#and then finally turned my phone on at 5am and opened the message

[bloodstainedcanines]

fuck i forgot to reply

[hungermakesmonsters]

The Red Ribbon

Chapter Two

Plot Summary : By day you’re Billy Russo’s clumsy PA, but by night you’re a host at New York City’s most exclusive gentlemen's club. At The Red Ribbon everyone is anonymous and masks conceal the identities of patrons and hosts alike. But your two lives are about to collide and Billy Russo is about to see a whole new side of you without even realising it..

Pairing : Billy Russo x Reader

Story Rating : R 

Warnings : [This is a fic for 18+ only, minors DNI] Smutty behaviour. All chapters will deal with smutty themes and include mentions/suggestions of sex work/work at a gentlemen's club (don't like, don't read). Please check the warnings on each chapter if you choose to follow this story. 

Word Count : 6.1k

A/N : I was feeling well enough to finally get this chapter finished!

CHAPTER ONE

Master List

Chapter Two

The morning after, it felt like it had all been part of some weird, misremembered dream. The kind of dream that you’d wake from with a sense of longing, wishing that a man like that could be real. But it hadn’t been real. That was the point of The Red Ribbon; nothing that happened there was real.

Still, you found yourself thinking about those dark eyes, about your little game and the things he’d let slip about himself.

Not to mention the way he’d promised to find you again. 

You laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about how things might be if your life was just a little bit different, if you’d met him somewhere else.

But that was stupid. If you’d met him outside of The Red Ribbon, it would have been you and not Bunny that he’d met, and you were certain that he wouldn’t like who you were behind the mask.

Reluctantly, you pulled yourself from your warm bed and got ready for your day. As you stepped into the foyer of Anvil, you hoped that Mr Russo wouldn’t be there and that he’d been lying about turning up at 5am. All you wanted was a nice, quiet morning where you could get things done without him making you feel like crap.

But you weren’t that lucky. 

As you reached your desk, you could hear him on the phone - you only caught snatched words, but it sounded like he was trying to describe someone - but you thought nothing of it as you sat down and opened your laptop.

You were gifted ten wonderful minutes before his office door opened.

“I need everything we have on the Harris deal and I want my lunch at one,” he instructed.

“Yes, Mr Russo,” you said automatically, reaching for a pen. “What would you like for lunch?”

“Fettuccine Alfredo,” he said, “But get it from that place on 53rd, not the place on 38th.”

“Okay. And do you want your morning coffee yet?”

“Yes. In fact, get it as soon as you’ve pulled those files for me,” he continued before pausing a beat, “and don’t make a mess of them.”

“Okay.”

Then he was gone, leaving you to diligently set about your tasks for the day. 

Getting his coffee went without a hitch, and so did his lunch order, but the files he requested weren’t so easy. 

You managed to get almost all of them ready for him, but there was one - an important financial document, that was giving you problems.

You stared at the screen, trying every way you knew to open the files, only to be met by the same Corrupted File message. You called down to IT, desperately begging someone to come and have a look.

You’d met Ryan on your first day with Anvil, he’d help set up your laptop and give you access to everything you’d need to do the job and, since then, you’d struck up something of a work-friendship with him. 

He leaned over you, looking at your laptop, clicking the file and going through - whatever tech magic it was that he thought might salvage the file. Eventually, he managed to find the file and you quickly sent it to print.

“There you go, nothing to it,” he said, smiling down at you, still leaning ever-so close to you.

“You’re a lifesaver, Ryan. Honestly, you have no idea how much shit I’d be in if -”

Ryan pulled back at the sound of a door opening and you both turned to find Billy Russo standing there.

“I was about to ask why my lunch was late, but I guess I don’t have to,” he said in that cold tone he seemed to reserve just for you.

Your eyes widened as you looked at the clock - fuck-fuck-fuck, you were supposed to have picked up his lunch twenty minutes ago.

Ryan muttered something of an apology and hastily made his way towards the door, seeing himself out.

Quickly, you got to your feet, knocking your desk and causing your water bottle to topple, soaking the desk as it rolled off and onto the carpet. You cringed, watching as water dripped off the desk and started to create a puddle on the floor.

“Jesus Christ, can’t you do anything without fucking up?” Russo sighed.

“I’m sorry, Mr Russo - there was an issue with one of the files so -”

“So you had to call someone from IT to come and flirt with you?” He said harshly. “Look, I don’t care about excuses, I just want you to do your fucking job, okay? It’s not fucking hard.”

“Yes, Mr Russo.”

“Now, clean up this fucking mess, and go get me my lunch. If you don’t have it on my desk before my meeting at two, don’t bother coming in tomorrow.”

You managed to hold back tears until his office door was shut, but you didn’t have time to wallow and cry, no matter how much you felt like you needed to. You threw yourself onto hands and knees and quickly mopped up the spillage before racing out of the building to hail a taxi.

He barely even bothered to look at you when you returned with his lunch with only fifteen minutes to spare, and you were almost certain that he’d wanted you to fail. He wanted a reason to fire you.

Dread followed you for the rest of the day, filling your chest like a weight that dragged you down the depths of despair. You weren’t sure what you’d do if you lost your job at Anvil, especially since you were certain that Mr Russo wouldn’t exactly offer you a glowing reference.

On your way home, you checked your bank account and realised that, once again, you were reaching the end of your overdraft. If you lost your job you were going to run out of money and then...

You didn’t want to think about then...

The next day followed the same pattern; the barista at Starbucks managed to fuck up Mr Russo’s coffee order, so he took it out on you, sending you back to get him fresh cup, despite the freezing cold rain.

By the time you were at home preparing for your next shift at The Red Ribbon, you knew what you were going to have to do.

You got there early, before the club even opened and, instead of getting changed straight away, you headed to the manager’s office. Fortunately, unlike your boss at Anvil, Val who ran The Red Ribbon was a lot more... approachable.

You went in with a whole speech prepared, about how you wanted to change your limits, but it wasn’t really needed.

Negotiated touching, meaning that physical touch wasn’t entirely off the table but patrons shouldn’t expect it. They would need to ask or, if the situation called for it, you would need to ask. And, still, you got to set your own limits, you got to say no and have Rocky deal with anyone who pushed your boundaries.

“Are you sure?” Val asked, looking for any sign of doubt. You gave a nod, not trusting your voice to not betray you. “And just what brought on this change of heart?”

You couldn’t tell her about Anvil, about the day job you were certain you were going to lose; it was too high profile, too dangerous, she’d see it as a conflict of interest, and the last thing you needed was for her to fire you.

You managed a shrug. “I just figured it was time. My rent is going up next month and I’m sick of scraping to get by.”

By rights you shouldn’t have been scraping by at all, even with just the money that you made from working at The Red Ribbon. Val shot you a questioning look, but she didn’t say anything, didn’t ask how you managed to burn through so much money so quickly. Everyone at The Red Ribbon had their own stories, you supposed, and you were no different and, while Val always did what she could to make sure everyone was safe and content, ultimately, she was there to make money too.

“Okay, as long as you’re sure you’re happy doing this.”

“I am. Really. I’ll be fine.”

And, that was that.

As you stepped out onto the club floor that night, wearing the fox mask, you were greeted by Rocky. It quickly became clear he knew that you’d changed your limits and, as he fitted your security bracelet for the evening, he was very clear about what you should do if you felt uncomfortable even for a second. Then, he followed you to the fox room and told you he’d be right outside all night.

Everything was fine.

It was shocking just how fine everything was. While touching was allowed, all you got was the occasional pat on the shoulder, a gesture that you returned in kind, but even with just that, you saw an increase in your tips by the end of the night.

Over the next few days, you found yourself almost forgetting about Tall, Dark and Handsome, as you lost yourself in trying to keep your head above water at Anvil, and making more money at The Red Ribbon.

It was a week to the day that you stood in front of the board, checking your room assignment for the night when you noticed that you were in the cat room, one of the smaller rooms in The Red Ribbon, usually only used when there were one or two patrons that wanted private service. There was a note beside your name in brackets; by request. 

Some of the hosts had repeat customers, people who were so impressed by their skills that they requested the same host every time, but it was the first time that it had ever happened to you.

It was him.

It had to be him.

Your heart stuttered as you made your way to the cat room, saying a quick hello to Rocky as you got your bracelet fitted. He must have sensed your nervousness because he asked you if you were alright, if you needed him outside the door just in case. You shrugged him off, told him it was fine.

You’d never hosted in the cat room before, so you took a few minutes to familiarise yourself with it and to make sure everything was clean and comfortable.

Then the door opened and your heart threatened to stop completely.

“Bunny.”

His voice sent a shiver down your spine and brought a smile to your lips.

You tapped the cat mask on your face. “Not tonight.”

“You can put on any mask you want but you’ll still be my Bunny,” he said without a second of hesitation.

(His Bunny?)

Your breath caught as he stepped towards you, your head tilting back slightly the closer he got so that you could see his dark eyes.

“I told you I’d find you again,” he said.

“You did,” you said, trying desperately to calm your racing heart. “Though, I’m not sure if it counts as cheating to pay to find me.”

You smirked at him and watched as he considered the comment.

“I play to my strengths,” he said, shrugging.

“Money is a strength?”

“It is if you have it,” he answered.

He took another step, until there was no space left between you.

“Can I -” he started to ask but then seemed uncertain of something, “- am I allowed to touch you?”

His hand flexed as his side, his fingers seemed to itch and strain, wanting nothing more than to reach for you.

“Yes,” you answered softly, breathlessly.

Slowly, cautiously even, he reached for you, placing his hand on your cheek, just below the mask. Your eyes closed and you leaned into the warmth of his hand.

“What changed?” He asked, still sounding uncertain.

It took you a couple of seconds to figure out what he meant; when you’d last seen him a week ago, you’d been strictly hands off but, now, you were letting him touch you. You shrugged and shook your head a little.

“Doesn’t matter.”

Your hand rose to hold his, keeping it pressed against your cheek for a few more seconds before pulling it away and using it to lead him towards the sofa.

With a playful smile, you pushed him down onto the sofa and reached down to frame his face with your hands. As he looked up at you, it struck you just how tired he looked, and it brought about a strange want inside of you; the desire to take care of him.

“Let me get you a drink,” you said softly, lingering for a few more seconds before pulling away from him.

The bar was a lot smaller in this private room than the one you’d met him in, mostly meant for solo patrons and mostly those that wanted to do a lot more than just touch. Still, the bar was well stocked, and it took you no time at all to fill a glass with some ice and pour him a healthy measure of scotch.

When you returned to him, he took the glass from your hand and looked at you with some confusion as you sat beside him, your leg pulled up onto the sofa so you could face him better.

“Seriously, what changed?” He asked again.

“Maybe I was just optimistic that you’d find me again,” you answered with a shrug.

“So you’re... you’re okay?”

Of course, you knew where the thought had to have come from; he couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that you were willing to let masked strangers touch you for money, and that there had to be some terrible reason behind it.

“I’m fine,” you told him, reaching to cup his cheek, “so stop worrying about me and drink your drink.”

As if taking your words as a challenge, he lifted his glass and knocked it back in one go. Then, he seemed to settle a little, sitting back and fixing his dark eyes on you. You relieved him of the empty glass and placed it on the table, quickly returning your full attention to him.

“You look tired,” you said, the hand on his cheek moving, slipping your fingers into his hair.

“It’s been a long week.”

His eyes flickered shut and you heard him let out a soft sigh.

“Want to talk about it?”

His head shook, eyes still closed. “Just work stuff I’d rather not think about.”

“Then what do you want to think about?” You asked playfully, hoping to lighten his mood.

“You.”

“What about me?” You prompted, still running your fingers through his hair.

“You kissed me.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to,” you said, letting your fingers still for a moment.

Your breath caught as his eyes opened and he looked at you again. There was something so unreadable in his dark eyes and you couldn’t tell if it was a warning or a promise. He didn’t say anything so you continued.

“And, I think you wanted me to kiss you,” you said before pausing for a beat. “Didn’t you?”

That got a smile from him, that same little smirk that had been stuck in your mind since the last time you’d seen him.

“Wanted to do more than kiss you, Bunny.”

“Yeah, you did,” you said, barely holding back a smirk.

He laughed, daring to reach for you again, his hand on your cheek, his thumb brushing over your lips.

“What is it about you?” He asked softly. “How is it that I feel so at ease when I'm with you?”

Your heart stuttered in your chest and you felt heat creep across your cheeks. It took every ounce of common sense at your disposal to remind yourself that the moment wasn't real and that, if he was face to face with the real you, he probably wouldn't be interested.

“The mask,” you offered, “or the fact that there's no expectations beyond this moment. We can be whoever we want to be right now and no one can say that we can't.”

“And who do you want to be right now, Bunny?”

“I want to be your Bunny.”

He seemed almost taken aback by your answer, shifting in his seat, leaning closer to you.

“You want to be mine?”

“For the night.”

“Just for the night?”

Your expression softened and turned into something a little sadder, knowing that you couldn't indulge him even though some part of you desperately wanted to.

“Let's not ruin it by thinking about later,” you said, forcing a smile to your lips. “Let's just enjoy now. Do you want another drink?”

“No, I want another kiss,” he said with all the confidence of a man who usually got exactly what he wanted.

“Oh, you do, do you?” You asked playfully.

Your fingers stilled and, instead, lightly gripped his hair as you lost yourself in his gaze. You knew that you were playing a dangerous game and, while you might have wanted to tell yourself that it was just the job and that all of this was just because he had paid for your time,  there was more to it than that. It was silly but, some part of you wanted it to be real.

After the week you’d had, you wanted a moment where you didn’t feel useless, a moment where you felt wanted, even if the whole thing was just some ridiculous fantasy.

And, maybe, that was exactly what he wanted too, some escape from reality for an evening.

“I do,” he said, but made no attempt to close the distance between you.

He was giving you the choice. He wasn’t demanding or forcing it just because he was paying for your time.

With a smile on your lips, you leaned towards him and kissed him. It was nothing special, just a light peck on the lips, but it felt like so much more. It felt like a promise, an offer of something wonderful, but only for the next few hours.

His hand slipped to your neck, fingers resting above your racing pulse, and you could tell from the slight narrowing of his eyes he could tell that your heart was beating for him in that moment.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“Don’t thank me. I wanted to kiss you.”

Reluctantly, you let your fingers slip from his hair and you sat back beside him, creating a little bit of space between you. As much as you wanted to keep kissing him, you didn’t want to rush or put yourself in a situation that you’d regret.

“So, should I ask how much money you had to spend to make this happen?” You asked, smiling playfully.

“Oh, an obscene amount,” he said, grinning straight back at you.

“Obscene?”

“A truly disgusting amount.”

“You rich guys, you think you can throw your money around and get whatever you want, don’t you?” You asked with mock indignation. 

“I told you, Bunny; I always get what I want.”

You burst out laughing, amused by how serious he managed to sound. Though, in all honesty, you were trying not to actually think about how much he must have paid to make this happen. It was both unsettling and exhilarating to think that anyone might want to spend that sort of money just to be around you.

“You might always get what you want, but I’m starting to think you rarely get what you need,” you told him before getting to your feet.

You grabbed his glass from the table and headed back to the bar, this time bringing the scotch bottle back alone with a fresh glass of ice.

“You think this is what I need?” He asked as you refiled the glass and set the bottle down.

“No, I think what you need is a good night’s sleep,” you told him softly, sinking back onto the sofa beside me. “When was the last time you slept more than a couple of hours?” 

A subtle shift in things followed, a clumsy sort of tension, as if you’d shattered the illusion that you’d both been trying to hide in. For a moment he looked at you and you almost braced yourself to be told it was none of your fucking business. After all, who were you to say such things to him?

“It’s been a rough couple of months,” he said, giving an uncomfortable shrug and you noticed an awkward sort of tension in his shoulder.

Without thinking, you reached for him again and began to softly massage where his shoulder and neck met. He let out what could only be described as a relieved sigh and, for a few seconds, he let his eyes close.

“Are you always so tense, or is this just the effect that I have on you?” You teased.

“I’d be lying if I said you didn’t inspire a certain sort of tension... well, it’s more of a stiffness really...”

Your fingers squeezed a little tighter on his shoulder. “Oh, really? Sounds uncomfortable.”

“I’ll survive.”

You managed to hold your composure for all of two seconds before bursting into laughter. He joined you and you couldn’t help but wonder how often he got to laugh like that. Not often, if you had to hazard a guess.

“I guess I should be flattered,” you said once you managed to stop laughing.

“Is that your way of telling me that you haven’t given me a second thought since the other night?” He asked, almost pouting.

You bit your lip, torn between brutal honesty and the safer option.

“I might have briefly considered you, once or twice,” you confessed.

It was a dangerous game, and a silly one considering you knew nothing about him. In fact, the whole thing was a little ridiculous; both of you were acting like your first meeting had been more than a couple of hours of silly comments made across a bar. Both of you were acting like it had meant something.

But it was hard to deny that there had been some spark of connection and, as childish as you felt for indulging it, you wanted more.

You watched as he took another drink and, again, drained his glass.

“Tell me, when you were considering me, were you considering anything in particular?” He asked.

“Hmm,” you hummed, appearing lost in thought for a moment, “I can’t really remember.”

Before he could answer, you leaned forward, reaching for the bottle on the table when, suddenly, you felt his arms around you, pulling you onto his lap. Fingers cold from gripping his glass found your chin and he angled your face towards his so he could kiss you. 

This time it wasn’t just some chaste peck on the lips. His tongue pressed against the seam of your mouth and your lips parted for him, letting him deepen the kiss while your fingers fisted the fabric of his jacket. His lips tasted of scotch and desire, and it was easy to lose yourself in the moment.

When the kiss finally broke, you let out a contented hum, your eyes remaining shut for a few long seconds. 

“That’s what I was considering,” you said, lips pulling into a smirk again.

“Then maybe I should do it again.”

Before you could even think, his lips were on yours again. You fingers ended up back in his hair, gripping the dark strands and pulling him closer, keeping him against your lips as you kissed.

No one had ever kissed you the way he did; hungrily, needily, like he thought he might die if he didn’t have just one more taste of your lips.

And that was how the evening went from there; teasing playful comments interspersed with kisses that seemed to demand more and more.

You felt like your grip on your sanity was slowly loosening and it wouldn’t be long until it was gone entirely. Here was a man you didn’t know, a man whose face you’d never seen, but you were more than willing to spend the whole night on his lap making out with him as if he was your true love.

Every time you caught yourself thinking about it, you tried to rationalise it; he was a customer and this was what he wanted. 

You were both adults who understood the situation.

(Right?)

Eventually you moved from his lap to refill his glass, wanting to at least make a show of being a good host, even though he pouted and complained that you weren’t allowed to drink with him. And, when you moved back towards him, you were quickly pulled back onto his lap, this time straddling him - so he could see you better, he explained with a smirk that tied your insides in knots.

You ran your fingers through his hair again, smiling at him as he sipped his scotch and stared right back.

“Tell me something real, something about you that no one else knows,” he said, still staring into your eyes.

“I like to go to the Rockefeller Center to watch the ice skaters in the winter,” you confessed as if it was some great and terrible thing.

“You just go to watch? You don’t skate?”

You shook your head and bit back a laugh. “No. I’m not... uh, I’m not very good at ice skating. I'm kinda clumsy, I'd spend all my time falling over...”

“I don't believe that, I've seen you balancing trays or drinks and walking around just fine.”

It was strange that you'd never stopped to think about it like that; you couldn't remember ever dropping anything while you were working at The Red Ribbon, while you were hiding behind the mask, but you could barely get through a day at Anvil without tripping over your own feet or making a mess of something. Maybe that was another benefit of spending your nights as someone else.

“Can you ice skate?” You ask, deciding to redirect the conversation.

“A little, but it's been years since I last tried.”

“You should go some time, have some fun,” you suggested. “You look like you need more fun in your life.”

“I've got all the fun I need right here, Bunny,” he answered back without hesitation. 

“I mean real fun, not…”

It struck you that you didn't even have a word for what this was. A fantasy. A pipe dream. A waste of his time - if you wanted to be brutally honest about it.

“Not what?” He asked, picking up on your moment of hesitation.

“I just mean that when you get bored of this - of me - you should do something fun for yourself, something that makes you smile,” you said with a shrug.

His head shook and you could see the confusion on his face despite the mask.

“Who says I'm going to get bored of this?”

“Come on, handsome, we both know how this goes...” you answered as gently as you could. “You can't just spend the rest of your life coming here to see me.”

“Why? Is someone gonna stop me?”

He gave your thigh a gentle squeeze and, realistically, you knew that you should be at least a little bit concerned. He was a customer, this was your job. It wasn’t like you’d just met each other in some bar or coffee shop, and there was really only one sort of person who wanted to come to a place like The Red Ribbon to see the same host every night. But he didn’t seem like that, it didn’t act like some lonely weirdo who thought it was something more than it was.

“You’ll run out of money,” you joked.

“I can always make more.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Impossible to refuse,” he countered.

That had you laughing again, resting your hand above his heart, and shaking your head. You leaned forwards, your masked forehead against his, eyes closing tight.

“Carry on like this and I might actually start believing you,” you said softly.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he answered just as quietly.

Before you could respond, his lips were on yours again and his arm was pulling you closer. The kiss seemed more desperate as he tried to prove what he was telling you was true, and the longer it went on, the more you believed him.

Your chest pressed against his and he groaned into the kiss. A moment later you felt him between your thighs, a hard ridge tenting his pants. His hand moved to your hip, pulling you against him as he pressed upwards, grinding himself against you. You let out a soft moan into the kiss that only got louder as he took your bottom lip between his teeth.

Fuck.

You knew that you should stop but you couldn’t, so you did the next best thing and tried to take control of the situation, making sure he was at your mercy and not the other way around. 

You pulled back a fraction and let your hands glide down the front of his shirt, all the way down to his waistband. Ignoring the trembling in your fingers, you quickly unbuckled his belt and made a strat on the fastenings of his pants. His breath caught as you tugged down the zipper and you hesitated, offering him a brief split-second to tell you to stop. When he didn’t, you slipped your hand into his pants and beneath his boxers to pull out his cock.

Your eyes widened as they travelled down his body to look at him, hard and growing harder still in your grasp. Thick, long and perfect, the tip already glistening with pre-cum. For you. He was hard for you.

“Fuck,” you muttered before you could think to stop yourself.

And he just laughed.

“See something you like, Bunny?”

Instead of answering you bit your lip and started to stroke him, slowly running your hand up and down his shaft. His mouth went slack and his head dropped back, and you paid attention to every little sound and flicker of pleasure on his face, learning exactly how he liked to be touched. Your grip tightened and your hand twisted ever so slightly, and the groan that left him sent a bolt of pleasure straight to your core.

He leaned forward, pressing his lips to your neck, trailing wet kisses along the column of your throat until you almost forgot that you were the one giving him pleasure.

