#and then the strap on joke scene where she looks him in the eyes and humps a canon at groin height

[dcoasis]

Random but I’m thinking about black MCU characters and the fact that she never got a name after debuting in 2017 still pisses me off.

[helioooss]

my favourite ex

synopsis: when minjeong dumped you over a year ago, nobody thought that you’d still be chasing after her: your favourite ex.

w/c: roughly 9.5k+

warnings: swearing, making out. winter’s a bit of an ass. law terminology when i actually know nothing about it and university as a whole (this hurt my fucking brain cause i went to uni for a week then dropped out). some angst here and there. (is it even a helios fanfic without a tinge of angst???)

a/n: merry christmas again - first detailed make out scene, lmao :)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the class was buzzing when you rolled in, skateboard strapped to your back, oversized “i love my ex” shirt proudly displayed for the world — or rather, for one person in particular, to see. you could feel the weight of the stares, the judgmental whispers blending with poorly concealed laughter, but it didn’t bother you.

at least, that’s what you told yourself.

“mate, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” ryujin said the moment she spotted you, her eyebrows shooting up so high they practically disappeared into her hairline. she nudged yeji, who turned around from her seat and immediately burst into laughter.

“you’re actually wearing that?” yeji cackled, pointing at your shirt as if it wasn’t blatantly obvious what it said. “y/n, come on. you’ve got to stop giving her free real estate in your head.”

“she’s not in my head,” you argued, dropping your bag on the floor with a thud. “she’s in my heart.”

“jesus christ,” ryujin groaned, burying her face in her hands like she couldn’t bear to look at you anymore. “you’re so down bad it’s embarrassing, just gets worse everyday.”

beomgyu leaned back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear as he tilted his head to study your shirt. “honestly, respect. this level of delusion? it’s kind of iconic.”

“thanks gyu,” you plopped down on the seat next to him with a smile.

“no, i mean it,” he said, gesturing wildly with his hands. “like, who does this? who actually wears an ‘i love my ex’ shirt to a class they share with their ex?”

“me,” you said, grinning to yourself. “because i’m not a coward.”

yeji snorted. “no, you’re just stupid.”

you ignored her, your eyes flickering to the other side of the room. there she was, in all her glory: kim minjeong, your ex-girlfriend, sitting with her clique like a queen holding court. yizhuo was whispering something to her, and whatever it was made her smirk — the type that used to make your knees weak.

that felt like a lifetime ago.

she looked flawless, of course. she always did. her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, a few strands falling perfectly into place and she was dressed like she’d walked straight out of a magazine; simple yet effortlessly elegant.

even the way she was sitting, legs crossed and her arm draped casually over the back of her chair, made it impossible to look away.

you weren’t the only one staring. everyone in the room was drawn to her in some way, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

she was one of the richest girls at yonsei, part of the infamous clique of untouchables: minjeong, jimin, yizhuo and aeri. together, they were a force of nature, the kind of people who ruled the social hierarchy without even trying.

and yet, once upon a time, minjeong had been yours. your gaze lingered on her, memories flooding in uninvited. the late-night study sessions where she’d tutored you in the basics of tort law, her patience wearing thin every time you made a dumb joke to avoid answering a question.

the rare moments when her cold exterior would crack and she’d laugh; a soft, genuine sound that made your chest ache with something you didn’t understand back then.

the way she used to look at you, like you were the most infuriating person in the world but also someone she couldn’t quite let go of.

“don’t even think about it,” yeji warned, snapping her fingers in front of your face. “do not embarrass yourself any further, y/n.”

“what do you mean?” you asked, tearing your eyes away from the love of your life.

“you’re literally about to get up and try to sit with her,” she deadpanned.

“i was not!” you protested, even though the thought had definitely crossed your mind.

“oh, for sure you were,” ryujin whined, rolling her eyes. “you’re like a moth to a flame. except the flame is your rich, hot ex who dumped you in the middle of the busiest hallway on campus. remember that?”

as if you could forget.

the image was burned into your brain — the way she’d stood there, her voice calm and detached as she said: “i’m bored of you, y/n.”

the flood of emotions when people had stopped to watch, their whispers growing louder with each passing second. the way your chest had caved in, like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

but you’d smiled through it. laughed, even. told her it was fine, that you understood. because you did. you understood minjeong better than anyone else, knew that her coldness was just a shield she used to keep people at arm’s length.

she’d come around eventually, you were sure of it. you just had to wait.

“oh my god, you’re still thinking about her, aren’t you?” yeji groaned. “y/n, move on. she’s not worth it.”

“she’s absolutely worth it,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest.

“no, she’s not,” ryujin said firmly. “she’s cold, distant, and —”

“hot,” beomgyu interjected.

“— and way out of your league,” ryujin finished, ignoring him.

“i don’t care,” you muttered, glancing back at minjeong. she caught your eye for a brief moment, her expression unreadable, before she turned away.

your chest ached.

god, you missed her so much it hurt.

“you’re hopeless,” yeji muttered, shaking her head.

you sighed, leaning back in your chair as professor cho walked in and started the lecture. you tried to focus, really, you did, but every time you glanced in minjeong’s direction, you were reminded of everything you’d lost — and everything you were still desperately hoping to get back.

the class was dead silent, except for professor cho’s monotone voice droning on about the intricacies of criminal law. your head was propped up on your hand, and you let out a long, slow yawn that you didn’t even bother to stifle.

unfortunately, it didn’t go unnoticed.

“miss l/n,” she snapped, her voice sharp and disapproving. “if my lecture is so boring, perhaps you’d like to teach the class yourself?”

you blinked, caught off guard. “i wasn’t saying it was boring.”

“no, you were implying it,” she shot back, folding her arms. “do you have anything to add to the discussion, or are you content to waste everyone’s time?”

the entire room was watching now and you could feel the weight of their eyes on you. you glanced at minjeong, who was sitting with her arms crossed. she didn’t even bother to look at you.

one thing you hated was the judgment, the way your chest tightened uncomfortably under the pressure.

“i didn’t mean to waste anyone’s time,” you defended, trying to keep your voice steady. “i just yawned. it’s not a crime.”

“it’s disrespectful,” she retorted. “and given your current academic performance, i’d suggest you take this class more seriously.”

that hit a nerve. “oh, so now we’re making it personal?” you asked, your voice rising.

“y/n,” ryujin hissed from the corner of the room, but you ignored her.

“you know what?” you said, standing up and grabbing your bag. “i don’t need this. i don’t need to sit here and listen to someone power trip on their authority.”

“then leave,” she finished coldly. “and don’t come back until you’re ready to behave like an adult.”

“gladly,” you muttered, storming out of the room.

once you were outside, you fumbled with your bag until you found your pack of cigarettes. your hands were trembling as you lit one, the first drag filling your lungs and easing the knot in your chest. you leaned against the wall, closing your eyes as the nicotine worked its magic.

but even with the cigarette in hand, your thoughts drifted back to her. minjeong. her stupid smile, the way her eyes used to soften when she thought no one was looking. you thought about the way she’d laughed at your terrible jokes during those late-night study sessions, her walls crumbling just enough to let you in.

and then you thought about the way she’d torn it all apart. how she’d stood there in the middle of that hallway, looking at you like you were nothing and said she was bored.

the memory made your stomach churn. you felt sick, anxious, like you were coming apart at the seams.

“you’ve got to let her go,” you mumbled to yourself, flicking ash onto the ground. “she’s not coming back.”

the words felt hollow. you’d been telling yourself the same thing for months, and yet here you were — still wearing an “i love my ex” shirt like a complete idiot, still hoping she’d see you and change her mind.

you finished your cigarette, hanging around campus before heading to your administrative law class, your mood dark and heavy. when you walked in, yeji waved you over, patting the seat next to her. you slumped into the chair without a word, ignoring her concerned look.

“you alright?” she asked quietly.

“fine,” you mumbled.

out of curiosity, you glanced over your shoulder and immediately regretted it. minjeong was already sitting a row behind you with aeri, her face calm and composed as always. she didn’t even glance your way, but you could feel her presence like a weight pressing down on your chest.

yeji leaned over, her voice low. “okay, but seriously, what’s up with the shirt? you’re not helping yourself.”

you shrugged. “thought it’d be funny.”

“it’s not,” she said bluntly. “it’s sad.”

you didn’t have the energy to argue. instead, you focused on the desk in front of you, your fingers tracing invisible patterns on the surface. you hadn’t even realised you were trembling until yeji put a hand on your arm.

“hey,” she said softly. “are you okay?”

“i’m failing,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “failing everything. maybe i should just drop out. leave this place and start over somewhere else.”

she frowned. “don’t say that.”

“why not?” you asked, meeting her eyes. “what’s the point? i’m not cut out for this. i’m just wasting everyone’s time — professors, my parents, even yours.”

“that’s not true,” she said firmly. “you’re not wasting my time and you’re definitely not a waste.”

you didn’t respond, staring down at your trembling hands.

“listen,” she continued, her tone softer. “i know it’s a lot. but dropping out isn’t the answer. you just need to take a step back, breathe and figure out what you want.”

“i don’t even know what i want anymore,” you admitted.

from behind you, you felt a pair of eyes on you. minjeong’s. though you didn’t dare turn around, you could feel her frown, her sharp gaze lingering on your hands.

“just…think about it,” she added, giving your arm a reassuring squeeze. “you’ve gotten this far.”

by some miracle — or maybe out of sheer spite, you managed to pull yourself together for the rest of the lecture. instead of zoning out or whispering to yeji, you actually listened. surprisingly, the material clicked this time.

professor diaz, as sharp as ever, began throwing out questions to the class and to everyone’s surprise — including your own — you knew the answers.

“miss l/n,” he called, clearly sceptical after he heard of your earlier outburst. “procedural fairness — tell me, what are its main components?”

you hesitated for a moment, glancing at yeji, who gave you a small, encouraging nod. “uh, well, the two main components are the right to a fair hearing and the rule against bias.”

the professor raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting you to be correct. “and? tell us more about it.”

“the right to a fair hearing means that anyone affected by a decision should have an opportunity to present their case,” you answered, hesitation still audible in your voice. “the latter will ensure that decision-makers remain impartial and free from any conflicts of interest.”

he paused, then gave a small nod of approval. “not bad, miss l/n. maybe there’s some hope for you after all.”

you felt a flicker of pride at his words, though it was quickly replaced by embarrassment as yeji smirked and whispered, “look at you, being a functional member of society.”

after class ended, you gathered your things and followed her out, ignoring the glances from your classmates. as the two of you walked toward your usual hangout spot, you spotted ryujin and beomgyu already waiting on the stairs that led down to the fountain.

the fountain, of course, was near the gazebo where minjeong and her clique always sat — and judged.

“finally!” ryujin called out as you and yeji approached. “thought you two got lost or something.”

“y/n was busy impressing the professor,” yeji teased, nudging you. “she actually answered questions. correctly, even.”

“whoa,” beomgyu said, putting a hand to his chest like he was in shock. “is this the same y/n we know, or did someone replace her?”

“ha ha,” you said dryly, dropping your bag on the stairs. “you’re hilarious.”

“she’s just trying to make up for the shirt,” ryujin said, nodding toward your chest.

beomgyu squinted at the bold i love my ex print and groaned. “oh, for the love of — y/n, take it off.”

“you take it off,” you shot back, smirking.

“don’t tempt me,” he said, rummaging through his bag. after a moment, he pulled out a plain white t-shirt and tossed it at you. “here; you put this on before you embarrass yourself any further.”

you stared at the shirt for a moment, then sighed. “fine,” you pulled it over your head without argument, covering up the text that seemed to offend everyone.

“there,” he nodded in approval. “now you look like a normal human being.”

meanwhile, at the gazebo, minjeong had been watching the entire exchange. she frowned when she saw you cover up the shirt, though she didn’t know why it bothered her.

aeri, however, noticed immediately.

“jealous much?” aeri teased, smirking as she leaned back against the gazebo railing. “what, you miss being the one she’s obsessed with?”

“don’t be ridiculous,” minjeong’s tone was cool and dismissive. “i don’t care what she wears.”

“sure you don’t,” yizhuo chimed in, grinning. “you’ve been staring at her for the past five minutes.”

she rolled her eyes, pretending to focus on her phone. “you’re imagining things.”

“uh-huh,” aeri said, exchanging a knowing look with yizhuo.

she ignored them, though her eyes flickered back to you just in time to see you grab your skateboard. you and beomgyu were at it again, attempting flips and tricks on the stairs while yeji and ryujin sat nearby, shaking their heads.

“she’s going to hurt herself,” minjeong muttered, though no one seemed to hear her.

and then, as if on cue, it happened. you misjudged your footing on a landing, and the skateboard flew out from under you. you went down hard, hitting the edge of the stairs with a sickening thud.

“shit,” ryujin said, scrambling to her feet as yeji gasped.

from where she sat, minjeong’s heart skipped a beat. before she realised what she was doing, she was already standing up, her eyes locked on your crumpled form at the bottom of the stairs.

“relax,” jimin mumbled, crossing her arms. “your ex can handle it. and dumped her, remember? don’t act like you care now.”

but she didn’t respond. she couldn’t take her eyes off you, her mind racing with worry even as she tried to convince herself that it wasn’t her problem anymore.

“jesus christ, y/n,” beomgyu muttered as he crouched down beside you, pulling his bag off his back and rummaging through it with the urgency of a paramedic. “you’ve really outdone yourself this time. does it hurt? of course it hurts. what a stupid question.”

“it’s fine,” you said through gritted teeth, clutching your ribs as you tried to sit up. the sharp sting that shot through your side made you wince and you slumped back down against the cold stone of the stairs.

“yeah, fine. sure,” he said sarcastically. “you only fell from, what, three metres? you’re totally fine.”

“shut up, gyu,” you snapped, glaring at him.

“oh, don’t worry,” he said, pulling a freezing cold gatorade bottle out of his bag. “i’m about to help you,” without any warning, he pressed the icy bottle directly against your ribs.

you let out a shriek, the pain sharp and immediate. “what the fuck, beomgyu?!”

“what?” he asked innocently, holding the bottle in place. “it’s cold therapy. helps with the swelling.”

“it’s called torture!” you yelled, trying to shove his hand away.

“stop being dramatic,” he said, but he moved the bottle, finally giving you a moment to breathe.

ryujin crouched next to you, her hands on her hips as she stared at you like a disappointed parent. “you’re a fucking idiot, you know that?”

“it wasn’t that bad of a fall,” you muttered, avoiding her gaze.

“you’ve got to stop pulling stunts like this,” she said, shaking her head. “your bones can only take so much abuse before they just give up.”

“and then what?” yeji interjected, crossing her arms as she stared down at you. “you’ll end up in the hospital and we’ll have to explain to the doctors that you’re failing uni because you spend all your time skating and crying over your ex.”

at the mention of her, your stomach twisted. “don’t bring her into this,” you muttered, staring at the ground.

“oh, we’re bringing her into this,” yeji said, crouching down to your level. “because, let’s be honest, half the reason you’re acting like an idiot lately is because of minjeong.”

“shut up,” you mumbled, squeezing your eyes shut.

“she’s right, though,” ryujin added, her tone softer this time. “you’ve been in your head about her since the breakup. it’s messing you up.”

“it’s not about her,” you lied, though the lump in your throat betrayed you. you hated that they were right. hated that even now, with pain radiating through your ribs, your thoughts still drifted to her.

you hated minjeong. or at least, you wanted to. you hated the way she made everything look so easy and you hated the way she walked around like she owned the world, like nothing and no one could touch her.

most of all, you hated the way she looked at you. because even now, even after everything, you swore there was something in her eyes that told you she still cared.

and that, more than anything, made you feel sick.

“y/n?” ryujin’s voice cut through your thoughts, bringing you back to the present. she was staring at you, her brow furrowed in concern. “are you crying?”

“what? no,” you said quickly, wiping at your face. but the tears were there, hot and unwelcome.

“you are,” yeji pointed, her tone softening. “y/n, what’s wrong? is it your ribs?”

“no,” you said, shaking your head. “it’s…it’s just —” your voice cracked, and you groaned, burying your face in your hands. “stupid fucking bitch, why does she have to look so pretty all the time?”

“who?” beomgyu asked, confused.

“minjeong,” yeji said quietly, her expression softening. “she’s talking about minjeong.”

of course you were. even now, when you should have been focusing on your physical pain, she was the only thing on your mind.

“alright, don’t fucking piss me off,” ryujin groaned abruptly, standing up and brushing off her jeans. “we’re skipping the rest of the day.”

“what?” yeji asked, glancing between you and ryujin. “you serious?”

“dead serious,” ryujin answered. “we’re taking her to joe’s juice joint, and we’re drinking her heart out until she forgets minjeong ever existed.”

“now that’s a plan,” beomgyu said, grinning. “i’m in.”

“guys, i’m fine,” you protested weakly, but ryujin wasn’t having it.

“nope,” she said, grabbing your arm and hauling you to your feet. “you’re coming, no arguments. consider this an intervention.”

reluctantly, you let them guide you down the stairs. every step sent a fresh wave of pain through your ribs but you gritted your teeth and kept moving. anything was better than sitting around and wallowing in self-pity.

as you passed by the gazebo, you didn’t spare minjeong or her clique a single glance. but you could feel her eyes on you, heavy and unrelenting, like she was trying to read your mind from across the courtyard.

“y/n!” aeri’s voice rang out from the gazebo, loud and teasing. “anything broken?”

“just my ego,” you mumbled without looking up.

she cackled, clearly delighted. “you skipping class again? what is this, the third time this week?”

“fourth,” ryujin told her with a smirk. “and yeah, we’re heading to joe’s. you want to join us after your class?”

the girl raised an eyebrow, glancing at minjeong, whose frown deepened. “tempting,” she said, still grinning. “might just take you up on that.”

“we’ll be there all night,” ryujin winked, wrapping an arm around your shoulders as if to shield you from the weight of your ex-girlfriend’s gaze.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the first day, it was easy for minjeong to ignore your absence. people skipped class all the time; it wasn’t a big deal. you were probably out skating somewhere or doing something equally idiotic and irresponsible.

she really told herself she didn’t care. she spent the lecture dutifully taking notes, her pen gliding smoothly across the page, her expression calm and collected.

yet as the minutes dragged on, she caught herself glancing at the door more often than she wanted to admit. no loud entrance, no skateboard clattering against the floor, no offhand comment that made half the class groan and the other half laugh. the room felt…off.

too quiet.

“focus,” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. this was good. peace and quiet was good.

but the uneasy feeling lingered.

the second day was harder.

she arrived to class early as always, settling into her usual seat. she pulled out her notebook and began skimming through her notes, but her focus wavered. every time the door opened, her eyes flickered up instinctively, only to be met with someone else’s face.

not a sight of you.

again?

she hated how much it bothered her. hated the little knot forming in her stomach, the way her pen hovered idly in her hand as she stared at the empty seat you usually occupied. it wasn’t like she cared.

“you alright?” aeri asked during lunch, raising an eyebrow as she leaned across the table. “you’re kind of…off today.”

“i’m fine,” minjeong said curtly, stabbing at her salad with her fork.

“you don’t look fine,” jimin pressed, clearly amused. “what’s got you all grumpy?”

“nothing,” she replied, her tone sharp enough to make them smirk.

“is it because of y/n?” jimin asked, her eyes glinting with mischief. “you’ve been weird since she stopped showing up.”

“i haven’t been weird,” she snapped, glaring at her.

“you totally have,” yizhuo pointed out, leaning back in her chair. “you’ve been frowning nonstop for two days. it’s honestly kind of funny.”

“maybe you should just ask her friends where she is,” jimin suggested casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “wouldn’t it put your mind at ease?”

“i don’t care where she is,” minjeong said rather quickly, her voice colder than she intended. “it’s none of my business.”

“sure it’s not,” aeri chuckled, exchanging a knowing look with jimin and yizhuo.

she didn’t dignify them with a response. instead, she stood abruptly, grabbing her bag and walking away. she hated how transparent she was, hated that her friends could see right through her.

but as much as she wanted to pretend she didn’t care, the nagging unease wouldn’t go away. your absence felt like a puzzle piece out of place and she hated unsolved puzzles.

the fountain steps were as loud and chaotic as ever when minjeong approached, her unease simmering just beneath her calm exterior. she spotted your friends easily — beomgyu, ryujin and yeji sitting in their usual spot, laughing about something as he gestured wildly with his hands.

she hesitated for a moment, her pride warring with her curiosity. then, with a deep breath, she walked up to them, her expression carefully neutral.

the first to notice her was beomgyu, who immediately froze mid-gesture. “uh…” he blinked, clearly caught off guard. “can we help you?”

“where’s y/n?” she asked, cutting straight to the point. her tone was as cold as ever, but her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.

ryujin raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with yeji. “why do you care?”

“i don’t,” she replied quickly, though the words felt hollow. “i just noticed she wasn’t in class. that’s all.”

“you noticed,” beomgyu said, leaning back with a grin. “interesting.”

“just answer the question,” she demanded, her patience wearing thin.

ryujin sighed dramatically, leaning forward with a smirk. “well, since you’re so curious…she fainted at joe’s the other day, y’know, when she fell down these stairs.”

minjeong’s calm facade cracked. her eyes widened slightly, her grip tightening on her bag. “she fainted?”

“yeah,” ryujin said, her tone casual but her eyes glinting with amusement. “we were all hanging out, having a good time and then boom — she just collapsed.”

her stomach twisted. “collapsed?” her voice was quieter now, less sharp. “what?”

“yep,” yeji added, nodding solemnly. “we had to take her to the hospital. turns out she fractured a rib when she fell on the stairs.”

the words hit your ex-girlfriend like a punch to the gut. fractured a rib? the image of your fall replayed in her mind, but this time it felt sharper, more vivid. she could still hear the sickening thud of your body hitting the stairs, see the way you’d clutched your side in pain.

and now, knowing you hadn’t just brushed it off, that it was serious enough to land you in hospital, made minjeong’s chest ache in a way she didn’t like.

“so, there you go,” ryujin yawned, tilting her head. “your curiosity satisfied?”

she didn’t respond, choosing to turn on her heel and walk away — her mind racing. she told herself it didn’t matter.

you didn’t matter.

she stared blankly at her phone, her thumb idly scrolling through an endless feed of nothing. the sounds of her friends chatting around her faded into the background and she leaned back against the bench, her thoughts pulling her under.

she didn’t know why she broke up with you that day. no matter how many times she replayed the memory in her head, it never made sense. one moment, you were telling her some absurdly funny story about your boss — a ridiculous tale about how he had a deep-rooted fear of olives and couldn’t even look at a martini without panicking.

she remembered laughing at that, really laughed and it felt easy, like it always did with you. you’d grinned at her, bright and carefree; the kind of smile that felt like it was meant just for her.

and then, almost without thinking, she’d said it.

