he had a thing for you.

A second pair of socks was also stolen. Yours were much too thin to keep your toes from falling off. “Hmm hmmm. Hmm hm, hmmm hm.” You hummed absentmindedly as you switched on the kettle and searched through the pantry and fridge for ideas on what to make.

[bakugosbaddie]

Ｗａｎｎａ　Ｓｈａｒｅ,　

Ｄｕｍｂａｓｓ　沿花ヷ

Frat Katsuki Bakugou x reader

Warnings: Nothing really but cursing (cause of the hothead) and teeth rotting fluff

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

“Come on y/n, go with me to the mall pleaseee!!,” Mina asked me while standing in doorway.

“I already told you no, and I have to study for our exam this Friday,” looking down at the clutter of books and papers on my bed.

“But the boys are throwing a party at their frat house to celebrate their big football game this Friday, and I want to get a new outfit, so pretty pleaseeee!!!”

“Which frat house?”

“Musutafu Alpha”

“Absolutely not cause that’s his frat house”

“Y/n, I know you would love to see bakugou,” just when she said his name I felt my whole face become flustered and my shoulders tense.

“So why don’t you come with me and we get cute clothes, so you can at least think about it or even go to his game this Friday” I felt my blush intensify just at the thought of being that close to him.

“No”

“I’ll buy you food”

“.......Deal,” I can see her playfully roll her eyes at me looking at me with a slight grin.

“Your such a fatass I swear”

“Shut up”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

We’ve been in here for enternity. I feel myself growing white hair, I am so exhausted especially from carrying these heavy bags. We went in way to many stores to keep track of and I still haven’t gotten my food. I slightly nudged Mina and whined

“Can we get some food now I’m hungry, you promised!”

“I don’t remember promising” I lightly slapped her arm “Ugh... fine,” I had felt a sudden uplift at her answer and started following her when suddenly I bumped into her back.

“Why did you st-,” before I can continue to further ask I see what’s she’s looking at. Katsuki Bakugou, he looked seemingly emotionless while he was sitting at a table with 3 other boys from his brotherhood. The spiky blonde boy was wearing his black and red letterman jacket with his name in bold on the right side an on the left sat the footballs team emblem. When he slightly turned to talk to to the blonde head beside him I can see his number (#1) in a bold red and outline black.

“He did say he always wanted to be number one, kinda ironic huh...anyways let’s go take a seat by their table”

“What!! You know what i-i’m not hungry any-anymore, let’s just go home yea?” nervously laughing I tried to turn back to the entrance and I felt her pull the back of sweatshirt and dragged me to a table right by theirs. I feel a specific pair of eyes on us once we take a seat.

Bakugou’s POV

I was forced to go to the mall by shitty hair so we can 'destress' before our game, however we landed sitting in the food court.

“Hey baku you can make your move on y/n, you know since you like her and all,” dunce face suggested with a smirk that I was so close to blasting off his face, wondering why he would bring it up until I looked up and saw her. Y/n seemed to be getting dragged around with her pink friend who I knew shitty hair had took an interest in. I wanted to turn my eyes away but I couldn’t. I watched as she sat down by a table next to ours. I felt someone slightly bumped into my shoulder, thinking that she saw me I diverted my eyes from her and met eyes with shitty hair. Before he can say anything I catch a glimpse of y/n looking around before her eyes landing on something. She had told her friend she was going over there which happened to be the pizza place.

“I’ll be back,” I didn’t want stay long to hear them tease me about my reddened face. While pushing my chair back the legs of it slightly squeaking against the floor I stood up and made my way towards where she was now standing in line.

Y/n POV

I felt as if my heart was going to come out of my chest and run to him. I sat the bags I was carrying on the table and looked around to find something good to eat. Chicken? Nah, Chinese food? My stomach is not going to digest that, Pizza? hearing my stomach growled I took that as a yes. I told Mina where I was going and went unknowingly not noticing a spiky blonde deciding to follow. There was six people in front of me so I took the chance to look up at the menu. The pizzas slices were big but I’m hungry so why not. My phone vibrated in my hands, I looked down and it was a text from Mina telling me to turn around. Just thinking she could see me from are table. I (did a full 180) turned around and was face to face with a familiar letterman’s jacket, I mentally panicked as I slowly traveled my eyes across his jacket , passing his bobbing adams apples, overlooking his sharp jawline, and finally meeting his intense, yet gentle red eyes. It was a setup she did that on purpose she owes me big time. I didn’t know what to say, what if I stuttered? or did something stupid. While I was having battle with my inner thoughts a saw a big calloused hand that looked ever so soft, waved once in front of my face.

