#and then she just takes him in the middle of the night

[thedeadtalker]

-my grandfather was 8 when he and his family were rounded up on the Oregon coast, kept in a livestock pen for 3 very rainy days, then put into a cattle car to be carried out to the reservations in the east.

-my grandmother had two brothers and sister who were sent to mission school and never returned. They said they ran away. They lied.

-My mom remembers when Indians got enough citizenship to vote in Oregon. She describes her parents and their friends discussing if the should do it -vote -or if it was trick to register them.

-My friend took his grandmother out for her 100th birthday. He asked her what she thought were the most important things to happen during her lifetime. She told him: free wifi and the legal end of segregation.

-I remember those fucking nuns in mission school. I only went 1 year when the laws changed and we could go to other schools. We could live with our parents and ride a bus to school and back again and sleep that night in our own home. I remember that, you fuckers.

-I remember that my mom and two of her sisters gave birth in a hospital connected to the mission, and they didnt know for years that they'd gotten botched steralizations against their wishes and without their knowledge. I remember my parents desperatly trying to have more children. Theyd always wanted a bunch of kids. The house my dad built had many empty guestrooms. Eventually they sold it. I remember my mom having to have a hysterectomy 2 years ago because of all the health problems caused by the fucked up surgery. I remember sitting in a meeting and one of the nurses there having to put me through a fainting protocol because i got a text from my stepfather that during the hysterectomy they discovered one of mom's damned ovaries was just fucking gone. I wonder sometimes if some sick fuck retired doctor kept a genuine Indian ovary in a jar in his office. I wonder if his nazi kids and grandkids pull it out to show to guests as a conversation point. I think about how whites were paid piecework for Indian scalps amd seeing one dried out and leathery in an antique store in a small town in Idaho. There is evil in the Americas. The nazis were here long before they were ever in Europe.

- I remember my highschool history teacher showing us the number tattooed on his wrist. I remember him showing us all these recordings of ordinary German citizens talking about how they didn't see anything wrong happening. How there must have been some sort of perfecrly mundane reason for the endless smoke pouring from the ovens in the camp up in the hill. How it was all just politics. How they were reassured that all the people who were taken had just moved in the night, or were much happier wherever they'd gone to. "But you saw them all: the Jews, the other prisoners going into the camp. But you never saw them leave. Didn't you think that was odd?" "We just figured they'd moved from the camp in the night while we were sleeping." "Where?" "What do you mean?" "Where did you all think they went -in the middle of the night?" "Oh. We didn't know." "Didn't you wonder?" "Why would we?"

- I remember that same teacher explaining how the nazis had gotten a lot of their ideas from the US government's Native American policy. The death camps were modelled after our reservations. The dehumanizing and the stories of savages/gremlins that ate white babies and were less than human were based on the clever marketing campaign set up to not just enable the settler take over, but used to unite the fragmented people of newly forming colonial nation. He fucking showed us. There is publically available documentation of all of this.

-I remember getting put on the no fly list. I remember finding out about it because when we tried to buy tickets for the whole family to travel down to New Mexico for my granduncle's funeral the whole purchase was bounced. We were told why that might be the case so we tried seperate purchases for everyone. Me. It was me. Several years later my roommate's family friend -an old white guy with some pull, found out why. I was teaching K-3 and moonlighting as a computer programmer back then. And I'd printed some photos of holidays around the world to share with my students on the same computer I wrote code from. My own computer, in my own office, in my own home. He said it also didn't help that I wasn't white.

-I remember that fucker's first time in office: I remember seeing my coworker snatched from the elevator by ice agents and shoved into an unmarked van. He was a 3rd generation American.

-I remember having to warn the non-white, non-abled, non anything a nazi would want to gas you for residents of the dvsat shelter we worked with to not go out at night, not go out alone, not walk on these specific streets or go into these specific shops. I remember the time a native Hawaiian chick on my caseload didn't come back when expected and everyone was out of their mind with worry. She came back, tear-streaked and shaking, and told us about how she'd gotten lost (not in Hawaii any more, Dorothy) and ended up in one of the neighborhoods she was supposed to avoid, and being chased by some of the proud boys that patrolled our city streets in their ridiculous be-flagged pickups, and how some nearby restuarant diners had rushed her into the restuarant, and the staff there had hid her in the pantry, and all the diners lied and said they hadn't seen her. My teacher read Anne Frank to us in 6th grade. Do they still read that in schools?

-I think about that time I went into a DMV and the woman behind the counter told me to "sit over there," next to two men, and well away from the other patrons. Then a highway patrol officer came over and told us to go with him. In the parking lot he explained that he'd been called to take us to an immigration detention center. But instead he directed us to a "safe" DMV 40 miles away and walked away muttering about having had it up to here with those idiots in there. The two American Samoan men started laughing. Honestly, I didn't feel like laughing. I didn't feel like anything. I was thinking about the mission school and wondering if the detention center looked like it had.

-I've spent the last couple of weeks handing out flyers in different languages. I don't use an interpreter. I have no way of knowing if I can trust them. But somehow I manage to convey to the people I visit in field hand huts and steamy laundries that they are in a sanctuary state and what that means. That no one in our offices will turn them away or turn them in. At least I hope Im conveying that. Then I tell them, using paper language dictionaries if needed (librarians are superheros) how to get away, who to talk to, how to find the big dipper. I think a lot of my high school history teacher and those faded numbers on his wrist.

Oh I know they're coming for me first. Im your canary.

[robertsfloyd]

PLS PLS PLS part 2 for puppies...where lando can't just stop fucking her.. and they have to lock him up in chastity but it's already too late since lando has filled her with his puppies and she's like pregnant or something like that?!!!

okay i went along those lines, but chastity became crate

cw: light smut, pregnancy

the crate was comfortable. soft pillows and blankets that smelled like you surrounded him when he laid down.

but he didn't want to lay down. he wanted to be on top of you, inside of you, rutting against you until you were filled with him.

"horny fucking mutt," carlos muttered as he locked the door to the crate, leaving lando on his own in the kitchen. it wasn't fair that the scent of you surrounded him and he couldn't get to you.

it wasn't fucking fair.

you laid with your head in carlos's lap as he pet your hair, scratched at the base of your ears. your body was so damn sore from the way lando had been manhandling you, but you were loving every moment of it.

you knew he didn't mean to be so harsh with you. but the thought of pups in the moment was exciting. would they have your ears or his? would they have your pointed ones with his curls? how about the tail?

no matter what, your pups would be cute.

but, now that it was over with, now you had a minute alone to think, you shook away the thoughts of pups. you weren't ready for that, especially not when oscar was due back from australia any day now. home from australia to take lando away from you.

you whined at the thought.

"oh, my girl," carlos cooed as his thumb stroked over your cheek. "i'll keep him in there until oscar comes to get him, if you want me to."

you sat up suddenly, shook your head rapidly. that was the last thing you wanted, for lando to be kept away from you. even when him trying to be inside of you 24/7 became too much, it was still nice to lay with him in your bed, to sit together while carlos was out and keep each other company. it was nice to talk to someone else who understood the intricacies of being a hybrid, the struggles that came with it.

"i like him," you mumbled to your owner. "he's..." but you couldn't begin to describe what you felt around lando. you liked it when he kissed you, liked it when he trapped you beneath him at night. liked it when he growled at other dog hybrids that got too close. liked it when you sat at the window, watching birds and that one cat that always escaped from the netting covering up their balcony.

standing from the sofa, you walked into the kitchen. your tail started wagging the moment you saw him. he held you blanket against his nose as he rutted pathetically into his hand.

you dropped to your knees in front of him. his eye opened as he whimpered at you, his grip on his hand tightening. he just wanted it to be you. he just wanted to be inside of you.

you stayed sitting in front of him, reaching through the bars of the crate. the lock was taunting you, daring you to try and open it. but you didn't know the code.

he came in his hand with a cry and wiped it on your blanket. you didn't mind; it was an old one kept in the crate. he reached towards you, played with your fingers as he stared at you.

eventually, carlos freed lando from the crate. he was on you immediately, kissing all over your face as your tail wagged. your tail was moving just as fast as his, and the two of you looked like you were going to take flight.

the moment he started humping you, your legs locked around his middle, carlos's slipper met the top of his head. "oye," he said with disapproval in his voice. "keep doing that and you're going back in the crate."

lando stilled, but you kept your legs locked around him, unwilling to let you go.

the threat of being torn away from you kept lando behaving for the next few days. he was attached to you in a way he wasn't before the crate, growing every time carlos came near.

something was going on with him, making his instincts go haywire.

but then oscar came to pick him up.

he whined as he gripped you tight, refusing to let you go. when oscar approached, when he tried to attach a load of the d ring of his collar, lando snapped.

he snapped his jaws at oscar, nearly biting into his fingers.

you were whining just as pathetically as he was. no, he couldn't go. he couldn’t leave you!

you didn't know how they got you separated. but you cried at the door through the night.

until you got sick. throwing up in the morning, hiding in your bed for the rest of the night. you blanket still smelled faintly of him, and that was enough to bring you comfort.

it was carlos's idea for you to take a pregnancy test. and then another. and then another.

he damn near lost his mind when they came back positive.

he was going to kill that mutt.

[slut4megantheestallion]

Arcane characters - with a childish but genius reader

Characters: Vi , Jinx, Caitlyn, Mel, jayce, Viktor, vander.

Genre:fluff

Summary: Arcane characters in a relationship with a childish yet secretly intelligent reader.

-Vi

●At first, Vi thinks you're just an airhead. You get distracted by little things, chase pigeons in the street, and constantly come up with the most ridiculous ideas ever

●"Babe, why are you trying to balance a spoon on your nose? We're in the middle of a serious conversation."

●She's overprotective of you, worried that someone might take advantage of how playful and carefree you seem.

●But then, one day, she watches you casually solve a complex mechanical issue that even Ekko had been struggling with, and she's just stunned.

●"Wait, wait, hold on. You did what now?"

●Now she's fiercely proud of you and will brag to everyone about how you're actually a genius.

●If someone underestimates you, she'll smirk and say, "Go ahead, challenge them. I dare you." And when you inevitably outsmart them, she just leans back, arms crossed, grinning.

●Loves that you bring out her more playful side - she's always up for a stupid game or a race through the streets with you.

●If you start rambling about some complicated theory, she won't always understand half of what the fuck your saying, but she listens anyway because she loves hearing your voice.

-Jinx

●Oh, she adores your childish energy. Finally, someone who gets her brand of chaos!

●"You wanna build a potato cannon?"

●"Babe, you're speaking my language."

●You two are an absolute menace together - pulling harmless (and sometimes not-so-harmless) pranks, running around Zaun causing trouble, laughing your heads off.

●At first, she thinks you're just her playful partner-in-crime. Then, one day, she catches you casually, working through some insane calculations for a weapon design.

●"Wait, wait, you figured that out? I thought you were just doodling little cats on the blueprint!"

●Now she's obsessed with your mind works. She'll beg you to explain things, even if she doesn't always follow.

●"So, if I put this here... it won't explode in my face? Ohh, see, that why I keep you around."

●She loves how unpredictable you are- One second, you're blowing bubbles in your drink; the next, you're explaining quantum physica like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

●If someone underestimates you, she finds it hilarious. She'll just sit back and watch them embarrass themselves when you outsmart them.

-Caitlyn Kirraman

●Caitlyn was very skeptical at first. You're constantly getting distracted, making silly faces, and skipping around like a child. She thought you lacked focus.

●But then she catches you dismantling and improving one of Piltover's security devices in under five minutes, and then she nearly drops her tea.

●"You- how did you do that?"

●Now, she absolutely adores your mind. She loves discussing problems with you, even if you randomly interrupt to say something like, "Do you think ducks have existential crises?"

●She's so patient with your antics. If you get distracted mid-conversation, she just sighs, waits for you to finish your tangent, and then guides you back on track.

●she loves how you challenge her and how you make her world so much more fun.

●"Darling, while I do appreciate your enthusiasm, maybe don't poke the criminal while I'm interrogating him?"

●If someone doubts your intelligence, she’ll give them a knowing smirk and let them make a fool of themselves before stepping in and destroying them with logic.

-Mel

●She immediately finds you endearing. You're playful, unpredictable, and full of life.

●At first, she assumes you're just a whimsical, carefree spirit - someone who brings joy into her serious world.

●Then, one night, she finds you effortlessly strategizing a flawless political move that even seasoned council members hadn't thought of.

●"Oh, love... you are dangerous. I like that."

●She adores the contrast between your childish antics and your sharp mind. It fascinates her.

●If someone insults your intelligence, she'll simply smile and say, "You should challenge them. See how that works out for you.

●Loves how unpredictable you are - one minute, you're doodling all over her important documents; the next, you're making a move that changes the entire political landscape.

●"Darling, I can't decide if you're my biggest headache or my greatest asset." (It's both, and she loves it.)

-Jayce

●Jayce is confused at first. You seem so carefree, like you don't take anything seriously.

●But then you casually correct his calculations on Hextech energy output, and his jaw drops.

●"Wait. Say that again."

●Now, he's obsessed with your brain. He asks for your opinions all the time, even when it's something he should probably figure out himself.

●He loves how you bring joy into his life. You make him laugh when he's stressed, and you remind him not to take himself too seriously.

●Protective. If someone underestimates you, he's quick to say, "You have no idea who you're talking to."

●Sometimes, he has to drag you back on track when you go off on a tangent, but he secretly loves your randomness.

-Viktor

●Viktor was not fooled by your childish nature. He noticed your intelligence immediately.

●"You play the fool well, but I see the way your mind works."

●He absolutely adores how unpredictable you are. Your ideas, no matter how outlandish they sound at first, always seem to work.

●"A rocket-powered toaster? That is... ridiculous. But actually, it's not a bad concept."

●He lives for your strange, out-of-the box thinking. You help him see things in ways he never would have considered.

●If someone doubts your intelligence, he just chuckles and waits for you to absolutely destroy them with logic.

●He finds your childish tendencies endearing - he secretly loves watching you chase butterflies or balance a spoon on your nose.

-Vander

●He treats you like you're his favorite kid. You make him laugh, and he loves that about you.

●He assumes you're just the fun-loving type until you start outsmarting people left and right.

●"Huh. You're sharper than you let on, ain't ya?"

●He's so proud of you. He brags about you to everyone, even if you're just goofing around.

●He adores your playful nature but makes sure you're safe - no reckless stunts on his watch.

●if someone talks down to you, he gives then a warning look: "Best watch what you say. They ain't clueless as you think."

[spideyjimin]

Bloodlines entwined: V | jjk

⤷ having a baby alone was supposed to be easy. but an accidental twist of fate pulled you into a hidden world of werewolves, and ancient bloodlines. navigating your already complicated life becomes even harder as you uncover your past; one tied to a legacy you never knew existed. and in the middle of this chaos stands jungkook, the werewolf king… and the father of your child. 

—  pairing: werewolf!jungkook x female reader 

—  genre: strangers to lovers, parents-to-be au, royalty au, werewolves au, soulmates au, angst, fluff, and smut 

— rating: 18+ 

—  words: 9,619

—  warnings: sex dream, strong language, mention of sex, a lot of nervousness, mention of death, mention of murder, crying, mention of grief, heartbreak, mention of abortion, swearing, nipple play, nipple sucking, kind of fingering (not sure if it’s the correct word), and some very big tension

—  author’s note: soo this was supposed to be posted tomorrow, but in the end, I have to post it today 🤗 This chapter is honestly quite intense in a lot of levels, but it unveils a lot about oc’s past, and we will finally understand a lot more about what happened to her parents 🫠 hope you’ll enjoy this chapter 💞

Chapter V: unveiling the past

SERIES MASTERLIST | previous | next

You and Jungkook are abruptly pulled out of your sleep, both affected by the very intense and heated dream you inexplicably shared. The dream involved a lot of kissing, his mouth on your nipples, his tongue lapping at your juices, your tongue swirling along his hard shaft, and his manhood inside your wetted core. It was an intense dream that you both enjoyed way too much.

After the full moon, three days ago, you haven’t really seen or talked to each other. There have been some messages here and there, mostly messages where he checks up on you. Things aren’t awkward between you, you’d actually say the opposite. However, you’re actually convinced that next time you’ll see him you won’t be able to resist him.

“Soooo,” Lexi says once you’re in the kitchen.

This night, you’ve slept at Felix’s house with Lexi to spend a little bit of time together. This whole pregnancy and werewolf journey has pushed you a bit far from them, and you don’t want that. They are a big part of you, they’ve been by your side since the beginning. So Lexi literally decided the other day that instead of having dinner all together, it’d be better if you and she slept here. Like old good times.

“You have to tell me how the little monster’s father is,” she almost demands.

“I don’t have any picture,” you instantly answer while putting coffee in a mug.

“I’m not asking for a picture,” she says. “I want you to describe the man for me.”

You roll your eyes, she’s unbelievable. She’s always so nosy, and since she has learned about the ‘I keep the baby and the father comes along’ story, she’s been dead serious to know everything about Jungkook. However, you don’t really know how to explain to her that 1) you’re a werewolf, and 2) he’s a werewolf king.

“He’s just a man,” you answer.

“You’re boring, yn,” she says before taking a sip of coffee.

“Hi girls,” Felix enters the room with the brightest smile on his face.

He leaves a kiss on top of Lexi’s head before pressing one on your cheek. When his lips meet your cheek, you close your eyes to savor this sweet moment with your father. Being on your own is all good and funny, but you always miss his sweet good morning kisses.

“Hi dad,” Lexi says. “Can you tell yn to provide us with more description than ‘man’ for her baby daddy?”

“Well, at least we know he’s a man,” he teasingly says to his daughter.

“Dad,” she moans. “You’re not helping.”

As she’s complaining to her father, you grab a plate that you place on the table with your coffee before sitting down in front of her. You take a toast, put butter on, and eat it. This is delicious. Simple but delicious.

“Okay,” you surrender. “I’ll tell you.”

“Finally!” she exclaims. “It was about damn time!”

You roll your eyes once more. This lady has an incredible personality, but you adore her. She’s literally your sunshine, you couldn’t live without her.

“It’s a tall Korean man with black short hair,” you start saying. “He has dark brown eyes and has a very athletic body.”

“So you’ve gotten to see his body closely,” she plays with her eyebrows while insinuating something sexy.

“No, I didn’t,” you instantly lie.

She furrows her brows, she knows you’re lying. It’s written all over your face.

“You’re a terrible liar,” she snaps back. “Did you already have sex with him?”

Felix chokes on his coffee, Lexi and yourself now looking at him.

“Don’t talk about that around me,” he defends himself.

“Come one, Dad,” she says. “We’re not ten anymore, we’re thirty, and your daughter is pregnant. We know babies don’t fall from the sky.”

Lexi is the type of girl to be straightforward, especially with you and Felix. In this case, she’s not wrong, but it still feels weird to be talking about sex around him. He’s like a father to you, and it’s just awkward. 

“Yeah, but still, I don’t want to know about what you do with guys,” he says.

“In this case,” you say. “We didn’t do anything like that,” you try to find an excuse without mentioning the wolf transformation. “He just spilled wine on his shirt and removed it in front of me.”

Lexi doesn’t buy it, but she pretends she does. She’s very much convinced you had sex with him, but you’re too ashamed to admit it.

“Mmm,” she says. “Is he hot at least?” she asks. “We need to know if yn junior is going to have good genetics from both parents.”

There’s a sudden heat growing under your cheeks. You don’t want to say that he’s obviously so fucking hot and that you’ve been desiring to do wild things with him. But you’re not going to say that.

“He’s not bad,” you answer. “But my kid doesn’t need him to be good-looking, they just need me.”

Now, she’s the one rolling her eyes. It’s hard to not live with her anymore because you love your little bickerings. She’ll forever be the sister the universe gave you, and despite the tragedy of losing your parents, having her and Felix is the biggest blessing of your life.

“With you as their mother, I’m mostly concerned about their ego, not their beauty.”

“You’re just jealous,” you say before taking another bite of your toast.

Before any of you can add something, your phone rings, your eyes looking down at the screen. It’s a message from Jungkook. A smile appears on your face.      

 “It’s your baby daddy, I guess,” her words make you look up at her.

“Maybe,” you say.

You take your phone to see what he wants.

From Jungkook: Hi yn, how are you today? 😊

His message warms your heart. He’s been asking you every morning how you feel, and you can’t help but find this sweet. You know it’s because you’re carrying his child, but it’s still nice of him to do it.

To Jungkook: Hey Jungkook, all good here, and you? 😊  

His answer comes quite rapidly, Lexi looking at you very intrigued.

From Jungkook: I’m good too 😊 are you still up to meet the shadow’s alpha?

Now your heart starts hammering fast in your chest, and you take a deep breath. Meeting people who can help you unveil your parents’ past is exciting yet stressful. You wish nothing more than to meet this alpha, but you’re also scared of what you’ll find out.

“Are you okay?” Felix asks.

Your eyes look up to meet his. Although you absolutely adore him, you don’t want to tell him about this yet. You don’t even know how to tell him that you’re a werewolf. One thing you’re sure of, you want to know a bit more about your parents’ story before telling him anything. You’ll tell him one day, but not just yet.

“Yeah,” you say.   

To Jungkook: yep still good

Then, you agree with him to meet tomorrow at 4 pm. As you don’t want to stress too much over it, you join Lexi and Felix’s conversation.  

Your heart is beating extremely fast, your foot taping nervously on the floor, and your eyes gazing at the city passing before you. People are walking on the busy streets, many cars are moving around you while Jungkook is driving to the house of Mister Song Sungmin.

None of you speaks, his eyes glancing at you from time to time. He’s not sure if he should say something; he’s scared to say something he shouldn’t or that will hurt you. This is such an important moment for you. You’re about to meet someone that might have known your parents, and their true past.

“You okay?” he simply asks after a while.

“Yes,” your eyes leave the city to look at the man driving.

He’s back to wearing a suit which makes him look powerful, as always. You guess that he’s wearing a suit to reinforce his stature as king, projecting authority for the meeting you’re about to have with an Alpha.

This time around, it’s a grey suit with a black shirt underneath it. He’s extremely hot. But your mind doesn’t really dwell on it for long. All you truly think about is this meeting. It’s what truly matters right now.

A couple of minutes later, you arrive in front of a very pretty house. It seems to be the cozy type.

“Before going inside, there are a few things to know,” Jungkook explains. “Song Sungmin is one of the most powerful Alphas of your pack. He’s moved here after meeting his wife, Song Eunji who happens to be the daughter of a Blood. He’s also the uncle of my best friend, Taehyung.”

You nod before taking Jungkook’s hand to give it a gentle squeeze.

“Thanks,” you whisper.

He offers you a small smile, a cute little dimple appearing on his face. Every time he smiles at you, you want to touch it.  

“I’d do anything to help you.”

And you’re grateful for everything he has done so far. No matter how things evolve between you, you’ll carry him closely in your heart. For sure, your baby is lucky to have him as their father.

“Let me know when you feel ready,” his thumb soothes your hand.

“We can go,” you tell him. “No need to make this last longer.”

In no time, you’re standing on Mister Song’s porch, waiting for him to open the door. Your heart is strongly hammering in your chest. This is more than scary, but you feel like you’re slowly getting closer to unveiling the truth about your parents. Strangely, it also makes you feel closer to them.

When he opens the door, your entire world freezes. Even your heart stops beating. You know this man. You met him twenty years ago, on the night your parents were killed. He’s the man that protected you from the butchery.

Twenty years ago, you were watching TV with your parents, but around 8 pm, somebody knocked at the door. It was your mother that opened it, and she was discussing with a man before she came to take you.

“Mommy and Daddy need to do something,” she told you in her honey-like voice. “This man is a good friend of mine, and he will take care of you while we’re gone.”