“i’m bored of you.”

the words had tumbled out of her mouth, cold and sharp, before she even realised what she was doing. she remembered the way your expression had faltered for the briefest of moments, like a flicker of a flame before it was snuffed out.

and then, as if to spite her, you’d smiled. laughed, even.

“cool. no worries,” you’d replied, your tone light and easy, like she hadn’t just ripped the ground out from under you.

but she saw the way your shoulders stiffened as you turned and walked away and for the first time, she had felt the weight of what she’d done.

she’d tried to convince herself it was the right choice. your relationship had been getting…too real.

a year was a long time, longer than she ever thought she’d spend with anyone. and with every passing day, you’d peeled back more and more of her walls, learning things about her that she didn’t even know she wanted to share.

it terrified her how easily you read her, how you’d figured her out like you were studying a map of her soul.

she hated it. hated that you could tell what kind of mood she was in just by the way she tapped her pen during lectures. hated that you knew her coffee order by heart, down to the extra splash of milk she only liked on rainy days. hated that you always noticed when she was struggling, even when she didn’t say a word.

she hated that she’d started to depend on you — because if you knew her so well, if you’d gotten that close, then it meant you had the power to hurt her in a way no one else ever had.

and minjeong didn’t know if she could handle that.

so, she’d broken things off. not gently, not in private, but in the loudest, cruelest way possible. if she made you hate her, if she pushed you far enough away, then maybe she could protect herself.

except you didn’t hate her.

you didn’t yell at her, or cry, or make a scene. you just…kept smiling. kept acting like it didn’t bother you, like you understood her better than she understood herself. and then, to her frustration, you started chasing her. showing up to class wearing ridiculous shirts, making jokes loud enough for her to hear and skating around like you didn’t have a care in the world.

it drove her insane.

it wasn’t fair. she’d ended things because she needed distance, needed to feel in control again, and here you were, acting like you could still get under her skin whenever you wanted.

she clenched her jaw, staring down at her phone. the image of you sitting in the hospital, clutching your ribs and pretending it didn’t hurt, flashed in her mind.

you were so stubborn, so reckless, and it infuriated her that she still cared.

“you okay?” yizhuo’s voice cut through her thoughts, and minjeong looked up, realising she’d been silent for too long.

“fine,” she muttered, but the word felt hollow.

“you don’t look fine,” aeri teased, leaning closer. “what’s got you so worked up? your ex again?”

minjeong’s jaw tightened. she hated how easily her friends could read her, hated that she was so transparent. “no,” she answered sharply.

“uh-huh,” jimin said, smirking. “sure it’s not.”

she ignored them, turning her focus inward again. you needed to stop chasing her, stop showing up with that stupid grin that made her chest ache in ways she didn’t want to think about.

maybe if she made it clear that she’d moved on, you’d finally back off. you were proud, after all — too proud to stick around if you thought she was interested in someone else.

an idea formed in her mind, one she didn’t entirely like but couldn’t shake.

maybe i should be seen with someone else in front of her.

if you saw her laughing with someone else, leaning in close, maybe even touching their arm, you’d get the message.

she exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. it would hurt you — she knew that.

but wasn’t that the point? if hurting you meant protecting herself, wasn’t it worth it?

minjeong opened her eyes, her decision made. she’ll stop. she has to.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

you were already regretting coming in. every step you took through the halls felt heavier, slower, like the whispers around you were dragging you down. usually, the energy on campus buzzed with something familiar — greetings, smiles and nods of acknowledgment as people called out your name.

today, however, there was a sudden shift. people were staring, their hushed voices following you like shadows.

you weren’t used to this. the stares weren’t friendly; they were curious, cautious, like you were some sort of sideshow spectacle.

your mind raced with questions as the weight of their gazes pressed on you: what the fuck have i done now?

“you should’ve stayed home,” ryujin muttered from beside you, her arms crossed and her pace slowing to match yours. “seriously, what are you even doing here?”

“i have to try,” you mumbled, not meeting her gaze. the ache in your ribs flared with every step, but you forced yourself to keep walking. “if i don’t, i’ll have to repeat. and that’s more embarrassing than walking around like this.”

she sighed, shaking her head. “you’re impossible, you know that?”

you didn’t respond, you couldn’t. the pain was bad enough, but the whispers and the growing pit of anxiety in your stomach made it worse. you tried to focus on getting to class, on anything but the way people seemed to glance at you and then quickly look away.

when you finally reached the lecture hall of your evidence class, yeji was waiting near the entrance, her arms crossed. the moment she saw you, she walked up and grabbed your wrist. “come on.”

“what —” you started, but yeji was already pulling you toward the front of the room, far from your usual spot in the back.

“why are we sitting here?” you frowned, glancing back at ryujin, who followed silently, her expression unreadable.

“just trust me,” yeji mumbled, her tone firm as she steered you into a seat in the front row. “you’ll thank me later.”

heaving out a sigh, you didn’t argue. your ribs throbbed as you sank into the chair and you focused on pulling out your notebook and pen, determined to make it through the lecture. you began to scribble notes as it began, your mind too foggy with pain to think about anything else.

direct. circumstantial. hearsay.

until your pen slipped out of your fingers and clattered to the floor behind you.

groaning in pain, you turned slowly, twisting just enough to grab it. when you looked up, the sight in the back of the room hit you harder than the fall that fractured your rib.

minjeong was sitting next to sungchan. not just sitting — close. too close. her body angled toward him, her arm resting on the desk between them, the space so small it might as well not have fucking existed. his stupid smile stretched across his face as he leaned toward her, saying something that made her chuckle softly.

the only thing rooted in place was disbelief as your breath caught in your throat. your fingers froze around the pen. it wasn’t just that they were sitting together; it was the way they looked. comfortable. familiar. like this wasn’t the first time.

what the fuck?

ryujin noticed the change in your expression immediately. “y/n?” she whispered, nudging your arm gently. “hey, you good?”

but you weren’t good. you were anything but good. the pain in your ribs was nothing compared to the ache that spread through your chest like wildfire.

your gaze flickered back to the front, but it was too late. the damage was done. the rest of the lecture passed in a haze, your pen barely moving across the page. you couldn’t focus, all you could see was minjeong and sungchan, sitting together like they belonged there, like she hadn’t asked about you just days ago.

so this is what she wanted, you thought bitterly, your jaw clenched so tight it ached.

some time alone so sungchan could sweep her off her feet?

you thought she cared. you really thought that despite her cold front towards you, that there was still something there, but apparently, you’d been wrong.

she didn’t even glance your way. not once. she stayed glued to him the entire lecture, her quiet laughter ringing faintly in your ears like a cruel reminder.

when the class ended, you packed your things in silence, your hands trembling slightly as you stuffed your notebook into your bag. you didn’t say a word to ryujin or yeji as you walked out, the hollow ache in your chest growing with every step.

she doesn’t care, you told yourself. she never did.

the thought didn’t stop the sting.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the walk to your next class was excruciatingly quiet. too quiet. beomgyu was by your side, matching your pace as the two of you moved through the crowded hallway, but he didn’t say much.

for once, the usual chatter and easy jokes he always carried with him were absent, lips pressed into a thin line, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his hoodie — like he was trying to make himself invisible.

he’d noticed, of course. he always did. you’d seen minjeong and sungchan together in the last lecture and it had sucked the life out of you. he’d seen the way your expression had darkened, the fire in your eyes replaced with something duller; something he didn’t like.

you were a ticking time bomb. and he was scared.

“you okay?” he asked finally, his voice hesitant.

you nodded, your eyes focused on the floor ahead of you. “fine.”

he didn’t believe you, not for a second, but he didn’t push. instead, he tried to fill the silence with small talk, his usual coping mechanism.

“so,” he said, forcing a grin. “how’s the rib? still feel like your entire torso’s on fire, or is it more of a dull, stabbing pain now?”

normally, you’d have some kind of snarky remark for him, a sarcastic jab or a playful insult. but now, you just shrugged, your shoulders heavy with the weight of everything unsaid.

beomgyu fell silent. it was rare for him to feel uncomfortable, but something about this version of you — quiet, almost lifeless, set him on edge.

the two of you walked into your tutorial room and took your seats. at least minjeong wasn’t here, but sungchan was. and even worse, he was sitting just a few rows behind you, loud enough for you to hear every word he was saying.

“yeah, man, she’s amazing,” sungchan was saying to one of his friends, his voice carrying across the room like nails on a chalkboard. “she’s smart, funny, gorgeous…i mean, i���m going to make her mine.”

your grip tightened around your pen.

“like, she’s not even cold, you know?” he continued, his tone insistent, as if he were the authority on minjeong’s personality. “she’s just…selective. she doesn’t waste her time on people who don’t deserve her.”

every word he said felt like a dagger, twisting deeper and deeper. he spoke about minjeong like he knew her, like he truly understood her and it made your stomach churn.

he doesn’t know her. he doesn’t.

then again, maybe he was right. maybe you didn’t deserve her. maybe you never had.

the tutorial on property law dragged on, every second stretching into an eternity. when it finally ended, you were the last to pack up, moving sluggishly as the room emptied around you. beomgyu hovered nearby, watching you like you might break at any moment.

“y/n,” professor anderson’s voice pulled you from your thoughts and you looked up to see professor anderson, her warm brown eyes filled with concern.

she was one of the few professors who actually seemed to care about her students, and she’d always had a soft spot for you, even if you were a pain in her class sometimes.

“yes, professor?” you asked, your voice quieter than usual.

she crossed her arms, leaning against her desk as she studied you. “you need to pull it together,” she said, her tone gentle but firm. “i don’t know what’s going on with you, but whatever it is, you need to let it go. focus on yourself, not on…other distractions.”

you knew exactly what she meant, but you didn’t argue. instead, you nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat. “i understand,” you said quietly. “thank you, professor.”

“you’re capable, y/n,” she added, her voice softening. “more than you realise. don’t waste that.”

you nodded again, murmuring a quiet “i’ll try” before walking out of the room.

beomgyu followed silently, his usual teasing absent as he guided you toward the stairs where your friends always hung out.

as you approached, your eyes drifted to the gazebo. there they were — minjeong, sungchan and the rest of her friends. he was sitting exactly where you used to sit sometimes, his arm casually draped along the back of the bench, leaning into her like he belonged there.

you looked away quickly, but the image was burned into your mind.

“don’t do anything stupid,” yeji started as you reached the stairs, her voice cutting through the haze in your mind. “seriously, y/n. you’ve already hurt yourself enough. don’t make it worse.”

“she’s right,” beomgyu added, sitting beside you. “minjeong’s made her feelings pretty clear, hasn’t she? maybe it’s time to…you know, let it go.”

you sat there for a moment, staring down at your hands. their words were harsh, but they weren’t wrong. she really had made it clear. over and over again, she’d shown you exactly where you stood in her life.

“okay,” you finally said, your voice barely above a whisper.

yeji frowned. “okay?”

you exhaled, the weight of the past year pressing down on you like a tidal wave. “i give up on her.”

the silence that followed was heavy, but for the first time in what felt like forever, you didn’t feel like you were drowning.

“it’s about time,” ryujin cut through the silence, her voice lacking its usual teasing edge.

beomgyu clapped a hand on your shoulder, his grin tentative but hopeful. “you’re gonna be okay, y/n.”

you nodded, your gaze drifting back to the gazebo for a moment before turning away. it still hurt, but maybe, just maybe, you were ready to start moving on.

but those words had barely left your mouth when the weight of everything hit you all at once. you thought saying it aloud would feel like some kind of release, a burden lifted.

instead, it was like the air had been sucked out of your lungs. the edges of your vision blurred as your chest tightened, your heart pounding so hard it drowned out everything around you.

you couldn’t breathe.

“y/n?” yeji’s voice came from somewhere far away, muffled and distant. “are you okay?”

your hands were trembling, your fingers curling into fists as you struggled to pull in air. your body felt too heavy, your chest heaving as you fought against the invisible weight pressing down on you.

“shit,” ryujin said, her voice sharp with alarm. “she’s having a panic attack.”

your ribs ached with every shallow breath, the pain only amplifying the sense of suffocation.

“y/n, look at me,” beomgyu called out calmly, crouching in front of you. his voice was steadier than the others, but you could hear the undercurrent of worry. “hey, it’s okay. you’re okay. just breathe, yeah? in through your nose, out through your mouth.”

the panic clawed at your chest, your mind spiralling as thoughts of minjeong, sungchan and everything else crashed over you like a wave.

ryujin grabbed your trembling hands, her grip firm but not forceful. “count with me,” she said, her voice low and steady. “one… two…three…”

the breaths came in short, rapid bursts, your body fighting against you as the world narrowed down to the sound of ryujin’s counting and beomgyu and yeji’s soft reassurances.

slowly, the edges of your vision began to clear, and the tightness in your chest eased just enough for you to take a deeper breath.

“that’s it,” beomgyu said, his voice filled with relief. “you’re doing great, y/n. keep going.”

it took a few more minutes, but eventually, the panic subsided. your breaths came slower, deeper, though your chest still ached from the effort.

“you scared the hell out of us,” ryujin said softly, her hands still holding yours.

“sorry,” you managed to whisper, your voice hoarse.

“don’t apologise,” yeji said firmly. “just…god, y/n. you’ve been holding everything in for so long. you haven’t had one of those in awhile.”

the truth was, you weren’t okay. you hadn’t been for a long time, and today had pushed you past your breaking point.

“we’re taking you home,” beomgyu decided, standing up and offering you his hand. “no arguments.”

“what about your other lectures?” you asked, though the question came out half-heartedly. “i can go home by myself, i’ve gone to all of mine.”

“it can wait,” ryujin reassured, helping you to your feet. “you need to rest.”

as the three of them guided you away from the stairs, your eyes flickered back to the gazebo. she was still there, her laugh carrying faintly on the breeze as sungchan said something that made her smile.

she didn’t even notice — or at least, pretended not to.

it hurt, but for the first time, you let yourself turn away. maybe you didn’t know how to move on yet, but you knew you couldn’t keep doing this to yourself.

one step at a time, you’d figure it out eventually.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the past few days had been a blur of quiet determination. for once, you focused on your lectures, actually paying attention and, to your own surprise, getting the answers right. the professors had started to notice the shift, exchanging glances whenever you raised your hand or turned in a completed assignment.

even your friends had been treading lightly around you, unsure of what to make of the sudden change.

your skateboard hadn’t seen the light of day in a week, and your fractured rib was a constant, painful reminder to take things slow. the ache kept you grounded, pulling you out of your thoughts whenever they strayed too far toward the past — or toward her.

you told yourself you were doing better. and maybe you were.

but then came criminal law and your tutorial; the one you dreaded the most and gotten into trouble for. the memory of that confrontation still made you cringe, but you were determined to avoid any repeat incidents today.

when professor cho announced that you’d be pairing up for an activity, your stomach dropped. random pairings. your gut churning. there were over fifty people in this class. surely your odds weren’t that bad. surely the universe wouldn’t —

“l/n and kim,” she announced and you felt your heart sink into your stomach.

there was no point protesting. she didn’t entertain negotiations when it came to her pairing system.

you didn’t look at her as you packed up your things and moved to sit beside her. minjeong was already there, her posture as perfect and poised as ever, her notebook open and a pen twirling idly between her fingers.

she glanced at you as you sat down, but you kept your eyes on your notes.

“so,” she began, her voice low and cautious. “let’s —”

“yes, let’s just get this over with,” you interrupted, your tone curt as you flipped through your notes. “assuming we both know the answers, this shouldn’t take long.”

she blinked, taken aback. she wasn’t used to this. wasn’t used to you being cold, distant. it was disarming, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

“how’s your rib?” she asked after a minute of silence, her voice quieter.

“fine,” you said shortly, not looking up and you rammed through your lecture notes.

she frowned, her eyes flickering to your hands. your fingers were trembling slightly, just enough to be noticeable if someone was paying attention.

she was paying attention.

“are you sure —“

“can we focus on the activity, please?” you cut her off, your tone sharper now. “i don’t want to waste time.”

the task was straightforward: analyse the implications of marbury v. madison on the separation of powers and judicial authority. a list of guiding questions were already provided.

her jaw tightened, but she didn’t push further. the two of you worked through the questions in near silence, your answers quick and precise, leaving no room for small talk. every time she tried to make a comment or ask something unrelated, you shut her down with a clipped response.

“okay, yeah, how did chief justice marshall justify the court’s authority to strike down laws?” minjeong asked, her tone professional, detached.

“his argument was that it was inherent in the role of the judiciary to interpret the constitution,” you replied flatly, not meeting her eyes. “and that any law conflicting with the constitution was void.”

she nodded, writing down your response. her attempt at making small comments, asking for your opinion on certain nuances of the case were shut down with brief, matter-of-fact answers.

aeri, sitting a few seats away, was clearly enjoying the show. she leaned back in her chair, smirking as she whispered something to jimin, who chuckled quietly.

minjeong cleared her throat, watching you write her answers down. “any plans for the weekend?”

you stopped writing, eyebrows furrowed as you looked up at her. “seriously?”

when you brushed off another one of her attempts at conversation, aeri let out a low laugh that carried just enough for you both to hear. “looks like someone’s getting a taste of their own medicine.”

minjeong shot her a glare but didn’t say anything. she turned back to you, watching as you scribbled the last answer onto your notes with an almost mechanical efficiency.

“we’re done,” you said flatly, closing your notebook. you didn’t even look at her as you packed up your things, already half-turned away.

“wait,” minjeong said, her voice firmer this time.

you paused, your jaw clenching as you slowly turned back to face her. “what now?”

“what’s your problem?” she asked, her brows furrowed in frustration. “why are you acting like this?”

you stared at her, disbelief flashing across your face. “why do you care?”

“i don’t,” she said quickly, though the slight waver in her voice betrayed her. “i just think we should be civil. we have to share classes, and —”

“civil?” you repeated, a bitter laugh escaping your lips. “you want to be civil? fine. here’s me being civil: i don’t want anything to do with you. so why don’t you go bother your boyfriend instead?”

her eyes widened, stunned into silence for a moment. “boyfriend?”

“sungchan,” you said, spitting his name like it was poison. “you know, the guy who’s been practically glued to your side?”

her mouth opened, but no words came out. she didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to explain that sungchan wasn’t anything to her, that she didn’t even like him like that.

yet, the way you were looking at her — hurt and angry and tired — made her chest ache in a way she shouldn’t ignore.

“just leave me alone, minjeong,” you said, your voice quieter now but no less firm. “you’ve already made it clear how little i mean to you.”

and with that, you turned and walked away, leaving her sitting there, her thoughts a tangled mess of regret and confusion.

aeri, who’d been watching the whole exchange, let out a low whistle. “damn, winter. you really fucked this one up.”

she didn’t respond. she just sat there, staring at the spot where you’d been, her hands clenched into fists as she tried to make sense of the hollow feeling in her chest.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the sheer audacity of minjeong to ask you what was wrong after everything. it wasn’t just the question itself; it was the nerve of her, acting as if she cared when she clearly didn’t.

you couldn’t shake the anger. no matter how many hours passed, no matter how much you tried to focus on anything else, it kept bubbling up, simmering just beneath the surface.

“can you believe her?” you said, gesturing wildly as ryujin, yeji and beomgyu listened, clearly trying not to laugh. “what’s your problem? she has the nerve to ask me that, like she doesn’t know exactly what my problem is!”

“to be fair,” ryujin sighed, leaning back on her elbows. “you didn’t exactly give her much to work with.”

“yeah, well, she didn’t deserve anything from me,” you shot back, crossing your arms. “if she wanted me to talk, maybe she should’ve thought about that before…ugh, before being her stupid idiot self.”

beomgyu snorted. “solid argument, y/n. very lawyer-like.”

you rolled your eyes, but it only made you more animated. “and the worst part? she keeps pretending like she wants to be civil. civil! like we’re strangers passing in the hall. how does she expect me to just…just—” you waved your hands in frustration, “pretend nothing ever happened?”

“you’re really letting this eat at you,” yeji snorted, glancing toward the gazebo. “but hey, at least sungchan isn’t around today. small mercies, right?”

you stopped for a second at her words, if you’d had to see him sitting there next to minjeong again, smiling like he’d already won, you might have actually lost your sanity.

“yeah,” you muttered. “thank god for that.”

“so,” beomgyu said, smirking, “when are we moving on to the part where you stop caring?”

“don’t hold your breath,” ryujin quipped, earning a laugh from yeji.

you were mid-rant again, mocking minjeong’s indifferent expression and her painfully polite tone, when someone tapped your shoulder lightly.

startled, you turned around, expecting one of your friends, or worse, another professor.

instead, it was danielle marsh — one of the girls who shamefully, on your part, tutored you occasionally.

“hey,” she said softly, her warm smile immediately catching you off guard. she was carrying a tray with coffee cups and a few neatly wrapped sandwiches.

“danielle?” you said, blinking in surprise. she was a year below you, someone you didn’t know very well aside from occasional nods in the hall. “uh, hi?”

“i, um, saw you hurt your rib the other day,” she stammered, holding out the sandwiches for you. “so, minji and i made this for you this morning. figured you might need it.”

for a second, you just stared at her, completely thrown. “you made this for me?”

“yeah,” she said, looking a little shy now. “well, for all of you, really.” she glanced at your friends, smiling. “thought you could all use a pick-me-up.”

your friends didn’t hesitate to take the offered sandwiches and coffee, immediately diving into grateful thank-yous.

“seriously, danielle,” you said, standing up and pulling her into a gentle hug, careful not to press on your rib. “you didn’t have to do this.”

“it’s nothing,” she laughed softly as she hugged you back. “i just hope you feel better soon, yeah?”

“thanks,” you said, pulling away and meeting her kind eyes. “really, thank you. this means a lot.”

she waved it off with a bright smile. “anytime,” and with that, she walked off, leaving you and your friends with her thoughtful gesture.

the moment she was out of earshot, your friends pounced.

“well,” ryujin drawled, raising an eyebrow. “that was adorable.”

“and unexpected,” yeji added, already unwrapping her sandwich. “she made this for you? i mean, for all of us, sure, but for you?”

“you’re getting girls faster than we thought,” beomgyu teased, grinning. “maybe danielle’s your new start? or minji?”

you groaned, but their teasing was infectious, and for the first time in days, you found yourself laughing. “fuck off you all.”

“just saying,” ryujin shot back, smirking. “if this is what moving on looks like, i’m here for it.”

meanwhile, from the gazebo, minjeong watched the entire interaction. she’d seen danielle approach you, watched as she handed you coffee and sandwiches, her smile soft and genuine. she saw the way you hugged her, your expression lighter than it had been all week.

she hated how it made her feel.

yizhuo, sitting beside her, noticed immediately. “jealous?” she asked, her tone teasing.

“no,” minjeong denied, her voice sharper than she intended.