You didn’t snap back to reality until you felt his lips start to suck the skin just above where the red ribbon sat around your neck. Quickly, your free hand gripped his hair and gave a gentle tug.

“You can’t mark me,” you told him quietly but firmly.

The disappointed grunt he gave was almost enough to have you reconsidering, but he was quickly distracted by your hand.

His cock throbbed in your grasp, veins pulsing in time with his racing heart.

“You like that?” You muttered in a soft and sultry tone. “You like me stroking your cock?”

“Yes - fuck, Bunny - yes,” he groaned.

“Are you gonna come for me?” 

There was no telling where your new found confidence had come from, you’d never been the sort to engage in dirty talk before but something about the moment made you feel powerful. That you, of all people, could have some powerful, wealthy man trembling beneath your touch was an intoxicating feeling.

“Come for me, handsome. Show me how much you like me.”

You watched as his jaw set and his teeth gritted, like he was trying to hold back, like he wanted the moment to go on and on. It only made your hand move faster, fingers twisting around his shaft.

When he continued to deny you, your fingers in his hair tightened their hold again, pulling his head up and forcing him to look you in the eye.

And that was all it took.

His cock started to twitch and you felt warm cum running over your hand, but all the while you held his gaze, enjoying the desperate little sounds that were escaping him.

“Fuck, Bunny,” he groaned, breathless and boneless as he sank back against the sofa.

You gave him a triumphant smirk, your hand still gripping his cock as it started to soften. When you finally pulled it away, you lifted it to your mouth and made a show of slowly licking his cum from one of your fingers.

After a moment more, you slowly stood, ignoring your shaking legs as you headed towards the bar to grab a towel to clean up with. You quickly rinsed your hand before returning to him, kneeling between his legs and tenderly wiping him clean.

When you were about to pull away again, you were stopped by his hand on your chin, tilting your head up.

“Tell me it’s not just about the money,” he said.

Your heart almost stopped at the request.

As much as you’d been trying to tell yourself that you were playing the part of Bunny, it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true, not with him.

“It’s not about the money,” you answered, feeling your cheeks start to heat, “I wouldn’t’ve done that with you for money.”

It felt like the most honest thing you’d said to him so far. If he’d asked, if he’d thrown money at you like so many men had since you started hosting at The Red Ribbon, you would have told him no. 

No, you’d done it because you wanted to because, regardless of how strange and fucked up the circumstances were, you enjoyed his company, even if you were both hiding behind your masks.

But, it seemed that he wasn’t willing to hide behind masks anymore.

You recoiled the second you felt his fingers nudging the cat mask upwards, your fingers tugging it back into place.

“Don’t,” you said, begged. “Don’t ruin this.”

“I - I’m sorry. I just - fuck, Bunny - I just want to see you.”

He sat forward and his hand found your shoulder, offering a gentle and reassuring squeeze that really didn’t help matters.

“We can’t. That’s not how this works,” you told him, trying to keep the regret from spilling into your voice.

He nodded and started to tuck himself back into his pants. You took the opportunity to pull back and get to your feet.

Then he was standing, pulling his jacket back on. He reached for you and pulled your body to his, holding you tight as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. 

“I told you, Bunny. I always get what I want. And I want you.”

Despite his playful tone, there was a gravity to his words, something that caused your heart to stutter. When you looked up, he caught your lips in another eager kiss, and you let him. You kissed him back, once again losing yourself in the fantasy that this could be something more than what it was, that this could be real.

Then, he was gone, leaving you with the unspoken promise that this thing between you was far from over.

You didn’t sleep that night, laying in bed, tossing and turning, trying to get the thought of him from your mind. The only thing that helped was your vibrator, though once you’d made yourself come, you were right back at square one, trying to figure out what the fuck you were going to do.

Fortunately, when you turned up at Anvil the next morning, you were happy to find an email from Mr Russo telling you that he’d be out of office all day, meaning that you could work in peace.

On your way home, you found yourself heading towards the Rockefeller Center, stopping on the way to grab a coffee. You snuggled into your thick coat, occasionally glancing up at the sky, idly wondering if it was going to snow over Christmas.

When you reached the rink, you slowly made your way through the crowd, enjoying getting lost in the hustle and bustle until you saw a familiar face across the ice.

Billy Russo.

It didn’t click straight away - all you could think about was why would you boss be there - but when he reached up to brush back his hair and covered the top half of his face for a split second, the familiarity hit you like a brick.

It was him.

Mr Tall, Dark and Handsome was Billy Russo.

A/N : I hate being ill so much... 0/10 do not recommend (though it did give me time to finally start playing Black Ops 6 which I do recommend). Anyway hopefully I managed to get most of the dumb typos in this one. I know this story probably seems a bit faster than most of my fics but since this is only going to be three parts (or four if I get carried away) I didn't want to spend a lot of time on slow burn or b-plots. Plus it's a Christmas story and I want to finish it while it's still seasonal . Any way, I hope you're all having fun with this one because I certainly am.

Thanks for reading, hope you all have a great week (enjoy new years and stay safe!!)

Let me know if you want to be tagged!

Tag List : @lincerad @xxxsweetcarolinexxx @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes @dreadfulxives18 @shwnirwin

@ladyblacky @spitecrow @oliviaewl @snowkestrel @benbarnesprettygurl

[serhum]

[Part 3] Birthday Game - Reader x Shohei Ohtani x Yuki Ishikawa AU - NSFW

Disclaimer: This is a 18+ writing so if you’re not comfortable reading this, please skip it! There will be a lot of smut & mentions of sex in this work so beware. ;)

🖤🖤🖤🖤

What I thought to be a short 5-minute nap went into a deep slumber. The clock shows it’s 5am already and I heard both of the men on my sides snore. “They looked really cute.” I mumble to myself. It’s really kind of them for not waking me up, although I promised Shohei another ‘session’ in the bathroom. I slowly get up from the bed as I’m still naked underneath the blanket. I tried to wiggle my way out carefully so that they don’t wake up. I collected my undergarments and slide into them. Then, I tip toed towards the bathroom after grabbing my phone and closed the door slowly, not bothered to lock it. 

I take a look into the mirror and saw several kiss marks on my body especially on my neck and chest areas. The thought of me making love with Yuki and Shohei still makes me feel giddy. Then, I open my phone to see several messages I receive from my friends who wishes me happy birthday.

“Are you awake already?” I was taken aback when I heard Shohei’s voice. He’s standing by the door shirtless, leaving him with his brief. His hair is messy but he looks too good to be true. “Ohh, I didn’t realize I was sleeping through the night. How about you? You should take a rest.” I reply and he shut the door. Shohei walks towards me and I turned my body to him. He closed the gap between ours and placed his hands on my hips and lifted me to the countertop. My breath suddenly got hard. 

“I think I haven’t tell you some of the things I really admired about you.” I suddenly said while having a staring contest with him. His face was a few inches away from me and when he heard me, he pulled away. “Really? What about it?” he grins. “Before that, I want you to pull the stool chair. This is gonna be a long talk.” I said to him while tracing his chest and abs. “Sure.” After he sits on the chair in front of me, I started to tell him the reason why I like him - not in a romantic way, more to as a fangirl. 

“I first heard your name during your time in Angels. You caught my eyes instantly,” I paused and took his hand so that our fingers interlock each other. “Since then, I found a lot of interesting facts about you online. I watched you play too even with Yuki. I like how determined you are to be a two-way player, how you tryna keep a lowkey personality in the midst of your popularity, and how you keep your body healthy.” I felt his thumb caressing my hands as well and he was so into my story. “You are such an inspiration to many, Sho. And I want you to keep being that way.” I smile to him.

“That’s very nice to hear. Thank you.” He simply replied with his husky voice and showing his eye smile. Very typical of him who doesn’t talk a lot but more into actions. “Not to forget that you’re able to challenge yourself in a completely different country and look at your fanbase. So big, just like these muscles, haha” I joked while grabbing his broad shoulders and biceps. I heard him chuckles as well. 

“If I had known you before Yuki, I’ll definitely date you, y/n.” My heart beats so fast when he muttered that sentence. That sounds like a confession to me. I look at him in the eyes and automatically my fingers reached to his eyebrows, eyelashes, and finally his lips. “You don’t realize how handsome you are, Sho. If you already have a girlfriend back in the States, she’d be really lucky to have you.” his dimples appeared.  

“You make me blush. Don’t you think Yuki will get jealous if he heard you complimented me?” he asks. I shake my head, “He already know that you’re my idol. Actually he left me dumbfounded when he said that you agreed to have threesome with me as a gift for my birthday. I was so embarrassed!” I jokingly punch his chest and he stopped me by holding my hands. “Don’t be. It’s my pleasure to make you feel special on your birthday, I should thank Yuki for this moment. I get to know you better,” he paused and I feel his face getting closer to mine. Our noses touched and there’s this electric sensation I get from him.

“I like how you hold me in your arms earlier. I like how our bodies move in sync. I like it when you play your tongue with me. I like everything about you but it’s impossible for us to be together. So I am grateful for this moment with you.” I might be carried away with the situation where we share our intimacy without Yuki eyeing us. I felt that I need to confess that to Shohei so that he knows what I feels. I feel his arms linger my body, giving me a bear hug. His manly cologne is still there although he was sweating all night. I’m actually afraid that it’s me who crossed the line? I sound like a cheating girlfriend right now but I will regret it my whole life if I don’t say those things to Shohei. Because he deserves to know how he made me feel.

He then kissed me slow but passionate, “Should we keep this as a secret from Yuki?” he asked in a lower voice. Thinking about what I said earlier, I realize that Yuki might be jealous even mad of our conversation. So I nod to him. “I’ll definitely miss you when I return home. We should spend time together again.” he said calmly while staring at me. His hands are now resting on my shoulders. “While you’re in Italy, we still have some time.” I said mumbling in his chest. Oh god, I like this man. It’s Yuki’s fault that he put me in this odd position with his best friend! 

“Shall we have a cold shower? You said you like being taken care of after sex, c’mon” Shohei said but I stopped him from walking to the shower. “Wait. I like that we have this kind of intimacy. Are you okay if I take a photo of us?” I nervously asked while grabbing my phone on my side. “I’m totally fine. It’s not that you’ll share it publicly.” I smiled at his statement. 

I activated the back camera and take candid photos of him. “Don’t be shy. Show me your sexy pose haha” I told him to pose and he acted really cool which is why the photos came out so good. “Can we also have photos together? Here, stand in front of me.” He gladly put me down from the countertop and we are now facing the mirror. “Can you wrap your arms around my neck? That’d be a good pic.” he does what I tell him. “You look so petite, so cute.” Shohei said at our reflections and I laugh. “Compared to you and Yuki, I’m just like a teenage girl.” I went along with him. 

After several photos later, Shohei spun my body to face him. “Are you done, sweetie?” asked him. I put my phone down, “Is someone being impatient for the next round? Hm?” I continue by grabbing the strap of his briefs. Teasing him a bit. “I can’t wait to touch you and feel you squirm under my touch.” He sounded so sexy right now. “I need a little bit more of you, Shohei.” I whispered and with that he lifted me and walked to the shower.

My lips reach him and my tongue is trying to find its way to his mouth. He let me explore him and reply my kiss right away. My back is glued to the wall while he’s steadying me with his huge figure. “Mmh— you- taste so good- Hhh” he murmurs in between our kisses. 

With our bodies pressing against each other, I can feel his manhood on my lower body. I grab and rub it with my hands in the same tempo with our kisses. “You have no idea how sexy you are, Sho” I stopped the kiss and state what I feel. He smirked and suddenly the cold water flows on our bodies. “Oh my god!” We both chirped at the same time and laugh. “Oops, I didn’t mean to turn it on.” He said. Shohei’s figure is big enough to nudge the shower mixer without him knowing. “It’s alright. I’m the one who’s turned on by you.” I continue kissing him after those words came out of my mouth. I feel him smirking in the middle of our kisses. “Mmh—“ he let out a sexy whimper.

I feel butterflies in my stomach when he traces my body with his lips. He leaves his saliva here and there which triggers me to stroke his damp wet hair slowly. “I love that you’re the opposite of Yuki.” I said. He stopped right between my legs now, both hands still holding my thighs so I don’t fall. He looked up to see me and said, “Tell me.” “You’re more patient when we make love.” My response successfully made him grins.

Without wasting his time, he licks my clothed pussy that’s wet already. “Uhh—“ my natural responses were closing my eyes and playing with my harden nipples. My back arched more on the walls when he slid his tongue skillfully inside my vagina, making sure my thin underwear was moved out his way. His quick movements resulted in high pitched moan from me.

“Keep going.. Shohei,” I encourage him while squirming. The vibrations he gave me down there is out of this world. I feel it coming and he licked the wetness just for him to kiss me afterwards, letting me taste myself through him. “I like you, very much” I was surprised when listening to his sudden confession. 

“Can I go inside you now?” he added. “Yes. I need you inside me.” With that, he inserts his manhood deep inside me. This time I no longer feel hurt, instead I feel pleasure all over my body. “Sweet Jesus!” I mumble in the crook of his neck and reach for his muscular arms. He doesn’t go fast this time, meanwhile he increases his pace slowly. “Do you know how fucking tight you are?” he whispered. “U-huh.. and you’re so big.” I replied. We are now staring at each other intensely. When he accurately hits my g-spot with his slow tempo, I let out a whine. 

“Yeah you’re so fucking good. Come to me- come inside me—“ I chanted to him in a teasing way. I can feel him close to his climax when his body got more intense and he closed his eyes, with mouth opens. “Aahh- fuck” he sounded so manly in my ears. “But I’m not done yet.” I told him and I swiftly change our position where I pushed him to sit on the shower seat. 

I happily took control and now I positioned myself on his lap with my back facing him. “Do you like that?” is what comes out of my mouth when I took his whole length inside my vagina and sliding it up and down. His hands are now cupping my boobs from behind. “I like it when you take control, sweetheart” he responded. I turn my head to kiss his lips. “And I can’t stop riding you, Sho.” I keep circling my hips around him and feel so much pleasure. 

Minutes go by quickly that this shower has witnessed our numerous positions from the standing doggy to leg-up. We were enjoying our intimacy too much that I started to realize that Yuki is still in the bedroom next to us! Both Shohei and I have finally stopped our session and moved on to washing each other’s body in the shower. We took shower together where he rubs the liquid soap all over my body and on the other hand, I tried to wash his thick black hair. I tip toed to reach his height but he was kind enough to lower himself. It’s so fun with him around. He’s so playful but sexy at the same time. Shit, I can’t keep him out of my mind now.

“Are you done, princess?” Shohei asked me while drying his hair with a towel. I nodded. “I’m done, just a moment.” I tried to wear my undergarments and the last thing I found was Yuki’s oversized shirt so I decided to wear that. “Thank you for everything. I really enjoy our time together.” I confessed to him and gave him a peck on his lips. Before he responds anything, I walked out of the bathroom, leaving Shohei behind. 

🖤🖤🖤🖤

To be continued

[hunterthecharmer]

Unexpected - Part 6

Thank you for being patient with me on this :) please give me any feedback or ideas/suggestions!

Since the convention has come to an end with this chapter, we will be moving on to focus on GP x reader's relationship (I am so excited!) these will feel more like fics/one shots going forward since a lot of the context has been built.

Summary: You work for an events company and end up being assigned as a talent handler for a 2 week long convention. Your co-worker ends up assigned to Glen Powell, but you catch his eye. Can you remain professional and keep him from knowing you're actually a pretty big fan of his?

Need to catch up? Here is my Masterlist

“Can you believe it’s the last day? It’s been an incredible experience but I really miss my bed.” Savannah whines as she assists you in smoothing out the tablecloths. You and the rest of the staff were in the middle of setting up the large event space for the special brunch for the talent’s final day. The grounds had been freshly mowed the night before and the weather was crisp outside. 

The chefs had been working since 5am on the spread; homemade biscuits, jams, eggs of all kinds, bacon and other bacon substitutes, pancakes, belgian waffles…the list was a page and a half long. All of the guests were also attending a final acting class together, a group dinner with a special screening of some sort, with a campfire to end the day. The campfire was also for the staff as well, and there would be an open bar. 

“Do you think Glen will sit next to you tonight?” Savannah’s question brings a smile to your face. “I hope so. It’ll be my last chance to see him before the shuttles take them to the airport tomorrow.” 

You frown at the realization, you had no way to get in contact with Glen outside of here other than a direct message on instagram. He probably had a hundred messages a day, no doubt. You had his number for the brief time you were in charge of him, but that was on Savannah’s work phone, which had to be turned in by midnight tonight. Same with yours. Otherwise, you had no way to contact any of the guests after today, and the contract all of you signed before coming here was very clear on their ‘do not write down any of the talent’s personal information rule.

----

The brunch goes off without a hitch, the talent enjoying their lesson whole scarfing down the large layout of food. You and the rest of the handlers enjoyed your own breakfasts in one of the trailers, thankful that instead of your regular options of boiled eggs or yogurt parfaits it was catered from Starbucks.

The rest of the afternoon is packed with breaking down the other event spaces that aren't being used, folding up all the chairs and packing up the event signs you had brought. Lugging all the heavy items across the lawn all day had tired you out, so the second everything was packed up you took yourself directly back to your cabin to take a nap before the bonfire.

You all but slam the door behind you, slipping out of your Ugg boots while simultaneously shrugging off your Ignite crew neck and scarf. After slipping under the comforter, you plug your phone into the charger and set an alarm, giving yourself an hour to rest. You didn’t mind arriving at the event a little late if it meant you’d have some energy back.

….

Savannah’s POV

“She’s not answering my calls, are you sure she said she was coming tonight?” Dylan asks, shaking his head as he locks his phone after dialing a third time. 

“I swear she did! She’s been excited for the bonfire all day. We worked our butts off, maybe she took a nap? I know she disappeared earlier..” her voice trails off, wondering if you were okay. She stirs her drink, lowering her gaze to the flames in front of her. Glen’s eyes catch hers, the expression on his face unreadable.

 “Did you need me to grab you another smore?” Savannah asks, starting to stand from her chair. He chuckles, throwing his head back, “I’ve already had 3, are you trying to make my trainer hate me?”

She laughs along with him as she settles back into her seat. She notices his gaze sweeping around the lawn again, just as he had done too many times to count in the last hour.

Pulling her phone out of her jeans pocket she dials you again, muttering to herself that she hopes you pick up.

“Thank you.” is all you hear on the other end of the line, your friend’s voice extremely raspy. 

“Hurry up and get yourself down here! You’re missing the fire and it’s our last night.” She playfully yells into the phone before hanging up on you.

“She’ll be here soon.”

----

You rub the ball of your palm into your eyelid, squinting at the time. Apparently you had snoozed your alarm multiple times, missing the first hour or so of the event. 

You hurriedly throw the blankets off of you and flatten your hair in the mirror, deciding to throw it into a messy ponytail to conceal the frizz. Grabbing an oversized cardigan from your suitcase on the floor, you take your perfume lying in the compartment next to it and spritz some around your neck and down your arms to your wrists. 

You then step into your uggs for the second time that day and sprint out the door to your golf cart.

“She decided to grace us with her presence at last.” Dylan teases you, standing from his seat to give you a hug as you stroll up to him and Savannah. You take note of the others seated with them, Glen being one of them. You feel your heart flutter, hoping there was an empty chair available next to him.

“Sorry guys, I totally snoozed my alarm. I was exhausted after tearing everything down today! Sav, how are you still going?” you bend down in front of her to shake her shoulders and she giggles, but you can see how heavy her eyes are. 

“I definitely circled back to the Starbucks after everyone got their drinks and grabbed an extra iced coffee when no one was watching. I knew it’d be a long day.”

The group commends her, playfully clapping as she bows her head proudly. 

You turn around toward Glen and shoot him a shy smile over the fire, his green eyes shining at you. He hooks a finger and gestures for you to come over to him, so you do.

“Well hello.” He says lowly once you’re within earshot, his hands tapping his lap as you realize there isn’t an empty chair left for you. Your eyes widen and you step back from him slightly, nervously looking around at the group. Out of your peripheral you notice his expression falter slightly, but he recovers quickly. “Here, take my seat! I’ll go find another one.”

Glen jumps up, pointing at the chair before heading off towards other groups on the line.

You feel your heart sink as you sit down, eyes following after him. He didn’t really think you’d sit on his lap did he? You were technically still working, and all the staff was around. It was the last night though, so maybe it would have been fine. You were so embarrassed, you hoped it wouldn't come up again.

He returns quickly, wedging his chair between you and another guest. You feel your shoulders relax as he leans back in his seat, falling into conversation with the others. You can’t rip your gaze from his face, watching as the flames illuminate his features. You love the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles, his hand gestures as he talks bringing you in even more. 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” Savannah whispers into your ear, her sudden presence from behind startling you. She hands you a smore wrapped in a paper towel before rounding the group back to her seat.

You take a bite of the gooey treat, wiping the crumbs from the graham crackers off your lips. When you notice Glen’s eyes on you, you freeze. 

“Hi.” He silently mouths, lips turning up into a smile. You feel your expression soften at him as you mouth back to him, “Missed you.”

To this he feigns surprise, pointing to his chest before leaning toward you over the armchair.

“Ditto, pretty girl.”

Your heart melts as you lean toward him, chin propped on your hand as you both lock eyes. You felt like you were 17 again, giddily smiling at your school crush. “Did you enjoy your last day of the convention?”

Glen nods, flashing his journal at you from beneath his chair, thumbing quickly through the pages to show pages upon pages full of his handwriting. You hum proudly at him, impressed.

“Which film did they have you guys analyze at dinner?”

He fills you in on the event, what they watched and everyone’s feedback and interpretations. Apparently everyone passed the surprise quiz at the end, and he raved about the menu.

The two of you continue to talk for the next while, unaware that some of the members of your circle, including Dylan, had gotten up and moved around the lawn to switch places with other guests. The seat next to Glen was now occupied by a heavy set male, not anyone you recognized. You could smell the alcohol on him from where you sat, but you only noticed it - you were fully focused on the sandy blonde haired guy next to you. 

His southern accent rises above the multiple conversations happening around the fire in an aggravated tone. “Anyone else get cut off from the bartender tonight?”

Everyone’s attention falls on him, shaking their heads no. He huffs, “Just me, huh? I’ve only had three beers, I don’t get it. I’m fine! I’m just trying to enjoy the last night here for crying out loud. Hey, you work here right? Can’t you get me another?”

His eyes are now on you in anticipation. You peer past Glen to meet his bloodshot eyes, “Um, if he cut you off there’s nothing I can do. Sorry friend!’ You give him a sympathetic smile, glancing around for someone with a lanyard with his face on it. “What’s your name? Maybe your handler can talk to-”

“The name’s Johnny Curtis. And I’d really appreciate that, darlin’.” He drawls before downing the last of his drink from the can. 