You were only ten so you didn’t question it. You didn’t think much about the fact they had something to do at 8 pm, something definitely unusual. You didn’t question the fact that you had never seen this man before. You didn’t even notice how scared she looked. You didn’t question anything, something you’ve deeply regretted your entire life.

This man took you to an ice cream store, offered you all the ice cream you wanted, and talked to you. Back then, you felt like the luckiest girl in the world. It wasn’t every day that an old friend of your parents would come and give you all the ice cream you wanted. Over time, you forgot about the man’s name because, on that tragic night, you lost your parents. This man didn’t matter anymore.  

Jungkook’s glance goes from you to Sungmin, and he doesn’t need to be a genius to understand you both know each other. It’s definitely surprising, but not completely. You’re living in the same city, and you’re part of the same pack.

“You’ve already met, I suppose,” Jungkook breaks the long silence between you.

You and Sungmin nod, your eyes never leaving his.

“Please come inside,” he invites you in.

Before closing the door, he looks around to make sure nobody else is there.

“Would you like something to drink or eat?” he proposes with a smile on his face.

As you look at him, you notice that he hasn’t changed at all, except for the grey hair. He still has a warm and comforting smile on his face. A smile you never forgot.

“No, thank you,” you answer.

Jungkook answers the same, and the older man guides you toward the terrace. His house is pretty modest and filled with pictures everywhere. It might be his children and grandchildren. There are also pictures of him younger and he definitely hasn’t changed in a while. It seems like he always had this compelling posture as if he has always meant to be an Alpha.   

“Please take a seat,” he shows the chairs arranged around the table.

The three of you sit down, your eyes wandering around. This terrace is very beautiful, you hope that one day you’ll have a similar one. But you’ll need to earn a lot more money.

“So this is yn,” Jungkook introduces you. “The woman I talked to you about on the phone.”

“I know who she is,” the older man says, his eyes moving to you. “You’ve grown a lot in twenty years,” he smiles at you. “And you’ve become a wonderful woman.”

“Thanks,” you smile back at him. “You haven’t changed at all.”

Sungmin looks away for a minute as he wants to hide the tears forming in his eyes. You are his biggest secret. Nobody ever knew that, twenty years ago, he offered you as much ice cream as you desired. When he looks back at you and Jungkook, you only feel compassion for this man.

“I knew one day we’d meet again and I’ve been waiting every day, for the past twenty years,” he begins. “I was expecting you to come earlier, but I’m glad you finally came.”

“What happened?” Jungkook asks with curiosity.

Sungmin takes a deep breath, a lump forming in his throat as he remembers the events.

“Twenty years ago, your father the king found her parents. The ones that were running away from the pack for ten years.”

He doesn’t need to say much more. Jungkook knows. On your side, you frown, not sure to understand what he means, but you carefully listen to him.

“When I was informed of it, I ran to their house. I needed to see for myself if their child was still alive. If they really had a child ten years prior. Before I even knocked at the door, I heard that little giggle only a kid can do. It broke my heart,” a tear runs down his face. “And I took the terrible decision to take that child away from the house. I took that child as far away as possible because I was scared they could hear the screams of their parents. I didn’t want that child to grow up with that trauma.”

Then, you start to understand what is going on. You’re not a werewolf, or at least not completely. You’re a hybrid, and your parents were killed because of that. That explains why they never talked about it to you. They didn’t know if one day you’ll manifest any wolf signs. That’s why they also ran away from their hometown, and why your grandparents never approved their love. One of them was a human.

“I lied to everybody, I made them believe I had killed the child. Since nobody saw her face, it was easy to lie,” he looks down at the table. “I knew what I did was wrong, but killing a ten-year-old for a sin she never committed was inhuman. Putting an end to a pregnancy is one thing, but cutting short a child’s life is totally another,” his eyes look back up at you. “I don’t regret what I did, and I will never regret it.”

Shivers run down your spine. So your wolf abilities weren’t really dormant, they were there all along, but they were mixed with human blood. The pregnancy simply awoke that side of you, especially since you’re carrying a wolf’s child. Your baby is the reason why you’re now able to turn, and why your powers have increased. Your baby is the reason why you’re finally digging into your past.

“Since you’re a hybrid, I never knew what to expect. All I expected was for you to find me one day, and you did.”

“So Jung… Mister Jeon’s father is the reason why my parents were killed?” you ask.

Jungkook finds it weird that you call him Mister Jeon, but he can understand it. You’ve always been very respectful and even though you’re pretty close now, you still respect his king stature.

“No,” he shakes his head. “We are.”

Tears start appearing in your eyes, and both men only feel sorry for you.

“Your mother was a werewolf and had fallen in love with a human. She was the rebellious type, she never really followed the rules. Her parents and the pack were repeating that this love story would only end badly, but she didn’t care. Then, she got pregnant and ran away with your father,” Sungmin explains. “Hybrids are forbidden as you might know so we tracked her. For nine years we looked for them, but it was in vain. We then asked for the king’s help because he had better resources than us. In a year, he found you and we did what we had to.”

Now, the tears run down your face as you realize the extent of the situation. Your entire existence is forbidden. You shouldn’t exist, but here you are. And on top of that, you’re pregnant with the king’s child. Another forbidden life.

“How did my mother react when she saw you?” you ask.

“She wasn’t surprised at all, she even thought I was going to kill her, but I told them I wanted to protect the three of you,” he answers. “She told me that the only person she wanted me to protect was you. She was ready to face the consequences of her actions, but she didn’t want you to die for her sins.”

Thinking about her selfless move breaks your heart. You’re trying as hard as possible to not burst into tears in front of this man. Your mother always put you first, she was always making sure you were happy.

“She knew that the pack would kill you first, right in front of her eyes. She didn’t want her last souvenir to be that so I respected her last will—to protect you.”

Jungkook’s hand finds yours to hold it as tight as possible. This mustn’t be easy to hear. It mustn’t be easy to learn that you’re a hybrid. The only living hybrid.

“Who murdered them?” you ask. “My grandparents?”

The older man shakes his head. “They weren’t even present; how could they be? No matter what, she was their daughter. A daughter they deeply loved. It was another Alpha who did it,” he seems obviously very shaken up by this event. “Our pack has never been the same since then. Your grandparents retreated completely, grieving forever a daughter and granddaughter they lost. Each year, we gather together at your grandparents’ place to pay tribute to your mother and you.”

It devastates beyond comprehension to picture it. People have been grieving someone alive all along. People have been thinking about you when they hadn’t even met you.

“Even if you’re a hybrid, you’re part of our pack, and your grandparents always made sure to include you in those heartbreaking moments.”

“So you never revealed to them I was alive?” you ask.

Sungmin shakes his head. “I tried many times, but the words never left my lips.”

Right now, you only want to disappear. You don’t want anybody to see you while this devastating pain eats you alive. Mister Song and your parents protected you from death. They allowed you to live when you shouldn’t have.

Your wish to disappear is granted when you do so due to all the intense emotions you’re feeling right now. Jungkook is then unable to see you, but he can still feel you as his hand remains on yours. His fingers never stop caressing you in an attempt to calm the storm growing inside you.

Sungmin follows you and disappears as well but you’re still able to see him. You still see him like he didn’t blur into his surroundings. It’s so weird.

“I’m so sorry, yn,” his hand reaches out to yours, a hand that you hold.

“It’s not your fault,” you try to reassure him. “You did what my mother wanted; you protected me from a certain death.”

“But I could have insisted, I could have protected them,” he answers.

“You know better than I do that the pack would have never stopped looking for them. The issue would have been the same no matter what.”   

Your parents' end was destined to be tragic, but they chose to love each other. They chose each other despite the bans. They chose to have a child together and protect you as long as they could.

They knew from the beginning that you’d end up growing up without them. And right now, you hate them as much as you love them. They did all this for you, but you still hate them for knowing you’d be alone and without them.

Then Sungmin reappears, his gaze serious and looking at Jungkook, his king. He knows now what will happen to him. He’s a traitor. He helped a forbidden couple, protected a child that shouldn’t exist, and lied to the entire werewolf community.  

“Mister Jeon,” his voice tone is deep. “I’m ready to face the consequences of my acts.”

Your heart hammers in your chest, your eyes now looking at Jungkook. Slowly, you reappear as well. Jungkook has never faced such a situation, and he can’t make a decision in the heat of the moment. He needs to think, and most probably, he’ll have to report this incident to the council. Not only did Sungmin break the rules, but there’s a hybrid walking amongst them. The council will show no mercy to you and Sungmin.

But he can’t lose you, not after all of this.

He has a very strong and deep connection with you, and you’re carrying his child. This isn’t simple anymore.    

“Mister Song,” he says with a very strong tone. “I appreciate your honesty; it has enlightened us about Miss y/l/n’s past. But I can’t decide right now what to do.”

The older man nods, understanding that Jungkook is now deeply involved. He can hear that faint heartbeat in your belly, and above anything else, he can smell that baby’s scent. It’s a unique one. They’re carrying the strong scent that only the child of a king has. He can also see how deeply the king cares about you.

His decision doesn’t just implicate the Alpha. It implicates you, the baby, and him. Whatever he decides, the three of you will be impacted. It isn’t a light decision to make.

“I will be thinking about it and come back to you once I’ve decided.”

The Alpha bows to his king as a sign of respect. It’s really impressive the power Jungkook holds, and how even such an old Alpha submits to his king. This is incredible.

“Thank you, your Majesty,” he says while bowing.

The drive back to your place is done in complete silence. In some way, the car feels heavier, as if the weight of the truth you’ve just learned is pressing down on you. This time, your eyes are red and swollen, and your face is ravaged by the tear you couldn’t hold back anymore. Learning about your past terribly scared you, but knowing it breaks your heart. Now, you know what happened on that tragic night in July. You now understand why your parents were so cruelly murdered—or should you say executed—, and why you were spared.

Jungkook keeps his eyes focused on the road, but you can sense the tension in him. His grip on the wheel is tight, his knuckles turning white, and he constantly glances in your direction. He wants to say something, to comfort you, but nothing seems to come out of his mouth. He isn’t even sure his words will ever be able to comfort you.

Once in front of the apartment complex, he slows the car to a stop. His eyes shift to you fully for the first time. There’s something in his expression that stops your heart. There isn’t only worry, there’s pain as well, as if he’s carrying this burden with you. You’ve never seen that in his gaze; he’s never looked at you this way before, so unguarded, so raw.

The moment your eyes lock with his, the world around you seems to disappear. There’s no sound, no city around you, no heartbeats echoing in your ears. There’s just the two of you. His presence is comforting, it’s like he’s healing your sorrows in a way you can’t explain. How can someone make you feel this way, so understood, so seen?

“Can you stay with me, please?” you finally ask as you try to control your voice. “I don’t want to stay alone today.”

His response is immediate, and his voice is reassuring, “Sure,” he nods. “I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

The gratitude in your chest is overwhelming, and you manage to offer him a small smile.

“Thanks,” you murmur.  

Jungkook pulls into the nearest parking space before cutting the engine. You sit there for a moment, neither of you speaking. The air is heavy with unspoken emotions. Finally, he steps out of the car and moves around to your side, opening the door and offering you his hand. His touch is warm, and grounding, and you take it without hesitation.

Without removing your hand from his, you both walk to your apartment. Jungkook is very much tempted to intertwine his fingers with yours; to offer you some unspoken reassurance but he doesn’t do anything, too scared of crossing an invisible line. Even inside the elevator, your hands remain locked. Neither of you speaks, but the warmth of his palm against yours feels reassuring. You only separate your hands to open the door.  

When you get inside, you both strip off your coats and shoes. You look at him, and he is lingering near the door, unsure whether he should move further.

“Do you want to drink or eat something?” you ask out of politeness.

“No, thanks,” he shakes his head. His voice is calm, but there’s something in his eyes. There’s concern, guilt, and ache that he doesn’t try to hide.

You nod and move to the living room to sit on the couch. Jungkook hesitates for a moment before joining you, sitting close but not too close. However, you close the distance as you throw yourself in his arms. You don’t hold back any tears, now crying in his arms. You’ve only known him for two months, but nobody has ever made you feel like this. You can undoubtedly trust him.

You rest your head against his chest, tears spilling over. He doesn’t hesitate, wrapping an arm around you, his hand gently rubbing your back. The warmth of his embrace melts some tension inside you, and for the first time today, you feel like you can breathe again.

None of you speaks, Jungkook just rubs your back while you cry in his arms. You deeply miss your parents and discovering what truly happened to them devastates you beyond comprehension. Will you ever be able to overcome this? Will you now be able to finally accept your parents’ death?

You’re not sure, but only time will tell.

However, now the biggest question is what will happen to you? You’re a hybrid. You’re not supposed to exist, let alone the life growing inside you. Will you have to terminate the pregnancy? Will you be executed like your parents were twenty years ago? Jungkook is the only one who can answer you. He’s the one who’ll have to make that decision.

And, then there are your grandparents. They believe that you’re dead, and you’d like to meet them. You’d like to tell them that you’re very much alive, that Mister Song protected you all this time, that he saved your life. You’d like to tell them that they don’t have to honor your memory anymore.  

But you aren’t even sure you can do that. You aren’t even sure that they’ll accept to meet you.

And there’s also your paternal grandparents. You’d also like to meet them. They are human, and their opinion of you might be pretty much different. Unless they know their son married a werewolf. Now that you know the truth, you desperately desire to meet your grandparents. The four of them.

You’d also like to know if you have uncles, aunts, and cousins. There is so much you want to know about your family, but let’s not rush anything. First, you need to digest what Sungmin revealed. There was a lot of information.

Slowly, but surely, your tears stop falling down, and the pain inside your heart seems to be a bit more bearable. But you still hold onto his embrace for a little more. You don’t want to let go of him just yet.

“Thanks a lot for your support,” you say while you put an end to the embrace and clean your face. “You’ve helped me so much.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he smiles. “You were embarked in this by my fault. The least I can do is help you.”

“This was never your fault in the first place,” you shake your head.

Maybe the clinic’s mistake wouldn’t have changed anything. Maybe, no matter who the father was, the pregnancy would have awakened your wolf blood. But, no matter what you have wolf blood in you, and sooner or later, something would have triggered it. The good part is that with the clinic’s mistake, you have Jungkook by your side.   

“But now we’ve discovered I’m a hybrid,” you continue.

Jungkook nods, his hand running through his hair. It’s the first time that he doesn’t know what to do. He’s completely lost because he’s starting to have feelings for you, and because it involves his child too. The rules are clear: hybrids can’t exist. But he never pictured himself falling for one, and having a child with one too. Your baby carries human blood; they aren’t of pure blood. How can such an heir exist? Nobody will ever accept to be ruled by the child of a hybrid.  

On top of that, this child is also the first one who isn’t fully a Blood. They have the blood of the Shadows running down their veins. Jungkook strongly believes that his blood will predominate, but there’s still a chance that they choose to be a Shadow. It will destabilize everything.

The thing with mixed-blood kids is that nature will choose to which pack they’ll belong. Nobody can belong to two packs. For sure, they’ll carry the heritage of both since their parents will be from two different packs. But we can’t know beforehand which pack they’ll be part of. It’ll only be found out at birth because once out of the womb, they’ll have the pack’s eye color for a couple of days.

There are so many unknowns now with this child.  

And he still has to reveal to his family he’s about to become a father. He was waiting to discover a bit more about your past before telling them about this wonderful news. But now, things are again complicated. His mother will tell him to put an end to both yours and the baby’s life. He’s not sure how his siblings might react to this, but he’s not expecting something positive.  

“What will happen to me?” you ask with a shaky voice.

His eyes meet yours, and they are glowing with something that gives you some hope.

“I’ll protect you,” he responds without hesitation. “Nobody is ever going to hurt you. I won’t let anyone touch you,” his tone is firm and assertive.  

Your heart now beats rapidly in your chest. It reassures you that he’ll protect you, and it means a lot since he’s a king. He’s supposed to be the one who leads by example, yet, he’ll be the first one breaking the rules. He’s going to protect a hybrid, a person that shouldn’t exist.

Jungkook gets closer, his hand delicately placing a strand of hair behind your ear. This simple gesture sends shivers down your spine. Your eyes get lost in his, and the world seems to disappear around you as his thumb lightly brushes against your cheek, leaving a warmth that spreads through your entire body.   

Time seems to pause, the air between you charged with unspoken desire. His face moves dangerously closer to yours until you feel his hot breath on your skin. Your heart hammers faster and faster in your chest, and for a brief moment, nothing else matters. There is no doubt that he’s about to kiss you, and truthfully, there’s nothing else you want more right now.

You know you wanted your first kiss to be deliberate, free from the chaos of emotions you’ve been swept into. But none of that matters now. The yearning you’ve buried rises to the surface, consuming you. All you care about is to taste his lips against yours. You want to know how they feel on yours. Those wild sex dreams have ignited something inside you, and you terribly desire to bring those dreams to life.  

His nose brushes against yours, the bare touch making you shiver. His proximity is intoxicating, and your lips are a breath away from meeting. When his eyes search yours, you know he’s silently asking for permission. And this time, you don’t pull away. Instead, your lips part slightly, and he sees the answer in your expression.

Then, he finally closes the distance. His lips press against yours with hesitation at first. The kiss is soft, and it feels like you’re discovering a part of yourself you never knew existed. His hand finds its way to the back of your neck, holding you while he deepens the kiss.

The world entirely disappears as his lips move against yours, guiding you, consuming you. Your body leans into his instinctively, your hands finding his chest, the fabric of his shirt bunching beneath your fingers. When his tongue brushes your lower lip, your stomach flips, and you let him in.

The sensation is overwhelming and beautiful, a perfect blend of desire and intimacy as your tongues meet in a slow, sensual dance. He tastes like everything you’ve ever craved but never let yourself hope for. The kiss is tender as if he’s pouring all his emotions into this single moment.

When you break the kiss, you’re both breathless, foreheads resting against each other as your eyes meet once again. Jungkook’s fingers softly caress your face, his touch is so soft it almost makes you shiver. You close your eyes to savor this moment. 

It’s a victory—not his, not yours, but yours together. You’ve been fighting this connection, but there’s no denying it anymore. This kiss has unraveled something inside you, and now there’s no going back. Now that you’ve had a taste of him, you know one thing for sure: he’s become impossible to resist.

His lips meet yours once more, but this time, he’s kissing you with a fervent passion. While kissing you, his strong body pushes you, allowing you to lay on the couch, his body hovering over yours. Then, his lips slowly descend to your jaw, your neck, cleavage, and they stop right above your shirt.

His eyes look up to meet yours as if he’s asking permission to keep going down. You nod, giving him free will to do whatever he wants. Without wasting any more time, his hand pushes down your shirt with your bra, exposing your breasts to his hungry eyes. The coldness of the air sends shivers through your body, your nipples hardening instantly. His breathing gets heavier as his eyes are glued to your chest.  

“Fuck,” he mumbles.

Then, without any warning, his warm mouth meets your right nipple to torture it with his tongue and teeth. Instant moans fall out your lips, and your hands find their way to his hair, playing with some strands while he vigorously sucks on your nipple. It feels blissful. You never imagined a simple kiss could lead to this.  

His left hand assaults your other breast, louder moans escape your lips, loving the way he’s giving you pleasure with his mouth and fingers. Your hands slightly pull at his hair while your mind is completely lost in lust. You’re completely unable to think correctly. The man on top of you shows no mercy, torturing you in the most exquisite way possible.

Jungkook definitely knows how to use his fingers and mouth, and damn, it’s even better than any wild dreams you had involving him. You don’t even want to start thinking about how it must feel to have his dick inside you.

“Jungkook…” you whisper as you picture him naked again.

That sweet sound makes his shaft grow harder, the space slowly growing smaller inside his pants. The way you turn him on is unique, nobody holds such a powerful grip on him. His mouth moves then to your left nipple to treat it exactly like your other nipple. The wetness inside your underwear only grows bigger, you can feel it. The amount of pleasure he’s giving you right now is out of mind, and you know you’ll come quickly.   

His right hand snails down on your body, stopping when it reaches the hem of your trousers. Very carefully, he unbuttons and unzips them. The second his fingers brush your core through your panties, a deep guttural sound leaves your lips, and your hand pulls harder into his hair. That action causes him to moan against your nipple.

This is such a blissful torture, but if he keeps touching you like that and moaning against your body, you’ll come undone rapidly.

His fingers slowly rub your pussy through your underwear, making you slowly turn into a moaning mess. Your body is contorting with pleasure under his, and you can feel his half-hard dick brushing against your thighs. The feeling is marvelous as you get to sense how’s feeling about this too.

Then, without further notice, he slips his fingers under your panties. His hand cups your pussy whole, and you both moan at the sensation. Jungkook is instantly welcomed with your wetness on his hot palm. Another moan slips through his mouth which makes you whimper. There’s no way you’ll survive this.  

“You’re so fucking wet,” he murmurs.

Jungkook drags his fingers down your slit, purposely avoiding your clit. You close your eyes in order to feel this all even more profoundly, a deep breath escaping your lips. The coldness of his fingers against your core is electrifying. You’re getting addicted to this man as he gives you more and more pleasure. How have you been living this whole time without his touch?

You lick your lips as he slowly rubs you up and down, spreading your own wetness over your sensitive skin. This feels so good, and it pushes away all the terrible emotions you went through today. His eyes look up at you as he desires to picture your face while being consumed by pleasure.

Your hips twitch against the couch when the tip of his finger brushes on your clit. As he does so, you feel a pleasurable electricity rushing through your body. Jungkook’s mouth stops abusing your nipple, his eyes completely hypnotized on your sweet face. His hand runs up and down your core and he makes sure that his fingertip touches your clit.

“How does it feel?” he finally breaks the silence.

“So…” you try to speak while he never stops his ministrations. “So good,” you whimper.

His fingertip now draws circles into your hardened clit, your back arching off of the couch, and your hips meeting his hand. The friction of his hand against your pussy is beyond delightful, his fingers bringing you straight to heaven.

“Jungkook,” you moan his name on repeat.

Your orgasm is slowly growing inside you, you know you won’t last any longer. It’s just a matter of seconds now. The man above you senses it the second your legs start shaking more and more. His fingers work harder, helping you chase your own pleasure.  

Then, you let go and the wave of pleasure violently washes over you. Jungkook stops his movements when he feels your juices leaking all over his hand. A smirk grows on his face, proud of himself for giving you an orgasm.

Jungkook removes his hand from your panties and buckles back your pants. Your heavy breathing slowly gets back to normal and after a while, you open back your eyes. The man who just gave you an orgasm offers you the brightest smile on earth.

“Hope you like it,” he says.

“It was wooow,” you tell him as you sit back on the couch.

The man presses a soft kiss on your cheek before arranging your messy hair. He can’t help but find you extremely adorable.

“Next time,” he whispers in your ear. “My fingers won’t be the only thing giving you an orgasm,” his deep voice sends shivers down your spine. His tongue licks your ear, a deep moan leaving your mouth.

The two of you know that this is just the beginning of what is going on between you. This connection is only growing stronger, and sooner or later, he’ll be standing between your legs, thrusting deeply inside of you.

And honestly, you can’t wait for that day to happen.

Tonight, Jungkook has arranged a family dinner.

It’s about time he reveals yours and the child’s existence to his family members. He’s pretty much nervous about this, but he has to tell them. A new life will join this family very soon. The next heir is on the way, and he can’t hide this from them any longer.

His mother is the first one to arrive, and she takes him in her arms. Then, a couple of minutes later, his younger brothers Hyunjin and Mingi make their appearances. And finally, Dohee appears with her husband, Namjoon.

It’s been a while since the entire family has been reunited under this roof. Dohee left the house eight years ago when she married Namjoon. His mother, Hyunjin, and Mingi left after the passing of his father. Back then, Yuna was slowly moving in and they wanted to give them the space they needed. After the breakup, they didn’t come back; they felt like it wasn’t their home anymore.