“uh-huh,” the younger girl smirked. “sure you’re not.”

she didn’t want to admit it — not even to herself, but the gnawing feeling in her chest was unmistakable.

it was jealousy, plain and simple. and it had started the moment she saw danielle hand you those coffees and sandwiches, her smile bright and genuine as she looked at you like you were the only person in the world.

it wasn’t fair. you weren’t supposed to move on so quickly. not when minjeong had spent months convincing herself she didn’t care anymore, that you were just a chapter of her life she’d already closed. but watching someone else care for you made her stomach twist in ways she didn’t like.

“so,” jimin began, her tone casual but laced with curiosity as she leaned against the gazebo railing. “danielle, huh?”

minjeong stiffened. “what about her?”

“oh, nothing,” she laughed, clearly enjoying herself. “just that she’s kind of adorable. and from what i’ve heard, she’s, like, the nicest person ever. super smart, super talented. makes sense she’d go for y/n, honestly.”

“she is not going for y/n,” minjeong snapped.

aeri raised her eyebrows. “hmm, interesting reaction.”

“oh, please,” yizhuo chuckled as she looked up from her phone. “you’re jealous, aren’t you?”

“i’m not jealous,” she insisted, but her voice lacked conviction.

aeri leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as her smile faded slightly. “minjeong, if you’re just going to play with y/n’s feelings, leave her alone. seriously. she’s trying to move on and you need to let her.”

“i’m not playing with her feelings,” she protested, though the guilt was already clawing at her.

jimin scoffed, crossing her arms. “really? because the way you dumped her in front of everyone was pretty brutal. honestly, you’re lucky she didn’t punch you in the face.”

“she didn’t because she’s too nice for her own good,” yizhuo chimed in, her smirk widening. “but honestly, if she did, i’d have cheered her on — we liked y/n.”

minjeong clenched her jaw, her gaze dropping to the table. she didn’t need the reminder of how badly she’d handled things. she knew she’d been cruel and pushed you away in the worst possible way, all because she was scared.

“look,” jimin softened her tone. “you’re allowed to feel whatever you’re feeling, but don’t mess with y/n. she doesn’t deserve that — she chased you for a long time.”

before she could even respond, a loud, overly cheerful voice interrupted them.

“minjeong!”

she turned to see sungchan bounding toward them, a bouquet of brightly coloured flowers in hand.

her friends groaned in unison and jimin buried her face in her hands. “fuck’s sake, can you get rid of that cretin already? we let him sit here, once. and nothing more.”

“what now?” aeri muttered, glaring at the boy as he stopped in front of them, his grin blinding.

“i brought you these,” he said, holding out the flowers with a flourish. “thought they might brighten your day.”

minjeong blinked, completely caught off guard. “uh…”

“sungchan,” jimin interrupted, her voice dripping with annoyance, “we’re kind of in the middle of something. can you not?”

“yeah,” aeri added, ushering for him to leave. “serious conversation happening here. come back later. or maybe never.”

he frowned, clearly disappointed, but he turned to minjeong anyway. “wait, so…can i still come over tonight?”

right on time as you walked past the gazebo, your bag slung over your shoulder, steps faltering for a split second, your head turning just enough to catch sight of the flowers in sungchan’s hand and the hopeful look on his face.

your expression darkened, your brows furrowing as you looked away quickly and kept walking. but she saw it — the flash of hurt that crossed your face, so brief she might have missed it if she hadn’t been watching you so closely.

her chest tightened, guilt mixing with panic. without thinking, she stood up abruptly, ignoring her friends’ surprised looks.

“wait,” she called after you, her voice louder than she intended. “y/n!”

she caught up to you in a few quick strides, falling into step beside you as you kept walking.

then, you stopped abruptly, refusing to face her. “what do you want?” you asked, your tone flat and cold.

“i just…” she hesitated, struggling to find the right words as she turned towards you. “it’s not what it looked like.”

your expression was a mixture of anger and exhaustion, your eyes narrowing slightly. “what are you talking about?”

“sungchan,” she said quickly. “he’s not — i didn’t…he’s not coming over tonight. or any night. he’s not my boyfriend.”

“why do you think i care?” your voice cut through the air like a blade.

minjeong flinched, her chest tightening. she wanted to explain, to say something that would make this easier, but nothing came out. she hated the way your walls were so firmly in place now, blocking her out completely.

“you don’t have to explain yourself to me, minjeong,” you said, your voice softer now but no less firm. “we’re nothing to each other anymore. remember?”

you didn’t wait for her to respond. you turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, her heart pounding and her thoughts a tangled mess of longing.

from the gazebo, jimin let out a low sigh, shaking her head as she watched the scene unfold. “she’s really not handling this well, is she?”

“nope,” aeri sighed. “but it’s fun to watch.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

a few days later, you were back in routine; or at least, you were trying to be. the faint ache in your ribs had dulled to something manageable and you’d thrown yourself into lectures and tutorials with a determination that surprised even you.

your professors had started making comments, subtle acknowledgments of your sudden focus and improvement but none of it felt particularly satisfying.

then the rumour started.

“did you hear?” ryujin’s voice broke through the usual buzz of the courtyard as she dropped her bag on the stairs next to you. yeji and beomgyu followed close behind, their expressions a mix of concern and hesitation.

“hear what?” you asked, not looking up from your notebook. you were halfway through an analysis of some case law, trying to keep your mind occupied.

“about minjeong,” ryujin said, her tone careful, like she was stepping on eggshells. “we want you to hear it from us.”

your hand froze mid-sentence. “what about her?”

“uh…” yeji exchanged a glance with beomgyu, who grimaced and shoved his hands in his pockets. “apparently, she said yes to sungchan.”

the pen slipped from your fingers, clattering onto the page. for a moment, you just stared at it, your mind blank. then you picked it up and calmly closed your notebook.

“oh,” you said, your voice eerily even. “good for her.”

ryujin raised an eyebrow. “you okay?”

“yep,” you stuffed your notebook into your bag and stood up, slinging it over your shoulder. “why wouldn’t i be?”

“oh, i don’t know,” beomgyu said, crossing his arms. “maybe because the girl you’ve been in love with for, like, two years just said yes to a guy who literally makes his hair gel do all the work.”

“beomgyu,” yeji hissed, elbowing him in the side.

“what? i’m just saying,” he muttered, but he backed off when ryujin shot him a warning look.

“it’s okay to feel defeated, you know,” ryujin said, her voice gentler now. “angry, even. god knows you tried your best to win her back.”

you sighed, pressing your fingers to your temples. “look, i’m fine. it’s whatever. she can date whoever she wants. i don’t care.”

“okay,” they were clearly unconvinced.

but you didn’t respond. instead, you turned and walked away, leaving your friends watching after you with varying degrees of concern. you didn’t go to your classes that day.

instead, you found yourself in the library, tucked away in a quiet corner with a stack of books and your notes spread out in front of you. studying was easier than thinking about stupid rumours.

meanwhile, across campus, minjeong was sitting with her friends at the gazebo when yizhuo casually dropped the bomb.

“so, when were you going to tell us?” she asked, leaning back in her chair with a sly grin.

“tell you what now?” minjeong asked, frowning.

“about you and sungchan,” she answered, raising an eyebrow. “i heard you said yes to being his girlfriend.”

she froze in her spot, quick to turn her head. “what now?”

“oh, come on,” aeri rolled her eyes. “everyone’s talking about it. apparently, sungchan told some of his friends and now it’s all over campus.”

“that’s not true, i’ll fucking punch him,” she said quickly, her voice rising slightly. “i didn’t say yes to him. i didn’t even —” she groaned, burying her face in her hands. “this is getting out of hand.”

jimin raised an eyebrow as she crossed her legs, reapplying her lipstick. “so you’re not dating him?”

“no!” minjeong exasperated. “of course not.”

“well, you might want to clear that up,” yizhuo giggled. “because your rumoured boyfriend is basking in the glory right now.”

“ugh,” she muttered, standing up abruptly. “this is so stupid.”

“where are you going?” aeri called after her.

“to fix this,” minjeong yelled over her shoulder, already walking away.

as she made her way across campus, her thoughts weren’t on sungchan or the rumour. they were on you. if the rumour had reached her, it had definitely reached you.

and she didn’t like the idea of you believing it for even a second.

it didn’t take long to find you. the library was one of the few places on campus where you could completely disappear these days, and sure enough, there you were, hunched over a pile of books in a quiet corner.

minjeong hesitated for a moment, watching you from a distance. your head was bent over your notes, your brows furrowed in concentration, but even from here, she could see the tension in your shoulders, the way your pen moved too quickly, like you were trying to outrun your thoughts.

“y/n,” she said softly as she approached.

you didn’t look up. “what do you want, minjeong?”

“i need to talk to you,” she muttered, pulling out the chair across from you and sitting down before you could protest.

“i’m busy,” your voice cold as you flipped a page in your notebook.

“it’s about what’s being said about me,” she began quickly, leaning forward. “the one about sungchan.”

that made you pause. your pen hovered over the page, but you didn’t look at her. “what about it?”

“it’s not true,” she tried to reassure you. “i didn’t say yes to him — i barely fucking know him.”

you finally looked up, your eyes meeting hers with a mixture of disbelief and frustration. “why are you telling me this?”

“because i don’t want you to think —” she stopped, her words catching in her throat. “i don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

“minjeong,” you sighed, your tone tired, “you broke up with me. in front of everyone. you don’t owe me explanations about your love life.”

“i know,” she mumbled. “but i wanted to tell you anyway.”

you stared at her for a moment, your expression unreadable, before shaking your head and turning back to your notes. “thanks for the clarification. now, if you’ll excuse me, i have actual work to do.”

“okay.”

you frowned, shaking your head. “okay?”

minjeong hesitated, her chest tightening as she watched you retreat further behind your wall, but she didn’t know what else to say.

so she stood up, her hands clenched at her sides and walked away, leaving you alone in the quiet hum of the library.

she had made it halfway back to the gazebo when her steps faltered. the way she replayed your cold, clipped tone in her head bothered her.

she told herself to keep walking, to let it go. you clearly wanted nothing to do with her and it was too late for her to fix anything, but the thought of leaving things like this didn’t sit right with her.

“fuck it,” minjeong muttered under her breath, turning on her heel. she was already moving before she could second-guess herself.

the library was quieter than before when she slipped back inside. she spotted you almost immediately, still in the same spot, hunched over your notebook with a pen in hand. the tension in your posture hadn’t eased, and your lips were pressed into a thin line as you stared down at the pages in front of you.

she didn’t think. she walked straight to your table, stopping just short of your line of sight. her hands balled into fists at her sides, but her voice was calm when she spoke.

“what are you studying for?”

you froze for a moment before lifting your head slowly, your eyes narrowing as they met hers. “why are you back?”

“i’m curious,” she said, her voice steady as she gestured to the pile of books and notes on your desk. “what are you working on?”

you stared at her for a moment longer, clearly debating whether or not to engage. finally, with a sigh, you relented. “contracts,” you muttered, flipping through a set of messy notes. “specifically offer and acceptance. and it doesn’t make sense. i don’t get it.”

her lips quirked upward, just slightly, and before you could protest, she pulled out the chair across from you and sat down.

“show me what you’ve got,” she said, leaning forward and pulling one of your books toward her.

“minjeong, don’t,” you warned, but there wasn’t much heat in your voice. “it’s embarrassing enough that danielle, who’s a year below me, had to explain half of this stuff to me the other day. i don’t need my ex-girlfriend doing the same.”

“so?” she hummed, her voice calm in that matter-of-fact tone of hers. “i know you, she doesn’t.”

her words caught you off guard, leaving you momentarily speechless. before you could form a rebuttal, she was already flipping through your notes, scanning the pages with a practiced eye.

“okay,” she began, her tone shifting into something softer, more focused. “let’s start with offer and acceptance. it’s the foundation of any valid contract, right?”

you nodded hesitantly.

“an offer is essentially a promise or commitment to do something, or refrain from doing something that’s communicated to another party,” she explained. “acceptance, on the other hand, is the agreement to the terms of that offer. it has to be clear and communicated back to the person who made the offer.”

you watched as she grabbed a blank sheet of paper and began sketching out a quick diagram, breaking the concept into manageable chunks. “think of it like this: aeri makes an offer to jimin. for it to become a binding contract, jimin has to accept it. if she doesn’t, there’s no agreement.”

“as if jimin would ever accept anything, but go on,” you frowned, glancing at your notes. “what about when an acceptance comes with conditions? like, if jimin says ‘yes, but only if you deliver by friday.’ doesn’t that count as acceptance?”

“good question,” minjeong said, nodding. “that’s actually a counteroffer, not acceptance. a counteroffer effectively rejects the original offer and replaces it with a new one. the original offer is no longer valid unless aeri agrees to the new terms.”

you blinked, processing her words. for the first time all day, the tangled mess of legal jargon in your head started to untangle itself.

“okay, but what about silence?” you asked, leaning forward slightly despite yourself. “like, if aeri threatens jimin with, ‘if you don’t respond, i’ll take that as acceptance.’ does that count?”

“generally, no,” she explained, almost laughing at your example. “silence isn’t considered acceptance. there are exceptions, though, like if there’s a prior relationship between the parties where silence has been treated as acceptance before but that’s pretty rare.”

you let out a low sigh, leaning back in your chair. “this is so annoying.”

“you’re doing fine,” she smiled, her tone reassuring as she slid the diagram she’d drawn across the table. “you’re overthinking it. contracts are just logic in disguise.”

“logic,” you repeated, rolling your eyes. “right. it’s totally logical to write 50 pages on whether saying ‘maybe’ counts as acceptance.”

minjeong chuckled softly and the sound caught you off guard. it was the first time in a long while that she didn’t sound distant or guarded.

“okay, fair,” she kept the smile on her face. “but you’re getting there. it’s not as bad as you think.”

you glanced down at the diagram she’d drawn, the pieces clicking into place in your mind. reluctantly, you muttered, “thanks.”

“anytime,” she answered, her voice soft.

the two of you sat in silence for a moment, the tension between you easing just slightly. but then you shook your head, a faint scowl tugging at your lips. “still doesn’t change the fact that this is humiliating.”

“why?” she asked, tilting her head.

“because you’re my ex,” you said bluntly. “this is next-level embarrassing.”

minjeong shrugged, her expression calm. “i don’t see why it’s a big deal. i’ve seen worst. plus, we’ve been through this before.”

her words lingered in the air, heavier than you expected. for a moment, you didn’t know how to respond, so you said nothing.

instead, you turned your attention back to the notes in front of you, your chest tightening with something you didn’t want to name.

she, however, didn’t press further. she stayed, patiently guiding you through the material until the frustration in your eyes gave way to understanding.

the library was much quieter now, with most of the tables empty and the hum of whispers and shuffling papers reduced to a faint background noise. as you packed up your things, minjeong stood by the door, waiting silently. the awkwardness between you had lessened, but it wasn’t entirely gone.

after all, she was still minjeong; cold, poised, and impossible to read — and you were still you, guarded and hesitant.

you slung your bag over your shoulder as you approached her. “thanks for the help,”

“you’re welcome,” she replied, her tone equally quiet.

the two of you stepped out into the hall together, the silence between you not entirely uncomfortable, but not warm either.

and then, as if the universe had decided to throw yet another curveball your way, you spotted danielle walking toward you, her usual bright smile lighting up her face.

“y/n!” she called out, waving as she quickened her pace.

you stopped, your heart sinking slightly and it was not out of dread, but because you could already feel the tension radiating off minjeong beside you.

still, you smiled at danielle, grateful for her kindness. “hey, what’s up?”

“oh, nothing much,” she said, adjusting the strap of her backpack. “just wanted to see if you’re free after school. thought we could have another study session. you know, go over those case studies from contracts? i think i’ve got some good notes that might help.”

for a moment, your mind flickered back to the days when minjeong used to tutor you. the late nights in quiet study rooms, the way her calm explanations had made everything click.

it was hard not to draw parallels, but you quickly pushed the thought aside.

“yeah, sure,” you said with a nod. “that sounds good.”

danielle beamed and then her eyes shifted to minjeong, who had been standing silently beside you the entire time. her smile faltered slightly as she tilted her head. “oh, hi. i don’t think we’ve met.”

you hesitated for a split second before gesturing between them. “danielle, this is minjeong. minjeong, danielle.”

“hi!” danielle said brightly, extending a hand. “nice to meet you.”

she glanced at her hand briefly before giving it a polite shake, her expression cool and detached. “likewise.”

danielle didn’t seem fazed by her tone, her smile unwavering. “so, are you two friends?”

you opened your mouth to answer, but minjeong spoke first. “we’re classmates.”

her voice was so flat, so devoid of emotion, that it left no room for interpretation. danielle nodded, glancing at you as if to say, well, that was awkward.

“anyway,” she continued, turning back to you, “i’ll text you the details for later, okay?”

“sounds good,” you said, offering her a small smile. “thanks, danielle.”

“no problem,” she grinned. “see you later!”

with that, she waved and walked off, leaving you alone with minjeong once again. the silence that followed was heavier than before and when you turned to look at her, her expression was unreadable.

“what?” you asked, frowning slightly.

she didn’t respond immediately. her eyes lingered on the spot where danielle had been, her thoughts racing. she thought about the way the other girl had smiled at you, her kindness so effortless and genuine.

she thought about the way you’d smiled back, softer than you ever smiled at her these days.

and then, minjeong thought about herself; her coldness, her inability to open up, the walls she’d built so high that even you, someone who had once been so close, had struggled to climb them.

she thought about the way she’d hurt you, the way she pushed you away and how she kept coming back, unable to let go but unwilling to fully stay.

you deserve better.

the realisation hit her with a clarity she couldn’t ignore. you deserved someone who could match your warmth and meet you halfway without hesitation.

someone who didn’t leave you questioning your worth or your place in their life.

and minjeong knew, deep down, that she wasn’t that person.

“nothing,” she said finally, her voice quiet. “i’ll see you around, y/n.”

before you could respond, she turned and walked away, her steps brisk and purposeful.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the moment minjeong walked away, you brushed off the strange interaction as just another one of her weird moods, but the more you thought about it, the more it stuck in your head.

the way she’d been so quiet, her gaze distant, it was strange, even for her.

as you made your way to your next class, you couldn’t help but vent to yeji, who listened intently as she walked beside you.

“it was so weird,” you tried to explain. “she just stood there while danielle was talking to me. like, awkwardly silent the whole time. and then she walked away without saying anything, like — what was that?”

yeji snorted. “classic minjeong,” she said, rolling her eyes. “probably trying to act mysterious. you know, her usual icy queen routine — all the reason why her nickname’s winter.”

“i don’t get it, though,” you said, frowning. “she came back into the library just to help me with contracts and then she acted all…weird when danielle showed up.”

“maybe she’s jealous,” she suggested with a smirk.

“jealous?” you repeated, raising an eyebrow. “of what?”

“danielle; she sees you getting close to someone else and suddenly remembers she doesn’t like sharing.”

“that’s ridiculous,” you said quickly, shaking your head. “minjeong doesn’t care about me like that anymore. she made that pretty clear when she dumped me in front of everyone.”

yeji shrugged. “maybe. or maybe she’s just realising what she lost.”

the thought lingered in the back of your mind as you reached your next class: professor diaz’s administrative lecture.

the room was already filling up with students when you walked in and minjeong was seated near the middle, often her usual spot. you hesitated for a split second when your eyes met hers, but you quickly looked away and took a seat beside yeji in the back row.

professor diaz walked in a moment later, his sharp gaze sweeping over the room as he placed his notes on the desk.

“good afternoon, everyone,” he started, tone brisk as always. “today, we’re starting a project that will require collaboration, critical thinking and presentation skills. it’s an activity that requires two members per team.”

you glanced at yeji, who gave you a small, sympathetic smile. you weren’t a fan of group projects, but you could survive it.

hopefully.

“partners have already been assigned,” he continued, flipping through a list of names. “i paired you based on complementary skills and previous performance. some of you might not like it, but tough luck.”

again, you slouched slightly in your seat, praying to every higher power you could think of that you wouldn’t end up with —

“y/n l/n and kim minjeong.”

you groaned quietly, earning a small laugh from the girl beside you. “tough break,” she whispered, smirking.

you’ve got to be fucking kidding.

you reluctantly made your way to the middle of the room, where minjeong was sitting, her expression unreadable as always. she didn’t look surprised to see you, which only annoyed you more.

“of course,” you muttered as you dropped into the seat beside her. “because who else would i get stuck with other than you?”

“nice to see you too,” she said dryly, flipping open her notebook.

professor diaz continued explaining the project from the front of the room. “we’re diving into the practical application of judicial review in administrative law, specifically focusing on procedural fairness and its two pillars: the right to a fair hearing and the rule against bias.”

he paced the front of the room, hands clasped behind his back. “your task is to analyse a hypothetical case, identify the grounds for judicial review and argue whether the administrative decision should be upheld or quashed; this project will span the next week or two, depending on how i feel. the final deliverable will include a written report and a joint presentation to the class.”

you collectively groaned with everyone else, pulling out your notes as you glanced at minjeong. “so,” you said flatly, “what case should we pick?”

“something straightforward,” she replied, her tone calm. “we don’t have time to overcomplicate this.”

“righto,” you said, opening your laptop. “let’s look at some recent cases.”

the two of you worked in tense silence for a few minutes, scrolling through legal databases and jotting down notes. the tension was palpable, hanging heavy between you. you could feel her gaze on you every now and then and it made your skin crawl.

“why do you think professor cho paired us?” you asked finally, breaking the silence.

“probably because your grades improved when i was tutoring you,” minjeong said matter-of-factly.

you glared at her, but she didn’t flinch. “well, that’s embarrassing.”

“why?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. “it’s the truth.”

her words caught you off guard, leaving you momentarily speechless. you quickly shook it off, refocusing on the project. “whatever. let’s just get this over with.”

minjeong didn’t respond, but she watched you carefully, her expression unreadable. you looked so beautiful.

as much as she tried to focus on the project, her mind kept drifting to one thought: you deserve better than this. better than me.

she didn’t say it. instead, she turned her attention back to the case in front of her, determined to at least help you succeed in this, even if it meant spending the next few days side by side.

the library became your designated meeting spot for the project, mostly because it was neutral ground. neither of you wanted to be in each other’s spaces and the library was safe and impersonal.

together, you worked in a tense but oddly productive silence during your free time, with occasional moments of begrudging cooperation when one of you needed clarification or feedback.

the first few sessions were uneventful, though the air between you was thick with unspoken words. minjeong would occasionally glance at you when she thought you weren’t looking, her gaze lingering just long enough for you to notice, but she never said anything about it.

it was during your third meeting that everything went sideways.

you were both seated at a table in one of the quieter corners of the library, surrounded by books and notes as you debated how to frame your analysis of the case.

minjeong had just finished explaining her point when a loud, overly enthusiastic voice shattered the peace.

