#and the way he took a deep breath after “hey”?!

[withwritersblock]

Calling After Me

~Calling After Me by Wallows~ Author's Note: requested! I have no idea what this is! Long time no see um here's this Lazar!reader fic that is um long. Summary: Luke pursues Curtis's younger sister Warnings: maybe implied smut? Word Count: 15,663 Luke Hughes x Lazar!fmreader

When his baby sister called him and asked for his help, Curtis instantly jumped on the opportunity. His baby sister, Y/N, was studying to be a teacher in New York and she was starting her student teaching. Which meant no income. Without any hesitation, he offered her to stay in his guest room for as long as she needed. He would also pay her to babysit so she would have some money. 

There was a nine year age gap between them and Curtis would do anything to make sure she was okay. He threw a welcome party for her, it was dramatic but he was excited for his baby sister to live with him. 

Since she was living in New Jersey, her school was able to give her placement there. She started her student teaching back in August and for the last two months, it’s been great.

Now that the regular season was right around the corner, Curtis was planning on having some of his teammates by to watch the football game that was on tonight. Curtis never really had to worry about his teammates liking his sister since she was nine years younger than him. 

Except now he has teammates that are nine years younger than him. It was his mission to make sure that his teammates keep their eyes and hands away from his baby sister.

She was sitting at the dining table with a handful of essays her students had written. Her mentor teacher let her grade the students’ work for the first time alone. Curtis climbed down the stairs to the house they were renting with his youngest son in his arms. 

“Y/N,” Curtis asked as he stepped into the dining room. She nodded as she lifted her gaze. “Can you take this upstairs? The boys are gonna be here soon,” he let out. She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked into her eldest brother’s eye.

“I can’t be down here when they come over?” she asked, a laugh climbing in her throat. 

“It’ll be–like–loud and stuff. Don’t you need to focus with–quiet,” he let out, trying to hide his other agenda. He failed. 

Y/N took a deep breath as she began to restack the papers in front of her. There was probably eighty essays that she still needed to finish. “Sure,” she drew out the word as she stood up from the dining table, pushing the glasses up on her face as she walked up to him. “You act like I haven’t met them before, but sure. I’ll stay hidden,” she teased as she poked the belly of her nephew before she walked past him towards the stairs.

Curtis paused as he took a deep breath spinning around, “Thank you,” he let out softly as the doorbell rang. His eyes widened as he walked quickly towards the front door. He glanced behind him to see his sister completely upstairs. He let out a long drawn out breath while he pulled the door open.

He smiled widely when he saw Dawson, John, and Tyler waiting outside of his door. “Hey guys,” he let out as he let the three of them inside. John waved excitedly towards Curtis’s youngest son. Curtis chuckled as he went to shut the door, only to see the Hughes brothers jogging up towards the door. “Hey!” he called out as they stepped inside.

“Holy shit, this place is nice,” Jack let out as his eyes instantly danced around the living room and the small view of the kitchen. 

“Thanks man,” Curtis offered as he glanced towards Luke, who was shyly shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “There is alcohol in the fridge, food is on it’s way and the game will be on in like forty minutes. Make yourself at home,” 

Dawson and John didn’t hesitate as they instantly started walking towards the kitchen. Jack and Luke hovered by the door for a few seconds before they followed after the other two. Tyler took a spot on the couch as Curtis followed towards him.

“Where’s your sister?” Tyler asked as he looked around the room. Curtis chuckled as he tossed his head back as he glanced down towards his son. 

“Upstairs, grading some stuff,” he said, a grin on his lips.

“Hiding her from the Hughes bros?” Tyler teased. Curtis tossed his head back for a second. He leaned down and placed his son into the swing. He pressed the button, allowing it to rock slowly back and forth.

“And Dawson, kid’s got charm,” Curtis let out while laughing. Tyler chuckled as he shook his head slightly. “She doesn’t need to be getting involved with any of them,” he expressed.

“They’re not bad, you know,” Tyler let out teasingly.

“She doesn’t need to know that,” Curtis shot back as there was another knock on the door. 

Another hour later and the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings game was in full swing. Half of the roster was in the house and scattered all over the living room. Reanne came home with his eldest son and the wings they ordered. There was a giant tray of wings and the pizza they ordered were all over the dining table.

Reanne was in the process of putting both of their young sons to sleep while Y/N was still grading papers in her newly appointed bedroom. The boys in the living room were not as loud as she initially thought. But from the amount of cars sitting outside of the house, she assumed it was a lot of the players. 

The Lions scored a touchdown and a few of the boys cheered before they took long sips of their drinks. “How’s that league looking, Jacky?” Curtis teased from across the way. Jack tossed his head back while rolling his eyes playfully.

Luke smacked his hand against Jack’s shoulder, “Told you not to take Monty off of your roster, man,” Luke teased.

“Shut up,” Jack let out as the entire room started laughing.

Y/N began climbing down the steps, causing a handful of the guys to look towards her. She kept to herself, fully aware of the majority of New Jersey Devils roster was in her living room. 

“Hey Y/N, thought you were staying upstairs tonight,” Curtis offered before he brought his beer towards his lips. 

She lifted her head up to see them glancing towards her. Curtis was staring towards her angrily. His cheeks flushed red from the alcohol in his body. Luke tried to keep his eye off of her. But it was impossible. It was as if she was walking in slow motion as he watched her climb down the steps. Her body was covered with a tight blue long sleeve top and a pair of grey sweats. 

Luke’s body ran hot as he continued to stare towards her; as subtly as he could. She was stunning, absolute no discussion about it. He forced his gaze towards his lap while clearing his throat.

“I’m not Harry Potter. I’m not gonna hide and pretend I don’t exist when guests come over,” she let out teasingly as she walked passed the crowded living room towards the back door. The entire room started laughing. 

Luke’s head shot up as he looked back towards her direction as she sauntered away from the living room. His heart quite literally jumped into his throat. He couldn’t breathe.

They heard the door slam shut in the back. Curtis glanced towards the handful of younger guys in the group, “Don’t get any ideas,” he let out as he pointed a finger towards each of them. His gaze lingered on Luke, who’s cheeks were bright red. Luke dropped his gaze towards his lap as he took a deep breath while adjusting his body. 

“Is that your sister?” Jack asked as he smacked his hand against Luke’s arm. Almost out of habit. “When did she move here?”

Curtis nodded, “My baby sister moved here in August. She was in New York for school,” he explained before he brought his beer towards his lips. “She’s staying with us for a while.” he explained as he forced his gaze towards the TV.

Quickly, the boys all let it go and their attention went back towards the game. They all had a running bet on which team was going to win. The room was pretty split on who was going to take the game. Which meant the losing side would have to pick up the bill for any dinner the team has for the entire team. Basically, the losing team would take turns on paying. 

“I’m going to get more food,” Luke said outloud to anyone who would listen. Curtis nodded and a few of the others did as well. Luke stood up from the couch as he manuvered through the crowd towards the kitchen. He ran his fingers through his hair and walked towards the dining table to see Curtis’s sister eating one of the slices as she was sitting at the table.

His eyes widened as she looked towards him. “Hey,” she mumbled while keeping her gaze low. Almost afraid to meet his eye.

“Thought you left,” Luke mumbled as he took another plate and began to put some pizza slices onto his plate. He clenched his jaw as he avoided her gaze, his heart was still pounding hard against his chest.

“I tried, there’s like four cars blocking me in,” she mumbled before she took another bite. He chuckled as he glanced behind him. For the first time their eyes met for only a brief second before she shyly dropped her gaze towards her plate in front of her.

“Yeah one of those is probably mine, sorry,” he mumbled. She shrugged before she awkwardly met his gaze. He watched as her eyes widened slightly as she pressed her lips together.

“It’s okay, thought I’d steal some food before you all eat it all,” she expressed while chuckling. 

“Now that you’ve been spotted, you could join us,” Luke offered as he stepped away from the table. She looked into his eyes, a soft smile formed to her lips. 

Luke felt his heart jump into his throat as he saw her smile. Seeing her smile was the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. He’s never wanted to look at anything else. He took a shaky breath as he forced his gaze down.

“Rather not,” she mumbled.

“Why?” Luke asked, laughing softly.��

“Curtis may play for the Devils but not really the team I wanna be around,” she explained as she stood up from the chair taking her plate with her. She stepped towards him briefly while maintaining eye contact. Her stomach flipped slightly as she got closer to him.

“What team?” Luke asked solely out of curiosity. She pursed her lips forward as she fought off a grin.

“Let’s just say between you and your brothers, Quinn’s my favorite,” she offered teasingly before she walked back towards the living room. Luke dropped his head, laughing. He followed after her towards the living room to rejoin the team. 

Y/N didn’t stop as she walked straight towards the stairs. Curtis glared towards Luke as he sat back down. Instead of asking any questions Curtis let it slide. 

“Seriously Rusty, didn’t you eat an entire pizza already?” Dawson let out causing the room to start laughing. Luke chuckled to himself as his gaze lingered on the stairs where Y/N walked up. His heart started beating rapidly.

~~~

For some reason, she couldn’t get him out of her head. She barely saw him, barely spoke with him but that smile felt like a drug coursing through her veins. She was struggling to fall asleep since her mind kept replaying his smile. His grin that was ever so slightly lopsided. His eyes squinted slightly each time his lips curlced upward. 

The entire night she tossed and turned trying to fall asleep but her mind was so busy with his smile. She never paid attention to him before. All she knew was that he was the youngest Hughes brother and he was also supposed to be great. It wasn’t a lie that her favorite team was the Canucks, she loved hearing his laugh when she told him that. 

His laugh was like honey in her ears. It was everything and she knew she wanted to hear it more. She knew she needed to see him more. But she knew Curtis would be mad.

She sat in the parking lot of the school she was student teaching at and slowly scrolled through his Instagram. Specifically, looking through the photo collection he had posted back in July. She kept admiring each photo, craving to get to know him more. 

A sigh fell from her lips as she gone back to his main page, staring at the follow button. He probably wouldn’t even notice. She was a private account, it would seem like any random person was following him. She took a deep breath as she pressed follow. Quickly, she tossed her phone onto the passenger seat beside her with her entire body ran hot. 

Looking up at the time on her car radio, she realized she had to start heading inside or it would be too close to on time. Her mentor teacher preferred her to be early. Turning her car off, she reluctantly took a hold of her phone and shoved it into her bag. 

She was grateful that she didn’t have her phone on her because she would’ve been checking her phone nonstop to see if Luke requested to followed her back. Yet, she kept thinking about it throughout the lesson she was teaching throughout the morning. 

It was finally time for her to eat lunch since their free period started a few minutes back. She was in the teacher’s lounge, waiting for the other student teacher to join her. His name was Jacob and they were quickly becoming friends. 

“Girl, I swear to god, if I have to explain the difference between sin, cos, tan, one more time today, I may explode,” Jacob let out with a long drawn out sigh before he slammed his lunch bag down onto the table. Y/N smirked before she tossed some of the pretzels into her mouth.

“Are you sure you want to be a teacher?” Y/N asked softly, a smirk toying to her lips. She pulled her phone from her pocket. Instead of looking at it, she placed it down onto the table.

“I’ll let you know after we’re done with trig,” he let out before he zipped open his lunch bag. Y/N chuckled while rolling her eyes. “How are you surviving today?” he questioned.

“I am alive,” she let out as she took a deep breath, “Probably a little bit better than you,” she let out teasingly. 

“Clearly,” he let out chuckling before he opened up his salad. “How was your weekend?” he asked as he shoved salad into his mouth. She took a deep breath as her mind instantly went to Luke. Which didn’t make any sense, she spent only a few minutes with him last night. 

“My brother had a lot of his teammates over last night,” she explained as Jacob’s eyes widened with a smirk toying to his lips. 

“Oh my god was Nico there?” he asked excitedly. Y/N stifled a laugh, “–I mean how was that?” Jacob said while chuckling.

She rolled her eyes playfully, “I think he was there but I was shunned to my room,” she let out.

“What? That’s lame,” he let out. “I mean a bunch of hot professional athletes in your living room and you couldn’t say hi? Ridiculous.” 

“I did see them for like five minutes while I stole their food,” she chuckled softly. Her eyes widened as she took a hold of her phone and watched as her phone screen lit up. She swiped down and clicked notifications she missed with her phone on do not disturb. Slowly, she scrolled to see a notification from Instagram.

lhughes_06 requested to follow you. 2 hours ago

Her mouth fell open as she stared towards the notification. Her heart began to race while selecting it. Without hesistation she accepted the follow request with her hands shaking slightly.

“What just happened?” Jacob asked while chuckling nervously. Y/N lifted her gaze while she delicately placed her phone back onto the table. 

“N–nothing,” she mumbled, not so convincingly. Jacob’s eyes squinted as he looked over her frame for a moment. He hummed before he switched the conversation. 

Her phone buzzed on the table and flashed the home screen with another Instagram notification. Instantly, she took a hold of it and her FaceID showed her the DM from Luke. 

lhughes_06 : Thought Quinn was your favorite ;)

She bit her bottom lip as she stared at the message. Her cheeks flushed as she fought her grin. 

Was he being flirty? Was he just saying hello? Was it just an ice breaker? Instead of replying she placed her phone back down onto the table as she looked back towards Jacob.

“So I’m supposed to pretend that you’re not grinning at your phone, okay,” Jacob said teasingly. 

“Yes you are, and you’re failing miserably,” Y/N shot back as she began typing a reply. After she hit send, she placed the phone back on the table face down.

“Okay, so let’s talk about our plans this Friday,” Jacob offered, attempting to change the subject for her. 

“No plans, I’m babysitting,” she mumbled sadly. Jacob threw his head back.

“Oh come on! You’re always babysitting,” Jacob whined. Y/N laughed while rolling her eyes. 

“I’ll ask my brother if you can come hang out,” she offered while rolling her eyes playfully. 

~~~

Throughout the day, she was texting Luke when she could. It was basic small talk but every time she felt her phone buzz in her pocket she fought every urge to read it instantly. 

She was laying on the couch, staring towards her phone screen waiting for Luke to message her back. A sigh fell from her lips as she dropped her phone down onto her chest. Her eyes shut as she kept hearing her heart slam against her chest. It’s been overworking all day.

“Hey,” Curtis expressed as he flopped down onto the end of of couch. He shoved her feet off of the cushion. Her eyes jolted open as she saw her eldest brother sitting down. He took a hold of the remote and pulled up the Vancouver game that was on. Y/N glanced towards the screen for a second. 

“So um–” she began as she felt her phone buzz, she pulled it up to see another message from Luke.

lhughes_06 : can I get your number? I don’t get notifications on Instagram

She smirked; subtle, real subtle. She placed her phone back onto her chest as she looked towards Curtis. His gaze was solely on the game. 

“What’s the situation with Luke?” she asked nearly embarrassed to ask the question.

Curtis furrowed his eyebrows as he switched his gaze towards her. “Hughes?” he questioned harshly. She pursed her lips forward as she slowly nodded. “He’s my teammate, Y/N. You know teammates are off limits,” he let out while crossing his arms over his chest; pouting. 

“Are they?” she asked sarcastically, “I mean usually your teammates are like a decade older than me. Never really needed a rule like that before,” she let out jokingly. 

“Fine, making it a rule now. Do not get involved with my teammates. Especially a Hughes,” Curtis stated as he refused to look towards her.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked while laughing. 

“Just stay away from my teammates, alright?” he said as he watched the game switch to a commercial break. Y/N pursed her lips forward as she nodded slowly. “I’m not gonna let them break my baby sister’s heart,” he let out. 

She clenched her jaw while rolling her eyes. Curtis always had the overwhelming habit of being overly protected of her. All over her older siblings were protective over her. It’s what comes from being the youngest. Especially with the older three being closer in age. Curtis felt like it was his job to take care of her. She hated that. 

She was twenty years old. She wasn’t a baby anymore, at least in her eyes. She was graduating college early in Decemeber. Her life was beginning and she was tired of being treated like she was a kid. 

“Okay,” she mumbled as she pulled up her phone to read the DM from Luke. Her cheeks flushed as she stared towards the message. What’s the harm in giving him her number? There’s nothing wrong with being friends. Absolutely nothing wrong. Her mind kept weighing the pros and cons of giving it to him. 

More she stared at the message, the more it became easier to believe that there was no harm in sending it. She sent it over to him and instantly dropped her phone onto her chest again. 

“Can Jacob come over Friday?” she asked softly. 

Shrugging his shoulders, “I don’t care, you don’t have to ask. This is your home too, you know,” he expressed as he finally looked in her direction. 

Her eyes widened as she scoffed, “Oh, I didn’t know since you’re acting like Dad right now,” she offered while she stood up from the couch; holding her phone tightly in her hands. 

“Oh come on,” Curtis offered while laughing. 

“I’ve got papers to grade,” she mumbled as she walked towards the stairs. Her phone began to buzz in her hand. 

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she stared towards the unknown number. Hesitantly answering the call, she brought it towards her ear. 

“Uh–hey?”

“Uhm–hey it’s Luke,” he let out shyly. Her lips curled upward as she jogged up the stairs faster.

“Usually when you give a guy your number, he texts first instead of calling,” she teased as she turned the corner to her room. She shut the door and walked towards her desk where there were only about fifteen papers left for her to get done. 

“I don’t like texting,” he said simply. She let out a soft chuckle as she sat at the desk. Y/N took a hold of her airpods and put them into her ear.

“What if we don’t have anything to talk about?” she questioned as she rested her phone down beside her as she stared towards the essay in front of her. There was a reference sheet beside her to assist in the grading process. 

“There’s always something to talk about with the right person,” he let out teasingly.

“And you’re the right person?” she offered as she tapped the back of her pen against the paper. 

“Oh definitely, I’ve been told I never shut up,” he shot back. She rolled her eyes playfully.

“Me too actually,” she muttered while glancing down towards her watch. He chuckled. “You know, I’m not supposed to talk to you,” she offered as she began to read the essay in front of her. 

“Ah right, the whole teammate thing?” he offered to her. 

She fixed one of the grammar mistakes before replying. “I can’t even ask about you or he gets mad,” she offered to him as she continued to read through the page. 

“You asked about me?” he asked softly.

“Maybe,” she let out fighting a grin on her lips.

“What did you ask?” he asked, an obvious smirk toying to his lips.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said through her own grin.

“Aw come on,” 

“Didn’t get an answer, doesn’t matter,”

“Maybe I can give you an answer,”

“Don’t think so,”

“No?”

“Nope,” she drew out the word as she felt her body cascade with heat.

“Ask me another question then,” he offered through a small chuckle.

“Like what?” she asked teasingly.

“Uhm–you could be like, ‘Luke, do you have any plans tomorrow night?’ and I’ll be like no I don’t, we should hang out or something,” he let out sarcastically. She rolled her eyes playfully.

“Did you forget the part where I am not supposed to talk to you,” she let out as she leaned back into the chair. He laughed so genuinely that she felt her heart literally skip a beat in the process. 

“You know, we could hang out as friends. There’s no rule against that,”

“Yeah, right–right,” she let out with a wide grin, “But–uh–let’s stick to the phone for now, okay?” she expressed with a nervous laugh falling from her lips. “That way we can at least nod along when my brother asks questions, okay?”

Luke barked out a laugh. “I’m good with that. Curtis is having another team hangout before the back to back this weekend. So I’ll see you then,” he let out, a tone in his voice she couldn’t quite detect. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked teasingly. 

She could hear him snicker on his end of the phone as she kept rereading the same sentence on the essay in front of her. Her heart was slamming against her chest, she was convinced that she would pass out from how busy her heart has been all day.

“You live there, so I’ll see you then,” he mumbled teasingly.

“Oh,” she mumbled as she tilted her head back, “What if I am shunned to my room again?” she asked teasingly.

“You’ll find a way to see me,” he let out while smirking.

Her mouth fell open as a soft gasp fell from her lips. Her cheeks instantly ran warm as she clamped her mouth shut. “I’m gonna hang up now,” 

“Why?” he asked softly.

“I have a lot of work to do and you are very distracting. I can’t focus with you–talking, so I’ll be hanging up now, goodbye Luke,” she offered. He let out another soft laugh.

“Goodbye Y/N, I’ll talk to you later,” he offered. She tapped the phone screen, hitting the red button. A huff of air left her lips, a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

Pressing her lips together, she stared straight ahead. Her mind picturing that beautiful smile on his lips. He had the most perfect smile, the most perfect lopsided smile. She pulled her phone back up to begin to play music in the background. Doing everything in her power to push him and his perfect face away from her mind.

She forced her gaze back to the essay her freshman student wrote. This time actually ready and comprehending what the student wrote. She kept breathing heavy trying to slow her heart down.

~~~

Something about today had her students off the walls bonkers. She was already exhausted from not being able to sleep last night. The entire night she tossed and turned while his voice replayed in her mind.

You’ll fine a way to see me.

What the hell did he mean by that? She couldn’t get his voice out of her mind. His voice was like silk against her skin, her body was overwhelmingly hot, thinking about it. 

She sat in the teacher’s lounge craving silence. Her head was pounding and the three Advils she took were not working. There was a slim second of sweet silence and it was instantly ruined by Jacob storming into the lounge.

“Best day ever! My students love me, Mrs. Bernard loves me and I love my job. Best day ever!” he expressed as he happily sat down beside her, slamming his lunch box onto the table. A huff of air left his lips as he shook his head slightly. “God, I love lunch!” he let out while he zipped his bag open.

“Why are you so loud?” she let out while shaking her head slowly.

“Are you hungover?” he asked in a hushed tone. 

“No, I am not. I am just tired,” 

“Is there a specific person–reason why you are tired?” he asked teasingly. Her mouth fell open while shaking her head slightly. 

“I am exhausted and all I have wanted all day was some quiet. You are not helping me,” she said with a soft dry laugh leaving her lips. Jacob  dramatically rolled his eyes before he took a bite of his sandwich.

“You didn’t deny that a person was keeping you up all night,” Jacob said with a mouth full. 

“If I tell you will you let me sit in silence for like ten minutes,” she offered. Jacob nodded encouragingly. 

She went in detail over the two minute long conversation she had with him. How he was stuck in her mind for the entire night. How intoxicating his gaze was and how his voice caused her heart to beat rapidly. How perfect his smile was and how it was impossible to push him from her mind. 

She talked about their texting they did all day yesterday. Y/N explained how Curtis was completely not on board with her even talking about him. She talked about how she gave Luke her number anyway. She explained how he was clearly flirting with her and Jacob was ecstatic hearing that. 

“Why not let him take you out!” Jacob asked while slamming his hands against the table. Her eyes widened while shaking her head slowly. “I mean he’s hot and he’s a professional athlete. He also seems charming and funny,” Jacob explained.

“There’s a bright red target on my forehead. There is no way I am getting involved with him,” she explained while glancing down towards her phone screen. A text from Luke waiting for her. 

“Oh but you want to, oh you want to so bad,” Jacob teased.

“Okay, I explained and now I deserve silence!” she offered before she took a hold of her phone to reply to Luke. Jacob’s mouth fell open before he began to fight off the grin. 

“You deserve silence, you’re right,” Jacob offered before he took a large bite of his food. “But you have to at least kiss him once–”

“Jacob, I swear to god stop!” she said while laughing. “We’re not going to be kissing, we’re not going to be doing anything other than texting.”

“Texting or–”

“If you finish that sentence, I will never talk to you again,” Y/N offered as she hit send on her message to him. She placed her phone face down onto the table before she met Jacob’s gaze. He chuckled as he pursed his lips forward while chuckling.

~~~

Over the last few days, she would spend at least an hour on the phone with Luke. Talking about anything and everything.  

He would talk about his life before he moved to New Jersey. How much he loved being at University of Michigan, his teammates. His life before the NHL, how sometimes he missed it. How he loved his new teammates and how welcoming they all have been. To her surprise, Curtis was one of the most welcoming. Despite being newer to the roster too.

She talked about her life at NYU. How she didn’t take a single semester off and focused solely on school. She’s graduating this fall since she took more credits than what was recommended for two years straight. She didn’t take a break. Student teaching was the closest thing to freedom to her. She was done spending every aspect of her life studying and attending classes. She was almost free and in her dream. 

Their conversations flowed so easily that it felt like they had been friends for years. There was a lot of flirting. A lot of flirting. It was easy. She’s craved something easy like that for years. 

She needed someone that was easy to get along with. Easy to think about, easy to want. Maybe even easy to need.

Yet he wasn’t supposed to be easy. Curtis made that perfectly clear. 

Except right now she was deciding what outfit to wear while the living room was getting crowded with more Devils players. She was staring between the two tops to go with the dark wash jeans. 

Tonight was yet another get together for the Devils roster and she was so nervous. Luke was right, she did find several reasons to see him. Meet his eye and occasionally talk to him. He loved teasing her about it over text, while he was still sitting in the living room. 

There was a loud knock on her door and she jumped back and instantly took a hold of the shirt on the left. Quickly, she pulled the shirt onto her body, adjusting it as she pulled the door open to see Reanne standing there. 

Reanne’s eyes widened as she scanned her sister-in-law’s frame. “You look hot,” she offered. Her mouth fell open as she pushed Y/N back into her bedroom. Reanne shut the door behind her. “Why do you look hot?” she let out quietly. 

“Oh my god, why do you look hot?” she said while bouncing slightly.

Y/N mouth fell open as she shook her head slightly, searching for words to explain. Feeling defensive out of nowhere. 

“I don’t look hot,” she offered. Reanne dramatically tossed her head back while rolling her eyes. “I look like I always do,” she defended.

“So this–” she pointed towards Y/N’s face covered in makeup, “And this–” as she waved her hand down her frame; over her outfit. “All of that has nothing to do with any of the boys down there,” she offered while pointing towards the carpet.

“Nope,” she replied while shaking her head side to side. She fought off a grin.

“Then why are you grinning?”

“I’m not grinning,”

“You so are!” 

“Okay fine! I’m trying not to grin because–you know what I’m not gonna tell you!” she expressed as she sat down onto the bed, crossing her legs. Reanne groaned as flopped down onto the bed beside her. 

“Why not?” she whined.

“Because you are going to make fun of me,” she offered as she squinted her eyes harshly. 

“Well obviously, but I’m your sister-in-law that’s what I do!” she teased as she happily smacked her hand against Y/N’s thigh. “You know I can figure it out right? I’ll start listing the roster and your face will just tell me!” she continued. 

Y/N rolled her eyes while shaking her head slightly.

“Nico Hischier? Dawson Mercer? John Marino? they’re older but I totally get it if–” Reanne teased.

“Will you stop! Oh my god!” Y/N let out awkwardly laughing.

“Jack Hughes?” she offered. Y/N’s eyes widened slightly as her smile widened. She shook her head slightly. “Oh my god it’s Luke isn’t it?!” Reanne teased as she happily smacked her hands against her leg.

“Shut up!” she said while laughing.

“Oh you so think he’s cute and you’re dressing all hot for him! You guys are gonna fall in love and it’s going to be so adorable!” Reanne spoke dreamlike. “I should’ve known, you love them a little–”

“Fine! Fine, fine, fine! I think he’s cute, okay?” Y/N let out while laughing.

“Curtis adores Luke, oh this amazing!” 

“I asked Curtis about Luke the other day and he shut me down instantly, are you sure?” Y/N asked while falling on her back. 

“You are his baby sister!” Reanne said while sitting up slightly. “And don’t you pull the whole I’m not a kid anymore blah blah blah. You will forever be his baby sister who he doesn’t want his slutty teammates around.” she explained while standing up from the bed. “But you know who’s not slutty? Who’s actually kind and sweet and cute and definitely so ready to fall in love with you!”

“We’re not going to fall in love!” she countered as she stood up from the bed, facing Reanne. 

“Oh you are so gonna fall in love with Luke Hughes,”

“I’ve known him for like a week!”

“That’s why I said gonna! You are so gonna fall in love with Luke Hughes!” Reanne teased while jumping up and down slightly. 

“I hate you,” Y/N let out as she took a hold of the door and pulled it open slightly. 

“Will you hate me less if I promise to keep this to myself,” Reanne whispered as she grinned widely. Y/N nodded before she began walking towards the stairs. Reanne giggled to herself as she walked towards her youngest son’s room. 

Y/N took a deep breath as she ran her fingers through her hair. It was loud in the living room as the entire roster was mingley in the living room. There was another hockey game on the screen but she couldn’t make out the teams since there were seven guys surrounding the TV.

Scanning the group, she was searching for him. Exactly like the last time the crowd was at the house. Her steps down the stairs turned a few heads. Notably, Luke was staring in her direction. As subtly as he could. His lips curled upward as she climbed down the steps. Meeting his eye, her smiled widened before she forced her gaze towards the ground.

“Y/N, food’s in the kitchen!” Curtis shouted towards her before he returned his gaze towards the screen in front of him. She nodded towards him before she manuvered through the crowd.

“I’ll be back,” Luke mumbled towards Jack and Dawson. Jack glanced towards the direction that Luke was staring towards. Noticing Curtis’s baby sister being Luke’s line of sight. 

“Careful Lukey,” Jack let out loudly. Luke waved his hand behind him towards Jack as he continued following after Y/N. 

Y/N stood near the table, staring towards the trays of food on the dining table. It was the same exact trays of food that Curtis always orders for every night he has the roster over. A sigh fell from her lips as she reluctantly took a hold of the paper plate. 

Instead of adding food to her plate, she put it back down onto the stack and spun around. Her eyes widened once she saw Luke standing on the other side of the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, she looked into his eyes. Her mouth fell open as she searched for something to say. 

A smirk formed to his lips as he glanced behind him. “Wanna get out of here?” he asked softly. Furrowing her eyebrows harshly, she shook her head slightly. “Do you want to go get out of here?” he asked again, taking a step towards her. He crossed his arms over his chest. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest. 

“What are you doing?” she asked softly. He took a deep breath as he pursed his lips foward.

“Curtis is busy watching my brother kick the Panther’s ass, do you want to go take a walk or go on a ride?” Luke offered as he took a few more steps towards her; closing the distance between them. 

A teasing smirk formed to her lips as she glanced towards the living room, “The Canucks are on? I’m sorta more interested in tha–” she offered as she slowly began to walk pass him. He chuckled as he took a delicate hold of her waist, pulling her towards him. Her eyes widened. “Bold move, do you know how many wandering eyes are here?” 

“Let them wander or let’s get out of here,” he whispered as he looked deeply into her eyes. 

“Bold move, we just met you know,” she whispered back. 

“We’ve talked on the phone for several hours every night this week, I feel like that excuse is out the window,” he expressed.

Her lips fell into a dramatic pout as she tilted her head to the side.

Looking behind him, he saw that everyone was preoccupied with themselves in the living room. He leaned down, “Let me get to know you then,” he whispered into her ear. Slowly, he pulled back; taking a few steps away. 

“What if they notice that you’re gone?” she teased as he walked towards the back door. She took a few steps after him. 

“Jack will cover for me,” he offered as he slowly pulled the glass door open. He stepped out of the door, maintaining eye contact. Taking in a deep breath, she followed after him. He stepped backwards, fighting a grin as she closed the glass door behind her. 

He pulled his keys from his pocket as he slowed his steps to walk beside her. “I was thinking we could go for a drive, grab some food or ice cream,” he offered as he looked down towards her. 