“I’m sorry d-did you say s-something,” mentally slapping myself for stuttering. He just looked a me before tilting his head slightly looking pass me. I turned back to see the line moved up, so I followed the person in front of me seeing now it was only two people left. I felt someone gently tap my shoulder making me involuntarily shudder, I turned back to see still see him.

“Um..I know we don’t really talk or anything but...”, he took a slight pause putting his hand behind his neck I could almost sense how nervous he was before he continued “Would you like to come to our party tonight,” Bakugou look at me with hope in his eyes, despite him looking emotionally detached.

“Sure,” really I could’ve said yes or I would be delighted to but really sure ugh. Seeing his face slightly altered I was to reassure him.

“I m-mean yes as i-in I would be happy t-to go, I’m sor-,”I was cut off by a slight chuckle that came from a rough but demure voice.

“It’s fine y/n; you don’t have to say sorry, you didn’t do anything.” He knows my name. I mean all I ever do is have my head stuffed into books and never wanted problems.

“Are you ok your face is red, bakugou,” slightly confused also not realizing I was teasing him. He was a little hesitant, soon he had broke eye contact to stare at the floor.”

“Katsuki”

“Huh but-”

“Start calling me Katsuki.” Before I can reply I hear the cashier say next in line prompting me to turn away.

“Welcome to (random pizza place) what would you like to order?”

“Can I get-” I am then silenced by the same voice from before.

“Four slices of pepperoni pizza with two soft drinks”

“That will be $11.98,” I reach into my purse to pull out the money when a hand goes over mine to stop me.

“I got it,” I look up to see Katsuki now giving the cashier the money and in return the two cups. The workers then took the four pizzas then put them in the oven. Katsuki then turned to me and gave me a cup then we moved to the soda fountain machine. I put my cup under the ice dispenser till it was full and then put the cup under the (favorite drink) dispenser. After I moved out the way I saw him do the same thing and I proceeded to grab a lid securing it on tightly and straw. Furthermore glanced over to the the oven to see the worker taking out the pizzas and putting it in the box before handing it to Katsuki. He then walked away looking back to make sure I was following him. I see that the table he went to is further away from where are friends sat at. He pulled out my chair and I took a seat he later took the seat in front of me. I was stunned since all this was happening so fast.

“Is this suppose to be our first date?,” I had finally gather up the courage to ask him. His face darkened with the hue of red equally similar to his friends red hair. He didn’t reply he just passed me my two slices of pizza. I decided to change the subject to talk about his upcoming game this Friday.

“So, I heard your game is Friday right?,” his eyes met mine.

“Yea it is, I w-would like it if you would be there,” hearing him say that peaked my interest as there was a slight stutter when he spoke.

“Oh so you like me,” not realizing I said that out loud he swiftly looked away unable to say anything back but his blush gives him away. I glanced at him to see him looking down in his lap.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say that out loud”. I then decided to take a sip of my drink coming to my senses I realized this tasted nothing like what I thought I put in there. I’m guessing katsuki could feel my dissatisfaction. I looked down in my lap fidgeting with my fingers while he got up and went to the vending machine. When he came back I seen he only had one soda.

“Wanna share, dumbass,” I felt myself smile as I looked up at him and nodded. He then put two straws in the can and sat back down.

“I know this seems cheesy, but would you like to go out with me?. Not by coincidence like this,”he asked as I felt his calloused hands sliding into my own.

“I would love to,” kind of glad that I agreed to go to the mall with Mina.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

I feel like the ending was so wack but it is what it is🤗

~lani

[natasha-romanoff-deserved-better]

Children Of Yesterday- Chapter 4

Standing in front of him, are two more children, only slightly older than the one he had found. The blonde child was freakishly skinny with dark bags under his eyes, and was standing with another black-haired slightly taller child who had a bony arm wrapped around him.