Hyunjin is six years younger than Jungkook, and he’s been in a very serious relationship with Nari for five years. Jungkook is surprised he hasn’t proposed to her yet; she’s his soulmate after all. Then, there’s Mingi, the youngest Jeon. He’s ten years younger and he was the surprise baby; their parents weren’t trying to have a baby at that time. Out of the four of them, Mingi was the most spoiled.

Even though Jungkook is closer to Dohee, the four Jeon’s siblings have a strong bond. The oldest always made sure they’d get along because family is so damn important. Their father’s death brought them even closer, and they’ve always been by their mother’s side to ensure she doesn’t grieve alone.

“So,” Jungkook begins, his eyes looking at the five people around the table. “Thanks for coming,” he smiles at them.

Dohee smiles back at her brother, her hand rubbing her belly. She should soon give birth to her fourth and, most probably, last child.

“There is a new Jeon on the way,” Jungkook’s smile grows bigger as he breaks the news.  

Jisoo, Jungkook’s mother stands up to hold her oldest child in her arms. Jungkook embraces her with the same strength, a tear forming in his eyes as her reaction deeply moves him.

“I’m so happy, Kook,” she says, her cheek pressed against his chest.

While he hugs his mother, he sees his sister’s face. Although she’s smiling and seems happy, something in her expression unsettles him. He knows she’s thinking about the fact that the baby is a hybrid; she was the only one aware of it back then. But, so much has happened since he talked to her, events that she will know now.

His mother sits back in her chair while her hands clean the tears on her face. Another one of her children is about to make her a grandmother again. Dohee is the only one who has been giving her grandchildren, and she’s happy Jungkook is also going to give her another one. She can’t wait to have her house filled with grandchildren.

His siblings and Namjoon congratulate him on the fantastic news. Although their reactions make him happy, he knows this light mood will not last long. They most probably will hate him when he’ll tell them what you truly are.

“Have you already met the surrogate?” his mother asks out of curiosity.

“A surrogate?” Hyunjin asks.

“I sought the help of a fertility clinic to have a child,” Jungkook explains to his brother. “It was getting harder to be waiting to become a father.”

His eyes move back to his mother to answer her question.

“But there’s no surrogate, mom,” he tells her.

Everybody’s reaction is the same. They all widen their eyes, except his sister. She’s known this for a month already, but she’s now worried about why he’s revealing this to the family. He should know nobody will be happy about him being a father to a hybrid, especially their mother.

“Are you with somebody?” she asks. “Or is it Yuna?”

“It’s absolutely not Yuna,” he instantly answers. “And I’m not with anyone, at least, not yet,” he rants.

Jisoo seems to be happy about all of this, but she still wants to understand how on earth he’s about to be a father if there’s no girlfriend and no surrogate. She starts wondering if he slept with someone only to have a child.

“The fertility clinic made a big mistake,” he explains. “A woman was mistakenly impregnated with my material, and at first, I thought she was a human. Obviously, this wasn’t possible since the baby would then be a hybrid,” they all shake their heads.

Jungkook purposely omits that he didn’t convince you to abort; his mother would kill him if she ever found out. Dohee takes a deep breath and shifts on her chair to try to find a comfortable position.

“But then, I found out that she wasn’t human,” he proceeds. “And it changed everything, she could keep the baby.”

Dohee’s expression now fully changes. She wasn’t expecting that, so she’s now very happy for her brother to have a pure-blood kid. Jungkook notices her sincere smile, and it already hurts him to even think about what he’s about to say next.

“However, she didn’t know that she was a werewolf.”

Now, they all frown, confused by this sentence. It clearly doesn’t make any sense.  

“How’s that possible?” Mingi asks.

Jungkook’s heart stammers in his chest. How does he explain now who you truly are? He’s not even sure he wants to do it, but he doesn’t have much of a choice. His family needs to learn from him that you’re a hybrid. Not from someone else.

“Her parents left their hometown, cut ties with their families, never told her about her wolf side, and died when she was still a kid,” he summarizes. “She was then raised by a human and never found out the truth until she got pregnant.”

He hardly swallows before he continues to reveal what has been going on for the past nine weeks. Honestly, those past weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster.

“I’ve been trying to help her discover what happened because as you can imagine, it’s a lot to take in.”

His heart is going crazy in his chest, and he’s barely able to look at his family as he proceeds with the story.

“She’s part of the Shadows, and I reached out to Mister Song to help us unveil her past.”   

They remain in silence, letting Jungkook speak. The man takes then an unreadable expression on his face to protect himself from what is about to come. He hates that he has to do it with his family, but he has to.

“Mister Song told us that thirty years ago, a Shadow woman ran away with a human,” his heart beats faster. His eyes move to his mother, hoping that she recalls that incident.

“Oh yeah, I remember that,” she says. “The Shadows couldn’t find them so they reached out to your father. After ten years, they managed to find them and their child.”

Jungkook bites his lower lip and he’s not sure how to continue with the story. Does he say now that you’re a hybrid? Does he maintain the mystery any longer?

“Well, we found out that the child was never killed,” he explains while avoiding saying that Sungmin spared your life. “And that child is the mother of mine.”

For a moment, the room is filled with a sharping silence. Jungkook doesn’t look away, trying to understand their expressions. They are all speechless, but he can see anger forming in his mother’s eyes. He was expecting it; she has never messed with the rules. He admires her for following the rules, not everybody does it, but this time around, it will be hard for her. He’s not going to abandon you because of your true nature. 

Mingi and Hyunjin are surprised but seem intrigued by all of this. Jungkook can see that curious flicker in their eyes. Dohee seems utterly shocked, but her expression softens when her eyes meet her brother’s. Namjoon seems mind-blown. And Jisoo, the matriarch, looks angry.  

“What?” Namjoon is the first one to break the silence. “A hybrid has been living for thirty years and nobody ever found out.”

Jungkook nods. “Yep.”

“A hybrid?” Mingi says. “That’s cool,” he continues.

“Mingi,” the mother’s harsh voice echoes in the room. “Hybrids are forbidden, there’s absolutely nothing cool about them,” her eyes now move to Jungkook. “And you, my son,” she’s very angry. “You know what you have to do.”

As he hears her words, a strong feeling of protection grows in him. Even if she’s his mother, she can’t tell him what to do, especially when it includes you.  

“No,” his tone is firm. “There won’t be any killing.”

“Neither the baby nor her can exist, son,” she responds.

“Like I said, there won’t be any killing,” his voice is calm, but still very firm.

Dohee, Mingi, Hyunjin, and Namjoon watch in disbelief the scene displaying in front of their eyes. It’s the first time Jungkook is using that tone on their mother, and it’s also the very first time he’s not agreeing with her. It seems like an unrealistic moment.

“She’s a hybrid, for fuck’s sake,” she swears, catching everybody off guard. “She can’t exist! It’s already a miracle she managed to live up until now, but you have to end her life right now before anybody else ever finds out about her.”

“Do you hear yourself, mom?” he says. “You’re talking about killing someone like it’s the same as making a cake. We’re talking about a life. In this case, even about two lives.”

The king runs his fingers through his hair, a sign that he’s extremely nervous. He knew his mother wouldn’t accept any of this, but it’s harder than he imagined. He hates to be standing against her. She has always been by his side, supporting him whenever he needed it.   

“I’m not saying it like that, but the rules are the rules,” she says.

“Then, fuck the rules!” he swears.

Now, everybody is surprised by his words. This isn’t the Jungkook they used to know; he’s been always composed and now, it seems to be losing it.

“Jungkook,” Dohee tries to intervene.

“Don’t Jungkook me,” he says to his sister.

He’s trying to stay calm, but it’s getting harder. Nobody seems to understand what he’s feeling.

“It’s easy for everybody to follow the rules when it doesn’t involve your child,” his voice tone gets higher. “I got attached to that baby even if they’re not born yet. I constantly hear their heartbeat every time I’m around her, and I can’t put an end to their life. It’s a big no,” he’s very firm. “It’s my child we’re talking about.”  

Tears start forming in his eyes, and his mother’s heart breaks as she hears his words. It makes her realize the complexity of the situation. For a moment, she puts herself in his shoes, trying to understand him.

When she found out that she was pregnant with Jungkook, it was the most beautiful day of her life. She desired her entire life to become a mother, and after her marriage, that desire only grew bigger. Hearing her son’s faint heartbeat was such an appeasing sound, and it was the prettiest sound she ever heard.

So, imagining that she needed to terminate the pregnancy because that child is a hybrid breaks her heart. It’s a decision she’s not sure she’ll be able to make. But the rules are the rules. Even if her grandchild will have more wolf blood than human blood, that doesn’t change the fact that the mother is a hybrid. She shouldn’t even exist in the first place.

“And she’s my soulmate,” his voice breaks.

Jungkook has been pushing aside the nature of his feelings for you, but after yesterday’s events, he finally realized it. You’re his soulmate. You’re the person that destiny chose for him. You’re the person with whom he’s supposed to mate. It’s a powerful bond that nobody will ever be able to break.

“I will protect her at all costs,” he adds.

His mother closes her eyes in disbelief.

“There’s nothing we can say, then,” Dohee concludes. “Except for Mingi, we all know how it feels to be around your soulmate, how powerful the love is, how deep the connection is, and what we’ll do to save our soulmates. For sure, she’s not supposed to exist, but destiny bonded her to you, our king. You have all powers, and we all know you’ll put her safety first,” she quickly looks at her husband. “I can’t blame you, Kookie. In your shoes, I would do the same. I’d save and protect Namjoon even if he was a hybrid.”

Jungkook looks at his mother, expecting now a reaction from her. Like Dohee said, she should know how he feels. For sure, his situation is messy as hell, but there’s not much he can do. If he kills you, he’ll forever be dead on the inside. A soulmate is a one-time thing; he doesn’t get to have two soulmates. 

“This is like a movie, but better,” Mingi says with a playful smile on his face. “Our brother, known as the werewolf king, falls in love with a hybrid, a forbidden species in our world, and he got her pregnant.”

“Stop being silly, Ming,” Hyunjin strikes his elbow against Mongi’s. “This is serious.”

“Rooh,” Mingi says. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood. I know it’s serious, but as Dohee said, there’s nothing we can do. The hybrid is Jk’s soulmate so we better accept the situation and help him. That’s it.”

Mingi makes everything sound so easy, as he always does. His chill, laid-back, and easygoing nature makes him the most relaxed of all the siblings, and in moments like this, it’s exactly what’s needed.

“The hybrid’s name is yn,” Jungkook says once he realizes he didn’t even say your name.

“Son,” Jisoo says as she opens her eyes. “In between us, we can accept it because we know what she represents for you. But how will the others react when they realize that yn, their possible future queen, is a hybrid, and that the next heir is not of pure blood?”

Hearing his mother say that you’ll probably be the next queen makes him feel weird, but in a good way. The words catch him off guard at first, a mix of surprise and uncertainty flickering through him. But the thought of having you by his side, not just as a partner but as his equal, makes his chest swell with a warmth he didn’t expect. Maybe, just maybe, the idea of you as queen is a future he wouldn’t mind embracing. 

“We all know how they will react,” she pauses for a moment. “They will try to kill her. Soulmate or not.”

“I don’t care,” he honestly replies. “I will protect her from everything and anything.”

No matter what people say, he’ll do whatever he can to keep you safe. He’s a king so he has the resources to protect you, and he also hopes that his authority as king might protect you as well.

“Okay,” the matriarch answers. “Then, if you don’t mind, I’d like to meet her.”

A smile appears on her face. It’s not easy, but she’s ready to make an effort for her son. She’ll try to accept this all because you’re his soulmate. However, she needs to meet you first so she can see what kind of person you are.

“Okay,” he smiles. “I’ll arrange that.”

The tension slowly fades away and the family continues the dinner while talking of other things. Jungkook is aware of the fight waiting for him, and he knows it won’t be easy, but you’re worth it.

[seitmai]

Many thoughts...

You hadn't opened your eyes yet when you felt Bucky’s fingers brush along your stomach in an almost hypnotic motion. You didn't know what time it was or what was going on in the world outside, but you knew you were in his arms and would be in his bed soon enough. Sleeping with someone next to you wasn’t something you were completely used to. It had been so long, and when it did happen it was always by choice.

Yeah choice is not really an option here 🥴

“See, here's the thing…” You suddenly pulled yourself from his grasp and turned in time to smack him in his face with the pillow. His shocked expression was worth it. “I don’t remember the rest of my dream because some entitled jerk pounded on my door in the middle of the night and punched a hole in the wall.”

Fair 🤷🏻‍♀️

You did it again, your frustration fueled more as he kept laughing. “Sleep is precious to me,” you said, nodding to his lower region. “You’re lucky I don't smack that with the pillow.” He took it from your grasp before you could try. “Okay, it was shitty of me to show up when I did. I’ll give you that,” he said, reaching out to touch your cheek. “But I really did miss you.”

Shitty is an understatement

“Fuck, doll, I’m so hard for you,” he moaned. You counted to three in your head and brushed your teeth a little harder, faster, trying to block him out. Maybe if you ignored him he'd shut his mouth. Maybe. “Are you wet for me? Come to bed and let me take care of you. I'll make you melt on my tongue.”

Not even peace and quiet while brushing your teeth, my nightmare 🥲

You swallowed hard, but smiled. “Coffee with cream and sugar, eggs sunny side up, and bacon, right? Right,” you said, proudly walking with confidence from the room. “Clean up after yourself when you’re done.” “I’ll clean you up, too, after I make a mess of you,” he stated, a long moan following as you plopped down on the sofa.

Good god, you can't even ask about a breakfast order with him🥴

“Not really,” he admitted, setting the food out with a frown. “Orgasms take the edge off, but having you close and not having you is difficult.” “Sounds like a you problem,” you uttered.

Hahahaha so true 😂

You were glad for that as well. “Well, it was nice resting somewhere that didn’t have cameras or bugs around the place. Natasha was also nice to talk to,” you said. Meeting her didn’t fully ease your stress, but she helped. Bucky ignored the camera comment.

Of course he did 🤦🏻‍♀️🙄

Likely because of whatever she experienced growing up she looked out for others, though you wondered if part of it was because you were Bucky’s girl. “She offered me a place here in case I ever need space or time to myself., I plan to take her up on that offer.” He was quiet for a moment. “Because you don’t want to be near me.”

🙄😒🙄😒

“She stopped and put a hand to her head while her friend kept walking. I could tell something was wrong and before I knew it I rushed toward her and grabbed her hand when she started to collapse. I pulled her out of the way just in time before a speeding car hit her,” you explained, remembering it like it was yesterday. Your heart had raced so fast when she crumpled in your arms. “Her friend understandably freaked out and flagged a car down to take her to the hospital. She kept thanking me for saving Winnie, but I was still worried about her.” “Winnie.” Bucky swallowed hard and loosened the hold on your hand. “That was her name?”

Oh 👀

“I lied to you during our first date when I said I wish you could’ve met my mother. You did meet her and she did love you,” he said, showing you a photo in his wallet. It was a younger picture of Bucky. He looked full of life and the woman smiling was the very woman you pulled out of the path of the car. “You just didn’t know it.”

🥺🥺🥺

“And imagine my surprise when I had my men look into you just to get facial recognition footage of you saving my mom on the street that fateful day. And footage from the hospital with you sitting there talking with her, bringing her happiness without asking for anything in return,” he said, cupping your cheek as you tried to get over the shock. “I knew I wanted you the moment I saw you, but that just solidified it more. You saved my mom, and gave me more time with her. That’s something that no one else could ever give me.”

That seems a little overkill if you ask me, a simple thank you are a nice bouquet would have been enough

Your lip trembled. You saved his mom’s life, gave him more time with one of the only people he seemed to love and respect. No, that couldn’t be. That couldn’t have been you. “Why didn’t you tell me?” “Because I had scared you enough. Would you have listened or believed me if I told you that so soon?” he asked gently.

That truly doesn't really make it better lol

“Don’t you see now why I’m so desperate to keep you close? To keep you safe? Had I looked into it then, we could’ve met and been together this whole time,” he said, pressing his forehead to yours. “But it’s okay. Fate stepped in and brought us together now.” He traced your lips with his thumb. “We’re going to make up for all the lost time, and never be lonely again, Kotyonok. That’s a promise.”

Promises can be broken, right? 🫣

Something fell apart inside you and you weren’t sure when you began to openly weep, but he silenced your cries with his lips. Maybe he was crying, too, you couldn’t be sure, but he held you tight against him and didn’t let go. You didn't fight him, couldn't fight him. You were the one who asked for answers after all and you got them, didn’t you? And knowing what you knew now, walking away from Bucky was never going to be an option. He would never allow it. Fate wouldn't allow it either.

💔💔💔

Hold You Tight: Part 15

Pairing: Club Owner!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Fic Summary: The owner of The 107th wants you to be his girl whether you like it or not.

Part 14 | Series Masterlist | Part 16

Chapter Word Count: Over 4.6k

Chapter Summary: You learn the root of Bucky's obsession with you.

Chapter Warnings: DARK AU, masturbation, dirty talk, tension, backstory, reference to stalking, inner turmoil, slight feels, talk of violence, angst, Bucky Barnes (he's a warning, okay?), more warnings to come.

A/N: More Hold You Tight and this chapter is... something. Thank you for sticking with me! Bucky edit by the beautiful @nixakimbo . ❤️ Beta read by the lovely @whisperlullaby , but any and all mistakes are my own. Divider by the talented @firefly-graphics . Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

You hadn't opened your eyes yet when you felt Bucky’s fingers brush along your stomach in an almost hypnotic motion. You didn't know what time it was or what was going on in the world outside, but you knew you were in his arms and would be in his bed soon enough. Sleeping with someone next to you wasn’t something you were completely used to. It had been so long, and when it did happen it was always by choice.

You hadn't exactly kicked Bucky out though, had you? No, you invited him in. If only to prevent him from putting another hole in the wall. Natasha said she’d bill him for it, but you were going to make Bucky pay her extra for the inconvenience.

“I know you’re awake,” he murmured, his lips touching your neck. “Your breathing changed.”

“Mmm. You listen to me breathe?” you mumbled. That tracked for him.

“It’s a beautiful sound,” he said, your eyes finally opening when he pulled you closer. Whether it was sleep, being beside you, or both, it had an effect on his… anatomy. You went still when he rocked his hips once, letting you feel just how hard he was. “God, waking up beside you is a dream come true.”

Your fingers dug into the pillow under your head as he rolled his hips again. His fingers didn't drift south, didn't tug at your pajamas. He also didn't stop that slow grind and you hated that a bit of wetness gathered between your thighs. “Did you have good dreams?” you asked, your voice surprisingly even.

“Mmm. I had very good dreams,” he answered, his voice rough. “Would you rather I tell you or show you?”

Neither. That was what you told yourself. “What about me?” you asked. “You don’t want me to tell you about my dreams?”

“Tell me,” he urged, burying his face in your shoulder.

“I dreamt about you, Bucky. You laying beside me in bed, holding me close. Just like this,” you said, his groan permeating your skin. “Do you want me to keep going?”

His teeth gently sank into your shoulder, making you gasp. “Yes,” he growled.

“Okay,” you smiled, pushing your hips back just a little to tease him. “I dreamt that you touched me. So hot it made me feel like I was on fire.”

Another groan escaped. “Where, Kotyonok? Where did I touch you?” he asked, his voice strained.

“See, here's the thing…” You suddenly pulled yourself from his grasp and turned in time to smack him in his face with the pillow. His shocked expression was worth it. “I don’t remember the rest of my dream because some entitled jerk pounded on my door in the middle of the night and punched a hole in the wall.”

He chuckled as he sat up, his hair falling in his eyes. It was a gorgeous sight and it wasn't fair. “Did you just hit me with a pillow?”

You did it again, your frustration fueled more as he kept laughing. “Sleep is precious to me,” you said, nodding to his lower region. “You’re lucky I don't smack that with the pillow.”

He took it from your grasp before you could try. “Okay, it was shitty of me to show up when I did. I’ll give you that,” he said, reaching out to touch your cheek. “But I really did miss you.”

“I understand that, but it was one day,” you argued, shivering when his thumb moved along your skin. He went a single day without you and lived to tell the tale.

Pain filled his eyes. “But I already went so long without you.”

You sighed, pulling away and searching for your phone so you could check the time. “I need caffeine before we have our talk.”

Bucky looked down at himself. “And I need to take care of this.” He smirked at your expression. “Don't worry. As much as I want to be inside you, our first time won't be here.”

That was a relief. “But you do plan to fuck me here at some point.”

“Natasha let that slip, huh?” He stood up with a stretch and you looked away. “I plan to make love to you and fuck you, too. The best of both worlds.”

“How considerate.” You stretched, too, his eyes following you. “Let me use the bathroom before you jerk off in there, please.”

“You're welcome to listen,” he smiled.

He’d probably put on a show if he knew you were listening. “I’m going to sit in the other room once I’m done and order breakfast. Would you like anything?”

He looked touched that you considered that. “Coffee with cream and sugar, eggs sunny side up, and bacon, please.”

“Okay,” you said, rushing to the bathroom before he could follow.

“I might just jerk off in bed if you’re in there,” he called out as you shut the door.

“Be my guest!”

You swore you heard a chuckle as you went about your business, going to the bathroom, brushing your teeth. Ignoring him didn’t last when you heard a soft groan. Jesus, the man had absolutely no shame.

“Fuck, doll, I’m so hard for you,” he moaned.

You counted to three in your head and brushed your teeth a little harder, faster, trying to block him out. Maybe if you ignored him he'd shut his mouth. Maybe.

“Are you wet for me? Come to bed and let me take care of you. I'll make you melt on my tongue.”

Spitting harder in the sink than you needed to, you gripped the porcelain once you rinsed your mouth out. You had no doubt he’d eat you out like a starved man. Would he make you take him in your throat soon? Fuck your face until you drooled and cried or would he be gentle and let you get used to the weight of him on your tongue?

“I know you can hear me.” His voice was sinful, dark, and you scrubbed your skin so hard when you washed your face you were stunned you didn’t hurt yourself. “Sure you don’t wanna come out and see what you do to me? Maybe show me your pretty pussy? I can jerk off on it and spread it all over those pretty lips.”

You bit your lip, wishing your knees didn’t feel weak. “Bucky, please.”

He groaned louder, his breathing labored. Your breathing was a little heavier, too. “Say it again, I’m almost there.”

All you had to do was open the door to see if his pupils were dilated, if there was heat in his cheeks. Was his hair still a mess from sleeping? Would he make a show of stroking his cock? “Bucky, hurry up,” you demanded.

He chuckled, a breathy sound. “Can’t wait for you to say that before I fuck you.” Your eyes shut as he let out another obscene groan. “Before I fill you full of me.”

“Just go to the sitting area,” you muttered to yourself, not looking at your reflection in the mirror.

You left the bathroom with the hope of avoiding his gaze, but you made the mistake of looking at the bed. He was in the middle of it, looking every bit like a king. His lower half was covered by the blanket, but you could see that his right hand was under there, still stroking himself. His chest heaved, his eyes half lidded as you stared at each other. You had to break yourself from that spell, even if the man was jerking off to the thought of you.

“Like what you see?” he rasped.

You swallowed hard, but smiled. “Coffee with cream and sugar, eggs sunny side up, and bacon, right? Right,” you said, proudly walking with confidence from the room. “Clean up after yourself when you’re done.”

“I’ll clean you up, too, after I make a mess of you,” he stated, a long moan following as you plopped down on the sofa.

Guess he finished.

Once it was quiet enough in the bedroom, you ordered breakfast. You still needed a shower, if only to cool yourself off and get rid of the wetness that seeped out thanks to Bucky. You weren’t sure if you trusted him not to join you or try to watch and had a feeling he’d make you shower and bathe with him once you moved in.

Bucky, for his part, didn’t come out until there was a knock on the door minutes later. Any trace of his earlier transgression was gone, looking more put together, but there was still tension in the air. You remained silent as he thanked whomever was at the door once he checked the breakfast cart himself and wheeled it to the small table. He even pulled out a chair for you, staring at you with a soft gaze until you went to join him.