“Are you always this pushy and flirty with your teammates’ sisters?” she offered with a smirk toying to her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest as she met his gaze.

“Only the pretty ones,” he said while tilting his head to the side. She rolled her eyes playfully. “But I don’t usually go out of my way to talk to any girl, let alone a teammate’s sister,” he explained while he unlocked his car and pulled open the passenger door. 

She met his eye briefly before she climbed inside. She mumbled a thank you before she sat down. He smiled softly as he happily shut the door for her. He jogged around the front of the car and quickly climbed into the driver seat. He shifted his gaze towards her, smiling softy.

“You don’t go out of your way to talk to girls?” she questioned suspiciously. He nodded dramatically as he put his seatbelt on. “All you have to say is I’m Luke Hughes and I play for the Devils and girls will be all over you,” she offered while she put her own seatbelt on.

“Exactly,” he said as he began to click the dashboard, searching for a playlist to play. She chuckled awkwardly, “They see professional athletes and all the money that comes with it, The guys eat it up but I’d rather not,” he offered as he slowly began to pull away from the overwhelming amount of cars in front of the Lazar house. 

“Girls fawning all over you and you’d rather not?” she teased, a soft chuckle falling from her lips. 

“I would rather talk with you, are you fawning? I would rather you be fawning,” Luke teased as he kept his gaze straight ahead. 

“You are so ridiculous, you know that?” she teased while admiring the soft smile on his lips. He chuckled as he continued driving ahead. 

“You’re smiling,” he observed as he looked towards her. Their eyes met and she smirked.

“Just keep your eyes ahead,” she said while pointing her finger towards him. He pursed his lips forward as he stared in front of him.

“Ice cream or food?” he asked as he slowly turned the music up a few notches. 

“Isn’t ice cream a kind of fo–”

“Oh my god, will you just decide?” he asked while laughing. She tossed her head back while laughing.

“Ice cream, always ice cream,” she offered as he was already pulling into the local ice cream shop. He smirked as he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the song.

“Noted,” he let out as he pulled up towards the long drive thru line. He shifted his gaze towards her. Their eyes remained connected as his lips parted slightly. She squinted her eyes slightly as she scanned his features. “What?” he asked softly as his gaze lowered towards her lips. She shook her head slightly as she dropped her gaze towards her lap. 

“You make me nervous,” she let out softly as she began to twist the bracelet on her wrist. He bit his bottom lip as he fought of a grin as he looked over her side profile. “I don’t get nervous, usually I make other people nervous. But you make me nervous,” 

“Why?” he asked barely above a whisper as he slowly pulled ahead in the drive thru lane. 

She took a long dramatic deep breath as she pursed her lips forward. “You are very flirty,” she let out teasingly. He chuckled softly. “Very flirty and very pretty,”

“I can’t tell if that’s a good thing,” he offered as he waited for her to look towards him. Instead she kept her gaze on her lap.

“It would be a good thing if you weren’t you,” she expressed as she lifted her gaze up to meet his eye. His beautiful blue eyes that were so bright even in the dimly lit car.

“Ouch,” he let out with a dry chuckle. 

“I meant–I mean if you weren’t my brother’s teammate,” she said while laughing. 

“Curtis loves me, you know,” he let out as he raised his eyebrows slightly. “I think he would be happy to hear that I think his sister is incredibly beautiful.”

Her smile softened as she continued to look into his eyes. “Maybe,” she let out barely above a whisper. He smirked as he pulled up towards the menu, right before the window to order. He looked over it, keeping his head against the headrest so that she has a view of the menu as well. 

~one month later~

Over the last month, if Luke had a free evening they would go for a drive and just talk. It was easy with him. Everything was easy with him. Conversations, flirting, eye contact that would lead to her heart slamming hard against her chest. 

They have been hanging out behind Curtis’s back and she was starting to feel guilty. In all honesty, she had nothing to be guilty about. They haven’t even attempted to kiss or even hug. He drives and she sits in the passenger seat. They sing along to the radio, they flirt, and she was happy with that. 

Until she had a dream. He was laying on her bed with only a pair of sweatpants covering his frame. She was sitting in his lap, with her hands trailing over his muscles. Her fingertips grazed over the curve of his biceps before she rested her hands on the base of neck. His hair was messily laid across his forehead as his hands were glided along her thighs. He was kneading the skin of the side of her thighs as she leaned towards him; kissing him urgently.

She hasn’t stopped thinking about it all day. Every time she shut her eyes, an image of his hands roaming her body flashed in her mind. She explained the dream to Jacob in grave detail and all he could tell her was that she should make her dream a reality.

She was sitting in her classroom, her mentor teacher sitting beside her. The students were gone for the day. Y/N’s gaze kept looking towards the clock, waiting until it was time to see Luke. Her mind was full of thought surrounding him. She couldn’t get him out of her head because of a stupid dream. A stupid subconscious thought that she couldn’t get out of her mind.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she quickly pulled it out to see a text from Luke. She grinned widely as she saw that he was asking if their plans were still set in stone. Her thumb hovered over the message as she tried to think of a clever way to reply.

“Y/N?” Mrs. Hansen said while keeping her gaze on her laptop. Y/N lifted her gaze, her eyes widened. “Who’s making you grin like that?” she asked teasingly. 

“It’s stupid,” she offered while shaking her head slightly.

“You are smiling so wide that your cheeks look like they’re about to pop,” she observed while chuckling softly. 

“Okay, so um–his name is Luke,” she began while finally meeting Mrs. Hansen. Her eyes widened as a smile formed to her lips. “And that’s all I will share,” she offered as she dropped her gaze back down towards her phone again. 

“No fun, come on,” she begged. “My life is so boring, you’re young, tell me something exciting!”  

Y/N tossed her head back and laughed, “Okay, okay. He’s my brother’s teammate,” she offered. Mrs. Hansen’s mouth fell open as a gasp fell from her lips. “I am not supposed to talk to him but I love talking with him,” she explained as a sigh fell from her lips.

“Of course you do because forbidden fruit is the best kind of fruit,” she expressed as she closed her laptop, shifting her attention fully towards Y/N. “Have you tasted this forbidden fruit?” 

“Oh my god! You cannot ask me a question like that,” she expressed through laughter. “And no I haven’t,” she let out quietly. 

“So when are you going to taste the fruit?” she asked while smirking slightly. She began to put her belongings into her bag. Y/N rolled her eyes as she took a deep breath. 

“I am not going to taste anything,” Y/N said while tilting her head back. “My brother said no teammates so all we’re going to do is hang out and talk,”

“Right because that grin means you just want to talk,” she teased, “You’re going to kiss him tonight and you will tell me the whole story tomorrow morning,” she explained while standing up. She tossed her bag onto her shoulder while smirking. 

“There will be no story,” 

“Oh there will be a story, I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” she said while walking towards the exit, “Lock up when you leave,” her voice echoed from the hallway. Y/N leaned back in the chair as she shifted her gaze towards the ceiling. 

Her phone started vibrating and she looked down towards her phone screen to see Luke calling her. She chuckled dryly before pulling her phone towards her ear. 

“Instead of driving in a circle around Newark for hours, do you want to come over?” he questioned with an evident grin on his lips. Her heart started slamming hard against her chest. 

“Uh, sure? I can head over now if you want,”

“That would be absolutely perfect,”

“Okay, I need your address,” she let out while standing up and taking a hold of her laptop and placing it into her bag. A soft chuckle fell from her lips as he began to shuffle on his end of the phone. She could hear him shout on his end of the phone towards Jack.

“I’ll send it over in like three seconds, see you soon?”

She could hear the smile on his lips from his end of the phone. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be there,” she offered before she hung up the phone with a grin on her lips.

The drive over to his apartment took only ten minutes from her job. Except it was the longest ten minutes of her life. Her mind was exhausted from all of the thoughts about him circling his mind. 

What was the apartment like? What was he like? What would he be like alone? Alone together in a room? In a room with a bed, of all places.

Her mind couldn’t stop thinking about what would Curtis think? He had to have an idea of what was happening. She was not exactly secretive. Y/N hasn’t deliberately stated who she was hanging out with but Curtis had to of had an idea. 

It was easier to just say, going out and not mentioning who she was going with. He wouldn’t ask questions, didn’t want to be called dad again. 

Here she was sitting in the guest parking spot, summoning all of the courage she had to go up to his apartment. She stared towards the text from her brother. Where are you? She pulled the phone towards her ear, listening to it ring slightly. She nodded as she waited for Curtis to answer.

“Did you crash or something?” he asked, instead of saying hello.

“I am going to Jacob’s, you don’t have to know my every movement,” she teased. He chuckled.

“Will you be back tonight?” he asked while laughing.

“Probably, I’ll be quiet to not wake the boys,” she offered. He let out a long dramatic sigh before ending the conversation briefly after that. She texted Luke that she was waiting in the parking garage, completely unsure of where she was supposed to go. 

Without any hesitation, Luke texted her that he was already waiting for her in the lobby. A wide grin formed to her lips as she stared towards the message. She took a deep breath while she collected her small purse and her keys from the ignition. 

There was a moment, she wanted to drive away. Right now she was playing a dangerous game. It was one thing when they were hanging out in his car. Limitations were there but now they were gone. She hated how much she liked him. It was something that she has been battling for the last few weeks but right now, she was excited. 

The walk towards the lobby was fast as she could see Luke pacing in the center of the large room. She chuckled to herself as she pulled open the glass doors. Lifting his head, he grinned widely once he saw her.

Nervously, he ran his hand across his jaw as he scanned her frame. “Hey!” he let out excitedly. She smiled as she took a deep breath.

“This place is nice,” she offered while meeting his eye. 

“Oh yeah, right?” he said while he pointed towards the elevator. She nodded while following after him. “How was work?” he asked softly while pushing the button several times. 

“My students were freaking out about this amazing goal this player had the other night,” she offered teasingly. His eyes widened as a soft smirk formed to his lips. The elevator doors swung open and he allowed her to step inside first. 

“What player?” he asked while pursing his lips forward. He side eyed her as he crossed his arms over his chest. She followed in pursuit as the doors shut and they began to climb to his floor.

“Oh this star rookie named Luke Hughes, have you ever heard of him?” she let out with a smirk. He dropped his head while laughing. 

“No I haven’t,” he mumbled as he tilted his head to the side to fully meet her gaze. “Star rookie, you say?” he offered. Y/N tossed her head back while laughing.

“That’s the word my students used,” she mumbled as the doors pulled up to the floor of his apartment.

“Right, right,” he teased while he began walking out of the elevator. Quickly, he spun around meeting her gaze with a smile on his lips. “C’mon,” he mumbled as he guided her towards his apartment which was several doors down. “Have you eaten?” he asked as he walked up towards the door and pushed it open. Luke leaned his body against the door allowing her to step inside.

Her eyes widened when she saw Jack sitting on the couch watching the TV screen. The small smile on her lips faltered slightly as she met Jack’s gaze.

“Oh my god, you were serious,” Jack let out while laughing. Y/N squinted her eyes slightly while meeting Luke’s gaze briefly. “You are so in trouble,” Jack muttered as he took a hold of the TV remote and shut it off. “Hi Y/N…Lazar,” he teased as he walked down towards his bedroom.

Y/N dropped her head while laughing. “Hey Jack,” she muttered.

“I’m sorry about him,” Luke said as he leaned against the countertop of the kitchen. She shook her head slightly, a teasing grin on her lips. “I can order food or I can make us some dinner,” he questioned as he met her gaze.

She took a cautious step towards him, “You can cook?” she asked suspiciously. He nodded while scanning her frame.

“I am a great cook,” he offered as he pulled open the fridge door and began searching for something to make for them.

She smirked as she shifted awkwardly as she watched him pull out a thawed out pair of steaks. She squinted her gaze. “Was this your plan all along?”

His eyes widened as he slowly placed the package onto the counter. He shook his head slowly as he walked up towards her; smirking. He carefully took a hold of the small bag she was carrying. Her eyes smirked as she watched him slowly walk towards the small bit of counter space next to the fridge.

“Maybe,” he let out teasingly before he returned to the fridge. He continued to rummage through it. “Sit down, gorgeous,” he said nonchalantly as he pointed towards the island with a handful of chairs.

“You can’t call me that,” she said while laughing. Slowly, she sat down in one of the barstool chairs. 

“Nope, you see I can actually,” he offered as he began to lay out everything he needed for his meal he was preparing. “Because I decided that I’m gonna stop pretending that we aren’t attracted to one another,” he offered, spinning away from her pulling out a comically large pan.

“You decided?” she said while crossing her arms over her chest. He hummed dramatically, “Oh so is this a date, then?” she offered.

He smirked as he leaned forward on the counter, he looked deeply into her eyes while he scanned her features. “Do you want it to be a date?” he asked as he tilted his head to the side. She shrugged as she fought off a grin. “What does that mean?” he asked as he took a handful steps around the countertop. He walked up towards her, maintaining eye contact. 

“Do you want this to be a date or not?” he asked again quietly, slowly. He rested his hand onto the counter, directly beside her. Tilting her head to the side, she met his gaze. Her lips curled upward as she fought off another grin. 

“Luke,” she mumbled. He hummed as he raised his eyebrows, his gaze lowering towards her lips. She shook her head slightly as she scanned his features. His cheeks were flushed red slightly as he continued to admire her lips. “Luke,” she muttered. He hummed again while leaning towards her. Her breathing caught in her throat as she tilted her head back. 

Her lips curled upward slightly as she lifted her gaze and met his eye. Delicately, he raised his hand up and brushed a few pieces of hair away from her face. Their eyes remained connected as breathing felt impossible. This was the first time they’ve been this close to one another. 

Her entire body erupted into tingles as she watched him pull back slightly. He pursed his lips forward while taking a deep breath. He began walking around the counter towards the food he had laid out on the counter. He began to take the steaks out of the packaging.

She took a shaky breath as her posture straightened. “You’re annoying, you know that?” she let out breathily. 

“How do you like your steak cooked?” he asked, meeting her eye. He had a wide teasing grin on his lips. 

“So you’re gonna pretend like you didn’t just–” she trailed off as his cheeks flushed red. He simply shrugged as he began to apply seasoning to the steaks. “Medium rare,” she muttered.

“Amazing,” he let out as he continued to season the steaks. “What made you want to become a teacher?”

For the next two hours, they would talk about anything and everything. The dinner that Luke made was exceptional. It was definitely surprising with how good everything tasted. He was proud of himself, especially since she thought it was amazing. Jack was jealous that Luke didn’t make enough for him and left the apartment to get his own meal.

“I’ve never had a guy cook for me before,” she let out as she stood up and took a hold of her plate. He smirked as he stood up with her, taking a hold of his own plate. He pointed towards the sink and she followed him towards that direction.

“And how was it?” he asked as he placed his plate into the sink, she followed in pursuit. He began to rinse the plates as he met her gaze. 

“Really good, I’m expecting it every time I come over now,” she teased as she rested her hand onto the counter as she looked over his side profile. A small smile formed to his lips as he turned the sink off as he shifted his gaze towards her.

“Oh, so you’ll be coming over more often?” he asked teasingly. 

“Only if you cook for me,” she shot back.

“Absolutely,” he mumbled as he scanned her features. He took a deep breath as he bit his bottom lip as he stepped back. “What time do you need to be home?” he asked softly. She shrugged.

“Whenever you get tired of me,” she offered. He rolled his eyes dramatically as he began walking backwards. He waved his hand for her to follow him. She chuckled softly as she allowed him to guide her towards his bedroom. Her entire body erupted into goosebumps as she took a deep breath.

“I could never get tired of you,” he muttered as he pushed the door open, pressing his back against it. She met his gaze as she slowly walked past him into his bedroom. He followed after her, shutting the door; twisting the lock in the process. “We could watch a movie or a show or not watch anything,” 

She stared towards him suspiciously. His mouth fell open as he barked out a laugh.

“I meant–I didn’t mean–um–” he stuttered as he crossed his arms over his chest. His cheeks were bright red as he fought off a grin. She took a small step towards him, tilting her head to the side.

“What are you thinking?” she asked softly as she continued to look into his eyes. He shyly dropped his gaze towards the floor for only a few seconds. He bit his bottom lip as he shrugged his shoulders. “Do you want to know what I’m thinking?” she asked softly, taking another step towards him. 

He nodded as he slowly let his arms hang at his side. His hands hovered around her frame for only a second before they hung beside him. “I’m thinking that you should kiss me,” she offered as she took another small step towards him. Their faces only a few inches apart.

“I should?” he asked softly. A wide smile formed to her lips as she stepped back away from him, towards his bed. Quickly, he followed after.

She chuckled as she rolled her eyes playfully. “Are you all talk, Lukey Boy?” she teased as the backs of her legs hit the mattress. He squinted his eyes as he took a hold of her waist. His hands slowly glided along her hips towards the small of her back. Her eyes widened while her hands rested on his chest as she glided her hands along his chest.

He scanned her features as his cold fingertips dipped beneath her shirt, feeling her skin. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes dipped towards his lips. “All talk, huh?” he shot back as he tightened his grip along the small of her back. She hummed as her hands ran up his chest onto his neck. 

“I think so,” she said as she fought off a smirk. He nodded slowly as he slipped his hands away from her frame as he stepped back. His heart was slamming against his chest. He looked her body up and down as he took a deep breath. 

“Lay down,” he said simply as he pointed towards his bed. Squinted her eyes harshly, her mouth fell open. 

“What?” she let out softly, her cheeks ran hot as she stayed still.

“Lay down,” he said again as he stepped towards her. She fought off a grin as she slowly sat down onto the bed. She looked up towards him, her heart was beating urgently. She swallowed harshly as she kept looking up towards him. 

He smirked as he watched her slowly slide back on the bed. He ran his hands through his hair as he slowly walked towards the bed. Y/N leaned back on her elbows as she waited for him. 

“You think I am all talk, huh?” he muttered as he slowly climbed on top of her, resting both of his hands on either side of her head. She nodded teasingly as she smirked. He nodded as he stared towards her lips. 

“You’ve been so afraid of Curtis finding out that we even speak to one another. Let alone like this. I’ve been waiting for you to let this happen. But I’m all talk, huh?” he let out teasingly as he leaned towards her.

A soft smile on her lips formed as he delicately leaned closer and closer to her. Her eyes fluttered shut as he brushed his lips against her ear. “Let me show you,” he whispered. 

Delicately, he pressed his lips against her jawline, her cheek, teasingly pressing wet kisses along her skin. Slowly and purposely avoiding her lips; watching her squirm beneath him. His nose bumped against hers as he hovered his lips over hers. 

“Are you going to show me or not?” she forced out as her breathing was starting to get uneven. He chuckled as he pulled back slightly. Her hands took a hold of his neck, practically begging for him to kiss her. 

“Not very patient are you?” he teased with a smirk. She rolled her eyes playfully as her hands glided through his hair. 

Leaning towards her, he smirked as his lips brushed against hers. Her lips twitched upward into a soft smile. He pulled back, a smirk toying to his lips. “What are you doing?” she asked softly. He shook his head slowly as he pursed his lips forward slightly. “Are you trying to make me kiss you?” she asked softly as her hands continued running through his hair. 

“Trying to see if you really want it,” he whispered, fighting a smirk. 

She chuckled softly as she pulled him towards her, kissing him urgently. He smiled into the kiss as he giggled against her lips. Her hands tugged at his curls as she parted her lips. He deepened the kiss as he took a hold of her cheek as he ran his thumb along her cheek. 

“Does that work?” she mumbled against his lips, he chuckled as he pulled back away from her lips. Her eyes slowly opened as she ran her thumbs along his jawline. He smirked as he scanned her features. He hummed as he pressed his lips together. 

Slowly, he leaned down pressing his lips against hers softly as he continued to take a hold of her cheek. She’s dreamed about what it would be like to kiss him but nothing matches the actual feeling and desperation of his lips against hers. 

After a few seconds, he pulled his lips away from hers as he leaned back to take a hold of his shirt. He tossed it to the floor as he met her gaze again. He smiled before he climbed back on top of her, kissing her desperately. Arching her back into him, he took a loose hold of her t-shirt hiking it up her body. His hand took a hold of her waist, pinning her against the bed. 

Her hands glided along his chest and across his shoulders. Slowly, he pulled his lips away from hers, he watched her eyes slowly flicker open. Her hand glanded along his neck and into her hair. 

“What?” she asked softly. He pursed his lips forward as he scanned her features.

“You’re just–” he trailed off before he leaned closer to her, delicately pressing his lips against hers. A hum fell from her lips as her hands ran through his hair, tugging the curls every few seconds. 

~two weeks later~

She sat in the living room, a book for her class in her hand. She was reading it and highlighting important things to talk about with the students. Reanne and Y/N were watching the game against the Canucks. 

All day Luke was talking about how nervous he was about playing against Quinn. It was halfway through the second period and the goals had slowed down. The Devils were up by two goals and all of the boys were flying on the ice.

Reanne has noticed a change with Y/N over the last few weeks. Y/N hasn’t given Reanne any details but everything about her has changed. Curtis was not as observant as Reanne and had no clue.

“Suprised you’re not going to Jacob’s tonight,” Reanne said as she watched Luke on the screen. The broadcast was talking about his impact on the game, despite not being on the scoresheet. Y/N lifted her head from the book, meeting Reanne’s gaze. Y/N mouth fell open as she took a deep breath.

“He’s got a date tonight,” she let out. It wasn’t a lie, Jacob was out on a date with a guy he met the other night. Her time over the last few weeks was split between Jacob and Luke. When she didn’t have to babysit for the games she would be out in a bar with Jacob. But if it was a regular night, she would be at Luke’s. 

“Right,” she mumbled as she turned her gaze towards the TV, watching the camera follow after the puck. “Or is it because Luke is in Vancouver tonight,” she offered teasingly. Y/N’s eyes widened as her mouth fell open. 

“I’m not lying, Jacob really does have a date,” Y/N let out as she closed the book and placed it beside her on the couch. “But–uh–yeah maybe,” she whispered. Reanne shot up from the couch and immediately took fast steps towards Y/N. She took a deep breath as she tilted her head back against the couch.

“Details, now,” Reanne begged.

Y/N let out a long dramatic sigh as she looked into Reanne’s eyes. “What kind of details?” she asked softly. Reanne excitedly tapped her hands against Y/N”s thigh. “Okay, okay, okay!” she expressed while laughing.

“I went over to his place a couple weeks back and he cooked me dinner and then we–”

“He cooked for you!?” she asked with a wide smile. 

“He’s done it every time I’ve been over there since,” she offered as she twisted the silver charm bracelet. 

“That’s so sweet, Curtis still doesn’t know how to cook,” Reanne said while laughing. 

“He’s so sweet,” Y/N expressed while meeting Reanne’s gaze. 

“Are you guys together?” Reanne asked hopefully. 

Y/N took a deep breath while shaking her head slightly, “We’re just enjoying each other’s company,” she explained as a smirk began to form to her lips. Reanne’s eyes widened as she scooted closer to her. 

“We haven’t yet–if that’s what you’re thinking,” she trailed off as her gaze looked back towards the screen to see one of the Canucks players heading to the box with less than a minute left in the second period. “We’ve just been–”

“If you say enjoying each other’s company one more time,” Reanne teased, “Details! What’s the story?”

Y/N kept her gaze on the screen to see Luke wrist the puck towards the net and score. Her hands shot up in the air as a giggle fell from her lips. “This game is so awesome,” she mumbled quietly. Y/N watched the screen, her eyes widened as a soft smile formed to her lips as the camera followed after him.

Reanne watched her youngest sister-in-law stare so fondly towards the screen. The grin was soft yet wide. Her posture straightened as she tilted her head to the side. Reanne has seen Y/N fall in love at a young age but never like this. Never so soft and simple. Y/N’s eyes looked bright and soft at the same time. Luke disappeared from the screen and Y/N shifted her gaze towards Reanne. 

“What?” Y/N asked softly.

Reanne shook her head as she took a deep breath. “Just put your nose back into that book,” Reanne teased as she shifted her gaze back towards the TV screen watching the game head into the second intermission. Y/N chuckled softly as she took a hold of the small book and dropped the yellow highlighter into her lap.

The game ended in a beautiful win for the Devils and it was well past midnight as she was waiting for his call. Luke promised that he would call after the game ended; kept saying that he needed to hear her voice. 

Reanne was sitting on the other couch on the phone with Curtis, he was on speaker as he was trying to talk to Y/N too. But her mind was busy as she was trying to figure out why Luke hadn't called yet. She had finished the book she was supposed to read ahead of time since tomorrow they were starting it in the class she was student teaching in. 

She was waiting to tell Curtis and Reanne that they offered a full time position after her student teaching was done. Her mentor teacher had requested a second teacher and they found that Y/N would be perfect for the part.

“Y/N?” she heard Curtis say through the phone.

“Yeah?” she shouted towards it. 

“You’re normally out when we have away games, what are you doing at home?” he asked with a soft chuckle leaving his lips. Reanne’s eyes widened as she glanced down towards the phone in her hand; almost as if sending Curtis a warning. 

“Jacob has a date,” she let out simply, again since it was not a lie. Almost on cue, Luke started calling her. A wide grin formed to her lips as she shot up from the couch and jogged towards the stairs. “Hey,” she let out into the phone.

“Who’s she talking to?” he asked Reanne. 

“Not sure,” Reanne mumbled. She hated lying to Curtis but it wasn’t lying if she was pretending she didn’t know either. It was definitely lying but if he ever found out, he’ll get over it eventually. 

“Did you see my goal?” he asked shyly. She chuckled as she continued up the steps, slightly out of breath.

“It was amazing,” she let out as she shut the door and twisted the lock. 

“Yeah?” he asked. His voice was slightly muffled, like Curtis’s. She assumed they were all out at dinner. 

“It just so happened to be the only goal I actually saw without needing a replay,” she offered while laughing.

“That’s right, you had that book to read. Was it good?” he asked, quickly mumbling a thank you towards the restaurant staff; she assumed. 

“It wasn’t bad, what are you all up to?”

“Currently at dinner, just got our food,” he explained. 

Her eyes widened, suddenly aware of the fact that Curtis was definitely also there. “Oh wow, enjoy your night. I’ll call you tomorrow?” she offered.

“Can I call you when I get back to the hotel?” he questioned, his heart slamming against his chest. She took a deep breath, it was already late but she agreed. “Okay, perfect,” he mumbled before he hung up the phone; his cheeks were bright red. 

“Who was that, Rusty?” John asked teasingly as he nudged Luke’s shoulder. Luke’s eyes landed on Curtis who was only a few seats away from him. Curtis was looking towards him expectantly.

“Just–uhm–this girl I’ve been seeing,” he expressed before he quickly shoved a bite of food into his mouth. 

“Rusty’s got a girlfriend!” Curtis teased, causing the table to cheer along. They wanted to watch Luke’s cheeks go red and grin like an idiot. Which he was for more reasons than one. 

“Not my girlfriend,” he mumbled before he shoved more food into his mouth as he avoided Curtis’s gaze. 

“She’s been over at our place every night we didn’t have a game,” Jack offered before he shoved a bite of food into his mouth. Luke shifted his gaze towards Jack, his eyes widening as if it was a warning. Jack simply smirked as he met Curtis’s gaze.

“What’s her name then, Rusty?” John teased as he teasingly punched Luke’s arm. Luke raised his hand up and pretended to zip his lips shut as he smirked towards John. “Oh come on,” he teased. 

“A man doesn’t kiss and tell,” he let out with a teasing grin on his lips. The few teammates that heard him tossed their heads back and laughed. 

“You can say her name at least,” Jack teasaed as he met Luke’s gaze. Luke shook his head slightly before he shoved another bite of food into his mouth. “Her name is–”

“Jack, I swear to god,” Luke let out, causing the guys that were listening to laugh. 

“What’s so secretive, Rusty?” Curtis offered before he took a deep breath. Luke pursed his lips forward as he shook his head slowly. “Then what’s the name of the girl that’s got you all giddy,” he questioned again. 

Luke took a deep breath as he pressed his lips together, he kept his gaze on his food as he contemplated on lying. The longer he avoided the answer, the longer his teammates would question him about it. 

“It’s–uhm–Y/N, are you guys happy? Can we drop it?” he let out as confidently and as nonchalant as he could. 

Curtis froze as he lifted his gaze and looked towards Luke. Luke took another bite of food as he glanced towards Curtis; practically trying to pretend it wasn’t his sister. Jack looked towards Curtis expectantly, trying to see if he caught on. Jack had promised Luke to keep his mouth shut, but he didn’t promise to not tease Luke about it.

“My baby sister’s name is Y/N,” Curtis let out as he brought his water towards his lips, baiting Luke slightly.

“Yeah?” he let out, pretending not to know.

“Bit of a coincidence, huh?” Curtis offered as he kept the glass near his mouth. 

“Yeah definitely,” Luke countered as John sparked up a different conversation.

For the rest of the dinner, Luke kept to himself. His mind was circling on the best way to explain to Y/N that he may have let it slip that they were together but not fully together. He had a feeling she would be upset or scared. 

Luke knew that Curtis was all talk about his restrictions on the whole teammate thing. Curtis wanted Y/N to be happy and if Luke made her happy; he would get over it. Eventually.

Luke laid down onto the hotel bed with his phone in his hand. He took a deep breath as he began to FaceTime her. It took several rings before she answered. It was practically pitch black when she answered the call. He smiled once her saw the screen. He stood up from the bed and dramatically leaned against the light switch and turned off the light.

“Do you realize what time it is on the east coast?” she muttered out, her voice rasped slightly. He chuckled as he climbed under the covers, keeping his gaze on his phone despite the fact that he couldn’t even see her.

“You still answered,” he mumbled teasingly as he rolled onto his side. For a few seconds she didn’t say anything, Luke could still hear her steady breathing on her end of the phone. Almost as if she was asleep. He didn’t mind if she was, at least he got to hear her voice before he went to sleep.

“I’ve missed you,” she mumbled, her voice rasping slightly. His lips curled upward slightly as his eyelids started to get heavy. 

“Really?” he asked softly. She hummed. “I’ve missed you too,” he let out as he took a deep breath. “Do you have a busy day tomorrow?” he asked while pulling the blanket up to his chin as he stared towards the still blackout screen. She hummed. “I’ll let you go to sleep, I’ll call you tomorrow?” he let out.

“No, tell me about the game,” She mumbled, “I wanna hear your voice. Don’t be mad if I fall asleep, I’m really tired,” she said with a soft chuckle.

“Are you sure?” he asked quietly, she hummed as a reply. “Okay, so I was super nervous–”

~February~

She graduated college in December and started a full-time job at her school as a co-teacher with her mentor teacher. Mrs. Hansen had requested that Y/N be her co-teacher until the year finished out. Since it was her last year before retirement, Y/N would be taking Mrs. Hansen’s job. 

Luke and Y/N never put a label onto what they were doing yet it was mutually agreed upon that they were together. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Only four people knew about it. Jack, Jacob, Mrs. Hansen, and Reanne. 

Although Luke had a feeling that Curtis knew. Ever since that dinner where he told his teammates the name of the girl he was seeing; Curtis had to have known. But there is nothing different between them. 

This weekend was the All-Star game which meant that Curtis, Reanne, and their sons were on vacation in Flordia. They offered for Y/N to come with them but she wanted to stay back. More specifically, she wanted to stay back and be with Luke. 