“minjeong!”

you looked up, already cringing as sungchan approached your table, his usual grin plastered across his face. he was carrying a coffee cup in one hand and what looked like a wrapped pastry in the other.

“what are you doing here?” she asked, her tone cool but tinged with annoyance.

“what does it look like?” he said, pulling up a chair uninvited and plopping down beside her. “i saw my favourite girl through the window and thought i’d bring you coffee. and a croissant. your favourite, right?”

she sighed, her eyes briefly flickering to you before landing back on his. “i’m busy.”

“you’ve got to eat, right? and who’s this?” he glanced at you, his eyes narrowing slightly. “oh…y/n, right?”

you raised an eyebrow. “yeah, we’re working on a project if you’ve got eyes.”

sungchan’s gaze darted between you and minjeong, his grin faltering just a little. “huh, weird pair. but then again…” he trailed off, his smirk returning. “you two used to date, didn’t you?”

her jaw tightened, but she didn’t say anything. you, on the other hand, just rolled your eyes. “what’s your point?”

“nothing,” he replied, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms. “just funny how things work out, isn’t it? i mean, you’re stuck working with her, and she —”

“sungchan,” minjeong interrupted, her voice sharp. “stop.”

he blinked, clearly caught off guard by her tone. then he laughed, shaking his head. “fine, fine. i’ll stop. but, you know, it’s interesting —”

“sungchan,” she repeated, firmer this. “leave. we’re busy.”

he didn’t leave. instead, he looked at her, then at you and back again. and then, with a smug grin, he said, “wait minjeong, i thought you said you never liked her.”

the words hung in the air like a bomb waiting to explode. your stomach twisted, heart dropping into your chest as you stared at minjeong. she froze, her eyes widening slightly as she opened her mouth to respond.

“what the hell is that supposed to mean?” you spoke for her, your voice low but sharp as you glared at sungchan.

“i’m just saying,” sungchan replied with a shrug, clearly oblivious to the tension he’d just created. “she told me she never really liked you. thought you’d have figured that out by now. why are you still sticking around?”

“sungchan,” minjeong snapped, her voice colder than ice now. “leave. now — before i knock your fucking teeth out of you.”

he finally seemed to realise he’d crossed a line, his grin faltering as he stood up. “jeez, okay. no need to bite my head off,” he set the coffee and croissant down on the table, muttering, “enjoy your project,” before walking off.

the silence that followed was deafening.

“did you really say that?” you asked quietly, your voice trembling just enough to betray how much it hurt.

she looked at you, her expression panicked for a split second before she forced herself to remain calm. “no,” she said firmly. “he’s lying. why would i do that?”

“so he just made that up?” you shot back, your tone harsher now. “out of nowhere?”

“yes,” she said, her voice steady but strained. “i never said that. i —” she hesitated, her gaze dropping to the table. “i wouldn’t say that about you, ever.”

you scoffed, leaning back in your chair. “great, so now i’m supposed to believe that, what? he’s just running around making up lies about you?”

“i don’t know,” she mumbled, her voice quieter now. “but i didn’t say it. you have to believe me.”

you stared at her for a long moment, searching her face for any hint of insincerity but she looked genuinely upset, her usual mask of indifference cracking just enough for you to see the guilt and frustration beneath it.

“whatever,” you muttered finally, looking away. “let’s just finish this stupid project.”

minjeong opened her mouth to respond, but then she closed it again, her shoulders slumping slightly. for the rest of the session, neither of you spoke unless it was directly about the project.

the air between you was heavier than ever, weighed down by everything that had been said — and left unsaid.

finally, you couldn’t take it anymore. you slammed your pen down on the table, the sharp sound cutting through the library’s quiet hum.

“do you think this is funny?” you snapped, your voice low but furious as you glared at her. “is this all just some game to you?”

she looked up, startled by your sudden outburst. “what are you talking about?”

“you,” you hissed, your chest heaving as your emotions boiled over. “you dump me in front of everyone, act like i don’t exist for months and now you’re back in my life, acting like you care? and on top of that, sungchan shows up and says you never liked me? are you fucking kidding me, minjeong?”

for once, she looked genuinely at a loss, her usual composure completely shattered.

“do you even realise how humiliating this is for me?” you continued, your voice trembling with anger. “i have been trying to move on, to forget about you and every time i feel like i’m getting somewhere, you show up and remind me of how much of an idiot i am for still caring about you!”

“you’re not an idiot,” she said quickly, her voice soft but desperate. “y/n, i —”

“then why?” you demanded, leaning forward, your eyes burning into hers. “why did you break up with me like that? why do you keep showing up, acting like you care and then pulling shit like this?”

minjeong stared at you, her jaw tight, her eyes filled with something you couldn’t quite place. for a moment, you thought she wouldn’t answer. then, she exhaled shakily, running a hand through her hair.

“because i’m scared,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “i was scared then and i’m scared now.”

you blinked, thrown off by her sudden vulnerability. “scared of what?”

“of how much you mean to me,” she said, her gaze dropping to the table. “of how much you’ve always meant to me. y/n, when we were together, you…you saw right through me. you knew me better than anyone else ever has and it terrified me. because if you could do that, if you could get that close, then you could hurt me in ways no one else ever could.”

her voice cracked slightly, and she swallowed hard before continuing. “so i pushed you away. i thought if i ended it, if i made you hate me, then i could protect myself but all i did was hurt you, and i hate myself for that.”

you stared at her, your anger fading into something closer to disbelief. “you broke up with me in front of everyone.”

“i know,” she trembled. “i know and it was cruel and i’ll never forgive myself for it. but i didn’t mean it. i didn’t mean any of it. i thought if i made it loud, if i made it final, then i’d stop feeling the way i do about you. but it didn’t work.”

you shook your head, trying to process her words. “then why did you let sungchan say all that crap? why didn’t you stop him?”

“because i didn’t know how,” she admitted, her voice breaking. “i didn’t know how to fix this, how to tell you everything i’ve been feeling. i thought it was too late.”

“it is too late,” you said, your voice sharper than you intended. “you can’t just come back into my life and expect me to forgive you for everything. it doesn’t work like that.”

minjeong nodded, her expression crumpling slightly. “i know. i don’t expect you to forgive me. but i need you to know that i never stopped caring about you. not for a second.”

her words hung in the air, heavy and raw. you looked at her, at the way her usual calm had completely unraveled and you didn’t know what to say.

part of you wanted to scream at her, to tell her that her feelings didn’t matter anymore.

“i don’t know if i can do this,” you said finally, your voice quieter now but no less firm. “i don’t know if i can trust you again.”

“i understand,” she looked down, fidgeting with the hem of shirt. “but i’ll do whatever it takes to prove to you that i mean it. i’ll wait as long as you need me to.”

you didn’t say anything — you didn’t need to for now. instead, you turned your attention back to your notes, your chest tight with a mixture of anger and sadness. the girl across from you stayed silent after that, giving you the space you needed, but you could feel her presence beside you, heavy and unrelenting.

she had said all the things you’d once wanted to hear — things you’d longed for when she left you shattered in the middle of that hallway.

“y/n,” minjeong’s voice was quiet, hesitant. “please say something.”

you didn’t look at her. “there’s nothing to say.”

“you don’t believe me,” she said softly, more a statement than a question.

“no,” you admitted, your tone clipped. “i don’t.”

the words hung between you like a final nail in the coffin. minjeong opened her mouth to respond, but you were already standing, gathering your things with deliberate precision.

“where are you going?” she asked, panic flickering in her voice.

“home,” you said shortly. “i need to think.”

“what about the project?” she asked, her voice rising slightly.

you hesitated for a fraction of a second, then put your bag over your shoulder. “figure it out.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

for the next few days, you avoided her like the plague. you skipped the library sessions, ignored her texts and avoided her in class. when professor diaz asked about your progress on the project, you lied, saying you were working on it separately.

ryujin cornered you in the courtyard one afternoon, her arms crossed and her brow furrowed.

“what’s going on with you?” she demanded. “you’ve been weird all week.”

“nothing,” you replied, looking away.

“bullshit,” she snapped. “this is about minjeong, isn’t it?”

you didn’t answer, but your silence was enough.

“y/n,” she sighed, her tone softening. “you can’t keep running from this. i know she screwed up, okay? we all know that. but you need to deal with it instead of shutting everyone out.”

“i’m not shutting everyone out,” you defended yourself.”

“you’ve been avoiding her, skipping the library and now you’re lying to the professor about the project,” she listed off. “sounds like shutting everyone out to me.”

“it’s none of your business,” you muttered, brushing past her.

“actually, it is,” a new voice chimed in. you turned to see beomgyu and yeji approaching, both looking equally concerned. “because now we have to deal with mopey minjeong asking about you.”

“she’s not —” you started, but beomgyu cut you off.

“oh, she is,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “she asked me yesterday if you’d said anything about her. looked like a kicked puppy when i told her no.”

“you’re being dramatic,” you muttered, but your resolve was weakening.

“he’s not,” yeji said firmly. “and honestly, y/n, it’s exhausting watching you both avoid each other when clearly there’s so much unresolved.”

“i’m done with her,” you admitted, though the words felt hollow even to you.

“are you?” ryujin challenged, her eyes narrowing. “because you don’t look done. you look hurt. and if you keep bottling this up, it’s only going to get worse.”

on the other side of campus, minjeong was facing her own intervention. her friends had dragged her to the gazebo, refusing to let her leave until they got answers.

“spill,” jimin demanded, leaning forward with her arms crossed. “what’s going on with you and y/n?”

“nothing,” minjeong muttered, staring at the ground.

“oh, please,” aeri rolled her eyes. “you’ve been moping around like someone stole your dog. what happened?”

minjeong sighed, running a hand through her hair. “i…told her how i felt.”

“and?” yizhuo prompted, raising an eyebrow.

“and she doesn’t believe me,” she admitted, her voice small.

jimin groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “well, can you blame her? you broke her heart in front of the entire university, minjeong, and when she chased you around, you ran faster.”

“and you’ve been cold and distant ever since,” aeri added. “what did you expect? that she’d just fall back into your arms the moment you said you cared?”

“i wasn’t expecting anything,” minjeong said defensively. “i just…i wanted her to know the truth.”

“okay, so you told her,” yizhuo shrugged. “now what?”

“she’s avoiding me,” minjeong responded, her voice cracking slightly. “she won’t answer my texts or show up for the project. i don’t know what to do.”

“maybe start by actually communicating,” jimin suggested dryly. “you know, instead of expecting her to read your mind.”

“and stop being so passive,” aeri chimed in. “if you want her to believe you, you need to show her. actions, not just words.”

“but what if it’s too late?” minjeong asked, her voice trembling. “what if she doesn’t want me anymore?”

jimin sighed, her expression softening. “then you’ll have to accept that. but at least you’ll know you tried.”

“i’m just going to drink my heart out.”

the sun was just beginning to set, casting a soft orange glow over the campus as you made your way toward the stairs that led home. the day had been long and all you wanted was to collapse into bed. as you reached the top of the stairs, you spotted jimin, aeri and yizhuo waiting for you like a trio of judgmental guardians.

“great,” you muttered under your breath, already preparing for whatever nonsense they were about to throw your way.

“y/n,” jimin said, stepping forward with a raised eyebrow, “we need to talk.”

“can’t it wait?” you asked, brushing past her, but aeri stepped in your way, blocking your path with her arms crossed.

“it’s about minjeong,” aeri said flatly, her piercing gaze locking on yours.

that stopped you in your tracks. you didn’t look at them, but your stomach twisted in knots. “what about her?”

yizhuo sighed dramatically, leaning against the stone railing. “she’s at joe’s juice joint. drinking.”

“on a tuesday night,” jimin added, mirroring aeri’s stance. “because word has it that a certain someone has been avoiding her.”

you scoffed. “i don’t care what she does.”

“she’s been there since this afternoon,” aeri said, raising an eyebrow. “she’s refusing to leave and we’ve had her guards attempt to pick her up.”

“because of you,” yizhuo chimed in, her voice unusually serious. “she thinks you’re done with her.”

you rolled your eyes, clutching the strap of your bag tighter. “she brought this on herself.”

“she did,” jimin agreed, stepping closer. “but she’s still hurting. and whether you want to admit it or not, you care about her.”

“why don’t you pick her up then?” you shot back, but your voice wavered slightly, betraying your frustration.

“because,” yizhuo shook her head. “it’s not us she’s been crying about. trust me, we’ve tried.”

that stung.

the three of them watched you expectantly, their expressions a mixture of smugness and concern.

finally, you let out a defeated sigh. “fine, i’ll go and talk to her.”

“thank you,” aeri smiled, stepping aside. “and while you’re at it, remind her that drowning her sorrows in alcohol isn’t a personality trait.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the bar was dimly lit, the scent of citrus and wood polish thick in the air. it wasn’t crowded, but the familiar hum of chatter and soft music filled the space. you scanned the room quickly, your heart sinking when you spotted her in the far corner.

minjeong sat slouched in her chair, one arm resting lazily on the table while the other clutched a half-empty glass of whiskey. her blazer hung off her shoulders, her usually neat blonde hair slightly disheveled.

she looked up as you approached, her eyes widening briefly before she looked away, taking a long sip from her drink.

“minjeong,” you called out, voice firm. “what are you doing here?”

she didn’t answer right away, swirling the liquid in her glass. “drinking.”

“on a tuesday night?” you pressed, sitting down across from her. “this isn’t like you.”

she snorted, the sound bitter. “maybe you don’t know me as well as you think.”

“cut the bullshit, minjeong,” you said sharply. “why are you here?”

she set her glass down with a thud, her lips trembling slightly. “because you won’t talk to me,” she said, her voice cracking. “because i miss you, y/n. i miss you so much and it hurts.”

her words hit you like a punch to the gut, but you refused to let your guard down. her usually cold demeanour was gone, replaced by something raw and vulnerable.

“you don’t get to say that,” you clenched your jaw. “you don’t get to sit here and cry about how much you miss me after what you did.”

she winced, her hands gripping the edge of the table. “i know, y/n. and i hate myself for it. i hate that i hurt you, that i pushed you away. but i didn’t know what else to do.”

“so you thought breaking my heart in front of everyone was the solution?” you snapped, your voice trembling. “you made me feel like i didn’t matter to you, minjeong. like i was nothing.”

“you were everything,” she said, her voice desperate. “that’s what scared me. i thought…if i ended it, i’d protect myself. but all i did was destroy the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“winter —” you started, but she cut you off, her eyes finally meeting yours.

“you have every reason to hate me,” she said, her voice breaking. “but i can’t stop thinking about you. i don’t want anyone else. i just want you, for the rest of my life, i’m certain i want you.”

her confession left you stunned, the sincerity in her voice breaking down the walls you’d so carefully built. you didn’t realise how much you’d needed to hear those words until now.

“you really hurt me,” you said quietly, your voice barely above a whisper. “i don’t know if i can trust you again.”

“let me earn it,” she said, her eyes pleading. “please, y/n. give me another chance. i’ll do whatever it takes.”

her words lingered in the air, and for a moment, you hesitated; part of you wanted to walk away and protect yourself from getting hurt again.

but you loved her.

“fine,” you said finally, your voice soft. “but you’re going to have to work for it. and right now, we’re getting you out of here.”

to your surprise, she didn’t hesitate. she grabbed her blazer, threw it over her shoulders and clung to your arm as you guided her out of the bar, her grip firm as if she was afraid you’d let go.

“you don’t have to do this,” she mumbled, her voice slurred. “you don’t owe me anything.”

“you’re right,” you said, guiding her through the door. “but someone has to make sure you don’t end up passed out on the sidewalk.”

she let out a weak laugh, her fingers tightening around your arm. “you’re too good to me.”

“don’t push it,” you muttered, but the corners of your lips twitched.

when you reached the car, she refused to let go of your hand. even as you opened the door for her, she tugged you closer, pressing soft, clumsy kisses to your knuckles.

“minjeong,” you said, your voice tinged with exasperation. “get in the car.”

“i don’t deserve you,” she murmured, her lips brushing against your skin. “but i’ll do whatever it takes to keep you this time.”

you sighed, your heart twisting as you gently pried her hands off yours and helped her into the passenger seat.

the ride to her mansion was cloaked in a heavy silence, save for the occasional sniffle from her. her head rested gently on your shoulder, her fingers entwined with yours.

the gesture felt intimate, almost too much for the charged air between you, but you didn’t pull away. you weren’t sure if it was to comfort her or yourself.

“i missed you,” she began, planting another gentle kiss on the back of your hand. “i wish i told you sooner.”

you hummed, nodding as you pulled up to the gates of her mansion. “i wish you did too.”

minjeong didn’t move. her gaze was fixed on your joined hands, her thumb absentmindedly tracing circles over your skin. she let out a shaky breath, her lips parting as if to speak but no words came.

“winter?” you prompted softly, your brows knitting together in concern.

she finally looked up at you, her eyes glossy and filled with something raw, vulnerable. “i don’t want to go inside,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

you tilted your head. “why not?”

“because…” she hesitated, her grip on your hand tightening slightly. “because i don’t want to be alone.”

her words hit you square in the chest, and for a moment, you didn’t know how to respond. her eyes searched yours and then, hesitantly, she leaned forward just slightly, her breath warm against your lips.

she stopped, hovering close, her needy voice barely audible. “can i kiss you? please?”

the question made your heart stutter. the vulnerability in her voice; you could see how much this moment mattered to her, how much she was holding herself back, waiting for your permission.

“minjeong,” you let out a shaky breath; unsure. “you’ve been drinking. you’re not sober and i don’t want to take advantage of you.”

she shook her head quickly, her fingers tightening around yours. “it’s not like that,” she pleaded, her voice cracking slightly. “i know what i’m asking. this isn’t the alcohol talking. it’s me — your winter, remember?”

you stared at her, your chest tightening as her words settled over you. “are you sure?”

“please,” she whispered, leaning just a little closer. “just one kiss. i need you to know how much you mean to me.”

then you nodded, your voice barely audible as you said, “okay.”

the relief on her face was instant. she leaned in slowly, giving you time to pull away if you wanted to, but you didn’t. her warm lips brushed against yours softly, hesitantly, as if she was afraid of pushing too far. her hand came up to cup your cheek, her thumb brushing against your skin in a gentle, almost praising way.

her tongue darted out to meet yours, hesitant at first but growing bolder as the kiss grew more intense. your tongues danced together, a rhythm of unspoken words and emotions too overwhelming to say aloud.

her fingers moved to cup your face, thumbs brushing against your skin as if she was trying to memorise the feel of you.

she wasn’t just kissing you — she was apologising, pleading and pouring every unspoken word into the way her lips moved against yours.

you hummed softly against her lips, your hands finding their way to her waist and pulling her closer. she smiled when your skin pressed against hers letting your arm snake around her body.

and once minjeong was no longer content with just that, she shifted in her seat, climbing over the console until she was straddling you in the driver’s seat. her knees pressed against the sides of the chair, her body fitting perfectly against yours as her hands tangled in your hair.

the kiss turned hungrier, more desperate, as if she was afraid this moment might slip away. her fingers pulled your hair slightly as her lips moved against yours with a hunger that made your heart race.

your hands slid up her back, pressing her closer until there wasn’t an inch of space left between you.

“minjeong,” you murmured against her lips, your voice breathless but she silenced you with another kiss, her lips capturing yours in a way that made your head spin. “this isn’t one kiss.”

“please don’t push me away,” she whispered between kisses, her voice trembling. “i’ll prove it to you, y/n. i’ll prove that i can be better. just…don’t let me go.”

your hands gripped her waist, anchoring her to you. “i’m not pushing you away,” you replied softly, your lips brushing against hers. “but this doesn’t fix everything.”

“i know,” she mumbled quickly, her forehead resting against yours. “but i miss you, i’m sorry.”

you kissed her again, slower this time, more deliberate. your tongues moved together in the same rhythm, her hands trailing down to your shoulders, her touch lingering as if she was afraid you might vanish.

when you finally broke apart, both of you were breathing heavily, your foreheads still pressed together. her eyes fluttered open and she looked at you with so much adoration in her eyes.

“come inside,” she whispered, her voice soft but insistent. “please, stay with me tonight.”

“okay,” you pressed a kiss against her cheek, your voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside you. “let’s go.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

the end.

[banj0possum]

Infernal Infatuation

Demon x Gn Reader

I've had a little idea for a while but never managed to write it out. This is gonna be a 2-part fic so better strap in folks :)

CW: murder, gore, shit friend-group, brief mention of animal slaughtering, demonic themes

🔥 You cursed yourself as you sat uncomfortably squished between the car door and one of your friends who didn't even awknowledge your distress.

🔥 Why did you have to listen to your friends? Why did you agree to their text about joining them in trying to perform a "cool demonic looking ritual" they found online? Why is this car so sticky???

🔥 It was loud and generally overwhelming inside the car, blaring music was coming from the speaker, everyone was moving around and singing along to the songs at the top of their lungs, and it looked almost 2am from how dark it was.

🔥 Your friends figured that you all could get in trouble if you performed their little "game" where lots of people could see and decided to drive out somewhere along the highway that had little to no people passing through, especially during that time of day.

🔥 One of your friends, Justin, remembered an old abandoned warehouse that was near and unmonitored, the perfect place to mess around.

🔥 The car turns and drives off the road, rolling along a bumpy terrain as you can see the warehouse grow closer as the car's headlights illuminate its rusty exterior.

🔥 An uneasy feeling grows within your stomach as everyone gets out of the car laughing and checking out the building. You can't keep your eyes off it as its old walls held a sense of dread and doom.

🔥 Audrey, the one who asked you to join, wrapped an arm around you and laughed. "What are you doing you weirdo? C'mon! We got a monster to summon!" She jokes as she catches up to the others. You sigh and shake off the last bits of fear in you.

🔥 Audrey takes out her phone and reads the instructions for the ritual. Your other friends helped in lighting candles, drawing the pentagram and sigils while Justin recorded everything, laughing like it was some everyday prank. You just sat there, getting more and more concerned about the situation.

🔥 You ask Audrey if you could leave, the scene getting a bit much for you but she scoffs, calling you a pussy. Your brow furrows and you sit back down, very hurt by her comment.

🔥 Once everything was set, everyone stood around the pentagram. You join hands as Audrey reads out the chant, Justin still snickering to himself behind his phone.

🔥 "Oh yeah, it says everyone has to make a blood sacrifice of something but we got that covered." Audrey laughs and pulls out a jar of blood from the duffle bag she brought. Apparently they just took the blood from a pig and settled on it, but you feared about the consequences of cheating the ritual so you take a small knife you carry around all the time for self defense and cut a tiny slit in your finger, you drop it in the center while everyone carelessly pours the pig's blood in.

🔥 Everyone goes silent before a low rumbling is felt in the ground, like the earth itself was pulsing.