“Feel better?” you asked.

“Not really,” he admitted, setting the food out with a frown. “Orgasms take the edge off, but having you close and not having you is difficult.”

“Sounds like a you problem,” you uttered.

He sat down and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Why did you invite me in this morning?”

“I told you I was tired,” you said, which you were.

He hummed, taking a bite of his eggs. “You could’ve told me to leave, have Natasha call security, anything, but you didn’t do any of that. You didn’t make me sleep on the sofa either,” he said with a knowing smile. “Admit it, you wanted me in bed with you.”

“I will not admit that,” you said quickly. It wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true.

He shrugged. “Maybe you were testing to see if I’d stay true to my word and not force myself on you or maybe you actually missed me more than you want to admit to yourself. Either way, I’m glad you did. Best sleep I can remember in a long time.”

Admitting anything would be admitting defeat and you couldn’t do that to yourself. “It wasn’t even a full night’s sleep,” you pointed out. It was after two in the morning when he showed up.

“Doesn’t matter. I still slept well because I was holding you,” he smiled softly, nodding to your plate. “Please, eat. The food here is really good.”

You poked your food around before you dug in. He said things like that and it fueled your guilt for not giving in or fully accepting your new life. You weren’t going to romanticize anything he did though.

“You said we had some things to talk about,” he said after a minute. “I’m all ears.”

You took a large sip of your coffee first. “Yeah, like Ray following me. It was meant to be a day to myself and you had me followed,” you said, watching for his reaction. As expected, he didn’t look the least bit ashamed. “I don’t expect an apology from you because you’ll harp that it was for my own good, but you can understand my frustration that you didn’t let me know, right?”

That was one of the things that bothered you the most. The half answers and missing pieces and being kept in the dark. How much of it was for your own good and how much was it because he didn’t want you frightened more?

“I did have you followed and my instinct proved to be correct that you needed eyes on you. Also proves that you need to move in as soon as possible,” he said, your heart sinking. Of course he was twisting this to justify himself and get what he wanted. “But I get your frustration. It’s a big change for you, having eyes on you at all times.”

“Because of you.” You ignored the flicker of hurt in his eyes. This was all because he chose you. “Why Ray?”

“He’s good at his job, I trust him, and you seem to trust him,” he replied. You did to an extent. “I’m glad he suggested this place to you since you weren’t exactly interested in spending the rest of your day at home.”

You were glad for that as well. “Well, it was nice resting somewhere that didn’t have cameras or bugs around the place. Natasha was also nice to talk to,” you said. Meeting her didn’t fully ease your stress, but she helped.

Bucky ignored the camera comment. “She can bend the will of many men to do what she wants,” he said. There was respect there, even a hint of fondness. “Unsurprisingly, she’s protective of you, which is good.”

Likely because of whatever she experienced growing up she looked out for others, though you wondered if part of it was because you were Bucky’s girl. “She offered me a place here in case I ever need space or time to myself., I plan to take her up on that offer.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Because you don’t want to be near me.”

Putting your hand on his across the table, he immediately reacted to your touch. It was time to take a lesson from Natasha’s book and sway him. “Because we both need that space and moments to ourselves, just like we both need our friends. And any time apart will only make things more meaningful when we’re back together,” you stressed. Like you were stubborn in accepting your fate, he was stubborn in not wanting separation from you in the slightest. “I already feel like a prisoner of sorts in this relationship, so is it really too much to ask for a bit of a longer leash?”

“I’ll worry when you’re not nearby,” he admitted.

Your heart clenched, but you couldn’t allow that sweetness to manipulate you. “Because of men like Helmut Zemo?” you asked. Bucky gripped his fork tight. “You know, it’s a little convenient that the day you give me to myself is the day he shows up.”

What if it was a ruse for Bucky to not give you more days to yourself?

“I can see why you’d think that. I'd be suspicious if the roles were reversed,” he said, a hardened look crossing his face. “But I don’t want him anywhere near you and wouldn’t set you up that way.”

You were still a little suspicious, but the way Bucky, Ray, and Natasha reacted regarding Zemo told you that none of them had any idea he’d pop up. “Why not?”

“Because he isn’t a good person and shouldn’t have gone near you,” he said. You raised an eyebrow at that. “I’m not a good person either, but he’s something else.”

“What do you mean?” you asked. There was a story there and you needed answers.

“He’s rich, powerful, like me in many ways, but the difference is he once had a wife and kid who were his whole world. Something I’ve longed for and never had.”

You tried not to tense up, but that was where you came in for Bucky. He wanted you to make that dream a reality. “Had?” you asked, noticing he referred to Zemo’s family in the past tense.

Bucky nodded sadly. “A few years ago they were… collateral damage in a deal gone wrong. The loss changed him. He grew colder, more ruthless,” he explained. You were glad you finished eating because you weren’t sure you could stomach a bite after that. “Our work relationship has been shaky ever since then because he blames some of the men I’ve worked with for what happened and I feel like he’s been biding his time and waiting to strike.”

“‘Collateral damage’? It was his wife and child,” you said. Zemo may not have been a good person, but you had no doubt his family was innocent.

“I didn’t mean for it to sound heartless,” he said.

“And what? Him setting his sights on me, is it a game? Is he going to hurt me?” you asked, tears instantly filling your eyes. You were afraid all over again. “Will he try to kill me?” you whispered. Bucky’s associates were loyal to him as far as you knew. If Zemo blamed them in some way, what better way to hurt them than to hurt someone their boss cared about? A loss for a loss.

“No,” he said fiercely, pushing his chair back so fast and hard that it hit the floor. A tear fell when he rushed around, dropping to his knees beside your chair. “I don’t know what his angle is yet, but I’m going to find out and I won’t let him hurt you.”

“How can you guarantee that?” you asked.

“I can’t, but I have to try because I can’t lose you, too,” he whispered, wiping your tears away. “We don’t even have to wait until the end of the month for you to move in. I can have your apartment packed up while you’re out with your friends.”

You pulled away from his touch. “No,” you whispered back. Moving in sooner wouldn't help. “You owe me more answers.”

He let out a breath. “Kotyonok-”

“No!” you snapped, moving back in your chair. “Why are you so obsessed with me? And don’t just tell me that it was the connection of seeing me at the club and realizing we’re two lonely souls meant to be together. There is something there that no one is telling me and I need to know.”

Whether it was for closure or sealing your fate, it would drive you crazy to not know.

Bucky took your hands and pulled you up, a detached look taking over his features as he led you to the sofa. The look frightened you more than his leers or glares. Had you pushed too far?

“I told you my dad was an unfaithful partner to my mom, but he was worse. Much worse,” he began, gently squeezing your hand. “We always had money, more than we knew what to do with, but it was never enough for him. He stole from his partners and was careful to cover his tracks, but he slipped up one day. And when that day came, he shifted the blame to my mom. Convinced them enough that they believed him when everyone knew my mom would never steal a penny.”

Your mouth fell open when he audibly exhaled, a broken sound. “Bucky… I…” You didn’t know what to say.

“They didn’t kill her, but they nearly did. She couldn’t even see me when I showed up because her eyes were so swollen. She was hardly breathing,” he continued in a hurt tone, pulling his hand free of yours to remove the glove from his left hand. Your eyes weren’t deceiving you the night he showed up at your apartment. His hand was made out of some sort of metal. “Lost my arm getting her out of there.”

He held it out so you could touch it. “You lost your arm?” you asked, your fingers grazing the metal ever so gently. You had never seen anything like it.

He shuddered. Could he feel that? “It was worth it for the woman who brought me into this world, raised me, and loved me unconditionally,” he said without regret. “And my dad? He just kept whoring around, and told his associates that she had to learn her lesson the hard way. He couldn't admit the truth.”

Your eyes misted over. How could his dad do that to his mom? To Bucky? “I’m so sorry.”

He blinked rapidly and you wondered if he had tears in his eyes, too. “It took her a long time to recover and she never fully did, but she tried to make the best of it. She still had her spirit, and kept her distance from my dad in our home. Some of my friends even made sure my dad wouldn’t go near her,” he said, smiling wistfully. How could she handle staying there? Was it for her son? “Because she never fully recovered though, I almost lost her again over four years ago.”

“What happened?”

“Before I answer that.” He shifted to face you, awe in his eyes. “Have you ever saved a life?”

“What?” you asked, thrown by the question.

“Have you ever saved anyone?” he asked again.

“No, I’m not a hero. I…” you trailed off before a vivid memory filled your mind. “Actually, I did once.”

“Yeah?” he asked, but he sounded as if he already knew.

“Yeah. There was this older woman walking across the street with a friend or relative one day, I’m not sure,” you said, wincing when he gripped your hand. “Bucky, you-”

“Tell me what happened,” he begged.

“She stopped and put a hand to her head while her friend kept walking. I could tell something was wrong and before I knew it I rushed toward her and grabbed her hand when she started to collapse. I pulled her out of the way just in time before a speeding car hit her,” you explained, remembering it like it was yesterday. Your heart had raced so fast when she crumpled in your arms. “Her friend understandably freaked out and flagged a car down to take her to the hospital. She kept thanking me for saving Winnie, but I was still worried about her.”

“Winnie.” Bucky swallowed hard and loosened the hold on your hand. “That was her name?”

“Yeah.” You gave him a strange look when he inhaled sharply. “I stopped at the hospital to donate flowers like usual and I asked one of the doctors I knew pretty well if anyone named Winnie had checked in. I knew she couldn’t tell me yes or no and I didn’t have any other information to give her, but I did ask if she could make sure she got a vase if she was there.”

“Did you ever see her again?” he asked, his voice thick.

You nodded after a moment. “Yeah, I did. I went back maybe a week later and she spotted me by chance as she was being wheeled to her room. She said I could stop in if I wanted to, so I did,” you smiled softly. “She said my flowers brightened up her room and I asked how she knew they were from me because I never put my name on the cards. She said she just knew. I made sure to bring her flowers the next time I visited.”

A sniffle pulled you from the memory and Bucky looked like he was trying hard not to break down. “You kept visiting her?”

“I did. She didn’t always say much because she was tired some days, but seemed to like it when I read to her. Said her son liked to read to her, too, but I never saw him stop by,” you answered sadly. She was a kind woman and it broke your heart that she didn’t get a lot of visitors. “Then one day, her room was empty. No one could tell me anything. I don’t know if she went home or passed or what happened. It was like she just vanished.’”

“She was brought home before she passed away days later,” Bucky said, his hand shaky as he took his wallet out.

You stared at him. “How do you…” He said he knew you donated specific flowers to the hospital. The same kind of flowers you gave to Winnie. “Bucky, what are you-”

“I lied to you during our first date when I said I wish you could’ve met my mother. You did meet her and she did love you,” he said, showing you a photo in his wallet. It was a younger picture of Bucky. He looked full of life and the woman smiling was the very woman you pulled out of the path of the car. “You just didn’t know it.”

“Winnie…” you whispered, feeling like the wind was knocked out of you. “She was your mom.”

The kind woman you saved by chance was the mother of Bucky Barnes.

“Her full name was Winifred. I only visited her during off hours so it wouldn’t attract any attention. Used a fake last name for her records, too, so no one would know that a Barnes was in the hospital,” he said, tucking his wallet away. “She used to talk about this sweet woman who saved her and brought her flowers, but she couldn’t remember her name. With her mind slipping, it didn’t surprise me and I was too caught up in other things to fully look into it because I knew she was safe and this person didn’t mean any harm.”

Your mouth was agape, trying to process everything when he bitterly laughed. “You…”

“Dad never stopped by, of course. Not that I would’ve let him, the piece of shit.” His metal hand curled as anger flashed across his face. “And this person couldn’t have been like my dad and the cowardly men who thought it was okay to beat up a woman. Men like Alexander Pierce, Brock Rumlow, Jasper Sitwell.”

Those were some of the names Zemo mentioned. “Oh, my god.”

“You know, one of the last things she said to me was that she hoped I found my other half one day. To love her completely, hold her tight, and never let her go,” he said, an odd smile on his face. “I only wish she was alive so she could see us together.”

You gasped. He took those words to heart, twisted them into something dark and possessive. “I-”

“I told you that traditional dating never worked for me,” he cut you off. “Seeing you in my club, it all made sense as to why.”

You couldn't find the words, too lost to speak up if you tried.

“And imagine my surprise when I had my men look into you just to get facial recognition footage of you saving my mom on the street that fateful day. And footage from the hospital with you sitting there talking with her, bringing her happiness without asking for anything in return,” he said, cupping your cheek as you tried to get over the shock. “I knew I wanted you the moment I saw you, but that just solidified it more. You saved my mom, and gave me more time with her. That’s something that no one else could ever give me.”

Your lip trembled. You saved his mom’s life, gave him more time with one of the only people he seemed to love and respect. No, that couldn’t be. That couldn’t have been you. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I had scared you enough. Would you have listened or believed me if I told you that so soon?” he asked gently.

“I don’t know,” you breathed. You weren’t sure what to think anymore.

“Don’t you see now why I’m so desperate to keep you close? To keep you safe? Had I looked into it then, we could’ve met and been together this whole time,” he said, pressing his forehead to yours. “But it’s okay. Fate stepped in and brought us together now.” He traced your lips with his thumb. “We’re going to make up for all the lost time, and never be lonely again, Kotyonok. That’s a promise.”

Something fell apart inside you and you weren’t sure when you began to openly weep, but he silenced your cries with his lips. Maybe he was crying, too, you couldn’t be sure, but he held you tight against him and didn’t let go. You didn't fight him, couldn't fight him. You were the one who asked for answers after all and you got them, didn’t you?

And knowing what you knew now, walking away from Bucky was never going to be an option. He would never allow it. Fate wouldn't allow it either.

A lot to unpack there, lovelies! Bucky sort of behaved. He believes fate brought you together . What do you think? And what will happen next? Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[gf2bellamy]

hi lovely

i was contemplating another one too i hope this doesn’t stress you out !! (please take your time, im quite a patient person) also it’s 3am rn i woke up in the middle of the night so yay

i dont know if it would work but one where it’s a secret relationship but randomly they (reader n spencer) just say eff it and go FULL pda (you can decide whether it’s like holding hands, making out or anything in between !!) in the bullpen / on the jet and everyone else just goes CRAZY

if it doesn’t work just ignore. i’ll get better ideas soon TRUST

yours truly

- 🐚

indifferent — spencer reid

pairing: spencer reid x reader ( no use of y/n ) content warnings: mention of being tired from a case, a/n: HIII 🐚 sorry if this took so long i'm not even gonna lie when i tell you i rewrote this like 6 times , i gave it my best - i still hope you like this <3333

The jet hummed softly beneath you as you sank into your seat, exhaustion clinging to you. The case had drained you—physically, mentally and emotionally. You sighed, letting your body melt into the plush leather, barely holding yourself upright.

“I’m so tired,” you mumbled, eyes already half-lidded as you shifted in search of a comfortable position.

Just as your eyes fluttered shut, you heard the familiar sound of movement nearby. You cracked one eye open to see Spencer standing over you, carefully stowing your go-bag into the overhead compartment.

“It’s a long flight. You should sleep,” he said softly, settling beside you.

You hummed in response, too tired to argue. You felt the warmth of him beside you before you even opened your eyes again. His hand found your thigh without hesitation, his thumb beginning to trace slow, soothing circles through the fabric of your pants.

It was muscle memory at this point, something he did without thinking—whether you were curled up on the couch at home, sitting together in a car, or now, here, on the jet.

You sighed, leaning your head back against the seat, letting your body sink further into the soft leather. The jet was quiet, just the two of you. You glanced at Spencer, who mirrored your movement, his head resting against the seat, his warm brown eyes searching yours with a softness that made your heart flutter.

Neither of you spoke for a moment. The silence was comfortable.

With a sleepy smile, you mumbled, “Do you want to come over tonight?”

Spencer’s lips quirked up at the corners, a faint smile tugging at his tired features. Without hesitation, he nodded. That was all the confirmation you needed, and a warmth spread through your chest.

He reached up, his fingers barely brushing against your cheek as he tucked a loose strand of hair behind your ear. The soft touch sent a shiver through you, and you leaned into it, resting your head on his shoulder.

The quiet was interrupted by the sound of footsteps—the rest of the team making their way onto the jet. But Spencer didn’t move his hand from your thigh; his fingers continued to trace gentle patterns through the fabric. You turned to look at him in surprise, but he just smiled back at you, an expression so warm it made your heart skip a beat.

The others plopped into their seats in front of you, with Derek and Emily settling into the row just across from you.

“I’m so exhausted,” Emily sighed dramatically, rubbing her temples as she stared at the two of you. Her eyes lingered for a moment longer than necessary, clearly surprised by your closeness, the way you were cuddled together so easily. Derek raised an eyebrow, a knowing grin tugging at his lips.

Even Hotch and Rossi, making their way toward their seats at the back, glanced up quickly, their eyes meeting briefly before they turned away. But no one said anything.

Half an hour passed, and you still hadn’t managed to fall asleep. You sighed loudly, letting your head slump slightly against Spencer’s shoulder in frustration. It felt like your body wanted to rest, but your mind just wouldn’t quiet down.

Spencer noticed the shift in your mood. He looked down at you, brow furrowing slightly.

“Can’t fall asleep?” he asked, his voice soft, laced with concern.

You mumbled a tired “No...” and sighed again.

Spencer was already processing this, his brain working overtime, as it often did. His gaze drifted away for a moment and then, just like that, he launched into his usual ramble.

“You know, water is really effective for helping people fall asleep,” he began, tilting his head slightly. “It’s the hydration, really. It helps regulate your body’s temperature and keeps your nervous system functioning properly, which is essential for sleep. The brain needs hydration to produce melatonin. Oh, and the temperature of the water matters, too! Too cold or too hot, and it’ll have the opposite effect. Ideally, you want it lukewarm.”

You couldn’t help but smile, even in your tired state. You always loved how he would share his knowledge, no matter how random the topic.

He didn’t seem to notice how you were still half-dazed, his voice continuing as he leaned in slightly.

“And if you drink it right before bed, it helps slow down the body’s metabolism, which prepares you for sleep.”

"I didn't know that." You smiled, leaning into his shoulder again, your hand finding his.

“You want some water?” Spencer asked, his voice softer now.

You nodded sleepily. “Yeah... that sounds nice.”

Emily crossed her arms, her gaze flicking toward the direction Spencer had walked off in before settling back on you with a knowing smirk.

“Oh, come on,” she scoffed, tilting her head. “We’re not that oblivious.”

You blinked innocently. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Derek, who had been staring out the window with his headphones on just moments ago, now turned his full attention to you, an amused grin spreading across his face. He pulled his headphones down around his neck and glanced between you and Emily.

“So, let me get this straight,” Derek said, leaning forward slightly. “You expect us to believe that you and Pretty Boy over there just casually cuddle up on the jet like that?” He raised an eyebrow. “And that little thigh-touching thing? That’s just friendly behavior?”

Your face warmed, but you did your best to keep your expression neutral. “We were tired,” you reasoned.

Emily snorted. “Right. And I suppose if I go back there and ask Spencer, he’ll say the exact same thing?”

Your silence was enough of an answer.

Derek let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Man, I gotta say, I’m actually impressed. I didn’t think Reid of all people could pull off a secret relationship for this long.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at your lips. Before you could respond, Spencer returned, holding a bottle of water in one hand and—predictably—a cup of coffee in the other. He slid back into his seat beside you, handing you the water with a small smile.

“Here, lukewarm. It’s the best temperature for—”

“Melatonin production, hydration, metabolism... I was listening, Doctor Reid. Thank you.” You shrugged with a wink, fully aware of how much he loved to share his knowledge.

Spencer’s eyes brightened as you took the bottle from him and sipped it. He always worried people weren’t paying attention, and it seemed like you’d just passed his test.

With a soft smile, he leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to your temple, his lips lingering for just a moment too long before he reluctantly pulled away.

He turned back to face the rest of the team, his posture stiffening slightly as his gaze met Derek’s raised eyebrow and Emily’s wide, disbelieving eyes.

You could feel Spencer tense up beside you, and you couldn’t help but grin, leaning slightly against his shoulder as you watched the reactions unfold.

Derek chuckled, his disbelief evident. “Wow... Since when are you two...?” He trailed off, clearly caught off guard.

You tilted your head slightly, an innocent smile playing at the corners of your lips. The whole team had always been close, but no one had ever suspected that you and Spencer had been quietly keeping a secret relationship. Of course, that secret wasn’t exactly a secret anymore.

You could feel the gaze of Rossi and Hotch from across the aisle, both men just as silent but sizing up the situation. You almost swore you saw Rossi’s lips twitching in amusement.

Maybe they’d already known, maybe they’d suspected it.

"Penelope is going to have a field day with this," Emily muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing as she gave you a pointed look.

You smiled. Penelope would certainly have plenty of fun with this.

Under the table, your hand reached for Spencer’s, fingers intertwining gently as you squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Derek let out another low chuckle, clearly amused. “You two have been sneaking around long enough. I should’ve seen this coming.”

You turned to Derek, narrowing your eyes playfully. “We didn’t exactly sneak around, Derek. We just weren’t broadcasting it to the whole world.”

Derek’s grin turned mischievous again. “Well, I’ll say this much... if you two are gonna go public, I want an invite to the wedding.”

You rolled your eyes, nudging Spencer with your shoulder. “You’re impossible, Derek.”

You let out a quiet, playful sigh, shrugging your shoulder casually as you twirled Spencer's fingers between your own.

You glanced up, meeting Hotch’s usually stoic eyes. For a brief second, you swore you saw the faintest smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

And with that, the playful teasing continued, but you didn’t mind. Because, with Spencer next to you, everything felt exactly as it should.

[ordinary-barbie]

i burn for you.

rafe cameron x fem!reader.

summary: You hated Rafe Cameron. He lived to annoy you. There couldn't be anything more to your relationship—right?

word count: 3.5k

tags: fem!sassy kook!reader, enemies to lovers, cussing, sexual tension, underage drinking, dry humping, sappy ending

title from "Close to You" by Gracie Abrams!

~ • ~

It is a truth universally acknowledged that whenever you hung out with Sarah Cameron, her older brother Rafe was sure to appear. Didn't matter if it was at Tannyhill or the beach or some random Kook's party. Rafe always showed up at some point, to your utter dismay.

You'd moved to the Outer Banks the summer before ninth grade, feeling like you crash-landed on another planet. Kildare was not a huge place, and everyone else seemed to have known each other since birth, already forming their little cliques. You were a Kook—though you thought the whole "Kooks vs. Pogues" rivalry was pretty silly—but you felt like you couldn't fit in with all the pretty and popular girls. You thought making friends would be hopeless, until Sarah swooped in and took you under her wing.

Sarah was so sweet and funny; she quickly became like the sister you never had. It was just a shame that she had to be related to...him. Rafe Cameron had been the bane of your existence for years. The guy always knew exactly how to push your buttons, whether it was getting into your personal space, snatching stuff out of your hand and refusing to get it back, and constant sarcastic comments—though you could always give as well as you got.

Today you were chilling at Tannyhill with Sarah, watching the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls because she'd somehow gone 19 years without watching one of the most iconic shows of all time. It was such a comfort show for you, and you were happy to be experiencing it with your bestie. Well, until you know who decided to flop down next to you on the couch, radiating with irritating frat boy energy.

"Y'all decided to have a movie night and not invite me?" Rafe fake pouted, putting his arm around you. You scowled, pushing it away.

"First of all, Gilmore Girls is a TV show. And secondly, why would we invite you? Don't need your mouth-breathing self ruining the vibes," you snapped.

Rafe rolled his eyes. "Chill out, princess. I promise I don't have cooties," he replied with a smirk.

"Now that, I highly doubt," you muttered.