The blonde was wearing an over-sized Captain America costume that drowned him, and the other only wearing a leather jacket with sleeves that covered his hands and fell to his knees.

Tony almost chokes.

The blonde in the Captain America costume. The black-haired child standing over him. The scared, timid kid on his hip with glasses and bruises.

He knows who these kids are.

.

After an accident with Hydra and the time stone, Tony and Rhodey are left with six of their teammates turned into young children. Trying to keep the six young, traumatized and rambunctious children safe all while finding a cure and attempting to give them a taste of a real childhood might be their biggest mission yet.

Continue reading here under the read more, or click here to read on AO3!

“What the hell do you mean they escaped?” Tony asks, disbelief clear in his voice. “You’re telling me, a couple of children escaped from a government facility on their own?”

“No,” Fury corrected. “I’m telling you that a Red Room trained assassin who happens to currently be a child escaped and took the other five with her.”

There are still agents scrambling everywhere, but thankfully the alarm has finally been switched off. Fury pinches his nose between two fingers. “Romanoff managed to knock out one agent and shot two others who were trying to stop them all from leaving. Somehow, they managed to shut off all the power, including a majority of our locks and security cameras.”

“And then what? You just let them waltz on out?”

“Did you not hear what I just said?” Fury snaps. “Romanoff shot two of our agents. They had a mini standoff near the doors. She shot the agent who was trying to keep Rogers and Barnes from joining them, and then another who was trying to stop them all from leaving together. She fired other shots, but they missed.”

Somewhere in the building, two quick shots are weird. Fury grimaces. “Unfortunately, some of those locks they undid also included some cells we were holding suspects in.”

Tony can’t help but snicker at that, and Rhodey nudges him. “This is serious, Tony.”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, but you can’t deny it’s at least a little bit funny.”

Rhodey stares at him for several seconds, before the corners of his mouth slightly quirk up as well.

...

“I’m hungry.” Sam whines as he kicks away a small pebble with the toe of his shoe. Natasha looks up from her spot on the ground, leaning against a brick wall.

“They gave us snacks on the plane.” She reminds him.

Clint frowns. “That was like, forever ago.”

Natasha rolls her eyes. “Get over it.”

“Actually, they’re right.” Bruce speaks up, voice soft. “I’m kinda hungry too.”

“There’s a bodega I saw right around the corner. They’d have food.” Sam points out.

“We don’t have any money, though…” Bruce mentions.

“We’ll just sneak it out.” Clint tells them, with a causal shrug of his shoulders.

Sam is appalled. “That’s stealing!”

“Do you want food or not?”

Sam doesn’t have a response for him, instead just crosses his arms and gives a small shrug of his own.

The group walks in through the automatic sliding doors, Bucky and Steve only barely hiding their surprise at them. They briskly walk through the store, heads held high as they pretend to have complete confidence in themselves. Sam leads them, having been chosen for having the most experience inside stores. He follows the small aisle signs to the food section, acting as if he had been inside this exact store many times before.

They all crowd into the aisle, away from the view of the balding man behind the cash register. Steve has a fist of Bucky’s shirt clutched in his hand as the two of them gape at the shelves.

“There’s so much…” Steve whispers in awe.

Sam sends them a weird look, but Bruce shakes his head at him. Sam then sends a questioning expression to Bruce, who only shrugs his shoulders in response.

“Okay, um…” Natasha frowns, looking at all the bulky food items that would be hard to conceal within their clothes. “Here.” She grabs a loaf of bread and untwists the tie. She reaches inside, grabs a handful of pieces and pulls them out, passing them out. “Put it in your clothes somewhere not obvious.”

It helps that most of their clothes are a slightly baggy on them- the medical wing did the best they could to fit them with what they had, but it still didn’t quite sit the best on them.

Clint shoves a piece flat up against his stomach. Sam folds a piece and sticks it up his long sleeve. Bruce pins a piece of bread to his hip using his waistband. Natasha watches them, and once satisfied, ties and places the bread loaf back onto the shelf.