“Be right back, gang!” you jump up from your chair and meander through the grass to the registration building. You flip through the binder behind the desk, finding the name and number of Johnny’s handler. She answers after a few rings, “Hi, this is Megan?”

“Hi! Don’t worry, I’m working this event too. I’m sitting with Johnny and it looks like the bartender cut him off, so he’s a little upset. Can you meet me at the bar?” She agrees and you head back outside.

The two of you try to reason with the bartender, but he won’t budge. “You ladies don’t understand, this guy was a little rowdy at the event a few nights ago. He’s getting real close to his limit, just take him a spiked seltzer. That’s the best I can do.” He throws his hands up before sliding a can across the tabletop to you. 

“I’m sorry, he wanted to chat with the other guests before leaving tomorrow, I didn’t think he’d try to cause a problem. He’s really sweet!” the other girl says, and you grab her arm in reassurance. “Don’t even worry about it, he’s fine. I’ll show you where we’re at!”

She follows close behind you through the lawn, Johnny’s face lighting up as soon as he sees her. “Thanks Meg! I knew you’d make it happen for me.” She grins, handing him the beverage. She chats quietly with him as you take your seat again, Glen’s warm hand squeezing yours as you do. “All good?” 

You nod at him, waving to Megan as she leaves the group.

“Now what in the world is this sorry excuse for alcohol? Did y’all really bring me back a girly drink?”

Johnny’s voice is a mix of irritability and playfulness as he runs a hand through his dark head of hair. Glen turns to face him this time, reading the label on the can. 

“Ah, Ranch Water. They are pretty good man! You oughta give it a try.” He offers, and Johnny gives him a look, eyebrow raised as he takes another long sip.

It’s silent for a moment around the fire before everyone returns to their sidebar conversations.

A few moments pass before Johnny spits his drink out near his feet, Savannah’s lip turning up in disgust. “I’m not finishing this.” he mumbles, before tossing the half full can into the flames.

Others in the circle gasp, “Dude, you aren’t supposed to do that. It’ll explode!”

In an instant, the can pops and tiny pieces of aluminum come flying out of the fire. 

A burning sensation causes a hand to fly up to your cheek, fingers landing on a hot scrap of aluminum near your cornea. You let out a shriek as pain begins to spread down to your under eye area, and you instinctively jump up out of your chair, almost tripping over your feet. 

Holding a hand over your right eye you make a beeline for the bathroom, a pair of silent footsteps following close behind you. 

Once you burst through the door, you lower your hand as you stare into the mirror. You let out a sigh of relief at your eye still being intact with no bleeding or anything. Your tear duct and cornea were extremely red and puffy, but that was about it. A dark greyish black sludge had dried onto your cheek.

Your eyes meet Savannah who is standing right next to you, her face ashen. “Are you alright? I’m gonna get him in so much trouble for that. He really could have injured you or someone else!”

You try to mask your disappointment that Glen hadn’t been the one to follow you as you take a paper towel from Savannah, drenching it in cold water before wiping at your cheek to remove the stinging mess from your face. “It could have been a lot worse.” your voice is small.

After a few moments, your face is clean again and the burning sensation has subsided even though the irritation to your cornea hasn’t. 

You turn around to face your friend, exhaling deeply. “Let’s get back out there, I want to say goodbye to everyone before turning in for the night.”

Savannah nods before pulling you in for a hug. She follows you out the door, but runs into you as you stop short - Glen is standing outside the building. 

“Are you okay?” His expression is pained as he reaches to hold your face, inspecting your eyes.

Savannah excuses herself to head back to the bonfire.

“I’m lucky it wasn’t worse.” you say, shoulders sagging a bit. You wrap an arm around his bicep, moving closer to him. He places his index finger and thumb above and below your right eye as he gives it a final look before peppering your face with kisses, careful to avoid the area. You scrunch your nose at the affection, giggling as you now grip both of his arms. He plants a final feather-like kiss to the spot just below the corner of your eye and it makes you swoon. He was being so gentle and sweet.

“All better.” You beam up at him before tugging him toward your golf cart. 

“For what it’s worth, I definitely told that guy off. What a jackass, throwing a half empty can of alcohol into the fire like that. He could’ve taken you or anyone else’s eye out!”

You laugh. “Yeah, what an idiot.”

Glen convinces you to let him drive you back to your cabin, insisting on walking back to his cabin afterward since you had to turn in the cart first thing the next morning. Always the gentleman!

As you take off, a twinge of sadness in your chest as you realize this is the last golf cart ride you’ll take together. You focus hard to take in every detail of his face, the scent of his cologne, the way his green eyes look at you. The sound of your laughs mixing together as he swerves all over the path without a care in the world. 

As soon as the cart is in park you muster up the last of your bravery where he is concerned and wrap your arms around his neck to press a kiss to his cheek. He smiles as he turns his head and kisses you softly. He runs a hand through your hair while the other rests on your collarbone. 

You lose yourself in the kiss, his lips tasting like a mixture of chocolate and alcohol. You hear multiple carts fly past but you can’t bring yourself to care - you had done your job these last two weeks and had a can explode on you tonight. Plus, this was your last moment with Glen freaking Powell. No way were you about to pull away from him right now. 

He finally pulls away, both of you breathless. “By the way,” he looks out at the others walking to their cabins in the dark, making sure you both aren’t being watched, “are you going to add me back or not?” 

Your eyebrows knit together in confusion. “Add you back? What are you talking about?”

He grabs his phone out of his back pocket and holds it in front of your face. 

“Check it.” He grins. 

You slide your phone out of your pocket and unlock it, opening up Instagram to find a follow request from the man sitting next to you.

You tilt your head to the side, deciding to tease him. “Hmm I don’t know, do I really want to allow you access to my amazing photos?” You wink at him before pressing the blue confirm button.

“You were already following me, sorry it took me this long to add you back.” He jokes, but your breath hitches. Oh no - hopefully he doesn’t think much of it.

You let out a nervous laugh and slide off the cart, grabbing the key. 

“Can I borrow that for a sec?” He asks, pointing to your iPhone. “Sure?”

You hand it over to him, watching as he types his number into your phone.

He places it into your palm as he meets your gaze, searching your face as he steps closer to you. “Well…”

“Well..” you copy him, not wanting to say goodbye. He leans forward to press his forehead to yours, swallowing hard.

“Guess I’ll see ya around?” His tone is hopeful.

You frown slightly, “Will you?”

He hangs his head with a soft laugh. “Probably not. That’s why I gave you my number - you know, so I can?”

Lifting his chin with your finger, you smile at him. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Glen Powell. I hope you get home safely tomorrow!”

He kisses your nose before slowly backing away from you down the path. “The pleasure was all mine!” He shouts, arms outstretched on either side of him. You giggle, waving to him as you watch him disappear down the path to his cabin. You shake your head in disbelief as you walk up the stairs to your front door and begin your nighttime routine. The last interaction with Glen replays like a movie in your mind as you brush your teeth, slip into your pajamas and lay your head on the pillow. You can’t wipe the smile off your face as you lie restless in the dark, setting your alarm for the next morning to take Dylan to the shuttles.

These last two weeks have been unexpected in more ways than one, but ending them with Glen Powell’s number in your phone? Now that is a plot twist you would never have seen coming.

[rustycopper4use]

Its Always Been You pt18

Kyoya’s Reluctant Day Out! Pt 18

(Kyoya x male reader)

 

 A soft hum of a fan fills the room, weakly blowing out air.  

   And here lies Y/n, despite his many efforts he couldn’t sleep. He’d blame the weather, he never really did well in the heat.

  He rubbed his eyes and groaned.

 His hand moved around before finding his phone. Turning it on as the white burned into his eyes.

   ‘2:00 am’

He scrolled through his contacts before sending a message.

 ‘Kyoya’

The message was left on read, he rolled his eyes.

 ‘Kyoya I know you’re still up’

Once again left on read.

 ‘I’m coming over’

‘The back door is unlocked.’

Y/n grinned before jumping out of bed.

   He hastily thrown on a hoodie and ran out the door. 

  The cool of the night greeted Y/n as he walked down the street. The slow glow of streetlights accompanying him.

  He turns the corner, looking up at the oh so familiar house. Quietly he walks to the back of the house, going towards the back door he turned the handle and walked in. 

  Heading towards Kyoya’s room a faint sound of typing was heard just beyond the door.

   He swings open the door.

 “So what are you working on, this time?”

Kyoya stared blankly, the computer light illuminating his face.

   “That bad huh?” 

   “ working yourself half to death cannot be good for your health.” Y/n notes, sitting on Kyoya’s bed.

   “It’s not ideal, however, it’s just a sacrifice I have to make to uphold the Ootori name.” He blankly states, pushing up his glasses.

  He continues typing away.

“If you say so.” Y/n lays on his bed, as a comforting wave of silence fills the room.

 As the two enjoyed each other’s company, after a brief amount of time, Kyoya closes his laptop, finally finished. 

  He gets up from his desk and hears towards his bed.

  He looks at Y/n, now passed out.

He takes off his glasses with a sigh and places them infront of the clock on his bedside.

  ‘5:03’

He lays next to him and gets the long needed sleep.

  The warmth of another person brought an odd sense of relief, as he drifts off.

——-

“-This might be one of my best ideas men!” A tall blonde bursts through the door, accompanied by the other hosts.

   “Kyoya time to get up-!” Tamaki stopped right in his tracks. And stared at Kyoya’s bed.

  Kyoya was still asleep, However that wasn’t the issue, on top of him was Y/n. Like his own personal weighted blanket.

“What’s the problem boss?” Karou looks over to the bed also, a devilish grin formed on his face.

  Hikaru pulled out his phone and took some photos. 

  “How scandalous! Didn’t know Kyoya had it in him.” The twins said with a smile.

 “You don’t think they-… that they….” Tamaki mumbled, mouth agape.

  “How cute!” Honey-senpai stood behind Tamaki.

  This was the straw that broke Tamaki.

 “MAMA!” He cried, awaking Kyoya.

 “How could you! After everything we’ve been through!” Tamaki cried. To a now very annoyed Kyoya.

  “Why are you in my room Tamaki..” kyoya grumbled feeling an oncoming headache.

   “Never mind that! Why is Y/n in your bed!” He shirked.

   “Why are you in my room.” He asked, trying to keep his voice down.

   “Tamaki-senpai wanted us to go to a commoners market, to better understand Haru-chan!” Honey-senpai chirped.

  “Don’t ignore me!” Tamaki butts in.

“Keep it down, Y/n is still alseep.” Kyoya harshly whispered, glaring at the blonde.

  He covers his eyes with his arm, wishing for the club to be just a bad dream.

   “Oh cmon! You can’t be in bed all morning! Today is the last day of summer vacation!” Tamaki whined.

  “Wake up..” Honey-senpai gently pulled on Kyoya’s arm.

   “Come on Kyoya.” The twins began to shake him.

   Y/n drowsily moved his head, having all the hosts freeze.

   He just cuddled closer to Kyoya’s chest.

A sigh of relief left the clubs chests.

 Kyoya moved his arm away from his eyes, and slowly sat up careful not to wake Y/n.

  “For your information we were up till 5AM  you morons. Which if you hadn’t noticed makes me less than happy about being woken up.” 

   A shiver ran up the clubs spine.

 “Kyo-chan isn’t much of a morning person huh?” Honey-senpai notes.

  “You have no room to talk.” Mori remarks.

  “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Honey looks up at Mori.

“Okay, enough with the commoner shtick. If you formulaic halfwits feel like wasting all afternoon on worn-out old cliches, go right ahead and suit yourselves.” Kyoya grumble lying back down.

   “Well if that’s what you want…” 

 “Well you heard the man! Now let’s dress him to the nines and head to the expo!” Tamaki throws his hands in the hair.

   “What about Y/n?” Honey-senpai tilts his head.

   “Right, twins!”

The two stood up straight.

  “You can take care of Y/n.”

  “Yes sir!” 

The twins eagerly pry Y/n off of kyoya, dragging him to get ‘dolled‘ up.

   Karou pulls out an outfit and puts it on Y/n with a grin.

  “Doesn’t he look great!” The twins cooed.

  “Wait, where did you even get that outfit? We didn’t see in Kyoya’s closet.” Tamaki examined Y/n.

  “We’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to dress up Y/n! Instead of his poor excuse of fashion he usually wears.”  Karou grimace holding up Y/n’s hoodie, before throwing it out the window.

  After all that fuss the hosts carry the two towards Tamaki’s limo out front.

   As they throw the two, less than gracefully, into the car.

  Finally awaking Y/n.

 He rubbed his eyes.

“What’s going on?” 

 “You’re finally awake!” Honey smiled.

  “We’re taking you and kyoya to a commoners market!” Tamaki declared.

——-

“-and then they left you with me to babysit essentially.” Y/n sighed, as a less then please Kyoya sat on a bench.

He stood up, and rubbed his temple.

“I’m assuming you don’t have your phone on you either.” Kyoya sighed.

  “No. I’m pretty sure the twins took it.” Y/n looks around.

   “What should we do now-“

A small little boy ran into Kyoya’s legs, he lets out a whimper rubbing his head. Looking up at Kyoya he was greeted by a glared. He bursts into tears before running off to his mom.

  “Mama!”

 “Tamaki’s a deadman when I get my hands on him.” Kyoya huffed.

  Y/n let out a chuckle.

 “Kyoya-senpai?” A familiar voice called out.

  “Oh perfect, Haruhi!” Y/n smiled.

Haruhi walked closer to the two.

 “I didn’t expect to see you two here today.” Haruhi politely said.

  “How much money do you have on you Haruhi?” Kyoya bluntly spoke.

   “What?” Haruhi stared at Kyoya.

—— 

Later at a fast food joint….

“Kyoya-senpai, are you sure this is where you wanna eat? There are much nicer restaurants to choose from upstairs.” Haruhi nervously spoke.

  “Well you don’t have much on you, so our choices are limited. Just be sure to get a receipt. Tamaki will reimburse you tenfold.” Kyoya glared.

    Haruhi nervously nodded.

 “Haruhi its our turn.” Y/n brought Haruhi back to reality.

   “Oh! Uh, here, why don’t I just order for us. Do you two know what you want?”

  “You pick. Just get us lots of it.”

   Y/n nodded in agreement.

 “Oh uh okay..” Haruhi’s began to talk to the cashier.

   However the cashier seemed to entranced by the mysterious kyoya. Acting more friendly to them than the other customers.

   “Okay, coming right up. Would you be interested in adding one of our delicious desserts?” The cashier cheerily asked.

 “Thank you, no, I don’t care for sweets.” Kyoya flatly replied.

   “Before you decide, we have a new shake that’s absolutely-“ cashier began, starry eyed.

  “I have given you my answer.” Kyoya coldly glared at the girl.

  The cashier stiffened, a sense of dread fueled her senses.

  “Please be sure to include our receipt.” Haruhi squeaked out. Grabbing the food tray and going off to a table.

 “Kyoya-senpai, just because you’re in a bad mood today doesn’t give you the right go around talking to people like that. The poor girl was just doing her job.” Haruhi scolded.

   “She was being pushy, even after being told no.” Y/n grabs a burger.

   “Yeah but there’s no reason for acting like that. She’s supposed to do that.” Haruhi sighed.

   “Her job is to serve us food, not irradiate me with some weak sales pitch.” Kyoya adds, taking a bite of his food.

  Haruhi just stared at Kyoya eating.

“Now what?” Kyoya looked back.

  “Nothing. I just don’t think I’ve ever actually seen you eat before. Somehow I thought the experience would be more refined. I’m surprised stuff like this even appeals to you.” 

  “It doesn’t appeal to me in the slightest. No doubt, you’ll say I’m callous for admitting it, since you brought me this tripe.” Kyoya stoped to take a drink.

   “Of course I won’t.” She looked off to the side.

 “There’s an understanding between makers of food like this and those that eat it. Quality takes a backseat to convenience. Refinement isn’t part of the equation. It’s meant to be eaten quickly, besides no one of consequence is here to witness my momentary lapse of manners.” Kyoya explain.

  “Hey for the record, I’m saying it benefits me nothing to keep up appearances in a place like this. And that includes any special treatment I may give you here.” 

 “Oh really I would have never guessed that in a million years…” haruhi mumbled.

“Oh my gosh girls, that guy in the glasses is a total hottie.” A girl swooned to her friends.

  “You’re right he’s gorgeous!” Her friends agreed.

Y/n sighed, looking off to the side, the grip on his drink tightened.

   “Um, excuse me, I’m so sorry to interrupt. I was wondering if you’re not using that chair, can my friends and I borrow it?” She sweetly smiled.

   “Why not..” Kyoya sighed.

 “Thanks you so much that’s awesome!” Her friends blissfully giggled.

   “You’re quite welcome.” He flatly said.

 Y/n glared at the girls as they walked off.

 “You’re probably wondering how Tamaki and I compliment each other so well.” Kyoya spoke, catching Haruhi off guard.

  “The answer is simple-“ he smiled.

 “I have something to gain. There is no better motivator than self interest. I have to look out for number one, y’know.”

  “Tamaki-senpai would be heartbroken if he heard you say that.” Haruhi frowned.

   “Such a tragedy that Tamaki’s feelings are one sided.” Y/n joked.

  “On the contrary-“ he pushes up his glasses.

  “He’s understood our arrangement from the very beginning. The same goes for all of them. Hikaru, Karou, honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, and even Y/n. The glue that holds the club together is our mutual egocentricity. It’s the principle that drives the alliance between our families and ensures each of our futures.” He looks at Haruhi.

  “Though, well let’s just say there’s still quite a bit you don’t understand about that. Although Tamaki is a fool, and self sacrifice does come naturally to him. So I guess the point of this is, we are very different creatures.” Kyoya finished his monologue.

The three now wonder the mall.

 “Senpai? I thought you were going to take a taxi home.” Haruhi looked up at Kyoya.

  “I am, but while we’re still here Y/n wants to look around.”

  “Black pearls from ishigaki island. Odd to find them here, considering how much they go for.” 

   “You’re kidding, really? That’s incredible. How can you tell?” Haruhi looks to kyoya.

  “I am a product of excellent breeding.”

  “You make it sound like you’re some pure bred dog, give yourself a little more credit.” Y/n smiled, walking off with the others.

“So kyoya-senpai, why is it after all this time I still know nothing about your family?” Haruhi notes.

  “Because there’s really nothing for you to know about my family. At least nothing that should interest you.”

   “Well that seems to be a little unfair, don’t you think?” 

  “Just what do you mean unfair?”

“I mean that when it comes to my personal life you even keep tabs on who’s my father’s friends from work are while I barely have a clue about yours. So I call that unfair.”

  “That’s a very intriguing notion in its own way.”

 “Well you’ve got two older brothers, right? For starters, you could tell me something about them. What kind of people are they?”

  “They are rather exceptional. Enough so, that my father puts a lot of stock in them. Though as the third son, things work a little differently for me.”

  “I didn’t realize there was so much pressure on you to succeed.”

  “Pressure? Oh no, Haruhi, I cannot think of nothing more fun than this.”

Haruhi let’s out a sigh.

  “Dear me! Pieces from the Komatsu Shoin collection? I never thought that I would fine them here!”

  The voice grabs the attention of the three.

  “Why madam, you have astonishing eye!”

Kyoya glared at the interaction.

  “Kyoya-senpai?” Haruhi was ignored, as Kyoya walked up to the stand.

  “Just watch and see what happens.” Y/n grinned.

“Will all due respect, these are fake.” Kyoya bluntly spoke, interrupting the conversation.

  “Huh?” The lady looked at Kyoya.

 “Hey, get out of here kid, what do you think you’re doing?” The man snarled.

Kyoya picked up the bowl, analyzing it.

  “The shade of blue is strongly reminiscent of Shoin’s work, but looking closely around the base you’ll notice the colour graduation isn’t quite dark enough to be authentic. that and the laquer is too clear.”

  “That’s enough out of you, Mr. Expert! I will report you for obstructing my business!” The man spoked irked at kyoya.

  Kyoya flipped the bowl over looking at the bottom.

  “Just as I thought. The brush strokes on this seal are uncharacteristically broad as well.”

  “U-uh..” the man stammered.

  “For your sake, I hope you have a certificate-“ he looks at the man.

  “That is, if you still keep insisting it’s real.”

  “O-of course it’s real! I have the certificate at home.” He stuttered.

 Kyoya grins at this.

  “Ah, then surely you won’t mind if I call the Komatsu family right now to verify your claim. My own family has dealings with them for generations. It would be a matter of a minute.”

  “Wait you can’t do this!” The man gets dragged out by security.

“Young man, I can’t thank you enough.” The lady bows.

  “After everything you’ve told me senpai, stepping in on a complete stranger’s behalf seems a little out of character for you.” Haruhi spoke.

  “Hm? Oh, that? Well now, she’s hardly a stranger. You mean you don’t know? Her husband is the ceo of a major electronics company.” 

   “Huh?” Haruhi gasped.

“This is my first time meeting her personally, but that ring on her left hand is unmistakable. My family has dealings with her husband’s company.”

  Haruhi is just puzzled.

“Ah, one of the Ootori boys. Imagine running into you here incognito-“ she smiles.

  “The next opportunity I have, I’ll be sure to take advantage of your family’s beautiful health resorts.”

   “We’d be honoured.” Kyoya bows slightly.

Haruhi glared at Kyoya.

  “Hey haruhi.” Y/n whispered.

  “Hm?”

“Look at the stall she was just at, notice the flags?” He points .

  “The flags…- wait, he couldn’t have-“ 

“Hm hm!” Y/n smiled, walking over to kyoya now looking at a food stall.

“Hey Haruhi, did you know this?” Kyoya called out.

  “Did I know what?”

“Is melon the preferred flavour among snack makers?”

  “Huh?”

“It doesn’t make sense, the primary ingredient is corn, why go to the trouble of artificially making it taste like fruit? Seems counterintuitive.”

  “That’s an intriguing notion in its own way.” Haruhi spoke with a laugh.

  “Oh was I being funny?”

 “Earlier you were going on and on about how you and Tamaki-senpai are nothing alike. What you just said about the candy? It sounds just like him!” She laughs.

 “You think so? This does seem like something he and the twins would fawn over. Very well I’ll buy them. Haruhi your wallet.” Kyoya holds out his hand.

  “Oh yeah I forgot.” She goes through her purse.

  “Just be sure to get the receipt.”

——

“Hey senpai?” Haruhi sat down on a bench.

  “Why do you think that Tamaki-senpai is always so eager to help people when they’re in need?”

   “You mean when theres nothing to gain? Who knows.”

  “Maybe he gains the pleasure of just helping someone, just because.” Y/n sighed looking ahead.