Sarah sighed, pausing the episode. "Really guys? This again?" Poor Sarah had been witness to years of arguments between you and Rafe, and you did feel bad that she had to be caught in the middle. But maybe he should be less annoying—then you wouldn't be forced to bite back.

Rafe raised his hands in a show of innocence, though you knew he was anything but. "Hey Sar, I'm just here to watch the show. Not my fault your bestie here wants to bite my head off."

You scoffed, trying your best not to roll your eyes upwards towards oblivion. "Yeah, right, like you give a shit about Gilmore Girls. And I want to bite your head off because you're an insufferable ass."

"So you think about my ass, huh?" Ugh, you wanted to slap that smug look off of his face. You hated how the amused glint in his eyes and his lazy smile stirred feelings in you that you absolutely refused to acknowledge.

"In your fucking dreams, Rafe Cameron," you answered, scowling.

Rafe's smirk grew deeper. "Please, you wish I would dream about you."

"I think I'd rather have a root canal," you snarked.

"Okay, chill! Rafe, either watch the show with us or go away," Sarah said wearily, rubbing at her temples.

Rafe scooted closer to you on the couch, knocking his knee against yours. "I'm down. What do you say, princess?"

Your annoyance had morphed into a slowly simmering rage at Rafe's favorite nickname for you. You forced yourself to take a deep breath and plaster a smile on your face before saying, "Sure, why not?"

You came to regret your decision as soon as Sarah pressed play. While you and Sarah could watch shows together in comfortable silence, only adding occasional commentary, Rafe would not shut the fuck up. He always had something to say, whether it was about the dialogue ("Why the fuck do they talk so fast?") or the characters' appearances ("Lorelai is a fuckin MILF, I gotta admit.") It was a wonder you got through the episode without completely losing your shit.

Before you could at least try to enjoy the second episode, Sarah's phone rang. "It's John B," she explained, smiling sheepishly. She got off the couch and went upstairs to talk to her boyfriend in private.

"Well well well, looks like it's just you and me, princess," Rafe purred, taking the opportunity to put his arm around you again.

Your heart hammered in your chest. You were so close to Rafe that you could smell him—that heady mix of sea salt after an afternoon of surfing with Topper, cologne, and whatever detergent the maid had used to wash his clothes. If this was any other boy, you'd lean in, inhaling the scent. But this was Rafe, so you squirmed out of his grip, your stomach churning.

"Can you behave yourself for one second? You're like a middle schooler," you snapped.

Rafe chuckled. "Relax, princess. Get your panties out of a twist for once."

Your eye twitched. "I'd call you scum, but that would be an insult to scum."

"I love scum, drop the s though," Rafe casually responded, flashing you a lecherous grin.

You pretended to gag. "You're a Neanderthal."

"Keep talking dirty to me, baby, I love it," Rafe said, dramatically clutching his chest.

You were so relieved when you heard Sarah bounding down the stairs. She settled back onto her place on the couch, seemingly unaware of the tension that had sparked up in her absence.

Sarah stared at you and Rafe, arching an eyebrow. "Did y'all manage to behave yourselves while I was gone?"

"Rafe was—"

"Oh, we had a great time together," Rafe interrupted, smirking. "Just hanging out with my bestie!"

"I am not your bestie," you corrected, your voice dripping with venom, though that only amused Rafe more.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Anyway. Who's ready for episode two?"

You picked up the remote and pressed play, immersing yourself in Rory and Lorelai's quirky world. Thankfully, Rafe was quiet—but you couldn't ignore the feeling of his gaze, laser-focused on you the entire time.

Against your better judgment, you'd allowed Sarah to drag you to a party.

Normally, you'd be along for the ride. As long as the music was good and the snacks and drinks were decent, you could vibe, whether it was a frat party at UNC or a bonfire at the beach. But this wasn't just any party; it was a Topper Thornton party. And as Topper's best friend, Rafe would definitely be there.

"You better not make me regret this, Sarah Cameron," you grumbled, fiddling with one of the spaghetti straps on your black tank top.

Sarah just giggled. "C'mon, it'll be fun! I promise."

You weren't holding your breath, but you allowed Sarah to hook your arm in hers and lead you into Topper's house anyway.

"Ladies! Welcome to the shit show," Topper greeted you and Sarah, wrapping his arms around both of you.

Shit show was an apt description. Music was blasting so loudly that it was making the house shake. A sea of people was milling about the place, with dozens of overlapping conversations. There were even loud shrieks and splashes as guests messed around in the Thorntons' pool.

"Oh, _____, Rafe is somewhere around here, I think," Topper said with a smirk.

You rolled your eyes. "As if I would care where Rafe is."

Topper snickered. "Yeah yeah, sure."

Topper was convinced that you and Rafe had a thing for each other, which was, frankly, ridiculous. You and him? Please.

"You gonna get us some drinks or what?" Sarah asked Topper, putting her hands on her hips. Topper gave the two of you salutes and was back in a flash with two red Solo cups full of a bright blue liquid. He and Sarah may have been broken up, but there was still a part of him that was wrapped around her finger.

Sarah downed her drink immediately, but you were more cautious, giving it a sniff first before taking a sip. It tasted like blue Hawaiian punch with a dash of pineapple juice, vodka, and rum—not a terrible combo.

As the party rolled along, you began to loosen up. The playlist was banging, you and Sarah were having the time of your lives dancing, and the best part? Rafe was nowhere to be seen.

You dipped out of the living room area to use the bathroom, and when you came back, Sarah was putting her jean jacket back on, an apologetic smile on her face. "John B says the Pogues are having a bonfire at the beach so I think I'm gonna stop by there. Sofia's gonna pick me up."

You felt a pang of sadness but you understood. The Pogues were important to Sarah, and you weren't gonna keep her from her boyfriend and other friends.

"You wanna come? I'm sure Sofia has extra room in her car," Sarah offered.

You considered the offer for a second, but felt hesitant, as if some invisible tether was keeping you here. (A voice in the back of your head whispered thoughts of a certain guy, but you were quick to shove them to the furthest corner of your mind.) John B was chill, and his friends were always nice to you. But this time, you weren't in the mood for another party.

"Nah, I'll be fine here," you assured Sarah. "Go have fun! But not too much fun."

"Yes mom," Sarah responded, playfully rolling her eyes.

After a few minutes, Sofia arrived to pick up Sarah, leaving you to your own devices. You felt your social battery draining, so you flopped down on one of Topper's living room couches, mindlessly scrolling through social media to pass the time.

“Is this seat taken?” you suddenly heard a husky voice say. You looked up from your phone and were greeted by the sight of Spencer Bingham, who you vaguely knew from having a few classes together back at Kildare Academy.

To put it simply, the guy was cute. He had shaggy light brown hair, twinkling gray eyes, and the most dazzling smile. "Go right ahead," you offered casually, though you were internally swooning.

"So how've you been? I haven't seen you since graduation," Spencer wondered.

"Oh I've been good," you replied, smiling shyly. "Really enjoying it at UNC. How about you?"

Spencer matched your smile, putting his hands behind his head. "Oh I'm great. Loving Penn State and the lacrosse team. Though there are some things I miss about Kildare that I can’t find up north."

You giggled. “And what might those be?”

“Well, the girls, for starters,” Spencer answered, shooting you a flirtatious grin. “Specifically, you.”

Your mouth dropped open. You wouldn’t call yourself ugly, but you hadn’t exactly been Miss Popular with the boys of Kildare. You admittedly harbored a tiny crush on Spencer during junior year, but never even considered that he would be interested in you.

Spencer noticed your shocked expression and chuckled. “Don’t look so surprised! You’re a total catch—I’ve seen your Insta pics.”

You ducked your head down, suddenly feeling shy. Slowly but surely, you were being more confident in your looks and comfortable with your social media photos. You still had to get used to fielding compliments from people though, trying your best to silence that minuscule voice of self-doubt that lurked in the corner of your mind.

Spencer lifted your chin up, forcing you to look into his eyes. “Can…Can I kiss you?” he asked, suddenly more bashful than before.

You nodded, giving him the green light. You’d been kissed before, but it was an unremarkable smooch during a game of truth or dare in tenth grade. Spencer gave you a real kiss—soft and slow, like something out of a rom com.

Eventually the two of you parted, catching your breaths.

You rubbed the back of your neck. “That was—I really liked that, Spencer.”

Spencer grinned. “We could keep doing it, if you want.”

“And what do we have here? The nerd finally hooks up with the jock. So cute.”

You stiffened, scowling at that all-too-familiar voice. “Rafe. I’d say it’s a pleasure to see you, but I’d be lying.”

Rafe snickered, leering at you. “I noticed I hadn’t gotten to bother my favorite person tonight so I went looking for you. Imagine my surprise when I find you sucking face with Bingham. Are the pickings really that slim at PSU, Spence?”

Spencer opened his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it.

"Don't you have some blonde girl with big boobs you could be making out with instead of bothering us?" you snapped.

Rafe's smirk deepened. "Bothering you is more fun, princess. You're pretty hot when you're angry."

Your stomach betrayed you by doing a backflip at Rafe's words. Damn him. "You're insufferable."

"Thanks baby, that means a lot," Rafe smugly answered.

Spencer cleared his throat, looking awkwardly between you and Rafe. "Look...I don't know what's going on here, so I'm gonna go. See you around, ____. Nice chattin' with ya." He flashed you one last smile before getting up, leaving you alone with Rafe. Wonderful.

"What the fuck, Rafe? There was a perfectly nice guy who was totally into me, and you just ruined it." You were absolutely fuming. It was annoying enough that Rafe lived to push your buttons, but to essentially cockblock you as well?

Rafe snorted. "Come on, princess. Bingham couldn't handle a girl like you."

You clenched your jaw, glaring daggers into Rafe. "And what is that supposed to mean?" you demanded.

Rafe crossed his arms, huffing. "He's just not right for you, okay?"

"And how would you know who's right for me?" you asked, arching an eyebrow.

For once, Rafe was silent. You rolled your eyes at him and hopped off the couch, completely done with his bullshit.

"Where ya goin'?" Rafe asked, furrowing his brows.

"Home," you curtly replied. "I'll just walk."

"Right, because it's such a genius idea to walk alone...at night...in those shoes," Rafe snarked. "Let me drive you."

You sneered at him. "No thanks. You're probably drunk anyway."

"'m actually sober, sweetheart," Rafe replied.

You let out a huff of surprise. "Rafe Cameron, not drinking at a party? Either the world is ending or you must've hit your head."

"Jus' didn't feel like drinking tonight, all right? Especially since Sarah asked me to make sure you got home," Rafe said, the tips of his ears turning pink as he looked away from you.

You felt a pang in your chest. You loved Sarah for looking out for you, but you weren't prepared for Rafe to actually care about you or your well-being.

You sighed, not having the energy to argue anymore. "Okay, fine. Take me home."

The drive back to your place was uncharacteristically silent. Normally, whenever Rafe would drive you and Sarah places, he'd have a Spotify playlist blaring, or he'd be running his annoying mouth. But Rafe was focused on the road, not even sparing a second glance at you. You should've enjoyed this, relishing in the quietness. But something just felt...off.

You were relieved when Rafe finally pulled into your driveway. "Hey—thanks for driving me home. I appreciate it."

You went to open your car door, but Rafe put a hand on your shoulder, stopping you. He looked deeply into your eyes, and you felt rooted to your spot, transfixed by his unreadable expression. What you wouldn't give to know what was going through Rafe Cameron's mind right now.

Rafe unbuckled his seatbelt and moved closer to you, cupping your face in his hands. Your heart fluttered in your chest in anticipation. Then, he softly kissed you on the lips.

A million different emotions raced through your mind as you felt his lips on yours. Before you could fully process what was happening, Rafe pulled away, stroking your lower lip. You shivered at his gentle touch.

Rafe cleared his throat, his ears flushing a bright red. "Um. So. Have a good night, princess."

You opened the car door and climbed out, flashing Rafe a nervous smile. "Yeah, have a good night, Rafe."

You found yourself replaying Rafe's kiss in your mind that night. Spencer's kiss had been nice, but Rafe? Of course, he was the one that had your head spinning.

Things had definitely shifted since...that thing happened after Topper's party. You and Rafe, usually firey with each other, had cooled off significantly. You felt like you would combust every time he spared a glance at you. It got to the point where you would refuse Sarah's invitations to Tannyhill, not risking the chance of seeing Rafe around.

Unsurprisingly, Sarah grew tired of both of your bullshit. "You're coming over," she said while the two of you hung out in your room, her voice not leaving any room for argument.

"Sarah, I—"

Sarah held up a hand. "Nope! No excuses! You and Rafe haven't spoken to each other for a week, and it's kinda freaking me out. You're coming over right now and both of you are gonna sort your shit out."

Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off Sarah, so you conceded and agreed to go back to Tannyhill with her. You just had to ignore that your stomach was doing Olympic-level gymnastics at the thought of talking to Rafe.

When you reached Tannyhill, Rafe was on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Sarah whistled to get Rafe's attention and he looked up, blushing furiously at the sight of you. You nervously looked away, wishing you could sprout wings and fly out of there. Why did things have to be so weird?

"I'll leave y'all to it," Sarah said, bounding up the stairs.

Rafe cleared his throat. "So...you wanna sit down?"

You gulped, nodding, and joined Rafe on the couch. You wracked your brain, trying to think of a way to broach the subject you and Rafe had been dancing around for a week. Hey Rafe! So remember when you kissed me that night? I know I hate your guts, but I actually liked that!

"So—"

"Well—"

You and Rafe laughed, slightly easing the tension.

"So...about that kiss," you said, twiddling your thumbs.

Rafe awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "Look, ____. I know I give you a lot of shit, but I actually really like you. Like, a lot. And I fucked around with you because it was the only way I could get your attention. When I saw you with Bingham that night? I was jealous. Because that should be me."

You took a deep breath, trying to process Rafe's words before you went forward with your own confession. "Rafe—I like you too. And I really didn't want to, especially with your charming personality." Rafe snorted.

"I tried so hard to push those feelings down to protect myself," you continued. "But when you kissed me, everything just bubbled to the surface. So I ran away instead of actually dealing with my emotions. I really liked that kiss. And I'm scared of how much I enjoyed it."

Rafe gazed at you fondly, and you felt like you would melt right there on the couch. You wished he would look at you like that for as long as he wanted to.

"You're probably the funniest girl I know. And you're kind, and smart, and hot as fuck," Rafe said, lazily raking his eyes over your body.

"You're all right too, I guess," you replied with mock indifference, shrugging your shoulders.

"You're insufferable," Rafe muttered, rolling his eyes, though there wasn't any real heat to his words.

You smirked. "But you like me anyway."

Rafe grinned. "That's true." He leaned in close, looking at you hesitantly before you silently gave him permission. Rafe kissed you deeply, pinning you to the couch. You eagerly kissed him back, wrapping your arms around him.

"I've been wanting to do this for so fucking long," Rafe admitted, littering the side of your neck with kisses. You let out a whine, arching your back. You were such an idiot. You could’ve been experiencing Rafe’s mouth on you all this time.

“I think little Rafe is trying to say hello,” you wryly remarked, feeling a bulge poking you in the side. Rafe chuckled, his laugh warming your insides.

“So say hi,” Rafe purred in your ear, shifting you so your clothed crotch was right on top of the bulge in his jeans. You started grinding against his clothed erection, the two of you letting out moans of pleasure at the friction between you. You were trying your best to be quiet since Sarah was right upstairs, but it felt so so so good.

“Gonna cum, princess,” Rafe muttered before letting out a grunt. “Fuck…I haven’t cum in my pants like that in a while. You see what you do to me, baby?”

You shyly giggled, burying your face in his neck. Rafe softly smiled at you, kissing your forehead. The two of you laid on the couch, enjoying the comfortable silence before falling asleep.

Click!

Your eyes fluttered open at the intrusion, noticing a grinning Sarah holding her phone at you and Rafe.

Rafe stirred soon afterward. “Baby, what…” he trailed off, noticing his sister. “Sarah?”

“Sorry, but y’all looked too cute,” Sarah replied, giggling.

“I’ll forgive you if you send me that pic,” you said.

Rafe pouted. “Babe, I’m probably drooling and shit.”

You rolled your eyes. “Calm down, it’s not like I’m gonna use it to hard launch us or anything. But it’s scientifically impossible for you to look bad in a photo anyway.”

Rafe smirked. “Wow, you’re really obsessed with me, huh?”

“Shut up,” you muttered, giving Rafe a shove. He just laughed, giving you a peck on the lips.

You and Rafe’s phones both dinged twice with messages from Sarah, one with the candid photo and a follow-up message that said “You guys make me sick ❤️”

You looked at the photo, your heart swelling as you gazed at the image of you and Rafe. You were sleeping soundly, with your face pressed against Rafe's chest and his arms wrapping around your midsection protectively.

"Making this my lockscreen immediately," Rafe said, warming your heart.

Sarah pretended to gag, but she looked fondly at you and Rafe. "Glad y'all finally got your heads out of your asses."

"Me too. Especially Rafe. His was stuck waaay up there," you joked.

Rafe playfully rolled his eyes at you. "I was waiting for you to pull it out, babe."

"Okay, now I'm getting sick again," Sarah deadpanned, flopping down on the couch next to you.

You laughed. "Hey, why don't we watch Gilmore Girls again? I haven't forgotten your Stars Hollow education, Sar."

"Hey, I'm down," Sarah said, finding the remote and turning on Netflix.

"Where did we leave off?" Rafe asked.

"We didn't make it past episode 2 because someone decided they were bored," you dryly responded, shooting Rafe a pointed look.

Rafe smirked. "That was the old me, baby. I swear I've changed."

You shook your head, but you couldn't hide your ear-splitting grin. As Sarah started the episode and Rafe pulled you close to him, you felt a sense of peace. You never could've imagined yourself in this position a few weeks ago, or even yesterday. But in this moment, everything felt right. And while you were annoyed by it before, you'd let Rafe follow you wherever you went.

[thatdesigirl17]

masterlist

Theodore Nott

better?

summary: theo comes to y/n's dorm after a fight, while cleaning him up, y/n can't help herself but go slightly further (fluff, suggestive)

comfort place

summary: theo finds his comfort in his dorm after a long day of quidditch practice (fluff)

just this once

summary: bsf!theo and y/n share a night at the astronomy tower that changes the course of their friendship (fluff)

only mine I part 2

summary: toxic!theo gets jealous and furious upon seeing y/n with adrian, leading to a lesson for y/n and a beating for adrian (suggestive, smut)

you and i

summary: toxic!theo makes up with y/n after a fight, permanently leaving a mark of him on her (slight angst, fluff but its toxic)

tolerate it

summary: y/n finds out that theo was just tolerating her while she was trying her best to make him love her back (angst)

Mattheo Riddle

late night talking I part 2

summary: sharing a cigarette at the astronomy tower leads to mattheo finally finding a friend (fluff)

fading

summary: when y/n fell in love with mattheo, she never thought she would have to witness him falling out of love with her (angst)

sweater weather

summary: mattheo takes his best friend for a surprise in the middle of the night which leads them to confess their feelings for each other. (fluff, smut)

Jess Mariano

concert

summary: y/n and jess go to a concert where things heat up (fluff, suggestive)

please

summary: y/n and jess meet after a year where their feelings resurface at liz's wedding (fluff, angst)

moodboard: smoking with jess mariano

[djarindroid]

Unraveling

Pairing: Thanos (Choi Su-Bong) x Reader

Summary: You and Su-Bong have settled into each other’s lives, but what happens when he turns up at your door in the middle of the night not quite himself?

Warnings: Drug use, Alternative Universe (deviates from the show story line)

Word Count: 2,204

Comments: Sorry this took longer to get out, I'm already about 1K words into the next part so the time until part 5 won't be as long 💕

<- Part Three

Settling back into life after everything that had happened had been relatively smooth, at least on the surface. You still slept fitfully, plagued by nightmares most nights, but you’d found a sense of stability in your days. A steady job at a local cafe kept you busy, and your evenings became quiet and predictable. More often than not Su-Bong joined you.

At first he’d shown up every few days, not staying too long. But after a couple of weeks you saw him almost daily. It wasn’t something either of you talked about, it just happened naturally. Sometimes he’d show up with take out, other times he’d be waiting for you after your shift, ready to walk you home.

Neither of you acknowledged how easily you’d fallen into a routine together. You may have been pushed into each other's lives through the worst circumstances, but there was something about Su-Bong that made you feel like he was meant to be there.

Despite all the time you’d begun to spend together you knew there were still parts of his life he didn’t share with you. You’d picked up on things in passing, mentions of clubs, small comments about him not remembering the night before, how bloodshot his eyes were some days. You never asked and he never brought that side of himself to you

For the most part.

‘Sweety, you can finish now,’ your boss called out warmly. She was a kind older lady who had owned the cafe for years. ‘Your boyfriend is already outside, I don’t want to keep him waiting in the cold.’

You nearly dropped the rag you were using to wipe the counter. ‘Oh, he’s not my boyfriend,’ you corrected quickly, voice coming out a little too fast. You tried to focus on wiping away the last few marks but you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing out of the window. And there he was. 

Su-Bong stood across the street with a cigarette hanging lazily from between his lips. Your boss's words echoed in your head causing your stomach to flutter. Clearing your throat you forced your attention away from him before your thoughts could spiral.

Your boss gave you a knowing look, her lips curving into a sly smile. ‘You know, there aren’t many men out there that would wait around like that unless they had a reason to.’

You suddenly felt uncomfortably warm as you avoided eye contact with her. ‘He’s just looking out for me,’ you replied softly. ‘We’re friends.’

Your boss hummed knowingly, clearly not convinced. ‘If you say so sweety. Go on now, don’t leave your friend out in the cold.’

Shaking your head with a breathy chuckle, you went to grab your coat. Your heart was still beating a little too fast as you called out a quick goodbye before heading towards the door.

Just as you were reaching for the handle something outside caught your attention. Through the glass you watched as a hooded figure approached Su-Bong. Their interaction was quick, clearly practiced. A handshake, followed by Su-Bong slipping something into his pocket. It all happened so fast that if you blinked you’d have missed it.

You froze, a sick sort of weight settled over you. Of course you assumed he hadn’t just gone sober since the games. He wasn’t the kind of person to just change overnight. Thinking it was one thing, but to have it confirmed before your eyes was something else entirely.

You briefly considered trying to sneak out, maybe you could go the long way home and avoid facing him. But the hooded figure was already walking away, and Su-Bong was still there, waiting for you like nothing had happened.

With a sharp inhale to prepare yourself, you stepped outside. Forcing a smile as you crossed the road towards him.

‘Hey señorita,’ he greeted you easily, as he took one last drag of his cigarette before flicking it away. ‘Busy shift?’

You stretched your arms as you reached him, trying to push away the uneasy feeling that had taken hold. ‘Extremely. Looking forward to getting home.’

‘Well, I know a guy who’d like to walk a pretty girl home.’

Any other night the words would have made you laugh, but your mind was occupied with the image of what had just taken place. And yet, despite that,  you couldn’t suppress the small smile that tugged at your lips. 

You began walking as you replied, ‘sounds like a generous guy.’

He smirked as he fell into step beside you, hands shoved into his pockets. This should be familiar, comfortable even, but you couldn’t stop thinking about what you’d just seen.

You knew he’d been reckless, the amount of debt he’d been in before the games was testament to that. It would have been naive to think he’d left that life behind, especially when he still wore his cross necklace everyday.

You snuck a glance at him as you continued walking. He looked the same as ever, like nothing was out of the ordinary, like you hadn’t just watched him make some sort of deal outside of your job.

Should you say something? Ask who it was? Did you even want to know?

Instead, as you neared your apartment, you forced the thoughts to the back of your mind and asked, ‘are you staying for dinner?’

Su-Bong shook his head, ‘sorry, can’t tonight.’