🔥 Suddenly, the candles are blown out, the smoke from the wicks swirling around the center of the circle as the ground shook violently. Everyone but you start exclaiming in astonishment like it was a magic trick in a circus.

🔥 You step back as the swirl of smoke forms into somewhat of a humanoid shape. The pentagram starts glowing red as the smoky figure opens its pitch eyes, the smoke dissipates to reveal what looks like a man, his grey skin was scattered in black tattoos that covered his arms and back as well as parts of his face. He had ghostly white hair that framed his sharp face perfectly. His tail swished behind him what went from his skin's grey to black the closer it got to the tip. He blinks and white pupils appear in his black eyes. He wore nothing but dark red pants that was held up by a rope or ribbon that was secured along his waste.

🔥 He looks at everyone as your friends all had mixed reactions, some were screaming their heads off while others were laughing and cheering over how their little trick worked.

🔥 Audrey in particular, was ecstatic, taking pictures of the demon as it stared at her.

🔥 "Oh my god, I didn't know he would be so hot!-" She was about to place he hand on his chest when he grabbed her wrist. She yelped and tried to let go but his grip was as strong as iron.

🔥 She starts screaming and trying to push him away while everyone else laughed at the scene. You could only step back and watch as Audrey continued yelling at the boy to let go of her, now scared out of her mind.

🔥 The dreaded ringing of laughter stopped all of a sudden after a loud, wet crack. Blood gushes out of Audrey's arm as he steps back from the grey man, you shake as you still see her now ripped off arm still in his grip.

🔥 Your friend's laughter is replaced with screams as the demon kills off your friends one by one, you run off and take cover behind an old truck in the warehouse while you hear the gruesome sounds of flesh ripping and your friends' screams diminishing with every life taken by the monster you summoned out of pure stupidity and recklessness.

🔥 The sounds stopped for a moment before you hear the sound of footsteps slowly coming towards you. You cry silently, praying to whatever was watching over you to help you, for a saving grace, a miracle, anything to get you out of there.

🔥 Your eyes blink open as you see the man kneeling down at you with wide eyes, the blood of your friends getting absorbed into his skin, giving his eyes a redder tint. You close your eyes, tears falling down your cheeks as you wait for your painful death.

🔥 But it never came.

🔥 A soft touch to your wet face makes you flinch as the demon coos at you and wipes away your tears, rubbing your cheek.

🔥 "Why are you so sad Master? Your sacrifice was much appreciated."

🔥 He spoke with a soft, sultry voice. You stutter out a "What?" as he cocks his head.

🔥 "Yes, those lowly creatures were very annoying, but their blood was the greatest gift I've ever received, such generosity deserves just service, right?" he smiles.

🔥 You were confused; Master? why would he be calling you that? Still frazzled by the events that happened to you, you stood up and started walking away, the moments you've witnessed still not sinking into your soul yet.

🔥 The demon stays where he was a bit longer before catching up to you, still smiling like he didn't just kill 5 people right in front of you.

🔥 "Are we going to your abode, Master? I'd be happy to carry you, you seem a bit exhausted." He said, going in front of you and offering his arms.

🔥 You laugh nervously at him, "N-no! No heheh.. uhm.. I'm fine walking to the car.." You walk by him, as his elvish ears perk up. "Car? I've never been in a car before!"

🔥 Now here you are, driving back to your house in blood-soaked clothes in your now dead friend's car with a demon who was busy sticking his tongue out of the cat window like a giant dog.

🔥 The silence was unbearable as the uneasiness of having such a dangerous creature next to you swallowed you whole, you didn't bother turning on music as he tried turning the dials and broke it.

🔥 "So..uh...why didn't you kill me? I know I'm your 'master' now and all but uh...Why not the others?"

🔥 "You really didn't know how it worked? Well, those idiots took a dumb shortcut and offered the blood of an animal. You, Master, generously gave your own blood for me, speaking of which.." He takes your hand that had the cut and licked it. You pull back your hand in disgust and try to carefully rub off the saliva but find that your finger no longer hurt. You look at it and see the cut fully healed, not a scar left.

🔥 You look at the demon who gave you a toothy smile and sighed.

🔥 "So..what do I call you?"

🔥 "My name is Dorik! May I know your's, Master?"

🔥 "Uh..I'm (Y/N).."

🔥 "What a fun name! (Y/N)..I like it!" He turns his head back to the window and giggles at the wind in his face. You couldn't help but giggle at his cute behavior. Looks like you have a new companion for a while...

🔥 Oh my god your friends are dead...

[mysterious-moonstruck-musings]

I Gave You My Heart❤️💔

One Shot (Complete) ||| Main Masterlist Dieter Bravo x f!Reader x Lucien de Leon

🎄Summary: You and Dieter attend his parents annual Christmas party where you unexpectedly run into your ex, Lucien de Leon. As events (and drama) unfold, you're soon wondering if you are making the right choice about your future.

🎁Word Count: 9.1 K

🚨Warnings: Angst, smut shenanigans, alcohol consumption, brief mentions of past drug abuse, shitty relationships, family drama, mentions of unplanned pregnancy. Dieter & Lucien come with their own warnings.

Shout out to my love, @morallyinept, for her wonderful character dialog database. It was nice to have that as a reference for this fic. 💜

I glanced at my watch. We were supposed to be leaving in twenty minutes, but Dieter hadn’t made it home yet due to being stuck in LA traffic. From the string of expletives included in his text messages with his ETA updates, I could tell he was beyond frustrated that filming had gone over schedule. 

He burst through the door of our Sherman Oaks home in a flurry, kicking his shoes off and undressing as he made his way upstairs toward the bathroom to shower. He was still covered in grime and fake blood from whatever gruesome scene he had been filming that morning. 

I followed behind him, picking up his clothes and biting back laughter as I watched his bare ass quickly disappear down the hallway into our bedroom. It wasn’t an unusual sight, but he typically didn’t move at a speed that would cause his ass cheeks to bounce the way they were. He was already in the shower when I entered, vigorously rubbing at his face and hair under the spray as he cursed about the water not warming up fast enough and making jokes that his dick was now shriveled up to the size of an almond because it was so cold. 

I shook my head and laughed as I threw his clothes into the hamper, “Dee, would you relax? I told your mom we might be a few minutes late. She was cool with it.”

He huffed loudly, “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous. I haven’t been to one of her Christmas parties in years. There’s gonna be a lot of family there that I’ve been avoiding.”��

As I did some last-minute hair and makeup touch ups, Dieter stepped out of the shower. I glanced over at him, doing a double take as I noticed there was still a tinge of red in his hair near his temple. I pointed toward it, “You still have fake blood in your hair.”

He huffed out a quiet “fuck” as he threw his towel at me and stepped back into the shower, dumping more shampoo into his hand to scrub at the spot while he muttered expletives under his breath. 

By the time he stepped out again, I was pulling on my dress for the party. It was solid black and very fitted with a boat neckline and exceptionally low back. I could feel his eyes on me as I adjusted the straps to sit properly. His hands gripped my hips from behind and squeezed at the meaty flesh, “Well, the almond dick issue is solved. You look so fucking sexy in this. Think we have time for a quickie?”  

I scoffed jokingly, “No. We don’t, actually. Save it for later, lover boy.” 

He whined, “OK. Fine. I wanna fuck you in my old bedroom anyway. That bed has never seen any action. It’s time.” 

I rolled my eyes at him, “You’re so ridiculous.” 

He gave me a quick peck on the cheek then grinned, “I know, but that’s why you love me.”

He wasn’t wrong, I loved his playful and carefree side. He made me smile more than anyone else ever had. We acted like a couple of big kids most days, always having fun and not taking each other for granted. We had both finally reached a point where we were happy, healthy, and ready for life-long companionship. 

We had come into each other's lives at just the right time - him having hit his one-year sober anniversary and me finishing out therapy to deal with all of my childhood trauma. We met in the self-help section of a Barnes and Noble of all places. Both of us were looking for the same book with only one copy being found by him. After several minutes of looking for another one and coming up short, he offered to let me have it, but only if I gave him my phone number. I was hesitant at first, but it ended up being the best decision I had ever made. A year later we were still going strong and planning our future together. 

I could feel my nerves bubbling up as we got into the car. I hadn’t officially met his family, but I had talked to his mom several times when she would call. That didn’t make me feel any better though. 

I dug around in my purse, pulling out my phone to see if my best friend, Delia, had texted me back yet and found a notification from her.

Delia: Sorry, I’m just not feeling up to coming tonight. You two have fun. I’m sure they will all love you. 

I sighed and shoved it back in my purse. Dieter glanced at me from the driver seat, grabbing my hand to lace his fingers with mine once it was free.

“Something wrong?” he asked with furrowed brows. 

I shrugged, “I…don’t know, honestly. Delia’s been kind of weird lately. I feel like she’s avoiding me. I was really hoping she would come tonight. Having someone else there that I know would have been nice.” 

His hand tightened in mine, “She’s probably just busy…she does have that new job.”

I sighed again, “Yeah…true. Maybe you’re right.” 

He pulled my hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on my fingers, “Just relax, love. You’re letting the nerves get to you. I can tell. My mom is gonna love you…she already does.” 

I laughed nervously, “She hasn’t even met me…”

He smiled, “Doesn’t matter. She knows you make me happy and keep me outta trouble. That’s all she’s worried about.” 

We were quiet the rest of the way, but that didn’t stop Dieter from giving me reassuring hand squeezes and kisses. With him now focused on me, it seemed like his nerves had dissipated some, which was a good thing, at least. 

As we parked outside his sprawling childhood home in the Hollywood Hills, I couldn’t ignore the bad feeling taking root in my gut and I didn’t know why. I finally shook it off as he reached into the backseat to fetch the Christmas bouquet he had purchased for his mom. From the looks of it, we were some of the first guests to arrive as Dieter had planned. He wanted to spend some time with his parents before things got too hectic. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad idea.

We were greeted with smiling faces and hugs. Mr. and Mrs. Bravo were nothing but kind to me and mostly gushing about how well Dieter was doing and happy he was finally getting his life together. Dieter sat next to me with a shy smile and flushed cheeks as his mom doted on him. He would never admit it, but I knew it meant a lot to him that his parents finally saw him as something other than a failure. 

As guests began to filter in, Dieter took the opportunity to take advantage of his parents' distraction, citing that he was going to show me around. The minute he checked over his shoulder with a smirk as he pulled me upstairs by one hand, I knew what he was up to. 

We were both giggling like a couple of teenagers as he gave one last glimpse over his shoulder before pulling me into a room at the end of the hallway and locking the door behind us. It was like a time capsule. His parents had obviously not touched it since he moved out. The wall space was covered with 80’s movie and band posters. There was floor to ceiling shelves on one side of the room filled with books and old VHS tapes. It was very Dieter. 

I could feel his eyes on me as I inspected the room. I suddenly turned to meet his gaze with a mischievous smile, “So, where do you keep the dirty magazines and porn videos?” 

He snorted out a laugh, “Well…that all went with me when I moved out…buuut, I used to keep them buried at the back of the closet…in one of the many boxes labeled as comics.” 

I chuckled, “That sounds about like what I expected.” 

He suddenly pulled me into his arms and smiled against my lips, “We probably need to be fast, so mom doesn't get suspicious.”

His lips trailed down my neck as he backed me up against the dresser. I laughed before responding with a conspiratorial tone, “We can’t have that now, can we? She might ground you from your video games.” 

He groaned against my shoulder before spinning me to face the dresser, meeting my gaze in the mirror as his fingertips ghosted down the exposed skin of my back. I could already feel the arousal drenching my underwear as his thirsty eyes drank me up. His hands moved to the straps of my dress, slipping them over my shoulders, allowing the dress to slide down my body and pool on the floor at my feet. 

He licked his bottom lip as one hand reached around to gently knead at my breast, then pinched the nipple between his fingers. I moaned quietly at the sensation, leaning back against him as I grasped his hand and raised it to my mouth, sucking on his middle and index finger before placing them at my center. He wasted no time pulling my underwear aside to rub at the small bundle of nerves, eliciting a much louder moan from me. He chuckled against my ear, “Imma need you to be quiet, love. These walls are thin. Never know when somebody might walk by.” 

His fingers dipped lower, first one, then two disappearing inside of me to expertly massage at that blissful spot that he knew so well. I gripped his arm with one hand, while the other tangled in his messy curls. 

He hummed against my ear in that deep baritone voice of his, “So wet already, you’re always ready for me, aren’t ya honey?”

I nodded; my head dropped back against his shoulder as my eyes pinched shut. 

“Oh no, love. Keep your eyes on me.” 

My eyes met his reflection, he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth as he fought a smirk. He always looked so fucking sexy when he did that. I could feel his bulge pressing against my ass as he continued to work me over, grinding into me as his hot breath came faster against my ear. He had me coming undone in his arms within minutes, never taking his eyes off mine as he worked me through my release. 

He held me around the middle for support, lips grazing and nibbling at my neck until I regained my senses. I chuckled, turning my head toward him to capture his lips in a heated kiss. He pulled away slightly, just far enough that he could suck his fingers into his own mouth to taste me. All while never breaking our eye contact. I needed him immediately.

I turned in his arms, nimble fingers moving to the buttons on the front of his black dress shirt to unfasten them. He smiled down at me as I worked to remove his clothes, allowing me to take charge now. Once he was undressed, I pushed him back toward the tiny twin bed. 

“Lay down so I can fuck you like you want me to, lover boy.”  

His brown eyes rounded as he took in my words, turning giddy and scrambling onto the bed - his cock erect and bouncing as he went. I had to bite back a laugh at his excitement. His enthusiasm for sex never seemed to wane.

After he got situated, he patted at the tops of his thighs with a lopsided grin that caused his cheeks to dimple. “Alright, mount up and ride me, baby.” 

I couldn’t help chuckling as I peeled off my underwear then moved to straddle his hips. After notching him at my entrance, I quickly sank down all the way, causing his jaw to fall open from the feeling. His fingers dug into my hips, holding me in place. 

“Fuck, baby. You’re about to revert me back to my sixteen-year-old self and make me come after six seconds by doing shit like that.” 

I leaned down, giggling against his scruffy chin before placing a kiss on the bare heart shaped patch in his beard. He let out a steady controlled breath before loosening his grip and nodding for me to continue. I sat up, placing my hands on his chest for leverage and began to move. We were met with a high-pitched squeaking sound. I paused, rolling my lips together in an attempt to hold in my laughter.

Dieter huffed, “It’s not that loud…keep going.” 

I nodded and began to move again. Every time I sank down onto him - squeak, squeak, squeak. It only seemed to get louder each time. 

My right hand flew to my mouth to hold in the giggles. I couldn’t help it. 

Dieter’s eyes slid closed in defeat as he huffed out, “I guess there’s a reason this bed hasn’t seen any fucking action.” 

I finally lost it, leaning down to bury my face in his chest as I burst into laughter. My movement caused the bed to squeak again which set us both off. It continued the incessant noise as our bodies shook from the hysterics, which only served to make things worse. 

Dieter finally collected himself enough to wrap his arms around me and move to a sitting position, then twisted to hang his legs off the side of the bed. All while it continued to squeak with every movement. 

“Fuck this. I’m a big boy now. Watch me make this work.”

He stood, wrapping my legs around his waist as he did so while I tried to stifle my giggles. He moved back toward the dresser, perching me on the edge of it as he repositioned himself at my entrance and sank in. The sudden sensation of him filling me caused our chuckles to turn to a deep groan. He stood there for a moment, allowing me to adjust to the new angle.

He smiled against my lips, “See…I got this.” 

I gave him a teasing look and nodded, “Then get to it Bravo. Show me how it’s done.” 

His hips began to move, slowly at first so I could feel every inch of him sliding against me. It was already creating a delicious sensation that would soon turn me into a quivering mess in his arms. He began to snap his hips a little faster which resulted in a thumping noise from the mirror smacking against the wall. The faster he went, the louder it got, which caused me to lose it all over again. 

He stopped moving as his forehead tilted forward to lean against my shoulder, “Oh for fuck’s sake.” 

When my eyes finally met his, he was fighting a smile. “I just wanna have sneaky sex in my old bedroom, is that too much to ask?”

I snickered as I pushed at his chest for him to back away, “Ok, it’s my turn. Watch and learn.” 

I hopped down off the dresser and turned my back to him, leaning forward to place my hands on the top of the dresser to brace myself as I arched my ass toward him. I turned to look at him over my shoulder with a teasing smirk, “Mount up, lover boy.” 

He chuckled as he came up behind me, one hand grasping my hip as the other gripped the base of his cock to slide back in. I gasped at the feel of him as he leaned flush against me, lips brushing my ear as he spoke. “You think you’re such a clever girl, don’t ya.”

I nodded as his hips snapped against my ass, now panting as I muttered out some teasing words. “I know I am.”

His hands snaked around to my front, one pulling me flush against him as the other rubbed tight circles on my clit. “I guess that means you deserve to come again. Come on, love. Give me another one.” 

That was enough to send me over the edge again, causing him to grunt against my ear as my walls constricted around him. After a few more thrusts, his groans turned to soft whimpers as he spilled inside of me. His arms tightened around me as he buried his face into the top of my shoulder. We stayed like that for a couple of minutes, attempting to catch our breath and come back to reality.  

I felt his lips against my skin, placing gentle kisses before he raised his head to look at me with a blissed-out expression. “You’re so fucking perfect. I love you. Have I told you that today?”

I smiled up at him, “You have, but you can tell me that as many times as you want.” 

He captured my lips in a brief kiss before pulling out with a groan. “Lemme see if I can find something to clean you up with.” 

I stopped him, “No, leave it. I wanna keep you close tonight.” 

His brows arched as he smirked at me, “Such a dirty girl. I fucking love it.” 

I gave him a quick peck on the lips, “I know you do. Now get dressed. We’ve probably been gone too long as it is.” 

He nodded as he turned to search out his clothes, tossing me my underwear before picking up his pants. We spent a few minutes getting decent. After touching up my makeup and sorting out Dieter’s messy sex hair, we finally made our way downstairs. 

Dieter had his hands on either side of my waist as he walked closely behind me, leaning in next to my ear to whisper about how he was going to take this dress off of me again later. Neither of us paid much attention as we rounded the corner to the living room, causing us to nearly crash into a broad figure. I felt Dieter stiffen behind me as I began to murmur my apologies until my eyes met the chocolate ones peering down at me. With a smirk that was still sexy as ever, Lucien de Leon spoke in that deep raspy voice that I knew so well, “Sorry sweetheart, didn’t see you coming.” He did not seem the least bit surprised to see me.

I felt like I was going to be sick as I wondered what the hell he was doing here. I felt Dieter’s grip tighten as he pulled me closer to him, “Lucien, I thought mom said you weren’t gonna make it?” His voice sounded off, almost like it was a warning more than a question. 

Lucien shrugged as he glanced at me, “I…changed my mind.” 

Dieter sighed, now peering down at me, “I guess I should introduce you…this is my brother, Lucien.” 

Brother? What. The. Fuck. I was struggling to breathe as I gave Lucien a nervous smile, reaching my hand toward him to shake and giving him my name like it was the first time we had ever laid eyes on each other. He hesitated, still with that smirk before finally reaching out to take my hand in his to play along. 

“So, you’re the one that’s turned my brother into a good boy, ehh?” he finally said in a teasing tone. 

I gave him a tight smile, “No. Your brother did that himself. He worked for it.”

Dieter was beside me now, eyes shifting between Lucien and I with raised brows. 

Lucien gave me an amused look before his eyes shifted to his brother, “Well, good for him. I’ll be shocked if it sticks.”

Dieter scoffed, “Fuck off. You don’t know me…I’ve changed.” 

Lucien rolled his eyes in response before changing the subject. A smug look suddenly forming on his face, “I got a call back on that new Scorsese film. It’s supposed to be a big deal.”

Dieter gave him a very unimpressed stare, “Listen, I’m sorry. I’m trying to care, but it’s hard. Besides, they offered me the lead and I turned it down. I have a prior commitment. I already have my Oscar, so whatever.”  

I stifled a laugh as they exchanged a cold glare. Lucien seemed to break first, “Well, I’ll let you two get back to the party. I think mom was looking for you.” 

He walked away without another word, ending the childish pissing match between them for the time being. 

Dieter huffed, “Fucking asshole. Come on.” 

After taking my hand, he pulled me through the tightly packed crowd in search of his mom. I could feel his calming warmth radiating through my skin, but mentally I was somewhere else. Ten years in the past to be specific, where I first met Lucien. 

Lucien and I had been cast as the two leads in a play at one of the local theaters. Our relationship was all consuming, passionate, and toxic. We were right for each other in so many ways, but too broken to make it work. In all the ways that he was sweet, sexy, and charming he was equally as stubborn, selfish, and sometimes cruel. Not that I had been any better. Both of us were guilty of saying things we didn’t mean to purposefully hurt the other. We really did bring out the worst parts of each other. Though I still maintain most of our problems stemmed from his constant drinking. It was only ever bad when he was drinking. It turned him into another person that I eventually learned to hate and resent.

We tried being together several times over the years. It never failed. We would randomly run into each other in some public place, immediately fall back into bed and swear to do better, but it never worked. The same issues always inevitably reared their ugly head. I willingly gave him everything, and he broke me again and again. 

Knowing our history and how easily we always found ourselves back together was igniting a fear in me. We were like magnets. It was damn near impossible for us to stay apart from each other. I ruined many good relationships for him, but I couldn’t do that now. I couldn’t do that to Dieter. 

Dieter was amazing. He was all the things that Lucien was never able to be. He was all of the best parts of Lucien plus more. Dieter gave me his love and affection so willingly. With Lucien, I had to fight for scraps. Each little morsel kept my hope alive just enough to make me believe that he loved me as much as I loved him. Those little morsels were what kept me going for years, but in the end it wasn’t enough. 

As Lucien’s star began to rise in the film industry, we finally hit a wall. He was pictured kissing some model at a Hollywood party, which made it into the tabloids, and inevitably into my hands. It was my last straw. I hadn’t seen him in person since the night I confronted him about it and ended things. He eventually became fairly well known in the film industry. It didn’t take long for him to establish his reputation as a womanizer and Hollywood fuckboy. As far as I knew, he still had that reputation, even if he was now considered to be a D-list actor. 

It was a massive effort to keep myself in the present as Dieter and I mingled with his family and friends. It didn’t help that I kept catching Lucien’s gaze from where he wandered on the outskirts of the crowd. I knew exactly where he was at all times because I could feel his eyes burning into me. It was making me anxious. I knew him and I knew he wasn’t going to make this easy on me. We had played this game too many times. 

I needed a break, so I excused myself to go to the bathroom. Upon finding a line for the downstairs bathroom, I made my way upstairs since no partygoers were permitted up there. Once I was finally alone, I let out a sigh of relief. Now focusing on my breathing to try and get my heart rate back to normal. Being away from Lucien was doing me wonders, allowing me to ground myself and fully come back to the present. I had to remind myself that I wasn’t the same person anymore. I could resist him now.