  “So when you help someone, how exactly do you benefit from it? Money? Or reputation? Or is it more abstract? Because the way I see it, Tamaki-senpai gets something out of helping others, that doesn’t necessarily mean involving them paying him back. So maybe when you get right down to it, the two of you aren’t so different after all.”

  “Attention shoppers, this is an announcement for a lost child. Attention shoppers, this is an announcement for a lost child. A little boy named Kyoya Ootori is lost inside the store. Repeat Kyoya Ootori is lost. His guardian Suoh is waiting for him at the 2nd floor information counter.”

   “-Kyoya is 5’11”, tall with black hair and wearing prescription glasses.”

Kyoya pushes up his glasses.

 As y/n chokes out a laugh.

 “Kyoya’s guardian mentions he may or may not be travelling with Y/n L/n. Whose whereabouts are also unknown.”

“Oh you got to be kidding me.”

 “That damn idiot. I’ll kill him!” Kyoya glares.

  The three walk up to the second floor, finding the rest of the club.

“Kyoya! Y/n! There you are! We were so worried about you. Why is Haruhi with you?” Tamaki look at the group.

   “Better question is what’s with the dog?” Y/n stared at the blonde dog.

  “Isn’t she beautiful? I got her at this amazing place they call a pet shop!” The dog licks Tamaki’s face.

  “Hey, cut it out Antoinette!”

“How am I exactly like this moron?” Kyoya asked.

  “Maybe it’s the fact that you helped a stranger.” Y/n stands beside kyoya

   “She wasn’t-“

“You and I both know you didn’t see that ring through the stall. You’re not some terrible person, you still have a heart, why hide it.” Y/n grinned.

   Kyoya smiled lightly.

Haruhi stood back and watched the two.

  Then something clicked.

  ‘Oh she gets it now’

[herecomethefuzzz]

congrats on 100 followers sylv!!! 💗💗💗so well deserved i'm so happy for u💕

it's my first day of classes today and i'm kinda thinking about: long distance boyfriend! schlatt calling you to wish you good luck since you go to a college far away from him :( just smthn fluffy like that aaaaa

-stella <3

AAA TYSM !!!! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) this was so much fun to write so i hope its okay !!! :3 i made myself giggle by calling him jebediah LMAOWJSNSNNX

it was the morning before your classes at college, around 5am to be exact, and to say you were nervous was an understatement. it felt like you hadn't slept at all, and you could feel your eyes struggling to stay open as you unlocked your phone.

as you went to open discord, you noticed you had a couple messages from your boyfriend, jay. you hadn't spoken since you'd had to move for college, as you'd been stressed trying to prepare everything.

jebediah: hey pretty

jebediah: you up?

you smiled at the nickname before replying, happy you didn't have to be the one to reach out first

you: yeah, been up for a while actually. stressed out if i'm honest

you kept your eyes on your phone as he began to type again, feeling a bit of long awaited happiness bubble up inside you as you read the new message

jebediah: pick up i wanna talk 2 u

as soon as you'd finished reading the message, your ringtone went off. you picked up instantly, grinning as his face popped up on the screen.

"oh my godd finally. i started to worry because you hadn't messaged me." you looked at him with a sorrowful expression, then quickly turned away from the camera to yawn. god you were tired.

"mm, sorry. just.. stuffs been hectic, love. having to organise everything has been so tiring. plus, my classes start soon and i'm panicking because i don't know what to exp-"

schlatt cut you off by shushing you quietly, frowning slightly

"baby. everythin's gonna be okay, yeah? you're gonna be fine. i know you'll be fine. you got this!!"

you looked at him once more, feeling unsure. of course you didn't want to think he was lying, but you just didn't feel as confident as you wanted to.

"d'you really think so?"

"i know so, pretty. you'll do great. i know you, and i think you'll be just fine. you can always message me if you need to. you know that, right?"

you chuckled, nodding.

"of course i do. you remind me everytime we call, jay."

"i just wanna make sure you know! i wanna be there for you, sweets."

your smile widened, and you felt butterflies in your stomach at how sweet he was being.

"god, you're so soft."

"only for you, toots."

[queenmiarys]

The Royal Romance none Royal

Mini series: through hell and back

Face claims: Elyse Dufour as Olivia Nevrakis, Steven Strait as Anton Severus

Synopsis: Olivia falls in love with a successful businessman, everything not  as perfect it seems. 

Pairing: Olivia and Anton for now.

Rated M 

Warning: some chapters will contain domestic violence, Emotional abuse, NSFW (lemon) , 18+ Only

Most characters belong to Pixelberry , Amelia Rys, Juliana Beaumont belong to me.

Song inspiration : hell and back. 

Part 1: First impressions

It  was 5 am. Olivia hit her alarm and jumped out of bed "Ki,  are you going to work out with me today?"

"OMG, Liv really it's 5am." She says barely woke good, she barely opened one eye to check her phone 

"It's the best time." Olivia said. 

Kiara turned back over and covered her head with her blanket. "Get up ki, you've been begging me to start helping you to get in better shape,  so get  your lazy butt up, I'll give you 5 seconds.

"Oh God really Liv?"

I have my ice cold water ready, don't make me use it."

They got to  Piedmont park, and worked out for a good hour.

"Can we please go home?"

"Come on ki, to look this good you gotta put in effort, besides I know you have your eyes on a certain someone." She said with a wink. 

"Hmmm and who is this someone?"

"Really ki, don't think I haven't noticed your eyeing our new neighbor across the hall from us, I saw you checking her out."

Kiara rolled her eyes."I'm not even sure if I'm into girls or just sick of men."

"Ki, you'll figure it out you're only 20 in a few months, how about one more lap around and I'll treat us to a non fat Latte."

"You should start with a latte, but I need food,  that blueberry smoothie gone."

As they came around the last lap,Kiara noticed a man sitting watching them "Liv, I believe one of us has an admirer."

The man noticed they caught him staring, he placed his glasses on and walked over. "Hello beautiful ladies, sorry for just staring at you it's just rare to see someone so natural these days.

"I'm Kiara and this is Olivia." Olivia nudge her side, giving her an annoyed look.

"Well it's nice to meet you Olivia." He said as he brushed his lips across the back of her hand. "I know you don't know me but I would love it if you had dinner with me sometime, here's my number if you need some time to think about it."

"Ki, come on let's go." 

Once they made it to Olivia's car Kiara looked at her in disbelief. "Really Liv, you haven't been out in almost 3 years, look I know you loved or still love Drake, but just giving up is not the answer, you are only 20, and that guy is totally handsome and into you, at least consider it you deserve one night to be treated like a queen."

. 

Later in the week. 

Liv placed the paper with Anton's number on top of her desk, asking herself should she actually give him a chance. It was now Thursday and it had been 4 days.

She picked up the paper, staring at it for a while before finally deciding to call him. 

"You reached Anton, sorry I've missed your call, please leave a short detailed message at the tone and I'll return your call as soon as possible, And as always have a wonderful day." 

She hung up, and laid across her bed. 

3 Hours later. Olivia was half asleep when she heard her phone go off, Good Afternoon this Anton with tech support. How may I help you today?"

He immediately recognized her voice. "I'm so sorry I have my cell connected  to my work phone, just in case someone runs into problems and they transfer them to me."

"So what do you do?" 

She could hear him  yarning through the phone. "I'm the CEO of world tech, my family owns it."

'Wait you're Anton Severus?' 

"That would be me, wait you heard of me,?" She could hear him smiling against the phone."

"My father owns PC tech, I have an upcoming meeting with you next week to explain our brand.'

" Oh wow, I can't believe I didn't recognize your name, but I gotta be honest I expected Mrs.Nevrakis

She became quiet for a moment, and charged the subject, her mom died of stage 2 lung cancer, five days before her 12th birthday. "I'm so sorry I didn't mean to upset you, are you still there 

"Yes I'm here, it's okay my mom passed away a long time ago and you didn't know." 

"Again I apologize."

He yawned again. "Olivia I'm glad you called me, I would love to take you out sometimes, is that something you would like?" 

\

"Okay I'll love too."

"Perfect, send your address and I'll pick you up Saturday evening around 7, is that okay?"

"How about we meet up, I'm still getting to know you Mr. Severus, just in case you turn out to be some psychopath I will have a way home." Olivia joked.

He didn't say anything for a minute. " Very well then, I'm just glad you accepted my invitation." He yawned again. ..

"Good night, it sounds like someone needs to rest."

"You're right, I do, been up since 5 am."

"Wow, please go get some rest." They hung up and she turned to see Kiara standing in the door." How long have you been there?

"Long enough to know that you finally decided to call him." 

She threw a pillow at her. "I know when I'm not wanted. Kiara said while sticking her tongue out making a silly face. 

"Ki, wait since you're all up in my business, what about you, have you introduced yourself to the girl next door?"

"No, I haven't even seen her again." 

"Come with me Ki?"

"And just where are we going?" 

"To meet her, she's been here nearly 2 weeks now."

They stepped out in the hallway and walked to the women's door and knocked on the woman door. 

"Be there in a second." The woman called out. Once she opened the door wearing a yellow and white sundress. Kiara ran her eyes up and down her body sending chills down her body

She noticed Kiara checking her out and blushed. " Sorry to interrupt your day, we live across the hall and just wanted to meet you." Olivia spoke.

"That was so sweet of you to do, I'm Hana Lee nice to meet you, and you are?" 

"I'm Olivia and this is Kiara."

"Would you like to come in?" 

"Maybe another time, for me at least but perhaps Kiara might want to stay, I have an early day tomorrow. She nudged her side

—----------------------------

Saturday evening.

Olivia had got home and showered and changed into a sexy black and red dress, on que Anton texted the address,at the same time phone rong. 

"Hello?" Hey Liam, how are you?"  you want to meet Sunday?" Okay I'll be there." 

Another call came through. "Max what's up?"

"A little bird told me you have a hot date tonight." 

"Damn ki, she mumbled under her breath."It's just dinner 

"I'm happy for you, that you're getting back out there, for a minute there I thought I was going to sign you up for speed dating on tictoc  or something."  He laughed. 

"Max I'm a big girl, I can manage my own dating life." 

"Okay got it boss."

"Max it's after 7 let me get out of here, before he thinks I abandoned him." 

"Later Liv." 

It took her 20 minutes to arrive at the restaurant, it was a very  upscale Greek restaurant. 

"Good day Ma'am' I'll take your car and this gentleman will show you to your table Ms. Nevrakis

"Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Mr. Severus has brought out the entire restaurant for the evening for just the 2 of you." The man said

"Thank you." 

"Wow, fancy, all this for me?"

"What can I say, I really like you a lot Olivia." 

They sat and ate dinner and talked.

"So why did you buy this place for just the two of us?" She was curious.

"I take it you don't read teck today?" 

"No sorry, but I believe my father does 

"Well I was on the cover 6 months ago, I have strange women wanting to take pictures and to meet me. I have this one who asked me to marry her, even though I know nothing about her, so for your sake I didn't want them heckling you." He said with a smirk. 

"Wow, I'm really enjoying myself here."

.

"Did you believe you wouldn't?"

"Honestly I didn't know, I went on a date a few months back and had a terrible time." I was left fronting a $100.00 dinner bill this guy climbed to have lifted  his wallet at home."

" That, sob I'm sorry, that happened to you."

"Would you like dessert ?"

"Love some."

After leaving the restaurant Anton offered to follow Olivia to make sure she got home okay.

"That's okay, I'm fine we live in a safe neighborhood." 

"Please,  I won't feel comfortable leaving you alone, even though it's only 11:00

She let out a sigh. " Come on, you can follow me.

Once they got to her apartment, they stood at the front entrance. " Would you like to come in?

"Sure I would love it if it would get me more time with you." He said, smiling down at her.

Once they entered, they were greeted by the door man, in order to use the elevator you had to have a pass key or a guest pass key, they reached the 22nd floor, and walked to her apartment 2203. "How about we can watch a movie or we could talk some more." She said nervously.

"We could do that, I won't try anything,  you don't seem ready for right now, but do you mind if I kiss you?"

"I suppose that would be fine, and thank you for understanding." 

He didn't say much, they made out and found a movie on Netflix. Before they knew it they were both sound asleep on the sofa when Kiara returned home at 3am. 

Olivia heard a noise and quickly jumped up on her feet. "Who's there to speak now?

"It's just us Kiara peeped from the kitchen, followed by Hana.

"What the hell are you two doing at 3 am?"

"I was just showing her around, then we went to this new club about 3 blocks from here."

Kiara smiled. "I assumed you had a good time, you usually don't bring a date home."

They didn't hear Anton but he was standing in the doorway." I'm glad to hear that this type of thing isn't normal for you either." They all jumped at the sound of his voice.

",Hello again Kiara right?. And I don't know your name. 

"I'm Hana, the new neighbor across the hall. Nice to meet you, and you are?" 

"I'm Anton." 

"Olivia, I'm so sorry I fell asleep on you, but I must say that's the nicest sofa I ever slept on." 

They all laughed. Well it's 3:30, lucky I'm off the weekends but I would like to get home and get some rest."

Well I'd better too, get home myself, nice meeting you."

Olivia walked him out and Kiara walked Hana to her apartment.

Once Olivia made it back upstairs Kiara was waiting. 

"So how did your date really go?"

"Ki, nothing to tell, he was a gentleman the whole time." 

"How about you and Hana?" 

"That wasn't a date, besides I don't even know if she's that way yet." 

"Good night Ki, I need some sleep if I'm going to meet Liam and Mia later."

"Okay love you, night."

"Love you more."

@choicesficwriterscreations @kingliam2019 @kingliam2019 @kristinamae093 @yaniradolton @luvquit @harleybeaumont @twinkle-320 @twinkleallnight @queenrileyrose @storyofmychoices @dcbbw @bebepac @cordonian-literature @mom2000aggie @tessa-liam @queenjilian @shewillreadyou @honey358luv @yolandawalker @ao719 @alj4890 @angelasreblogs @aussiegurl1234

[marvelswinterfrost]

Peace of Mind (Winterfrost & Peter Parker)

Peter receives a visit from someone he'd never thought to see upclose. He wouldn't say it was a bad experience but he sure is in more trouble than he ever wanted to be. But after all, what could possibly be worse than an ex assassin hiding in his apartment?

Right. A god who want's to see earth burn.

---

Chapter Index

---

Chapter One : The Winter Soldier

Peter was tired. But who was he even kidding, he was far more than just that. He was exhausted. Juggling school and his shifts at work seemed like such a doable thing. But he guessed it was not. Quitting wasn't an option though since someone had to pay for his bills and the chances of him winning in the lottery were pretty much slim. He threw his backpack on the ground when he entered his small apartment and locked the door. His legs were only seconds away from giving in and the boy realised that maybe his spider powers weren't a cure for everything. At least not his exhaustion.

All Peter wanted to do was bury his stressed body under his covers, wrap himself up like a burrito and sleep. But there was no time. Homework needed to be done, projects needed to be finished and he promised his boss that he would be going over all the numbers again just in case. It sucked. It really did. He had so much to do that he barely had any time to himself anymore which meant his duty as Spider-Man would go down the drain.

He sighed and dragged himself through the dark living room, not even bothering to turn on the lights. When he finally reached his door he pushed it open. Peter didn't move. Instead he stood motionless in the doorway, his eyelids heavy and his gaze looking at nothing in particular. There was an empty feeling inside of him that kept pulling him back into darkness. The thoughts in his head louder than ever. But without saying a word he took a few steps forward again, stopping right in front of his cozy bed and letting himself fall into the cold fabric. He let out a small grunt as his head collided with his pillow.

"Just a few minutes." Peter mumbled more to himself than to anyone in particular, his eyes already closing. "'s only a nap, I promis'." and he was gone.

It didn't come as a surprise when the boy woke up a couple hours later, the sun barely shining over the rooftop of the building in front of his apartment complex. He looked at his alarm clock that was standing on his nightstand-or well, rather the multiple books stacked on top of each other.

5am.

Peter sat up slowly, trying to get rid of the sleep still lying in his eyes. When his method of rubbing the sleep away didn't work he made a mental note to get make himself some coffee later on. As anyone would after waking up, Peter checked his phone. Surprisingly he found a new message from Ned.

'Hey, Peter! Guess what they closed school for today for a SHIELD mission!! Isn't that cool?! They wouldn't tell us why but we got an email. See you after the weekend and don't forget to do your projects!-Ned'

Peter frowned in confusion? The weekend? 'It is already Friday then', his mind concluded. He pushed himself out of bed and slendered to the kitchen.

"Great. No school. No work. Means more time for assignments then." he sighed and grabbed his backpack from the spot on the floor where he had dropped it off the night before. Just as he was about to get his books out he heard a panting coming from the hallway, followed by heavy footsteps and a loud bang against his door. The teen flinched as he saw the door slightly bend inwards. The breathing of whoever was behing that door was now clearly audible, Peter was even sure he could hear a soft wince coming from said person.

"Oh my god, what am I supposed to do?" he whispered as he stood in a panicked state in front of the door still with his open backpack hanging from his right hand. He felt like his feet were glued to the floor, he wasn't able to move a single inch.

The weight from the other side slowly adding to the decreasing stability of the wooden door. If Peter was correct he could even hear metal scratch against the material. He gulped. His mind went through multiple scenarios and multiple options on where to possibly hide but none of them seemed good enough for the teen. Under the table? Too obvious. His room? No, the doorframe is weak, they could easily break in if they wanted to. The ceiling? No it- wait, hang on.

"The ceiling!" Peter nodded hectically and hid his backpack behind his small couch before crawling over the walls up to the safest place he knew at the moment. To give him a little bit more time he hid in the corner over the sink in the kitchen. If the intruder didn't gaze up at him he'd be able to watch him from a safe distance...more or less.

His heart was pounding. It was so fast it almost hurt. And the sound of the door finally giving in surely didn't help as well. Peter held his breath as he heard a heavy figure stumble into his apartment. The person winced with every step they took, it almost sounded like they were in pain. On the contrairy Peter wasn't really sure if it was a wince or a whine. The sounds they made sounded muffled as if something was keeping them from speaking.

Peter heard them closing the door again, unusually gentle if he was being honest. Who breaks into the apartment of someone and gently closes the door after practically tearing it down. He frowned.

A dark haired figure, entered the kitchen, his left hand held tightly against his left thigh. A large gun was strapped to his back along with multiple bullets and other munition. Peter held his breath, trying not to make any sound if possible. If he even blinked it would be the death of him. But to his surprise the man took the gun from his back and put it on the large kitchen table, a few feet away from Peter's hiding spot on the ceiling. He could see the man's hands trembling as he put the other hand that wasn't busy holding his injured leg on the table. Peter could see the man's back rise and fall with every shaky breath he took. His shoulder long brown hair were greasy. A little bit disgusting if Peter was being honest.

The teen's panic seemed to ease a little bit as he aknowledged the miserable state his intruder was currently in. He doubted that he was much of a threat, especially with his gun now no longer in his reach. But something seemed off. His tight black tactical gear was definitely leather, a long sleeve over the right arm and- huh. No sleeve on his left?

Peter realised that the shock and panic made his brain work less than normal because how on earth could he not see the blood stained metal arm clinging to the man's left leg? He must have completely ignored the silver shining limb. But the more present Peter got, the worse his panic attack settled back in. He was in trouble. He couldn't deny thought that the metal arm was one of the coolest things he has ever seen. It was really just a bad timing.

The teen weighted his next mvoes. What to do now? He couldn't let the man bleed out in his apartment but he kinda figured trying to help him would get him killed within seconds. It was either helping him or helping himself.

Peter sighed as he finally came to an agreement with his mind.

'Alright, let's help him.' he thought as he made sure the man really only had the gun on himself. Once Peter was satisfied he quietly cleared his throat, drawing the mans attention back to the door he came through. Now that he had finally turned around Peter could see a black mask covering his face.

'So that's what muffled all his sounds.' he thought, looking at the scared eyes staring straight to the wooden door. The man let go of his injured leg and made his metal hand to a fist. Peter could hear the electrical sounds it made with every move. Although it sounded a little bit off at some movements. Maybe he broke it?

The man's wide eyes were filled with panic. Greasy hair strands were mostly hiding them but Peter knew he was scared. It was ridiculous, really. Shouldn't he be the one almost fainting?

"I- uhm- I- Sir? Ehm- sorry, Mister- uh-mister, I'm up here. A-are you o-okay, sir?" Peter said quietly as he tried to swallow his panic.

The man's head snapped up, looking at directly at Peter sitting in the corner of the ceiling. Once he had spotted the boy his anxious glance turned into hatred and the man went into attack mode. He pulled out a knife from where he must have obviously bound to his right leg and threw it in Peters direction.

"Nonononoo, please! I'm sorry!!" Peter yelled as he let himself drop down from the ceiling and onto the floor where he landed with a loud thud. He groaned but quickly pushed himself up, taking as many steps away from the man as possible.

Once he saw the man run towards him he starded praying. Seriously what else was there to do?

The man grabbed Peter by the throat and pushed him against the wall, making his back crack as it contracted with the hard surface. He winced as a sudden pain shot through him.

"Who the hell are you?" the man mumbled behind his black mask. His eyes were red, possibly from not getting enough sleep, Peter thought. He tightened his grip on the boy's throat, trying to force an answer out of Peter's shaking body.

"P-peter." he answered as quickly as he could. His vision started to blur as the oxygen was slowly cut off from his airways. The hand loosened and Peter finally took a deep breath again. The boy pressed his palms against the cold tiles of the floor once he has slid down the wall he was pressed against. His right hand came up to rub his now aching throat. He looked up, trying to see through the blackness that was only slowly fading.

The man behind the mask was looking down at him before turning around, checking if his gun that he had previously placed on the table was still there. Pleased with it not having moved he made his way over to the kitchen counter. Peter wasn't sure but he seemed to be looking for something. But before he could ask what it was the man pointed to his injured leg.

"Oh uhm, wait a minute, I'll get you something to stop the bleeding with." Peter croaked, still sore from having his throat squished. He got up on shaky legs and took a moment to gain his balance again before making his way to one of the cupboards. On his toes standing he reached for a towel that hadn't been used yet and gave it to the man. With a tiny nod he thanked him and sat down on the chair, still having had Peter's eyes glued to him.

"Can- can you take off that mask?" Peter asked and made wild gestures, not quite knowing what to do with his hands. Could he even take it off? I mean sure it probably wasn't glued to his face but it seemed to be stuck where it was.

The man looked at him with a stern glare before pulling the black mask down with the one unoccupied hand that wasn't trying to stop the bleeding from his leg. He put it on the table next to his gun and looked back at the boy anxiously standing a few feet away from him.

"I won't be here for long. I'll bandage my leg up and leave." he said in a serious tone before returning to wrap the towel around his left leg.

"It's not safe for me to be here." he mumbled, more to himself than to anyone in particular.