You desperately tried to not let the disappointment show on your face. Just as you opened your mouth to say something, he beat you to it.

‘I’ve just got some stuff to do,’ he said vaguely as he scratched the back of his head. ‘I’ll come by tomorrow though.’

You stopped in front of your apartment building, considering pushing him for more details. In the end you decided against it. Like you had told your boss, he wasn’t your boyfriend. You had no right to question him. 

‘Yeah, okay, see you tomorrow.’ You forced another smile and hoped he believed it.

‘See ya señorita,’ he said with a small wink before he turned and walked away.

As you trudged up the stairs to your apartment you couldn’t stop thinking about Su-Bong. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t worried, but what could you do? He was his own person and you just had to trust that he was keeping himself safe.

You’d finally managed to drift off to sleep only to be woken by an incessant knocking. You rolled over, blinking at your alarm clock, 1:09am. Your heartbeat picked up, who the hell was knocking at this time?!

The knocking grew louder and more insistent. With a groan you managed to drag yourself out of bed and to the door. A bad feeling settled over you before you even reached the door.

Peering through the peephole, you saw Su-Bong in the hallway. 

You’d barely opened the door before he threw his arms out and sang, ‘Heyyy princesss!’

You flinched at the volume. ‘Su-Bong, it’s late, are you okay?’ You asked, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

He grinned, smile lopsided and lazy, ‘I am now baby.’ 

Baby? 

He’d never called you that. 

The moment your gaze met his, realisation hit you like a slap. His eyes were glassy and pupils blown wide. He was high.

‘It's late Su-Bong,’ you repeated, hoping he’d give you some sort of explanation as to why he would turn up at this hour.

‘Yeah?’ he said as he waltzed past you, his movements loose, acting as though it was completely normal to just show up at someone’s house in the middle of the night. ‘Can’t I come see you when I miss you?’ 

That wasn’t the problem, the problem was he’d decided to turn up to your place in the middle of the night, high out of his mind, smiling like this was all some kind of joke. This wasn’t Su-Bong, not the one you’d grown to know. This was the mask he put on for the world. The mask you thought he took off for you.

He turned back to you when you didn’t reply, tilting his head with a grin. ‘Aw come on, you gonna tell me you weren’t missing me too?’

You paused briefly, looking for the right words. ‘Well I…of course I missed you but-‘

Before you could finish he flopped down onto the middle of the couch, spreading out so he took up as much room as possible. With one arm thrown over the backrest he patted his thigh, smirking. ‘Then come here baby.’

You stayed rooted to the spot, your heart hammering. This wasn’t happening. This was just some weird dream.

‘C’mon,’ his voice dropped an octave, the implication in his tone unmistakable. ‘Don’t make me beg.’

Heat crept up your neck as you looked at him. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t thought about being close to him before; sitting on his lap, feeling the warmth of his touch. Hearing him say your name in that low voice.

But not like this.

‘You’re high,’ you pointed out firmly, as if doing so may snap him back to reality.

He just rolled his eyes dramatically. ‘Like that changes anything, I’m still me.’ He pouted dramatically and put on his best puppy dog eyes. Holding out his hand for you he added, ‘come on señoritaaa.’

You hesitated. God, you wanted nothing more than to close the distance. It’d be so easy to let him pull you in, just for a moment. Would it really be so bad to give in to this?

You couldn't even finish the thought before Su-Bong was back on his feet. Closing the space between you with slow steps. ‘Look at you baby,’ he spoke softly, almost affectionately. ‘Still that same shy, pretty girl that came over to me in the games.’

He reached up to brush your cheek. His touch was still so gentle, so warm, that for a moment you forgot what state he was in. For that fraction of a second you let yourself lean into him.

And then- ‘Come on, let Thanos take care of you.’

Your stomach twisted violently. Like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over you, you stumbled back sharply, breaking contact. 

Thanos. Not Su-Bong. Thanos.

You felt almost stupid for making the distinction. After all, it was such a small thing, just a name. But it changed everything.

Thanos may have been the one that saved you. He may have been the one that held your hand and protected you.

But Su-Bong... he was the one who let you in. He was the one that text you in the middle of the day because he saw something funny and wanted to share it. He was the one that walked you home. He was the one that turned up with takeout because he found a new place to try. He was the one who could sit with you for hours, talking about anything or nothing at all.

Su-Bong was who he chose to be with you.

Seeing him slip back to Thanos after all this time, felt like losing him.

‘I-’ Your voice sounded unsteady but you forced yourself to stand your ground. ‘I think you should leave.’

His cocky facade faltered. ‘You don’t want this?’ He gestured between the two of you, giving you a look that made you feel like you were the one acting strange.

‘I didn’t say that,’ you rushed to clarify, hoping to reassure him even as doubt began to claw at your own mind. ‘I just think you’re saying all this because…’ 

Because you’re not thinking clearly. Because you’re not you.

He clenched his jaw as his entire posture stiffened. ‘Because?’

You swallowed hard. ‘…because you're high and acting like someone else.’ 

You hated the way your words made his expression flicker with something fragile. You’d spent so much time together, it was crushing you to see him like this. You thought you’d gotten past pretending. 

‘Come back when we can talk properly.’ 

The honesty in your words seemed to cut through the haze. ‘Fuck,’ his shoulders slumped and he looked down at the floor, like he couldn’t bear to meet your eyes anymore. ‘’m sorry,’ he murmured, voice barely audible. 

Your chest ached at the way he deflated. You wanted to reach for him. To tell him it was okay, let him know you weren’t angry, just worried. But before you could, he was already walking towards the door. 

Without a second thought he left.

You stood there, unmoving, as you listened to the echo of his footsteps fade away. You pressed your lips together trying to hold tears back. The silence you were left with was suffocating.

Really you should feel relieved, proud of yourself for setting that boundary. You wrapped your arms around yourself and exhaled shakily.

Turning towards the couch, you stared at where he’d been sat only minutes ago. For a moment you could picture the two of you sat there, watching a crappy re-run on your TV after stuffing yourself with food.

You wished the thought would comfort you but instead you were just left with a nagging feeling that when morning came, and he sobered up, he might not come back.

-> Part 5 Coming Soon Series Masterlist

Taglist: @andersonslove @fallout-girl219 @olasz-2003 @l5byrinth @hotdxdragon @cherrypied0lly @nicklet94 @learninglinesintherainn @tebteb @lotsa-juicy-shit @onecojg @the-iridescent-phoenix

[belliexpog]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I'm Better Than Him- Kang No-eul 0.2

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Pair: No-eul × F!Reader

Context: You had a boyfriend who was a complete jerk, and a best friend who was completely gay for you. When No-eul found out about the breakup, she made sure you completely forgot about the guy, and consoled you in every way.

Warning: none.

Words: 8k

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

In the middle of the night, your body woke up. With a jump, you sat up in bed. You heard a noise of something falling, and looked around, your eyes still adjusting to the light in the room, since you had fallen asleep with the light on. When your senses returned, you noticed that something was vibrating, you looked at your bedside table, noticing that what was vibrating so much was not there. It was then that your eyes met the ground, and you saw your cell phone on the ground. The vibration ended, and you bent your body, reaching for your phone. A missed call from No-eul, your best friend, and a message.

No-eul🩷

"Hey pretty, u still up?" 1:30 AM

You sighed, and resumed the call, only having to wait two seconds until you heard your best friend's voice through the cell phone "Hey pretty, how are you? Did I wake you up?" The girl asks, dragging out the "hey." Her voice was cheerful, and on a normal day you would have smiled, laughed, and made a joke about the situation. But not today. You kept your countenance serious and expressionless. "No, I was just in the bathroom. Do you need anything?" The sentence ends up coming out more dryly than intended, and No-eul notices it immediately. She takes a few seconds to respond, thinking about what she would say. "No, just checking you out. Go to sleep, it's late for the kids to be up at this hour." No-eul teased, and she could almost see the exact expression on your face when she heard a short but sincere nasal laugh.

You rolled your eyes and sighed, getting up from the bed. "No-eul, good night." You hung up before you could hear the girl's response. You threw the phone onto the bed and took off your black leather trench coat, throwing it onto the armchair. You stood in front of the mirror, taking off each piece of clothing. One piece, one thought, one new doubt, one new insecurity, one new feeling, one new piece of your heart ripped out. "Was my body not beautiful enough?" You ask yourself, looking at your half-naked body, wearing only your underwear. You looked at your breasts in your bra, your belly, your waist, your hips. Were your legs too thin for him? Or too thick? Was your waist too defined, or nonexistent? Were your breasts too small or too big? The space between your thighs? Was there even a noticeable space between them? Was it your face? Your hair? Your manner?

You touched the soft skin of your belly, feeling a knot in it. A sigh escaped your lips and you felt a shiver, obviously having spent those minutes without clothes, your body felt cold. You quickly went to bed, grabbing your pajamas and quickly putting them on, going back to bed, which you were beginning to consider staying there forever, like a shell of pain. However, No-eul's morning was normal. She woke up at 5, went to the gym, took a shower at 6, and left home for work at 6:50. But obviously, she didn't stop worrying about you. When she saw that you weren't at work, she sent another message to you, asking if you were okay. She sighed, putting her phone down and going back to work. No-eul is a lesbian, and you know it perfectly well, however, you don't know that No-eul has had the biggest crush on you since the day you met.

You noticed that No-eul would sometimes flirt with you, but it was all in fun, right? After all, you were completely straight... Right? Well, it was the only (half) secret that No-eul kept from you. She loved you, and tried to show it, but the more she tried, the more blind you became to these facts, and it irritated her. But what irritated -and hurt- the girl the most was when you showed up with your idiot boyfriend. She hated him. The hungry way he always looked at you, the touches on your waist, cheek, neck, or the disgusting kisses on your jaw and down to your neck. It all made her sick. She knew she was better, much, much better than any man you had ever dated, or kissed. She knew you better than anyone else, she knew how to love you, how to treat you like you truly deserve. She just knows better.

And she knows something is wrong when you miss work. She, however, waited until the end of her shift to grab her things, her car keys and drive to your house. She knocked on your door loudly, waiting for your to answer. A minute later, she knocked again, this time longer and stronger. She only stopped when she saw your pajama-clad figure, disheveled and with puffy and red eyes. She was slightly startled and looked you up and down. "What the fuck happened to you?" She asks, looking at you in shock. It’s not like it’s the first time she’s seen you like this, you’ve seen each other in all sorts of ways. But for No-eul to see you in that state was completely abnormal. You made room for the taller one to enter, not saying anything. "Would you like something to drink?" You asked, hoarse from having just woken up, not answering the girl's question.

No-eul walked around the room already familiar, and sat down on the couch. "Water, please..." She answers, looking at you from behind with a frown and half-closed eyes conveying strangeness and concern. When you return, No-eul notices a glass of wine in your left hand, and a glass of water in your right. You place both glass objects on the low table in front of the sofa, and sit on the sofa sideways, standing in front of No-eul. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" No-eul insists, picking up the glass of water and taking a small sip. "You weren't well yesterday when I called you, you miss work, you don't reply to my messages and you still sleep all day.You're not sick, because yesterday you were perfectly fine. What's wrong, Min-young? Is it with your parents? Your sister? Nam-Chul?"

When No-eul says the boy's name, your gaze drops to your lap, holding back tears. You try to hide it, picking up your glass of wine and sipping. Noticing your watery eyes, No-eul's eyes darkened with anger. "What did he do?" She asks, if you didn't know the girl you'd say all her worry was replaced by anger. The girl took a deep breath and leaned her body slightly, touching just above your knee and lowering her face to meet your eyes."I'm your best friend... You can tell me anything. Whatever it is, I'll help you and support you. You know that. But if you want me to help you, you have to talk to me... If you want a hug, I'm here, okay?" You looked into the girl's dark eyes, and you see sincerity in the girl. You thought for a few seconds. It wasn't about whether you wanted to talk to the girl or not, what you wanted most was to tell her this and cry in her arms, but you couldn't speak, it was stuck in your throat.

No-eul realized yourdifficulty and raised her head, sighing. She approached you, and gently grabbed your chin, making you look at her. You obeyed her touch, looking into her eyes once more. "Let's do this...I brought your favorite ice cream," the girl says slowly and quietly, nodding toward the bag left on the floor in the hallway that you hadn't even noticed. "Let's watch a movie or the series you like, while we eat and then if, and I repeat: if you want, you talk about what happened, hum? How does that sound?" The girl asks with a small smile on the corner of her lips, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I like that idea..." You mumble, looking over your shoulder at the bag you left on the floor. "I'm going to take a shower first. You can start getting things ready." No-eul nodded, with a victorious smile and stood up, first picking up the bag, and heading to the kitchen afterwards.

You also got up and went to your room to take a shower. You closed the bedroom door and entered the bathroom, locking the door. You hurried into the shower, wanting to get back to the couch with No-eul. You dried yourself quickly and put on some comfortable clothes, leaving your hair wet. When you returned to the living room, No-eul was already sitting down, with a large blanket on her lap, with several snacks spread out on the small table in front of the couch. You smiled and ran over to her, sitting down on the couch, next to the girl. No-eul is startled, but lets out a laugh and puts an arm behind her back, snuggling closer. You smiled and sighed as you felt the girl's warm body against yours. You adjusted the blanket over the two of them and picked up the remote, choosing a series for both of them to watch. It certainly wasn't how you thought you were going to spend the rest of your afternoon, but that's one of the things you love most about your best friend: the way she always knew what you needed, even when you don't even know what you needed.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

taglist: @wlvlurvsfimmia

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I liked this one, proud of myself guys🙌🏼

Hope you liked it

Xoxo!

[babyangelsky]

Okay. I had lunch, dripped barbecue sauce on my shirt, got the barbecue sauce out of my shirt, watered my plants, watered myself, and now I'm finally ready to put some thoughts down.

The thing most largely on my mind, apart from you know...everything?

The implosion had to happen this way.

And it had to happen this way because Sei and Kazuaki had already resolved not to end their relationships.

Complacency is a trap that's very hard to break out of. It almost tricks you into believing that change isn't worth it even if on some level you're aware that it's needed. Except in this case, the change has already happened. They agree to stay as they are so nothing will change and nothing will be destroyed, but it's been changing and that change has gone willfully unacknowledged.

Or it was going unacknowledged, I should say. But it can't anymore because Sei and Kazuaki both broke pattern.

I thought it was odd that Kaori made no mention of how her boyfriend took off in the middle of the night in the pouring rain and didn't come back. Their relationship is very broken but surely that would be a noteworthy occurrence.

Especially given the timing. He takes off moments after she rejected his attempt at intimacy and then just doesn't say anything? Just says she was bored and that's that?

Nope. That is not in fact, that. Kaori didn't say a word only because she never says a word. She exists in her relationship with blinders on. She likes everything about Kazuaki except that he's a man and won't question what that means or why that might be. She's content with the lack of intimacy, knows that Kazuaki isn't, and chooses to live with him asking her for sex instead of saying anything.

She's just as complacent as he is, albeit for different (possibly comphet) reasons, and since she's chosen not to think about it, it's been pretty chill for her.

Until Kazuaki broke pattern.

He didn't go back to his side of the room after her rejection like he always does. He went off-script. He left and didn't come back until the next day and that is a noteworthy occurrence.

So noteworthy, as a matter of fact, that she checked his phone after saying herself that she isn't the type of person to do that. And she didn't just check his phone, she left the house with it!

But not without first smashing the storm glass that Sei gave her on the floor, because in reading those emails, her blinders were torn off. There is no pretending anymore.

For her, or for Fujisawa.

He won't say anything either, but his face more than speaks for him. He knew Sei was lying him before Sei even made it out the door and he was not happy about it. Sei thinks Fujisawa is hiding something from him and I think he's right. What's more, I think that what Fujisawa is hiding is his displeasure and his jealousy.

Because after having seen this episode and the preview for next week's, there is not a doubt in my mind that Fujisawa is jealous. Not because he has romantic feelings for Sei, which I really don't believe he does, but because Sei is breaking pattern.

Everyone in this show is complacent. Everyone. But for Fujisawa in particular, I believe it's less about accepting the way things are and more about needing things to be a certain way. @respectthepetty went more into detail about that here.

And so far, the way he needs things to be IS the way they have been. Nothing has shaken the boat. The towels have all been white, there's been no TV, no parties, no flashy clothing, no one talking to Sei without going through him. Even Sei's attempts at connection and Fujisawa's repeated rejections are part of it because that's also happening the way it's supposed to.

But now the king of non-disruptive design is being disrupted. Sei is going places. He's talking to more people. He left the house in the middle of the night and lied about where he has going and Fujisawa has put himself in a position where he has to pretend to believe him. He has to pretend that nothing is happening.

Except that he can't, because now Kazuaki's phone call has utterly and completely destroyed any hope Fujisawa might've had to be able to bury his head in the sand and carry on as normal.

And he is not going to react well to having his control shaken.

When complacency is this profoundly seated, dragging everything out into the open and being forced to deal with it is the only way for an actual sustainable change to happen. You almost do have to be removed from choice because breaking pattern isn't enough.

You have to break EVERYTHING apart to such a degree and in such a manner that you cannot put it back together in the exact same way it was before.

[moonsonder]

TRUE ROMANCE 夏油 傑, GETŌ SUGURU

synopsis: five years has passed since getō suguru, your best friend since junior high, left to pursue his career in music in los angeles after being signed to a record label. as time went, what remained of your fading friendship slipped away—but your feelings for him never did. with suguru returning home to perform a homecoming concert, you’ve held onto your ticket, uncertain what everything will mean once you see him again.

warnings: normal au. no jujutsu. angst/emotional angst. implied unrequited love. feelings of self-doubt and anxiety. feelings of loneliness and isolation. getting a tattoo as a coping mechanism. musician!suguru (plays piano, keyboard, guitar). famous singer!suguru. suguru has tan skin and piercings (earlobes, nostril, and snakebites). reference/mention of underage drinking. reference to smoking (shoko). proofread-ish (apologies for any mistakes or inconsistencies). inaccurate concert experience (never been to one, so i wrote what i thought would be correct).

word count: 3.6k

author’s note: hey, so, i formerly wrote jjk fics for a few characters on a previous, now sideblog, main blog known as @/solarenchanting (went by the pen name sunnie; not so different to sonny lmao). long story short, i found myself favouring to write for suguru more than anyone else. so, this is me, in the middle of starting over, with writing for my favourite jjk character <3 (also, i do not condone underage drinking and suguru has tan skin because i say so).

now playing: true romance by pinkpantheress.

mp.3: ❝i got a tattoo just to show how much i care, but there’s so many girls around you that i’m scared.❞

“SO, ARE YOU EXCITED FOR TONIGHT?”

shoko had asked, her raspy voice drawing your attention from the café’s window and back to her, with a ghost of a smile tugged on her lips and an arch of an eyebrow. she was sitting across from you with an elbow propped onto the edge of the square table. her other hand held the handle of her teaspoon, with motioned practice, and stirred her coffee in the mug as the steam swirled. the morning sun casting a glint over her features.

“y—yeah, i am!” you shifted in your seat, the chair screeching against the floor. your leg bounced, vibrating up and down underneath the table. your right hand wrapped the ceramic teacup, fingers right below the rim, and the palm of your left hand supporting the base. “also, i heard that satoru wasn’t going.”

“not surprised,” shoko said, shrugging her shoulders. she removed the teaspoon from her mug and tapped it against the rim to let a drop of coffee drip back into the mug. placing it on the saucer, she lifted her mug to take a sip. “but, you know that wasn’t what i meant, right?”

“i know,” you muttered in defeat. with your hands cradling the teacup, you set it down onto its saucer. turning your head as you glanced around the café.

it hummed with a quiet energy today. the warm glow of the sun spilling through from the windows and the scent of freshly brewed coffees and teas mingled with the faint sweetness of the pastries in the display case. a soft tune played through the speakers, seamlessly blending in with the clinking of porcelain and ceramic cups and the hiss of the espresso machine.

there were only a few customers in at the moment. they were either absent mindlessly scrolling through their phones or reading the newspaper or a magazine while they lingered by the wooden tables. the air carried out the occasional murmur of conversation or the scrape of the chair against the floor.

outside, the streets of shibuya were waking up and coming to life. people walking on the sidewalk, the engine of cars purring as they drove past. it was a stark contrast to the atmosphere to the highly anticipated night you were going to experience. the thought of caused your heart to race widely as you gulped, beginning to feel a tad bit uneasy.

your focus shifted back onto your cup of tea, refusing to meet shoko’s gaze. after a second, you glanced up at her with a weak smile, fixing your posture to sit up straight.

“i guess i’m kinda nervous,” you admitted sheepishly.

“as expected, frankly.” she murmured, not at all surprised.

“what’s that supposed to mean?”

you pulled back, creating distance between yourself and the smoothened edge of the table. your back almost hitting against the wooden surface of the backrest. your eyebrows furrowed, the skin above the hairs bunching up to form faint lines, and your lips twisted in a slight frown.

“really?” shoko deadpanned, sarcasm laced in her tone. she stared blankly at you. her eyes narrowed, the grey eyebags — a feature that came from being enrolled in med school, sheʼd always jest — scrunching up. “need i remind you that you stupidly got a tattoo instead of just confessing your feelings to suguru? why wouldn’t i expect you to be nervous?”

“hey!” you exclaimed, offended.

your arms came back to your side, abandoning your teacup, as they found refuge underneath the table. you pulled onto the cotton material of your sweater, tugging it down further, gliding it down to stretch it over your palm. your fingers curled into a fist with your nails digging through the cuff to keep it in place, hiding where the indelible design was punctured into the skin of your inner wrist.

“it’s not stupid!” you retorted, your voice raising a little bit, just loud enough for you to realise. you cleared your throat, glancing around to see if anyone heard.

“i never said the tattoo was stupid,” shoko clarified. she gazed down to where your arms were hiding, specifically the arm that had the tattoo, and gestured with her coffee mug in hand. “i said getting the tattoo was stupid.”

“semantics,” you huffed, leaning back in your chair and readjusted your legs into a figure four. you crossed your arms over your chest, burying your hand deeper into the crook of your elbow.

“uh huh, keep telling yourself that.” shoko tilted her head back, drowning down the last of her coffee and dropping the mug back down. she let out a relieved sigh, using a napkin to wipe away any sticky residue around her mouth. “if i may ask, why did you do it?”

you froze, your arms dropping lower against your chest. “because… i just wanted something to remind me of him, of us—” you paused, considering you words carefully as you shuffled. “of… our friendship—to commemorate it.”

you turned your head away, facing the window nearby to watch passers-by before hearing whatever shoko had to say. being under her scrutiny was the last thing you wanted. it’s bad enough that you’re in your own head about it—about everything when it comes to suguru. maybe even worse knowing that you’ll be seeing him tonight.

to your surprise, the silence broke at the sound of shoko’s laugh filling the space between you and her. you whipped your head, maybe even experiencing a second of whiplash, not even bothering to mask the disbelief on your face.

“friendship, huh? it that what you’re still calling it?” she asked, shaking her head. she run a hand through her hair, pushing it back before it fell into the exact same place, framing her face. “i don’t understand…”

you bit back at your bottom lip, mulling her words over. a hint of frustration in your tone. “it’s not for you to understand, shoko.”