She stood in the kitchen as she was preparing food for Luke. She was blasting music all throughout the house as she was stirring the sauce. She hummed along to the song as she waited for Luke to show up. 

This was the first time he was spending the night at her house. Usually, she would go over to his place to avoid Curtis finding out. But since he was out of town, it was time to finally let Luke stay the night. There was a loud knock against the door. A grin formed to her lips as she placed the spatula beside the pan. 

She took fast steps out of the kitchen towards the living room and the front door. After a few seconds she reached towards the front door and pulled it open to see Luke standing at the door waiting for her. He grinned as he tilted his head to the side. He awkwardly kept a hold of his bag with his clothes. 

“Hey beautiful,” he expressed softly. Y/N chuckled as she practically leaped into his arms. He wrapped his free hand around her, lifting her up from the ground. Slowly, he guided her into the house, letting the door shut behind them.

“Hey pretty boy,” she whispered as she pressed her lips against his jawline. Delicately, he placed her back down onto the ground. She pulled back, meeting his gaze as he tossed his bag onto the bottom step.

He smirked as he scanned her features, “Are you cooking for me?” he asked teasingly. She nodded slowly as she slowly walked backwards. “You didn’t have to do that,” he mumbled as he followed after her. Spinning around, she walked quickly back towards the kitchen. Singing along to the country song playing in the background. 

A soft chuckle fell from his lips as he followed after her. She swayed back and forth to the beat of the song and continued to sing. Luke leaned against the countertop as he watched her with so much admiration. 

She was the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. It seemed like every moment, every passing second she was getting more and more beautiful. He never liked the idea of falling for someone, especially someone who was off limits. He never wanted to keep someone a secret. Luke was the type of guy that wanted to shout it from the rooftops that he was in love. Especially with a person who was as extraordinary as her.

“Dinner should be done in twenty minutes but–” she explained as she spun around to meet Luke’s gaze. Her eyes widened with the way his eyes were looking over her frame. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked teasingly as she stepped towards him. He shook his head slowly while he held his hands out towards her. 

Y/N stepped towards him, allowing him to loop his hands around her waist. She rested her hands onto his chest as he pulled her closer to him. “Jacob wants to know if you want to go on a double date with him and Ryan to this trivia night thing,”

He squinted his eyes slightly while fighting a laugh climbing in his throat. “Trivia night? Really?” he asked barely above a whisper. 

She chuckled as she wrapped her arms around the center of his back. Her head was pressed against his chest as he tightened his grip around her waist. “I know but Jacob wants to meet you and he wants me to meet Ryan–so Jacob’s wonderful idea was trivia night,” she explained as he glided his hand through her hair for a moment. Slowly, she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

He raised one of his hands up and took a hold of her cheek. He leaned towards her, kissing her delicately. She hummed against his lips as she glided her hands along his frame towards his neck. Her hands rested on the base of his neck as he continued to pull her towards him.

“I’m fantastic at trivia,” he mumbled against her lips. She pulled back, her eyes flickering open slightly. Her lips curled up into a smirk.

“Really?” she asked teasingly.

“Definitely,” he nodded encouragingly, “Are we teaming up with Jacob and Ryan or are we going to be on our own?”

She chuckled, “I don’t know,”

“Jacob and Ryan better hope we’re in one big group because we will destroy,” he quickly spun her around by her waist, forcing her to lean against the countertop. Her eyes widened as her body was pressed against the countertop. 

“I forgot how much of a nerd you are,” she teased. He rolled his eyes playfully as he leaned towards her, kissing her desperately. His hands glided down her frame, taking a hold of her thighs. She jumped slightly, allowing him to take a hold of her legs and delicately placed her down onto the countertop behind them. He pushed her legs apart as he stepped between her legs. 

“My dinner,” she mumbled against his lips. He smirked as he stepped back, walking directly towards the stove. Instantly, he turned it off.

“We’ll worry about that later, come here,” he mumbled as he walked directly towards her again, devouring her lips in the process. A soft giggle fell from her lips as she ran her fingers through his hair. 

His hands loosely wrapped around her waist as he tugged at the shirt covering her frame. Tilting her head back, slowly he began to trail his lips down her neck. He began to suck against the skin of her neck. “Luke,” she let out barely above a whisper. He hummed against her skin as he began to ride the shirt up her frame.

She wrapped her legs around his frame as he took a hold of her thighs. He lifted her up from the counter and began carrying her towards the living room as their lips connected again. He carried her towards the living room. Delicately, he placed her down onto the couch. 

He glanced toward the window to see headlights driving up the driveway. “Is that Curtis?” he asked as he rested his hands onto his hips. She shot up, twisting her body slightly to see the car driving up the driveway. Her eyes widened as her heart began to slam hard against her chest.

“No, no, no, no, you have to go!” she let out as she stood up from the couch, pushing him delicately. “Not like this, no! He cannot find out like this,” she mumbled as she panickedly ran her fingers through her hair. “He wasn’t supposed to be home until Saturday, oh my god! You need to sneak out the back–”

“Y/N,” Luke took a hold of her waist, spinning her around to face him. 

“He cannot find out like this!” she mumbled. 

“I’m pretty sure he already knows,” he spoke softly as he rested his hands onto her hips.

“Curtis–”

“He knows what my car looks like, Y/N, he knows,” he explained while looking deeply into her eyes, trying to make her understand. Her eyes widened as she took a shaky breath.

“He’s gonna kill me,” she mumbled.

“He’ll kill me, not you,” he mumbled before he stepped back, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pocket.

It seemed like almost instantaneously the door was pushed open and Curtis stormed inside. Y/N spun around to see Curtis walking towards them. Luke pressed his lips together as he took a deep breath. 

“You have got to be kidding me!” Curtis shouted as he stormed towards the pair. Y/N stood in between them.

“Curtis, wait!” Y/N mumbled as she held her hand out towards him.

“No! No! I told you–both of you–my baby sister, Luke seriously?!” Curtis shouted again as he looked between them. 

“I–I know,” Luke muttered out as he looked between Y/N and Curtis. 

“You know?! You know?! Seriously?! So you still decided to fuck my sister behind my back!” he shouted as he waved his hands dramatically.

“Curtis! Stop!” she let out as she pushed him back slightly. “It’s not like that–”

“What so that’s not what’s happening here?” he shouted while crossing his arms over his chest. “You have a hickey on your neck, for fuck sake!” he pointed towards the mark forming on the side of her neck. “Oh my god, my baby sister has a hickey on her neck–oh my god!” He walked around and began to pace.

“Curtis, will you shut up and listen!” Y/N shouted towards him.

“No, no because I told you that this is off limits! How long have you been fucking my sister?” He pointed his question directly towards Luke. Luke’s mouth fell open as he took a deep breath. He glanced towards Y/N for assistance. “How long have you been fucking my sister!”

“It’s not just sex, Curtis!” she let out while crossing her arms over her chest. She glanced behind Curtis to see Reanne walking inside with their youngest son in her arms. Their older son was climbing up the stairs towards his bedroom. 

“Then what is it?” Curtis asked, throwing his arms to the side.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Luke let out cautiously. Y/N whipped her head around, meeting Luke’s gaze. A soft smile on her lips for only a brief moment.

“Oh please,” Curtis let out dramatically as he tossed his head back.

“I’m falling in love with her, okay? I have been since the first time I saw her coming down those stairs! We didn’t tell you because you told her that I was not good for her because I am a Hughes or whatever! But I am good for her and I am falling in love with your sister so please be happy!” Luke expressed while taking a deep shaky breath.

Curtis shifted his gaze between Y/N and Luke for several seconds. Leaving Luke’s words up in the air. Luke looked towards Y/N and saw the smile on her lips.

“How long has this been going on?” Curtis asked as he pointed a finger between Luke and Y/N. Luke and Y/N awkwardly shifted closer to one another. They didn’t say anything at first while trying to decide the timeline.

“Since October!” Reanne shouted as she climbed down the steps, her youngest son still in her arms. Curtis spun around, looking towards his wife.

“You knew? You knew and didn’t tell me?” Curtis let out dramatically. 

“If you didn’t know you chose not to see this happening,” Reanne teased as she walked up towards Curtis. “I mean how often did he disappear when he was over for team bonding? How often did Luke drive Jack to our house and then suddenly needed a ride home? You chose not to see it,” She explained while handing her son towards Curtis. 

“I mean I practically told you but you didn’t listen,” Luke offered as he took a deep breath while he took a loose hold of her waist. Y/N grinned as she leaned her back against Luke’s chest. Reanne grinned as she rested her hands onto her hips. 

Curtis bounced his son on his side as he looked towards Luke holding his sister close to his body. “When?” Curtis questioned while letting out a long sigh.

“When Johnny teased me about talking to her on the phone in Vancouver,” he began. Curtis’s mouth fell open while his cheeks pinked up. “I literally told you,” Luke teased as he dramatically pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“Yeah, I guess you did,” Curtis mumbled as he looked towards Y/N. She was running her hand across the top of Luke’s hand that was looped around her waist. “Does this mean you’ll be here all the time?” Curtis asked, scrunching his features up in disgust.

“Probably,” Luke let out with a wide grin. 

“Wonderful,” Curtis let out teasingly.

“I’m going to go finish making what you were making,” Reanne offered as she began walking towards the kitchen. 

Curtis looked towards his sister while taking a deep breath, “Can you at least not leave those in my line of sight,” he muttered as he pointed towards the hickey on her neck. Y/N tilted her head back as she let out a chuckle.

“No promises,” Luke teased as he pressed his lips against Y/N’s cheek.

[jasontoddsotherhalf]

Hey guys, I gave it a try lol let me know what yall think!

Jason Todd isn't a cruel guy.

Not on purpose, anyways. He saw some shit as a kid, as any kid did growing up in Crime Alley. His parents were murdered when he was still very young and he'd been taken in by THE Batman. Regardless of what anyone says, beating criminals up every night of your tween years does affect one's physce. Getting beat with a crowbar and killed by Joker does worse.

But now Jason is back, and he's stronger, and he's smarter. Sure he's scarred up and violent, but he's finally his own soilder, his own dog. And Jason really does love helping people. Which is why along side running the biggest crime ring Gotham had seen in years, he also works for a Mental Health Helpline.

He didn't get many calls directed to him, but he did get one tonight as he sat in his shitty apartment in Gotham, tending to a wound on his leg a few days old. He answered the phone, putting it on speaker and laying it on the coffee table.

"Hello, Gotham Mental Health Hotline. How may I help you tonight?"

A deep voice comes from the other side of the phone, a voice that Jason had heard in his dreams for years, praising him, scolding him, reading him stories to help him get to bed, waking up from resting to go fight crime.

"I'm not at risk. I don't need help." Bruce Wayne says slowly.

Jason clears his throat, his eyes narrowing. Would Bruce know it was him. Would Bruce ever be able to recognize him at all?

"I understand." Jason answered. "Is there any way I can help?"

Bruce took a shakey breath. "I don't need...help. I just...I have some heavy regrets waying on me. Mistakes that I've carried with me, guilt that acts like a noose, tighter recently than it has been in years. My son...I messed up so badly with my son. I want to fulfill my promise to him. I want to make it all okay again for my boy."

Jason shivered. He's not talking about you, idiot. He tells himself. He doesn't care that you're dead. He never cared. He's talking about perfect Dick or clever Tim. Not better-off-dead Jason Fucking Todd.

Jason slowly went back to tending to the open wound, which had started bleeding from how hard he was unintentionally prodding at it. "Have you tried talking to him? I'm sure he'd understand." Jason said through gritted teeth. It wasn't him. Batman didn't need Jason, so Bruce certainly didn't either.

"I would tell him. If he ever showed up. God, I'd tell him anything and everything." Something screeched in the background on Bruce's end and Bruce swore softly. Jason pictured him suddenly speeding through Gotham streets, the Batmobile swerving dangerously, recklessly.

Jason didn't say anything, just waited for his father- for Bruce Wayne- to keep speaking. He continued, after a moment. "I only see him sometimes, when I dream. And he's in my arms again, young and bright and so full of life and potential." So he was talking about Dick. The first Robin who had grown up, fought with Batman, and left, never to return, not as he had been. Dick was Nightwing now, and led his own team, though he was still close with Bruce. Jason relaxed. This call was not about him. He could continue with his plans of vengeance without feeling guilty. I'm sure I'll laugh about this later.

"I'm sorry sir..." Jason trailed off awkwardly. Bruce spoke before Jason could say anything else.

"He's...he's dead." Jason froze. Everything went still. It seemed as though the cars outside all went skidding to a halt, the blood in Jason's veins went cold. The only sound was the old light above him flickering. Jason stuttered slightly as he quickly searched up both Nightwing and Robin on line, a dark part of him hoping one of them had died. But no, there were only two articles published within the last few hours and it was about a case Robin, Nightwing, and Batman had dismantled the previous night.

Jason swallowed. "I'm...so sorry, sir. Do you want to talk about him?" Jason wanted him to say no, needed Bruce to say no. For once he wanted Bruce to close off everything and everyone and retreat back to the dark corner of his mind where he told no one anything.

And there was a long silence between them, Jason was sure Bruce would hang up.

Batman would have. But Bruce didn't. "His name was Jason. And he was the most golden and beautiful boy on this planet. You would have never thought so from judt glancing at him once. His hair was flat and dark, And he was short and skinny and always had dirt on him somewhere. But it was in his eyes, and in his laugh. That's where his love was held. He cared so much. About everyone. He always wanted to help. He would always rush forward, even if it put him at risk. He didn't care about himself. He cared more about the wellbeing of others. He was so sweet and..." Bruce's voice cracked. "I just want my son back. My sweet boy." Jason didn't say anything. He felt his throat burn and his eyes blur. "I-i'm sorry sir. He sounds...amazing. I'm sure whatever it is you feel guilty over..." Jason took a deep breath. "I'm sure he forgives you." He lied. Partially lied. Jason didn't know anymore. One conversation where one participant didn't even know who the other was did not count as closure, and nothing was different. But it wasn't the same either. Bruce cared. All this time Jason had been looking for Batman to show the effect Jason's death had on him, when really it was Bruce he should have been looking at.

Bruce was quiet for a long long time. "I wish that was true, son. But I don't think so. Still, thank you for saying so. And thank you for listening. You're a good kid." Bruce didn't say anything else before hanging up. Jason sat in silence for a moment, frozen in time, feeling dizzy. Then he sprung up, his injured leg aching and dripping blood onto the floor, and he ran to the bathroom, falling in front of the toilet and throwing up anything he had eaten in the past 24 hours.

AU, where Jason returns to Gotham, but in between of his evil mastermind plans and managing the criminal empire, he starts working in this anonymous psychological hotline services.

And gets a call from Bruce-fucking-Wayne.

Well. It is not like Bruce announces that he is Bruce Wayne — it is anonymous, after all — but Jason knows his father's voice, alright?

'I don't need a physiological help,' his father tells him the minute he picks up the phone.

Jason... Snorts.

'Of course,' he nods, making his voice nicer. 'How can I help you?'

Bruce pauses, his breath hitching for a second; almost as if he recognized Jason's voice.

'My... my son thinks I need it, but I am fine,' Bruce insists. 'Still... I want to, well, fulfil a promise I gave... for once.'

Jason rolls his eyes, a familiar irritation flaring up in green flames before his eyes. He wonders who is this lucky son that gets to have such a diligent, responsible father - Dickhead? Tim? Damian?

'I see,' he breathes out, trying to follow a protocol of the calls. 'I am sure he will appreciate your loyalty. Will you tell him about it?'

'If he appears,' something screeches in the background, and if Jason closes his eyes, he can easily imagine Bruce leaning back on the armchair, in the Batcave. 'I... He only ever appears in my dreams, my boy.'

Jason freezes.

'Excuse me?'

'I... He is dead, my son.'

Had someone else died? Jason frowns, reaching for his phone, typing anxiously Nightwing and Robin in the search bar, trying to see if there is something serious happened; because he can't be talking about the second Robin, can he-

'I am sorry,' he blurts out, eyes drifting back to notes on the table, with some common phrases that can be used in this situation. 'I... Do you want to talk about, sir?'

Bruce is silent for a while. Jason thinks he is about to drop the call, but then, he sighs heavily on the line:

'His name was Jason. And he was the brightest boy.'

Jason mutes the microphone. He thinks he is going to vomit.

[nerdycheol]

Hint. Hint. HINT!!!

Pairing: Lee Seokmin (DK) x Reader

Genre: College AU, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Crush

WC: ~2.5k

Lee Seokmin was either the dumbest person you had ever met or just truly, utterly clueless.

For months now, you had been dropping hints—glaring, neon-sign-worthy hints—but he still hadn’t caught on. It was ridiculous. Actually, no—it was painful.

How else were you supposed to let him know you liked him? Spell it out in the sky? Get a marching band to parade through campus?

Today, you were determined to make it even more obvious.

Hint #143: Movie Night

“You know,” you started, casually scrolling through Netflix as Seokmin sprawled out on your dorm bed beside you, “watching a movie together like this is basically a date.”

He snorted, grabbing a handful of popcorn. “Pfft, nah. Friends do this all the time.”

You shot him a look. “Yeah, but do friends do this?” You shifted closer, resting your head against his shoulder.

Your heart thumped. Any second now, he’d get it—he had to.

Seokmin, the human golden retriever that he was, just hummed happily. “You’re so comfy, Y/N.”

You closed your eyes. “Seokmin. Be honest. Are you acting dumb or are actually dumb?”

He blinked. “What?”

You sat up, exasperated. “I’ve been dropping hints left and right, and you—” You pointed at his forehead. “Are. Not. Getting. It.”

He looked genuinely confused. “Hints? What hints?”

You gaped at him. “Oh my god.”

---

Hint #157: Borrow My Hoodie

One of the surefire ways to get a guy’s attention was the classic borrow his hoodie move. So when you saw Seokmin in his oversized, soft-as-a-cloud hoodie one morning, you knew what had to be done.

You tugged at his sleeve as he sat across from you in the campus café. “Hey, can I borrow your hoodie?”

He didn’t even hesitate. “Of course! Are you cold?”

Success.

You pulled it over your head, inhaling the faint scent of his detergent and something undeniably him. “Wow, this is so comfy. I might just keep it forever.”

Seokmin grinned. “That’s fine, I have others!”

You sighed. “No, Seokmin. This is where you’re supposed to say, ‘If you keep my hoodie, you have to give me something in return.’”

His brows furrowed. “Like what?”

“Like…” You leaned forward, staring into his very soul. “A kiss, maybe?”

For a moment, just a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes. Then he laughed. “Ohhh, that’s funny! You almost got me there!”

You groaned, flopping onto the table. Why is he like this?

---

Hint #200: The Almost Confession

Enough was enough. If he couldn’t figure it out on his own, you were just going to have to spell it out for him.

The two of you were sitting on the campus lawn after class, enjoying the golden sunset. Seokmin stretched, his shirt riding up slightly, and you nearly forgot your entire train of thought.

No. Focus.

You took a deep breath. “Seokmin.”

“Hm?” He turned to you, all bright eyes and sunshine.

“I like—”

RIIING.

His phone buzzed loudly, and he scrambled to answer it. “Oh! Sorry, give me a sec—hello?”

You closed your eyes, mentally counting to ten. Of course.

When he finally ended the call, he turned back with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

You exhaled. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

---

Hint #250: The Breaking Point

It was getting ridiculous. Everyone in your friend group knew you liked him. Even strangers could probably tell. Everyone except Lee Seokmin himself.

You decided to try one last time.

“Seokmin.” You stopped in the middle of the campus quad, grabbing his hand.

He blinked. “Yeah?”

“Do you think I’d make a good girlfriend?”

He tilted his head. “Of course! You’d be amazing. Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

You squeezed his hand tighter. “What if I wanted to be your girlfriend?”

Silence.

A beat passed. Then another. You watched as his brain visibly tried to process the words.

“…Wait. What?”

You groaned, pulling your hand away. “Seokmin. Oh my god.”

And then—finally—it clicked. His eyes widened, his mouth parting slightly in realization.

“Wait. Wait. Are you saying—”

“Yes!” you practically shouted. “I’ve been saying it for months!”

His face turned red. “You like me?!”

You threw your hands up. “YES, GENIUS.”

For a second, he just stared at you, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Then, all at once, his face broke into the brightest, happiest smile you had ever seen.

“You like me?” he repeated, this time with so much joy that your frustration melted away.

You rolled your eyes but smiled back. “Yes, Seokmin. I like you. And I’ve been trying to tell you this entire time.”

He laughed—loud, full, and infectious—before suddenly wrapping you in a tight hug. “I like you too! I just… I didn’t know if you liked me back.”

“You—” You groaned, resting your forehead against his chest. “Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.”

Seokmin grinned, holding you tighter. “So… does this mean I get to call you my girlfriend now?”

You pulled back just enough to look at him. “You better.”

And finally, finally, Lee Seokmin got the hint.

Bonus:

Jeonghan sighed, watching from a distance. “Took them long enough.”

Joshua nodded. “I was starting to think we’d have to force them into a closet or something.”

Seungkwan shook his head. “Nah, even then, Seokmin would probably think it was just ‘friend bonding.’”

And honestly? They weren’t wrong.

[mssorceressupreme]

Truth or Dare | F.W

———

Pairing: Fred Weasley x reader

Summary: Fred realises his true feelings for you once you are dared to french kiss George during a round of truth or dare. Draco then forces you to kiss him instead, which only results in a brawl. You then take Fred back to the common room and help clean his wounds.

Warnings/tags: violence/fighting, jealous!fred, kissing, non-con touch, Draco being a git (sorry malfoy lovers 😭), cleaning wounds after a fight trope, reader isn't in a specified house here, spicy ending (if u squint)

———

The Ravenclaw common room had never seen a gathering quite like this. The enchanted blue flames flickered in the fireplace, casting a radiant glow over the room, which today, was packed with students from all four houses.

Luna had invited everyone over, claiming that a “spontaneous social gathering” would be a great way to pass the time and forget about your studies for a while.

The usual gryffindor group, Cedric and some hufflepuffs, the slytherin trio and Cho, all decided to partake in this gathering.

And so, there you all were, sitting in a large, chaotic circle on the floor, playing a game of truth or dare that had long spiralled out of control.

The rules were simple: if you refused a dare or a truth, you had to take Veritaserum and spill your deepest, darkest secret in front of everyone. No one wanted to risk that.

So far, Harry had been dared to kiss the prettiest girl in the room, which led to him—rather sheepishly—kissing Ginny, earning a gag from Ron. But moments later, Ron found himself a stuttering mess when Hermione had been dared to sit on his lap for two rounds, her face burning red while he struggled to keep his cool.

Neville, poor thing, had been forced to recount an embarrassing moment where he tripped down an entire staircase in front of his crush, which turned out alright anyway because they went to Madam Pomfrey together and spent the whole day chatting.

And now, it was your turn.

Draco, who sat beside you, leaned in with a smug grin. “Alright Y/N, let’s make this interesting,” he drawled. “I dare you to French kiss the person sitting across from you.”

You turned your head, your stomach flipping.

And there sat George Weasley, grinning at you like he had already won.

The room erupted into cheers, and George wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “Well, Y/N, I won’t say no,” he teased, leaning back on his hands.

Your heart sank a little—not because George was a bad choice, but because you wished it was his twin instead.

Still, rules were rules.

Taking a deep breath, you stood up and took slow tentative steps across the large circle, kneeling in front of George. “Alright Georgie, just get it over with,” you muttered, cheeks burning.

George chuckled. “Hey! At least pretend to be excited.”

You rolled your eyes, chuckling lightly, before leaning in, pressing your lips to his. He kissed you back easily, bringing a hand to your neck, letting it linger a moment longer than necessary before you pulled away, flustered.

George gave you a grin then winked, and you smiled back. He was one of your closest friends, after all; teasing you came naturally to him.

"Okay that's done!" Flustered, you rose up and hurried back to your spot next to Draco.

"You guys are adorable." Cho, who was sitting on the other side of you, nudged you gently, and you laughed nervously.

Sure, George was handsome, humorous, and kind, but he wasn't Fred. To most people, they were pretty much the same person, two halves of a whole, but to you, it was different. There was something about Fred that you saw differently.

Speaking of Fred, you shot a quick glance in his direction, curious as to his whole reaction regarding the scene that just unfolded.

Fred hadn’t said a word.

He sat stiffly, arms crossed, his jaw tight as he glared at his twin. Something in his chest twisted when he saw George’s smug grin.

But it wasn't entirely George's fault. You see, no one knew of Fred's secret crush on you. Would you call it a crush? Man, feelings were a complicated mystery to Fred, he never bothered going down that lane, it was foreign to him. Best avoid all that sappy stuff, y'know.

Draco, however, was unimpressed. “That was pathetic,” he scoffed, leaning closer to you. “You call that a French kiss? It had to be longer.”

You folded your arms, tilting your head to the side. “You didn’t even say how long.”

Draco smirked. “Fine, then, two minutes. You can do it on me instead. Save you the hassle of walking over there again."

The room let out a collective “ooooh,” and your stomach churned.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Crabbe, Goyle and Dean chanted.

"Wha—I already did the dare!" You countered, raising your hands in defence.

"Hmm now that Draco mentioned it, it was a bit of a short kiss, barely a French kiss, more like a Portuguese kiss." Lee agreed, resting his hand on his chin.

"Portuguese kiss? That's not even a thing you git." Angelina chortled, throwing her head back.

Before you could react, Draco leaned in slightly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair from your face. His fingers barely grazed your cheek, but it was enough to make you shift uncomfortably. He patted your head, smiling like he was doing you some kind of favour.

You didn’t like it.

But Draco was your friend, and this was supposed to be fun, so you ignored it. You didn't want to ruin the mood for everyone so you forced yourself to tolerate it.

Fred, however, wasn’t ignoring it.

His hand was clenched into a tight fist in his lap, and his usually mischievous eyes were laced with something entirely different.

Draco leaned in again, wrapping one arm around you. “Come on, then,” he murmured, his smirk widening. “Or do you want the Veritaserum?”

Your stomach twisted uncomfortably. You didn’t want to kiss him. But you definitely didn’t want to take the serum, either.

Draco took your hesitation as an invitation. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’re scared.”

The crowd cheered again, urging you on.

Draco removed his arm then ruffled your hair slightly, "Don't be a wuss, I'll make it enjoyable for ya."

"Don't be scared Y/N, it's only a kiss!" Seamus encouraged, hoping to make you feel better, but it only made you feel worse.

Only a kiss? You wanted to save french kissing for someone special, not some ridiculous dare.

Draco leaned closer, nuzzling his nose into your neck. His hand brushed against your arm, he was so close that you could now smell his fresh scent. You leaned back instinctively, smiling awkwardly while brushing your arm.

Everyone was so caught up encouraging the two of you to kiss that no one paid attention to the speed at which Fred stood up from the floor and bolted to Draco, tackling him harshly.

A collective gasp echoed through the room as the two of them crashed onto the floor. Draco barely had time to react before Fred punched him, his face twisted in pure rage. The two of them were now in a brawl, wrestling each other on the ground. It was clear that no one was going easy on each other.

“Keep your hands off her,” Fred snapped, his voice low and furious.

Draco, stunned for only a second, sneered up at him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

"Fred! Oi! Stop, it's just a game!" Lee's attempt at stopping Fred with his words was useless.

Fred wasn’t listening. His fists clenched, his breathing heavy as he pinned Draco down, gripping his shirt harshly.

Draco’s smirk returned. “Merlin, are you jealous Weasley?”

Fred loosened his grip, blinking slowly, "I..."

"Called it. Bet you wished it was you getting to french kiss Y/N then. Why don't you let me finish my dare with her so I can show you how it's done eh?" Draco remarked, all too obnoxiously for Fred's liking.

Fred's eyes grew darker, laced with furiousness.

He lunged again, and in a matter of seconds, they were full-on fighting.

Gasps and shouts filled the room as they tumbled, fists flying, knocking over a pile of books and scattering cards from an abandoned wizarding chess game. The flood thudded heavily, as they continued their wrestling.

“Fred! Draco! Stop!” Voices pleaded, but they were drowned out as Fred was blinded by rage. How dare Draco force himself onto you like that?!

No one listened.

You watched them in pure horror as they fought; you joined the others in yelling at them to stop, but none of them listened.

Hermione immediately went to comfort you, placing a comforting hand on your arm and sending you an apologetic look. Was this all because of you? You felt like shit for causing this, bloody hell, you should've just french kissed Draco.

“Merlin’s beard, Fred, stop!” George tried pulling his twin back, but Fred shook him off, shoving him away.

Cedric attempted to pull Draco off Fred, but Draco pushed him aside, scoffing, "Not now Diggory!"

Draco, despite being an arrogant prat, was also a decent fighter, and he managed to shove Fred back, wiping a bit of blood from his lip.

“What the hell?!” you finally yelled, eyes darting from Fred to Draco.

Fred froze.

His furious gaze met yours, his chest rising and falling heavily, as he wiped some blood off his lips.

He swallowed hard. Then, without a word, he turned and stormed out of the common room.

You hesitated only a second before running after him.

—

You found him on the astronomy tower balcony, leaning against the railing, gripping it so tightly his knuckles were white.

The night air was cold, but Fred’s skin was burning.

You took a deep breath. “Fred—”

“Why don’t you go check on Draco?” he cut in sharply. “Or George. Your boyfriends.”

Your brows furrowed. “They’re not my boyfriends. You're being ridiculous now.”

Fred let out a short, humourless laugh. “Really? You were getting pretty cozy with George back there.”

You sighed. “It was a dare, Fred.”

“Oh, and Draco just happened to be all over you?” He turned to face you, and that’s when you saw it—his bruised lip, the cut on his cheekbone, the faint traces of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Come on, I know we're friends but I can handle myself." You assumed he was being protective as a friend, so you attempted comforting him, but failed miserably at doing so.

"Yeah, friends." He pressed his lips together.

You took a step closer wanting to reach up, but Fred’s eyes flickered elsewhere. “Don’t.”

You froze.

“I don’t need you feeling bad for me,” he muttered, turning back to the railing. His grip tightened. “I don’t need your pity.”

“It’s not pity, Fred,” you said softly.

Silence stretched between you. The wind howled through the tower, whipping his hair slightly, but Fred didn’t move.

Your gaze drifted to his hands. His knuckles were raw, bruised from the fight.

Without thinking, you reached out, gently prying one of his fists open. He held his breath, glancing down at you.

Your fingers traced the swelling on his knuckles, your touch featherlight. “We need to clean this up.”

Fred didn’t protest. He just stood there, his jaw clenched, watching you. He released his breath, silently agreeing.

Wordlessly, you pulled his hand in yours, leading him down the spiral staircase, away from the cold, away from the fight, away from everyone else.

—

The fire crackled softly in the Gryffindor common room, casting flickering shadows on the walls. The common room was empty—everyone was either asleep or still in the Ravenclaw tower, talking about what had happened.

Fred sat on the couch, his arms resting on his knees, his head tilted slightly downward. He hadn’t said much since you dragged him back.

You returned from the bathroom with a damp cloth and knelt in front of him.

“Hold still,” you murmured, gently dabbing at the dried blood on his lip.