"Why not?" Peter asked, his panic slowly fading at the mans now calmer voice. He couldn't make out who the man was. His face, although covered in bruises and scratches, didn't look familiar to him.

"Doesn't matter. I'd like to keep the damage as low as it is." he said as he finished wrapping up his leg. He started to get up but stopped himself as he let out a painful sigh.

"No, you can't leave with that injury?" Peter said in confusion as he took a step towards the injured man sitting at the table. He looked up at the boy in worry as his metal hand clutched at the table to maybe ease the pain a little bit.

"Are you out of your mind, kid? I'm barging in your apartment heavily armed and you force me to stay?" the man chuckled and shook his head.

"That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"I- yeah no, it's just that you're hurt and if you go now then they'll probably catch you, right? So maybe stay here until you can walk again? I- I know how to do first aid? Since you don't seem like you'd want to go to the hospital, I mean." the boy defended himself quickly.

For a moment the man thought about it, slowly giving in as in his eyes it seemed pointless trying to argue with him.

"What's your name again, kid?" he asked, trying to be as polite as possible but the chuckle and smug grin on his face probably made it seem like he was onto something.

"Peter, sir." the boy said and stretched out his hand for the other man to shake it.

"James. But for you I guess it's just Bucky." the man with the metal arm said defeated and took Peter's hand.

---

Chapter Two : The God of Mischief ->

[miminiac]

Oikawa sits on Iwaizumi's bed, watching his phone buzz and light up with the hundreds of messages Suga and Akaashi were sending him even though it was 5AM in Japan (meaning the pair woke up early or never went to bed – Oikawa suspected the latter).

Suga: B*tch, if you don't confess to Iwaizumi in the next day, we are telling him ourselves

Akaashi: You better f*cking confess or I'm throwing out your f*ck sh*t hair products

Suga: We spent a lot of money getting you to California, we expect for it to be worth it.

Oikawa rolls his eyes. He debates replying, re-informing them that it had actually been Akaashi's parents who had bought the ticket since they had used Akaashi's emergency credit card. But, that would only fuel the pair into harassing him even more, so he tucks his in his bag.

Iwaizumi returns to the room, carrying various snacks and a couple bottles of water in his arms. After dumping everything onto the opposite end of the bed from where Oikawa was sitting, Iwaizumi quickly glances at his own phone before placing it on the dresser behind him.

"Your friends are a little annoying."

"They are your friends too, Iwa-chan~"

"They are only my friends because they are your friends. An unfortunate circumstance of the transitive property."

Iwaizumi plops down onto his bed and opens a bag of chips. In the silence, they hear the faint buzz of both their phones going off. Oikawa attempts to shake off the curiosity of what his friends might be texting Iwaizumi by scolding him.

"What a terrible host you are, Iwa-chan~. Not even offering me some chips when you opened the bag."

"Okay, but you don't even like these chips."

"It's a matter of principle," Oikawa teases, turning his body to face his friend.

Iwaizumi rolls his eyes and holds out the bag of chips. "Would you like some chips?"

"No thank you, I don't like them, but I will take that cookie."

Oikawa points to a wrapped chocolate chip cookie in the pile of junk food on Iwaizumi's bed.

"You're an adult, grab it yourself."

Oikawa pouts, crossing him arms and staring at Iwaizumi, who still refuses to budge. Faint buzzing fills the silence once more.

"Iwa-chan?"

Iwaizumi hums, signaling Oikawa to continue. "Do you remember last year when you visited Tokyo?"

Iwaizumi doesn't say anything, but Oikawa can tell he remembers and knows exactly what he is talking about – the kiss they had shared in the kitchen in the middle of the night.

"How would you feel about doing that more often?" Oikawa asks, staring at the pattern in Iwaizumi's comforter.

He hears the rustle of the chip bag and feels Iwaizumi's weight shift on the bed. Before Oikawa can recognize what is happening, Iwaizumi's hand gently grips his chin.

He tugs Oikawa's head up, pulling him in so their lips meet. The kiss is soft, chaste. It reminds Oikawa of finally releasing a long held breath. When they pull apart, they stay close – foreheads touching.

"Just to be clear, I like you and that is why I want to kiss more."

Iwaizumi chuckles, "Yeah, I understood that dumbass." A pause, Oikawa waiting for a returned confession, a pout slowly forming on his lips. "I like you too, Shittykawa."

Oikawa leans forward, kissing Iwaizumi fervently. They continue exchanging kisses for the next hour until they tire and Oikawa settles his head onto Iwaizumi's chest as they cuddle – Iwaizumi's fingers absently playing his with hair. The calm is broken once again by Iwaizumi's phone buzzing on the dresser.

"Do you think you can tell your friends now so they can stop harassing me?"

"Absolutely not," Oikawa says. "They will not be informed until at least a month from now. I need to make them suffer for meddling... Plus, I can't allow them to know they were right – at least not right away."

Iwaizumi sighs. He knows there is no logic when it comes to the trio.

// originally posted October 27th, 2020

Read the full story in the setter fic.

[flowerkidyjh]

Lowkey - Drew Starkey

Author’s Note:

Hi! Since I did an open ended story last time, you guys deserve a new one. Let me know if you guys like it.

Warning: contains police, alcohol and nicotine

Song: Lowkey - NIKI

Check out my Masterlist :)

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

After the shooting of the Outer Banks 2 Chase and Madelyn hosted wrap party at their house. All the cast are there and being Madelyn’s best friend I was invited too. I got there around 11pm and went to Madelyn and Chase to congratulate them.

She pulled me aside and said “Rafe is there, why don’t you say hi?” while wiggling her eyebrows. I laughed at her and said she was crazy. We have an inside joke that I like toxic men therefore I am attracted to Rafe Cameron but Drew is so different from his character, he’s the type of guy that is gentle and very funny and that’s the opposite of my type in guys.

Madelyn excused herself to welcome the other guests that are coming and I decided to go to the kitchen to get myself a drink. I heard Madelyn call my name and invited me to play beer pong with the cast. I joined them and when it was my turn to play, I was against Drew. I can see him crossing his fingers and praying that I don’t get to shoot the ball to the cup cause he’s already wasted. But I got the shot he groaned but still chugged the cup of beer where the ball landed. The game lasted for 5 rounds until almost everyone is tipsy. I went back to the kitchen to find something to eat when Drew approached me.

“You got me pretty drunk out there, you’re good at playing beer pong” he said.

“That was luck cause I don’t even know how to play I just followed what everyone was doing” I said.

He chuckles, “By the way I’m Drew. Nice to meet you uhh?”

“y/n, Mads is my best friend.” I said.

“Nice name, hmmm I like it. By the way I’m about to head outside to smoke do you want to come?” he asked.

“Yes sure let me just get hmmm THIS for us” I said while holding a bottle of whiskey.

We went outside the house and sat to the curb. He offered me a cigarette and held the lighter out for me. We were just sitting there smoking and drinking the whiskey that we stole inside. The chaos from the party inside echoes through the silent neighbourhood.

“I feel like at some point the police will show up, it’s too crazy inside.” I said and he agreed.

Wonder what I'll do when the cops come through

And the whiskey's run out

'Cause I've been lookin' at you since half past two

Wanna take this downtown?

This liquid courage got me way too honest

Put your phone on vibrate, let's catch a vibe, babe

While the sun's down

A few minutes later, I saw one of the neighbors wearing a robe and looks like she’s calling someone but she’s looking at the house. Moments later I can see a couple of black cars with sirens heading towards the house. I grabbed Drew’s hands and we ran as fast as we could. We ran a couple of blocks until we can no longer hear any sirens from the cops. We stopped as we were both breathless, we looked at each other and started bursting out laughing. I don’t know if it’s funny cause we ran even though we’re not guilty or we’re just both too drunk to take anything seriously. Our laughter was stopped by continuous texts and calls from his phone so I went to his pocket and grabbed his phone and put it on vibrate.

I don't really give a fuck 'bout all the "he said, she said" bullshit

So pick your poison, love, let's go somewhere a little more exclusive

Take a shot, take a chance, take my hand, boy

Tension so intense like an asteroid

Be discreet, gotta dodge all the tabloids

We drank the last bit of whiskey and started walking downtown. We saw a bar and we thought it’s a good idea to go inside and drink more like we didn’t just finished a whole bottle of whiskey. We got shots and started dancing with everybody inside the bar. Every shot, the distance between us got a little smaller, 5 shots later, I can feel his grip on my waist getting tight and his breath on my neck getting hotter. I turned around and looked at him and I kissed him. When we pulled away, I dragged him outside the bar and started running. Our bodies are intoxicated with alcohol and seems like we don’t have a care in the world.

We stopped running near an empty playground and we started kissing again but this time it got a little bit aggressive. When Drew was about to kiss me on my neck, we heard someone calling his name then a big flash blinded us so we ran back until we got back to Madelyn and Chase’s house. The party is still going but it did simmer down a little bit.

Hush now, I know we're a little too fucked up to stay still, love

Be as quiet as you can, 'cause if anyone sees

They'll just blow shit up

I don't gotta know if you're taken

I'll just let ya know bedroom's vacant

No one's gotta know, just us and the moon 'til the sun starts wakin'

We went back inside and they were looking for us. They thought we got arrested or something, we assured them that we’re alright and everyone decided to drink again. I was glancing over Drew who’s talking with Chase and Rudy and I was with Madelyn and Madison, he catches my eyes and I signalled him to meet me at the corner. We discreetly excused ourselves. I held his hand and told him to look out while I find the guest bedroom but we were both so drunk that some people are looking at us weird.

Us in a king-size, keep it a secret

Say I'm your queen, I don't wanna leave this

Low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low-key

I finally unlocked the door of the bedroom and he started kissing me roughly leaving hickeys on my neck. We were so intoxicated that everything felt so fast, but it was already 5am the sun is starting to come out, we looked at each other’s eyes and he said “let’s keep this lowkey.” I smiled and turned around, he placed his arms on my waist and kissed my shoulders as we both fell asleep.

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Did you guys liked it? Let me know what you think :) You can request any song just message me.

Check out my Masterlist

[haikyuuuuuhypeeeee]

Ch. Fourteen

⚠WARNING: Swearing

• ────── ✾ ────── •

Waking up is painful. Physically painful, at least. You’re not ready to deal with the emotional pain from yesterday, no thank you.

You finally peel your eyes open, a true struggle considering how they were crusted together. You take in your surroundings and form the first coherent thought of the day.

This isn’t my bedroom.

Your eyes seem to be crusted shut. You sit up and realize that no, this is not your apartment, this is Osamu’s apartment. This is his bed you’re currently sitting up from, his blankets wrapped around you.

You then form your second coherent thought of the day.

His detergent smells really nice.

That thought finishes in your head before it’s slammed aside by the rush of yesterday’s memories - group therapy with your friends and Osamu, Oikawa being a complete dick to Osamu, your argument with Oikawa which resulted in Oikawa blabbing of your love for Hajime, leaving the restaurant crying, realizing you lost your keys but they’re at Osamu’s apartment, walking to Osamu’s crying…

From there it’s a bit murkier as your memories intertwined with self-deprecating thoughts and a line of thinking you rarely walk down anymore.

Last night was a night.

You do somewhat remember Osamu comforting you. Letting you know that it was okay and he was there for you.

You glance around the studio apartment, wondering where he was. Oh god, did you force him out good lord you are -

Oh, no he’s sitting on his couch with a cup of coffee.

You’re filled with guilt when you realize you monopolized his bed and completely took over his apartment. Yeah, he maybe didn’t need to sleep last night (a concept you still don’t fully understand nor approve of) but you have fully overstayed your welcome.

Grabbing your phone from the side table you tap the screen, taking in the notifications on your screen.

Shit, I never messaged Makki or Mattsun.

Your gut feels like lead as you open the group chat with the two. That was a big fuck up on your end.

Fuck, I’m such a shitty friend.

You don’t waste anytime typing out a message.

“Tea?”

You look up from your phone and are greeted with Osamu’s sleepy gaze, a mug of tea held in his hand for you. You reach for the mug, nodding slowly.

“How’re yer feel in’ this morning?” He asks as you take a sip. You shrug in response

“I’m okay. I’m sorry I just fell apart like that on you.” You say. “I wasn’t having a great night, and my emotions just kind of bled all over the place. And I’m sorry that I fell asleep.”

“Yeah, that was actually pretty funny.” Osamu smiles. “Ya just kinda passed out on my shoulder. I had to lift ya to get ya onto the bed.”

You blink, absolutely mortified. “Oh wow, I am so sorry. That’s so embarrassing.”

“Nah, it was cute.” Osamu takes a casual sip from his mug, seemingly oblivious to the flirty line he just dropped. “But ya seemed pretty upset last night, and i wasn’t gonna let ya walk home like that.” The smile drops from his face and he looks at you with concern. “If ya wanna talk about it ya can, although I don’t want to push ya. It’d be pretty dumb of me to.

“I know I’ve been pretty skeptical about openin’ up and talkin’ ‘bout my feelings, but since meetin’ ya I’ve felt better. Lighter, I guess.” He shrugs. “Ya’ve made me realize how important it is to open up.”

You look down at your tea, a small smile tugging at your lips. Your heart warms at Osamu’s words, part of you preening that you were the one who has helped Osamu, but also you feel genuine relief that Osamu wants to open up more.

“Well, let me treat you to breakfast this morning - it’s the least I can do.” You finish your tea and give Osamu a small smile. “I can tell you about yesterday if you don’t mind listening.”

Osamu smiles in return. “Sure, let me grab my stuff.” He takes the mug from your hand and shuffles into the kitchen. You sit up, stretching your arms and grabbing your phone. A few more messages have come through from Mattsun and Makki.

Uhhhhh…….

You open up your chat with Oikawa, finding hundreds of messages from him. He hasn’t sent you anything since 5am. You quickly navigate back to the chat with your other friends.

Frantic knocks, one after another, beat against Osamu’s door.

No way.

Osamu gives you a look before walking to the front door. He checks the paper hole, then turns back and looks at you with faint amusement.

“It’s for ya.”

You stand from the bed, moving into the kitchen. Regretfully, you open the door.

A distressed-looking Oikawa is the surprise visitor. He looks absolutely beside himself - his eyes are bloodshot and swollen, snot is dripping out of his nose, and his hair is messy and lackluster.

Oh dear god.

He bursts into tears when he sees you, but surprisingly doesn’t throw himself at you. He must be learning some boundaries. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Y/N-chan! I was being stupid and petty and I didn’t mean to-”

“Ok, ok c’mon. You’re going to wake up Osamu’s neighbors.” You bring the snivelling, pathetic Oikawa inside, quickly closing the door behind him. You help him get his shoes off, glancing around the Osamu. You spot him at the sink, filling a glass with water. He brings it over, giving Oikawa a nod and silently passing the water to him.

“Thank you Osamu-kun.” Oikawa gratefully takes the water and downs it before handing the empty glass back to an amused Osamu. “I plan on giving you a full apology soon, I promise.”

Osamu huffs a laugh and goes back into the kitchen. He sets the glass in the sink as you lead Oikawa through and into the living room.

“I’m so sorry,” you whisper to Osamu. “Do you want me to go?”

“Nah,” Osamu waves his hand. “I’ll get ready for breakfast in the bathroom, and give you guys some space.”

“Thank you, I’ll try to make this quick.”

“Take yer time.” Osamu smiles at you and moves to the bathroom. You turn back to Oikawa, who is watching you with regret painting all over his face.

“I’m sorry I told Makki and Mattsun that you love Hajime.” Oikawa blurts without any bite.

You think you see Osamu flinch out of the corner of your eye but when you look his way you see the bathroom door closing. You look back to Oikawa and sigh.

“Why did you say it then?”

Oikawa heaves a sigh and hangs his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to say to make you not hate me.”

“Oikawa, I don’t hate you.” You join him on the couch, leaning into his side. “Talk to me.”

Oikawa presses back to you and you feel his shoulders move up and down as he takes another deep breath. “I knew that uni classes and volleyball would be really really hard - but as long as we all had each other we would be fine. We smashed through high school together, so this was just another challenge.

“But when Iwa-chan died it changed everything. Obviously.” Oikawa takes a shaky breath. “But I still had you, Mattsun and Makki. I knew that we wouldn’t be the same without Iwa-chan, and classes and volleyball would be hard, but we would be friends.

“I don’t think I knew how hard everything would be. My classes suck, volleyball is a chore, and I miss Iwa-chan.” He sniffles. “I miss him so much. I feel like I don’t know who I am without him. But I had you guys, I always had my friends.

“But Mattsun and Makki are in their own world sometimes, and then you started hanging out with Osamu.” He looks at you, tears shining in his brown eyes. “I know it makes me sound like you can’t have other friends beside me, and I really don’t want to be selfish. But you were spending more time with Osamu and it hit me that you were all growing up and becoming different people.” A few tears track down his face and he sniffs. “I don’t want anything to change, I don’t want Iwa-chan to be dead, I don’t want to be a terrible person.”

Oikawa starts to cry and you don’t hesitate in pulling him into a side hug. He’s not really sobbing but you feel his pain deep in your heart. One of your hands comes up to card gently through his hair.

“I know I’ve been a piece of shit the last few months. And I can tell that you really like Osamu, even though you’ve always loved Iwa-chan. Whenever you talked about him you had this happy and bright look on your face. He makes you feel good, but you love Iwa-chan. You moving on meant change, and I hated that.” Oikawa sniffs. “But bringing Osamu to the group therapy session, which I always thought was our group’s thing, made me realize that you were changing. I was so angry, and your secret just slipped out.”

He takes a watery breath. “Isn’t it awful? I’ve been trying to drag you back down to my level, bring you back down to feel the pain that I feel, all because I’m scared. I’m a terrible, awful friend.”

“Oikawa, have you had time to go to your therapy appointments?” You ask gently.

He doesn’t answer right away, and when he gives the tiniest shake of his head you sigh.

“Honey,” you scold gently. “Why are you not going?”

“School and volleyball have taken up a lot of my time.” Oikawa mumbles, his sentence punctuated with another sniffle. “I’ve skipped so many appointments, and I’m too embarrassed to call.”

You sigh, inwardly shaking your head at your friend’s weak excuse. “I don’t want to tell you what to do, but maybe re-prioritize your responsibilities. Getting back on track with your therapy appointments should take top priority. You can talk through these feelings instead of letting them fester.”

Oikawa doesn’t answer right away, but when he does his voice is small. “But I’d probably have to quit volleyball, and that’s all I have left of Iwa-chan.” You see his hands ball into fists. “I don’t want to lose that.” His breath hitches. “I don’t know what to do.”

You let him cry on your shoulder, giving him the time to get all the tears out. You figure this is the most civil conversation you’ve had since Hajime died. The thought brings you relief but also makes you quite sad.

“You know you’re one of my best friends, right Oikawa?” You ask once he’s calmed down a bit. “You’re a diva and a trainwreck, but you’re my diva and my trainwreck.” He exhales lightly but you’re almost certain it’s in amusement. “No matter what, I’m always going to want the best for you, and I’m always gonna try my best to help you.

“But,” you feel him tense up when you continue. “You have to realize that your behavior the past few months has been really shitty. You’ve treated us all like punching bags - we get it, probably more than a lot of people could. But I’m not gonna let you treat me, or any of our friends, like it anymore.”

“I’ll be good.” Oikawa promises immediately. “I promise, I’ll do better for you and Makki and Mattsun. And me.”

“Good.” You give him a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry for yelling at you last night in the restaurant.”

“You don’t have to apologize at all.” He replies immediately. He yawns before speaking again. “Honestly, I’ve been a piece of shit for months now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” You murur. You both sit on the couch for a while longer as you try to come down from the conversation you just had. You feel like a heavy cloud that’s been floating around your head for months has cleared, and although you know Oikawa won’t magically change overnight you feel better knowing that you’ve had this hard conversation with him. Change starts with communication, and hopefully Oikawa understands now that he has the support to change.

You feel Oikawa leaning against you even further and you look at his face to see his eyes closed and mouth parted open.

“Oikawa, c’mon I don’t want you falling asleep.” You gently push him off you so you can stand and get Oikawa to stand also. His eyes are still closed and he puts nearly all of his body weight onto you.

He must not have slept all night, you think. It’s not uncommon for him to pull all nighters, a habit he picked up in high school watching game tape over and over until the sun came up. But he handles the lack of sleep gracelessly - you could prop him against a door jamb and he’d pass out no problem.

Together you move towards the front door. You’re not going to let him fall asleep here and inconvenience Osamu even more - you’ll take him back to your apartment and maybe try to catch lunch with Osamu. Now you owe him a few meals and unlimited coffee.

“Gotta apologize to Osamu-kun,” Oikawa mumbles when you lean him against the wall.

“Maybe when you’re going to fall asleep standing up, yeah?” You reply, bending down to shove his feet back in his shoes. You hear more mumblings in return but can’t make anything out of them.

As you’re getting your shoes on you hear the bathroom door open and out walks Osamu. He’s dressed and his face is composed into it’s usual blankness. Trusting that Oikawa won’t keel over, you walk over to where Osamu is reaching into his dresser for socks.

“I’m so sorry,” you say. “I have to reschedule breakfast, I have to make sure this idiot won’t sleepwalk into traffic.”

“S’alright. Didja work everything out?” Osamu asks in a measured tone.

“I think so.” Osamu’s not looking at you as he puts on his socks. Your gut twinges with guilt, realizing that he must be upset that you have to cancel breakfast. “But I think I’m gonna take him to my apartment and make sure he sleeps. Do you want to meet up for lunch or something?”

“Can’t.” His short answer makes you blink. “Meetin’ a group on campus for a class project.”

“Oh.” He’s still not meeting your gaze, and you detect a hint of gruffness in his tone. Maybe he’s upset that he has to meet with his group last minute? Or because you basically shoved him into his bathroom while you and Oikawa worked out your issues. “Dinner then? I owe you double now.”

“Probably not.” Osamu stands and gathers a few books and a notebook before shoving them into his backpack. His inability to look at you or hold a full conversation is confusing, but you don’t want to push him.

“Well let’s meet at the coffee shop tomorrow, usual time after morning classes. Sounds good?”

He hums distractedly. Your gut feels heavier and you swallow hard.

“Okay, well I’ll be off now.”

Osamu turns towards you but still doesn’t meet your eyes. “I’ll walk ya out.”

You both make the short walk to the front door. The tension in the room is heavy, unable to lighten even at the sight of Oikawa sleeping standing up. You maneuver your friend while Osamu opens the door for you. It’s a slight struggle walking out of the front door but you manage.

You look back before Osamu can close the door behind you. He’s holding the door knob and staring at the ground. “Let me know if you can do dinner tonight - if not I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You force as much cheeriness into your voice, despite the heavy weight in your chest. Finally Osamu looks at you, giving you a disinterested nod.