“What else?” She asks them, also feeling slightly overwhelmed at all the options.

“These!” Bucky reaches up and pulls down a pack of beef jerky. He shows the group his find with a wide smile as he holds it out for approval. The others glance at it, and with a shrug each pull off bag of jerky of their own.

They each look each other over, checking one another to make sure any hiding spots aren’t too obvious. Steve doesn’t look thrilled about the stealing, but he doesn’t say anything, so they ignore him. Sam is slightly hesitating on walking them out, so Natasha brushes past him, taking the lead.

The cashier’s eyes linger on them for a second as they move out, but then return to the notepad on the counter. The children file out of the door. They’re careful not to rush to much while leaving, but once the doors close behind them, they break out into a sprint. They’re all smiling, laughing and yelling with adrenaline as their feet pound on the ground.

“That was awesome!” Clint exclaims as they turn the corner and back into their small hideaway alleyway.

“We’re like those cool movie villains!”  Sam agrees.

They’re all panting as they pull out their spoils, bread being disturbed between them. They attempt making jerky sandwiches, but quickly find out the jerky is too tough for that, so they eat their makeshift dinner one by one.

Bucky tears the last corner off his bread piece, and hands it over to Steve, who is sat slightly away from the group. Steve takes the offered piece but doesn’t put it in his mouth.

Bucky frowns. “Are you okay?” he asks as he sits down next to his best friend. Steve nods, but doesn’t answer. “Stevie.”

“I’m…fine.” Steve forces out, breathless. By now, it had been several minutes since they’d stopped running, and everyone else’s breathing has mostly evened out.

Bucky scoots forward, coming to sit in front of Steve. “In and out, Steve. You gotta keep trying to breathe. Ma said 4 seconds in and 4 seconds out, remember?”

Steve nods, concentrating on moving the air through his lungs instead of the burning in his chest. Bucky begins doing the breathing exercise with him, slightly to encourage him, but mostly to distract him as he does funny faces with each intake and exhale.

Bruce is watching the scene nearby, focused on the two boys. “He has asthma?”

Bucky nods without taking his eyes off Steve.  

“He needs an inhaler.” Bruce tells him.

Bucky sends him a look then, slightly exasperated. “If we had an inhaler, don’t you think we’d be using it right now?” Bucky turns back to Steve. “Besides, it’s fine. I’ve talked him through them a lot. I know what I’m doing.”

Natasha, Clint, and Sam are all watching now as well, standing back with curious eyes. “Is he going to be okay?” Clint asks.

“I’m fine.” Steve’s strained voice cuts in.

“It’d be best if we could get home soon though. We have an inhaler at home.”

“He’s right.” Natasha speaks up. “I need to get back too. Quickly. I don’t have time for this.”

“So… how do we all get back then? The only ones who lives in New York are them but we’re all far away.”

“We gotta get to an airport, I guess.”

...

“Boss, I have something.” Friday’s voice jerks Tony out of his trance, from where he is reviewing the security footage from the medical wing before the cameras had been cut off, hoping the kids may have revealed part of their plan while still there. “A group of six unaccompanied children matching their descriptions has been picked up on a security camera walking down 25th street. Would you like to view it?”

“No, it’s them.” He says, confident in Friday’s ability to recognize them and the group’s strange appearance. He wasn’t willing to waste anymore time- at this point, the kids had been gone for several hours, and the worry was becoming unbearable.  Even the safest parts of New York could be dangerous, especially for children who most likely had no idea where they were or how to navigate the modern-day city. “Friday, suit up.” He wanted to get to them as soon as possible. “Alert Fury and Rhodey as well.” He commanded as his suit began to encase him. “Tell Fury we need to clear the area of any civilians. I don’t want the kids making a scene and someone filming them.”

Friday agrees and Tony takes off in his suit, the location the group was last seen already entered in the GPS.

Once he lands, Tony leaves his suit behind, safely tucked behind into a corner. Rhodey argues with this, recalling the way Natasha had fired several kill shots at him at the first time they confronted them. But he suspected he would have more success with all the kids outside of the suit. He didn’t want them fearing him or thinking that they were in trouble.