After finishing up, I opened the door to exit but was suddenly crowded backwards into the small room. My nose was assaulted with the familiar smell of Lucien's musky cologne as he turned to close and lock the door behind him. 

“What the fuck are you doing?” I hissed. 

“I need to talk to you,” he answered with pleading eyes.

I shook my head, trying to push past him. “I have nothing to say, and I can’t be here with you.”   

He held out his arm, grabbing me around the middle to stop my progress. “Baby, please. I just wanna talk, I swear.”

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest as I moved to the opposite side of the room, “Don’t call me that.” 

“Why are you with my brother?” he asked. Not even acknowledging my demand.

I let out a sardonic laugh, “I didn’t know he was your brother.” 

His brows furrowed, “How the fuck did you not know we’re brothers?”

I scoffed, “You told me your brother's name was David.”

His brows raised, “It is…legally. Didn’t he tell you that?”

I rubbed a hand down my face, “You don’t even have the same last name! How the fuck was I supposed to know?” 

He looked amused now, “You didn’t think it odd that we look so similar?” 

I let out a controlled breath, “No, I didn’t actually. I have a type, OK. I know this. I just figured you guys looked alike in the way that Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe look alike…or Javier Bardem and Jeffrey Dean Morgan…or Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen.” 

He chuckled, “You do know that Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen are brothers, right?” 

I sighed, “No, I didn’t. Maybe you fuckers should keep the same last name to cut back on the confusion.” 

He was smiling at me now, “You’re still feisty I see. God, I’ve missed that.” 

I held up my hand to silence him, “Don’t say shit like that.” 

“Come on honey, you know you miss me.” That ridiculous smirk was back on his lips as I glared at him. 

“So, I take it you haven’t told my brother about me after that little stunt you pulled downstairs.” 

I rolled my eyes, “No. Not by name anyway. All he knows is that I had a problematic ex that fucked me up.”

He sucked air through his teeth, “That’s harsh. You know you can’t blame all that on me.” 

I stared at him for a beat, “No. You’re right. You just added to it and took it over the top.” 

He came closer, causing me to back up against the sink as he looked me over from head to toe. 

“You look beautiful tonight. I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off you…”

I refused to look his way as he leaned in closer, “I noticed. You need to stop it before someone notices.” 

His curved nose grazed the shell of my ear. I had to force my thighs not to clench together from the contact.

“I miss you ya know? I’ve been trying to get in touch with you…but you’ve been hard to track down. Now I know why.” 

I jerked away from him, “What do you want, Lucien? Your little game isn’t gonna work this time. I’m not falling for it. I love Dieter.”

His eyes widened, “Love? Well, that’s a development. I don’t remember you saying that about any of the others.” 

I rolled my eyes, “Yes. I love him…I’m happy. We’re…getting married.” 

He scoffed, “You realize he’s been married twice already…right? This isn’t new for him.” 

That hit a nerve, and he knew it. 

“That may be true, but he wasn’t sober then. He is now. He’s got his life figured out…unlike you.” 

He feigned offense, “Hey, I went to rehab too you know. I’m trying here. Which is why I wanted to talk to you. I need to tell you I’m sorry.” 

His energy shifted. I couldn’t tell if this was another one of his games or not. I was taken off guard as he turned away from me, seeming almost pensive as he continued. 

“I know…I’m a large part of the reason that we never worked. I was emotionally unavailable, and I let what little fame I managed to gain go to my head. I broke a lot of my promises…you deserved better.”

I let out a steady breath, attempting to control my emotions. I had waited years to hear those words, eventually accepting that I never would. Yet, here we were. 

“Well, I appreciate the apology. Thank you for that.”

He gnawed at his lip for a beat before turning to meet my gaze, “Do you think…maybe we could try again?”

Anger flooded through me. He was giving me whiplash from all the different emotions he was pulling out of me in such a short time period. I shook my head, biting back a disdainful laugh. “You have got to be fucking kidding me right now.”

It was his turn to shake his head, “No. I’m not. I’m still in love with you. It was always you. I was just too stupid to see it.” 

I felt near bursting into tears, and I wasn’t sure if it was from anger, pain, or something else. “I’m not doing this with you again.” 

His brows pinched together, “You really think he can make you happy? He’s nothing but the knock off version of me. You’re attracted to him because he reminds you of me. Admit it.” 

I scoffed, “You two may look similar, but Dieter is nothing like you. He and I have connected in ways we never will. If you wanna compare…he’s the name brand version that I should have started with. You were a bad decision, a waste of my time and money, and I can’t even get a fucking refund.” 

He pursed his lips, allowing time for the words to sink in. That hit a nerve as intended.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m sure my fiancé is wondering where I am. I can’t have him finding us in here together.”  

I brushed past him to unlock and open the door. He didn’t stop me this time. I felt strangely liberated as I made my way downstairs, never having been able to deny Lucien in that way before. I wasn’t weak anymore. I was the one in control. 

It didn’t take long for me to find Dieter. His tea kettle laugh could be heard over everyone else. All I had to do was follow the sound. As I approached, he wrapped his arm around me and placed a quick kiss on the top of my head before he went back to his conversation. I loved seeing him like this. His happiness from reuniting with his family after so many years of being ostracized over his bad behavior and drug habits helped ground me.

Dieter was attentive as we continued to mingle, making sure to include me in his conversations while keeping physical contact at all times. From the way he kept glancing at me, I knew he could sense the lingering tension from my interaction with his brother. He probably just assumed it was nerves from meeting his family and hopefully didn’t suspect anything, but I knew I would have to tell him the truth. And soon. 

Though I made a point to keep my attention on Dieter, I could still sense Lucien’s presence. It seemed like the harder I tried to ignore him, the more taunting he became. He worked his way through the crowd, becoming louder and more boisterous as the evening went on. With each pass around the room, I found him getting closer and closer. Eventually, I found him chatting in the groups near us, positioning himself where he was in my direct line of sight or close enough behind me that he could brush against me in some way. His proximity was affecting me in ways I didn't want to admit. There was something sort of thrilling about our secret and his audacious behavior that was arousing. However, the moment I looked at Dieter, it all disappeared. He was my life now. He held my heart carefully. Lucien never did anything but smash it into a million pieces. 

I briefly stepped away from Dieter to grab us a bottle of water from the kitchen. As I stood with the refrigerator door open, I was surprised to feel strong hands grip my hips, then slide around my waist to pull me closer. Plump lips trailed down the curve of my neck, causing me to suck in a breath. I knew instantly who it was from the way he touched me and the feel of his mouth. My body betrayed me, reacting on instinct as it melted into his embrace. My mind finally caught up, causing me to abruptly turn and push him away. 

“What the fuck is you’re problem, Lucien?” 

His cocky grin was back, “I’m just reminding you what you’re missing, baby. I can tell; you're questioning yourself. You’re not sure what you want. I��m here to make sure you know your options.” 

I scoffed, “You’re so fucking delusional. Leave me alone.” 

I grabbed a bottle of water, then slammed the door closed as I moved away from him. Once back with Dieter, I felt distracted. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Lucien’s lips felt on my body or the way his stupid gold chains used to gently graze against my skin as he moved above me. The thoughts caused that familiar ache to form at the apex of my thighs. I hadn’t seen or sensed Lucien since leaving him in the kitchen, yet he was still having this effect on me.

I suddenly felt hot and claustrophobic at the realization. I didn’t understand what it meant. Dieter noticed, leaning in to ask if I was feeling ok as his hand rubbed soothing circles on my lower back. I nodded, “Yeah, I think I just need some air.” 

He moved to come with me, but I stopped him. “No, you stay and talk to your uncle. I’ll be fine. I’ll be right back.” 

I soon found myself on the back patio, inhaling deeply to catch my breath as the chilly night air instantly cooled my burning skin. It was a relief and allowed me to calm the storm that was brewing inside of my mind. The reaction I was having to Lucien was purely physical. It meant nothing. I didn’t love him anymore. This would feel differently if that wasn’t the case. 

Suddenly, I felt that magnetic pull. My attention was drawn to the shadows, seeing the glow of a cigarette before Lucien stepped into the light. He came closer and offered it to me. 

I shook my head, “I don’t smoke anymore.” 

He shrugged, “Suit yourself.” 

There was an awkward silence that stretched between us as he puffed away until the cigarette was done. His mood now seemed a little more somber than it had in the kitchen. 

He finally spoke, “You know…I was just watching you two together…from out here. You’re different with him…and him with you. I can tell you really care about each other…and you lean on each other for support. That’s good. I’m happy you’ve both found that.” 

I was taken aback by his words, but I couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not. 

“Maybe one day I’ll find that too. I think it would do me some good.” 

I gave him a soft smile, “It always helps to have a support system.” 

He pursed his lips in thought, “Do you remember how we used to go to the video store and rent like five movies and stay up all night to watch them in bed?” 

I nodded and smiled at the memories. It was some of our happier times together. 

“You used to get so mad at me for eating chips in the bed because of the crumbs, but then I would always find stray peanut m&m’s a week later.”

I laughed, “Chip crumbs are way worse to clean than peanut m&m’s though.” 

He nodded and chuckled, “Yeah, maybe.”

His brows furrowed, “I don’t think I’ve eaten or watched a movie in bed since you left. That was our thing. I can’t do it without you.” 

I sighed, “Lucien, don’t do this. Please.” 

He held his hands up in surrender, “Just wait. I-I-I real- I-I really have to do this…I need to get these unresolved feelings out. I fucked up. A lot. I know this. I was selfish and mentally checked out before the good parts, the house…the kids, the Christmas cards. I’m sorry for that. I just felt so much pressure about it all. I needed to accomplish too much to get us there and I didn’t think I could do it.” 

He moved in closer, cupping my cheek as he gave me that baby cow eye look that always bent me to his whim. I couldn’t move or breathe. 

“I do still love you. I meant that. I would do anything to have you back.” 

He leaned in further and paused, giving me a chance to rebuff him again, but I couldn’t. I was still frozen by him, his words, his voice, his touch…I could feel that small ember that burned for him slowly igniting into a flame as I got lost in his soulful eyes. I felt confused. I couldn’t distinguish if it was my heart or cunt talking, telling me to at least see where things go. 

When I didn’t immediately pull away, he closed the distance between us, capturing my mouth with his. His kiss was commanding, confident, and sensual. It stirred something inside me that I admit I never felt with anyone else, not even Dieter. It was feral and uninhibited in almost an unhealthy way. He broke the kiss, both of us panting as our gazes met. My resolve was quickly crumbling, and he knew it. 

That cocky smirk returned to his lips as he took my hand and pulled me toward the side of the house that was hidden in the shadows. It was like my brain had switched into autopilot, entering the submissive state that he loved so much. 

After caging me in against the side of the house, his lips crashed into mine as he dipped lower to grind his hips against me. I could feel his hard length pressing against my center, and God I wanted it. I wanted him.

His lips began to trail downward, nipping and licking down the curve of my neck.

I sighed, attempting to gain my resolve as I managed to say, “Lucien, we can’t do this. It’s wrong.” 

My actions did not match my words as my fingertips knotted in his hair and held him tighter to me. I could feel him smiling against my skin, continuing to place small kisses between his words as he responded. 

“It’s not really happening. We’re just finishing unfinished business in a parallel universe.” 

I chuckled, “You’re so fucking ridiculous.” 

His lips were hovering near mine, smiling as he replied, “I know…that’s why you love me.” 

His words made me think of Dieter. That was always his response too. Lucien’s hand reached for the left strap of my dress, beginning to lower it off my shoulder before I stopped it and forced him to meet my gaze. 

“What about your brother? Your mom? If we do this, it’s gonna hurt them. I don’t think there’s any coming back from that.” 

He shrugged, “I don’t care. They don’t matter to me. I need you in my life. Please.” 

“You think I can hurt them like that?” I asked. His spell over me was quickly fading. 

“You’ll have me, baby. It’ll be ok.” 

As my eyes drifted over his stupidly beautiful face it was now obvious to me, he hadn’t changed. Not really. He might or might not be sober, but he was still a selfish asshole who only ever thought of himself. He still had a way to go before he actually had his shit together and learned to be a better person. 

He obviously couldn’t read the shift in my mood as he leaned in to suck on my neck. 

I moved my lips closer to his ear, “You know I just had sex with your brother less than three hours ago in his old bedroom upstairs.” 

He pulled away with a confused look. “What? You wanna fuck me in my old room too?” 

He was missing the point. This isn’t me. I don’t do this anymore.

“I can still feel his cum dripping out of me. Does that not bother you?” 

His brows furrowed as he turned away and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Fucking hell, do you have to be so crass about it? That’s not exactly what I wanna be thinking about right now.” 

I scoffed, “Crass? That’s ironic coming from you…and yes. If that’s what I need to do to get my point across, then so be it. I’m not that person anymore, Lucien. I’m putting an end to this now. I will not do this to Dieter…I love him too much. I’m not ruining my life for you ever again.” 

His jaw clenched, “Who says you would be ruining your life? I’m ready to settle down and have a family, a house… all the things I promised.” 

I had to bite back a laugh, “Then why don’t you do that with one of the five women you already have kids with.”

His brows arched, “Excuse me? I only have two kids.” 

He paused and grimaced, “There may be a third one, but I’m not sure what’s happening with that, yet...” 

My mouth dropped open with that news, “Oh and when were you gonna tell me about that? You’re seriously out here professing your love to me when you’ve knocked up someone else? You’re a real piece of work. You’re obviously still a hot fucking mess. I can’t believe you seriously think you can offer me more than Dieter.” 

He laughed as he crowded my space again, “Is that what it’s about? Money?” 

I pushed him away, “Fuck you. You know that’s not what I mean. He loves me and he makes sure I know it. I don’t have to beg him for affection or an emotional connection. He gives it willingly.”

He rolled his eyes, “Right, he must not give you everything you need if you’re melting in my hands so easily.” 

We were already sliding back into old habits by slinging insults at each other. This is why we didn’t work. 

“Did you miss the part where I said we just had sex? He’s much more attentive than you ever were. I’ve never had to fake it with him.” 

I could tell that was his final straw. There was no questioning Lucien de Leon’s skill in the bedroom. In his mind, he was a sex god. He wasn’t wrong. He was fucking amazing in bed, but he didn’t need to know I thought that. 

His jaw clenched as his face flushed with anger. He looked like he was considering his next words before he spoke. Obviously deciding he was going for maximum damage. 

“I got Delia pregnant.” 

I felt like a bomb had just detonated in my face, swallowing the world around us and leaving nothing but ringing in my ears. Once I regained my senses, all I could manage to get out was a strangled, “What?” 

He had his cocky asshole smile on now, suddenly playing it casual.

“Yeah, I saw her out at a bar several months ago. I wanted to ask her about you… and we just started talking…had one too many drinks…then went back to her place and spent all night fucking. We’ve seen each other on and off a few times since then. So, yeah. I knocked up your best friend.”

I hated him. I hated him for the way he had treated me and for whatever way he was about to treat her even though she should have known better. 

I scoffed, “You’re unbelievable.”

I pushed past him to go back inside. I could hear him apologizing as he followed behind me, realizing he finally took it too far. I was telling him to ‘fuck off’ just as Dieter stepped outside. Lucien and I stopped short at the edge of the patio when we realized Dieter was there, eyes shifting between the two of us as he worked out what he was seeing. 

I sighed, my eyes closing in defeat and shame realizing there was no way to get out of it, but I didn’t want him finding out like this. 

Dieter approached; lips set into a tight line as he continued to look between us. “You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

Lucien looked at me with wide eyes. For once in his life, he was keeping his damn mouth shut. I inhaled deeply; my mouth opened but no words came out. I didn’t know where to start. 

Dieter’s brows furrowed, “You slept with my brother…didn’t you?” 

The look on my face must have told him all he needed to know as he pursed his lips and nodded in understanding. “I mean…it’s not the first time this has happened with him and someone I was dating. So, I shouldn’t be shocked.”

I stepped closer to him, “Dieter, it was years ago. Before I knew you…I didn’t know he was your brother or else I would’ve told you. I mean…I kind of told you, but I didn’t say his name. He’s the one that fucked me up so badly.”

I could see anger flash in his eyes as he shot daggers toward Lucien, realizing all the terrible things he had done to me. “I always knew you were an asshole, but damn. You need some serious help.” 

Lucien had the audacity to look offended by that before Dieter’s attention turned back to me. “And you…how the hell did you not know he was my brother? Everybody knows that.”

I scoffed, “You told me your brother's name was Richard. And you fuckers don’t even have the same last name…You know what, I’m not having this conversation again…” 

Dieter shrugged, “His name is Richard…legally. He didn’t tell you that?”   

I huffed, rubbing at my temple, “Fucking hell, you two. Maybe you’re more alike than I realized.” 

I couldn’t help the giggle that suddenly escaped as I peered up at Lucien, “Your name is actually Dick? That’s fitting…should have stuck with it.” 

Lucien rolled his eyes, “Fuck off with that.” 

Dieter snorted out laughter as he pulled me into his side, “I love you. Your so fucking perfect.” 

I sighed in relief as our gazes met, “You’re not angry with me?” 

He shook his head, “How can I be? It was years ago. Besides, I know how he is…always been more charming than me. All the ladies fall for him at some point. At least you’ve already gotten it out of your system.”  

Lucien suddenly looked disgusted as he muttered, “I can’t fucking believe this…”

My eyes narrowed at him, “Lucien, you really need to get it together…reevaluate your life. And it sounds to me that you have someone else you need to work things out with. Do right by her, please.” 

His brows pinched together as his eyes met mine. An understanding seemed to pass between us. We were done. For good. I gave him a tight smile as I nudged Dieter toward the door to go inside. Lucien didn’t move to follow, but I could feel his eyes on us until I closed the door behind us. 

A short time later, Dieter’s mom announced the news of our engagement to everyone. She didn’t hesitate to pull us in for tight hugs as she congratulated us with a wide toothy smile. I could see Lucien in my periphery, jaw tense with a slight frown on his lips and a bottle of something in hand. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Even with all the bravado and posturing, I could tell he was hurt. I didn’t doubt that he had feelings for me, but they were never enough to make him change his ways.

After Lucien left, things felt more relaxed. Dieter and I enjoyed the rest of the evening together, smiling happily as we told his parents goodbye to head home. We soon found ourselves snuggled up on the sectional next to the fireplace as we admired our first Christmas tree. Our conversation eventually turned to Lucien and our history. I helped fill in the gaps and answer any questions Dieter had, making sure he knew I was committed to him and him alone. 

“I know he’s your brother, and it may make things harder between you two, but I can never fully forgive him for how he treated me…but I do wish him well. I hope that he can get his life together and find peace.”

Dieter sighed, “He's such an almighty fuck up. And I love him…but he makes it hard. I miss who he used to be. We used to be so close…until the Hollywood lifestyle started getting to us. Everything became a competition and we both sort of spiraled out of control in so many ways. Maybe one day…I’ll get my brother back. I can’t forgive him for everything, but I can try.”

I squeezed him a little tighter, “Maybe you should offer an olive branch? Maybe he would let you help him get sober?”

Dieter pursed his lips in thought, “Yeah…maybe…”

Lucien’s POV

As I sat and watched the love of my life and brother announce their engagement to the family, a lot of thoughts and feelings were swirling around in my head. After seeing them together, I couldn’t deny they were both happy. She had chosen the better man. I accepted it at that moment, deciding it was time to move on. 

Not wanting to stick around and further wallow in my pain, I found myself outside Delia’s small studio apartment with a fresh bottle of bourbon in hand. I had been in denial about her for weeks. After our time together I was beginning to feel…something for her. She wasn’t the one that I wanted in my future, but that didn’t mean she was a bad choice. If she decided to keep the baby, she was going to be part of my future anyway. 

We spent some time discussing things and I assured her I would be supportive if she decided to keep the baby. Personally, I wanted her to. I had a sudden urge to try and make things work with her. As I laid next to her sleeping form on the bed, staring at the small christmas tree illuminated in the corner and nursing a glass of bourbon, my phone vibrated on the nightstand. I was surprised to see that it was my brother calling. I sighed, my thumb hovering over ‘ignore’ before I finally decided to answer. 

I quickly stood, moving to the bathroom to avoid waking Delia, then answered. 

“Well, well. Hello brother. To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

I could hear Dieter suck in a breath on the other end of the line, “I uhh…just wanted to check in and make sure you’re good.” 

His words and tone stirred something inside of me. This was the old Dieter talking. The one I cared about before things went to hell between us. It caused a rush of emotions that I had to fight back, inhaling deeply to collect myself before I answered,

“Yeah, I’m good…your girl really knows how to bring a man to his knees, but I’ll live. I can see that she’s happy and that’s all that matters. I’m moving on.”

Dieter chuckled, “That she can do…but that doesn’t mean she…that we…don’t care about your wellbeing. I want you to know that. If you ever decide…to try…to wanna get sober, I wanna help you. I want us to move past all the shit we did to each other and try to be brothers again.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was shocked, but I didn’t hate the idea. Deep down, I did miss my brother. I tried to cover my emotions with a snicker, “Well, isn’t this a Christmas fucking miracle. I guess this means the Bravo brothers are back…Maybe I’ll change my name again.”

Dieter laughed, “Let’s not get too crazy now…one step at a time.”  

My brows furrowed as tears formed in the corners of my eyes, “Do you think you could uhh…send me the information for that rehab place you went to?” 

I could hear the smile in his voice, “Yeah…I’ll send it right over. If you decide you wanna go…I can…take you…if you want?”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall. I had to clear the lump in my throat before I could respond, “Uh, yeah…I think I’d like that.” 

“Amazing…well…just tell me when you’re ready and I’m there, brother.” 

He sounded like he was fighting his emotions just as much as I was. 

“I will…It was…good to talk to you.”

“You too. Merry Christmas, Lucien.”

A small smile formed on my lips, “Merry Christmas, Dieter.”

After hanging up with Dieter, I didn’t think twice before seeking out the bourbon I had arrived with and pouring it down the drain. I could feel it. This was a turning point for me. A new path that I had to choose to take because I wanted to, not because it was expected. If Dieter could do it, then so could I. It was time I moved on with my life and found happiness too. 

As I snuggled up next to Delia, I could faintly envision our future together. If she was willing to try, then so was I. Maybe she was meant to be my happy ending…with the house, the kids, and the fucking Christmas cards.

A/N: Hello my lovelies! Thanks for stopping by!

I've gotta say...the speed at which I busted this out (less than 48 hours) has to be a record. And here I was worried it wouldn't be done by Christmas. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Happy holidays!🤣

👉If you're a Dieter lover (like myself) and you're new to my work, I have lots more for you to enjoy HERE. Including my mystical Christmas fic from last year. I've also got a little Frankie thrown on the masterlist too. Happy reading!💜

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[atlasthegreatest]

A Nigth to Remember / Sam Carpenter x Precott! Male Reader

Sam Carpenter finally stops being the caretaker and starts being taken care of by Y/n Prescott— the man who makes her feel more carefree and happy. Meanwhile, Tara feels a surge of jealousy for not being the center of her sister’s attention.