“i see…” she mused, leaning back in her seat and mirroring your pose. her thoughtful stare made you tense, expecting more prodding from her. “oh, well, i’m heading out.”

shoko pushed her seat back and got up, your head tilted. she smirked, pulling out a fresh pack of the familiar, classic white and red box of marlboro cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of her pants.

you nodded absent mindlessly, not even registering that she was going to have a smoke break. you didn’t even watch her leave the café as you stared blankly ahead at the table, still hurt over the fact that she laughed over the reasoning of your tattoo. on top of that, she even had the audacity to question it.

you barely heard the sound of the soft thuds of her footsteps or the café doors opening and closing, leaving you to sit there alone with your thoughts. immediately, almost mechanically, you unfolded your arms and uncrossed your legs. leaning forward, you slid the forgotten teacup to the side. placing it right near the edge of the table where shoko’s coffee mug was.

it was half-full and the tea was probably cold—not that you knew, but you weren’t going to risk worsening your mood with a sip. still, as your fingers rested around the rim, you hesitated. on second thought, you slide the teacup back to its original place in front of you.

as if you were reeled back into reality, you scoffed with a shake of your head. “god, what’s the matter with me? you’d think i would’ve learned by now…”

you groaned inaudibly and hunched over, deflated. propping your arm on the table, you rested your cheek in the palm of your hand — a grave mistake, considering your eyes automatically peered down and gazed to where the tattoo was — while your other arm rested flat, your fingertips tapping against the table.

if you had five yen for every time you’ve been in this position — ending up doing something stupid and utterly foolish, as shoko would say, instead of facing and owning up to your… feelings — you would’ve been rich enough to relocate and change your name right after you graduated high school.

but how could you?

this was suguru you were talking about!

suguru, who you meet when you were fourteen-years-old. he lived in the same neighborhood as you, his family home was a walking-distance from yours—and you met his parents. you’d walk home with him after school and club activities wrapped up, stopping by a vending machine or convenience store for snacks.

now, he was getō suguru, the famous and talented musician who composed his own songs and even had credits for a bunch of other artists. five years into his career, and he already won many title-worthy awards.

not like you were surprised, after all, who was the one who lingered too long by the door of the music club’s after hearing him singing a melody while playing the piano? albeit, you never said it out loud.

you’d guess that was because it was once something sacred. whether it was listening to him sing his own songs while strumming his guitar or keyboard whenever you hung out in his bedroom, or laying on your bed in a comfortable silence when you shared your earphones with him and listened to music together. even the times when he’d quietly ramble about his favourite songs and artist, while you found yourself staring at him as if he hung the stars and the moon.

you never thought that one day you’ll never be able to hear from him anymore. the time zones used to be your excuse whenever he couldn’t reach out in the first few months. after that, you reasoned that maybe he was at the studio or at a concert rehearsal. maybe shooting a music video? photoshoot? currently doing an interview?

but then you’d see him plastered all over billboards in the city. you’d hear his songs play on the radio, see his music videos play on the tv whenever you tried looking for something to watch. you’d see magazines on display with him on the front cover. you’d overhear conversations with his name, showering him praises—just like you used to do.

and yet, here you are, five years later and sitting in a café and reminiscing. enrolled for postgrad and having worked extra shifts at your part-time job just to have earned enough money to purchase a vip ticket to his concert for months just to see him. with a tattoo dedicated to him that you didn’t even have the heart to tell him about for some reason—as if he wasn’t your best friend.

yeah, the same best friend who you shared your first kiss with at seventeen-year-olds when you were in third-year of high school on a hot, summer’s night in august 2007. both of you were drunk, face flushed from cheap liquor with heavy-lidded eyes.

you and him found a brief moment of respite in satoru’s bedroom where satoru threw another infamous party in his family’s home while his parents were absent. you couldn’t even remember how one moment led to either of you washing away the line of your friendship drawn onto the sand.

however, you did remember the countless times you hesitated to bring up the topic or avoided it days later. either making up excuses, beating around the bush to say something completely unrelated, or walking in different directions to avoid talking to him at school—not once ever bringing it up directly and instead tried to move on from it like he did, seeing how completely unbothered he appeared to be about it.

cringing, you buried your face in your hand, lips twisting in a frown. fuck, not even satoru—judging from how he has been lately—seemed to be this affected by suguru’s absence. especially since they had a falling out right before suguru left for los angeles after signing the contract to a record label and haven't spoken to each other since.

if anything, you expected him to probably understand where you were coming from since he and suguru were each other’s best friends too; ever since high school. but maybe satoru was better at hiding his emotions than you were. because it clearly seemed that you wore your heart on your sleeve—more like, the tattoo on your wrist.

you rolled your eyes and snapped yourself out of your reverie, shaking your head as means to wake you up from continuing to walk down memory lane. you sat upright, your eyes fluttering close for a second; inhaling through your nose and exhaling out your mouth. you didn’t need to be doing this. besides, what’s happened has happened, and you need to leave it in the past—yet the bittersweet memories linger like an aftertaste, and no amount of water could wash it out.

opening your eyes, you reached for your phone in the back pocket of your pants. unlocking it, you were immediately met with a message from shoko. wincing, you hoped it was nothing urgent or important since you kept your phone on silent. tapping on the screen, it opened the message.

ieiri shoko: meet me outside once you’re done just read

you let out a breath of relief, smiling softly. sliding your—still half-full—teacup next to shoko’s empty coffee mug, you stood up from the chair and pushed it in gently. adjusting your sweater and smoothening your pants, you casted one last glance at the window to see your faint reflection. satisfied, you made your way to the front door, smiling and bowing your head in respect to the workers present.

once outside, the fresh air filled in and you were met with the sight of shoko leaning against a streetlight pole while applying a coat of clear lip gloss on her lower lip, rubbing her lips together for a few seconds as she screwed the lip gloss shut. shoko turned to you with a half-smile, tucking the tube into her pocket, and strided towards you as you both began walking down the sidewalk amongst the growing crowd of people.

“still excited?” she asked, turning her head to look at you.

“yeah, can’t wait to see him again,” you replied, forcing a smile, unsure if you meant it.

there was only one time in your life that you could vividly remember being this anxious. that being in mid-spring 2004, when your family moved and you were transferred to a new junior high school. it was embarrassing, sticking out like a sore thumb. everybody was already in their cliques and aligned with the syllabus by the time you stood in front of the class and introduced yourself.

your heart pounded against your ribcage, threatening to burst out. everybody probably saw how your legs were shaking, knees buckling and ready to give out. it didn’t help that the tremble in your voice decided to come through, undoing all your efforts to appear confident to your new peers.

if only the classroom floor would’ve swallowed you whole then, you wouldn’t have had to experience everything else that followed—just like you wanted the floor beneath you to do right now ever since the show started and suguru appeared on stage.

you’d say that life enjoyed making cruel jokes, having you be in the same position from years ago, but the joke was on you this time around. you’re the one who bought the ticket furthest away from the stage—not that it helped, you were still able to see his performance on the enormous projected screen behind him for the fans even further away to enjoy the show.

seeing him now on the screen, you could tell; gone was the cute, class president—who your homeroom teacher delegated the task of getting you acquainted with the school—with sun-kissed tan skin, and his thin, violet eyes that seemed to smile in unison whenever his lips tugged into one as well.

with short black hair neatly combed with bangs over his forehead that never had a single strand out of place. who wore his full school uniform down to the pressed blazer—it was no surprise that he was perfect in every single way even back then, almost as if he was destined for it.

on stage, suguru was seated on a chair, dressed in an all black outfit with his right leg crossed over his left and his guitar perched on his lap as he strummed and sang an acoustic version of one of his recent popular songs, with a plush white towel wrapped around from the back of his neck.

his hair was styled partially in a man bun while the rest cascaded down his back. he still had his signature bang, from his high school years, covering his left eye. He was thoroughly pierced too, having fairly large black circular earrings in each ear lobe, with a silver eyebrow piercing on his right, a nostril piercing on his left, and snakebites.

the lights shining down on him from the stage illuminated the glint of sweat on his face and neck. his eyes glanced around the arena, taking in the sight of his fans that swayed and sang along to the melody with their arms in the air and their phone’s flash on, while others had posters and banners in his name.

and the hopeless, unrealistic part of you wondered if he could see you in the crowd.

if he could see your hand.

this was a mistake. you should have never come here. what were you thinking? you probably weren’t, is the answer shoko would’ve said if she was here with you. she’d probably watch you, bored and amused, panic and fidget with the vip wristband as you stood in the queue with other fans.

despite you never admitting it out loud, she’d be right.

she was right about everything she’s ever pointed out about you, and you hated that you were agreeing with her.

you have been ever since you stormed over to her place the day after that drunken kiss happened and ignored her advice to simply just tell him that it meant something—he meant something; that he was more than a friend to you.

naively, you thought that the worst had already happened. but, that was only the beginning of convincing yourself that your relationship was explicitly platonic.

even when you embraced him tighter, refusing to let him go as you bunched up the material of his hoodie, and felt the vibrations of his chest against you as he chuckled dryly and made a teasing remark about you.

reluctantly, you let him go, and watched longer than you should’ve when he walked away to the terminal gate of his flight until he disappeared into the throng of passengers boarding too—it was still platonic, is what you told yourself.

maybe that’s when you should’ve said something; told him how much you loved him. that the kiss, and every moment leading up to it, held value because it was with him. and you wanted to do that again and more; to experience something real and intentional with him.

you could’ve freed yourself.

and deep down, you knew that’s why you wore yourself out at your part-time job, picking up extra shifts whenever you could.

because a broken clock is right twice a day, isn’t it?

could you really do it this time? it wasn’t as if you could ask to have a private moment with him. he’s surrounded by the backstage staff, his manager, security and fans. forget wondering if he still viewed you as a friend or potentially return your feelings, would he even recognise you?

you shook your head vehemently, starting to do a breathing exercise to ground yourself to be in the present. you were over exaggerating. while much can happen in five years, hopefully that much didn’t occur for you to slip out of his mind.

right?

“next!”

the security guard called out, snapping you out of your thoughts, your eyes widened dramatically, turning your head with lightning speed. you realised that you were near the door, only three people away from him.

from your vantage point, you watched suguru hug the fan whose. as they parted, he smiled at them and listened attentively as the fan spoke, pouring their heart out to him, as suguru signed something for them while nodding along. flashes of light were going off throughout the interaction, capturing every moment.

for a split second, you were transported back to the hallway of your junior high school. where mr. class president, suguru, patiently showed you the directions of your classroom, giving his own commentary on what he thought about the teachers of each respective subject.

he checked-in on you throughout the interaction, if you were comfortable or needed anything, and made small talk. soon enough, you had begun adding to the conversation. and you left school that day feeling grateful that you possibly had suguru in your corner.

unshed, hot tears brimmed in your eyes, a hurting pang filled your chest. you swallowed the lump in your throat, one that you didn’t even realise had been forming. with a shaky breath, you blinked the tears away, eyes darting everywhere before finally landing on suguru as he hugged the fan one last time.

a wobbly smile etched upon your face as you watched the next person enter, receiving the same treatment. there was no doubt in your mind that you were happy for him, proud of him for pursuing his dreams.

that’s why you couldn’t do it. thus, like a fool, you stepped out of the queue and walked off to the exit door, grasping onto your wrist with the dedicated tattoo, before you could second guess yourself more and have tears streaming down your face.

if only you could’ve turned your head over your shoulder for one last time. you would’ve seen the way suguru’s face morphed into concern, eyebrows furrowed and lips turned into a frown.

the way he froze after taking one step forward with his hand stretched out in mid-air, as if he was going to grasp onto something—to you, perhaps—before composing himself to resume engaging with his fans; eye’s glancing towards the exit, wondering if you’d come back.

[mydearestbeloved]

Omg lol’ed at adam being the unwilling third-wheel in the middle of jinwoo and tp!reader’s  public display of “trust” 😭. No it’s just pure satisfying to see jinwoo trust and need someone presence that much. Tp!reader is his rock frfrfr 🥺 and tbh this only makes me sad to see how “alone” canon jinwoo is, so much so that he can’t really open himself up to people he cares about problems he has to deal with (and yes, even in sl ragnarok. Like even suho called him a “deadbeat dad” due to his communication issue 😭). Anyway, tp!jinwoo is so cute when he relies on tp!reader and OMG pointing and laughing at his cringe fail moment at the end. (still love you pookie 🥰)

Okay, but i kinda scratched my head at this part bc how come ashborn didn’t take notice of tp!reader sooner 🤔? I mean, you could say that she wasn’t strong enough to display her “absolute being” power to be under his radar before but even his fellow rulers can still sense her back then? Idk I don’t remember much details about this scene in canon so apologies if I misunderstood smth.

?System¿:

[ Ask reviewed as of (04/02/2025) . . .

CONGRATULATIONS!

You have unlocked some Hidden Information!

⚠️POTENTIAL SPOILERS ALERT⚠️

Would you like to view?

<<Yes>> <No>

We thank you for your support, Reader.

System will now connect you you to 《AUTHOR》 ]

.

.

.

Thank you for sending your review, my apologies for the very late response! 🙏💞

Omg, I just saw a few panels of the new chapter of SL: Ragnarok manhwa (chap. 41?) on Twitter/X, and after reading this review, I suddenly had a vision of this scene:

Warning: Unedited, subject to change, future convo(?)

_____

It was a quiet night, the kind where even the wind outside seemed to hush itself, allowing the world to bask in the rare tranquility. The soft glow of the living room lamp bathed the space in a warm ambiance, flickering shadows dancing with lights on the walls. Nestled together on the couch, you and Jinwoo enjoyed this rare moment of stillness. One of his arms draped around you, his warmth seeping into your skin as he pulled you closer. You leaned against his chest, your body naturally molding into his as if you had always belonged there.

In your arms, Suho stirred softly, his tiny fingers twitching every now and then. The slow rise and fall of his tiny chest mesmerizing to watch. He was still so small, only a few weeks old, yet with each passing day—day by day, feature by feature, he was becoming a mirror of the man who held you now.

But . . .

You traced the outline of Suho’s face with your eyes, the soft curve of his cheeks, the delicate lashes fluttering against his skin as he ‘fought’ against sleep.

—He also reminded you so much of your best friend.

The sight made your heart clench with a feeling too vast to name.

Ah, I should check on her again soon. Her tournament is coming up in a few weeks. I hope she isn’t pushing herself too much, else she’ll run to her death—Eh, who am I kidding.

You really, really wanted to laugh at the inside joke, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to. Your attempt at distracting your mind elsewhere just didn’t seem to work this time.

“...Jinwoo?” your voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

But Jinwoo always heard you.

“Hmm?” His hum reverberated in his chest, his chin resting lightly on your shoulder.

You hesitated. Your tongue darted out to wet your lips as you gathered the words that had been weighing on you for days now.

“Could you,” You inhaled deeply, as if steadying yourself. “…spend more time with our son?”

Jinwoo stilled for a fraction of a second, his hold around you subtly tightened, before his thumb resumed its slow, comforting strokes along your upper arm.

He knew that tone—the slight wavering beneath the surface, the weight in your words.

“What is it, my love?” His voice was low, gentle, like he was trying to coax you into opening up—technically, he was. “What’s bothering my wife this time?”

Damn him, when did he get so—!

You bit your lip before pressing on. “I’m not saying you’re spending too much time at work. In fact, if you were, you know I wouldn’t have taken any of it and dragged you home myself.”

A breath of laughter left him at that, and he pressed a lingering kiss to your temple. The warmth of it settled in your chest. It was such a simple thing, yet it unraveled the tension in your shoulders, bringing the ghost of a smile to your lips, grounding you despite the storm brewing in your thoughts.

It was his way of saying: We’re in this together. Always.

Your fingers idly stroked Suho’s back, feeling the slow, rhythmic breaths of your baby boy, his warmth anchoring you also.

“I’m just… worried,” The confession came out softer than you intended. You traced your thumb gently along Suho’s arm, watching how peaceful he looked, memorizing the smallness of him, the weight of him in your arms.

Committing every little feature of his to memory.

As if…

As if this moment was fleeting. As if this moment might slip through your fingers like sand, lost to the relentless tide of fate.

Jinwoo already knew where this was going.

“This is about the future you knew, isn’t it?”

Your grip on Suho tightened slightly. “Jinwoo, the fact that Suho is starting to look exactly as I remember him, in my memories of back then, just confirms it.”

The long road he’ll take. The hardships he’ll face.

A deep-seated fear started gnawing at you.

“The story hasn’t ended yet. His future will be the same—”

“Can be the same.”

Jinwoo’s voice was quiet but firm, cutting through the air like a blade. And yet, you still feel the gentleness that never faded away.

His fingers continued tracing slow, soothing circles on your arm. “You and I are proof that there’s still room for change.”

You opened your mouth, but the words caught in your throat. You let out a slow breath instead, some of the tension bleeding from your shoulders at the conviction in his tone.

How can he do that? ‘Till now, you still wondered, how could he ease the storm in your heart with just a few words.

Sometimes, you still couldn’t believe he was yours.

And that you were his.

“…Do you want him to be like you?” The question slipped past your lips before you could stop it.

“No.”

The answer was immediate. Firm. Yet, in contrast, the way his fingers brushed over Suho’s soft cheek was achingly gentle. The baby stirred slightly in response, his tiny hand latching onto Jinwoo’s retreating fingers. His little fingers barely curled around two of Jinwoo’s.

Jinwoo stilled, his expression unreadable.

“My path led me to you. I will never regret taking it.” His voice was hushed, reverent, as if speaking anything louder would shatter the fragile serenity of the moment.

Your heart squeezed at his words.

His fingers remained where they were until Suho’s grip finally loosened in sleep. Only then did Jinwoo carefully guide his tiny hand back against his blanket, ensuring he was comfortable. You adjusted the fabric around your son’s sleeping form, both of you moving in quiet tandem.

“But I want our son to find his own path. To choose for himself.”

Your chest ached at the tenderness in his voice, at the raw sincerity in his words.

You shifted slightly, careful not to jostle the sleeping baby in your arms as you leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to your beloved husband’s cheek.

“Then spend time with him.” Your voice was quiet but left no room for argument. “More time.”

You pulled back just enough to meet his eyes.

Jinwoo’s expression softened, but his eyes matched your unwavering ones.

“Don’t let him feel that the only way he can be close to you…” You choose your words carefully before continuing, “—is for him to follow in your exact footsteps.”

Promise me.

Jinwoo said nothing at first. He merely held your gaze. Then, his hand cupped the side of your face, guiding you into a slow, lingering kiss.

It was warm. Familiar. Melting. A promise sealed between your lips.

When he finally pulled away, he pressed his forehead to yours, breathing you in as if grounding himself in you.

_____

“Anything for my loves.”

Honestly, this just makes me more determined to continue writing Trial Player AU. To write a story of an AU where someone that can stand by Jinwoo in everything exist, who can really match him in power included, so that he won’t be “alone.” No hate for canon Cha Hae-in tho—she completes him, just differently than what I envisioned.

I’m still going for that “Cha Hae-in as our bestie”-agenda! I don’t plan on discarding her in Trial Player AU. I’m definitely going to give her more screen time, going to add my own version of developments, but hopefully, it will turn out good enough to still be enjoyed. ❤️

Trial Player AU - Chapter 22: Trial Player!Reader’s First Encounter With The Former Ruler

For clarification: the Rulers came to know of TP!Reader only after she came into proximity with their vessels.

Thomas Andre had a ‘delayed’ response—only after he locked eyes with her did the Ruler power in him react (Chapter 15). A similar situation happened with Go Gunhee, who had been watching Jinwoo walk away after their conversation. When Jinwoo approached TP!Reader in the distance, only then did the Chairman notice her, and the Ruler power in him reacted the same way as Thomas’ had (Chapter 21).

The pattern was there: The Rulers were supposedly alerted only after their vessels truly became aware of TP!Reader, which the vessels did not at first. And what the vessels feel after was always the urge to submit first (mostly due to the Rulers sensing a part of their Creator), then came the (motherly) warmth. At least, this is the pattern up to chapter 21. More on this will be revealed in the story, but feel free to take a guess or make your own theories. 🤗

Then why did Ashborn not take notice of TP!Reader sooner when Jinwoo already spent so much time close to her?

Let’s backtrack to canon info for this.

(As usual, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.) Why didn’t the Monarchs and the Rulers instantly know of Ashborn’s plans for Jinwoo? That is because The Architect, or Kandiaru, designed the System to be used only by Ashborn and his human vessel.

If we go by this logic, then the System is the main bridge for Kandiaru and Ashborn to keep track of Jinwoo. If, say, another being became aware of that fact, and that same being wanted something in Jinwoo’s vicinity to not be noticed by the two, wouldn’t hijacking that main bridge be the ideal plan?

There were many instances where the System acted differently around TP!Reader (and her butterflies, as more recently shown in Chapter 23), at least in comparison to how it usually was with Jinwoo. 🤔

All I can say for now is that this is the first clue as to why Ashborn (and the others) didn’t notice TP!Reader’s existence sooner/instantly, and so far, they have only been able to take notice of her under certain conditions. In Ashborn’s case, it was because TP!Reader reached out to Norma Selner’s mind when she was seeing something inside Jinwoo’s soul. Thus, TP!Reader’s special space came into contact with the ‘darkness’ Norma saw, where Ashborn could finally sense and become aware of her unique presence for the first time.

[louiseolivier]

Fluffebruary: Clingy Boyfriends

Written for @bucktommyfluffebruary

AO3 link

Barely passes the prompt smell test.

Buck was a 33, almost 34-year-old man, but he’d always be Maddie’s little brother. So when said little brother told her he was getting back together with the man who dumped him for no apparent reason and left him brokenhearted, Maddie tilted her head to the side, smiled a watery smile, and lied that she was happy for him. When his back was turned, gazing lovingly at his former ex, Maddie’s grin dropped, and the mist blurring her sight cleared. Fuck this guy. Fuck Tommy Kinard. 

She fully expected Tommy to catch her visible loathing of him and maybe look, not scared, but at least uncomfortable. But he was looking at Buck, pretending to be just as enraptured with Buck as Buck obviously was with him. Maddie wasn’t buying it, though, so she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, increasing her disdain. It didn’t work. Tommy remained oblivious. Chim wasn’t. He looked between her and the “lovebirds,” confusion evident. Finally, he leaned into her and whispered, “How ‘bout you take it down 10 notches?” He lightly poked her in the butt for emphasis, which made Maddie jump, turning the stink-eye on him. Chim raised his hands in surrender and stepped around her. “Well, I, for one, think this calls for celebratory donuts. You’re in for a treat, Tommy. Buck’s become quite a pastry chef.”

“I got to eat six from his trial batch yesterday. They’re amazing!” Tommy said fondly. “You’re amazing,” he told Buck, hands wrapping around Buck’s hips. He nuzzled the nape of Buck’s neck before being led by him into the kitchen.

Maddie rolled her eyes but followed because Buck’s donuts were amazing. Tommy better not touch the raspberry custard Buck made especially for her.  

&&&&&&&&&

Baby Kevin was being a bear about his two am feeding. She’d put him on her breast, and he’d fall asleep within minutes, but when she pulled him off to put him back in his cradle, he’d wake and scream, then they’d start the process over. They had cycled through the procedure six times that night before the baby fell asleep fed, and Maddie was exhausted. 

Quietly as she could, she slipped under the covers, but within moments, Chim was shifting around. “Turn over,” he whispered. Maddie obliged so Chim could cuddle up behind her. The tension she didn’t know she was holding loosened when his arm curled around her waist, but then she tensed at his words. 

“I think we should switch to formula at night.”

“No.”

“Maddie…”

“No,” she repeated. Maddie had a lot of regrets in her life, but not being around to feed Jee was pretty high up there. She wasn’t willing to lose that with Kevin. “Talk about something else,” she urged him. 

Chim sighed. She couldn’t audibly hear it, but the breath that blew across her neck clued her in. “Tommy and Buck, huh? How ‘bout that?” Inexplicably, she tensed even more. “So, I wasn’t imagining it,” Chimney said. 

“No.”

“He’s your brother, I get it, but they love each other.”

“No one said love,” Maddie pointed out, even though she knew that’s what it was on Buck’s part. God, she wished it wasn’t true. 

“Come on. All you have to do is look at them to know this is the real deal,” Chim cajoled.   

“For Buck? Yes. Tommy? I have my doubts.”

“Tommy especially.”

“Really?” Maddie lifted her head and gave her pillow an unnecessary punch. “He has a funny way of showing it. He left him once, Chimney. High and dry with no explanation. Tommy doesn’t deserve Buck.”