Fred flinched at the contact but didn’t pull away. He just watched you, his hazel eyes unreadable, though there was a glimmer of something, awe, perhaps. His eyes studied yours, the way your eyebrows furrowed as you focused on cleaning his wounds. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, you were the epitome of beauty in his eyes, a darling angel.

You focused on cleaning him up, biting your lip. The silence between you was begging to be broken, heavy with something left unsaid. But you chose to ignore it, shifting your focus to getting Fred cleaned up. You see, it was the way you were always so caring towards everyone, so kind, always selflessly giving your time away to help those who needed it. That was part of the reason Fred had fallen for you in the first place, your kindness.

Fred exhaled sharply as you pressed on his wound.

"Sorry..." you mutter, but he gently removed your arm, and rested it on his knee.

“I don’t know how to stop this,” he said suddenly.

You paused, looking up at him. “Stop what?”

He let out a cheerless laugh. “This. You. Making me feel like a complete idiot.”

Your heart pace increased. “I—”

“Do you know what it’s like?” His voice was raw, unfiltered, a slight rasp as he spoke softly. “Watching you? Seeing every guy in that room touch you? Kiss you?” He shook his head. “I nearly lost my mind.”

You swallowed hard, unable to tear your gaze away.

“Never thought I'd admit it, but I’ve wanted you,” his voice low, almost trembling. “For so long, and I—” He broke off, exhaling harshly. “And then tonight, I had to sit there and watch it. Merlin, it drove me so bloody mad.”

Your hands were shaking. Was this it? The Fred you never thought would ever return your feelings, about to spew the words right out?

Fred’s eyes locked onto yours, something desperate behind this gaze.

“I hate that you don’t see it,” he muttered.

“See what?” you breathed.

His lips parted, and for a second, he hesitated.

“That I love you.”

Your breath caught, inhaling as you paused.

Fred let out a rough laugh, running a hand through his hair. “Godric, I love you. I don’t just like you, I love you. And it kills me because I know you don’t feel the same way so I just thought I'd keep it to myself but here we are."

Your heartbeat felt as though it was pounding loud enough to wake up the whole dorm.

“You idiot,” you whispered.

Fred blinked. “What?”

“You idiot,” you repeated, your voice shaking. Then, before he could react, you leaned forward and pressed your lips against his with all the emotion you've held back, the words you've been dying to say to him.

It was nothing like the kiss with George.

This was everything.

Fred let out a soft, startled sound before his hands found your waist, pulling you closer, as if he had been waiting for this moment forever. His lips moved against yours, desperate, breathless. He kissed you like he had something to prove, like he needed you to know how much he meant it.

And you did.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, getting up from kneeling and he pulled you onto his lap, now straddling him in the common room, to which you were thankful that no one was around.

A soft moan escaped you, as he sucked on your lower lip, your hands tangled themselves in his fluffy hair, tugging lightly.

When you finally pulled back, both of you breathless, you whispered, “I love you too.”

Fred let out a quiet, shaky laugh, resting his forehead against yours. “You better.” He teased.

You rolled your eyes, and he grinned.

“Oh, shut up,” you muttered, kissing him again as if there was no tomorrow. He smiled into the kiss, desperately needing a round two with you, his Y/N.

[xxsteveharringtonxx]

A Little Time

(Steve Harrington x Reader)

Steve was always soft.

He was soft and gentle and kind.

Well, he was with you anyway.

It had always been that way since Middle School. When he first saw you again after summer break and you smiled at him with a quick wave across the park lot, Steve just knew you were good.

Too good.

He wasn’t as gracious in High School, he got popular and a little mean but you kept your distance, ran in different crowds. It was just how things were. But when he was paired with you in Bio or when he borrowed your notes there was a calmness that took over him.

A peacefulness he doesn’t experience often.

But now, after the hell you were all thrusted into at Star Court and everything that had happened since then Steve had hardened.

Exteriorly he had anyway.

The soft spot he’s had for you since Middle School was now goo, he was protective and worried and no matter how many times you reached out and touched his arm, gently telling him ‘it’s okay Steve, I’m tougher than I look’ it didn’t matter.

All that mattered to him was that you were safe and always within reaching distance.

And it’s not even that he didn’t know that, of course he knew how strong you were. He had witnessed it on more than one occasion. It was more like he knew that if he ever let anything happen to you he would lose his mind.

It would break him.

He almost felt as though he’d been looking after you since Middle School, making sure Tommy and his goon squad didn’t bother you, checking in during mid terms and finals, and even down to walking you to your car after shifts at Star Court.

And then more recently, dragging you out of the Upside Down and patching up whatever scratches or cuts you’d managed to get down there.

His touch always soft, always leaving you wanting and needing more. Despite his frantic and panicked over reacting, both of you always made it out alive.

Together.

And that was enough for now as you tried to adjust back into reality, real life taking over quickly and your early twenties flying by even quicker.

“Hey, you’re spacing out.” Robin snapped clicking her fingers in front of your face.

“Sorry.” You told her with a soft laugh, your attention spanning back to her.

“So are you coming?” She asked impatiently and making you nod not really knowing what she was referring to.

“Of course.” You replied to her just as Steve and Eddie rejoined you, a tray of fries and milkshakes placed on the table in front of you.

Steve sliding in easily beside you in the booth, his arm behind your shoulders resting on the seat, his back to the aisle so you were safely blocked between the window and anyone even passing through the diner.

His movements were casual but calculated.

He was comfortable when you were safe, and felt safe.

That’s all that ever matters to him.

“What are you gossiping about?” Eddie asked throwing a handful of fries into his mouth and chewing obnoxiously, your nose scrunching in disgust.

“Gross Eddie!” You scolded moving closer into Steve without even realising. His heart elating with joy as you did, his warmth showering you.

Robin watched with a small knowing smile as Steve passed you your milkshake, not even caring about his own until you were set.

“We were talking about your show later. When does it start?” She asked him also shoving fries in her mouth.

And you were listening to Eddie, you really were but Steve’s fingers brushed the side of your neck as you reached forward for some fries. And the electricity the small touch sent down your spine was deafening.

Literally.

You couldn’t hear Eddie talking about the itinerary. Just his mouth movement and animated hands as he spoke.

You couldn’t even hear Steve no doubt joking about bringing ear plugs.

It frightened you sometimes how he made you feel.

Because he was just Steve, your Steve. But just Steve nonetheless.

Gulping you blinked back into the room, a deep breath and focusing back on Steve’s voice.

“So we can get there at eleven? And you start around midnight? I’ll pick you girls up at ten thirty.” He confirmed looking down at you with an easy grin.

“Great! Sounds perfect.”

___

Later that night you were clutching onto Steve’s arm as if your life depended on it, Robin’s fingers hooked around your wrist as you all pushed through the crowds in the Hideout.

Steve, worried about losing you in the crowd wriggled his arm out of your hold and laced his fingers through yours instead. A grip you couldn’t escape from even if you wanted to.

Which you definitely didn’t.

Once you found a good spot you thought he’d let go, even when Robin passed him a beer you thought that must be it, he’ll want his hand back and you feel cold but he didn’t.

He tugged you closer beside him when the music started and eventually when bodies were moving and the crowd pushing forward he pulled you to stand in front of him, his hand letting go of yours but running down your rib cage and then finding home on your hip.

With you in one hand and his beer in his other he started to relax and enjoy the music. Nothing he wanted more in this moment. Having you in his arms in this moment was enough to make him happy for the rest of his life.

And then Corroded Coffin strayed from their usual set list and played some familiar chords.

The drums making you chuckle, Eddie’s cheesy line to ‘all the lovers out there tonight, let’s slow it down.’

Steve leaning down to your ear and you could feel his grin.

“I love this song!” He told you and you couldn’t stop the grin taking over your features as you turned to face up at him.

“I know Steve! You play this like a hundred times in the car!” You told him with a playful eye roll and he squeezed your hip in retaliation.

You giggled,

Giggled, like a pathetic little school girl.

But Steve managed to do that to you. Reducing you to a smitten girl with a huge crush.

Looking back at Eddie and his band you enjoyed the warmth of Steve surrounding you. His chest rumbling as he sang along.

I wanna know what love is

I want you to show me

I wanna feel what love is

I know you can show me.

Joining in the singing you felt Steve’s thumb brush over the exposed skin on your hip, Robin swaying beside you both.

You weren’t sure what came over you but your eyes burned with tears and you blinked them away, swallowing the lump in your throat.

You were happy.

Relieved.

But so happy.

And it was Steve, it always came back to Steve.

By the time he was dropping back off at your place you didn’t want the night to end despite it now being almost 3am.

“Hey Steve?” You heard yourself before your brain even processed what you were doing.

You spun on the doorstep and he’d stopped in his tracks to face you, hopeful.

“Yeah?” He asked already inching back towards you.

You didn’t know this and he’d never tell you but his heart was pounding in his chest, he could hear the thud thud thud ringing through his ears. A million thoughts running through his brain.

“You wanna come in?” You asked so quickly as if to not allow yourself to change your mind.

Steve smiled, slowly at first, maybe a little shy as if unsure you were being serious but then definitely confident when he saw your chest heave with a brave breath.

Grinning he nodded and your bottom lip was captured by your teeth to stop your own grin.

“Yeah.” He breathed out jogging back up the path to you. “I definitely want to.” And before even giving you a chance to respond his hands were on your cheeks and he was kissing you so intently.

Still soft and still gentle like you always knew Steve to be.

But also determined and eager.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to kiss you.” He told you finally pulling away but still close enough that you could feel his lips against yours as he spoke.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to kiss me.” You joked back, leading him into shutting you up with another kiss, just a peck.

“Well I won’t keeping you waiting as long next time.” He offered standing up straight and letting you unlock the door.

“You promise?” You asked over your shoulder, a glint of something in your eyes that Steve hoped he got to see everyday.

“I promise.” He confirmed and following you inside, hands itching to find your skin again and heart still pounding in his chest.

[cyberhughes]

TAPOUT!

jack hughes x fem!reader, quinn hughes x fem!reader, luke hughes , fem!reader, cole caufield x fem!reader, trevor zegras x fem!reader

IN WHICH… the new social media intern for the new jersey devils gets a proper welcome from her favourite boys

NOTE guys i had to take a pause on the requests because this was just on my mind so bad…and if this is the fic that gets me canceled for being too controversial then we went out w a bang!! (pun not intended)

also this is dedicated to my kitten clara👩🏻‍🍳🤝 @lovecla i’m glad i have someone to share my insanity with i love you👅👅

WARNINGS! NSFW 18+ content dark content/taboo | five guys one girl :( | dubcon/coercion | spiking drinks w aphrodisiac | unprotected sex | blowjobs |subtle size kink | dacryphilia (blink and u miss it) | recording | degradation | cum eating | uhm if im missing anything lmk im going crazy

she got that million dollar ooh ooh ohh...

make her tap out!

you don’t know how you got into this position. or, multiple positions. hot tears blurred your vision from clearly seeing the men in front of you. the men who had been watching you like you were prey the moment you stepped into the arena as a new social media intern, waiting for their chance to pounce on you.

[ ౨ৎ ˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 ]

“hey!” you stopped your steps as you heard a familiar voice call out just before you were about to head over to the seats to film some practice content.

luke, who you had met a few times, had skated up to the gate, a friendly smile on his face as he approached. “it’s y/n, right?” he asked and you nodded with a smile, most of the time players didn’t really care for the social media girls, simply answering their questions and going on about their day like you didn’t exist. hell, they probably wouldn’t have recognized you if they saw you walking on the street.

“so uh, feel free to say no,” he started, scratching the back of his neck. “i was having a little get together with some other players tonight, and some friends from other teams too,” you nodded as you listened intently, scared you might zone out from admiring his features.

“and i was wondering if maybe you’d like to join? some of the other social media girls are gonna be there from the other teams so i was thinking that maybe you could like, connect with them or something? just cause you’re new.” he offered with a cheeky smile and you nodded, seeming calm but inside you were freaking out a bit, it was such a perfect opportunity!

you could get so many tips from the other girls, learning things from their past experience to limit any stupid mistakes you might make while learning on your own.

“yeah! i’d love to!” he grinned at your response, “okay, awesome! how ‘bout after practice i’ll give you the details?”

[ ౨ৎ ˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 ]

you took in a deep breath before you firmly knocked on the door of luke’s apartment, nervousness bubbled in your stomach as you waited. you were excited to meet the other girls, and make some possible new connections with anyone else. your hands fiddled with the hem of your skirt as you heard clattering and music on the other side.

the door swung open, revealing a grinning luke. you tried to hide your surprise when you saw him, usually you had either seen him in either hockey gear or in a suit. you thought that it was refreshing to see him in something so laid back, a simple tshirt and jeans matched with a backwards cap that pushed his curls nicely to the back and side of his head.

“hey y/n!” he stepped back to let you in. you returned the greeting as you stepped in as you scanned the apartment, and wow. he really downplayed on the ‘small get together’. the apartment was bustling with players of different teams chatting and drinking, yet you couldn’t spot any of the social media girls. hm, maybe they were running late.

luke noticed the way your shoulders dropped slightly in disappointment. “oh, yeah i’m sorry y/n.” he shook his head as he led you into the living room where some familiar faces were sitting. “the other girls said they couldn’t come anymore. last minute family emergencies and some illnesses or something.” he spoked and you simply nodded. “oh, that’s too bad.” you responded, it was too bad. but you looked on the brighter side of things, you would get to know the players in a more candid setting, even starting some new friendships.

“hey guys, y/n came.” luke introduced you to everyone and you waved shyly. sitting beside jack on the couch was trevor zegras and cole caufield, with quinn sitting on an arm chair just beside.

“hey y/n!” jack slapped his hands on his thighs as he stood up from his position on the couch. “it’s too bad the other girls couldn’t come, but we’re still gonna have fun, right?” he said and you nodded, cheeks slightly burning when he wrapped an arm around your shoulder. the greeting threw you off slightly, only having met him a handful of times

“what do you say we get you a drink, hm?” he offered and you nodded, following along, you didn’t want to be impolite. you’d have one drink to settle your nerves before getting to know the players.

you didn’t notice the devilish grin jack shot luke as he placed a hand on the small of your back, guiding you into the kitchen.

the night was going pretty smoothly, you had spent most of your time with the five guys you had initially been introduced with. you talked about your major for a bit, why you wanted to go into sports marketing, a bit about your personal life.

you went to take a sip of your drink as you listened to quinn talk about, well you weren't really sure what, but you had noticed your cup was empty. luke peered over, “oh, i can refill that for you.” he reached out his hand and you smiled, “sure, maybe just a soda, please?” he nodded. you don’t know how many times that night luke got up to get you another soda, but you didn’t complain. he was being a good host and you didn’t want to be rude.

“so what does your boyfriend think of you working in sports marketing?” cole smiled, taking a sip of his drink. you shook your head and chuckled in slight embarrassment, “oh, i don’t have a boyfriend.”

“really? but you’re so pretty?” trevor hummed from beside you. he had his arm draped behind you on the couch, and he reached up to twirl a strand of your hair as you blushed fifty shades of red.

you didn’t know how to respond to the compliment, squeaking out a quiet ‘thank you.’

the room started to get hot, maybe from embarrassment, maybe from the amount of bodies crowded into one space.

“hey, you okay?” quinn asked, noticing the way you were playing with the collar of your cardigan, trying to loosen it’s grip on your neck.

“uh, yeah sorry. just feeling a bit weird.” you gave him a tight lipped smile, you didn’t want to ruin the night, you had worked so hard to get where you are today and you didn’t want to ruin any of your newly made friendships with the players.

“hey it’s okay,” jack moved a few strands of hair away from your face, an expression of false concern taking over his features. “why don’t you lay down in luke's room for a bit while we call it a night?” he offered and you shook your head, “i don’t want to ruin your night.” he smiled at your pout, “don’t worry ‘bout it, luke will show you the way.”

and so luke led you to his room, letting you lean your weight onto his arm as he guided you.

“just sit down m’kay?” you nodded and plopped on the bed, feeling a weird warmth spread throughout your body. were you catching a fever? was it pms? you had never felt this feeling before. “they’ll tell everyone to go home.” he stroked your hair, letting you lean onto his shoulder.

quinn walked into the room, with jack, trevor and cole following right behind. “you okay y/n?” quinn asked as he took a seat next to you, pressing the back of his hand to your forehead. “you’re getting hot, why don’t you take your sweater off?” you nodded and let him unbutton your cardigan, peeling off the fabric and letting his cold hands graze your skin.

“why don’t you stay over tonight?” luke murmured as his eyes fell to your cleavage once your cardigan was taken off.

“yeah, we don’t want you out driving like this.” trevor kneeled in front of you, examining your face as the boys nodded in agreement.

was this inappropriate? staying over at luke’s apartment? you were just the social media girl, you didn’t want it to seem like you had taken this job just to get closer to the players. then again, maybe they were right. it wasn’t safe for a young woman to head home alone in an uber so late at night.

“just let us take care of you baby, okay?” luke pushed your hair to the side as he whispered into your ear, letting his lips trail down to your neck where he placed a small kiss. you shivered at the touch, feeling your butterflies in your stomach. “o-okay…” you sighed when he pressed another kiss onto your shoulder.

“you feeling hot? why don’t we take off the rest of your clothes, hm?” quinn’s fingers toyed with the strap of your tank top. “is…is this weird?” you looked up at him with doe eyes, tears barely forming. he gave you an endearing smile, admiring how cute you looked. “no, we’re all friends here, just wanna take care of you.” he said and you nodded.

quinn carefully helped you out of your tank top and skirt, revealing your lace bra and panties which you tried to cover up in embarrassment. you felt the bed dip behind you, jack and cole approaching on the situation.

you felt like prey underneath their gazes, their eyes burning over your exposed flesh like they were getting ready to devour you, their mouths practically watering

“so pretty…” cole's voice was barely above a whisper as he watched they way trevor traced his fingers closer and closer to your core.

this was extremely wrong, it was dirty. yet you couldn’t help but feel your panties get damper at their ministrations.

trevor looked up at you, tilting his head with a friendly smile, “gonna let us use you, pretty girl?” as he gently pushed open your thighs and you gave him a dazed nod, your response nearly coming out as a whimper, “yes.” you knew what they were doing, you knew that this was extremely perverted and wrong, but you were too far gone.

your lips parted in a soft gasp as you felt his fingers trace over your cunt overtop of your pink panties. you felt so many hands on you, groping at your breasts through your bra, slender hands pulling your thighs open just a bit further.

trevor pushed your panties to the side, toying with your slick before pushing in a single finger, looking up for your reaction. you whimpered, leaning back onto cole’s chest while he placed a small kiss on your temple.

trevor slowly pumped his finger, your arousal growing with the overwhelming amount of stimulation you were receiving from everyone. “so tight…” he mumbled as he stared with amazement before forcing a second and soon third finger. he pumped his digits in and out, earning moans from you that felt like music to their ears. from behind you, jack reached around to toy with your clit, bringing you closer and closer to your orgasm.

tears threatened to fall as you felt the heat pool in your lower stomach, “m…m gonna cum..” you whined, body fighting the way cole hand you down as you squirmed.

“go on baby, it’s okay.” quinn licked at your ear and that was all it took for you to snap, your first orgasm of the night washing over you with an intensity you had never felt before.

“fuck..” luke’s mouth dropped open as he watched your release squirt out onto trevor's tattooed arm, his fingers practically jackhammering into you as he pulled every moan he could from you until you were breathless.

everything felt hazy as they lied you down, they took their time taking off the only fabric that you had left, leaving you fully exposed and vulnerable. you heard some rummaging around but stayed focused on catching your breath.

you dazily watch jack as he climbed on top of you, trailing comforting kisses from your stomach up to your neck. “you okay with this?” he asked as he stroked his cock from below you, positioning it at your fluttering entrance. you nodded frantically and he smirked, “‘course you are.” you felt your stomach drop at the mockery in his voice, but you didn’t have much time to think about it before he pushed into you, taking all the air from your lungs. “fuck baby,” he groaned, letting himself sink fully, tears pricked at your eyes, threatening to fall at the intense stretch.

he didn’t give you time to adjust as he began thrusting into you with fervor, lifting your legs and pressing them to your chest. his fingers dug into your thighs and he pushed them down, leaving bruises onto your delicate skin. “you’re so dirty, y/n.” he grinned from above you and you felt the tears fall, which he quickly kissed away. you could tell he was about to cum when his thrusts became harsher, his cock kissing at your cervix as he let out deep groans.

his gaze flickered from the way your pussy sucked him in, up to your face, cheeks red and stained with tears as you watched him with hooded eyes. “fuckkk,” he breathed out, letting himself shoot his load into you, hips stuttering as he did so.

you let out a whine when he pulled out, feeling his cum drip out of your hole and down to your ass. you don’t even notice when he had switched positions with trevor and cole, the two boys admiring your fucked out expression before taking their turn with you.

“such a pretty little whore.” trevor smiled at you sweetly, a contrast to his degrading words. he flipped you onto your stomach with ease, lifting your hips up so that your ass was flush with his pelvis.

cole positioned himself in front of you, and you knew what he wanted. you stuck your tongue out, looking up at him with doe eyes and he swore he could’ve cum just from the sight. he slapped his cock over your tongue as trevor spread your ass cheeks from behind, getting a better view of your swollen cunt before he lined himself up with your already leaking hole.

you moaned around cole’s cock as trevor thrusted into you, the vibrations sending instant pleasure throughout his body. you steadied yourself by placing your hands on his thick thighs, letting your nails dig into his skin as he let out the prettiest whines.

you let out a squeal when trevor slapped your ass, quickly smoothing his hand over the red mark to soothe the pain. “so filthy,” it didn’t take them long before they came, shooting their loads from both ends.

you had no choice but to swallow cole’s cum when he pushed your head down all the way, nose to pelvis as his body shook in pleasure.

he cupped your face with one hand, stroking your cheek with his thumb as he thanked you, leaving your heart fluttering. trevor placed a kiss onto your back before the two of them moved away, letting quinn take over.

quinn’s eyes scanned you with a look of disapproval and pity. “so messy, baby.” you pouted at his words, he was right though. you had cum and spit leaking at the corner of your mouth, your hair was tousled and your cunt was already stuffed full. he grabbed your tank top that was thrown onto the bed earlier and quickly cleaned you up.

“there we go.” he smiled softly before leaning down to give you a proper kiss on this lips and your eyes fluttered closed, your hands reaching up to tangle themselves in his hair. he trailed his kiss from your mouth down to your breasts, licking and sucking at the reddening skin. “poor baby,” he murmured, “didn’t even get to cum again, hm? it’s okay though, i’m gonna take proper care of you.” he said, a slight dig to the men who had previously used you without any regard for your own pleasure.

he laid you down, dipping his middle finger between your folds, chuckling at the way your hole fluttered, clenching around nothing. “i’ll take care of you.” he soon replaced his finger with his aching cock, pushing into you gently as he hushed your whimpers with a kiss.

“doing so good for us, aren’t you baby?” his hand trailed down to lazily massage at your neglected clit. “q-quinn…” your nails scratched at his back, leaving bright red marks and he hissed at the pleasurable pain, nipping at your collarbones. “it’s okay, i got you baby.” he rocked into you, never ceasing his actions on your clit and you felt your eyes roll to the back of your head as his thrusts deepened. “you gonna cum for me, pretty girl? huh? gonna put on a show on for them?” you whined at his words, squirming underneath him as the heat pooled in your belly.

“k-kiss..” you mumbled and he smiled, “yeah, i got you.” he leaned down and you kissed him deeply, moving your hips up to meet him halfway. “go on baby, let go.” he whispered against your lips when he felt your grip on him tighten, your pussy spasming as you came, him following soon after, pulling out to cum onto the soft skin of your stomach.

your vision was blurry as you came down from your orgasm, body on fire from the consistent stimulation with no break. you felt quinn pepper kiss over your face, “you did so good baby.” he placed on last kiss on your lips, savoring the sweet taste of your saliva, “it’s okay, it’s almost over.” he reassured and you hummed in confusion, before you saw luke standing at the edge of the bed.

you didn’t know if you had it in you, and god he looked big standing there. “luke…” you whimpered as you tried crawling back up the bed, but he grabbed your ankles and pulled you back down.

“m’sorry baby,” he pouted, “you’re gonna let me fuck you, right? it’s only fair. i’m the one who thought you were pretty first.” he said like it was a competition before pushing himself in, your eyes going wide as your body tensed. even though you had been fucked plenty that night, none of them could’ve possible compared to the way luke’s cock was stretching you out.

hot tears fell down your cheeks as he thrusted into you, letting one of his large hands press down onto your lower stomach to feel the bulge of his cock as he fucked you. “too big luke!” you cried, thrashing underneath him and leaned down closer, his cock hitting deeper. “you can take it, know you can.” he grunted, his tip brushing against your cervix and you gripped onto his biceps like he was your lifeline. “luke! s’too much!” you cried and he licked as the salty tears from your face.

he didn’t let up his pace, continuing to fuck into you like he had been dreaming of since he first laid eyes on you at the rink. ��my pretty girl...” he cooed as your screams of overstimulation echoed in his ears as he reached places inside you no one had ever reached before.

it wasn’t long before yet another load was dumped into you, your eyes lolling to the back of your head as you let out a silent scream while you came for the final time that night.

the room fell silent, the boys entranced at your fucked out expression, limp on the bed with your skin decorated with their cum.

“fuck, wait till nico sees this.” jack was quick to pull out his phone, snapping a picture of you.

“there’s no leaving us now, baby doll.”

[sxdisteez]

☸ Dorm Series: Part-Three | 정윤호

| series masterlist | previous | next |

✦ summery: after a long awaited date night full of sensual touches and sweet words, you anticipate a night full of passion only to be blown off by your boyfriend for video games. frustration builds each minute that passes with his empty promises to get off, you decide to take matters into your own hands and have your own fun with him. ✦ pairings: idol! boyfriend yunho x fem! reader ✦ genre: smut!, idol boyfriend au ✦ word count: 2.5k ✦ warnings: smut!, desperate yunho, naughty! fem reader, teasing, oral (m receiving), masturbation! (f), finger sucking, yunho struggles to focus, breast play (slight), pet names (princess, baby), unprotected! sex (use protection folks!), orgasm denial, tears, edging, creampie (I do not condone), big dick! yunho, reader is in control, dirty talk

this is a work of fiction and is not meant to be a realistic representation of any of the real people mentioned.

nsfw content below. 18+ - mdni

“Yah Wooyoung!” Yunho yells into his headset for the umpteenth time that night. Rolling your eyes you stare mindlessly at the drama playing on the tv in front of you. Yunho invited you to stay the night with him after he took you out for a romantic date which hadn’t happened in weeks due to his hectic schedule. You thought he wanted to be under you as you wanted to be with him, but instead he got on the game with Wooyoung, Jongho, and Yeosang the minute you settled down for the night. Earlier he talked your ear up about all the things he wanted to do to you then switched up saying.

“Oh I forgot I told the guys I’d get on to play for a little while. I’ll make it quick princess.”

It has now been three hours of him yelling into his microphone out of frustration from losing. Feeling bored you walk over to his desk just as he dies again. “Yeosang you’re cheating!” He rages in his mic. Looking up at you, he moves his mic from his mouth. “Hey princess I’ll get off after this game okay.” He proclaims. “You said that three games ago.” You whine a little knowing it would be the case this time as well. “I won't, the guys already said they were gonna get off soon.” He states. “Okay Yunho.” You say rolling your eyes at him. “Hey, don't be like that, come here.” Yunho pulls you down claiming your lips in a sweet kiss. “Just wait a little longer.” You nod, walking away to lay back in his bed suppressing your desires.

-

After his “last” game Yunho did not get off as he claimed because he’d finally won. A mischievous thought crossed your mind that would give you both what you wanted. 

‘Since he won’t get off the game and I’m horny let’s see who will win in the end.’

Getting on the floor and crawling over to Yunho you make your way past him without him knowing, planting yourself under his desk. He only notices your presence the minute your hands skate up his legs pushing him back a bit so you could peak your head out. ‘What are you doing!?’ He mouths down at you, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and shock. Smiling, you ignore his question fixated on your first task; teasing Yunho. Raking your fingernail up and down his thighs slowly, getting painfully close to where you can see the outline of his cock. He gasps at your actions, narrowing his eyes at you disapprovingly. Moving your hands up to palm Yunho’s cock, you give it a light squeeze massaging his member gently. Despite Yunho’s displeased looks his cock betrays him growing slowly under your touch, urging a smirk to form on your lips. No matter what his mouth said his cock always told what he truly desired deep down a fact you both have learned on various occasions.

Inching your hand to the waistband of Yunho’s underwear, you slip your hands in his briefs, gripping his member in your hand. Pumping up and down knowing despite the already large appearance he was nowhere near fully hard. You lock eyes with his gazing seductively at him, with each draw he releases soft breaths; at least to Yunho it was soft until he heard someone clearing their throat through his headphones.

“Um, are you okay Yunho?” Jongho questions sounding concerned.

“U-uhh. Y-yeah. Just my adrenaline.” He stammers mentally cursing himself.

“Guys I think I’m gonna-.” You cut Yunho off shaking your head before he could even complete his sentence.

Shifting up on your knees you signal Yunho to come down to your face with your forefinger. Obeying Yunho leans forward inches away from your face anticipating a kiss. Playing along you feign as if you will kiss him only to skate past his face to his ear. Moving his headphones from his ear you whisper.

 “Don’t get off the game now baby, let's have a little fun.” You purred.

“Make sure you keep it down or they just might hear you.” Putting the headphone back to its right position, you push Yunho back loving the dumbfounded look that took over his features.

“Nevermind.” he spoke shakily into the mic struggling to focus between you and the game in front of him.

You felt rather satisfied with your plan so far wanting to take it further and watch Yunho crack from pleasure. Removing your hands from Yunho’s member, you grasp the band of his underwear, working to remove them as best as you could from his seated form. With a little help from him, you succeed moving on to your next task; edging him until you were satisfied. You thought it was only fair since he’d filled your mind up with all of the ways he was gonna fuck you only to leave you horny and frustrated.

Yunho eyes your next movements carefully, unable to predict what your motive for doing this was. He observes as you take his cock in your palms again, eyes wide and hungry as you licked your lips in anticipation. Your lips wrap around his tip sucking sparingly only wanting to savor the sweet and salty taste of his pre cum. Knowing how much eye contact turned Yunho on while being intimate, your eyes skate up looking at Yunho who was already peering down at you mouth agape. Gliding your mouth down his length taking as much of him down that you could muster. Mouth full, saliva already running out the sides of your mouth down his shaft, Yunho eyes darken, his gaze piercing through your soul. Moaning at the sight you smirk knowing the members could hear you when Yunho’s eyes widen.

“S-sorry guys. T-that was the drama y/n’ s watching.” Yunho falters over his words struggling to keep his pleasure at bay. 

His entire body felt like molten lava bubbling up, preparing to erupt at any moment. Attempting to concentrate on the game in front of him, Yunho took a deep breath inhaling sharply when you began fondling with his balls while deep throating him. Stroking him rapidly you felt the familiar twitch, more precum oozing into your mouth. Removing your hands and mouth from his member with a loud pop, you watched his cock continue to twitch the tip red and angry. 

“Not so soon.” You say smirking at the sight of Yunho's pleading face.