Word count:

A/n: Jealous Tara. Slight make-out scene. Fluff and more fluff. And a slight participation of “A Night Out” reader.

A/n: This was requested by an anon. Enjoy it!

Sam Carpenter sat in front of her mirror, smoothing down her hair and nervously checking her reflection for the hundredth time. Tonight was special. She hadn’t been on a real date in a while—especially not one planned by Y/n—Sidney Prescott’s oldest son— who had stolen her breath the moment they met. Tonight, she was stepping into something new, something exciting, and she couldn’t help but feel both giddy and anxious.

Just as she stood up to leave her room, Tara appeared at the door, arms crossed, an exaggerated frown on her face.

“Going somewhere, Miss Carpenter?” Tara teased, though there was an undeniable edge of envy in her voice.

Sam rolled her eyes, adjusting the strap of her dress. “Yes, Tara, I have a date.”

“Oh, I know,” Tara grumbled, her arms tightening around her body. “It’s just… why do you get to go out with him? You’ve been talking about him all week. It’s disgusting.”

A laugh escaped Sam as she grabbed her purse. “Tara, don’t be jealous. It’s just one date.”

Tara’s boyfriend, who had been lounging on the couch in the living room, overheard the conversation and chimed in. “Aww, Tara, are you jealous that your sister’s going out with someone else? You’ve got me,” he joked, a playful smirk on his face.

Tara shot him a look. “Shut up,” she muttered, but her boyfriend only laughed harder.

Sam gave them both a parting wave and made her way downstairs, where Y/n was waiting. He stood by his car, dressed in a sharp black suit, holding a bouquet that took Sam completely by surprise.

“Wow,” she said, feeling her heart race. “You really went all out.”

Y/n smiled that easy, confident smile of his. “Only the best for you, Sam.”

As the evening unfolded, it became clear that Y/n wasn’t holding back. They dined at one of the city’s finest restaurants, a candlelit table in the corner offering a cozy atmosphere as soft music played in the background. The conversation flowed effortlessly between them, laughter breaking out over shared stories and memories.

Y/n made sure Sam never had to lift a finger—he poured her wine, ordered for her, and even pulled out her chair like a true gentleman. By the time they finished dessert, Sam was feeling thoroughly spoiled and more relaxed than she had in a long time.

After dinner, Y/n took her on a moonlit walk by the river, the cool night air swirling around them. He bought her ice cream, even though they were both too full, just because Sam mentioned offhand how much she loved it.

“You didn’t have to do all this, you know,” Sam said as they sat on a bench overlooking the water. She was touched by how thoughtful he had been throughout the night.

Y/n shrugged, his smile soft. “I wanted to. You deserve to be treated like this.”

For a moment, Sam couldn’t find the words to respond. Instead, she leaned against him, letting the warmth of his presence chase away the chill of the night.

Meanwhile, back at home, Tara sat on the couch, her arms still crossed in a defensive posture. Her boyfriend sat next to her, still grinning.

“You know, you really are jealous,” he teased, nudging her lightly. “It’s kinda cute.”

“I am not jealous,” Tara shot back, though the blush rising in her cheeks betrayed her. “I just… It’s weird seeing Sam like that, okay? She’s my big sister. She’s supposed to be tough, not all… soft and dreamy-eyed.”

Her boyfriend chuckled, throwing an arm around her. “Maybe you’re just used to being the center of attention, huh?”

Tara’s eyes narrowed at him, but she couldn’t hold back a small smile. “Don’t push it.”

He squeezed her shoulder and pressed a playful kiss to her temple. “Come on, Tara, admit it—you miss her.”

Tara sighed, leaning back into the couch. “Okay, fine. Maybe a little. But still… it’s weird.”

“Relax, she’ll be back soon, and you can interrogate her all about her fancy date. I’m sure you’ll get all the details,” her boyfriend teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

Tara rolled her eyes but secretly she couldn’t wait to hear everything. Maybe she was a little jealous, but more than anything, she wanted to know that Sam was happy—and by the looks of it, she was.

————————-

Later that night, when Sam returned home, her cheeks were still flushed from the evening’s excitement. As soon as she stepped inside, Tara was right there, practically jumping up from the couch.

“Well? How was it?” Tara demanded, her arms now unfolding as she gave her sister an expectant look.

Sam grinned, eyes twinkling. “It was… amazing.”

Tara crossed her arms again, her lips pressed into a pout. “Ugh, you’re unbearable.”

Sam laughed and reached out to ruffle Tara’s hair. “Oh, come on, don’t be like that.”

As Tara sulked, her boyfriend nudged her again, grinning. “Told you she’d love it.”

Tara rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

But even as she pretended to be annoyed, Sam could see the small smile pulling at the corners of Tara’s lips. Beneath the teasing and the jealousy, she knew Tara was happy for her.

And that made the night even more perfect.

Sam couldn’t help but laugh at Tara’s obvious attempt to hide her curiosity. Tara’s faux annoyance melted into genuine interest, and Sam could feel her sister’s attention locked on her. It was something Sam loved about her—no matter how much she acted jealous, Tara always cared deeply.

“Alright, fine, I’ll give you details,” Sam said, sitting down beside Tara. “But you have to promise not to make a big deal out of it.”

Tara’s eyes lit up as she scooted closer. “No promises, but spill!”

Sam recounted the evening—about how Y/n had taken her to a beautiful restaurant, how he had been attentive and charming the entire time, and how the night had ended with a walk by the river. Tara hung onto every word, occasionally interrupting with a “Wait, he did that?” or “You’re seriously telling me he got you ice cream after dinner?”

When Sam mentioned how Y/n pulled out her chair, Tara made a face. “Okay, now I’m really jealous. I have to fight for attention and here you are getting treated like a princess.”

Her boyfriend, who had been listening with amusement, chimed in again. “Come on, Tara, don’t act like I haven’t taken you out. Remember last week when we—”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tara interrupted with a dismissive wave of her hand. “But he didn’t get me flowers and ice cream. That’s a whole other level.”

Sam shook her head, laughing at their banter. It was always like this—Tara’s teasing was a shield for the way she felt, but underneath it all was the warmth of sisterhood that they both cherished.

“So… what’s the deal with him?” Tara asked, her voice softening as she leaned in, genuinely curious now. “Is it serious?”

Sam felt a flutter in her stomach, unsure how to answer. She had felt a connection with Y/n, no doubt about that, but it was still so new. “I don’t know,” she admitted quietly. “I think I like him, but… you know how things are. Life’s complicated.”

Tara frowned slightly. “Yeah, I get it. But Sam, you deserve to be happy. Don’t overthink it.”

Her boyfriend chimed in with a chuckle, “Says the queen of overthinking.”

Tara shot him a glare. “Don’t start.”

Sam smiled, feeling a sense of calm wash over her. It was nice to have Tara’s support, even when it came with a side of good-natured jealousy. She leaned back on the couch, letting the warmth of the room and the company of her loved ones wrap around her like a blanket.

But Tara wasn’t done yet.

“So, what about me? Do I get to meet him or what? I need to see if he passes the test.”

Sam raised an eyebrow. “The test?”

“Duh! I have to make sure he’s good enough for you. And don’t think I’ll go easy on him just because he’s Sidney Prescott’s son.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

Her boyfriend leaned in, nudging Tara again. “You’re just mad because you wanted to be spoiled like that.”

Tara sighed dramatically, throwing her arms up. “Maybe! I want the fancy dinner and the ice cream, okay? Is that so wrong?”

Sam and Tara’s boyfriend both laughed, but Sam could see the sincerity in her sister’s eyes. Tara’s protectiveness wasn’t just about jealousy; it was about making sure Sam was taken care of. It was something that had always been mutual between them. Tara might tease, but Sam knew she’d be the first one in line to defend her.

“Fine,” Sam said with a playful sigh. “You can meet him. But you better behave.”

Tara grinned triumphantly. “Oh, I’ll behave. Just enough to scare him.”

Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow. “Scare him? You? Nah, I think he’ll be more worried about you stealing Sam’s spotlight.”

Tara smirked. “He should be. I’m a force to be reckoned with.”

Sam shook her head, chuckling. “I don’t know how he’s going to handle both of us.”

As the night wore on, the three of them continued to talk and joke, with Tara stealing glances at Sam as if she were trying to unravel the mystery of her sister’s new romance. Beneath the teasing and the banter, there was something deeper—a sense that Sam was finally opening a new chapter in her life, and Tara, despite her jealousy, was right there beside her, ready to cheer her on.

Before long, the living room quieted, and Tara’s boyfriend stretched his arms, stifling a yawn. “Alright, I think it’s time to call it a night. Besides, Sam’s got more dates to plan with Mr. Perfect.”

Tara groaned. “Ugh, don’t remind me. Now I’m going to have to hear about this all week.”

Sam grinned, leaning over to give her sister a quick hug. “You’ll live, Tara.”

Tara hugged her back, albeit begrudgingly. “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t forget about me when you’re off being pampered by your prince charming.”

“I could never forget you,” Sam said softly, squeezing Tara’s shoulder.

Tara smiled, her jealousy melting into genuine affection. As Sam stood to head to bed, she heard Tara whisper to her boyfriend, “I hope he treats her right. She deserves it.”

And in that moment, Sam knew—no matter what happened with Y/n, no matter where her life took her—she would always have Tara by her side, teasing, protecting, and loving her in her unique way.

————————

Tara paced back and forth in the living room, her fingers drumming against her sides. Tonight was the night she was finally meeting Y/n Prescott, the guy who had completely swept Sam off her feet. And even though Sam had been gushing about how sweet and caring he was, Tara wasn’t sold yet.

Her boyfriend, lounging casually on the couch, watched her with amusement. “You’re gonna wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that.”

Tara shot him a glare. “I’m not pacing. I’m… preparing.”

He snorted. “Right. Preparing to grill this guy like he’s applying for a job.”

“Damn right,” Tara said, crossing her arms. “Nobody gets to just waltz in and date Sam without passing my test.”

Her boyfriend chuckled, clearly enjoying her protective big-sister act. “You do realize Sam’s a grown woman, right? She can handle herself.”

“I know that,” Tara said defensively. “But someone’s gotta make sure he’s not just all charm and no substance.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Tara’s stomach flipped. She glanced at her boyfriend, who gave her a mischievous grin. “Moment of truth.”

Tara inhaled deeply and marched to the door, pulling it open to reveal Y/n standing there. He was tall— very tall, well-dressed, and handsome in a polished, put-together way. He held a bouquet of fresh flowers in one hand, and his other was casually interlocked with Sam’s. Tara’s eyes narrowed as she took in the sight—this was the guy who had Sam all googly-eyed?

Beside Y/n, Sam was practically glowing. Her smile was wide, her eyes sparkling as she stood next to him.

“Hey,” Sam said, a bit too cheerfully. “Y/n, this is my sister, Tara. And that,” she nodded toward the living room, “is her boyfriend.”

Y/n extended a hand to Tara first, his smile polite and calm. “It’s nice to meet you, Tara. Sam talks about you all the time.”

Tara squinted at him, sizing him up as she took his hand. “Yeah, I’ve heard about you, too. You’ve set some high expectations, you know.”

Y/n chuckled lightly. “I hope I can live up to them.”

Tara raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. Instead, she stepped aside, letting Y/n and Sam come in. Her boyfriend stood up, offering Y/n a nod and a casual handshake. “Nice to meet you, man. Good luck—you’ll need it,” he joked.

Y/n laughed, clearly understanding the lighthearted warning but not intimidated by it. “I’ll take that as a challenge.”

As they moved into the living room, Tara watched carefully. Her eyes flicked between Sam and Y/n, looking for any sign that this guy wasn’t as perfect as Sam had been making him out to be. She couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that it was all too good to be true.

Sam settled onto the couch next to Y/n, and immediately, Y/n’s hand found hers again, lacing their fingers together. It was a small, almost unconscious gesture, but Tara noticed the way Sam’s face softened. Y/n didn’t say much, but the way he looked at Sam—the quiet adoration in his eyes—made Tara pause. There was no pretense, no show. He genuinely cared for her.

Still, Tara wasn’t going to let her guard down just yet.

“So, Y/n,” Tara started, leaning forward a bit, “what exactly are your intentions with my sister?”

Sam groaned, shooting Tara a glare. “Tara, seriously?”

But Y/n just smiled. “My intentions?” He glanced at Sam before turning his attention back to Tara, his expression sincere. “I like Sam—a lot. I care about her, and I just want to make her happy. That’s all.”

Tara’s eyes narrowed again, but she couldn’t find anything in his words to pick apart. He was too calm, too composed.

As the conversation flowed, Y/n continued to be attentive to Sam in the smallest, most genuine ways. He listened when she spoke, leaning in slightly as if hanging on every word. When Sam laughed, he’d smile softly, clearly enjoying just seeing her happy. And when Sam shifted on the couch, Y/n instinctively reached for her hand again, pulling it into his lap as though it was second nature.

At one point, when Sam mentioned being cold,Y/n didn’t hesitate—he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders without a word. The simple, thoughtful gesture caught Tara off guard. Sam smiled, her cheeks tinged pink as she snuggled into the jacket, glancing at Y/n with that same dreamy look Tara had teased her about.

Tara’s boyfriend, watching the scene unfold, leaned toward her and whispered, “Come on, Tara, admit it. He’s a good guy.”

Tara huffed, not ready to give in just yet. “Maybe. I’m still watching.”

Her boyfriend chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re impossible.”

For the rest of the evening, Y/n continued to win over Tara’s boyfriend with easy conversation, discussing movies and music, while Sam remained comfortably tucked beside him, a soft smile on her face. And as much as Tara hated to admit it, she couldn’t find a single reason to dislike him. He wasn’t just some charming smooth-talker. He was thoughtful, caring, and—most annoyingly—genuine.

By the time Y/n stood to leave, Tara had begrudgingly decided that maybe—maybe—he wasn’t so bad.

“Well,” Tara said, crossing her arms as she walked them to the door, “you’re not terrible.”

Y/n chuckled, taking it as the highest form of praise. “I’ll take that.”

Sam rolled her eyes at Tara, but there was an underlying gratitude in her expression. Tara might not have said it outright, but Sam could tell that her little sister had warmed up to Y/n, even if she didn’t want to admit it.

As Y/n opened the door to step out, he turned back to Sam, his hand reaching for hers once again. He pulled her in for a gentle, affectionate kiss on the forehead, making Sam’s heart flutter visibly in front of them.

Tara watched the whole thing, feeling a strange mix of emotions. On one hand, she was used to being Sam’s protector, used to being the one to keep an eye out for her. But seeing someone else care for her so deeply—seeing Sam genuinely happy—was something she couldn’t ignore.

After Y/n and Sam said their goodbyes, Tara stood at the door, arms still crossed, watching them walk off into the night. Her boyfriend came up beside her, nudging her lightly.

“So,” he said with a smirk, “still jealous?”

Tara sighed dramatically but smiled. “Fine. He’s okay. But if he breaks her heart, I’m breaking his face.”

Her boyfriend laughed, wrapping an arm around her. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

As they stood there, Tara felt a sense of peace wash over her. Maybe, just maybe, Sam had finally found someone who would treat her the way she deserved. Tara still wasn’t going to make it easy for Y/n, but for the first time, she could relax a little. Her sister was in good hands.

Bonus chapter:

It had been a long day and Tara was in no mood for anything but lounging on the couch and watching something mind-numbing on TV. Her boyfriend was on his way with snacks, and she was looking forward to unwinding. She had just slipped into her sweats when she noticed something odd— Sam's door was closed.

Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal, but Sam had mentioned that she'd be out for most of the day. Plus, she hadn't heard the front door open, so when did Sam come home? And more importantly, why was the door closed? Suspicious, Tara moved down the hallway, her eyes narrowing as she approached.

Maybe Sam was just resting or getting ready for a night out with Y/n. But something felt off. Tara paused, her ear pressed against the door. She couldn't hear much, just muffled voices. A normal person might have left it alone, but Tara was anything but normal when it came to protect her sister. She knocked, lightly at first.

"Sam?" she called out, her voice curious but casual.

There as no immediate answer. Instead, she heard a quick shuffle, followed by hushed voices. Tara's suspicion greww, her patience wearing thin.

"Sam, what are you doing in there?"

Still no response. Okay, something was definitely up.

Without thinking, Tara pushed the door open. And what she saw next was not what she had been expecting.

There, in the dimly lit room, she found Sam and Y/n-- Sam pressed up against the wall, her arms wrapped around his neck, and Y/n leaning into her, his hands firmly on her waist. They were kissing, deeply, passionately, and entirely unaware of Tara's presence.

Tara froze, her eyes widening, her brain struggling to catch up to what she was seeing. She was used to seeing Sam as her tough, no-nonsense sister, but this-- this was a side of her she had never expected to witness. And Y/n? Well, he looked way too comfortable with his hands on her sister for her liking.

The shock turned quickly to panic, and Tara let out an awkward, horrified, "OH, MY GOD."

Both Sam and Y/n jerked apart like they had been electrocuted. Sam's face turned beet red, her hair messy from their, well, activities, and Y/n looked like a deer caught in headlights, his hands slowly releasing their grip on Sam as he tried to process what had just happened.

"Tara!" Sam yelped, her voice high-pitched with embarrassment. "W-what the hell?"

Tara's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. She was still standing there, her brain short-circuiting. She had seen her sister and Y/n holding hands and kissing before, but this—this was a whole other level. Her protective instincts flared up, even though she knew logically that Sam as an adult and perfectly capable of making her own choices.

Y/n, meanwhile, awkwardly stepped back, trying to straighten his shirt while offering Tara a sheepish smile. "Uh, hey, Tara."

"Hey, Tara?" she echoed, her voice dripping with disbelief. "Hey, Tara?! What the— what the hell are you two doing?"

Sam groaned, running a hand through her messy hair. "It's not what it looks like."

Tara's eyes widened. "Really? Because it looks like you were—" She gestured wildly between them. "—this close to doing stuff I really, really don't want to think about right now!"

Y/n scratched the back of his neck, looking genuinely mortified. "We weren't...I mean, it's not..."

Tara shot him a glare that could have melted steel. "You shut up. You don't get to speak right now."

Sam's face was still red, but her irritation with Tara was starting to bubble to the surface. "Okay, can you please stop acting like I'm a teenager sneaking around? I'm a grown woman, Tara. And don't talk like that to Y/n."

Tara shook her head, still in disbelief. " Grown woman or not, I didn't need to see that!" She then looked at Y/n with narrowed eyes. "And you—what, you think just because you're all nice and charming, you can just... just—"

Y/n held his hands up in surrender. "Tara, seriously, I didn't mean--"

"Didn't mean what? Make out with my sister against the wall like some... like some teenage boy who can't keep his hands to himself?"

Sam groaned again, this time more in frustration than embarrassment. "Tara, stop! You're being ridiculous. We were just... kissing. It's a normal thing that couples do."

"Normal?!" Tara's voice cracked as she pointed between them again. "That was not just kissing, Sam! That was... I don't even know what was, but I was not ready for it!"

Her boyfriend, having just walked through the front door, came down the hall and appeared behind her, his eyes widening as he took in the scene. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What did I just walk into?"

Tara spun around, flustered and still trying to process everything. "I walked in on them—" she gestured wildly again toward Sam and Y/n, "—practically attacking each other."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, Tara, it wasn't an attack."

Y/n, still looking like he wanted to disappear, shot Tara's boyfriend a pleading look. "This is...very awkward."

Tara's boyfriend snickered, shaking his head. "Man, you've got guts. Making out with Sam while Tara's home? You're braver than I thought."

Tara shot her boyfriend a glare, but he just grinned at her, completely unfazed. "What? I mean, he's got some nerve, I'll give him that."

Tara huffed and crossed her arms, turning her glare back to Y/n. "I can't believe this. I thought you were all nice and gentlemanly. Turns out you're just like the rest of them."

Sam's patience finally snapped. "Okay, enough. I don't need you playing the overprotective sister right now. I'm fine. Y/n's fine. We're both consenting adults. You don't need to freak out every time we're affectionate."

Tara blinked, her mouth opening to argue, but Sam's words stopped her, It wasn't that she didn't trust Y/n—it was just... weird. Seeing her big sister, her tough, guarded, independent sister, in such a vulnerable, intimate moment threw her off. She wasn't used to it, and it made her feel protective in a way that was probably unnecessary.

Tara sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I just... I wasn't ready for this, okay? You're my sister, and I'm still getting used to you having someone like— like him around."

Sam's face softened, her irritation fading. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Tara's arm. "I get it. I felt the same when you started going out with your boyfriend. But I'm happy, Tara. Y/n makes me happy."

Tara looked at Y/n, who was still standing awkwardly in the corner, his face a mixture of embarrassment and concern. Despite everything, she could see it in his eyes-- the care, the respect, and the genuine affection he had for Sam. It wasn't an act. He did love her.

Tara sighed again, her posture relaxing. "Fine. But next time, lock the door, for crying out loud."

Y/n chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Noted."

Sam smiled softly at Tara. "Thanks."

Tara grumbled, not entirely over the shock, but willing to back off-- for now. "Yeah, yeah. Just... be more careful. I don't need to be scarred for life."

“Noted.”

[taleeater]

Lab Rat Part 1

TMNT 2003 x Reader

Opening setting inspired by the blood draining scene in the 2014 TMNT bayverse movie.

Reader has she/her pronouns.

The turtles are captured and taken to a secret laboratory to be tested on. But they are surprised by what- or who they find there. With seemingly no hope for rescue, they are forced to rely on the strength and bravery of their frail and timid new friend.

Warnings: violence, torture, abuse, mention of experimentation, blood, injury, electrocution, whump

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

A pulsing headache, bright lights searing through his eyelids, muffled voices, and the subtle scent of ethanol. This is the uncomfortable sensation that greeted Leo as he drifted into consciousness. He blinked his eyes open to a squint, his blurry and slightly concussed vision trying to adjust to the room. In front of him, he saw a few figures moving around the wide open room of a low lit laboratory. Though it was hard to really make out the shapes past the bright spotlight shining in his eyes. He groaned and tried to move, finding his limbs restrained, arms stretched out on either side of him. Upon further inspection, he noticed a long thin plastic tube attached to his inner arm that snaked around the metal restraint on his wrist and fed down and out of sight. Squeezing his hand he tested the confines of the wrist strap.

“It’s a venipuncture IV… they’re draining our blood.”

Leo’s head snapped up to his right at the sound of his brother’s voice. His vision swayed at the fast movement and steading to find his purple clad brother restrained beside him.