Silence settled between them. Maddie closed her eyes, pretending that all she had to do was clear her mind, and she’d fall fast asleep. Chim gave her middle a squeeze and sighed audibly this time. “The thing is, Mads, Tommy thinks so too.” Her eyes flew open. She was going to protest, but Chim beat her to it. “Just…watch them. Keep an open mind. I think you’ll see it too.

Maddie rolled her eyes. She didn’t think she would, but she lifted Chim’s hand and pressed a kiss to his palm. “I love you. Now stop talking.”

&&&&&&&&&

Maddie didn’t hate when Chinmey was right, but she sure as hell hated when she was wrong. It took less than a month for Maddie to realize she was wrong about Tommy. The man was absolutely stupid about her brother. They were dumb4dumb for each other, and she didn’t know whether to be disguised or jealous. The truth was it was a mix of both. 

They gazed into each other's eyes constantly. She wasn’t sure how they walked without tripping over each other.  If you looked up “simp” in the dictionary, there would be line drawings of her brother and Tommy. They were always touching each other. Tommy’s hand on the nape of Buck’s neck, around his shoulders, against his shoulder blade, running down his back, on a hip, stomach, thigh, knee, ankle, foot, and, yes, the top of Buck’s ass. There were even a few more X-rated sightings she’d be more than happy to forget, and the less said, the better. 

She would watch them cling to each other and wonder how she missed how handsy they were the first time around. Or maybe there was nothing to miss? Buck confessed one wine-drunk night that Tommy was right about Buck needing to figure himself out. His lip wobbled as he stared into the middle distance with glassy eyes. “It was when I told you I didn’t know which pond…,” Buck trailed off. His head tilted left. “…I was holding back publicly, but I didn’t…,” and then it tilted right, “but that was on me. And it wasn’t condemnation so much a statement of fact.” Maddie’s face scrunched up in confusion while Buck continued the bulk of whatever conversation they were having in his head. “It wasn’t about me; it was about him. I knew that. On some level, I knew that. See, that’s why it was so hard not to contact him!” Maddie nodded but realized she had no clue what he was talking about and switched to shaking her head. It wasn’t until the next morning, with a headache and cotton mouth, that he made it make sense. 

“I had no problem being affectionate, and when it came to having sex, I wasn’t nervous. It was perfect and right, and easy because Tommy made it easy. Publicly, though, all our time was spent in straight spaces, and I-I guess I had more hangups than I realized. And then I started to wonder why Tommy never took me to a gay bar or club and figured out it was because I never asked. My comfort always came first for him. He never pushed. My pace, my speed. I was calling the shots, and I didn’t get how far that extended until he was gone. So, I took his advice. After the wallowing and the baking, I went out and danced with men, kissed them, and touched them all in the presence of other men who were doing the same. Jesus, Maddie, I had no idea how freeing it would feel, which is crazy considering I never shied away from it with women. God, I could have missed my chance to experience it with someone I love!”

Buck’s face crumpled with emotion, and Maddie took the wine glass out of his hand and placed it on the coffee table. She wrapped her baby brother in a tight hug and held him until his breaths evened out. “You figured it out, honey. He came back to you, hopefully groveling,” Buck laughed at that, “and you worked it out. Now you can’t keep your hands off each other.”

Buck pulled back to look at her and asked, “Really?”

“Oh my gosh, yes! The two of you are always holding hands, or Tommy has his hand on your back or thigh. It’s disgustingly sweet, really,” she reassured him.

Buck laughed and fell against the couch, “I missed him so much. Even now, he’s an hour away, and my hand itches for his.”

&&&&&&&&&

Two weeks go by, and they have a family dinner. The Wilsons were invited, but they already had plans to take the kids out for dinner and a movie, so it was just them, Buck and Tommy. Buck was dragged to Jee’s salon so she could paint her Uncle Buck’s toenails. Chim and Tommy were in the living room watching some 90’s action movie while Maddie cleaned up from dinner. She loved the monotony of rinsing dishes and stacking them in the dishwasher. It gave her a chance for a bit of solitude and a break from trying to feed her finicky son. 

She had finally agreed to supplement with formula. She’d pump but her supply wasn’t as robust as with Jee. Admitting to that was hard, and she secretly believed it was cosmic punishment for walking out on her family, for letting her milk dry up prematurely. The guilt she felt vacillated between annoyance to unbearable, thankfully most days were manageable.

Maddie drained the sink and started the dishwasher. She turned off the 90’s pop playlist she was listening to and placed her earbuds back in their case. Her eyes swept around the clean kitchen, and she felt a stab of pride at seeing the results of her hard work. She moved to the living room to see how Chim was fairing with Kevin and was surprised to find her husband snoring softly on the couch while Tommy was feeding her son. She sat in an armchair, and Tommy shot her a skittish look. 

“Do you want him?” 

Maddie shook her head. “We have a rule. You feed him, you burp him. Thanks, by the way,” she said, nodding to Chim. 

“I was just going to hold him, but he—well, he started trying to nurse,” Tommy said and cringed. 

Maddie laughed. “It’s weird, huh?”

“A little,” Tommy admitted.

Feeling bold, Maddie asked, “Have the two of you…?” She nodded to Kevin, and Tommy’s eyes went wide. “Oh. Well, some, I guess.”

“You guess?” Maddie challenged.

“I could go either way. I can see what our family looks like with kids, but I could also envision it without. I told Evan he had four and a half years to figure it out.” 

“He’s not sure?” Maddie asked in surprise. She thought Buck would be chomping at the bit to start a family once he found his one, and he was pretty adamant that Tommy was it.

“Depends on the day,” Tommy admitted.

“Why the time frame?”  

Tommy shrugged. “I’ll be 45. I don’t want to still be raising kids while we should be enjoying our retirement.” 

“I’m 45,” Maddie pointed out. 

Tommy gave her a tight smile and pretended to go back to watching whatever dreck movie he and Chim picked out. She continued to watch him, with his handsome profile and big, beefy body, as he tenderly wiped a dribble of formula from the corner of Kevin’s mouth. The baby finished his bottle, and Tommy’s eyes cut to her, looking a little lost.

Maddie took pity. She got up and took the burp rag from Chim’s shoulder and laid it over Tommy’s. She perched herself on the coffee table and mimed how he should position Kevin. “Hike him over your shoulder and gently pat his back until he passes gas. It doesn’t really matter from which end.”

Tommy chuckled but followed her instruction. He began to tap the baby’s back but only with three fingers. Maddie realized he thought using his while palm might exude too much force, and that amount of care and forethought broke some of the steel inside her. “You’re in love with him.” It was a statement, not a question. Tommy replied with a definitive yes before she had finished humming the m in him. 

She nodded in acceptance. The reality of Tommy’s love was stark in the face of her initial doubt. His tapping on Kevin’s back stalled. He licked his lips and nervously asked, “Will you forgive me?”

Maddie thought about it and accepted the truth. “I already have.” She leaned in to kiss the top of Kevin’s head, and then, after a moment's hesitation, kissed the top of Tommy’s. “I’m going to get Buck. Maybe seeing you with a baby will kick up some of those parental feelings.” Maddie stood, and Tommy grinned up at her, his head giving a fondly exasperated shake. Maddie blew out a breath and felt secure that her son and her brother were in good hands. 

[cupidbedsy]

𝜗𝜚 drunken nights ; into you

➪ summary: after a long week, y/n just wants to unwind and luke looks after her when things get a little out of hand

➪ warnings: reader is an emotional and very clingy drunk

➪ word count: 2.1k

➪ cupid's notes: i am so so excited for everything that comes out of this au! if you want, please keep sending in thoughts and asks and yeah. i hope you guys enjoy

© cupidbedsy ; do not copy, repost, or translate my work and designs on any other website or here

It had been way too long of a week for her, tests upon tests, assignment after assignment, and worst of all she had barely seen Luke all week. At first, the idea of getting up and getting ready for a party she knew she would only halfway enjoy seemed exhausting but then the thought of being able to unwind and see Luke made its way into her mind and she wasted no time in starting to do her makeup. 

Dressed in one of her favorite short black skirts, a blue corset top, with her leather jacket thrown on and her knee-high black boots adorning her feet, she let her friends drag her out of their dorm and down the stairs, heading for the car. 

She was silent almost the whole way there, the lingering stress and anxiety still flowing through her head. If it wasn’t for the idea of seeing Luke tonight, she would’ve let the uneasiness consume her entirely. 

She was so in her head that she didn’t even realize that they parked outside of the Frat house that was hosting the party that night. She could hear the music from outside, watching as the lights flickered within the house and people hung out on the lawn. 

She gripped her best friend’s hand tightly, walking through the crowded house towards the kitchen where all the drinks were. She watched as her friend poured her her first drink of the night, taking it gratefully and sipping on it. 

Luke was in the middle of a game of beer pong, laughing with a few of his frat boys, running a hand through his hair when he felt something within him shift. It was the same feeling he got whenever y/n showed up, whenever he would lay eyes on her, whenever she brushed her fingers against his arm. 

His eyes worked overtime trying to find her, looking from the other side of the living room to the front door. He frowned when he didn’t see her, immediately going to scan the house again, but that’s when he saw her, tipping her head back as she finished her drink and reaching out to grab another one from her friend. 

He mumbled an ‘excuse me’ before making his way over to her, pushing through people to do so. They had been texting any chance they got meaning he knew how stressed she had been the entirety of the week and now seeing her tip back the drink as fast as she did, he knew that she would be downing drinks like there was no tomorrow. 

He threw an arm around her as soon as he approached, taking the drink from her hand, “Hey.”

She frowned when the cup left her grasp, looking up at him with her signature doe eyes, whining, “Lukey.”

“Yes, pretty girl?”

“You took my drink.”

He laughed at her pout, bringing her closer to his side so he could press a kiss to her temple, “I did. How many have you had already?”

“I just got here, that’s my second one.”

He gave her a skeptical look but relented nonetheless, handing her the drink back. He watched the people around them before turning his attention back to her, “How’re you doing?”

“Okay.” 

He furrowed his eyebrows at the short answer, expecting at least something other than okay. He maneuvered her so she was standing in front of him, making her stare up at him. His eyes trailed over her face, making note of every single freckle, eyelash, curve, and contour of her face, “What’s wrong?”

“A little stressed still. Have a bunch of things to do this weekend still.”

“Which means you want to drink to your heart’s content don’t you?”

Y/n gave him a pleading look, “Just for tonight? Please, Lukey.”

She watched as he mulled over the thought in his mind, studying his damp curls and the bead of sweat falling down the side of his face. She took in his appearance while she waited, his unbuttoned dress shirt, the sleeves rolled up, and his khaki shorts that sat just above his knees. 

“Fine.” 

She was snapped out of her trance at his single word, giving him a grateful smile as she raised on her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek before downing her drink. He sighed in return, knowing that this was going to be a long night. 

ﾟ+*:୨୧:*﹤

And he was right, she drank drink after drink, giggling like a little schoolgirl with each one she had. He had forgotten about how she was when she was drunk, the cute little laugh she couldn’t stop releasing, her contagious smile, and her clingy nature. 

Y/n reached for another drink but Luke’s hand encompassed hers and took it into his own, bringing it to his chest as she glared at him. He grinned, dumping the cup’s contents down the sink and wrapping his arms around her waist, bringing her to his chest, “I think it’s time we get you home, pretty girl.”

“But I’m having fun.” Her whine was barely loud enough for him, he had to bend down just so he could hear her words. 

“And you’re not going to have any fun tomorrow if you keep having fun tonight. C’mon, let’s go.”

She only giggles again, reaching up to run a hand through his hair, “You’re pretty, Lukey.”

A smirk takes over his features, looking down at her curiously, “Is that so, princess?”

“Mhm. The prettiest,” she states matter-of-factly, tugging at one of his curls again. 

“You’re so drunk, baby.” He murmurs, kissing her forehead.

“I’m telling the truth!”

“And how can I be sure you’re not bluffing? You gonna prove it to me?”

“I will.”

“And how will you manage to do that?” He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest, his face still set in his usually cocky smugness. 

“You’ll find out. Just you wait, Luke Hughes.”

“Oh, I will be.”

A silence falls between them, or about as silent as you can get with music still blaring through multiple speakers and people yelling over said music. And after a few minutes, y/n could feel the tiredness creeping up on her causing her to shuffle closer to her best friend, laying her head on his chest, “Lukey?”

He wrapped her arms around her shoulders, resting his chin on her head, “Yeah, y/n/n?”

“Can we go now?”

He chuckled but nodded, “‘Course we can, c’mon.” His hand falls to her lower back, guiding her out of the house and down the street to where his truck was parked, helping her into the passenger seat. 

He walked around to the other side, climbing into the truck himself, stealing a glance over at her, and confusion flashing across his face when he saw the pout on her lips, “What’s wrong, pretty girl? Too much to drink?”

“Wanna sit by you.”

He raised an eyebrow, drawing his hand back from the keys that were in the ignition, “You want to sit by me?”

She just nodded, a determined feeling washing over her. He threw his head back, running a hand through his hair as he tried to think of a way to break it to her that she wouldn’t be able to sit in his lap. It had been so long since she had been this drunk that he had forgotten how clingy she got, and how sad she got when she didn’t get her way. 

“Y/n/n you can’t sit in my lap.” He stated softly, looking over at her. 

“Why not?”

“Because I’m driving, it’ll not only put you in danger but me as well. Just gotta wait a few minutes, sweet girl, and then you can cuddle me and sit in my lap as much as your heart desires.”

She whined again, “That’ll take too long.”

A chuckle escaped him, letting his hand move to settle on her thigh, “It won’t be more than 10 minutes, hell it probably won’t even be five.”

Y/n knew he was right, but that didn’t mean she wanted him to be right. She stared back at him, trying to assert some level of authority over him but the challenging look he was giving her was enough to make her sink back into the seat, “Fine.”

“Good girl.” He squeezed her thigh, leaning over to kiss her temple before starting his truck and pulling away from the curb. 

ﾟ+*:୨୧:*﹤

Luke had to drag her upstairs, y/n letting him carry most of her body weight as she rested against him. The two came to a stop at his room, y/n waiting as he opened the door, leading her to sit down on his bed. She watched him carefully as he picked a few things off the ground, mostly dirty clothes, and placed them where they should be. 

He could feel her gaze on him but he paid no mind to it, continuing to tidy up as best as he could. When he finished, he turned back to her, smiling softly as her eyes opened and closed. He walked over to her, placing his index finger beneath her chin and tilting her head up so she was looking at him through hazy eyes, “Tired, princess?”

“Mhm.”

“Let’s get you changed then, yeah?”

She just nodded in response, letting him move to grab one of his T-shirts from his drawer and an extra pair of sleep shorts she kept at his. He handed them to her but she just gave him a look of helplessness. He chuckled, “You want me to help?”

“Please.”

“Alright, baby.” He took the clothes from her again, placing them beside her on the bed, slipping her jacket off, and throwing it on the chair in the corner. 

His fingers skimmed her stomach as he went to take her shirt off, cooing softly, “Arms up.”

She did as she was told, lifting her arms so he could easily slide the shirt off of her, doing the same thing he did with her jacket. He tugged her skirt down before putting her shorts on and letting the t-shirt fall over her frame. 

“Better?”

“Mhm.” She moved to curl up on his bed, bringing the comforter around her, letting the heat surround her. 

Luke changed into a random pair of sweatpants, throwing his shirt in the laundry basket, and kissing her forehead, “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Where you going?”

“Gonna get you some water and some meds so you’re head doesn’t hurt in the morning.”

“Quick?”

“Yeah, I’ll be quick.”

She nodded, snuggling into the bed as he left the room, practically running down the steps to the kitchen. 

And just like he promised, he was back within three minutes, two glasses of water and a few pills that he rested on his nightstand. He coaxed her into sitting up, letting her sit between his legs so her back was flush with his chest. 

“Drink.” He pressed the glass to her lips, urging her to take soft sips.  She sighed as the cool liquid went down her throat, relaxing even further into him. 

Once she finished the glass, he let her lay back down, him following in her steps, pulling her against him, “Get some sleep.”

Some time in between the time he left and when he got back, a small burst of energy made its way into her, causing her to turn over to face him, a small smile on her face, “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“Wanna stay with you.”

“You were going to sleep with me here anyway, baby.”

“I want to stay awake and talk to you.” A frown graced her lips, pouting once again. 

Butterflies erupted in his stomach, looking at her in awe, “That’s sweet of you princess, but you need your rest.”

She nodded, the energy she got quickly fading, but one question lingered in her mind, “Lu?”

“What’s up?”

“I’m your best friend right?”

He furrowed his eyebrows, “‘Course you are. Why’re you asking?”

“Just wondering.”

“Now tell me the real reason.”

“I dunno, just- would you go out with someone else?”

He softened, “I wouldn’t.”

“Why not?”

“‘Cause you’re mine, y/n/n.”

“Really?” Her eyes lit up slightly, her mind and body still letting the alcohol affect them. 

“Yep, all mine, baby.”

She didn’t say anything more, just snuggled into him once again, drifting off to sleep almost instantly. Luke knew she wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning, the only thing she would have as a reminder would be the pounding headache once she woke up.

꒰ INTO YOU TAGLIST ꒱

@fantillisgirl @hughesmedicine @jjgsunflower @kaydesssssssss

INTO YOU MASTERLIST ; AU'S

TAGLIST ; NHL MASTERLIST ; NAVIGATION

[freakbabyy]

soft universe - Eris Vanserra x Princess!Reader Prologue

< previous part | prologue | chapter one >

Welcome to my Eris one-shot that was too long for one fic :) this was made while listening to Aurora - Soft Universe. I'll probably name each chapter off of one of her songs on the album!

-----

Story preview: Y/N Erling - youngest descendent to the King of Vallahan, not special, youngest of seven girls and four boys, and certainly not next in line to the throne. A kind soul, free-natured, always does what's asked. Content with spending the rest of her fae life taking care of her nieces and nephews while her elder siblings dealt with court dealings. That was until they drew up an agreement - her hand in exchange for their agreement to the treaty with Prythian. Enter Eris Vanserra - new high lord who did not want a wife, nor a mate. Can they work it out together - under pressure from a blood rite, a language barrier, a culture barrier, and Eris' unfortunate attempts at flirting.

-----

Prologue: Soft Universe

Third Person

Eris Vanserra was a well-mannered, attractive, strong, charismatic and intelligent fae. However, he was also a stubborn, aggressive, picky, vulgar, and romantically unavailable high lord. Every subject of Prythian knew this, including the number of hands he was offered over the years as a prince; hands he’s always turned down even when his father, Beron, was alive. When he had killed his father, he knew he would have to marry eventually – if not for himself but for his duty. All his advisors talked about were of his affairs with other courts, which would be the most beneficial to marry Eris off to? Eris tended to doze off during those meetings. 

After only a few months of him being high lord, his first high lord meeting took place. He of course brought his second and third in commands, Garreth and Marcus – his eldest brothers. Garreth had a family already, having started before Beron had died and just welcomed a small babe named Isobel; Whereas Marcus was like Eris – unsure of what he had wanted, or rather who. This meeting was a way of getting out of Autumn and not thinking or being nagged about a wife for once. 

Eris’ POV 

“Rhysand, what of the continent?” The golden skinned male had questioned, “I heard from a little birdie that we were finally getting somewhere.” 

“I’d say your little birdie was correct, Helion.” The high lord of night turned to his cousin, “Morrigan here, oversees Vallahan, Azriel of Rask and Monterese. Lucien and Vassa of Scythia.” 

Three of the four mentioned by Rhysand had stood up from their seats, walking to the wall where the board was of who was in favor of a new treaty still and who wasn’t. Being decades from when they started, thankfully it seemed they were more willing to negotiate since last war. The Shadowsinger moved Monterese over to those who agree, and the golden eyed fox also moved Scythia. The Morrigan moved Vallahan to the middle. Azriel spoke first. 

“Monterese is onboard finally after more trade routes popped up, but Rask is still on the edge. They’re likely to agree if Vallahan agreed – it being it’s strongest ally.” 

“Scythia is in the same boat, literally, agreeing with the trade routes opening. Vassa stayed there to help rebuild, still. It’s looking good.” Lucien and Azriel sat back down, leaving Morrigan. 

“Vallahan agreed to the treaty on a few... conditions. I couldn’t agree without bringing it up to everyone first. A certain individual.” She took a breath, adjusting her stance before looking at everyone. 

“It can’t be that bad, right?” Kallias questioned, his wife, new high lady, slapped him on the arm at his observation. 

“Vallahan gave us an ultimatum. We can either offer Vallahan more territory here, in the form of a small cut of land from each court for their own courts-” A lot of protests rang out, 

“A small cut of land?!” 

“That is ridiculous!” 

“It’s bullshit.” 

“I agree with Tamlin, for once.” I spoke up as well, “What’s the alternative, Morrigan?” 

“Funny you should ask, actually.” Cassian spoke up for once, illyrian brute he is, and I turned fully to them. 

“What’s that mean?” 

“Their other alternative was to marry off the youngest daughter of the king – to a high lord – in a form of blood rite meaning the union could never be undone or else death to them and to their bloodlines.” 

Silence rang throughout the room; everyone knew there was only one true answer to what they could do. Only one of us were single, not betrothed – even complaining about the fact my advisors were on me about it. One outcome for this, and the king of Vallahan knew it as well as everyone in this room. 

“You know, I came here to forget about the fact my advisors are trying to marry me off like the most prized cow on the farm,” I spoke, clearing my throat, Rhysand speaking up, 

“You can say no, Eris.” A few murmurs went through the room, and I let out a scoff, 

“You can’t be serious. Either I marry some girl, or we all must cleave part of our courts out – or even prepare for war again.” 

“Unfortunately, he has a point.” Tamlin spoke out again, his own betrothed giving him a glare that would send him to his grave. 

“We are not taking away Eris’ right to if he marries or not. No matter how barbaric the alternative is.” Feyre spoke for the first time, “We will not take away his consent.” 

“My consent? Does she consent? Does she even know? Her entire life would be uprooted here.” 

“She does,” Morrigan chimed, almost happily. “She happily agreed, knowing she would have to move continents, face a language barrier, and be in – considered by them – enemy territory. I made sure she knew she had a choice, and she chose to do this for her family.” 

“Language barrier? They don’t speak modern fae?” 

“No, they speak Valhallian – a completely different language with their own symbols and characters. Morrigan took fifteen years to hold a conversation with them – I took twenty.” Rhysand clarified, digging through some papers before pulling out a signed letter it seemed, and set it down onto the table. 

“This looks like scribbles,” Kallias noted, his wife once again hitting him, “How can anyone read this?” 

“It basically is scribbles, the loops intentional. When they created the language, they made it so highly skilled spymasters couldn’t crack it – and eventually it became their main language. It sounds like gibberish, because it is. On purpose.” Morrigan sighed, “And our language looks like this to them, she doesn’t understand a lick of it.” 

“Languages aside, when would this happen? My court is still in shambles – it'll take a year minimum for it to be ready for anything major to happen. I have riots from Beron loyalists everyday.” I carded my hand through my hair, letting myself mess it up this once. “I can’t take her in until the threat of her safety is significantly lowered.” 

“We’ll house her,” Feyre confirmed, “We figured all of this out. We can house her at Night – you can visit her there so you know she’s safe – or you can take her to visit autumn when you visit. We have plenty of space for her, Rhys and Mor already know a bit of her language; it would all be taken care of until you’re ready.” 

I took in another breath of air, Thesan’s room suddenly feeling suffocating. Calculating the odds, I knew the entire of Prythian relied on me, those in this room begging me in their heads to take the deal – the lesser of two evils. Why not two birds with one stone after all? Fix the situation of the treaty while quieting my advisors? 

“Tell them I accept.” 

-----

let me know if you'd like to be tagged! :)