Feeling even more turned on you decide to take your edging up a bit knowing how crazy Yunho would go. Standing up slightly you sit slowly in Yunho’s lap, his chest to your back. Bringing your feet up to settle on his desk, legs spread wide, you see your slick soaking through your underwear. Yunho releases a strained groan at the sight, his cock jumping underneath your ass. Moving your panties to the side exposing your pussy, you run two of your fingers through your juices making sure to cover them thoroughly. Bringing your fingers up, you place them to Yunho’s lips watching as he eagerly opens up to suck on them, eyes rolling back at the taste. His tongue swirls skillfully around your digits, cleaning them off in full, as you pull them from his mouth Yunho lets out a small whine feigning for more.  You place them back on your pussy, rubbing your clit in the way you liked it, releasing a whimper in Yunho’s ear, finally getting off after waiting what felt like ages. 

Groping your breast while playing in your heat, small pants escape your open mouth from the extra stimulation. Your fingers skate down to your slit feeling as your slick drips down, inserting two fingers with a quiet moan you pump into your cunt quick and deep enjoying how Yunho began leaving small kisses on the side of your face and neck.

Leaning into his kiss you angle your face, your lips meeting with his, his tongue quickly darting out exploring the inside of your mouth desperately. Continuously pumping into your pussy, your orgasm nearing with each stroke you kiss Yunho with more urgency. Twirling your fingers around the familiar heat burns in the pit of your stomach, your release hitting you swiftly causing you to bite down on Yunho’s lip muffling your moans.

Yunho jerks back releasing a hiss, quickly covering your mouth. He’d completely forgotten his members were still on the other side and he was in the middle of a game looking up to see he was losing horribly.

“Where’s your head at Yunho?” Yeosang questions. 

“This is literally the one game you’re good at.” The guys laugh at Wooyoung’s dig, Yunho letting out a strained chuckle not really being in the mood to laugh. 

“I’m a little distracted. I should lock in.” He lies knowing well he’d rather be off the game fucking into your tight pussy.

You chuckle softly at Yunho’s lie watching as he continues to eye your pussy and not the pc in front of him. Putting your legs down and standing a bit, you slide your panties off. Spitting in your palm and grabbing hold of Yunho’s cock giving it a few long strokes. You position yourself over his cock, gently rubbing the tip up and down your slit before easing down on the head of his cock, sighing at how full you already felt with less than half of him inside of you. Grinding on the tip of his cock you refuse to push yourself down feeling Yunho’s hands grip your hips tightly in an attempt to ease you down further. Slapping his hands away you look back.

“Play the game baby. No touching.” You say sternly,  in response Yunho whines a pained expression on his face. Cooing at his desperation you lean over to place a kiss on his forehead slowly moving your hips up and down once more wanting to get Yunho close to his climax again. 

Small whimpers escaped your lips at how good his cock rubbed against your walls, speeding up your movements lost in your own pleasure. You didn’t realize you’d began going further and further down on Yunho’s member until you were fully seated in his lap again, stuffed full of his cock. 

“Shit-.” Yunho grits his teeth at the feeling of your cunt’s deadly grip around his length. 

Leaning on him, head laid back on his shoulder, you propped your legs onto Yunho’s thighs to help balance. Grinding back and forth feeling him hit new spots deep inside of you encouraging you to even grind faster, needily chasing your pleasure. Yunho moans at the new feeling, his orgasm inching closer with each movement of your hips. Playing the game his eyes turn hazy at how tight your pussy gripped around him. Shaking his head he half heartedly focused on the game, hearing Wooyoung and Jongho shit talk to each other as they battled head to head. 

He tried but failed miserably at trying to seem normal but it was impossible with the way you were pleasing and teasing him tonight. He’d just have to explain to the guys that’d you’d fallen asleep and he didn’t want to wake you by talking loudly.

Being hypnotized by your sweet moans, his head filled with thoughts of you, he was close to coming at any moment. 

“Don’t you dare cum.” you cut off Yunho’s daze, feeling his cock beginning to throb inside of you.

Looking at you with soft eyes, Yunho pleads silently for his release, biting down hard onto his lips, tears starting to pool in his eyes. You shake your head, no, staying firm in your control.

“You cum when I say.” You order, only to receive a low whine in response, a few tears escaping.

Removing yourself from his lap and turning to straddle Yunho, making eye contact you sink back down on him enjoying the stretch you felt. Moving up and down on him you lean forward placing light kisses across his collar bone. Kissing up to his neck where you lick over his favorite spot. Yunho thrusts into you slightly at the action, clenching his hands tightly around the arms of his chair. You give another small lick to his spot before biting down on him sucking a little bit.

“Fuck princess.” Yunho growls out his hips bucking upwards sharply this time.

“I love the way your cock fills my pussy baby.” You moan teasingly, making your movements painfully slow on his member. 

“You’ve stuffed me so full I can feel you in my stomach” moaning softly into his ear you nip at it a little satisfied when a moan slips past Yunho’s lip.

He begins to twitch inside of you again, his head falling backward on the chair. Taking advantage of his position you place your hands on both sides of his shoulder using them as leverage to quickly bounce on his cock, chasing after your own upcoming orgasm. 

“Oh my god. Fuck-.” You moan out desperately fucking yourself onto him longing for his cum.

“Cum for me baby.” You say the minute your orgasm peaks, both of you moan loudly the mixed feel of his cock twitching wildly inside of you and your cunt clenching and unclenching tightly. Your movements slow down making sure to milk him dry of every drop of cum he has. Falling over into his lap you rest your head on his chest trying to steady yourself.

-

Finally breathing normally Yunho is brought back from his high with someone clearing their throat in his ear.

“Oh shit I-.” Yunho jumps up, making sure to secure you on his lap. He looks forward, eyes wide anticipating what the members would say. Silence peaks for a while, Yunho not daring to say anything.

“You both owe me $100.” Yeosang says finally breaking the silence. Jongho and Wooyoung groan in unison, voicing their displeasure.

“Wait. What are you talking about?” Yunho questions confused.

“We made a bet on whether you were fucking or not and I won.” Yeosang states plainly. 

“What- How?” Yunho asks not understanding why the boys would even make such a bet.

“Well you weren't exactly discreet about your um noises.” Jongho says not wanting to be direct with what he heard.

“It was that obvious I guess.” Yunho states more to himself, looking at your slumped form on his lap.

“ I mean could you not hear yourself in the end? You were like ‘ohhhh, fuc-’.”

 “Shut up.” Yunho hisses, cutting Wooyoung from imitating his moans. The three laugh at Yunho’s embarrassment.

“Well I should at least get a percentage since you all listened in.” Yunho demands half jokingly and half seriously.

“Yeah okay.” Yeosang said in a tone that was not too pleased.

“I’ll talk to y'all later… maybe.” Yunho bids his farewell before the guys could say goodbye, directing his attention back to you. 

Yunho scoops you into his arms, bringing you to lay on his bed. He stares down at your naked figure, his cock slowly getting hard again at the sight. 

“That was very naughty of you princess.” He tsks at you climbing in the bed hovering over you. You smile up at him knowing exactly where his mind was going just by the glint in his eyes.

“I think it’s my turn to do something fun for you.” Yunho says sliding down to your cunt preparing to go another round with you.

—taglist: @spicxbnny @dawn-iscozy @levisforgottentea @nopension @ateezswonderland @jiminssluttyminx

be on the look out for part-four with yeosang coming soon!

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed it like, reblog with tags, comment, and follow!

[aspenmissing]

hiii~ could you please write the arcane mains (especially jayvik) with an asexual reader? thank you~~

ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀʙꜱᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ɴᴇᴇᴅ

ᴊᴀʏᴄᴇ | ᴠɪᴋᴛᴏʀ | ᴊᴀʏᴠɪᴋ | ᴠᴀɴᴅᴇʀ | ꜱɪʟᴄᴏ || ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ/ᴄᴏᴍꜰᴏʀᴛ || 3401 ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ || ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: ꜰᴇᴀʀ ᴏꜰ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋᴜᴘ?, ꜰᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ꜱʜᴀᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ

ʀᴇQᴜᴇꜱᴛ ᴀɴꜱᴡᴇʀ: ʜɪʏᴀ ᴍʏ ᴅᴇᴀʀ~ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴʟʏ ᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇQᴜᴇꜱᴛ! ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ɪᴛ!

ᴀʟꜱᴏ, ꜰᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ᴅᴇᴀʀ ᴀꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ꜰᴇᴇʟ ꜱʜᴀᴍᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ.

ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | ᴊᴀʏᴄᴇ | ᴠɪᴋᴛᴏʀ | ᴠᴀɴᴅᴇʀ | ꜱɪʟᴄᴏ

JAYCE

Jayce had always been patient. More than patient, really. He adored Y/N, cherished every moment with her. From the way she absentmindedly played with his fingers when they held hands to the way she always found the perfect words to comfort him after a stressful day at the Council.

She was his anchor, the one person who made all the chaos bearable.

But he wasn’t oblivious. He noticed things.

They’d been together for a while now, and while Jayce was never one to rush things, a quiet curiosity had begun to settle in the back of his mind. It wasn’t just the absence of intimacy in the way most people defined it—he never minded taking things slow—but there was something unspoken between them. A line Y/N never seemed to want to cross, even when they were wrapped up in each other, bathed in soft candlelight and whispered affections.

Had he done something wrong? Was she simply not ready, or was there something deeper that she wasn’t telling him?

Jayce had tried not to dwell on it too much. He loved her, that much was certain. But the uncertainty was starting to gnaw at him, and he didn’t want to be left in the dark any longer.

So, one evening, when they were curled up together on the couch in their shared home, the fire crackling softly in the hearth, he finally gathered the courage to ask.

"Hey, Y/N?"

His voice was gentle, hesitant. He didn’t want to ruin the moment—didn’t want her to feel cornered—but the words had been sitting on the tip of his tongue for far too long.

Y/N hummed, shifting slightly so she could look at him.

Jayce hesitated, then ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his. "I just—" He let out a soft chuckle, trying to ease the weight in his chest. "I guess I've been wondering... is there a reason we haven’t, you know, gone further?"

The moment the words left his mouth, he felt Y/N stiffen slightly against him. It was subtle, but enough for him to notice.

Jayce’s heart clenched. He immediately backtracked. "Not that I’m upset or anything!" he rushed to say, his grip on her hand tightening as if to reassure her. "I just—if it’s me, if I’ve done something wrong, you can tell me. I want to understand."

A silence settled between them, thick and heavy with unspoken words. The light from the fire flickered against Y/N’s face, casting shadows that danced across her features as she looked down at her hands, fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve.

"Jayce, it’s not you," she finally said, voice quiet but firm. "It’s not anything you’ve done."

Jayce felt a strange mix of relief and confusion at the same time. "Then… what is it?"

Y/N took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for something difficult. "I just... I’m asexual."

The words hung between them for a moment, and Jayce blinked, his expression shifting from confusion to curiosity.

"Asexual?" he echoed, tilting his head slightly. "What does that mean?"

Y/N hesitated, gathering her thoughts. "It means I don’t experience sexual attraction," she explained carefully. "It’s not that I don’t love you, because I do—so much. But I don’t feel the same kind of... need for intimacy that most people do." She swallowed, watching him closely for his reaction. "It doesn’t mean I don’t want to be close to you, or that I don’t want to share my life with you. It’s just... different for me."

Jayce was silent for a moment, processing her words. And then, he nodded slowly.

"...Oh."

It wasn’t a bad "oh." It wasn’t one of disappointment or rejection. It was an "oh" of understanding—of something clicking into place.

Y/N offered a small, somewhat sad smile, her eyes searching his face for any sign of a reaction she feared. "I get if that’s not what you expected," she murmured. "And if that’s something you need in a relationship, I understand. If—if you want to leave, I won’t hold it against you."

Jayce frowned, his brows knitting together as his chest tightened. "Leave?" He immediately reached out, taking her hands in his, squeezing them gently. "Y/N, I love you. That’s not changing because of this."

She looked at him, uncertainty flickering in her gaze. "Jayce, I don’t want to hold you back from something you might need."

Jayce shook his head. "Y/N, being with you isn’t about that for me. I love you—everything about you. The way you challenge me, the way you make me laugh, the way you make all the stress fade away just by being here." He cupped her face, his thumbs brushing over her cheeks. "Being Asexual won't make me love you any less. It just means I understand you more now."

Y/N’s eyes softened, the tension in her shoulders easing. "...Really?"

Jayce let out a chuckle, pressing his forehead against hers. "Of course." His voice was warm, reassuring. "I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was confused for a bit—I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. But now that I know, it’s just... part of who you are. And I love every part of you."

Y/N let out a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding, leaning into his touch. "You’re the best, you know that?"

Jayce grinned. "I do try."

She laughed, the weight on her chest finally disappearing. And as Jayce wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, she knew—he wasn’t going anywhere.

He never would.

VIKTOR

Y/N sat at her workbench, fingers absently tracing the worn edge of a blueprint, though she wasn't really reading it. The dim candlelight flickered, casting wavering shadows along the walls of their shared workshop. The quiet hum of the city outside felt distant, drowned beneath the steady thrum of her thoughts.

She needed to tell Viktor.

It had been weighing on her for months, an invisible wall between them that she felt responsible for. Every time she tried to gather the words, shame curled in her throat, swallowing them whole before they could pass her lips. It wasn't as though Viktor had ever pressured her—far from it. He was patient, ever understanding, but that only made the guilt press down on her harder. She felt like she was keeping a secret, a fundamental piece of herself, and the longer she held it in, the more suffocating it became.

Y/N exhaled shakily, gripping the edge of the workbench before pushing herself to stand. She turned, eyes landing on Viktor where he sat by his own desk, scribbling away in his journal. His brow was furrowed in thought, the soft glow of the lamp outlining his sharp features in gold. The sight of him made her heart ache in the best way.

“Viktor,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper.

He glanced up immediately, always attuned to her voice, to the slightest change in her tone. “Yes, Drahý?” (Dear)

Y/N swallowed hard. “There’s… there’s something I need to tell you.”

Viktor set his pen down, turning his full attention to her. “Of course.” He gestured for her to sit beside him, and after a moment’s hesitation, she did.

She wrung her hands in her lap, staring down at them as if they held the answers she sought. “I—” Her throat tightened. She tried again. “I’m asexual.” The words felt foreign leaving her mouth, like they belonged to someone else, someone braver.

A beat of silence passed, and she dared to lift her gaze to meet his. He wasn’t surprised. There was no confusion, no rejection in his expression. If anything, there was something warm in his eyes—something soft.

“I know,” Viktor said gently.

Her breath hitched. “You… you do?”

He smiled, a little sad but mostly fond. “I suspected for some time.” He reached out, his fingers brushing over hers with care, an invitation rather than a demand. “You hesitate before touch. You flinch when people assume intimacy is something expected. I never wanted to make you uncomfortable, so I waited.”

She blinked, stunned. “Waited for what?”

“For you to reach for me first.” His fingers curled around hers, giving them a reassuring squeeze. “For you to decide what you need, what you want.”

Tears pricked at her eyes. The weight in her chest loosened, something inside her cracking open in relief. “You’re not… disappointed?” she asked, voice unsteady.

“Why would I be?” Viktor chuckled, shaking his head. “You are the most brilliant, kind-hearted person I have ever met. My feelings for you are not dependent on physical expectations. I love you, Y/N. As you are.”

A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it, and Viktor reached up, brushing it away with his thumb. She let out a shaky laugh, leaning into his touch.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

Viktor pulled her close, careful, always careful. She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, breathing him in, letting the warmth of his presence steady her. For the first time in a long time, she felt whole.

And she knew, with unwavering certainty, that she was safe in his hands.

JAYVIK

Jayce had noticed it first—how Y/N would always stop when things got too heated. It wasn’t abrupt or panicked, but there was a moment, a breath, where her body tensed, her hands stilled, and she pulled away with a nervous chuckle or a soft excuse. It had happened enough times that doubt began to creep into his mind. Had he done something wrong? Had Viktor?

He hated the thought. The last thing he ever wanted was to make her uncomfortable.

One evening, after another moment where Y/N had hesitated before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips and retreating to the safety of their bed, Jayce finally voiced his concerns to Viktor. They sat together in Viktor’s study, the dim glow of the Hextech crystal casting long shadows across the walls. Viktor, ever perceptive, had noticed as well—but he had not drawn the same conclusions as Jayce.

“She is happy with us,” Viktor murmured, fingers absentmindedly tapping against the edge of his cane. “I do not believe we have done something wrong, Jayce.”

“Then why does she always stop?” Jayce sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “I don’t want to push her, but… I need to understand.”

Viktor hummed in thought, gaze flickering toward the door leading to their shared bedroom. “Perhaps we should ask?”

Jayce blinked, then let out a short, breathy laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”

Viktor gave him a wry smile. “Because it is. We trust her. And she trusts us.”

With a nod, Jayce followed Viktor into the bedroom, where Y/N lay curled beneath the blankets, a book resting open on her lap. She looked up at them as they entered, a small, sleepy smile on her lips. “You two look serious,” she teased, setting the book aside. “Did something happen?”

Jayce hesitated, but Viktor, always the one to cut straight to the heart of things, sat beside her and took her hand. “Y/N, we have noticed… a pattern.”

Her fingers twitched in his grasp, and she glanced between them, wariness creeping into her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Jayce sat on her other side, rubbing the back of his neck. “You always stop when things start to get, well… heated.” He exhaled sharply. “Did we do something? Did I do something? If we made you uncomfortable, please tell us.”

Y/N’s eyes widened, and she sat up properly, reaching out to take Jayce’s hand in her free one. “No! No, you haven’t done anything wrong.” She glanced away, chewing on her lip before taking a steadying breath. “It’s me.”

Viktor squeezed her hand gently. “Go on, Lásko’.” (Love)

She exhaled slowly, meeting their eyes with quiet resolve. “I’m asexual.”

Jayce and Viktor remained silent, not out of shock, but to give her the space to explain in her own time. She searched their faces for any signs of discomfort or rejection, but all she found was quiet understanding and patience.

“I love you both. So much.” Her voice softened. “But I don’t feel… that kind of attraction. I like being close, I like kissing, I love being with you—but when it starts going beyond that, it’s like a wall goes up in my head, and I just… I can’t.”

Jayce’s shoulders relaxed, and he let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “You should have told us sooner, sweetheart.”

“I was scared,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t want you to feel like I didn’t want you. Or that I wasn’t enough.”

Viktor sighed, shaking his head as he pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “You are more than enough, Lásko.”

Jayce cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing tenderly over her skin. “We love you, Y/N. You don’t have to prove anything to us.”

She swallowed thickly, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. “You’re really okay with this?”

“Of course we are,” Viktor murmured, nudging his forehead against hers.

Jayce grinned, wrapping his arms around both of them and pulling them into a tight embrace. “You’re stuck with us, love. Whether you like it or not.”

A watery laugh escaped her as she melted into their warmth, holding onto them as tightly as they held onto her. “I think I can live with that.”

And as they lay together that night, wrapped in each other’s arms, she knew—with absolute certainty—that she was loved.

VANDER

The Last Drop was quiet that evening, a rare moment of peace in the Undercity. Most of the regulars had already turned in, leaving only a few stragglers nursing their drinks. Vander sat at the bar, his large hands wrapped around a mug of ale, watching Y/N as they moved around the tavern, straightening chairs and wiping down tables.

Vander had always admired Y/N. From the moment they’d stepped into his life, they had been a steady presence—a sharp mind, a warm heart, and a will stronger than steel. He’d never been one for grand speeches, but with Y/N, he’d never needed to be. They understood each other in ways words couldn’t quite capture.

Tonight, though, something lingered between them, an unspoken weight. Y/N had been quieter than usual, their usual lightness subdued. Vander frowned, setting his mug down with a soft clink. “You alright, love?” he asked, his voice gentle but firm.

Y/N paused, fingers tightening around the cloth in their hands before exhaling slowly. “I… there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Vander straightened, nodding. “Of course.” He gestured for them to sit beside him. Y/N hesitated for a moment before slipping onto the stool, their fingers fidgeting with the hem of their sleeve.

“I’ve been thinking a lot,” Y/N began, their voice steady despite the nervous energy in their hands. “About us.”

Vander’s heart gave a small, uncertain lurch, but he forced himself to stay calm. “Alright.”

Y/N took a breath. “I love you, Vander. You mean the world to me. But… I need you to know that I’m asexual.”

The words hung between them for a moment, and Vander saw the way Y/N braced themselves, as if expecting something to break.

He blinked, letting the words settle, rolling them over in his mind. Then, carefully, he reached out, covering Y/N’s restless hands with his own. “Alright,” he said again, softer this time.

Y/N looked up at him, eyes searching. “You… you understand?”

Vander offered a small smile, his thumb brushing over their knuckles. “I won’t pretend I know everything about it. But I don’t need to understand every detail to know what matters.” He squeezed their hand. “You love me. And I love you. That’s enough.”

A breath of relief escaped Y/N, their shoulders easing. “It’s just… I know for some people, that’s a deal-breaker.”

Vander chuckled, shaking his head. “Love, I’m not ‘some people.’” His expression softened. “Being with you, having you beside me—that’s what I care about. Doesn’t matter what shape that takes.”

Y/N stared at him for a moment before a small, genuine smile broke across their face. Vander swore the weight in the room lifted, the tension dissolving like mist under sunlight.

He reached for his ale again, taking a sip before smirking. “Though I gotta admit, I was worried for a second there. Thought you were about to tell me you were leaving me for someone else.”

Y/N laughed, shaking their head. “No chance.”

“Good,” Vander murmured, leaning in to press a soft, lingering kiss to their forehead. “Because you’re stuck with me now.”

And just like that, the night felt a little warmer, the quiet a little kinder. Vander didn’t need to understand everything to know what was important—Y/N was his, and he was theirs. Nothing else mattered.

SILCO

The dim glow of The Last Drop’s lanterns cast flickering shadows across the room, the usual hum of the bar distant in the background. Silco sat across from Y/N in his office, his sharp gaze softened, though his fingers still toyed with a cigar he had yet to light. The revelation had settled between them like a delicate thread—fragile, but not broken.

He had always prided himself on being a man who understood people, who could read between the lines and predict their motives. But this? This was uncharted waters.

“Asexual,” he repeated, more to himself than to her. The word sat foreign on his tongue, not in a distasteful way, but in a way that demanded understanding. Y/N sat calmly, her expression unreadable, though he knew her well enough to notice the slight tension in her shoulders. Not from fear—but anticipation. Waiting for his reaction.

He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the desk. “And this means…?”

She let out a breath, her fingers tracing absent patterns on the wooden surface between them. “It means I don’t experience sexual attraction. Or at least, not in the way most people do.” Her voice was steady, but he saw the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “I love you, Silco. That hasn’t changed. But… that part of relationships? It’s never been something I’ve needed.”

Silco watched her, expression unreadable. Then, after a long pause, he reached across the desk and took her hand in his. A rare gesture of intimacy from him. His thumb ran slow, deliberate circles over her knuckles, grounding, thoughtful.

“I see,” he murmured. He wasn’t angry. Not disappointed. No, if anything, he felt—what was the word? Protective? No, that didn’t quite fit. Devoted? That was closer. He had given up everything for power, had built himself into something to be feared, respected. And yet, here she was, someone who had demanded nothing of him but to simply be. And she was looking at him now, searching for something—acceptance, reassurance.

A smirk ghosted the corner of his lips. “You think I’d love you any less?”

Y/N blinked. “I don’t know.”

He scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re a fool, then.”

Her lips twitched into a reluctant smile, and he squeezed her hand. “Tell me,” he continued, voice softer now, careful, “what can I do to make things… comfortable for you?”

Y/N swallowed, surprised by the question. She had prepared for resistance, maybe frustration. But this? This quiet, considerate patience? It nearly undid her.

“You already are,” she admitted, squeezing his hand back. “Just knowing you don’t see me differently—that’s enough.”

Silco studied her, then stood, rounding the desk with slow, deliberate steps. He cupped her face with both hands, his thumbs brushing just beneath her eyes, tracing the warmth of her skin. His touch was always precise, never wasted, and now it spoke volumes where words might fail.

“You are mine, my dear,” he murmured, his forehead resting against hers. “That hasn’t changed. Nor will it.”

A weight she hadn’t realised she was carrying lifted from her chest. Y/N exhaled softly, closing her eyes, leaning into the certainty of his touch. And in that moment, with the low hum of Zaun beneath them, she knew that love—real love—had never been defined by the expectations of others.

And neither were they.

[withwritersblock]

Hold My Hand

~Hold my Hand by The Fray~

Author's Note: I am obsessed with this trope. Tooth rotting fluff Summary: Jack takes care of Y/N after a night out Warnings: nothing Word Count: 3,079 Jack Hughes x fm!reader

She rarely got drunk. Drinking was something that she would only do if it was only one drink that lasted the entire night. Tonight, she found herself drinking more than one. More than two and definitely more than three. 

Her friend Hailey was having a bachelorette party at a club that was catered towards country music fans. It was a Friday night and the club was so packed. The area dedicated to the line dances was now a giant mosh pit where everyone was dancing and grinding against one another. 

Y/N stayed on the outside of the circle, dancing by herself surrounded by her friends. Her hands were up in the air as she was swaying back and forth letting the vodka in her system take over. 

A gasp fell from her lips as hands looped around her waist, she shoved them away as she spun around seeing a complete stranger trying to dance with her. She shook her head, tossing her balance with her. “I have a boyfriend!” she shouted towards him, crossing her arms over her chest. A dramatic pout fell to her lips as she began walking away from the group.

She was always a fan of the good ol’ Irish goodbye where she would disappear some time in the night. It was usually after the two in the morning mark when she would disappear and head home. Since she never would drink, the girls always assumed she went straight home.

She pulled her phone out of the small purse she carried with her that only had her phone, ID, and credit card in it. She began searching for his contact as she needed to go home. She brought the phone towards her ear as she began walking towards the exit of the club. 

The phone only rang a few times before he answered. “Hey baby, you okay?” Jack asked, his voice rasped slightly; almost as if he was asleep before he answered.

“I miss you, can you come p-pick me up?” she slurred as she leaned against an open table.

“I’m already on my way, baby, I’ll be there in like ten minutes,” he offered, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. “Are you drunk?” he asked, an evident grin on his lips. She didn’t say anything, instead she let out a long dramatic hum that went to the beat of the music in the club. “Be outside in five minutes, okay?” Jack explained softly.

“Okay,” she sang out as she pulled the phone from her ear as she struggled to place it bak into her tiny bag. 

She leaned against the table, shifting her gaze towards the exit. She tilted her head back as she took a deep breath. Pushing off of the table, she stumbled forward towards the exit. Desperate for fresh air, even more desperate to see her boyfriend. She squeezed through a few people as she stumbled outside to not fresh air but instead an aggressive smell of cigarettes.

Her lips fell into a pout as she walked towards a bench that had no one sitting at. The bench bars were cold against her steaming hot skin. Her frame was only covered with a black tight skirt as well as a matching black top. A huff of air left her lips as she dug for her phone in the small bag.

She pulled the phone out of the bag and stared towards her lockscreen. It was a photo of Jack that she took during Christmas this past year. He was half asleep as he was trying to open the present she had gotten him. His face was sunken deeply into a hoodie. She tilted her head to the side as she continued to look over the photo; admiring the soft smile on his lips and his tired eyes.

It took only a few more minutes for Jack to pull up in front of her. She stood up, adjusting the ends of her skirt. She stood still, shoving her phone back into the tiny purse. She watched as Jack climbed out of the car. He left the car on and the door open. He was wearing a hoodie and matching sweatpants.

“My boyfriend!” she cheered out as she tilted her head to the side and swayed slightly. Jack shook his head while laughing. Quickly, he walked up towards her.

She stood still waiting for him to walk up towards her. “Let’s go, baby,” he let out softly. She shook her head as she waited for him. He stood directly in front of her and took a deep breath. Delicately he took a hold of her waist and pulled her towards him. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaping towards him. He giggled as he lifted her off of the ground, “Did you have fun?” he asked softly as he pressed his lips against her cheek.

“I’m so drunk,” she mumbled as she pulled back, meeting his eye. Her lips fell into a pout. He chuckled as he shook his head slightly. “Don’t laugh at me,” she whined out.

“I’m not laughing at you, baby. Let’s go back to my place,” he mumbled as he began to guide her towards the passenger side of the car.

“Okay,” she said as she leaned into him. Jack carefully pulled the passenger door open. Y/N slowly began to climb into the passenger seat. She sat down, her feet still dangled outside of the car. Jack took a hold of her ankles, putting them inside of the car. He leaned back getting ready to shut the door. “Where are you going?” 

Jack paused for a moment, holding the door and looking towards her. His mouth fell open as he fought another laugh rising in his throat. “I gotta get in the car, babe,” he let out somewhat jokingly.

Her eyebrows furrowed harshly as she let out a soft laugh. “Oh yeah,” she mumbled through a gigle. He rolled his eyes playfully as he carefully shut the door for her. He instantly jogged around the car towards the driver seat, the door was still open and he quickly sat down in the seat. He slammed the door shut and looked towards her instantly. 

“Gotta be quiet when we get back to my place, Lukey is asleep, okay?” he explained as he reached towards her, taking a hold of her seatbelt. Slowly, he locked it into place before he sat back down into his seat.

“You’re the loud one,” she whispered as she felt her head start to get heavy. He chuckled as he put on his own seat belt the same time he began to pull out of the parking spot.

“I beg to differ,” he teased as he continued driving down the street towards his apartment. 

A pout fell onto her lips as she reached towards him, taking a hold of his free hand and interlocking their fingers. “Don’t be mean,” she mumbled as he raised his hand up and kissed the back of her hand.

“How am I being mean?” he asked while laughing.

“You’re laughing at me again!” she mumbled as she pulled her hand away from him. He rolled his eyes playfully as he reached over and took a hold of her thigh. His thumb started gliding along her skin. She tilted her head back, looking towards Jack.

“I’m not laughing at you, baby,” he let out through a grin. “You’re just adorable,” he teased. She rolled her eyes dramatically as she stared towards his hand on her thigh. Her fingertips trialed over his hand. 

The drive back to his apartment only took a few more minutes. He pulled up towards his parking spot and put the car into park and instantly took his keys out. “Almost there, my love,” he mumbled as he pushed the car door open. She let out a dramatic sigh as she began trying to take the seat belt off of her frame. She unbuckled it and pulled it from her frame.

He slammed his car door shut as he jogged around towards the passenger side, where she had already opened the door. Jack held the door open, waiting for her to climb out of the car. It took her several seconds but she was able to stand up from the seat. Her clutch purse in her hand. 

Lifting her head up slowly, delayed as her vision was blurred slightly. He took a hold of her waist, guiding her away from the passenger door. He slammed it shut and took a hold of his keys to lock his car. “Let’s get you ready for bed,” he whispered in her ear before pressing his lips against her cheek. He kept both hands on her waist as he helped her towards the lobby doors. 

“I’m not tired,” she mumbled as she straightened her poster slightly as he guided her towards the doors.

“Oh really?” he asked teasingly before he pressed his lips against her shoulder. She hummed dramatically as she pulled away from his grasp. He let his arms hang beside him as he watched her take fast steps away from him. She spun around and began to walk backwards. 