He closes the door as you turn to walk away. You look back quickly, catching a crestfallen look on Osamu’s face before the door fully closes.

• ────── ✾ ────── •

A/N: So when I originally thought about this story, I wanted to think about how different people deal with grief. And what I wanted to explore was 1.) is there a limit to how people will grieve? And 2.) can someone grieving push that limit? From the get-go Oikawa has seemingly pushed the limit of what some of you believed, and yet Y/N was still hesitant to call him out. And I loved hearing what everyone had to say about Oikawa - some were willing to give him a pass, and some were NOT happy with him. Now, just because someone is grieving, it does NOT give them a free pass to behave inappropriately or do serious harm to those around them. But I think it’s important to note that what may seem absolutely insane to one person is tolerable to another. And what it comes down to is how the person who is directly affected by another’s actions wants to address those actions (sorry if this is confusing.) Oikawa was treating Y/N and their friends like shit. In the story it was because Oikawa was not taking the necessary actions to keep himself mentally healthy. In Y/N’s eyes, if there is a desire to be better, and appropriate actions are taken to be better, then Oikawa deserves to be forgiven. I have absolutely LOVED reading everyone’s reactions and hearing their opinions on Oikawa’s slowly deteriorating behavior, thank you for sending them in! And just because how Y/N has reacted to Oikawa’s behavior it does not mean there is a right/wrong way! Everyone has different life experiences and different relationships that guide their decision-making! And that’s totally okay! (This obviously applies to non-threatening and morally & ethically right behavior.) And WOOF thank you for getting this far in the A/N’s, this was a LOT! Gold stars for everyone!! 🌟🌟🌟

Taglist Open! Please send an Ask with the request to be added to It’s [Not] Okay Fic & SMAU: @psycho-nightrose @camcam1617 @kamalymaly @toobsessedsstuff @shookykookie30 @roro-707 @qualitygiantshoepsychic @cerealfrdinner797 @ara-mitsue @gray-444 @tanakasimpcorner @rintarovibes @jellien @everytimeswift @bongofrito @babucrow @beidouluvr @kozuken-ma @imarriedachef

[airi-p4]

Love in the sky

I wrote this for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers LBSC Sprint challenge - Meet cute week event and, once again, I got carried away and broke all the rules. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Prompt: Sitting next to each other on the plane.

Summary: Marinette is going to NY on an international flight for the first time. What she doesn’t know is that the one seated next to her is the popular new band Kitty Section’s guitarist: Luka Couffaine.

Thank you @livrever for checking it for me 💙

AO3

______________________________________

Marinette rushed through the aisle of the plane. She couldn’t believe she almost missed it! her first international trip to the US! Stupid alarm! Of course she was tired. She was so nervous she couldn’t sleep all night… until 5AM… and the plane departed at 10AM… and obviously she had to oversleep. *sigh*

Running, tripping and spinning on her feet, she finally searched for her seat. 38B - aisle seat. Her pink polka dotted suitcase was heavy, but thanks to the cabin attendant she could finally put it inside the overhead bin, while her backpack rested under the seat in front of her. All set, she let her weight fall on the seat at last and let out a deep breath as she fastened her seatbelt.

The doors of the plane closed, and the PA message started: Welcome on board… Security instructions… Marinette wasn’t listening. Her legs were uncontrollably shaking, and her fingers were fidgeting with the laces of her hoodie.

Those nerves and stress couldn’t be healthy.

She examined her surroundings, and, next to her, someone was sleeping. Someone, who appeared to be a young man, with a sleeping eye mask and a face mask on, messy blue hair showing under a knit hat and a blanket covering his body. Overall, it didn't give much more information about her plane's seat neighbor. Not wanting to wake him up, she focused on the rest of the passengers instead. Why were all of them so quiet when she felt her heart could burst out of her chest anytime?

The plane started its runaway and Marinette closed her eyes tightly when it raised from the lane. Once in the air, she started breathing again, but her heart was still beating fast.

"First time on a plane?" a masculine voice beside her asked.

She turned to her side, and looked at the person seated next to her. His eye mask was over his head now, and she could see his blue eyes clearly, while his blue bangs partly covered his eyebrows.

“Y- yes!” she squeaked.

“You’re making me nervous too. Calm down, it’s going to be ok” he assured.

“I- I know!" She said, but her body wasn’t obeying. “I’m sorry...”

The young man sighed. “Look, I’ve been on a plane many times. It’s safe. Why don’t you try to sleep? It’s going to be a long flight.”

“I- I can’t! I’m too nervous! I’ve never traveled alone before, plus my career depends on this trip! I can’t stay calm!”

“Why don’t you try listening to some music, then? It always helps me relax” the young man offered her a sympathetic look.

“Music…?” she blinked. ‘It could work’.

She plugged the earphones and put them in her ears. Then, she scrolled through the music programs on the touch screen in front of her. Classical music? For some reason, it only made it worse. Country music? Not her style. XY? Hell, no. Her eyes stopped at the name of a fairly new band: “Kitty Section”. She played the video called: “Kitty Section's Paris Live Concert”.

“Good choice” the man next to her said when the title started showing on the screen.

Marinette had heard about the band called Kitty Section. They had featured in most of her favorite magazines after they won Eurovision several months ago, but she wasn't familiar with their music. In less than a minute, she was hooked and forgot completely about her surroundings or her nerves.

“Wow!” she mumbled, mesmerized, and the man next to her let out a snicker.

The music was amazing- the rock vibes, their stage presence, the vocalists’ cuteness and high ranged voice, the accurate and insane drums, the gorgeous purple haired bassist… all of them sounded incredible. But the guitarist… the blue haired guitarist was extraordinary- unbelievably good. Not only talented, but also powerful, charismatic and incredibly handsome.

“They’re good, huh?” The man beside her commented and she nodded. She could tell he was smiling under his face mask. She nodded in agreement.

“I had never heard them properly before but damn- they are incredible” Marinette answered, and he laughed. Her fingers tapped rhythmically, following the beat of the song.  “But…" she continued, observing. "I think they could do better. There’s a margin of improvement,” she said with judging eyes.

“Oh, really? How?” The blue-eyed man asked, curious, resting his elbow on the arm rest to get a closer look.

“The costumes,” Marinette pointed out. Then, she reached her backpack under her feet and took out a sketchbook and a pen and started drawing. “The outfits could be improved if they added this, and this” she signaled. “And this-” She kept scribbling while the blue-haired man observed and listened to her suggestions. “And ta-da! Wouldn’t they look even better if they were like this?” She proudly showed him her designs, only to realize she was being embarrassing towards a stranger. “Ah, sorry- I got carried away…” She apologized. But the man took the sketchbook in his hands.

“Let me see,” he said, and she saw how his eyes examined every detail of her drawings. She gulped nervously. It felt like her skills were being tested. But the man took his face mask off and smiled. “Wow, that’s impressive. Fresh, charismatic, unique- and perfectly according to the band's style. I love them" he returned her the sketchbook. "You’re very talented. Are you famous? Do you take commissions?” He asked, and she looked at him speechless.

“I- I’m still a no-one… Is it really impressive?” She looked at him and blushed at the compliment.

“Yes, I think so. What would you do with this outfit?” He asked, showing him a photo of the same band on his smartphone. Her inspiration overflowed as she kept drawing and explaining her ideas. They kept discussing costumes and visual aspects of the band and chatted comfortably for a long time.

"I think Rose should go with something more… daring, bolder. She looks innocent but she's fierce inside. Of course, cuteness is her main trait, so I think she should combine both" she explained, coloring her design with colored pencils. "I think something like this would be perfect for her" she showed him her sketchbook and he was impressed. “As for Juleka-” She continued, turning to a blank page. “She’s so beautiful. I wish she didn’t cover her face so much, even if the mystery look is really attractive too…" She stopped drawing for a moment to admire the bassist on the screen. "Gosh- She's so gorgeous! I wish I was that beautiful” she commented.

“I think you’re even more beautiful than her, you know?” The blue-haired man casually said, and she shyly blushed with a 'no way' frantic arms movements. “What about the guitarist?” he asked, raising an eyebrow with a smug smile.

“Luka Couffaine? OH LORD SHOW MERCY- Have you seen him? And his eyeliner? It should be ILLEGAL to be this HOT” She said, convinced.

“Hmmm… So you like him, huh?” He teased, his smile widening.

“Who doesn’t, really?” She shrugged. “He’s literally the SEXIEST man alive. His eye contact with the camera could kill! Oh, and whenever he gets shirtless on stage or photoshoots? GOD- I almost get a nosebleed EVERY FREAKING TIME! He's TOO DAMN HOT" She fanned herself at the image. "Don’t you agree?" She asked and he blinked twice. "You like him too, right? You have so many photos of them in your phone! I bet he’s making you question your sexuality too, like he does with all my friends! How could anyone resist those blue eyes and his manly features, his soft looking blue hair and- his tattoos..." She looked away from her seat neighbor's blue piercing eyes, and focused at the smartphone screen again, to a close-up photo of Kitty Section’s guitarist. "How did you get these close-up casual photos...?” she asked, and then she noticed the tattoo on his neck. She looked back and forth at the man seated next to her and the one in the picture. ‘It couldn't be, right…?’ And at that moment, when he had a knowing smile on his face- one she knew too well-, she realized who he was seated next to on the plane. Her eyes opened as big as plates and she overheated. He was smirking amusingly at her reaction. “You- You- You are-? Lu-Lu-Luk- It can’t be…”

He nodded to confirm her suspicions and her jaw fell to the floor. “Hi. I think I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Luka. But I think you already know that. It’s nice to meet you.” He chuckled, straightening his hand for a handshake.

“Oh God, kill me now...” She mumbled, sinking on the table. Luka snickered.

“What’s your name?”

“Ma-Ma-Marinette… I mean- Marinette!” She felt his eyes on her and panicked. “Excuse me- I- I need a moment... This- This is too much- Oh My God...” She stood up and rushed to the end of the plane, not without tripping twice on her way there.

________________________

While Marinette was gone, the two ladies in front of Luka and Marinette’s seats turned to Luka. “Having fun?” They smirked, knowingly. He was chuckling, having real trouble to keep his laugh from escaping.

“Oh, God, Yes. This is so much fun." He wiped the tears that were forming on his eyes. "I think I’ve found our potential new costume designer” he continued laughing under his nose.

“Only that? I think there’s more...” Juleka smirked, and Rose giggled in agreement by her side. He couldn't deny it: his sister was totally right.

Behind Luka's seat, Kitty Section's drummer, Ivan and his girlfriend Mylene had been enjoying the show the blue-eyed pair had been giving. It was definitely more entertaining than any movie. It would have been perfect if they had popcorn to accompany their fortunate first row seats to the hilarious show. They also approved Marinette's designs.

Luka took the chance Marinette wasn't there to freely stand up, go talk to their managers and stretch his legs for a bit.

_________________________

Back at the end of the plane, Marinette drank some juice and moved to the bathroom. She was panicking in front of the mirror, talking to herself.

“OH. MY. GOD. I’m seated next to Luka Couffaine! For at least… 5 hours more!? And I just called him hot! And- And- he said I’m beautiful and talented! And- Oh my God, he asked me for commissions, right? This can’t be real- I-" her feet wiggled uncontrollably and she let out a long squeak. "Ahh… Calm down, Marinette! He’s human- A sexy human, but still human! He’s famous but very friendly, kind and nice. And fun! It’s going to be alright. Just- Avoid his eyes. That’s it. It’s dangerous. Don’t fall in love. You’re not a teenager anymore, you’re over that stage, right? Only a few hours more. You can do it. I CAN DO IT!” She convinced herself with a confident nod and returned to her seat, only to find Luka was gone.

She looked for him from her seat, at her surroundings, but he was nowhere to be found. She sighed in both relief and sadness as she seated.

For some reason, she was missing him. Which was stupid, considering they had just met! But his company was certainly enjoyable... And, moreover, it was FUN. More than she ever remembered having. And not only because she was passionate about fashion or music. It had to do with his aura, his personality, his gentle manners- just... Luka.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be back in a moment” A voice said from in front of her. “My brother is stupid, but he’s a decent person. Treat him well” The purple haired lady winked, beside a petit blond lady.

“Jul-!” She covered her mouth with her hands to stop herself from yelling her name. “And Rose-!?” 'Oh, no! They might have heard what I said too!' She panicked again and the ladies giggled amused.

“Ignore my sister and her girlfriend” Luka returned, and her face flustered when she noticed how tall and well built he was (not that she didn't know that, but it hit differently in first person). “Can I get back to my seat?” He politely asked, pointing at the window seat.

“Ah-! Yes! Of course!” She stood up so suddenly she tripped and fell on Luka’s chest. She immediately moved away in embarrassment, falling back instead, and Luka had to hold her again to avoid her imminent fall. “I’m sorry!”

“Are you ok?” He asked in concern, and she shyly nodded. Luka reluctantly let go of her and returned to his seat and Marinette settled back to hers.

Wait- Was that a blush on his face?

“Here” Luka offered her an envelope. “I don’t know what your plans in NY are but, here’s a VIP pass to our concert next Sunday. There’s also our contact card inside. I want you to consider the idea of working for us. Your costumes are impressive. We discussed it, and we want you in our team” Marinette had no words- totally speechless. Could she be this lucky? “What do you say?” Luka asked with a hopeful tender smile that made her weak.

“I- I’ll think about it. And- Oh God- I’ll totally be there for your concert” She blushed and Luka smiled kindly at her. Suddenly, she started searching inside her backpack, and took out a business card she offered him. “This is my contact. I- I have a fashion event next Monday. I would love you to come, if you can make it. Send me an email and I’ll get you some passes”

“Wow! That's impressive. I'll try to make it. Thank you, Marinette”

Marinette could hear her heart beating faster. No looking in his eyes, dammit. They kept talking for a while, enjoying their time together until they fell asleep out of exhaustion, Marinette’s head resting on Luka’s shoulder. He woke up earlier than her, but didn’t have the heart to wake her up until lunchtime. She looked like she really needed that rest.

When he left half of his lunch untouched, Marinette scolded him. “You have to eat! You’re too thin! Those abs and arms need consistency! Proteins!” She pointed at a photo of him shirtless and flustered again in embarrassment in realization. “Ah-”

Gosh- it really was fun, Luka thought, chucking. It was hard not to laugh out loud. Everything flowed so naturally it was unbelievable.

Damn. He didn’t want the plane to ever land.

“Marinette” he called, during their coffee time, and she looked back at him, redness still on her cheeks. “The plane will land soon but- Even if you don’t accept our offer… Is it possible for us to meet again? Out of business? Like this?”

Marinette flustered at his implications. “Do- Do you mean-?”

“A date. Would you go on a date with me, Marinette? Or just as friends, if you prefer. I like you, and I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun with anyone else” He took Marinette’s pen and one of his ‘Kitty Section’ contact cards and wrote something behind it. “These are my personal telephone number and email. We'll be in NY until Friday next week. It would make me very happy if you contact me, whenever you prefer, anytime” He said, securing the card in her hands.

Marinette blushed, looked at the card with glowing eyes, and then at his honest loving stare. Was it even possible that the man everyone was gushing about was asking her out? But this had nothing to do with his stage persona. Luka was someone she more than enjoyed spending time with. Naturally, quietly, assuring… She had no doubts about her answer.  

“I want to meet you again, too” she stated, and wrote her personal number under his wristband. “I’m free on Wednesday” she shyly smiled, and his smile widened.

“Wednesday is it, then. I'll manage to find the time. Just for you." He smiled happily and only then she realized how deep she had fallen.

Ah- she hadn't wanted to fall in love. What a way to fail her own determination… But she couldn't complain, not at all.

And he felt the same way.

Luka and Marinette's hands locked together, and they lost themselves in each other’s eyes, smiling at each other.

“Why don’t you kiss her already, dumbass?” Juleka called, and Marinette blushed. “He won’t kiss you if you don’t give him proper permission, you know? He’s very considerate despite his looks. Tell him already”

“Jules… Why don’t you mind your business and make out with Rose instead?” He shushed his sister and Rose giggled, embracing Juleka. Luka returned his attention to Marinette. “Sorry about that”

“It’s ok… I-” She started, looking at his thin lips. “Will you kiss me if I want to? Because I think I do...”

“You do?” he asked, and she shyly nodded and he smiled softly, making her heart flutter.

She closed her eyes and he leaned closer to give her a sweet kiss on her cheek. She pouted a little, in disappointment, but he told her that, if she really wanted to kiss him, that would be the perfect excuse to meet him again and make it more special, like a beautiful lady like her deserved. Marinette understood his reasoning and agreed with it, despite the slight disappointment she felt she would have to wait a few days to get the chance to kiss him. Nevertheless, both of them happily smiled while their fingers remained interlaced, chatting and enjoying their time together the rest of the flight, until the plane landed and they had to unavoidably say their farewells.

“Thank you for everything, Luka. I forgot how scared I was of planes thanks to you and- I’ll see you soon?”

“I really hope so. I still owe you something, right?" He winked and she blushed happily. Luka gave her a final discreet and quick kiss on her knuckles. "Gosh- I miss you already...” He added, and Marinette felt the urge to cry. She dropped her bag to hold him in a needed embrace. He gladly reciprocated her gesture. Despite neither wanting to separate, they forced themselves to. "I hope I see you soon, Marinette"

"Me too, Luka…" she wiped her tears and waved, as the band started walking away.

When the arrivals doors opened and all the camera flashes blinded her, she understood why Kitty Section members always wore sunglasses in airports. They were more popular than she could have expected. She understood why he had refused to kiss her outside of the plane, but he still saluted her before disappearing in the multitude of fans and paparazzis.

On the other side, Sabrina, Audrey Bourgeois’ assistant, waited for her. She had almost forgotten about her own business. But now, she found the motivation she had lacked. If she was willing to be with Luka, she had to become the best. She wanted to make a name of herself, more than ever. And her meeting with Luka certainly boosted her confidence.

Unexpectedly, her trip to NY had already become one of her most memorable experiences yet. And it had just started! She couldn't wait to spend the rest of the week in the city.

[parkjess]

Hi! Can I please request a lee dongmin imagine where they are best friends and y/n has love him but he doesn’t realize it and they fight. Please include lots of angst but a happy ending pleaseeee. Thank youuu so much!!

Thank you for requesting!🥰

(Min is a nickname for Dongmin🙃)

Days gone by/ Lee Dongmin (cha eunwoo)

It’s been days since you slept well, yet you can’t even blame him, only yourself.

You’ve been running from one press conference to another one, ending every day at the shooting set with your best friend, Dongmin, who works hard with even less hours of sleep than you get. He didn’t ask you to come, but you’ve been there because it’s important to you to support him all the way.

“Aren’t you tired y/n? It’s getting late. Should I get you an Uber?” He fixes your hair that got messy long time ago, you hold tightly onto the 5th cup of coffee today, and your heartbeats are getting out of control with every little touch of him.

-“No, it’s okay min, I’ll leave with you.” You reply and check your phone to avoid any contact with him since your eyes are half swollen from being tired and on your feet since 5am. It is 10pm now, and the director doesn’t look like he’s about to finish this shooting day soon.

“Don’t be stubborn, I can tell you’re sleepy, please don’t do it to yourself.” As much as it looked like he’s all into his career, his head was always busy about you, not showing it enough though. -“I’m not stubborn... okay I am. But I’m not even that tired. See? I’m drawing.” You show him your phone, it was bright enough to dazzle him and he covers his eyes.

“Are you kidding me?” He laughs unbelievably, “you never use the brightness this high. Y/n...” he calls your name softly at the end, pulling you to a bear hug.

“Eunwoo-ya!” The director suddenly calls his name, scaring both of you as he turns to him. -“Yes, director?” He replies politely as the older man starts to laugh. “You worked hard today, you may go home now.” Your eyes widen and you felt relieved at the director’s words, sighing.

-“it’s your lucky day.” Dongmin smiles at you and packs his things that we’re resting next to you the whole time.

Every day is my lucky day if I get to spend it with you. You thought.

You giggle and follow him to his car. The ride home was quiet, it was raining softly on the car window you stared at the whole time, almost falling asleep at the calming atmosphere.

Only his soft voice ringing in your ear and the sound of raindrops in the other.

-“It’s my free day tomorrow.” He says, waking you up from the daydream you fell into. -“Oh, I woke you up, sorry y/n...” he says and smiles widely, back to focus on the slippery road when you glance at him.

“It is?” You asked in surprise, it was good news since you could rest well finally, but you weren’t as relieved as you thought you would be, it means you won’t see him the whole weekend, and maybe next week too since he has to go to another city.

“I’m glad for you...” you think and then say, what could you else reply with? It’s a good thing, for both of you to rest, but it’s your feelings that won’t rest all this time, and you already know it.

He smiles at you when you look at him, his eyes are still on the road as they should be, and the short conversation is over.

“Dongmin...” you say when he pulls over the car in the parking lot the closest to your place. -“Yes?” He looks at you lovely, yet friendly. “Thanks for the ride, rest well...” that all you could say, but is that’s what you wanted to say? Absolutely not.

A short smile appears on his face and you close the car door, with slow steps you walk towards your home, but it feels like you just left your real home.

Days gone by, and you haven’t heard of him since that tiring day.

“It’s been a while Min, let’s meet at the café.” You decide to text him and be the first who contact, it feels empty without him near, his voice his missing in your ears. Not even an emoji from him, only seen is shown.

Arriving at the café, you search for Dongmin with your eyes, without moving your body a lot, you take a seat at the nearest table. After couple of minutes waiting, the familiar smell of his clothes approached. “Hey... Dongmin-Ah, how have you been?” You stand up to greet him and ask with a smile, that one that appears every time you see him.

-“it’s been good, I met someone...” he says and sips on the coffee he brought along, taking a seat. Your heart skipped a bit and your face forgot that sweet smile as you heard his words. “Oh, what do you mean ‘met someone’? Like...” you try to understand if you got it right and his shining smile already approves what his words haven’t.

-“We’ve been dating since then...” he talks about the day he haven’t seen you since.

“I hope she treats you well, take care Dongmin.” You say and get up of your seat, grabbing your bag. -“Wait, y/n where are you going?” You start to walk slowly towards the door and he’s quick to follow you. -“I thought you wanted to catch up? What is wrong with you- y/n, stop!” He grabs you by the wrist as you start to walk faster, not noticing the car that was driving fast towards your direction, the weather gets colder and everything seems white as if it was snowing.

You turn around to him, feeling like the main character in one of the dramas he plays in, tears streaming down your face automatically, and your blood is boiling inside, heart racing.

-“He could’ve hit you! What the hell are you doing?!” He raised his voice at you, for the first time in his life since you know each other.

“I don’t care! Let go of my hand.” You shout back and people around seem to be staring at both of you.

“Leave me alone. Please...” you start to cry harder and he pulls you into a hug, your hands naturally grab his coat but you try your best to pull away.