He steps out into the open.

Clint spots him almost immediately, and wastes no time yelling out a shrill "run!" to the others. None of them even question it- they all take off running at his alert.

"Shit. Fuck. Shit." Tony cusses as he begins sprinting after his miniature teammates, chasing them around a block corner. "They've going down 27th!!" He yells into his earpiece, informing Fury and Rhodey of the new direction.

They don't make it far-a black SUV makes a sudden turn and bumps over the curb onto the sidewalk several feet in front of them, cutting off their path as agents unload from the vehicle.

Natasha spins around and has the stolen gun pointed at his head before he can even get a single word out. She shoulders her way in front of all the others, protecting them. Behind her, Steve starts into a renewed wheezing fit.

He doesn’t take his eyes off the group, but in the corners of his vision he can see the SHIELD agents gathering around, ensuring none of the kids could make a run for it or that any civilians could see what was happening. Keeping a close watch on Natasha, he can tell the appearance of agents and Fury beside him puts her more on edge. Her finger moves to rest on the trigger.

“Natalia.” He brings both hands up, showing he has no weapons or intentions to fight. “You know me, remember? I helped you.”

She blinks at him.

Tony sighs. “That’s going to work anymore. I know you can speak English now.”

“You left us with them.” She says, gesturing over at Fury and other agents with disdain.

Steve makes a strained noise as he tries and fails to suck in air. Bucky puts a hand on his shoulder, whispers something to him.

“I know, and I’m sorry. I thought you all would be safest there.”

“We wanna go home!” Sam cuts in. They all nod in agreement.

“I know. We’re going to help you.” Technically, it wasn’t lying. It wasn’t like he said what or how they were planning help.

Steve buckles and his knees hit the ground. Bucky drops as well, having had a grasp on his friend’s elbow. His voice is more urgent now as he continues trying to talk Steve down. It’s not making a difference.

“Steve needs help, Natalia. We can help him if you let us.”

Natasha is gnawing on her lip, and she sends a worried glance over her shoulder at the two boys on the ground.

“His lips are turning blue,” Bucky tells her, his eyes wide.

Natasha looks back to Tony. “You’ll save him, yes? No tricks?” She asks.

“No tricks,” Tony promises.

Natasha takes a deep breath, closes her eyes for several seconds as she steels herself, and lowers the gun.

Rhodey rushes in, dropping to Steve's level and shoving an inhaler between his lips. he presses the top of the inhaler, once, twice, three times, ejecting the lifesaving medicine. Steve reaches out to grab at Rhodey, the scared young boy searching for comfort in his savior.

Natasha's gun clatters to the ground as she drops it, bringing her hands up to hide her face. The gun now safely out of her hands, other agents close in, wrapping the kids in blankets and handing them water bottles. Natasha, however, doesn’t let any of them near her.

She turns to Tony. "What are you going to do to us?"

"I-what?"

"Because we ran away. What is our punishment? I would prefer to know now." There's a very slight tremor in her voice she is trying hard to hide.

Tony’s joy at finding them all safe and unharmed sinks. She had given herself up thinking she would be punished all so that Steve could get his medicine. “Oh, god. No, Natalia. None of you are in trouble, okay? No one is mad. We're just happy you're all safe.”

Behind him, Fury snorts. “Speak for yourself. She shot several of my agents.”

“Not. Helping.” Tony hisses at him.

Fury is unbothered. “I’m just saying. When they come back they’re going to have to have extra security, maybe an agent just assigned to her to make sure this doesn’t happen ag- “

Tony cuts him off. “Come back?” He raises his eyebrows, now turning to face Fury directly, putting his body directly between him and Natasha. “What makes you think they’re going back to SHIELD?”

“What makes you think they aren’t?”

“They aren’t going back with you. Clearly, none of them felt safe there.”

“And where else are they going to go, Stark?”

“They’re staying with me.”

Fury laughs, but Tony doesn’t budge.

“Come on now, Stark. Let’s be reasonable here.” Fury says, taking a step closer.