“I’ve got big plans for you tonight,” she teased as she continued walking ahead, she smirked as she scanned his frame. 

Jack rolled his eyes playfully. There would be no plans. She was too drunk to even stand up without swaying back and forth. He would never even think about doing anything with her in this state, despite her best efforts. It was almost definite that she would fall asleep the second her head hit the pillow in his bedroom.

“Big plans?” he asked teasingly as he walked up towards her, replanting his hands onto her hips. She pressed her back against his chest for support.

“So many,” she mumbled as they entered the lobby, he nodded towards the night desk clerk before he walked towards the elevator. “I’m gonna let you do–”

“Okay!” he interrupted her as he quickly pushed the elevator door button several times. Jack glanced towards the person at the desk before he spun their bodies around. He leaned into her ear, “Quiet baby,” he whispered before he pressed his lips just beneath her ear.

“Make me,” she let out teasingly. Jack’s eyes widened, his mouth fell open. She spun around, resting her hands on the base of his neck. She looked deeply into his eyes as the elevator doors opened behind them. Without hesitation, Jack guided her into the elevator, practically lifting her into the elevator. 

“We’re not doing this,” Jack let out as a soft chuckle fell from his lips.

Her hands started gliding through his hair as her lips fell into a pout. Jack leaned back, pressing the button for his floor. “Why not?” she whined as she leaned towards him, pecking his lips briefly.

He chuckled as he leaned back. “You are drunk,” he explained as he raised his and up and brushed a few pieces of hair away from her face.

“So?” she let out as her body leaned into him. He stablized her as he tilted his head to the side, looking into her drunken gaze. “You can still kiss me,” she offered as her gaze dipped towards his lips.

“Maybe,” he mumbled as the doors soon opened to reveal his floor. Slowly, he spun her body around as he rested his hands onto her waist again. “Remember, gotta be quiet, baby,” he whispered as they walked up towards the door.

“Make me,” she teased again. He squeezed her hips before he looped one of his hands around her stomach before he pulled his keys from his pocket. 

“Please,” he let out as he unlocked the door and pushed it open. She nodded as Jack began to guide her inside. Her heels instantly started clacking against the hardwood flooring. He cringed at every step she made. Luke was always a light sleeper and hated getting woken up. Jack did not want to have to deal with that.

She reached towards the wall beside the door for support, her heels hitting the floor harder it seemed. Jack clenched his jaw as the sound echoed through the quiet apartment.

Jack reached towards her, taking a hold of her waist and lifting her up from the ground. Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck for support. “Hey! Wh-What are you doing?” she let out loudly. 

Jack delicately tapped his hand against the back of her thighs, “Shhh,” he let out as he carried her towards the couch.

Carefully, he placed her down onto the couch. Slowly, he glided his hands away from her frame as he sat down beside her. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment as her lips fell into a dramatic pout. 

“You’re not very nice,” she whispered dramatically. He smirked as he looked down towards her. Delicately, he took a hold of her legs, draping them over his lap. Teasingly he ran his hand up and down her legs. He watched her tilt her head back and let out a huff of air.

“How am I not nice?” he asked teasingly as he lifted one of her legs up as he took a hold of her heel and delicately pulled it from her foot. He leaned down and placed it down onto the floor. Slowly, he did the same with her other heel.

“You won’t kiss me,” she let out while shaking her head dramatically. Her eyes widened as she suddenly got dizzy. He chuckled as he lifted her legs up so he could stand up from the couch. Carefully, he leaned down and took a hold of her heels. 

“Let me get you ready for bed and then maybe I’ll kiss you,” he teased as he placed her heels near the shoe rack by the front door. Quickly kicking his own shoes near the rack, he jogged back towards the couch. Her eyes were shut as she was letting her head hang slightly. 

He leaned down and took a hold of her arms, trying to make her stand up. “No, I’m good here,” she whined out. Jack chuckled as he pulled her up anyway. Her eyes opened up and she reluctantly stood up in front of him. “I–I was comfy,” she mumbled.

“You’ll be more comfy in bed, come on baby,” he whispered as he guided her towards his bedroom. His hands were on her waist, practically holding her up since she was so tired. She hummed as he pushed open the door. Slowly, she pulled away from his grasp as she practically nose dived towards the bed. 

Jack leaped towards her trying to stop her from falling onto the bed. He stopped as he watched her grip the comforter tightly beneath her head. He smiled softly as he walked towards the door and shut it.

“Honey, do you wanna go take a shower or get into something more comfortable?” he offered as he walked towards the bed. She hummed as she kept her body on the bed. He sat down beside her, he brushed a few pieces of hair away from her face, “Come on, baby,” he offered.

“No, I’m comfy here,” she mumbled.

“I’m going to grab some clothes for you, okay?” he explained. She nodded as she fluttered her eyes open. He stood up and walked towards his closet, glancing towards Y/N. Her body was hanging half of the bed. He rolled his eyes playfully as he took the first t-shirt he saw off the hanger. He took a hold of a pair of shorts that she left behind a few weeks back.

He stepped out of the closet and walked towards the bed. “Y/N,” he let out softly as he watched her reluctantly sit up.

“You’re trying to get me naked,” she offered as she looked up towards him as he walked towards her. He chuckled as he held up the t-shirt and shorts towards her. 

“Oh, is that what I’m doing?” he asked teasingly. She reached towards him, taking the clothes. Y/N nodded dramatically as she switched her gaze towards the clothes. “Oh, so I’m not being a caring boyfriend?” he offered. She shook her head slowly as she stood up. Jack took a hold of her waist, helping her keep her balance. “Let me help you,” he whispered.

“Okay,” she mumbled, nodding along slightly as she allowed him to help her get changed into something more comfy. 

After a few seconds, she was in a new outfit, less restricting than her clubbing outfit. Jack glided his hand down her back as he tossed her clothes towards the corner of his room. “How are you feeling, baby?” Jack asked as he guided her towards the bed again. He took the comforter and tossed it lower slightly.

“I wish you were at the club with me tonight,” she mumbled as she sat down onto the bed. Y/N looked up towards Jack, her eyes softening. 

“Yeah?” he asked softly as he took a hold of her legs, helping her lay down completely. 

“The music was so good,” she mumbled as Jack took the ends of the comforter and covered it over her frame. Y/N took a deep breath as she met Jack’s gaze. “We would’ve danced so much,” she slurred as she smashed her face deeper into the pillow. Jack chuckled as he glided his hand along her side. 

“Next time honey,” he let out as he pressed his lips to her forehead. She smiled as her eyes shut delicately. Jack chuckled as he stood up and walked towards the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom. 

He flipped the light on as he walked towards the bathroom counter that had a package of her makeup remover wipes. He pulled one out and began to walk back towards the bed. 

A soft smile formed to his lips as he watched her roll onto her back. “I love you,” she slurred out, keeping her eyes shut. 

“I love you more, beautiful,” he whispered as he walked towards the bed, sitting down beside her. Slowly, he began to wipe the makeup from her face. He knew that she would feel much better in the morning. 

“You take such good care of me,” she mumbled as a soft smile formed to her lips.

“Get some sleep, baby,” he whispered as he leaned down and delicately pressed his lips against her forward.

[lyvhie]

okay hi haechan anon again!! im back with another request! so I'm missing my taeyong a lot (hashtag military wife..) and I was listening to 2 baddies as any baddie would and. the line "now you wanna ride these wheels" had my legs FOLDED 🥴 those wheels aren't the only thing I wanna ride.

and that brings me to my request. riding tyongie pretty pretty please???

── .✦ everybody makes mistakes

ex-bf!lee taeyong x fem!reader

𓂃 ࣪˖ summary: You were going through a busy time in your life, and going to a party was supposed to help you relax a little and... Well, your ex certainly turned out to be a good distraction. 𓂃 ࣪˖ cw: smut, riding, car sex, unprotected sex, creampie because why not 😞, pet names. 𓂃 ࣪˖ a/n: HIIII, ANOOOON!!! GLAD YOU'RE STILL HERE 😚😚 i get you... i feel like we are 12949 years without tyong, we need him back ASAP, i can't have a happy life if taeyong isn't here PLEASE. ANYWAYS, I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS ONE!

This was definitely not part of the plan. It was supposed to be a fun night at your friend's party—a chance to unwind and forget about the chaos that had taken over your life lately. Honestly, you hadn’t even planned on coming, but your friends had insisted, saying some fresh air would do you good. You finally caved, figuring what was the harm?

Wrong decision.

If you had known your ex-boyfriend would be there, you’d have stayed home.

You thought you were over him, it had been months since the breakup, after all. There was no reason to panic, you told yourself. Besides, he hadn’t even seemed to notice you were there. You could enjoy the night without a care. Or so you thought.

Your eyes kept drifting to him, as if drawn by some invisible force. Watching how he moved through the crowd, laughing, leaning in to whisper things in people’s ears, flashing that smile that used to make your heart race. The same smile he was now directing at others.

You took a deep breath, forcing yourself to tear your gaze away from him. Focus on your drink. Your friends. Literally anything else, you told yourself, desperate to ignore the annoying tightness in your chest every time you caught sight of him leaning in close to someone else. But it was no use.

You didn’t even need to look. You could feel it. His eyes were on you, burning with that same intensity you’d once found irresistible. Against your better judgment, you glanced over and instantly regretted it.

There he was, lips curling into a smirk, that infuriating, knowing expression that only made your stomach twist further. And then, as if the universe itself was playing a cruel joke, he started walking toward you.

Your heart skipped, and you quickly looked away, pretending to be engrossed in whatever your friends were laughing about. You even forced out a chuckle, hoping it sounded convincing.

Taeyong, of course, wasn’t fooled. He thought it was cute, how bad you were at subtlety, how transparent you always were when you tried to act cool, just as he remembered. If anything, it made him want to reach you faster.

From the moment he approached you and murmured a soft “hey,” everything became a haze, your senses drowning in the intensity of his presence. You remembered the way he leaned in, his lips so close to your ear that his warm breath sent shivers down your spine. His voice was low and familiar, dripping with charm as he told you how much he missed you, how surprised he was to see you there when he knew this wasn’t your usual scene.

His hand had found its way to your waist, his touch firm but not forceful, as if asking for permission rather than demanding it. You hadn’t stopped him. The heat of his body pressed against yours was both comforting and electric, stirring something in you that you thought had long been buried.

Every subtle gesture—a thumb tracing lazy circles on your hip, the way his fingers lingered just a moment too long as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear, the way his gaze never wavered from yours—pulled you deeper into the gravity of his orbit. You knew you should step back, but instead, you let yourself lean into the closeness, into him, even though you both knew exactly where this would lead.

And all of it led to a kiss, slow, as if to test the waters, then deepening with the kind of urgency that only old lovers can share. That kiss led to lovely whispers and stolen touches, and before you knew it, you were in the parking lot, your heart pounding as he opened the door to the backseat of his car.

The air between you was thick with tension, your breaths mingling as he pulled you close, his hands finding your waist like they never forgot the shape of you. It was reckless and impulsive, the kind of decision that you knew you’d question later—but right now, with his lips on yours and the heat of his body pressed against you, it felt like the only decision to make.

His hands gripped the soft flesh of your thighs, his fingers pressing firmly into your skin as he held you down against him. His mouth was relentless, his tongue exploring yours with a fervor that made your breath hitch. Your hips began to move instinctively, a slow grind against him that drew a deep groan from his lips. The confined space of the car only heightened the heat between you, every movement feeling more intense, more urgent in the close quarters.

You felt his hands slip to the hem of your shirt, ready to pull it over your head, but you stopped him just in time, pulling away from the kiss, both of you panting softly.

"This is a bad idea," you whispered, though your body leaned into his, contradicting your words.

"Maybe," he murmured, his lips brushing against your neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses that made your resolve waver. You tilted your head slightly, giving him more access.

"We really shouldn't be doing this," you tried to reason, though your hands remained on him, your touch lingering.

“You can blame the alcohol if it helps," he suggested, his lips tracing a path up to your jaw before capturing your mouth again. You didn't resist, kissing him back.

"I didn't drink that much," you argued softly.

"Then blame me," his hand drifting lower, inching toward the space between your legs, sending a wave of anticipation through you. "You're always good at that."

"Shut up," you retorted, nipping at his lower lip, earning a hiss and a soft chuckle from him. “Tell me to stop," he said, brushing a strand of hair from your face, his lips hovering just above yours. "And I will, pretty.”

Yes, you just needed to say the word and get out of his car. Of course, that would be the right thing to do, but... you were already this far.

You would blame him.

"Fuck, I'm gonna regret this," you muttered before crashing your lips against his again, kissing him more fervently than before, grinding against him harder, his bulge applying just the right amount of pressure against your core.

Your hands fumbled with the button of his pants, a mix of nerves and anticipation guiding your movements. He was quick to undo yours in return, his desperation evident as he helped you, pulling his pants down just enough while you slipped out of yours along with your panties, leaving no barriers between you.

His hands gripped your hips, guiding you over him, one of your hands rested on his shoulder for balance while the other slid down, wrapping around his hard cock. It throbbed under your touch, and he let out a soft moan at the slightest contact. You stroked him slowly, savoring the way he responded, before lowering yourself just enough to let the tip brush along your slick slit.

He groaned, his fingers tightening on your hips, urging you to stop teasing. "Don't play with me," he murmured, his voice thick with desire. You smiled faintly, enjoying the rare moment of control you had over him, but your own need was overwhelming.

With a soft exhale, you slowly sank down onto him, both of you gasping as he stretched you, filling you completely. Fuck, how he missed this—the feeling of your warm heat enveloping him, just as tight as he remembered. He buried his face in your neck, inhaling your intoxicating scent, his breath hot against your skin.

“You feel so good," he murmured, his voice muffled against your skin, sending a shiver down your spine. You missed this feeling too, the delicious stretch of him inside you, your walls fluttering around him, as if your body was echoing the same sentiment. He bit your neck to muffle a moan, the sound vibrating through you.

And for a few seconds, you both stayed like that, motionless, just reveling in the feeling of him taking up all the space in your pussy. Then, slowly, you began to move, rolling your hips over him before lifting yourself just enough and sinking back down, drawing moans from both of you. His hands slid down to cup your ass, fingers digging in as he followed your movements, his head falling back against the seat with a deep groan.

Your movements were slow at first, teasing, but you quickly found your rhythm, pressing down on him, the sensation sending waves of heat through your body. The heat between you was unbearable, the cramped space of the car amplifying every sound—the wet glide of your bodies, the breathless moans, the creak of the leather seat beneath you.

His hands moved back to your waist and his grip on you tightened, fingers pressing into your flesh as he urged you to move faster. You picked up speed, setting a pace that felt good for you, making him gasp with each roll of your hips.

"That's it, baby," he groaned, lifting his head to watch where your bodies met, eyes dark with hunger. "Just like that... take me deeper."

You bit your lip, trying to stifle a whimper as you obeyed, bouncing harder, grinding down to feel every inch of him. The pleasure was dizzying, overwhelming, stealing what little self-control you had left. His hands left your hips, moving up your body, dragging your shirt up to expose more of your skin.

“Fuck, look at you," he murmured, leaning in to capture one of your nipples in his mouth, his tongue flicking over the sensitive bud. The sensation sent a shockwave through your body, making you clench around him.

A deep, guttural moan tore from his throat as he thrust up into you slightly, meeting your movements. "Shit—keep that up, and I won't last," he warned, voice strained. But you didn't stop. You couldn't. You were too close, too lost in the way he filled you perfectly, the way his body fit against yours like he was made for you.

Your fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer to kiss you, the heat between you both intensifying. Just as he had said, he wouldn’t last much longer. It wasn't just because it felt incredible, but because it was you.

“Don’t stop,” he murmured, almost a plea, his thighs tensing beneath you. His chest rose and fell in uneven breaths, every little sound he made pushing you closer to the edge too, but you weren’t there yet.

You didn’t need to say anything; your body said enough. The way you moved, the way you squeezed him with every roll of your hips—it was too much. His grip on you tightened as he groaned deep, his body shuddering beneath you as he came, his release spilling inside you as you kept moving, letting him ride it out.

But he didn’t stop there—you still needed to finish too, and now it was his turn to take care of you. His arms wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling you flush against him as he buried his face in your neck. Even with his body still trembling from his own release, he started moving again, thrusting up into you with deep, desperate strokes.

A shaky whine escaped his lips as the overstimulation hit him, but he didn’t let up, his grip on you firm, determined. “Gotta make you feel good too,” he murmured against your skin, his voice strained, breathless.

Each thrust sent waves of pleasure crashing through you, your walls fluttering around him, dragging him deeper despite the sensitivity. His name spilled from your lips, hands fisting in his hair as he held you close, chasing your release like it was the only thing that mattered.

His breath was hot against your neck, his movements growing sloppier, more desperate, but he didn’t stop—not until he had you right where he wanted. His fingers slid down between your bodies, finding your most sensitive spot, rubbing slow, deliberate circles that made your thighs tremble around him.

"Come on, baby," he coaxed, voice hoarse, lips brushing your ear. Your grip on him tightened as pleasure coiled low in your stomach, the pressure building with every stroke, every thrust. His name tumbled from your lips, breathless and needy, and he groaned at how good you sounded.

And then, with one more deep, well-angled thrust, pleasure crashed over you. Your body tensed before melting into his, a broken moan leaving your lips as your release washed through you. He groaned at the feeling of you tightening around him, his arms holding you steady as you rode out your high.

Even as your body sagged against his, he pressed a lingering kiss to your shoulder, his breaths ragged, shaky. “That’s my girl,” he whispered, tracing slow circles on your back as he helped you come down.

It wasn’t the smartest decision, you knew that. But, in that moment, you felt... satisfied.

You pulled away slightly to meet his eyes. Your friends had been right, maybe you did need to let go of the weight on your shoulders and relax a little.

"Wanna come home?"

↝ taglist: @yizhrt, @sinisxtea, @peterm4rker.

[yourislandgirl]

*:ꔫ:*ₓₒ RAMEN RESOLUTIONS ˚ ༘♡ੈ✩ || 이히승 x fem!reader || drabble

— KISS ME, DON’T SAY NO series

summary: sometimes all you need is someone who tries, because they love you. heeseung was your someone, and he’d move mountains to prove it . or make you some ramen.. rain check on the mountains

genres: fluff, romance, non-idol!heeseung x non-idol!reader, est. relationship

warnings: attempts at humour, the smallest hint of angst, heeseung’s poor choice in skincare

[archive]

You were extremely annoyed.

Last night was… a mess. And you didn’t even have the time to ruminate on it since your day started off late — you missed your bus, you had to take an uber to campus, you made a stupid mistake on your quiz and lost three marks because of it, and to top it all off you had to walk home in the rain because you forgot to check the weather forecast for the afternoon.

You were cold, shivering a little, hair sticking to your forehead, damp and kinda gross. It was an odd feeling to be sweating while the weather was so cold but it couldn’t be helped as you rushed into your apartment, only stopping to finally take a breath when you entered the elevator.

You leaned against the elevator walls, pushing your hair off of your cheeks. There was no way today could get worse.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket and as you pulled it out, you took a deep breath in. Heeseung’s bright smile graced your screen, the name ‘Hee-man🧍‍♂️’ at the top.

“Oh god,” you muttered to yourself. It was bracing, those tense three seconds where you wait whilst deciding whether to pick up the phone or let it keep ringing. Truth be told, you loved your boyfriend, you loved him to the ends of the earth, but after such a shitty fight the night before, followed by such a shitty day, well…

You exhaled, and answered the call.

“Hi,” your voice was soft.

“Hey.”

You felt your stomach flip. Two years and you still could not control that reaction every time you heard his voice.

more under cut !!

Heeseung sighed before continuing, “Look, I know you had long classes today, and I know all you wanna do is just relax but… I was hoping we could talk?”

“Um,” you glanced at the number on the elevators monitor, your floor was next. “Okay, yeah, okay.” It was like you were trying to convince yourself that it would be alright. “It’s just that, I only just got home.”

“That’s fine,” Heeseung chuckled, “I’m at your apartment.”

You froze, almost forgetting to get off the elevator as the door opened. “I- what?”

It was like you could see Heeseung shrugging as he went “Mhm, I was hoping you’d say yes.”

“A bit presumptuous, huh?”

“I like to think it’s because I know you so well,” he chuckled.

You slowed down your pace, a few steps away from your door.

It was never fun to fight with him, the few fights you’ve had you’d resolved quickly, but last night was different. It was the first time either of you went to bed without fixing things. But even in the midst of nerves and the buzzing sensation from how overstimulated you were from your day, Heeseung had managed to calm you down in about five seconds.

You really wanted to fix things. And you hoped that’s what he wanted too.

As you stepped through the threshold of your door, you smiled at the warmth that filled your home.

He’d turned the heater on in the living room, he was listening to the playlist you made for him and he was… in the kitchen?

“What are you doing?” You dropped your bag and coat on the dining table chairs, unclipping your hair to start drying it.

Heeseung smirked, glancing up from the cutting board. “Ramyeon,” he said, simply using his thumb to gesture behind him at your stove. A copper pot sat on top with a delicious, spicy scent wafting out. Heeseung carefully added some small squares of fish cakes before turning down the heat to let it simmer.

You leaned against the counter, observing his movements as he let out an awkward cough, shuffling a little closer to you.

“I, uh… I know that there are a few things we need to talk about and, um, I want to sit down and properly explain my side and hear your side and just…”

You held his hand, stopping him from waving them around in a frenzy as he tried to find the words to explain what you already knew. “I get it,” you whispered. “You wanna work this out.”

Heeseung gave your hand a squeeze, a silent confirmation.

The relief that washed over you was worth every nitty gritty annoyance that you went through today.

“It was just some miscommunication, baby.” Heeseung pulled you closer by your waist. “I didn’t like how we left it last night so, I figured I’d do something nice, let you know that I’m sorry for that. And maybe we could just eat some ramyeon together and I can help you relax before we talk about this?”

You fought the smile but it slowly bloomed on your face. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know,” he shrugged. “But just because we had a fight doesn’t mean we don’t love each other, right?”

You nodded, burying your face into his chest. “You’re right,” you whispered, your voice muffled by the material of his shirt.

Heeseung pulled back a little, his eyes darting down and back up, holding himself back from leaning closer.

He settled his gaze on your lips. “I wanna kiss you right now.” The heat of his breath brushed against your cheeks.

You didn’t trust your voice to respond, opting to lean closer, closing your eyes and melting into his touch.

Heeeseung hands slid up your arm, reaching to cup your face, smiling into the kiss. It felt that much more special to know the love you shared wasn’t dependent on good moods and easy going days. Heeseung gave you the freedom to feel and the agency to express every emotion. Willing to slow down and solve the issue together because your love isn’t something finite. Heeseung made you feel worthy of asking for that love, he made you feel worthy of accepting that love, even when you weren’t at your best self.

“We’ll be alright,” he murmured against your hairline.

You giggled under your breath, before screwing your eyes shut. “Oh, babe… Your fingers smell like fish cakes.”

“But you love fish cakes.”

“Not as skin care!”

a.n: first instalment of the ‘kiss me don’t say no’ drabble series !! welcome to the month of love everyone <333

taglist: @oceanstide — @sheepsgf

2025 © yourislandgirl

[ni-idea-07]

you will never be alone again.

Platonic Yandere Jason Todd X Reader.

TW: illegitimate siblings, cheating, mild yandere, mutilation threats, non-graphic mutilation, paranoia, threats. English is not my first language, sorry if there are mistakes

Somehow Jason found out he had a younger sister. It didn't really matter how he found out, but he was excited and panicked at the same time. Well, he had a lot more emotions on his mind.

He had to find you and see you for the first time in person which touched him the most.

You weren't of age yet and you weren't a baby, you could take care of yourself, but he wouldn't allow you to be alone like he was in the past.

–"Hey, brat, how much for a candy?"

You were surprised when he asked you, after all he was twice your size and he didn't seem like the kind of person who would buy the ugly and cheap candy you sold out of obligation.

Once you told him the price, he pulled out his wallet, a rather full one, you threw away the box of candy and took his wallet from him, leaving him with a smile.

He wouldn't chase you, he already knew where you would go.

Like every night you returned to the shelter where they let you sleep, that night you slept well, when you gave the money to the "Madam" - as everyone called her - she let you sleep in a bed and gave you decent food. She always took in children and forced them to sell candy so they would bring money, if they didn't bring anything at the end of the day they wouldn't eat, but those who brought enough money could eat and sleep well for a week.

The next morning you woke up feeling strangely satisfied. You had brought more money than usual and you hadn't had to run too much to get it. The "Madam" had given you a decent bed and a hot meal, which was a luxury in your daily life. But that feeling of security didn't last long.

As you stepped out onto the street with your box of candy in hand, you ran into the same man from the night before.

Jason Todd.

You didn't know his name yet, but his presence was impossible to ignore. Tall, muscular, and with an expression that seemed a mix of amusement and something more... dark.

–"Morning, little thief"– he greeted you with a sly smile, leaning against a lamppost. I hope you slept well with my money.

Your body tensed. It wasn't the first time you'd stolen, but you'd never encountered someone who came back for what was theirs. Or worse, who seemed to enjoy the game.

–"I don't know what you're talking about" – you muttered, feigning disinterest as you tried to walk away.

Jason chuckled, but his hand moved quickly, catching your wrist with ease. He didn't hurt you, but his grip was firm.

–"Oh, come on. Don't worry about it."

–"Consider it a gift."– He leaned in a little, his voice dropping to a whisper. –"But tell me, do you like that place?"

Your expression hardened. You didn't understand what he meant.

–"I mean, the 'Madam' and her cute way of treating children. Making them work for their own food... that doesn't sound very fair, does it?"

Your stomach clenched. You didn't know why, but something about the way he said it made you feel uncomfortable.

–"It's none of your business"– you muttered, trying to let go of your wrist.

Jason didn't budge. His eyes, a deep blue, shone with something you couldn't figure out.

–"It is. And even more now that I know you're my sister...."

Your breathing stopped.

–"What... what did you say?"– you whispered, feeling the world around you shake.

Jason smirked, as if he'd been waiting for that reaction.

–"Yes. You're my little sister. I looked into it."

–"Don't worry about the details, the important thing is that I found you."

His other hand rose to ruffle your hair with a strange tenderness-. And now that I know you exist, I'm not leaving you alone in this hole.

Your instinct told you to run. To flee immediately. But Jason's grip tightened a little more, as if he could read your mind.

–"Calm down. You don't have to decide anything now."

His smile turned a little colder. –"But I'll make one thing clear to you..."

He leaned in, his breath brushing your ear.

–"If that woman ever lays her hands on you again or forces you to work one more day... I'll cut off her fingers, one by one."

A chill ran down your spine. There was no anger in his tone. There were no screams or empty threats. Just a promise said with the calmness of someone who would really do it without thinking twice.

And for some reason you knew he meant it.

Things went on as usual for the next few days... or at least, that's what you tried to convince yourself. But the feeling that someone was watching you never went away. Sometimes, when you turned a corner, you saw a silhouette that disappeared too quickly. Other times, you felt a presence nearby when you were selling candy, as if someone was making sure everything went well.

And worst of all: every time you brought money to the shelter, the Madam would You looked more closely. Something had changed in her attitude.

One night, when you returned after a particularly long day, you found her waiting for you with her arms crossed and a tight smile.

–"You've been bringing too much money lately."– Her voice sounded sweeter than usual, which only put you more on alert. –Who have you been kidding, sweetheart?"

Your jaw clenched. You knew any wrong answer could cost you dearly.

–"I'm just selling well"– you replied calmly.

The Madam clicked her tongue, approaching with slow steps.

–"Don't lie to me. I've seen that man following you. Tall, leather jacket... too well dressed to be a common customer."

Your stomach churned. You couldn't deny the obvious.

–"I don't know what you're talking about."

The slap came before you could react. Your cheek burned, but you didn't make a sound. It wouldn't be the first time this happened, and you knew that reacting would only make her continue.

–"Listen to me, you little shit"– her voice sounded icy. "If you're saving money or if you're thinking of leaving, you'll regret it."

You didn't answer. You knew you didn't need to.

That night, as you lay down on the bed you'd won, fear settled in your chest. Not just because of the Madam, but because you knew Jason was right. You weren't going to last much longer here.

And sure enough, the next day, Jason stopped watching from the shadows and took matters into his own hands.

When you left the shelter, you found him waiting for you right outside, leaning against his bike with a bored expression.

–"Good morning, sis. Ready to move in with me?"

You opened your mouth to refuse, but he just held up a hand, stopping you.

–"I don't want to hear excuses. I know what that witch did to you last night."

His gaze hardened for a moment. –"I made sure she never touches you again."

Your body tensed.

–"What did you do?"

Jason shrugged nonchalantly.

–"Nothing too drastic... yet. I just made it clear that if she tried to hurt you again, she'd lose more than just her fingers."

You didn't know what that meant exactly. You didn't want to know.

But when you looked back at the shelter, you saw the Madam peering through the window, her face pale as a ghost.

Your chest tightened. You didn't want to admit it... but being with Jason seemed safer than staying here.

The days with Jason in his apartment were... strange.

The place was horrible, unkempt and almost empty.

There was no decoration, just some functional furniture and a couple of guns lying around, as if they were decorations. The smell of gunpowder, cigarettes and old coffee permeated the air. Still, everything was in perfect order. Jason had made an effort to clean the apartment because he was afraid that you were allergic to dust.

Still, the real danger was him.

Jason was not normal.

From the first day, he behaved intensely. He wouldn't let you go out alone, always having an excuse to accompany you. He insisted on knowing what you were doing all the time and, if you took longer than expected in the bathroom or kitchen, he called your name impatiently, as if he was afraid that you would disappear.

And when you didn't get an answer right away... well, you'd learned that Jason didn't have much patience

One time, you locked yourself in the bathroom for a few minutes longer than usual because you wanted some peace. You hadn't thought it would be a problem... until you heard a loud BANG and the sound of the door being smashed in.

Jason walked in with his gun drawn, his eyes red with fury and his breathing ragged.

–"What the hell were you doing!?"– he demanded.

Your heart stopped.

–"I... I was just in the bathroom..."

Jason stared at you for a second, then let out a shaky breath.

–"Don't do that. Don't make me worry like that."

And then, without warning, he hugged you.

It wasn't a warm, comforting hug. It was tight, suffocating, almost desperate.

–"You can't leave me alone. Not again."

His words made your blood run cold.

Again.

You had no idea who he was referring to. But in that moment, you knew it didn't matter.

Jason wasn't sane.

And you were stuck with him.

==================================

Thanks for reading.

Interactions and reblogs are encouraged and appreciated.

Regards.🫠

[lieutenantbatshit]

CHAPTER 08 - once you go in, there's no turning back (hwang in ho x reader)

>> MASTERLIST

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You nearly passed out after the six-legged pentathlon game. You didn't realize as soon as you went back to the dormitory, you were fast asleep on supposedly on Hyun-ju's bed, but she didn't mind.

You felt your throat starting to sore, probably from the screaming you did earlier. You were in need of water so much. Plus, you felt your head throb a bit as you realized that you haven't had any breakfast yet.

"Oh, so that's how you got yourself those too?" You heard Guem-ja asked, but you didn't listen that much. It seemed she was talking to Hyun-just, hearing her deep, raspy voice close to... a man?