-“I won’t until you tell me what is going on.” He says, you could barely hear him behind your back and due to your sobs, but you managed to. “I...” your sobs won’t let you even speak properly and you try your best to fight it back. “I have feelings for you Dongmin-Ah. That is what’s going on.” You pull away from his warm embrace and look him in the eyes although your vision is blurred.

He opened his mouth to speak up but said nothing and lead you to his car, holding your back the whole time until you get in.

-“Y/n... I- I didn’t know that...” he sits in the drivers seat, takes your hand into his and holds it tightly, you try to look away to hide your tears.

“Forget it, can you drive me home?” You pull your arm to yourself to loosen his grip on your wrist and look away towards the window which is getting covered in white slowly as the snow falls softly on it.

-“No. I can’t. I’m not starting the car until you talk to me.” He’s stating. You turn your head to him and see he’s waiting for you to speak up, but you already had enough of this day, and it only started. “Fine. Goodbye.” You open the car door and get out of it, not minding the cold weather hitting you at once and brushing away your hair.

Your tears stopped streaming but they choke you inside, you are getting panicked and searching for your phone in the pockets of your coat, realizing you probably left it in his car.

“Fuck it...” you curse under your cold breath, taking a deep one and decide to go back to his car, but a tall figure bumps into you as you turn around, he grabs you by your shoulders to keep you steady. -“You forgot your phone...” you look up to meet your favorite pair of eyes of his, the one who just got your heart broken.

-“Can you please look at me again and not look away everytime you do?” He says after you take your phone from his hands, it’s freezing cold, but his hands are warm. “And do what? You want me to get hurt again?” You attack him with the only words you had in mind, trying to hold back the tears.

-“Look! Just read this.” He puts his phone infront of you, it shows a chat with someone unfamiliar to you, and few messages from the last couple of minutes.

“What is it, min?” You ask him, reading carefully every single words it says. -“She broke up with me. She saw me with you earlier and said she saw how you looked at me, thinking I’m cheating on her with you.”

“And you came here to blame me for your girlfriend breaking up with you?” You lift an eyebrow, your nose is freezing and you try to breathe normally. -“I came to tell you I like the way she thought were dating, and that I felt free when she sent me those messages.” At this point his voice is softened to the sweetest tone, comforting your broken heart.

-“Can you please come back to my car? Your nose is red already...” he asked and led you to the car again, this time you knew you won’t run away.

“So... what are you saying?” You ask him, sitting comfortably.

-“I thought about it... and it wasn’t the worst idea taking you on a date, I mean, a real date.” He stuttered, yet confident. “The worst huh?” You smile and tease him, it feels different, but it’s the same comforting feeling he gives you everytime.

-“So, would you go on a date with me?” He asks, starting the car.

“I thought it was clear...” you laugh. “All these tears made me hungry, let’s go to eat something.” You came back to yourself, laughing at how he could make you feel better, or should you thank the one he dated until 10 minutes ago?

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Victor’s Return Home Date (Eng Translation)

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

The date begins in a conference room, where a meeting has been going on for almost three hours

When LFG invested in an online video platform called SE, LFG held a press release stating that it was a strategic move for the international film and TV market

However, just within two years, SE found itself racking up billions of dollars in debt due to its poor project management

As such, people in the know have been secretly ridiculing Victor for making an error of judgement

Fortunately, LFG’s connections with the media prevented this information from leaking out

But it doesn’t change the fact that LFG messed up this time

Victor hasn’t slept in two days - he’s been poring through documents, project materials, and would sometimes sit in the conference room alone for several hours, forgetting to eat :

When Victor returns to the hotel, there are over a hundred unread notifications on his phone. 

He doesn’t pay attention to such information, but taps on the only pinned message amid the countless lists of prompts.

Unsurprisingly, it’s filled with insignificant idle talk, coupled with several different emoticons.

Victor loosens his tie slightly, reading through the messages from top to bottom. 

“I made an improved version of omurice. Want to try it?”

“What is Goldman talking about in his Moments - something about being angry and tired. Is the meeting not going smoothly?”

“Remember to eat...”

“And remember to sleep!”

Victor’s finger pauses at this line, and there’s a gentle emotion flowing in his eyes.

“The internet celebrity lawyer you mentioned the other time agreed to my invitation for an interview, so I’ll be rushing out the proposal this Saturday. Want to be a supervisor?”

Victor opens the dialog box. Once he sends an “ok”, the other party immediately responds with an emoticon of a winking cat. 

Thinking of the time right now, he arches his brows slightly. 

-

Nestled in my quilt, I’m just about to embark on a long speech regarding the weekend’s schedule, but the phone in my hand suddenly vibrates, surprising me. 

Victor: Did you not sleep, or did you wake up?

MC: Haha...

Victor: What are you laughing at? 

MC: It feels like that is something I often ask you. Why is it now your turn to ask me?

Victor: It’s only 5am now. 

MC: I didn’t get a reply from you, so I couldn’t sleep...

I turn over, changing to a more comfortable position against the corner of the quilt. I press the phone tightly to my ear. 

MC: What project are you busy with this time? Is it going smoothly? 

Victor: Smoothly. It’s still early, you can sleep for a while longer.

MC: ...I can’t really sleep now. Are you still coming back on Thursday as you said last time? 

Victor: Before Saturday. 

MC: It’s only Tuesday today... and the sun hasn’t come out yet. 

I hear Victor laugh, his low tone mixed with some tiredness.

Victor: You find it too late? 

MC: I wouldn’t dare to. If it weren’t something important, you wouldn’t delay returning. However... even if it’s because of work, you did go back on your word, so you have to promise me one thing. 

A deep and slow sigh enters my ear, revealing a faint sense of fatigue.

Victor: You can say it. 

MC: You have to eat, and you have to sleep.

The other end of the phone call grows silent for a few seconds. 

Victor: Mm, I promise you.

The misty morning light is on the curtains. In the midst of my quiet grogginess, I close my eyes, wanting to feel the frequency of his breaths. 

MC: ...it has been raining continuously in Paris these two days. 

Victor: It’s like that during this season. 

MC: Is... is it very cold...

Victor: No, it isn’t. 

My consciousness grows increasingly darker, but I can still clearly capture his voice in my bizarre dream world. 

Victor: [in the gentlest of gentle voices] Sleep if you’re tired. I’m hanging up. 

MC: N-not tired... don’t hang up...

Victor: You can’t even speak clearly, and you’re still unwilling to sleep?

MC: ...

I just need five more seconds to be clear-headed--

I let out a sound of agreement, unsure if I managed to say this aloud.

Very soon, only Victor’s long and steady breaths at my ear remain in my world. It’s very, very close. It’s a closeness that gives one a peace of mind. 

Victor: Are you asleep?

MC: ...

Victor: Sleep then.

Victor: ...

Victor: Sleep peacefully. 

-

On Saturday afternoon, I lift my head towards the wall clock for the nth time. When the needle points to the number ‘3′, I can no longer help myself, and give Victor a call. 

After the dial tone, the notification that the other party is unable to answer the call sounds. Before I can react, the doorbell rings. 

Victor is standing at the door and just about to put his phone back into his pocket. In a daze, I look towards at his empty hands. 

MC: Your luggage...

Victor: Goldman took them back. I still have to return to LFG tonight. 

As he speaks, he enters and changes his shoes in the hallway. After that, he walks straight into my bedroom.

Victor: What have you been doing these two days? 

He walks to the coffee table, picking up the messy outline I was working on for an interview. He takes a glance and then lifts the corners of his lips. 

Victor: You said you were working seriously for several days, but you just did a few outlines? 

MC: Don’t underestimate me! I’ve looked through quite a number of materials. Look!

I point at the stack of trending societal topics and legal-related books on the floor. 

MC: Preparatory work speeds up the actual process. Also, didn’t I recognise my inadequacies and ask you to be a supervisor? 

I hurriedly drag a chair to the coffee table and place a headrest on the back of it. 

MC: Please sit. I guarantee that from this second onwards, I’ll concentrate on the proposal. Before the sun sets, I’ll definitely have the first edition out. 

Victor can’t help but laugh. He hangs his coat on the clothes rack in the corner, then pulls the chair over to himself. After sitting down, he seems to recall something and lets out a faint sigh. 

Victor: Lend me your laptop for a while.

I hand him my notebook computer, and a thought flashes across my mind -- how could he not have brought a laptop out?

MC: Victor, when did you get infected by my scatterbrained habits? 

Victor: Only this time. I forgot to take it with me after leaving it in the backseat.

Victor avoids my teasing gaze. With his expression unchanged, he starts approving documents on the LFG intranet. 

Victor: The sun is setting in two hours. 

MC: Who knows - maybe the sun wouldn’t feel like going home today. 

I return to my seat, resting my chin on my palm while looking towards Victor. 

The light golden sunlight streams in from the window, slowly enveloping Victor. The quiet, warm rays of light are coupled with a calming woody scent, and are very pleasant. 

Victor doesn’t speak. His fingers tap against the desk from time to time. In this quiet room, the sound of our breathing is amplified.

After an inordinate amount of time, he finally lifts his eyes and meets mine.

Victor: Staring at me can help you finish your proposal?

MC: I’m not staring at you. I’m silently conceptualising ideas.

After my words are out, a short “ding” sounds.

MC: Wait for a moment~ 

In a flash, I rush to the kitchen and retrieve the aromatic cookies from the oven. After carefully placing them on a cooling rack, I bring it back to the room along with two cups of warm drinks. 

MC: Afternoon tea time!

Victor casts a glance at the cups and arches his brows slightly. Steam floats from the hot cup of milk, and strands of warmth merge with the sweetness in the house.

MC: Your dark circles are so deep, so don’t drink coffee, all right?  

Victor: I’m fine. 

I thought Victor meant that he wouldn’t drink this, but he holds up the cup after speaking. 

Once I sit down, I push the plate filled with cookies towards him. 

MC: Look at my new mold - isn’t it cute?

I point at the cookies, which are shaped like cats with different expressions on them. 

MC: This one is yawning, this one is full of grievances, this one has already fallen asleep, but I like this one the most. It keeps having an angry face. I called it “Qi Gu Gu”.

[Note: Names don’t translate well into English, so I left it as it is. The original name is 气鼓鼓, which means “seething”]

Victor’s eyes sweep towards my fingers. 

Victor: Looks like you. 

MC: Is that so?

I puff my cheeks, mimicking the cat on the cookie and squinting my eyes to look at Victor. 

As predicted, Victor ignores me. There is a measure of speechlessness in his eyes.

I laugh and bring “Qi Gu Gu” to his lips. 

MC: Give it a try? 

Victor takes a bite straight from my hand, then returns his gaze to the laptop. 

MC: Aren’t you going to evaluate it? 

He purses his lips slightly, and I can’t tell if he’s smiling or not. He leans forward a little, then finishes the remaining half of “Qi Gu Gu” in my hand. 

His warm lips brush against my fingertips, leaving behind a soft, lingering warmth. A fluffy, light, and sweet sense of happiness stirs up slowly in my heart. 

Contented, I sweep the crumbs off my hands and take up my pen again. 

Soon after, MC’s mind starts wandering to how fine the weather is

And how fine her man is 👀

He doesn’t show much emotion while working, and his expression looks as calm as always. But the deep look of concentration between his eyebrows is a little different from usual.

As for what exactly is different...

It’s probably how one just can’t look away.

Victor: It’s only been a few minutes. How many times have you lost focus? 

I hurriedly retract my gaze, pretending to be scribbling on the paper like an “obedient” student who got caught doing something improper by a teacher.

But my ideas have not been completely formulated, and I can’t think of anything to write. The only thing I can do is draw a small heart at the top right-hand corner of the paper. 

Sensing Victor’s lingering gaze on me, I continue scribbling until it becomes a solid heart, then attach a tilde at the end.

After pausing for a moment, I let out a soft sigh and lift my head slightly. 

Victor: Why are you sighing.

MC: ...I can’t help it.

Victor: Can’t help what? 

MC: Can’t help looking at you. 

I cross my arms together, changing to a more comfortable position and plopping onto the table. I tilt my head towards Victor. 

He lets out a barely audible laugh. Just as he’s about to speak, a familiar ringtone sounds from his pocket. 

Watching Victor pick up the call, my messy thoughts instantly vanish, and I feel slightly downcast.

Victor: The time now is...

While speaking, Victor looks at the bottom right corner of the laptop. After a slight pause, he looks at the phone. 

Victor: 4.30pm. Have them give me a reply by 8pm. 

His words are concise. After he hangs up, I ask him a little hesitantly. 

MC: Do you... have to go back to LFG now? 

Victor: I'm not leaving. 

While saying this, he sets his phone on silent mode and places it at the corner of the table. Meeting my hesitant gaze, there’s a sense of resignation in his calm eyes.

Victor: Your laptop is set to Paris’ timezone. 

I fail to understand the implication behind his words, so I just nod subconsciously. 

MC: Mm, it’s easier to tell the time like that. 

Victor doesn’t speak. He sweeps another glance at the laptop. At this moment, the system sends a report of the weather forecast in Paris over the next five days - there will be continuous rain every day.

He smiles faintly, then closes the laptop slowly.

Victor: ...you’re really becoming more and more dumb.

MC: ...yes yes yes, taking care of a dummy like me is really a bother for Mr CEO. 

I deliberately pout, but can’t help but smile along with Victor. I stand up and retrieve our two empty cups.

MC: I'll go wash the cups. Is there anything you want to eat?

Victor: No need. Are you treating me as you? 

I let out an indignant “hmph”, then turn around and head to the kitchen. 

I originally thought it would only take a few minutes to wash the two cups. But by the time I cleaned and tidied up the tools I used for baking earlier, half an hour has passed. 

When I return to the room, Victor is lying on the bed, my incomplete outline in his hand.

I soften my footsteps and walk over, leaning close to his ear and whispering:

MC: Victor, are you asleep? 

Victor doesn’t respond, but has a shallow intake of breath, his eyelashes quivering gently under the twilight. 

MC: Are you really sleeping or just pretending to sleep? 

Very lightly, I climb onto the bed, inching towards him.

MC: Victor? 

I call his name again softly, but he still does not respond. But the corners of his lips curl up slowly, revealing a smile.  

MC: You aren’t asleep, are you.

I lean one hand on the bed, and use my other hand to lift up a few strands of his hair. 

Looking at his smooth and sharp jawline, my fingertips unconsciously rub the tips of his hair. 

MC: ...have you been very tired recently?

Victor: No.

His words carry with them a certain sleepiness - perhaps he hasn’t had rest in a few days, so he gets drowsy once he relaxes just a little. 

MC: Didn’t you already look at my interview outline? Why are you looking at it again? 

Victor: To see what exactly you were scribbling. 

I think about that heart with its little tail, and am left speechless, as though I got caught having a bad idea. 

Victor: You specially got me here to supervise you, but you only wrote these few sentences the whole afternoon? 

MC: Yeah. Next time, I won’t ask you to be a supervisor! When you’re in front of me, my work efficiency takes a nose-dive. 

I reach out to take my notebook from his hand, then cover him with a blanket. Victor turns his head, his half-closed eyes meeting mine. 

It’s very rare for me to see such a burnt-out look in his eyes. Right now, I can only feel the emotions in my heart towards this person becoming a hundred times more tender. 

MC: Sleep for a while before going to LFG? I’ll wake you up at 7.30pm.

With the rigour of Victor’s schedule, several important meetings were cancelled at short notice so he could fly to Paris. After that, his return was delayed twice.

We already agreed that he’d return before Saturday, but it suddenly changed to Saturday itself...

This wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t an extremely troublesome matter. 

...and he still stubbornly said that he wasn’t tired.

I place my forefingers on his temples, making slow circles. After a while, a soft laugh drifts from his lips. 

Victor: [releases a sigh which sounds like a moan lol]...

Victor takes my right hand and encloses it in his palm, wordlessly pulling me closer to him. 

With this distance, every one of his breaths mingle with mine. I can’t help but bend down, pressing the corner of my lips to his fringe.

In the quiet darkness, I hear the frequency of our heartbeats and breathing mingling and becoming more and more synchronised.

Victor: ...there’s no need to worry about me. I haven’t reached the point where a dummy has to worry about me.

MC: Mm, I got it. 

I respond softly, but can’t hide the touch of peace in my smile. 

MC: ...I just can’t help it.

Can’t help but worry if you’re hungry or not, whether you're cold or not, whether you’re tired or not. 

Can’t help but want to see you, whether you’re in front of me or not.

Can’t help but reveal the smile in my brows and lips just because you surface in my mind. 

I look out the window - the clouds spread across the dim twilight and the stars are looming. The golden sunset and the quietness of the night meet at the end of the sky. 

The sun is about to set.

MC: Victor, I didn’t finish the interview outline before the sun set. Are you going to punish me? 

Victor: ...

The only response I get is the sound of his steady and peaceful breathing. 

I lower my head and look at his sleeping face. This familiar side profile has gotten slightly thinner over the span of just a few days. I reach out, stroking his cheek in mid-air.

Afraid to disturb him, I silently watch him.

MC: Sleep then.

MC: ...

MC: Sleep peacefully. 

[collecting-stories]

Everywhere I’m Goin’ - JJ Maybank

Request: Can i request jjxreader where reader leaves obx one day and leaves jj a note and he is distraught about it but then she comes back after 2 days and he’s really angry at her at first but then he gets emotional and its loveyedovey? :) Your writing is really good

A/N: I lengthened the time apart to a year instead of two days. 

Outer Banks Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

“She said she’d be here.” JJ piped up, checking his phone again. There were no texts from you. In fact, no one had heard from you since yesterday when you abruptly announced you had to leave in the middle of hanging out at the Chateau. When you were halfway out the door he had reminded you about going out on the Pogue and you’d said that you’d see him.

Except it was twenty minutes passed when they agreed to go out and you still weren’t at John B’s.  

“She’s not here though, is she?” John B replied, making a point of looking around at the group of them.  

You had been friends with the group since, forever, but you were always a little more removed. Never someone they hung out with individually or thought of first, you always felt a little like an outsider. You got to go along and observe but you weren’t ‘one of them’. JJ would be the first one to deny that claim and say that you were just as close with him as Pope or John B but you knew it was true. You just weren’t their first pick.  

“Well I’m going to check on her.”

“Dude, JJ!” John B shouted as JJ started to walk toward the road. “Can we just go? We’ll stop by later!”  

“Fine.”

Despite Kiara trying to calm JJ down and distract him from you being absent it was all he could think about. He kept checking his phone to see if you had texted but there were never messages. Even though you felt like you were on the outside of their group you had always been a constant and you being missing was sending JJ into a mild panic.  

When John B finally docked back at the Chateau at the end of the day, JJ was the first one off the boat. He headed straight for Kiara’s SUV, her following him close behind. She had promised to drive him over to your house when they got back to John B’s. His knee bobbed uncontrollably as they drove and when she pulled into your driveway, he was out the door immediately.  

The first thing he saw was the For Sale sign in your front yard. He raked his brain to try and think whether you had mentioned anything about your parents selling your house but he couldn’t think of it.  

“Did she say she was moving?” JJ asked Kiara, sounding desperate as he walked up the porch to try the door.  

“No she didn’t mention it to me.” Kiara said, shaking her head as she watched JJ go around to the back of the house. She looked around the yard, walking over toward the mailbox. The red flag was up and she opened the flap to look inside, pulling an envelope out. The word Pogues was written across it and she frowned, flipping it over to pull out two letters, one addressed to all of them and one just addressed to JJ.  

“JJ!” Kiara called, “there’s a letter!”  

“What?” The blond came back around the side of the house, boots hitting the pavement as he came over to check the letter, she was holding up for him. He swiped it out of her hand, tearing it open to read it. Kiara watched as he dropped onto the grass to sit and read the letter that you had left in the mailbox for him. She scanned over the one you’d written for everyone while JJ sat there in silence.  

“What did she say?” Kiara asked. You’d written that your mom was getting married and you were moving in with your dad in Chapel Hill. Or that you had moved in.  

“She’s gone.” JJ said, staring at the paper, “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

There was more to your letter for him. You confessed that you’d always felt on the outside of the group, never quite as close to any of them as they were to each other. But also, that you had a crush on him. One you’d had since you were in middle school. Twelve-year-old you had only started hanging out with them because of your crush on JJ. But you knew it was unrequited and you knew that you might not see him again so you felt okay telling him.  

After that he tried to text you a few times and he even called a handful of times as well. You had blocked them all from your social media, trying the ‘fresh start’ thing for the first time in your life. Despite only being three hours away from the island you figured the chances of ever seeing them again were slim to none.  

-

The universe had a funny way of working though and your mom, who had moved to Figure Eight after she got married, had a baby a year later. Seventeen years apart from your new sibling, the last thing you truly wanted to do was return to the Outer Banks but you did. At least, hopefully, on the Eight for a weekend you wouldn’t see anyone you knew.  

“Oh my god,” except you did.  

Your mom ordered groceries from Heyward’s without mentioning it to you and it was JJ who walked through the open kitchen door, setting the bags on the island before he realized what he was looking at. You, standing there at the refrigerator.  

“JJ-”

“What the fuck...you’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” JJ cursed, stepping back and running a hand through his hair, a little darker than it used to be. He shook his head in disbelief, eyes wide.

“JJ I-”

“No...you cannot possibly have any kind of explanation.” He said.

“Please-” You moved toward him but he backed away.

“Stay the fuck away from me. You’re nothing but a fucking liar.”

“I didn’t lie, I-”

“You said you were leaving...without even fucking saying goodbye! And now here you are fucking hanging around the Eight like it’s no big deal!” He almost shouted, “I tried to call you...I...I sent you so many texts and you never answered!”

“I’m sorry...I-”

“No.” He shook his head, backing toward the door and holding his hand out to keep you away from him. “No.” He repeated.  

You watched him run out the door, something in your mind clicking as he passed through the threshold. You couldn’t walk away again, letting things just dissolve. It’d caused you a world of grief and it was clear from JJ’s behavior that you weren’t the only one that you’d hurt.  

“JJ!” You ran out the door after him, following him down to the jetty. You saw Pope stand up in surprise, looking at you with shock but you were focused on JJ. He stopped, back to you, and you watched as he ran his hand through his hair again, tilting his head forward as his shoulders sunk.

He turned back to look at you, eyes red, “what are you doing here?”

“My mom had a baby.”

“Why did you leave?” He asked.  

“I had-”

“No, why did you leave us? Me? We had a good thing going and then you’re just gone? With a fucking note in the mailbox like I’m supposed to not give a shit about you? That’s bullshit! I loved you.” He shouted, deflating by the end of his rant, shaking his head as he admitted, “I love you.”

Pope looked away awkwardly, moving further onto the boat to give you privacy though you could see him watching from the window either way.  

“I just didn’t think it mattered-”

“Yeah I got you’re letter.”