Tony raises a hand, a gauntlet already forming on his hand and charging up, ready to shoot. “You’re not taking them. They’re coming back to the tower with me, where they’ll be safe and cared for. Kids don’t belong in a hospital, Fury.”

Fury shows his palms, a sign of surrender as he backs away again. “Fine, fine. Whatever you say. Have fun trying to manage all of them. We’ll get out of your hair then, since you so clearly don’t want us here.”

Tony doesn’t move from in front of the kids until all the agents are loaded back into their SUV’s and are out of sight. Only then does he lower his gauntlet and turn back to the children.

Steve is still on the ground, and holding the inhaler in his hand, but no longer seems to need it. Instead he is now sitting criss cross, focusing on taking deep breaths. Bucky is standing next to him, arguing with Sam about the logistics of Tony’s gauntlet, whether it was a gun or a bomb. Bruce is standing silently, shifting his weight from foot to foot as his eyes go back and forth between the two adults. Natasha is a few steps away, unhappy expression on her face as she ignores Clint, who is making a poor attempt at a joke to try and ease her.

“I’ve already called Pepper,” Rhodey tells him. “Told her we found them and to meet us here with a car.”

Tony thanks him, no idea what he would do without his best friend who was always thinking one step ahead. “Are you all okay? Does anyone need anything?” He asks to the gaggle of children.

They shake their heads wordlessly.

Expect Sam.

“We ate a snack already so don’t worry!” All the kid’s eyes snap to him, narrowed. Bucky reaches out and punches him in the arm.

“You aren’t supposed to tell them that!”

Sam is clearly offended at the accusation, mouth dropping open as he defends himself. “He asked! What’s wrong with telling him we ate?!”

“Because we stole the food, dipshit.”

“Hey, hey.” Tony steps in. “Don’t call him tha- wait, what? You guys stole food?”

“Nice going.” Bucky whispers at Sam as he crosses his arms.

“It was Clint’s idea!” Sam says, pointing over to Clint.

“Hey!” Clint exclaims, a betrayed look on his face.

“Jesus Christ.” Tony pinches the bridge of his noise, trying to rub away his building headache. “Where did you guys steal from?”

“That place over there,” Sam points down the street. “With the green sign.”

Tony follows his finger, and groans again when he sees the small mom and pop shop that Sam identified. “Okay. Everyone look at me.” He waits until all six tiny eyes are on him. “We don’t steal, alright? Stealing is bad.”

Tony pauses, frowning at himself for a second. “Or…We don’t steal from small shops, okay? Those people need the money. If you have too, go to somewhere like, Walmart or something. But that’s only if you absolutely have too. Got it?”

A large black car pulls up to the curb next to them. The front door opens, and Pepper steps out, eyes landing immediately on the avengers turned children.

“Oh, my god.” She breathes out, seeing them all for the first time in person since the time stone incident. “They’re so cute.”

[whyynotwrite]

It will make your heart race

Summary: You don't even know what is faster, your car or the beat of your heart every time you see him.

Warnings: light cursing and mention of cigarettes (don't know if that's a warning but just so you guys are aware of it!)

a/n: this is just like,, a wip? it'd be a street racing au with members from all the nct units + some skz members. i'm thinking of making it a series and this would be a sneak peek! please tell me what you think or if you want to see more of it, i'm open to all kinds of (constructive) opinions :)

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

“And that will be 12 dollars and 50 cents”

Scouring through my front pocket, I found the 50 cents and gave it to the cashier.

“Thanks. Good night!”, I said taking my soda, bag of chips and pack of cigarettes with me.

Halfway to the exit of the tiny convenience store, a hand grabbed my wrist and made me turn around.

“You gave me an extra two dollar bill”, looking at the bill hanging from the boy’s hands to his face, I could see just how tired he was. His disheveled hair, accompanied by a pair of dark bags under his eyes, told me everything I needed to know and more. Looking into his eyes, which reminded me of dark chocolate, I smiled.