You didn't judge. In fact, it wasn't a problem at all. She still seems nice, and whatever made her decide to press O probably had something to do with her transforming. You knew how expensive those procedures were, yet you can't help but feel a sense of admiration for her as she continues to embrace herself, one where she's confident and feels true to her.

You head the door open as footsteps thudded to the ground. You slowly open your eyes, noticing a blanket tucked over you. Hyun-ju turned her attention to you and gave you a smile. Realizing you were sleeping on someone's bed, you quickly sat up and bowed. "Oh, I'm sorry for sleeping here. I felt so dizzy after the game."

"It's alright," Hyun-ju assured. "Did you have a good nap?"

You nodded, tucking away the blanket. "Very much so. I feel better now."

"That young lady made it!" You heard Geum-ja say excitedly.

"Who?" Yong-sik asked, scanning the room.

"The tiny young lady," Geum-ja replied. You quickly looked at the group of people walking, seeing Gi-hun, Jung-bae, Dae-ho, In-ho, and Player 222.

You rose from the bed and climbed down, waving your hand at Jung-bae who saw you. "Hey!"

Geum-ja and Yong-sik waved as well, seeing the relief in their faces, especially for Geum-ja. You knew how she must probably care for Player 222 so much, and you couldn't help but feel the same. You sighed in relief as you realized that they survived.

"I'll just go with them for awhile," you bowed to the group. "They're my friends. Are you guys going to be okay here?"

Geum-ja held both of your hands and caressed them with her thumb, feeling some sort of motherly care in the place. "Yes, yes. As long as you take care of yourself, alright? Please also tell me if that young lady needs anything," she pointed to Player 222 whose back was already turned, motioning for Gi-hun's group position. "I used to care for pregnant women, so please, please let me know if she's feeling anything, okay?"

You nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "I will. Thank you, eomoni."

You gave Yong-sik, Hyun-ju, and Young-mi a bow before turning away, making your way towards Gi-hun group. They seemed to be in the middle of conversation, hearing Dae-ho explain about his father fighting in the Vietnam war. You noticed In-ho smiling, his aura light and expressive that was completely different when you first saw him, and how he dismissed you earlier.

Dae-ho stood up and looked at you, noticing you were already there. He excitedly waves his hand, motioning for you to join. Jung-bae and Gi-hun smiled at you, and Player 222 motioned a space for you to sit. You avoided your gaze from In-ho, noticing how he was looking at you intently again.

"Listen, perhaps we should learn each other's names," Dae-ho said eagerly. "I still don't know your names, gentlemen. Or yours, miss," he looked at Player 222. He took a deep breath and held out his arm. "I'll start. I'm Kang Dae-ho. Dae means 'big', Ho means 'tiger'."

"Wow, big tiger. Cool name," Jung-bae chuckled as he motioned his hand like a claw, imitating a tiger. He then turned his eyes to everyone. "My name is Park Jung-bae. Righteous and twice. My parents wanted me to be twice as righteous."

Player 222 spoke quietly. "My name is Kim Jun-hee. I don't know what it means though."

"Hmm," you placed your hand on your chin as if to think. "I think it means something related to a lucky charm."

"That's right!" Jung-bae exclaimed. "She flipped the ddakji on the first try. It was so cool!"

You chuckled and gave Jun-hee a small pat on her shoulder, her face lighting up as she smiled. Just then, you heard In-ho speak up, looking at Jun-hee. "Jun-hee, when you get out of here, go see a doctor right away. You've been under a lot of stress. You need to get yourself checked out."

Jun-hee nodded in agreement. You rubbed her back as you felt her tense a bit, probably not used to the attention that much. She gave you a small smile as she held her belly.

"I'm Oh Young-il."

Your hand stopped as you looked at In-ho, or Young-il, as he introduced himself. You raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering why he didn't give his real name. He seemed to avoid your gaze as he spoke, his lips twitching a bit. Your instinct tells you that he was lying, but at the same time, you started to question yourself.

Was he really not the In-ho you knew? Is that why it seemed as if he dismissed you? Were you just dreaming when you saw him hear you call his name? Was it all just a dream?

"Young-il?" You asked confusingly. He looked at you abruptly then turned to his tracksuit, now avoiding your gaze. You knew he was lying.

"Young-il sounds like 'zero one', and that's my number," he chuckled, still avoiding your gaze as he looked at Jung-bae instead. "Easy to remember."

"Oh, that's true!" Dae-ho exclaimed, pointing his finger at Young-il's tracksuit. "Your name is your number."

Young-il looked at Gi-hun and proceeded to ask. "Oh, Gi-hun. What's your last name?"

"My name is Seong Gi-hun," Gi-hun replied, looking at everyone.

"Seong literally means last name," In-ho laughed, much to everyone's confusion. Each of you stared at him weirdly as his laughter continued. You eyed him as you noticed him looking at everyone, the only exception was you.

He was clearly lying, and him avoiding his eye contact with you was enough to determine that he's under a fake name. You decided to stay silent, but planned to confront him after when everyone isn't around.

You snapped away from your thoughts when the alarm buzzed, the doors opening to reveal the group of guards.

"Congratulations to all of you for making it through the second game," the square-masked guard announced. "Here are the results of the second game." He motioned his arm with a remote in his hand, pointing it to the piggy bank.

The lights dimmed, the piggy bank now acting as the light in the room. The TV displayed the growing number of the prize money as money rained inside the piggy bank, much to everyone in awe.

"In the second game, 110 players were eliminated. The prize money accumulated up to this point is 20.1 billion won. Since there are 255 players remaining, each person's share is 78,823,530 won."

"Wait, what?" Another player exclaimed, seeing his patch with the O sign. "It's still under 100 million? It's not even 80 million."

"Only 110 people died? Is that all?" Another player asked, much to your disbelief. "Did you count them right?"

Only 110 people? If this was held in the outside world, this was already considered a massacre. In just 2 days, 110 people already died by just playing children's games. This was madness. The world was a scary place indeed.

"Fuck. I almost died twice, and that's all I get?" You heard another player say near you. "I'd get more money than that if I let somebody beat me up!"

You looked at him in disbelief, trying to make sense of how these people can be okay with people dying here at the expense of money.

"I completely understand your disappointment," the square-masked guard said. "However, we always keep the door open for you to pursue new opportunities. You will now take a vote to decide whether to continue the games or not." The circle-masked guards from behind brought the voting machine consisting of the O and X buttons. You didn't realize how it looked more like a gift box, with a ribbon wrapped around the top. "Whether to continue the games for a bigger prize or to stop here is entirely your choice."

You scoffed. "We're being manipulated in this game. Trying to not take any accountability, huh." You muttered to yourself.

"Please feel free to exercise your right to choose in a democratic manner."

You shook your head in disbelief as Gi-hun looked at you, the worry on his face so evident. You knew how he wanted to save everyone and leave this place. He seemed to have a plan for everyone after leaving this game, and you wanted to trust that.

You noticed Jung-bae looking at the piggy bank more than usual, probably rethinking his decision. You looked at Gi-hun as he stared at In-ho's O patch. He seemed to notice this as he touched his patch briefly. "Don't worry. I want to stop here too. I should go and be with my wife at the hospital."

That didn't add up again. His wife was dead, as far as you can remember. Nothing was making sense at all.

"I'm telling you. We'll get out this time," Dae-ho said with determination. He touched his O patch and cursed at it. "A Marine should think strategically and know when to retreat. Isn't that right, brother?" Dae-ho grabbed Jung-bae's shoulder.

Jung-bae turned around and nodded, though he seemed to be reluctant. "Yeah, you're right. Marines aren't invincible. We should get out."

"We have to end the games here," Gi-hun said. "I will help you guys out when we get out."

You stepped forward, giving them all a smile. "I will too." You saw Gi-hun look at you confusingly as you continued, "I'm not in debt. Far from that. Jun-hee, I can go be with you at the hospital to help with your check-up."

"Unnie," Jun-hee said quietly, eyeing you. "Why are you here if you're not in debt then?"

You sighed deeply. This was it. There's no way out for you to lie on this one. Unlike In-ho, you decided to come clean. "I played ddakji with the recruiter on the subway because... well, I wanted to try and see if I was still good at playing the game," you placed your hand on the back of your head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Guess I made the wrong choice, huh?" You chuckled sheepishly. "I left Seoul when I was a kid and moved to the States for a long time. I came back here for good because well, this is my home. It's where I belong."

"You seemed to have a good life back in America if that's the case. Why did you have to come back?" you heard In-ho ask from behind, his eyes fixed on you.

You gulped before speaking, your gaze not leaving him. "I came to look for someone." For a second, In-ho's eyes flickered. You couldn't tell if he felt regret or some sort of recognition, but he was able to mask it well.

Dae-ho leaned in with a mischievous grin, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he dragged out a tease. "Is that someone your boyfriend, Y/N? That's so romantic!"

"He's... not my boyfriend," your eyes lingered on In-ho as you spoke. "But he's someone important in my life. I grew up with him when I stayed in Seoul. We were inseparable. But, I had to leave. I left without saying goodbye," you paused as the memory of you leaving flooded back as if you were back to that scene. "I knew we'd always be connected. No matter where we were, no matter what happened, we'd always be there for each other - always and in all ways."

In-ho's stare was unwavering, sharp, and deliberate as if daring to acknowledge the unspoken tension between you two. Your gaze clung to him as your eyes glistened with unshed emotions as if begging him to see how you missed him. You knew right then and there that it was In-ho you were looking at, not the Young-il he pretended to be. For a moment there, he looked like he might actually say something.

Then, just like that, he laughed. It was sharp and bitter. Like something was jagged to this throat, the hurt coming out as you felt it pierce your heart.

"People do that a lot, don't they?" In-ho mused, tilting his head slightly. "They all come back hoping to find something... only to realize it was never there to begin with."

"Yeah," you whispered, holding back your tears as you nodded slowly. "I guess so."

You hoped that something, or anything, that the boy you had once known would still be there. But in his eyes, you only saw a stranger. "If you're looking for something that's long gone, maybe you're wasting your time."

Your gaze locked on to his, and for a moment, everything seemed to slip out from your hands - your heart, your memories, your In-ho. It was all just gone, replaced with the avoidant and cruel Young-il.

"Young-il, you can't just shut her down like that," Gi-hun took a step forward, his brow furrowed with concern. "That's harsh."

"It's not a big deal," you spoke up, your voice trying not to crack. "He said maybe. He has a point."

Gi-hun, still caught in the confusion, glanced back at you, his face softening with empathy. "You'll find him soon, once we get out of there, hmm?"

You nodded, feeling thankful for Gi-hun's efforts. "I guess I'm the only one holding on," you murmured. "But he's right. It doesn't matter."

You turned away, the finality of it hitting you like waves. You didn't want to dwell too much on your feelings, thankful for the fact when Dae-ho held out his hand for everyone to stack theirs. "Let's huddle up."

You stacked your hands up along the others while In-ho stacked his on top of yours. You tried to ignore his touch, remembering how he dismissed you earlier.

"In one, two, three. Victory at all costs!" Dae-ho exclaimed with determination, as all of you cheered.

"This time, the vote will begin with Player 001," the square-masked guard announced. "Player 001, please cast your vote."

Everyone's eyes turned to In-ho, or so he introduced himself as Young-il. His eyes darted over you before walking towards the buttons. The room was thick with anticipation, his every step echoing in the silence as he walked. You notice his head facing upward, seeing the TV up. He was the first to vote, and you trusted that he would press X this time.

The red light shone on his face as he pressed X, a sigh of relief coming out of you as did the other players. He removed his O patch and replaced it with the X patch, walking towards the X area.

"Player 002."

You walked towards the voting machine, moving with a quiet, measured pace, your footsteps steady but purposeful. Your gaze flickered to the buttons, X or O, ready for you to decide. You didn't hesitate as you pressed the X button, the red light shining on your face as you saw the X results come for 2. You took a step back, walking towards the X area near Young-il.

The silence between you and In-ho was almost oppressive as the quietness of the room amplified the tension that clung to your skin. You both stood there, still and composed. You took a quick glance at him, only to find him already looking at you, making your heart skip.

"Player 007."

It was a brief eye contact, seeing a brief of the In-ho you knew than this In-ho he claimed to be. But the longer he looked at you, the more it hurt. In those seconds, you knew that even if he may have remembered something in the past, he wasn't going to let it through.

You abruptly looked at the TV as you saw the O results come up with 1. Your jaw dropped seeing Yong-sik vote for O, replacing his X patch with the O patch. You looked at Geum-ja, who seemed to be surprised with her son's decision as well. Knowing Geum-ja, she probably warned her son first before voting, only for Yong-sik to choose a completely different path.

You noticed more and more players voting for O, much to your horror. The more you stayed in this place, the more feelings of regret continued to stick through you.

"Player 095."

You were confident that Young-mi would press X as a sigh of relief came out from you when she did so. She walked towards next to you, giving her a reassuring smile as you held her hand for a bit, trying to calm her down.

Your eyes focused on the TV as you see more players vote, your emotions feeling as if they're on a rollercoaster as the votes alternated with X and O. Your hopes crushing as you see the O votes leading.

"Player 120."

Hyun-ju took a while to decide. When you noticed her hands flicker to the O button, you stared in horror a she pressed it, the blue light shining in her face as the O vote increased.

"Unnie," Young-mi mumbled as she looked at Hyun-ju, seeing them lock gazes for a while. You could sense Hyun-ju's hesitation as she went to the O area, her 0 patch remained in her tracksuit.

X - 33, O - 36

"Everyone!" Gi-hun shouted from behind the crowd. Though you felt a movement on your side as you saw In-ho moving towards the middle.

"Are you all out of your minds?" In-ho exclaimed in disbelief, his eyebrows furrowed together. "You still want to keep going after watching all those people die? Who's to say you won't die in the next game?" He walked towards the back, eyeing each and every player. "We have to stop. We'll all die if we keep going! Come to your senses, and leave with that money." He gritted his teeth as he spoke, his words spewing out with frustration. "You've got to survive first, or there won't be a next step."

"What do you think we can do with a mere 70 million?" Jeong-dae walked towards In-ho, raising his voice. "I don't know how much you owe, but for most people here, that doesn't even cover 10% of their debt. Am I right?" He yelled as the other players nodded in agreement. "There's no next step for us! That money won't change anything!"

"With that amount of money, I won't last long," Player 043 shouted, pointing at the piggy bank.

"It was 25 million after the first game," Jeong-dae continued. "And now, it's 78 million. After one game, the amount more than tripled! If we play one more game, the prize will be at least 240 million!"

"But I can't do this anymore," Young-mi cried out, tears forming in her eyes as her breath trembled. "Please. Please let me out of here. I really want to go home. I don't want to die."

"Young lady," another player spoke, his face pleading as he almost sobbed. "You're young, so you'd probably have another chance. But I don't. My family and I have no future. My business failed, and now I owe over 500 million. I've got to make at least half of that there if I want a real shot at a fresh start."

"What if you die?" You called out, questioning his statement as you walked towards the middle. "Then it would be the end for you and your family! Can you carry on living knowing how you get all the prize money at the expense of everyone's lives?" You raised your voice as your fingers pointed at him, seeing him look down as if he considered your words.

Just when you think you made your point, another player at the back shouted. "Don't get fucking scared! Ddakji, Red Light, Green Light, Spinning Top - it's not like the games are that difficult," he pointed at the TV. "Look, there are still 255 players. Way more than half of us survived! We've made it this far, so let's do this one more time!"

You felt your throat dry up, realizing how morally wrong that seemed, but he still made a point. You looked at In-ho, your eyes asking for support. But he only stared at you, his gaze seemingly unreadable.

You felt your heart pounding hard in your chest as your hearing started to become distorted as you heard the other players chant one more game, much to your fear. You felt suffocated as the air felt thick with... greed. You felt your migraine coming back, your pulse following the beat of each chant.

You felt a hand grab you from behind, pulling you from the crowd. You were too fazed, questioning humanity every second as the O votes increased more. Each tick of the counter felt like a hammer to the chest, each number driving the reality of the game deeper into your bones.

Your gaze drifted towards the hand that held you, realizing it was from In-ho. His fingers were cold and firm, pressing it gently as you felt your pulse harder. You could feel the ripple of human desperation in the air, your stomach twisting as nausea built on to you, realizing how greed, survival, and human nature laid bare. You stared at his hand made you more feel suffocated, as if it reminded you that you were tethered into this place, with no chance of escape.

There was no escaping it. If you wanted to get out of this place, you had to kill your way in. You were caught in a web of human greed.

"The results are 139 for O and 116 for X. Based on the majority vote, we'll proceed to the third game tomorrow."

You removed your hand from In-ho as you walked away, heading toward your bed as you lay down, staring at the ceiling, your thoughts blank. You weren't silent - you were silenced. It was no longer about the game, survival, or the people in the room. It was about the slow unraveling of human nature.

You turned over, burying your face in your pillow. You wanted to go home. You missed when you had no knowledge of this place. Why did you have to throw your life away for this cruel mess? Were you brought in here to question humanity? To reveal the true course of human nature? In this place, there was no salvation. You were surrounded by people who decided to fight, even if it meant leaving others behind.

Your heart ached as the cruelty in this place started to crawl into you, remembering more of how In-ho dismissed your feelings yet he continued to give you mixed signals, trying to weigh in if it was In-ho or Young-il you were talking to. He transformed in front of your eyes, and you couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the game, or if it was just his true nature finally breaking through.

----

You felt a light shine on your face. You noticed the players lining up for food, but you didn't feel like eating. You felt your stomach twist, though it wasn't from hunger - just mere emptiness. The food was there just waiting for you to be claimed, but you couldn't bring yourself to at least stand up.

"It's mealtime," you heard someone say, a voice you didn't want to hear, or at least expect.

You turned your back on him. "Not hungry." The flash of his words echoed through your mind, "If you're looking for something that's long gone, maybe you're wasting your time." The words had cut through you like a knife, a cruel reminder of how easily he had dismissed everything. And now, here he was, trying to coax you into eating.

"You need to eat," he firmly said. You turned to face him, seeing his eyes searching your face, with worry this time.

You scoffed. "You're wasting your time."

In-ho looked at you for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly as if he couldn't understand. He let his hand fall back to his side as he quietly walked away, while you stayed still on your bed. Instead, you closed your eyes, deciding to sleep and skip mealtime instead.

Just as you were about to drift off to sleep, you felt someone nudge your shoulder again. You sighed in annoyance, sitting right up as you turned to face In-ho, only to be surprised when you saw him holding two breads and two milk cartons. He placed a piece of bread and milk on top of your bed.

"I said eat," In-ho said, his voice commanding. He turned away and sat on the staircase near the others as Gi-hun, Dae-ho, and Jun-hee ate together in silence.

You can't help but feel your stomach growl, finally confirming that you are indeed hungry. You didn't want to let pride run over you just because it was In-ho who gave you your food. You reluctantly opened your bread and took a bite of it, savoring its cloudy texture to your mouth.

"Brother Jung-bae!" Dae-ho called out to Jung-bae, who was eating a bit away from your group. When he didn't budge, Dae-ho sighed and walked over to him, dragging him back to the group as Jung-bae reluctantly looked at everyone. "It bugs me seeing you sitting there all pathetic."

You only gave a small laugh as you continued to munch on your bread. Despite the awfulness in this place, you can't help but think how this place makes the best food you've ever tasted in your life, as if it was your last meal on earth.

"I'm sorry," Jung-bae said as he looked at all of you, his hands trembling a bit. "Jun-hee, Young-il, Y/N, I'm sorry," he bowed at each of you, then turned to Gi-hun. "Gi-hun, I'm sorry. I borrowed some emergency cash, and the creditors are harassing my ex-wife and kid. If I play one more game, I think I'll be able to settle my debt."

"Jung-bae," In-ho interrupted, looking at him steadily. His voice was low but you could hear the amusement in his voice. "You of all people shouldn't have done it. It's not twice as righteous," he pouted, much to your surprise.

You hated how your heart skipped a beat upon seeing him pout, a rush of warm feeling spread through your chest as your cheeks flushed. You quickly looked away, trying to avoid his eye contact as you noticed him glance at you as he pouted.

In-ho sighed and continued. "But, looking at the results, even if you had voted against, we would still have been outvoted."

"Right? It's not entirely my fault," Jung-bae said quickly, his breath hitching as his face lit up. You could see the comfort in his eyes as if his vote was justified, adding more when Dae-ho agreed.

"To be honest, I understand why you did it. The money isn't enough for me either, so when I went up to vote, I did think about playing one more game," Dae-ho admitted.

"You did?" Jung-bae asked, grabbing Dae-ho's shoulder.

Dae-ho grimaced and pushed Jung-bae back. "I said I get it."

Jung-bae sat beside In-ho as he bowed, sighing as he sat down. "Thank you for understanding. But I voted in favor partly because I feel confident. We did so well as a team, didn't we?" He looked at everyone, expecting an agreement. "If we stick together one more time, I'm sure we'll be fine," he moved towards Jun-hee. "Jun-hee, I'll make sure we survive the next game--"

"The next game?" Gi-hun sighed, staring into space as if his life flashed before his eyes. "In the next game, we might have to kill each other."

Jung-bae was clearly taken aback, staring in horror as Gi-hun spoke those words.

"Gi-hun, that's a bit much," In-ho replied, his voice light trying to ease the tension. "There's nothing we can do now, so let's try to stay positive."

"That's... not impossible," you spoke, much to everyone's surprise. You opened your milk carton, ready for you to drink yet it remained in your hand. "Every life here is valued at 100 million won. There's a high chance they would let us kill each other knowing how the O team was determined to continue the games, clearly not caring if they had to kill for the prize. They even have an estimate on how much the next prize money would be."

In-ho only looked at you as he ate his bread, chewing it as he gave you a nod as if he just analyzed you. "If that's the case, then we should eat, pull ourselves together, and try our best again."

You took a sip of your milk, only to find it to be chocolate milk instead. You glanced at the other milk cartons that your group had, and everyone had plain milk. You checked the label on yours, confirming it to be actually chocolate milk. You stared at it confusingly, wondering how you got a different milk than the others. You checked the other players' milks, all of them with the same flavors.

"Here, Jun-hee," In-ho handed his plain milk carton to her, waiting for her to take it. "You can have mine. Hang in there until the next game."

Jun-hee reluctantly looks at it, clearly shy. "No, it's okay."

"Take it," In-ho insisted. "I don't drink plain milk."

You blinked, caught off guard as you realized they all had plain milk. You were confused as to how that happened. How was he able to retrieve chocolate milk from the guards?

For a moment, you were caught between the instinct of continuing to drink and enjoy every sip of it. You noticed In-ho looking at you and the milk you were drinking, his gaze unreadable and neutral. At the back of your head, you wanted to believe that he hadn't forgotten. The In-ho you knew always remembered how you preferred it than plain milk, as you liked your milk sweeter. The milk felt out place, yet comforting.

You stared at it, you swear you've seen it. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he saw you drinking your milk. It was so simple, yet the weight of it felt heavy. Did he remember?

Your mind raced, trying to make sense of it. There had been no warmth in his actions before, especially when he easily dismissed your feelings. And yet, here was this. A small, seemingly insignificant gesture. But in the context of everything else, it felt like a distant echo of something real, something from the past that couldn’t exist here, not in this place.

You needed to know what In-ho was trying to do, and why he was acting this way. You needed to find the answer as to why he chose to hide behind the facade of Young-il in this place. At this point, the one who gave you the milk, was it really In-ho, or just another game that Young-il wanted to play?

----

A/N: I hope you like how I added more of the reader and in-ho's moments together. As much as possible, I try to still include the dialogues from the actual show and add some from Y/N to not disrupt the whole story. With that, feel free to leave out your thoughts here, and I'll gladly interact with each and everyone of you. 🫶

Don't forget to leave a comment in this post to be tagged on the next chapter! ✨

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>> MASTERLIST

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[mediocre-shark-tales]

Abu Dhabi GP part 2

Masterlist

Trigger Warning- slow burn of increasing themes including sexism, SA, depression, and implied grooming

Returning to the paddock in the morning, I made my way over to Max, my heart swelling with a mixture of excitement and happiness for him. As I approached him, I couldn’t help but notice the proud smile on his face, a grin that could light up the whole paddock. It wasn’t just the usual confidence I’d grown accustomed to seeing on him—it was something deeper, something more personal. He’d recently announced that he was going to be a father, and it was clear that the news had changed him.

“Max,” I called out, a grin pulling at the corners of my lips.

He turned toward me, his eyes brightening when he saw me approaching. “Hey, hey! You know, I was just waiting for you to come over. You’re one of the few people I’m actually letting say congrats first,” he teased, pulling me into a brief hug.

“I’ll take that as a big compliment,” I joked, my smile wide. “Congratulations, though. I know how big of a deal this is for you.”

“Thanks. It’s... well, it’s everything,” he said, his voice softening just for a moment. Then, as if the weight of his words hit him, he gave a playful shrug. “Guess it’s a whole new chapter, huh?”

“Definitely. I’m so happy for you, Max. You’re going to be an amazing dad.” I could feel my heart swell with warmth as I said it. He deserved all the happiness in the world, and knowing that he was about to experience this new chapter of life brought a contentment I hadn’t realized I needed.

He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous. But hey, if I can handle a racecar, I can handle another little one, right?”

“Of course,” I chuckled, reaching out and giving his shoulder a squeeze. “But seriously, you’ve got this. Just look how well you have done with P so far.”

I hung around for a bit longer, chatting with a few other drivers, congratulating them on their season’s success and the upcoming race. It was a strange feeling, moving through these conversations now. After everything that had happened, after the battle I’d fought, it felt like I had finally found a space where I truly belonged. I was part of this grid, not just as a competitor but as a person they respected. And that made all the difference.

Eventually, I excused myself from the small group and made my way to my driver’s room. The quiet space felt like a refuge, a place where I could let my thoughts settle and regain my focus before the next race.

Once inside, I took a deep breath, running my hands over the smooth surface of my helmet bag. It felt like a lifetime ago when I first started designing this helmet, trying to find the perfect way to express everything I was feeling, everything I had been through.

With a slow, deliberate motion, I unzipped the bag. The familiar smell of paint and resin greeted me, mixed with a slight trace of rubber from the tracks I’d raced on. Inside, my end-of-season helmet sat, waiting for me.

I lifted it out carefully, like it was a treasure, and set it gently on the desk. News design had always been personal, this time it was a mix of everything that had defined my season. The white background was a stark contrast to the intricate tiger stripes that adorned the sides. They weren’t just any stripes—each one was purposeful, a symbol of the tracks I’d conquered, the battles I’d fought, and the victories that had come from resilience.

Some of the stripes were just outlines, tracing the shape of the tiger’s face, while others filled in fully, their bold black lines representing the fierceness I had found in myself. The flags from each track where I’d finished first were woven into the design, carefully placed within the outline stripes. It was my way of paying homage to the races that had defined me this year—the places that had witnessed my comeback, the moments when I’d pushed through my hardest battles.

But it wasn’t just about the victories. There was a blank space at the top of the helmet, an empty void. Through it, the words “My Future is Racing” stood in bold letters, the promise of what lay ahead, what I was still striving for. It was my reminder that this wasn’t the end. It was only the beginning.

And then, on the back, there was the large shadow of a gold turtle, the image filling the space with its quiet strength. The turtle, which had become something of a personal symbol for me over the last few months, sat there as a testament to my journey. Slow, steady, but always moving forward. Always evolving. But most importantly it was a symbol of my mother who would always be with me. 

I ran my fingers over the intricate design, feeling the raised edges where the paint had hardened, and for the first time in a long time, I felt something close to peace. This helmet wasn’t just a piece of equipment—it was my story. Every stripe, every detail, every word and image had been a part of me, and now, it felt like it was ready to tell the world who I had become.

I stood there for a while, staring at it, letting the weight of the season settle on me. I had done it. I had survived. And now, I was stronger.

I reached over and grabbed the helmet again, holding it close to my chest for a moment. I had a race to prepare for. But more than that, I had a future that was just beginning, and I was ready to face it, no matter what came next.

The tension was palpable in the paddock as the grid lined up for the final race of the season. The sun was high in the sky, casting a golden glow over the track, and the sound of engines roaring to life reverberated through the air. There was something almost electrifying about this race, as if the entire season had been building toward this moment. I could feel my pulse quickening, the adrenaline already starting to course through me. This was it—my final chance to prove to everyone, and more importantly to myself, that I belonged here.

As I sat in the cockpit of my car, I could hear the roar of the engines around me, but all I could focus on was the task at hand. The past was behind me; this race was a clean slate. I had nothing to prove to anyone but myself. I was ready. The lights went out, and we were off.

The first lap was a blur of motion, tire screeching, cars jostling for position. I rocketed off the line, weaving through the pack, feeling the g-forces pushing me back into my seat as I hit the first few corners. Every instinct I had honed this season kicked into overdrive, and I could feel the momentum building within me. I was so in the zone that I barely noticed the chaos unfolding ahead.

Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, two cars ahead of me, were engaged in a fierce battle for position when disaster struck. As they approached a tight corner, their cars locked wheels and slid out of control. Max’s car bumped into Oscar’s, sending both of them into a spin. It was like time slowed down as I saw them coming toward me, but in a split-second decision, I veered to the right, avoiding the wreckage by inches. My heart skipped a beat, but my focus never wavered. I couldn’t let this moment slip away from me.

With the first lap behind me, the adrenaline surged even higher. I was in the midst of the battle now, dodging traffic, threading the needle between cars, and making every pass count. I could feel every turn in my bones, the weight of each corner, the rush of acceleration on the straights. This was what I lived for. This was where I thrived.

The laps ticked by, each one blurring into the next as I pushed harder and harder. I was in P5 by the midway point, but the top four were just within reach. Lando Norris was in P3, looking steady as ever, and I could see Carlos Sainz just ahead in P2. But the car beneath me was coming alive, responding to every flick of my steering wheel. I knew I could do this.

With every corner, I reeled in the pack. I was finding my rhythm, my flow. I overtook car after car, my confidence growing with every successful pass. The crowd was roaring, their cheers reaching my ears even through the helmet, spurring me on. I pushed harder, trusting in the car, trusting in myself.

By lap 50, I had made my way into P2. Lando was just ahead of me, and though he was a formidable competitor, I could see the slightest hint of pressure in his driving. I wasn’t going to hold back now. The finish line was within reach, and all I had to do was give it everything I had.

As I came up behind him on the penultimate lap, I could hear his radio crackling with instructions, the team urging him to keep his pace steady. But I wasn’t going to let up. I lined up my move, staying tight behind him as we approached the final stretch. My heart was pounding in my chest, my hands steady on the wheel, my mind laser-focused. I had one chance.

With a burst of speed, I pulled out from behind him on the final straight, going for the inside line as we approached the final corner. My tires screamed against the tarmac, and I felt the car sliding slightly, but I held it together, cutting across the apex with precision. For a moment, time seemed to freeze as I passed Lando and shot into the lead.

Crossing the finish line in P1 was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The world seemed to come to a halt as I threw my fist up in victory, my heart hammering in my chest. I had done it. I had won my final Grand Prix of the season.