“I’m sorry. I just felt like, if I left it wouldn’t matter and I didn’t wanna do a big goodbye. I didn’t think I’d be back, honestly.”

“Where’d you go?”

“Chapel hill.”

“Fuck.” JJ cursed, “you were fucking three hours away?”

“I’m sorry.” You said, sounding more like you were pleading with him to accept your apology.  

“Why did you...we coulda worked it out, you didn’t have to just...disappear.” JJ replied.  

“I didn’t know you liked me.”

“Yeah well, I do.”  

“So...what do we-” In one fluid motion JJ walked back down the jetty to you, grabbing your face and kissing you. Head fuzzy, you knew enough to kiss him back, fighting a smile when he pulled away to talk.  

“Well I’ll tell what, I’m not fucking letting you go off without saying anything. I’ll follow you all the fucking way to Chapel Hill if you do.” He replied.  

-

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[empoleon]

funny how it works out, innit?

• rated t, one shot, 4310 words

• also available to read here

Leon hates when Raihan’s alarm would sound off in the morning for two reasons. The first is plainly obvious—it means he has to get up and out of the warmth that so pleasantly held him all night long. 

He shuts his eyes a bit tighter while silently hoping the annoying beeps coming from Rotom would somehow turn into some sort of white noise. That idea sounded lovely in his mind. 

There’s a bit of movement to the left of him and an arm is suddenly grabbing at his bare thigh.

“Lee,” Raihan’s voice is thick with sleep, “time to get up. Joggin’ this morning, remember?”

Ah, there it is. That is Leon’s second reason for hating the alarm. Whoever thought of going for morning runs at 5AM was a real bastard.

Rotom stops its incessant beeping and Leon hopes, no, prays, that maybe this will finally be the morning where Raihan changes his mind and they both sleep in instead. 

The covers move slightly and the next thing Leon feels is Raihan’s lips brushing up against his shoulder. 

“Do you need some motivation?” he asks Leon quietly. He moves his lips up near Leon’s neck, and then his jawline, pausing for a moment. “You need to shave.”

“I feel so inspired, thank you,” Leon mutters, but there’s no bite in his tone. 

Raihan pecks him on the cheek and grins. “You’ll feel even better after our run. I’ll be in the shower.”

Leon sighs and nods his head. “Alright, I’m getting up.”

 .

 Leon definitely did need to shave, much to his own surprise. He swears that some nights it’s as though his facial hair goes through some strange growth cycle.

He carefully brings the razor down his jawline and wipes away any excess shaving cream that is left over. 

“Oi, Rotom!” 

Raihan’s voice almost causes Leon to nick himself. “You don’t need to yell! I’m in here too, y’know.”

“Ah, sorry,” his voice sounds muffled momentarily and then he peeks his head out from around the shower curtain. “Hi.”

Leon spares him a glance before turning his attention back to his reflection in the mirror, trying his hardest not to smile.

“So…” Raihan begins, “can you—”

“Can I do you a favor?” Leon cuts him off, angling the razor down his chin.

He shouldn’t look at Raihan. He really, really, shouldn’t, not because of the obvious oh he’s naked reasoning that yes, does make sense, but rather Leon shouldn’t because if he does, he will end up laughing.

“You know me so well, love,” Raihan smiles at him. “Could you grab Rotom for me?”

Leon wipes off the remaining shaving cream off of his face with a cloth and sets it on the sink countertop. He finally dares to look over at Raihan and breaks into a fit of laughter. 

“You’re awful, you know?” he says between laughs. “Absolutely awful.”

Raihan tries to pout at him, but he only succeeds in looking silly—being wet, naked, and wearing a shower cap with Goomy patterns on it isn’t doing him any favors. 

Leon concedes and quickly steps out of the bathroom and back into their bedroom, locating Raihan’s Rotom Phone near his side of the bed. 

The passcode has always been easy to guess, even if Raihan rarely ever updates it. Leon has Rotom pull up the music app before he walks back to the bathroom. He swings the door open and clears his throat loudly.

“I see the crystal raindrops fall, and the beauty of it all is when the sun comes shining through.”

Raihan yells something at him, probably something along the lines of questioning what he’s doing, but Leon pays no mind to it. 

“To make those rainbows in my mind, when I think of you sometime and I wanna spend some time with you.”

“Stop,” Raihan sticks his arm out from the shower and tries to grab at Leon, but he misses. “You’re off-key!”

The chorus of the song begins to play and Leon starts to dance—he only manages to thrust his hips one time before Raihan steals the phone out of his hands. 

“Out,” he demands, a grin on his face. “Get out and go get dressed, you tosser.”

Leon complies and blows him a kiss. “See you in a few!”

 .

 “Do you want to stay home or come with me?” Leon asks Charizard. 

It’s funny when he asks that—Raihan’s apartment in Hammerlocke isn’t exactly their home, but with the amount of time Leon spends here, it may as well be.

He gently scratches at Charizard’s chin, moving his hands up towards his horns. The Pokémon makes a quiet, pleased grunt in reply.

“Yes? You’ll have to stay in your ball though,” Leon reminds him. Charizard nods his head. 

“Alright then,” Leon smiles at him. 

Raihan rounds the corner and steps into the room, tugging a shirt over his head. “I can’t find my gloves—”

“I got ’em,” Leon holds up the thin pair in his hands. “We’re still getting coffee afterwards, right?” 

“Ta, love,” Raihan takes the gloves from him. “Yeah, we are. Big guy coming with us?” he glances at Charizard.

“Yep, just him,” Leon nodded his head and held up a Poké Ball, returning Charizard for now.

They both head towards the apartment door and step outside, Leon first and Raihan after him, making sure to lock the door behind them. 

“Arceus, why do I agree to do this with you?” Leon shivered and jumped up and down, trying to warm himself up. It was closer to six in the morning now, but that definitely didn’t make it any warmer outside.

“Because it’s good for you,” Raihan reminds him as he turns around. “Also, you love me, so,” he shrugs and smiles. 

Leon pauses to look at Raihan, regarding him silently while he fixes his locs. 

I really do love you, he thinks. It brings a smile to his face.

 .

 People always wave and say hello whenever they go on their morning runs. It’s nice. 

“Look, it’s the Chairman!”

“And Raihan, too! How cool!”

Leon is often surprised at how many citizens are actually out doing things at this hour—children, too.

There’s a small cafe next to the Pokémon Center they stopped at. Leon is leaning against the brick outside, catching his breath while Raihan orders them coffee. He cups his hands together and blows on them, trying to warm them up.

A group of young boys nearby are battling Pokémon out in the small courtyard that is adjacent to the cafe. Leon watches them with a small smile.

“Piping hot,” Raihan exits the cafe carrying two medium-sized plastic cups. “’ere you go,” he hands one of them off to Leon, who takes it graciously. 

“Do you know what that’s all about?” Leon takes a sip out of his cup and motions across the way to a small hanging advertisement on one of Hammerlocke’s many skyscrapers.

Raihan leans forward and tries to make out the fine print on the sign. “Uh… something about weddings, I think. It’s this new thing the city’s been promoting since spring is around the corner.”

“Weddings? In Hammerlocke?” Leon raises an eyebrow. “You’d think Wyndon would be more of a hotspot for such a thing.”

“Oi, watch it,” Raihan nudges him with an elbow. “You and I both know it’s quite lovely here all year round.”

“Hey, Mr. Raihan?” 

One of the young boys who was battling runs over towards them before Leon has a chance to come up with a rebuttal. 

“’ello, chap!” Raihan squats down to greet him. “Something the matter?”

The boy glances between the two of them and back at his friend before he speaks up. “We were wonderin’ if you could give us some pointers.”

Leon chuckles. “Popular this morning, aren’t we?”

“Oh, shush,” Raihan elbows him once again before turning his attention to the boy. “I’d be happy to, but are you sure you wouldn’t rather have the former Champion give you some tips?”

“We want him to watch!” the boy exclaimed. “Please don’t go anywhere,” he tells Leon earnestly, to which he laughs again.

“I’ll be right here then,” he nods his head. 

The young boy leads Raihan over towards his friend while Leon watches them with amusement. About a month or so ago, it probably would have made him feel a bit bad about himself if any young Pokémon trainers weren’t interested in… who he was.

Everything is different now though, of course. He’s happy to no longer be the one always in the spotlight. 

A group of Rookidee fly overhead and their chirps blend together with the sound of Raihan’s voice and the two young trainers laughing. 

 .

 “Mr. Chairman, we will need you to go over this and sign it sometime this week,” a league staff member hands Leon a small stack of documents.

“Alright, sure thing,” he flips through the papers briefly. “I don’t have any meetings scheduled for this evening, right?”

“No, sir.”

“Great, thank you—”

Leon’s Rotom Phone flies straight into his face and flashes its screen. “You have a new message, Leon!”

The league staff member excuses themself from the room and Leon sighs.

“Quite the entrance, Rotom, but didn’t we talk about this?” he frowns. “When I’m busy you can’t just fly in here at random, unless—”

“It is a message from Raihan!” Rotom tells him in its high-pitched voice.

That changes Leon’s demeanor immediately. “Oh.”

 .

 He ends up calling Raihan instead because he absolutely loathes texting the man.

“I don’t see anything… are you sure it was an explosion?”

Leon is staring out one of the glass panels in the Battle Tower, scanning the local area. His Rotom Phone is hovering beside him.

“I’m telling you, I heard some kind of loud bang,” Raihan’s voice says over the line. “I’m at the boutique right now, by the way. Can I use your discount?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Leon says absentmindedly. “Oh wait—I think I do see something.”

There’s a puff of smoke out in the horizon that is faintly tinged blue and purple. It’s hard to make it out for certain, but if Leon didn’t know any better, he would say it looks like—

“Leon? Are you there?” Raihan asks him after a moment.

“It’s a wedding ceremony,” Leon sounds breathless. “Wow, it’s beautiful.”

There are countless Butterfree and Pidove flying over the area from what he can see after the smoke begins to fade. 

“—weather, really?”

Leon blinks and shakes his head. “Come again?”

“I said with this weather I’m surprised,” Raihan’s voice expresses his astonishment. “It tried to snow just the other day!” 

“It sure is pretty, though,” Leon presses a hand up against the glass window. His breath fogs up the view for a second and he wipes at it with his sleeve. “I told you Wyndon is perfect for these kinds of events.”

“Yeah, yeah,” even without seeing it, Leon knows Raihan is rolling his eyes. “You’re still meeting me at the station once you’re done with your work, right?”

Leon chuckles and steps away from the window. “If you’ll still have me for dinner, yes.” 

“Wouldn’t change that for the world, love,” Rahain tells him.

 .

 “Why do I have to be here with you again, Lee?” Hop trudges along behind his brother as they walk towards a local jeweler’s store. “It’s so early,” he whines. 

“This place opens at nine,” Leon glances down at his wristwatch to check the time. 8:42 is displayed in a bright green color.

“That doesn’t answer my question, though,” Hop stops Leon from crossing the street and points to his left. “Wouldn’t Sonia be a more suitable friend to ask?”

Leon turns his head to glance down the street and frowns. He could have sworn they needed to cross here, but apparently he was wrong.

“No way could I ask Sonia to come with me,” he says after a moment. “She’d have a laugh at me, for sure.”

“And you think I won’t?” Hop grins at his older brother while they walk down the pavement. 

“The difference is,” Leon pauses in front of the shop’s door once they reach it. “I can handle your jokes, little bro. I’ll never hear the end of this from Sonia once she finds out.”

 .

 “Do you need any help today, sir?” 

Leon is about to speak up, but Hop beats him to it. “We’re good, thank you.”

After the clerk walks away, he turns towards Leon and shoots him a look. “You’re going to blow your cover if you speak to anyone!” 

Leon winces and nods his head. “Alright, alright—I forgot, sorry.” 

They’re the only two customers currently inside the quaint shop due to it being so early. Hop is dressed fairly normal, mostly because he had no idea where Leon was planning to bring him at such an early hour. 

Leon, on the other hand, tried his best to look inconspicuous—he doesn’t need the media finding out about this yet. That apparently means donning his usual attire, fairly casual, including a snapback—yes, the picture perfect example of being discreet.

At least he opted to wear a pair of sunglasses.

“What do you think of this?” Leon points to a certain piece behind some glass. “It should match his eyes, yeah?”

“That is so corny, Lee,” Hop snickers. “You’re absolutely whipped.”

“Don’t start with me,” he tries to sound stern, but it’s extremely difficult for him to hide the smile that’s spreading across his face. It’s true. 

Hop steps to the side of him and peers into the glass display. 

“He’ll love it,” he says after a moment, and it helps to calm Leon’s budding nerves. “It’s perfect.”

 .

Leon waits one whole week before he decides to give Raihan the present he bought for him. It’s been safely tucked away in a spot where no one would dare to look—Leon’s closet.

(which is actually raihan’s spare closet in his apartment, but leon has turned it into an endless hoard of snapbacks and joggers.)

He’s equal parts nervous and excited when he hears the door click open that evening and the familiar sound of Raihan setting his bag on the floor. 

Leon slides into the hallway on his socks, excited. “Welcome home!”

In his head, he pictured Raihan coming home all cheery and bright, like he normally would. Unfortunately, that is not how this particular evening pans out.

Raihan looks… tired. Exhausted is probably a better word for it.

“You alright?” Leon walks over towards him and holds out his arms. Raihan eagerly leans into the welcoming embrace. 

“Yeah, ’m just really knackered,” he sighs and presses his face into Leon’s shoulder. “Sonia had called and—”

“Sonia called?” Leon gently nudges him back and leads him into their living room. “Why?”

“She’s been doing some research and me, being the nice bloke that I am—”

Leon pauses to consider this. “You are pretty nice.”

“I know,” Raihan grins as he sits down on the sofa. “Anyway, I told her I could poke around in the vault, see if there’d be anything of use.”

“And you ended up staying there for hours, right?” Leon knows him too well. Raihan is always the one offering to lend a hand if need be.

“I almost couldn’t get up after I realized how late it was getting,” he groans and flops back into the cushions. “Sitting hunched over for so bloody long was a mistake on my part.”

“Gotta take care of yourself, y’know,” Leon walks into the kitchen for a brief moment before poking his head back around the doorway. “Did you have supper already? If not, I could reheat you some leftovers.”

Raihan slowly rises up from the sofa and stretches. “Nah, I think I’m going to turn in for the night.” 

Well this certainly isn’t part of Leon’s grand plan to give Raihan his present. 

“Are you sure?” For some reason, Leon can’t bring himself to move out of the doorway in the kitchen. He should try to think of something to keep Raihan busy so he could—

“Yeah, I’m good,” he gives Leon a lopsided smile. “I’ll see you in a bit. Night.”

“Night,” Leon softly parrots it back to him. He watches quietly while Raihan leaves the room and ascends the stairs. 

There’s always tomorrow, he tells himself. What’s one more day?

“Yeah,” Leon nods his head and pats his face, feeling more determined. “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

It doesn’t take him long to turn off the lights in the kitchen and head upstairs himself, wondering if Raihan already made it into bed or if he decided to take a shower beforehand. 

Leon can’t say he’s surprised when he steps into Raihan’s bedroom and finds the man curled up under the covers instead. 

He stops by the edge of the bed and runs his hand along the outline of Raihan’s calf. 

“Did you wash your face?” Leon murmurs the question. His fingers move up slowly towards the head of the bed and he rests his hand on Raihan’s shoulder.

“No,” is the sleepy reply he gets a second later. It partially sounds like a groan. “Didn’t think of it, actually.” 

“That’s alright,” Leon’s hand moves towards Raihan’s cheek and caresses his skin. “Missing one day won’t hurt.” 

“You coming to bed?” Raihan sticks his hand out from the covers and blindly tries to grab at Leon’s arm to pull him closer. 

“Yep, budge over,” he proceeds to climb on top of Raihan and sprawls out across his body, which causes both men to start laughing. 

Tomorrow can’t come soon enough. 

 .

 Leon thinks he made a mistake when he decided to do this in the morning. He forgot about his number one enemy—the bloody alarm. 

He rolls over onto his back and yawns. The alarm ceases its beeping and Leon turns his head to look over at Raihan. 

“Mornin’,” he says with a small smile. 

Raihan’s voice is a bit muffled, but Leon is pretty certain he heard him say it back, and then there are arms wrapping around Leon’s waist.

“Are we going for a run today?” Leon asks him, assuming he already knows the answer. The bed is pleasantly comfortable this morning, but he’s not going to hold his breath on the chance that today might finally be one day they get to sleep in.

“No way,” Raihan buries his face into Leon’s shoulder and sighs. “I want to sleep.”

Leon blinks at him. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Alright,” he isn’t going to argue or ask why—he wants to enjoy this for as long as possible.

He’s not sure how much time has passed when he wakes up again, but he hears water running and music playing. 

Leon rolls over to check the time—10:30. Not too late at least. 

He sits up and stretches, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. “Raihan?”

“Yes?” his voice carries out from the bathroom, definitely sounding more cheerful than he did last night. 

“Good morning!” Leon calls out. “Are you showering?”

Raihan pokes his head out the bathroom doorway. “Not yet, why? Need the loo?”

“Nah, just wanted to see your lovely face before you clean up,” he grins. “Don’t take too long, alright?”

“Mhm,” Raihan doesn’t sound convinced. He steps out of the bathroom and crosses his arms. “Are you going to sit there and wait until I’m done then?”

Leon nods his head solemnly. “Yep.”

An eyebrow is raised and a look is shared between the two men, but neither one of them says anything else. Raihan shrugs and returns to the bathroom, and Leon…

Leon decides to act. Quickly. Before he loses his nerve again. 

He gets up from the bed and walks over to the closet, finding the gift he hid among his clothes. The store clerk had wrapped it in a small grey box with a ribbon on top. Nothing too flashy. 

“Okay,” Leon whispers to himself. “Okay, I can do this. I’ll practice and—it’ll be fine, yeah.”

He paces back and forth in the bedroom for a few moments before he stops and takes a deep breath. 

Kneeling down is easy, so he doesn’t have to practice that part. But what in the world is he going to say?

“Oi, Lee? D’you mind grabbing me a shirt?” 

Raihan barely has one foot into their bedroom and he turns his head and sees Leon and more importantly, what Leon’s doing. 

“Oh,” Leon’s brows raise up the second he remembers he’s still down on one knee. 

“What are you… doing?” Raihan asks him slowly. 

“Marry me?” 

His voice cracks, and it is absolutely embarrassing the living hell out of Leon, but he did it. He feels proud of himself, in a way. 

Raihan simply stares at him and says nothing at first. The shower head running in the bathroom is the only other noise that can be heard.

“Lee,” he swallows before continuing, “you want to do this right now?” 

Leon nods his head energetically. “Yes.”

“I’m in my knickers,” Raihan gestures to himself and lets out a shaky laugh. “Seriously? You’re not having a laugh at me?”

“No,” Leon scrambles to stand up and reaches out to grab Raihan by his shoulders. “No, never. I promise. I love you.” 

A flicker of emotion crosses Raihan’s features before he ends up wrapping his arms around Leon’s waist and pulls him into an embrace. 

“You’re a complete knobhead, you know that?” Raihan buries his face into Leon’s shoulder. “I love you so much.”

“So is that a yes… or?” Leon is hesitant to ask. 

Yes, yes,” Raihan nods his head. He pulls Leon back and smiles at him. “A thousand times yes.”

Leon grins up at him and carefully takes Raihan’s left hand into his own, slipping the ring onto his finger. It fits perfectly and now that Leon can see it on Raihan’s hand, he’s glad he picked the one with a thin stripe of cerulean.

He feels like he’s floating on an Altaria’s wings, knowing that he’s finally going to be marrying his best friend.

There’s this look on Raihan’s face though, and it’s gone within a second, but it’s as though he suddenly remembered something. Leon almost doesn’t catch it.

“What’s wrong?” he asks. 

“Promise me you won’t get upset?” Raihan bites his lip. 

Leon immediately assumes the worst—this is a mistake, he doesn’t want to marry you—but he slowly nods his head and tries to prepare himself.

Raihan steps away for a moment and walks over towards his side of the bed, rummaging through the nightstand. He pulls out a small box that looks identical to the one Leon had. 

“No,” Leon gasps, mouth agape with disbelief. “Bloody hell, you’re kidding right?”

“I wish I was,” Raihan sits down on the edge of the bed and holds out the box for Leon to take. 

This box is dark blue in color and velvet—it feels very soft to Leon’s touch. When he opens it, he can’t help but laugh. 

“This is beautiful,” he says after a moment of examining the silver ring. “How long have you had this hidden?”

Raihan counts with his fingers. “About two weeks, I think. Almost three. I was trying to find the right time to—well, you know—but I guess you beat me to it.”

Leon sits down next to him and hands the box back over. “You can still ask me if you want.” 

He glances at Raihan to see him considering this. 

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes,” Leon says without any hesitation. “Please?”

Raihan gets up and moves himself into position in front of Leon. He looks into those amber eyes, takes a deep breath—and he starts to laugh instead.

“Oh, come off it!” Leon playfully shoves at him. “You need to say it!”

The laughter subsides as Raihan tries to compose himself again. He slowly takes one of Leon’s hands into his own and glances up at him. 

“Will you marry me?” 

Leon nods his head enthusiastically. “Yes,” and to the surprise of no one, his voice cracks a bit again. 

Raihan slides the ring onto Leon’s finger with a steady hand, right before he’s tackled back onto the floor by his new fiancé.

“I love you so much,” Leon peppers Raihan’s face with kisses. “So very, very much.” 

 .

 “So,” Raihan starts to say, “ceremony in Wyndon, after party in Hammerlocke?” 

They’re having lunch at the Battle Café in Motostoke. It’s been approximately two days since they both proposed to each other.

Leon is fiddling with his ring, barely paying attention to a single word Raihan says when he nods his head. 

“And honeymoon in… Postwick,” Raihan settles on saying, waiting for Leon’s actual reaction.

It works quite comically. Leon finally snaps his head up in horror. “No, absolutely not in Postwick. Are you mad?”

“Nope,” Raihan grins. “Just wondering when you’re going to stop staring at your hand. I know it’s pretty, but I am right here, you know.”

“So you’re saying I should be paying attention to you,” Leon bites back a smirk. He doesn’t phrase it as a question and states it as though it’s obvious. 

(of course it is.)

Raihan nods his head. “Well, that would be nice.”

Leon holds out his hands and waits for Raihan to reach across the table and lace their fingers together. 

“I love you,” he says with a warm smile, bringing Raihan’s hands up towards his lips. Kisses are pressed along his knuckles and Leon pauses once he reaches the silver band.

At least he took his eyes off of his own ring for a moment.

Raihan returns the gesture with a gentle squeeze. “I love you more. What about Alola?”

“Alola sounds perfect,” he agrees.