“Keep it. I can only imagine how dreadful it must be to work on a Friday night, consider it a treat”

The nameless boy smiled faintly and bowed, murmuring a small thank you under his breath. I bowed slightly and went on my way, as soon as the automatic doors opened a breath of fresh air hit me and I exhaled deeply. There was nothing better than a chilly night’s breeze. The star filled sky looked at me, as if mocking me for my tremendous insignificance, and I smiled back at it. If there is a single thing that I learned in this life, it is that there’s nothing smaller or more insignificant than the human race, and I am fine with that. Sometimes we don’t need to understand why, we just accept it, for the sake of our sanity.

After a few minutes of walking, and finishing my bag of chips, a cat crossed my way. I almost missed it, for its darkness merged with the night. It meowed at me and rubbed my legs, a clear request for affection. I crouched and patted it until soft purrs came out of its mouth, soon enough it laid on its back. Being filled with contentment, I couldn’t help but squeal at it, I was never a cat person, but I just couldn’t resist their kind. Reaching my back pocket for my phone, so I could take a picture of the sweetest cat I’ve ever come across, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine and my heart immediately sink to my stomach. It wasn’t there. A million scenarios rushed through my mind while I scavenged my brain to remember where I last had it. It still was with me when I left Lia’s house, so it must be on the convenience store.

Throwing my head back and grunting out loud, I closed my eyes for a moment to recollect myself. How could I be so stupid. How did I forget my most precious possession on a fucking convenience store?

“I guess it be like that sometimes, huh”, I said to myself while patting the cat’s head one last time.

I got up and did a 180 degree turn to go, once again, to the convenience store. I cursed the whole path there, thinking over and over again how could I be this dumb and how I could already be where I first intended to. The cat followed me close, not letting our distance be bigger than two steps, and I was glad that at least someone wanted my company.

I got to the store and the smell of plastic and hand sanitizer almost made me choke. It was small, so I guess there’s little to none air passage here, making it unbearably hot and uncomfortable. Looking around, I recognized the cashier who attended me standing close to one of the hygiene goods’s shelves, going mindlessly through his phone, and marched towards him.

“Y/N! Hey, I was sure I recognized your voice earlier, anything you need?”, a smiling boy approached me, making me stop.

“Hey Hyuck, yeah, it’s going to sound so stupid but uhm, I think I forgot my phone here”, I scratched the back of my neck out of embarrassment and pointed to the cashier, “I was going to talk to him since he was the one who attended me, maybe he saw it and knows where it is, I don’t know”

Hyuck let out a light laugh and shook his head, “You’re such an airhead. Ren, come here”

The boy snapped his head up and looked at us. When his eyes focused on my figure, they went wide, making my heartbeat speed just a little bit.

“Oh, you forgot your phone! Sorry for not realizing sooner, I only saw it after you left”, he said walking closer to us.

A little smile made its way into his face as he handed me the phone that was carefully kept on the pocket of his apron.

“Oh my god you saved my life, thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d do if I had really lost it”, I exasperated as I took it in my hands, beaming at it.

Glancing at the notifications I saw that nothing important had happened and sighed out of relief, I’d be on time for my meeting if I rushed a little.

“It‘s nothing, the least I could do after your treat”

I let a chuckle come out of my mouth and smiled at the boy. Taking a closer look at him I could see just how beautiful he was, the fainted cheap lights of the store didn’t help at all, making everything seem smudged, but even so, he was stunning. His tanned skin matched perfectly with his clothes, making me think he chose them especially because of this. His eyes were so black that it was a hard task to find his pupil, even harder to not get lost in them. I could stay like this for years to come, immersed in the deepness of his soul's windows, wondering how many mysteries and untold stories they held. That is, if Donghyuck didn’t get me out of it.

“Didn’t know you had a cat”, he crouched down to pat the cat’s head, which was rubbing against his legs and a fond sigh came out of my lips.

“I don’t. It just followed me here”, I paused to look at it, making a mental note about how Hyuck looked even cuter when he was around animals, when the memory that I had somewhere else to be hit me.

“Y’know I’d love to stay and talk with you guys but I really need to go”, I said as my hands messed Hyuck’s hair up and laughed when he sent me a death glare. “See you monday Hyuckie, and it was nice meeting you-”

“Renjun”, he said while stretching his hand for me.

I shook it and smiled at him, “Y/N”.