Lando came in right behind me in P2, and Carlos Sainz rounded out the podium in P3. The sound of the engines dying down was replaced by the roar of the crowd, their cheers shaking the very foundation of the circuit. The celebration was already underway, but I couldn’t help but feel a sense of overwhelming relief. This was my moment. This was what I had fought for.

I climbed out of the car, my hands shaking from the sheer intensity of it all. I stood on the halo, the crowd erupting into cheers. The adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, but it wasn’t until I saw the camera flashes and the thousands of fans shouting my name that I realized what this victory meant. 

Landon reached me with a huge grin plastered on his face, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Without saying a word, he handed me my new all-black cowboy hat. It wasn’t just any hat; this one had been decorated with Aston Martin green gemstones, perfectly matching the team’s gear. The contrast of the black hat with the vibrant green accents made it stand out, almost like it had its own presence.

I balanced the hat carefully on my helmet, trying not to mess up the celebratory moment. My fingers were still buzzing from the victory, but I felt a surge of joy when I grabbed the flag from Landon. The US flag. It was tied tightly to a pole, and as I waved it above my head, the crowd's energy seemed to intensify. Cameras flashed, capturing the moment from every angle, and I took a few seconds to savor the moment. This was my victory, and I was going to share it with everyone who had believed in me.

As the flashes slowed, I took the flag off the pole, the fabric still rippling in the wind, and handed it back to Landon. He smiled, nodding in approval, and I felt a sense of pride wash over me. But the real fun came next.

With a cheeky grin, I jumped off of the car, the adrenaline still buzzing in my veins. I unfurled the flag and draped it around myself like a cape, letting it fall over my shoulders as if I were some hero emerging from a battle. The colors of the flag were vivid and bold against the backdrop of the circuit, and I twirled a little, letting the fabric catch the breeze.

Lando came over first while I was removing my helmet and balaclava, his smile wide as he clapped me on the back. “You did it! You really did it!”

I grinned, barely able to contain my excitement. I placed the cowboy hat back on my head before responding sarcastically. “Yeah sure, I won a race again, But you my friend just won the constructors team championship!” I said, turning to give him a quick hug yet unable to contain my adrenaline as I bounced a little.

Finally we were on the podium and handed our awards. The US national Anthem echoed through the circuit before finally ending as the more exciting part came. 

Carlos and I had whispered a small plan to each other beforehand. I was super excited to put our plan into action. I grabbed the bottle, shaking it up with a grin, and before Lando could even react, I drenched him in champagne just as Carlos did the same from my left. His laughter echoed through the air as I sprayed him from head to toe, the bubbles foaming up as he tried to shield himself. “You look great in champagne, Lando!” I laughed, my heart light with joy. 

The crowd was still roaring, but there was something more important in that moment—the team had done it. McLaren had finally taken home the Constructors’ Championship, and Lando was grinning like the Cheshire cat. “I can’t believe we finally did it!” he shouted, wrapping me in another hug. I laughed and quickly responded. “I am so proud of you and Oscar for finishing the fight so strong!”

Carlos joined the hug soon after, a proud smile on his face as we celebrated together. The atmosphere was electric, a mix of excitement, joy, and pride. This was what it was all about. It wasn’t just the individual victories—it was the team effort, the long road we had all traveled to get here.

I stood there, on the top step of the podium, looking out over the sea of fans who had witnessed the culmination of my rookie season. I had fought for this, and now, I was holding the trophy in my hands. It felt like the start of something incredible, the beginning of a journey that I couldn’t wait to continue.

But for now, I took a moment to let it all sink in. The cheers, the champagne, the podium—all of it. I had earned this. This was my victory, and it was only the beginning.

The post-race interview began, the energy in the room was electric. The top three finishers—Lando, Carlos, and me—sat side by side, basking in the glow of the race's excitement. The usual round of questions came through: How did you feel about the race? What was going through your mind during those final laps? It was light, easy stuff, designed to keep the mood celebratory.

But then, as expected, the big question came. The interviewer, a woman with a big smile and an even bigger curiosity, turned to me with a gleam in her eye.

"So," she began, "your helmet today was an interesting touch, hinting at something big for your future in racing. Any chance you’d like to share what’s next for you?"

The question hung in the air, and I could feel the weight of it. My eyes flicked over to my PR manager, who was standing off to the side, looking calm but focused. She gave a subtle nod, signaling that it was time.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself for the big reveal. "Yes," I said, the word hanging in the air as my heart raced. "I’ve signed a contract with Cadillac for 2026. I’ll be joining them when they enter the grid, but for the 2025 season, I’ll be loaned out to VCARB to help them finish strong in these current regulations before the big changes come. I’ll be working with them to help find the places they may want to improve while also helping train a driver they are thinking about making their reserve or 2026 driver. I can’t tell you more than that when it comes to VCARB as I don’t even know who they are basically asking me to mentor or what role I am mentoring him to do best.” That was a lie of course but I loved a little mystery and I am sure their media tema would love to keep some mystery still. “This is a huge step forward in my career, and I’m incredibly excited about what’s to come."

The moment I finished speaking, I felt a rush of emotions. There was relief in finally being able to share this chapter of my story, but there was also something else—hope, excitement, and pride.

Carlos, sitting next to me, let out a loud, joyous laugh. "Aha! That’s amazing!" he exclaimed, his usual smooth confidence replaced by genuine enthusiasm. "I’m so glad to hear that you’ll still be around! You’ve been a fierce competitor, and it’s going to be even better having you on the grid next season."

Lando, sitting on the other side of me, gave me a playful shove. "I knew you weren’t going anywhere," he teased, a grin on his face. "I would’ve missed you too much. Who else am I going to mess with during race weekends?"

I laughed, appreciating the lightheartedness they brought into the moment. "Well, now you have even more reason to train hard, huh?" I replied, smiling warmly at Lando who looked confused before I responded again. “Can’t mess with me if you aren’t on my level.” This caused laughs to erupt around the room, the most noticeably being Lando who covered his face in embarrassment. 

"But seriously," Lando added, his voice softening just a little, "I’m really happy for you. You deserve this. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you next season."

Carlos nodded in agreement, his smile genuine. "You’re going to be a real asset to VCARB. We all know how tough it’s been for them, but with you there? They’ll definitely be making waves. And then, in 2026 with Cadillac, you’ll be unstoppable."

I smiled at both of them, feeling a deep sense of camaraderie. "Thanks, guys," I said, my heart full of gratitude. "Having you both here makes all of this even more special. You’ve been such great friends, and I couldn’t have asked for better people to share this journey with."

The interviewer smiled, clearly impressed by the camaraderie among us. "Sounds like the grid is about to get a lot more exciting with you around, huh?" I nodded, feeling the excitement bubbling up once again. "Definitely. It’s going to be a wild ride, but I’m ready for it. And I can’t wait to see how everything unfolds."

As the interview wrapped up and we stood to leave, Lando gave me a quick side hug. "See you out there, future Cadillac champion," he joked, winking at me.

Carlos gave me a fist bump, his eyes filled with respect. "We’ll be seeing you, no doubt. And you better bring that fire to the grid next season." The room seemed to buzz with energy as I sat smiling, the weight of the future feeling lighter now that I’d shared it with everyone. 

The night was alive with energy, the celebrations wild and unrestrained as the entire paddock let loose. The adrenaline from the race still pumping through my veins, I couldn’t help but feel free, the weight of the past season finally starting to lift off my shoulders. People were cheering, laughing, dancing—everything was so vibrant, so alive. It felt like a world away from the intensity of the circuit, and for once, I let myself fully indulge in the freedom, the joy of it all.

Alcohol flowed like it was water, glasses clinking around me in toast after toast. I felt light, tipsy but happy, letting the music take over as I danced with my friends, lost in the excitement of the moment. I wasn’t thinking about the past. I wasn’t thinking about the things that had tried to break me. I was just living in the present, in this incredible victory.

But then, of course, as the night wore on, the crowds became a little more chaotic. People spilled out from the bars and clubs, mixing together in a sea of celebration. The music grew louder, the lights flashing in an almost hypnotic pattern. I had found Max earlier in the evening, sharing a laugh with him and a few others, but now, as I stood in the middle of the crowd, it became hard to spot him.

The buzz in the air shifted. I could feel it in my chest. My senses heightened. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe just the lingering unease that had followed me through the past season. But then I saw him.

A man—someone I didn’t recognize—was making his way through the crowd. His eyes locked onto mine, a smirk spreading across his face. Something about the way he looked at me made a shiver run down my spine. It was as if he knew something about me, something I didn’t want him to know.

His presence reminded me too much of Henry—the way he exuded a sense of control, a sense of entitlement. The way he was acting like I owed him something, like I was just another piece in a game he was playing. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and my stomach twisted. I tried to brush it off, but the encounter left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I wanted to get away from him—fast.

In the crowd, I started moving, pushing through the throngs of people, my heart pounding a little too fast for comfort. But my vision kept flickering back to him, his eyes following me like a shadow. He wasn’t going to stop, I realized. He was going to keep coming closer, keep circling until I was backed into a corner.

Panic started to rise in me, a feeling I hadn’t let myself truly experience in a long time. I pushed through the crowd again, trying to find someone—anyone—to break the tension. That’s when I finally spotted Max again, or at least I thought I did. His familiar figure was just ahead, but in the chaos, I lost sight of him before I could reach him.

The frustration bubbled up. The fear mixed with confusion, and my mind started to race. I wasn’t about to let myself spiral again. Not now, not in front of everyone.

But just as I began to panic, my phone buzzed in my pocket, a lifeline in the midst of the crowd. I pulled it out quickly to check who it was—Lando. The message was simple: Where are you?

I felt my chest loosen a little, just knowing someone was looking for me. I typed back, trying to keep myself steady: lost in the crowd, send help lmao

Before I could type any more, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun around, ready to react. But it wasn’t the man from before. It was Franco, a look of concern on his face as he pulled me into a quick, tight hug.

“You good?” he asked softly, his voice steady, calming, like a balm to the rising anxiety in my chest.

I nodded, trying to keep it together. “Yeah. Just needed a minute.”

Franco didn’t let go of me, but his presence was grounding. I felt the tension in my body begin to ease, even if just a little. “I know something has affected you but I am here now, you don’t have to say anything, I’m just here,” he murmured into my ear as he gave me a small soft hug.

I pulled back just enough to see his face. “Thanks,” I said quietly, feeling a strange mix of relief and something else—something warm, safe.

But before I could say anything more, another voice cut in. Lando had appeared from behind Franco, his usual cheeky grin on his face, though it didn’t hide the concern in his eyes. “There you are! We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said, his tone light but with an underlying edge of worry.

“I’m fine… now, I’m fine now that you two are here with me.” I replied, allowing myself to be honest with them. The past few minutes had left me feeling rattled, but now, with Franco and Lando here, I couldn’t help but feel a little more secure.

“You know we’ve got your back, right?” Lando added, his expression serious for a moment. “We’re not letting you out of our sight again.”

I smiled, the tension in my body slowly dissipating as I realized just how lucky I was to have people like them looking out for me. They didn’t have to care, didn’t have to be there for me like this. But they were.

Franco stepped back slightly, glancing between Lando and me. “We’re staying with you tonight. No arguments.”

And somehow, even though I was the one who was supposed to be strong, it was exactly what I needed to hear. It wasn’t about being strong on my own. It was about knowing I had people to lean on.

Lando wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and Franco placed his hand on the middle of my back, both offering me a kind of comfort that, despite my earlier unease, made everything feel a little bit better. We walked together through the crowd, the sounds of celebration continuing around us. And as I walked through the crowd with Franco and Lando flanking me, I realized just how far I had come—and how much further I was ready to go.

The crowd around us was cheering, music was blasting, and the air was thick with excitement. Yet, amidst all the noise and the chaos, I found myself focusing on the quiet moments between Lando and I, those small exchanges where our eyes locked just a little too long or where the corners of our mouths twitched upward at the same time.

Lando’s presence was comforting, grounding in a way I hadn’t expected. Since the Vegas crash, he had been there, providing an anchor when I needed it most. Now, celebrating together felt… different. I couldn’t help but wonder if something deeper was quietly blooming between us. I caught his eye as a slow song began, and for a second, the noise of the crowd seemed to fade. I smiled, and he returned it with that knowing grin that made my heart race. It felt almost like an unspoken connection, a quiet bond that neither of us had put words to, but one that was palpable all the same.

Before I could dwell on it for too long, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I found Franco standing there, grinning widely. "Hey, I just wanted to say, that race—was incredible," he said, his eyes alight with admiration. There was something in the way he said it, like he was seeing me in a new light.

"Thanks," I replied, my voice softening as I looked at him. "It felt like everything finally clicked today."

Franco nodded, his eyes not leaving mine. "Yeah, I could see that. You’ve come a long way." His gaze lingered a little longer, and I couldn’t help but feel the warmth between us. It wasn’t just the celebration, it wasn’t just the race—it was something unspoken that seemed to grow stronger the longer we stood there.

For a moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the room. The world around us slowed, the noise dimmed, and all that mattered was the shared understanding between us. But just as I was about to say something, the spell was broken.

From behind, I heard an all-too-familiar voice—drunken and loud—"Oi! What’s going on here?" Liam stumbled into our little bubble, his eyes narrowed, and a playful but protective smirk on his face. "Don’t think I didn’t see that, Y/N. What do you think you’re doing, huh?" His tone was teasing, but there was an edge of possessiveness in it.

I let out a small laugh, but before I could say anything, Hannah appeared beside him, her expression a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Liam," she said, her voice firm but gentle, "you’re drunk. Let them be." She turned to me, her eyes softening. "Can you talk some sense into him? He’s been talking about you like you’re his lost puppy for the past half hour."

Liam pouted, his arms crossed over his chest. "I’m not drunk!" he protested, but his slurred speech said otherwise. "I’m just looking out for my best mate here. You can’t just steal her away, boys." He pointed to Lando and then Franco, who each raised an eyebrow in response but remained silent, clearly amused by the situation.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation. "Liam, I’m not being stolen away. I’m not sure I could be stolen if I tried," I said with a playful wink. But my words only seemed to confuse him more.

Hannah sighed, shaking her head. "Just, come on. Let’s get you something to drink so you can calm down before you make a fool of yourself." She turned to me and smiled apologetically. "Sorry about this."

Liam’s pout deepened, but he finally let Hannah lead him away, though he shot me one last confused glance. As he stumbled off with her, I turned back to Lando and Franco, who were both watching me with soft smiles on their faces.

"Don’t worry," I said to them, shaking my head with a laugh. "Liam’s just protective. He’s like a big brother who doesn’t know how to share his toys."

Franco laughed, but there was a knowing look in his eyes as he added, "Well, it seems like you’ve got a lot of people looking out for you."

Lando chimed in, his voice teasing, "Guess that’s a good thing, huh? Just be careful—Liam might come back and try to hide you away in some hidden sanctuary."

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile forming on my lips. "Let him try."

The moment was lighthearted, but something about it made my heart flutter. Lando, Franco, and even Liam—though drunk and ridiculous—had all been there in their own ways. It felt like more than just a victory in the race. It felt like a new chapter was unfolding in ways I hadn’t expected.

Helping Liam back to the hotel room was no easy feat. The moment we stepped into the hallway, his weight became a deadweight. Hannah and I shared a look of exasperation, but underneath it, there was an unspoken bond that made this all feel oddly familiar. We had done this before, back when Liam had first been called up to F1. His excitement and nerves had been a mixture of pure joy and overwhelming tension, and we'd found ourselves stumbling through late-night talks and drunken strolls across hotel corridors more times than I could count.

Tonight, though, the mood was different. He was drunk, but there was something behind his eyes, something deeper, that made the whole situation feel heavier than it should. We had been so used to his joking nature, the sarcasm and laughter, but tonight—well, tonight, he was different.

I smiled at Hannah as she helped support Liam's other side. "Remember when he got that call? The one to race in F1? He was practically shaking, and we couldn’t even get him to eat dinner that night."

Hannah chuckled softly, her eyes softening with the memory. "How could I forget? I thought he was going to throw up just from the excitement. He didn’t sleep for two days."

I let out a quiet laugh as we managed to shuffle him into the hotel room. Liam was mumbling, half incoherent, and definitely not in the mood for a joke now. The energy in the room had shifted, the weight of the night sinking in with the silence that followed.

When we finally got him onto the bed, we let him flop onto his back, the bed creaking under the shift of his weight. He let out a loud sigh, his eyes blinking rapidly as if trying to focus on the ceiling before ultimately falling onto me. But there was no humor now in his face. Only something deep and aching.

Hannah sat on the edge of the bed, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, watching him with concern. I stood near the door, waiting, unsure of what was coming next. I was ready to laugh it off, ready to tell him that he was just drunk, and it would all be fine in the morning—but then, something in the way he stared at me stopped me.

"Liam?" I said softly, my voice low, trying to gauge where his mind was at.

He turned his head slowly, blinking at us like he was seeing us for the first time. The tears welled up in his eyes, and my heart dropped. He wasn’t drunk in a carefree way anymore. This was something deeper, something raw, and it made me uneasy.

"I… I need to say something," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I… I’m so sorry."

I frowned, stepping closer to the bed, sitting down beside Hannah. "Liam, what are you talking about?"

His face twisted, his hands trembling as he reached up to rub his eyes. "I—when I caused the crash in Vegas, I—" He let out a shaky breath. "I thought I… I thought I just—hurt you. Or worse… killed you, Y/N."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. I hadn't expected this. He had always been the jokester, the guy who tried to keep everything light, but now—now I could see the weight of the guilt and fear he had been carrying for the last month. His words were slurred, but the meaning behind them cut straight to my core.

"Liam," I started, my voice barely above a whisper, trying to keep the crack out of it, "It was an accident. You didn’t mean for that to happen."

His eyes locked with mine, full of guilt and pain. "But I did cause it. I never should’ve been that aggressive during a practice session. I saw you flipping… I saw you, and I thought—" His breath caught in his throat, and his voice faltered. "I thought I just ruined everything. I thought I lost you forever."

The weight of his words hung in the air like a thick fog, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. The racing world could be so harsh, but I had never realized just how much it affected the people closest to me.

I reached out, my hand gently resting on his shoulder. "Liam, listen to me. I’m here. I’m okay," I said softly, trying to reassure him even though I wasn’t sure if I was comforting him or myself in the process. "That crash—it wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. Nothing more."

"But I still felt it," he whispered, his voice breaking. "Every time I see you, I’m reminded of how close I came to losing you."

Hannah sat quietly beside him, her eyes soft and full of understanding. She knew what this meant. She had been through this with Liam before. The weight of racing, the pressure of what we do, and the responsibility that came with it, often left us carrying invisible scars that nobody else could see.

"You need to forgive yourself," Hannah said gently, her hand squeezing his. "It wasn’t your fault, Liam. You’re one of the best people we know, and this is just… one of those things that happened. You can’t carry it forever."

I nodded in agreement, my voice steady now. "You’re not alone in this, Liam. You never were. You’ll never lose me. Not like that."

He closed his eyes, a few tears slipping out. He didn’t say anything more, but I could see the relief slowly washing over him. The guilt, the fear, all of it—it wasn’t going to go away in an instant, but maybe this was the first step toward healing.

"I’m sorry," he mumbled again, his voice barely a whisper. "I just didn’t want to lose you."

"You haven’t," I reassured him. "And you won’t."

We sat there for a few more minutes, letting the weight of the moment settle in. Hannah continued to comfort him, and I stayed close, watching the man who had been there for me through thick and thin slowly let go of the burden he had been carrying for far too long.

Eventually, his eyes fluttered shut, and the alcohol seemed to lull him into a fitful sleep, his body relaxing into the bed. The room was silent for a moment, save for his steady breathing.

I leaned back, letting out a soft sigh. "He’ll be okay," I said to Hannah, though I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her or myself.

She nodded, her eyes soft. "He will be. You’ve got each other."

And in that moment, with the faint hum of the hotel air conditioning and the quiet of the night around us, I felt a sense of calm I once never thought possible. Being here with my two childhood friends, sharing a moment that reminded each of us, just how much we were willing to do for each other. "I’m here, Liam," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. "And I always will be."

[julianne124]

Rumor has it…

James Potter x reader

Authors note: please request stuff because I have no inspiration rn 😣😣

Warnings: um none? I don’t think, maybe rumors but other than that I don’t think so. No use of any name but one use of feminine pronouns

(First person)

I was furious. Someone has started a rumor, that me and James Potter were dating. Now don’t get me wrong, I liked him and he was great looking. But I’ve never thought past that, but whoever started this rumor has gone too far. Lily was following me as I was tracking down Potter. I pasted Sirius after he saw how upset I was, he pointed towards where he was.

I stormed up to him, “James! Why would you do that!?” I yelled at him and he looked so clueless and innocent. I know he started this rumor to humiliate me. “What? What did I do this time?” He asks with a very confused expression on his face. “Don’t act so clueless!” I exclaimed. After a moment his mouth made an ‘o’ shape and then was upset. He starts to walk around me, the way I just came from.

“Sirius!?” He yells down the hall to his best friend. It goes silent as his voice echoes down the hallway. As the black haired boy was sneaking down the hall to get away from James’ wrath. He turns around with an innocent smile, trying to ease into it. “Hey, friend, I really like your hair, did you do something different…?” He asks trying to distract James. “You know what, yea actually I did- wait! You can’t do that! I need an answer to this rumor I’ve just heard. What is it about me and her-“ he turns and points to me, “-dating!?” He says.

“Well, I know you like her and I found out that she likes you too, so I thought I should just tell… Mary and Dorcas that you guys were dating…” Sirius quickly explained. My brows furrowed concerned. “The biggest gossipers in the school!? You told them!?” I yelled at him. He smiled nervously and nodded scared. My fists balled together as I took a deep breath in and out. I see James roll his eyes and smack his forehead.

“We’ll talk about this later.” James told Sirius seriously as he nodded scared and ran off with Remus and Lily. “I’m so sorry about him, this isn’t how I wanted to tell you.” He turns to me and looks down. I look at him sadly. “Yea me too…” I say still looking at him. This was kind of funny actually. I start laughing and his head whips up to me and then he starts to laugh with me.

He then walks closer to me. “So maybe, on the next hogsmeade trip, you would want to go with me to Three Broomsticks? Like for a date?” He says hopefully. I pretend to think, tapping my finger on my chin, he gives me a ‘are you serious?’ look. I giggle and nod to his question. “Okay, so I’ll find you before and we can go, but right now I have to get to class to I can go. Minnie gives mean detention, could make me stay.” He says walking backward toward his class. Right before he turns around, he winks at me. I turn and almost scream like a little girl.

I run to my class, and sit next to Pandora, I tell her all about it with butterflies in my stomach. I had a real date this weekend, with an amazing guy that I really like.

[tideoverwater]

im baaaaaack! also please feel free to send requests, i'd love some more inspo. let me know what you guys think!!!! <3

The tension in the air was suffocating. The pristine dining room, filled with candlelight and polished silverware, had long since emptied, leaving Y/N alone at the grand oak table, staring at her untouched glass of wine. Her parents had left first, exchanging tight-lipped glances and murmuring their disapproval under their breath. Her brother and his girlfriend followed soon after, their expressions a mixture of pity and amusement. By the time the last guest excused themselves with a polite but knowing smile, Y/N felt her heart sink into the pit of her stomach.

Rafe never showed.

The dinner had been important—so important. Her family wasn’t the kind to welcome just anyone into their exclusive circles, and after weeks of convincing, they had finally agreed to let Rafe join them for a formal dinner at her family estate. It had been a chance for him to prove himself, to show them that he was more than just the reckless, wild Cameron boy with a reputation for trouble.

But he hadn’t come. No call. No text. Nothing.

By the time she got home, she was fuming.

The moment she stepped through the front door of Tannyhill, she tossed her purse onto the table with more force than necessary, the loud thud breaking the unbearable silence. She barely had time to slip off her heels before she heard the front door swing open.

"Y/N—"

Rafe’s voice was breathless as he stumbled inside, his hair a disheveled mess, his dress shirt untucked and wrinkled as if he had rushed over. His blue eyes were wide with panic the second they landed on her.

"Where the hell were you?" Y/N’s voice was sharp, edged with anger and something dangerously close to heartbreak.

Rafe shut the door behind him, running a shaky hand through his hair. "Baby, I’m so sorry—"

"Sorry?" she repeated, letting out a bitter laugh. "Sorry?" Her hands curled into fists at her sides as she took a deep breath, trying to steady the storm raging inside her. "You were supposed to be there, Rafe. You promised me."

"I know," he breathed, stepping toward her. "I know, I fucked up. I—"

"Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me?" she cut him off, her voice cracking as she met his gaze. "I sat there for two hours making excuses for you while my family—my entire family—judged me for even thinking you could handle something this important."

Rafe flinched at the pain in her voice, guilt clawing at his chest. He had let her down—again. He had never seen her like this before. Sure, they had fought before, but this was different. This was real. This was breaking her, and it meant so much for him to meet her family and he knew this. 

"I was on my way," he insisted desperately. "I swear, I was on my way, but Ward called, and I had to handle something for him. I thought I had time, and then everything got out of control, and before I knew it—"

"Do you even hear yourself right now?" Y/N snapped, her arms crossing tightly over her chest as her nails dug into her skin to hold back the burning tears she could feel forming. "You thought you had time? You thought I’d just sit there and wait for you while you handled business for your dad? This is bullshit Rafe, and you know it."

Rafe clenched his jaw, frustration evident on his face, but it wasn’t at her—it was at himself. "I didn’t mean for this to happen."

"But it did happen, Rafe!" Her voice wavered as her emotions surged forward, overwhelming her completely. "And now my parents think I’m just some stupid girl wasting my time on a guy who can’t even be bothered to show up for me when it fucking matters." Rafe’s heart clenched at the sight of tears pooling in her eyes. His breath hitched, and before she could step away from him, he was in front of her, his hands grasping her arms gently.

"Hey, no, don’t say that," he pleaded with a hint of anger in his tone. "You are not stupid. You are the best damn thing that has ever happened to me."

Y/N shook her head, blinking rapidly as she pulled out of his grasp. "Then prove it to me, Rafe. Because right now, I don’t feel like I matter to you at all."

Rafe felt the panic in his chest turn into something worse—fear.

Without thinking, he dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands reaching out to grip her waist as he pressed his forehead against her stomach.

"Baby, please," he begged, his voice raw. "Please don’t say that. I swear to god, you mean everything to me."

Y/N let out a breath softly, her hands instinctively going to his hair as she looked down at him with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I don’t care about anything else," Rafe continued, his grip tightening as if he were afraid she’d disappear. "Not my dad’s business, not my reputation, not these stupid Kooks, nothing—I just care about you." He exhaled shakily, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I can’t lose you, Y/N."

Her resolve wavered as she felt his desperation seep into her bones. Rafe Cameron—the Rafe Cameron who never begged for anything—was on his knees in front of her, pleading for forgiveness like a man who had lost everything. Her heart ached. She wanted to stay angry, to keep yelling, to make him feel the full weight of what he had done. But the sight of him—his head bowed, his body trembling slightly—made it impossible.

She swallowed hard, her fingers threading through his hair as she let out a shaky breath. "Rafe..."

He looked up at her then, his blue eyes glassy with unshed tears. "Fuck—Please, baby," he whispered. "Tell me how to fix this. Tell me what I have to do."

Y/N closed her eyes for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts. She was still hurt. Still furious. But she also knew Rafe, knew how deeply he felt things even when he didn’t know how to express them properly.

"You can’t just say you care, Rafe," she said softly, opening her eyes. "You have to show me. I need to know that when I need you, you’ll be there. That I can count on you."

Rafe nodded quickly, his hands gripping her tighter. "You can. I swear to you, you can. I won’t let this happen again." Y/N searched his face, looking for any hint of dishonesty. But all she saw was sincerity, guilt, and a desperate need to make things right.

She sighed, finally lowering herself to the ground with him. Rafe immediately pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her as he buried his face in her neck.

"I love you," he murmured against her skin, his voice thick with emotion. "So fucking much."

Y/N closed her eyes, letting herself melt into his embrace. She wasn’t ready to forget, but she knew that she loved him too much to walk away.

"I love you too," she whispered. "But Rafe... don’t make me regret it."

Rafe pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, his hands cupping her face with a gentleness that made her chest ache.

"I won’t," he promised, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "I swear, I won’t."

The fight had drained them both, leaving behind nothing but the quiet hum of exhaustion and lingering emotion. Rafe had helped Y/N up from the floor, his hands never leaving her as if he was afraid she might slip through his fingers if he let go.

"Come on, baby," he murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Let’s get you ready for bed."

Y/N nodded, her body still tense, but the warmth of his hands on her skin soothed her more than she was willing to admit. Rafe led her to their bedroom, his touch featherlight as he guided her inside.

The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting shadows along the walls. Rafe turned to her, his fingers trailing down her arms before he reached for the zipper of her dress.

"Can I?" he asked gently, searching her eyes for permission.

Y/N swallowed, nodding slowly. She could feel his breath against her shoulder as he pulled the zipper down with deliberate care, his knuckles grazing her skin. When the fabric pooled at her feet, Rafe didn’t let his hands wander. Instead, he pressed a slow, reverent kiss to her bare shoulder.

"You’re so beautiful," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I don’t tell you enough."

Her heart clenched at the sincerity in his tone. She turned to face him, lifting shaky hands to undo the buttons of his shirt. He let her, watching her with those piercing blue eyes, letting her take control of the moment.

When his shirt finally slipped from his shoulders, he reached for her hand, intertwining their fingers before bringing them to his lips. "I love you," he murmured against her skin. "More than anything. More than I know how to say."

Tears welled in Y/N’s eyes again, but this time, they weren’t from anger. She stepped closer, resting her forehead against his. "Then show me," she whispered.

Rafe exhaled shakily, his arms wrapping around her waist as he pulled her against him. He pressed soft, lingering kisses to her temple, her cheek, the corner of her lips—everywhere but where she wanted him most. He was worshipping her, letting his love seep through every touch, every breath.

"Let’s get in bed," he finally said, his voice low and tender.

He pulled back just enough to help her into one of his T-shirts, the fabric swallowing her frame in a way that made something warm settle deep in his chest. Then, he led her to the bed, pulling back the covers before guiding her underneath. The moment they settled in, Rafe pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her as if shielding her from the world. His hand traced lazy patterns along her back, his lips pressed against the top of her head.

"You still mad at me?" he asked after a moment, his voice quiet in the stillness of the room.

Y/N sighed, tucking herself deeper into his warmth. "A little," she admitted.

Rafe let out a soft chuckle, kissing her forehead. "I deserve that."

"You do," she agreed, tilting her head up to look at him. "But I also love you. And I believe you when you say you won’t let this happen again."

His jaw tensed, and he nodded, brushing his fingers along her cheek. "I won’t. I swear to you, Y/N. I’ll always put you first."

She sighed, relaxing into him. "Good."

For a while, they just lay there, wrapped in each other, the steady rise and fall of their breathing in sync. Rafe continued to whisper soft reassurances, his lips brushing against her skin between each promise.

"You’re everything to me," he murmured. "My whole world."

Y/N tightened her arms around him, pressing her face against his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart lull her into peace. And as sleep finally pulled them under, she knew—despite everything—they would always find their way back to each other.