“Donnie…? Where’s Raph and-“

“Hey!!! Leo’s up! How’s that concussion bro?” Mikey’s joking tone sounded further away.

Leo leaned forward as best he could and looked down past Donnie, seeing Raph and then Mikey strung up in a similar fashion as he was. Raph was still out cold with blood dripping from a wound on his temple.

Donnie followed his eyes and interrupted his thoughts.

“Raph got hit a bit harder than you did, he might still be out for a while.” He said with a sympathetic tone. “Do you remember what happened?” Donnie asked, in typical fashion checking for any brain damage.

Leo blinked for a moment, allowing for his mind to focus. “We were on patrol…”

The memory flashed before his eyes. It seemed routine, stopping a weapons deal from going down under a bridge by the Hudson. But when they had swooped down to start knocking out thugs, they had suddenly all been shocked with high voltage electricity. They were too stunned to find the source, the thugs stepping in quickly to knock them all unconscious before they could recover. The next thing he knew, he was here.

A low groan sounded from between Don and Mikey.

“Raph!” They all exclaimed, trying their best to turn their attention to their brother.

“Turn the lights off, will ya? My heads killing me…” He mumbled groggily.

Suddenly, a single loud clap sounded across the room, drawing their attention.

“Ah! I see you’ve all awoken. Well, mostly…” The dark figure snickered. His shoes clicked on the tiled floor as he walked closer and slowly emerged from the shadows.

A gangly pale man, slightly less than average height, thinning hair, and a white lab coat approached the podium. He stopped just shy of the base of the short staircase leading up to where the turtles were being held on display.

“I am Dr. Cobble. I am sure you are familiar with my close associate, Mr. Bishop?”

Leo, Mikey and Donnie all groaned.

“Him again? Doesn’t he ever give up?” Mikey bemoaned dramatically.

The doctor cleared his throat. “Yes, well, he was kind enough to supply us with this wonderful titanium steel adjustable medical grade holding platform. See how nicely they’re working? We can plug you full of needles and you can’t move an inch.” His giddy rambling shifted into an evil sneer that had Leo glaring daggers at him.

“In exchange, I am to provide Bishop with plenty of samples… of you four mutants. After all his trouble, I’m surprised by how easy it was to capture you!” He openly laughed at them as the brothers glared at him with trepidation.

“Now-“ Not allowing anyone time to respond, the doctor loudly clapped his hands again. This time the rattling of a dingy supply cart squeaked as it pulled up next to Dr. Cobble, pushed by another person in a lab coat. “Today, we are starting out with plenty of blood samples while you four get settled. In the meantime, I’ll have my assistant here patch up any open wounds. Wouldn’t want any festering to poison our precious samples after all!” He said in a sing-song voice and strolled away to another part of the room.

“….I really don’t like him.” Mikey groaned.

“Don’t worry Mikey, we’ll find a way out of here soon!” Donnie comforted him. Raph was still worryingly quiet from his head injury.

Leo had his eyes trained on the lab assistant gathering up a tray of what appeared to be bandages and antiseptic and carried it up the stairs, approaching Leo first.

Leo bared his teeth at him and glared with sharp eyes, a warning not to try anything funny.

The intern just looked at him with tired eyes and huffed, clearly unbothered as he instead passed Leo by and walked down to start with Mikey instead.

“Woah, hey- careful with that! Ow!” Mikey loudly protested. Leo and Donnie worriedly leaned forward as best they could to watch the assistant clumsily and not-so-gently rub an ointment from his coat pocket thoroughly into the large bump on Mikey’s head and slap a large square bandage over it. Luckily their brother’s injury was not severe enough to break the skin.

Mikey whined irritably as the bored lab assistant moved on to the seemingly unconscious Raph. He gathered some antiseptic on a piece of gauze and reached his hand up to wipe away the blood trailing down Raphael’s face. When suddenly, quick as lightening, Raph’s eyes flashed open and he lunged forward as far as he could, snarling and snapping at the assistant causing him to startle and stumble backwards out of range. He dropped his tray with a loud clatter and lost his balance, tumbling off the edge of the podium with a loud gasp. He hit the tiled floor with a thud followed by a long groan. Several of the other scientists in the room rushed to his side to check if he was okay.

Raph chuckled darkly. Despite the bleeding head wound he still had some bite left in him.

Leo looked over and gave his hot headed brother an amused smirk. Mikey was chuckling and Donnie sighed in relief, deflating a bit in his restraints.

“What happened??”

Dr. Cobble strut back to the front of the room, looking frustrated. Two other scientists rushed up to him and spoke to him quickly, while the group gathered at the base of the podium dispersed when two scientists carried away the injured assistant off to another room.

“I leave you idiots alone for TWO MINUTES and you’re losing control of the test subjects. It seems like you all need a little reminder as to what to do when that happens.” Dr. Cobble stepped forward and pulled what appeared to be a remote out from his pocket. He turned a dial and flipped a switch, and in seconds Leo and his brothers were alight as electricity surged through their bodies from the restraints on their wrists.

Dr. Cobble laughed shortly as he watched them struggle, before eventually flipping off the switch.

The turtles were left panting as they tried to catch their breath.

“See? Easy as pie. Any time they act up, just use a remote! That’s what we had them updated for, to include the new additions!“ He shoved the remote back into his pocket and regarded his team. “Now, who would like to volunteer to finish cleaning up these *animals*?”

No one spoke up or stepped forward. There was a hush over the room as the few left standing around shifted uncomfortably. Clearly less than enthusiastic about approaching the red one again.

“Really? No one?!” The doctor's expression pulled into a sneer as he clearly became angry.

After a brief pause, a small reached up from the back of the room.

Someone had volunteered.

Dr. Cobble's expression morphed into one of twisted amusement as he straightened.

“Ah… my dear (y/n)… Have you decided to make yourself useful today?”

There was another pause and the small frame concealed in shadows shifted uncomfortably. They weren’t wearing a lab coat, Leo observed.

The doctor appeared to grow agitated at the lack of response and curled his hand into a fist.

“Come. Here.” He jabbed at the space in front of him as he ordered.

There was a quiet gasp from the small form, followed by the padding of bare feet across the tile as they approached the doctor.

The room was still. Leo’s breath caught in his throat as the form of a frail young woman in a white papery hospital gown and a ratty gray cardigan, crossed into the light and stopped timidly in front of Dr. Cobble, her eyes downcast. She appeared to be close to Leo and his brothers in age.

“There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” The doctor cooed in mock comfort. But it didn’t last long. He frowned at her with cold eyes and thrust a finger in the direction of the abandoned supply cart.

“Take some bandages and disinfectant up to the mutants and treat their head wounds. And be quick about it.” He followed with another loud clap that made her jolt, before she quickly nodded in confirmation and scurried over to grab what she needed from the cart. The rest of the laboratory personnel easily returned to their duties, no longer paying attention.

Leo looked over at Donnie and caught his brother watching the small figure with the same puzzled stare as he was. The purple turtle caught his eyes and they shared a questioning look before turning their attention back to the girl. She piled up a tray with gauze, bandages, and another bottle of antiseptic, before carefully ascending the stairs towards them.

She locked eyes with Leo first, and tried to offer him a small shy smile as she stopped in front of him. Her hair appeared to be unkept and overgrown, and noticed a strange metal collar fixed around her neck that caught the light as she moved. The skin peeking out underneath looked red and chapped.

“Hi…! Um… I’m (y/n)… what’s your name?” She quietly asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She wasted no time crouching down to place the tray at his feet, carefully extracting some disinfectant onto a piece of gauze as she glanced up at him intermittently to show she was listening expectantly.

“Uh…” He glanced around first to check that Dr. Cobble had left. “Leo… my name is Leo.” He offered, feeling his brow ridges crease in confusion.

The girl straightened up and faced him again, poised with the gauze in hand.

“Leo!” Her expression seemed to brighten marginally. “Can I touch you with this? I need to disinfect your cut before I put a bandage over it. I-If that’s okay.”

Leo was honestly a little taken aback by the request. “S-sure, do what you need to.”

He watched her nod at his consent before slowly reaching up in his line of sight, so he could watch what she was doing, and gently dabbing the damp gauze at the tender spot on his head. He flinched and hissed a little at the sting, making the girl pull her hand away and locking eyes with him.

“I’m sorry, I know it hurts a little. Can I keep going? I promise I’ll be careful.” Her eyes carefully searched his, her brows knit with concern and a hint of uncertainty.

Leo hesitated at such careful treatment. It almost felt like a trick. What did she have to gain from this? Who was she?

With no other current options, he sighed and pulled a half-smile. “Go ahead.”

She searched his eyes for a moment longer before returning to her task. Diligently swiping away the dried blood on his temple before stooping down and returning with a thick bandage.

“I’ll just apply this bandage and… there! We’re done. Thank you Leo.” She flashed him a small grin before pulling the tray over to work on his brother.

Leo blinked as he processed the interaction, lightly baffled. Then Donnie’s stuttering caught his attention.

“Y-y-y-yes! That would be fine, Miss (y/n). Please proceed.” He looked anxious as he watched her bend down to handle the supplies. She must be giving him the same treatment.

“Luckily, it looks like you aren’t bleeding anywhere… so I’ll just need to apply a little bit of this salve before covering your bruise with a bandage.” She held up the tin and let Donnie thoroughly look over the packaging, patiently making sure to flip it over so he could read through the ingredients and instructions. Once he seemed satisfied that the salve would be safe to use on his skin, Donnie gave (y/n) a grateful nod of approval. She then opened it in front of him and swiped out a little glob of the ointment, lifting her hand up slightly to his face after Donnie leaned down to try and smell it.

“It might hurt a little when I apply it… is that okay?”

Donnie met her eye contact and shyly smiled. “Yes, go ahead.”

And in the same manner she did with Leo, she gently dabbed on the ointment, doing her best not to prod at the swelling lump. Donnie made no noise of complaint. Then she reached down and retrieved a bandage.

“Okay, last step. Almost finished...” She looked very focused as she flattened the bandage into the right spot on his head. “All done! Thank you Donnie.” She pulled her hands away and looked at him kindly, before collecting her tray and moving over towards Raph.

This left Donnie with a similar look of bewilderment that Leo had from the exchange. He seemed a little lost in thought as his gaze drifted over to meet Leo’s, to which Leo raised an eyebrow at him, quietly asking the same question he was thinking.

“Oh no. Get that shit away from me.” Their attention was drawn over to Raph’s venom.

“I-I’m sorry! I won’t do anything you don’t want me to! I- my name is (y/n)…”

“And why should I care? I don’t want no scientist’s lackey touchin me. Now get lost.” Raph bit out angrily before settling again, his head hanging forward a bit limply as he relaxed. The girl looked downcast and seemed a bit lost, but fixed her hands together in front of her and made no move to touch her supplies or Raph.

“Don’t mind him, he’s always grouchy. Nice to meet you (y/n)! I’m Mikey.” The final brother piped up and pulled her attention. She looked over at him surprised, but quickly changed into a light smile.

“Nice to meet you too, Mikey. Is your head okay?” She asked him a little less quietly, seemingly emboldened by his outgoingness.

“Oh this? Yeah, this is nothin! You should see the other guy-“ Mikey spoke as animatedly as he could while fixed in place, his head moving around while he spoke. She giggled a little bit.

“Say, you don’t look like a scientist. Do you work here or somethin?” Leo and Donnie immediately perked up at the question, Mikey hitting the nail on the head.

“Ah- I-!” She stammered, looking nervous.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” A booming voice burst through the room.

All the boy’s eyes shot up to the sound of Dr. Cobble angrily striding back over to the podium. (Y/n)’s whole body was wracked with a violent tremble as she suddenly shrunk in on herself. Leo and Donnie couldn’t see her expression from their angle, but from Mikey’s eyes flashing between her and the angry doctor, his expression faded from deeply concerned to mad. Raph lifted his head up to regard the doctor with glaring annoyance.

“You should have long been finished tending to these freaks. And now I’ve caught you conversing with them?? I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK!! Now…” The mad doctor’s eyes drifted over to Raph, and with wide eyes looked him over. “Oh…! Oh ho ho…!! And it appears you still haven’t finished your job!!”

He took a step closer to the stairs, his head tilted in question and his wild eyes bore into (y/n)‘s trembling form. The girl hiccuped and shuddered as she tried her hardest to muffle her erratic breathing. She did not dare move.

Dr. Cobble reached into his lab coat pocket and pulled out the remote again, not breaking his stare. (Y/n) flinched with her whole body at the appearance of the remote, but remained quiet. The boys all narrowed their eyes at the doctor in challenge, ready to feel the jolt hit.

The doctor’s face stretched into a grin, and with the remote’s setting turned up high, he flicked a switch.

But it wasn’t the same switch.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

To all of the turtle’s shock, the electricity didn’t hit them. (Y/n) shrieked at the top of her lungs as her whole body tensed from the powerful volt that erupted from the collar around her neck. The poor girl dropped to her knees and hugged herself tightly as she spasmed, unable to escape the waves and waves of painful electricity that wracked her body.

“Hey… HEY!!! STOP THAT!! THAT'S ENOUGH!!!” To everyone’s surprise, it was Raph who started yelling.

“QUIT IT, SHE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG!!” Mikey joined in, furious.

Dr. Cobble only laughed as he watched the show. After what felt like far too long, he toned down the dial and shut her switch off. (Y/n) fell limp into a slouch on the floor. The smell of burnt flesh and iron reaching their noses. Their only sign she was still conscious was her shuddering breaths.

“Was it not you who volunteered for this job? You disappoint me, (y/n)! I let you roam around the lab today! Gave you a responsibility! And you not only neglect your duty, but I catch you speaking behind my back!”

The doctor paced back and forth at the bases of the stairs like a predator, easily ignoring the murderous glowers from the turtles as he kept his attention trained on the young girl.

“I’ll give you another chance to prove yourself…” Dr. Cobble’s voice softens in mock empathy. “Finish up your job, quickly and silently, and your testing today will be minimal. Am I understood?” His tone was cold and final. (Y/n) nodded quietly from her spot on the floor.

“Good. Now hop to it.” And with another loud clap, (y/n) startled into action.

She grabbed the gauze and spilled some disinfectant onto it, and leapt to her feet. Dr. Cobble stayed put, his eyes boring into her back as he watched her do her job. But still she paused. She sniffed wetly, biting her lips into a line as she hesitated in front of Raph. Her hand poised and trembling in front of his face but not moving to clean his wound.

“…hey. Hey hey hey, it’s okay. You can do it, okay?? I give you my permission, or- whatever. Just do it!” Raph scrambled to encourage her, realizing that what she was waiting for was his consent. He looked her up and down with palpable concern, actually seeing her now.

She reached up, and still with trembling hands, cleaned the gash oh so gently until it was cleared of blood. Then quickly retrieved the bandage and carefully smoothed it over the tender bruised spot on his head.

When she was finished, she picked up the tray, and almost stumbling from her shaking, rushed down the stairs past the overbearing watch of the doctor. She placed the tray on the cart, and joined by two men that appeared to be armed guards, was quickly escorted out of the wide echoing laboratory down a hallway that led out of sight.

The brothers were stunned in silence as they watched her go, flinching slightly as the sound of a heavy metal door slamming shut broke the spell.

“Well! I think we all learned a very valuable lesson today.” Dr. Cobble started cheerily, seemingly relaxed from his crazed state. He turned to the four turtles, regarding them strung up and half bled dry on their steel crosses, and sneering smugly.

“Do not disappoint me.”

To be continued.

[pretending-ican-write]

Cowboy Up - Pt.9

This all of S1E2. Enjoy! I'll see y'all in a couple of weeks for the next part. Lemme know if you wanna be added to the tag list!

Pairing: Ryan (Yellowstone) x Dutton!reader

Previous part - Next part

---

A few days had passed since Lee’s funeral and life on the Yellowstone was starting to return to normal.  Y/n was next to Rip against the fence of the round pen watching as Kayce’s horse put John into the sand.

“That is some gift,” the foreman commented.

She watched uncomfortably as the stallion careened around the pen and into the gate before successfully unseating John again.

“That’s one rank son of a bitch right there.  You ought to take him chest high in the river see how much buck he’s got then,” Rip suggested.

John shook his head, “this is a job for a young man with rubber bones.  That horse will make a hand out of someone.”

“Don’t recall him exploding on Kayce like that,” she commented pointedly when she pushed off the fence to collect Jimmy for his unfortunate job.

All the hands had gathered around the round pen to watch the scene that was about to unfold.  On either side of y/n were Ryan and Colby who did not share her concern for Jimmy as he was duct taped to the saddle.  In her head she was already planning on how to tell her brother what was going on with his ‘gift’.

“20 on the horse,” Ryan bet.

Colby added his own bet, “I got 40 on the wall.”

Y/n rolled her eyes at them and punched them both in the arm.  She caught the roll of tape that John threw their way and ran it through her hands nervously.

“I’d expect some resistance,” Ryan commented sarcastically, causing his girlfriend to groan.

Jimmy looked over at them, “define resistance.”

A level of unease settled in the pit of y/n’s stomach as she watched as the stallion twisted himself in knots in an attempt to unseat Jimmy.  Ryan placed a hand at the small of her back, rubbing to comfort her.  She smiled gratefully at him before pulling out a cigarette to light.

“I do not miss being low man,” he joked as the horse continued to throw shapes.

John looked over at them, “low man’s what turns you into cowboys, it’ll make him one too.”

“I don’t recall you ever getting strapped to a horse tryna kill you when you was low man Ry,” y/n teased.

Colby gave her shoulder a shove, “you wouldn’t have noticed if he was ‘cause you’d have been too busy staring at his ass.”

“Shut the fuck up Colby.  Dad is right there he’ll hear you,” she hissed.

After a short while, the rest of the hands returned to their jobs around the barn, leaving just John and Rip against the round pen fence.  Y/n rode out past the corral with Lloyd to check on the herd, a horrible feeling in her gut about how it might end.

-/-/-

An hour or so later, y/n had returned from checking cattle to see that Jimmy was still strapped to the stallion.  At least it seemed to be coming to an end as he was no longer broncing the whole way round and just cantering.  After putting Comanche away, she returned to the round pen to join Ryan and Colby on the fence.  Ryan adjusted himself so that his arm was behind her back which she leant into.

“Well you’re almost a winner,” Colby said, looking at how the horse was starting to flag.

Ryan watched on, “day ain’t over yet.”

Y/n looked over to where Jamie had joined her father and Rip by the fence.  He was clearly in ‘lawyer mode’ and watched as they exchanged words before heading to the barn to continue their conversation.

“You gonna see what that’s about?” Her boyfriend asked.

She shook her head, “I’m not getting involved in any of that stuff.”

The boys left her alone on the fence where she watched Jimmy carefully, waiting for the horse to finally stop out of exhaustion.

Eventually, after what seemed like far too long for y/n, and several cigarettes later, the stallion finally came to a halt in the centre of the round pen.  She rushed off the fence to help Rip undo the tape around the stirrups and caught Jimmy when he collapsed off the horse.  

“You good?” She asked when they reached the side of the round pen.

Jimmy coughed, “I think I might be dead.”

“Welcome to cowboying,” y/n joked, “this whole fucking thing was uncalled for though.  Poor horse never gave Kayce any problems on the rez.”

He looked at her confused, “Kayce?”

“My twin brother, the most outcast Dutton.  He lives on the reservation with his wife and my nephew. Apparently the horse is some sort of gift but I can’t see how,” she explained.

She followed Jimmy back towards the barn, opting to take out the colt she’d been working with to see how he was coping with everything.  The familiar routine of grooming and tacking the horse up helped soothe the anger under her skin.

When she passed John still stood at the round pen she spoke, “I’m taking this one out.  Might miss dinner, don’t wait up for me.”

Y/n didn’t wait for her dad to respond, instead mounting up and taking off towards the mountains.

-/-/-

A few hours later, y/n had found a spot by the creek to sit and watch the sunset.  The colt had responded well to the work she’d been doing with him and was currently grazing close to her.  As she sat facing the mountains, listening to the creek and noises from the forest, y/n thought through the chaos of the last few weeks.  She felt exhaustion deep in her bones, the loss of Lee sinking in.

Her thoughts were disrupted by the sound of a horse picking its way through the grass to her spot by the water.  She looked around to see Ryan dismounting, leaving his horse to graze by the colt.  They didn’t exchange any words as he sat down beside her, they’d spent long enough together that he didn’t need to ask how she was to know all that was going through her mind.  Ryan slipped off his jacket and put it round her shoulder.  Y/n slipped her arms into it, reveling in the warmth and smell of his cologne wrapping around her.

“Seems you’ve worked your magic on him,” he said after a little while.

She nodded, “told you he just needed to work out how to trust himself.  He’ll make a good ranch horse in a few years.”

“You eaten anything since breakfast?” Ryan asked, knowing she would be avoiding the main house.

Y/n shook her head, “told dad not to wait up for me.”

He stood up, brushed the grass off his jeans and held his hand out to her expectantly.  She raised her eyebrows at him curiously but took his hand anyway, allowing herself to be pulled up.  They made their way to where the horses were quietly minding their own business and mounted up.

“Race you back to the barn?” Ryan challenged.

Y/n smiled, “you’re on.  I’ll warn you though, this boy has got some speed in them.”

Without waiting for a countdown, she clicked the colt forward into a lope and Ryan laughed, taking off after her.

-/-/-

After having dinner in the bunkhouse, y/n was sat at the table with Lloyd playing solitaire.

“Your father not gonna question why you’re having dinner and spending your evenings with us not up at the house?” He asked.

Y/n looked up from her cards, “it was part of the deal when I moved back in that he doesn’t get to question where I spend my time.  This is where my friends are.  Besides, the less time I’m in the same room as my sister the better for everyone concerned.”

She was distracted from their conversation by Ryan exiting the bathroom with his towel around his waist.

“You ain’t exactly subtle there darling,” Lloyd teased her, “everyone gonna know if you keep ogling him like that.

Y/n laughed, “after 8 years being subtle about my ogling I think I’m entitled to stare at my boyfriend if I want to.”

Their game of solitaire was disrupted by Fred pulling Jimmy off his bunk and pulled his shirt down to reveal the still healing ‘Y’ on his chest.  She made to interrupt the exchange but Lloyd gently pushed her back into the chair to deal with it.  Ryan headed over to her, dropping into Lloyd’s empty chair and draping an arm over the back of her chair.

“I’m not a fan of you being here while Fred’s around,” he voiced, “guy’s an asshole.”

She smiled at him, “sounds very overprotective of you Ry.”

“Waited years to voice it out loud sweetheart, can’t blame me for it,” Ryan pointed out.

They sat in quiet for a little while, Ryan pointing out where a card could go every so often but otherwise just enjoying being in each other’s company.  When she’d finished her game, y/n gathered her stuff and bid goodbye to the hands to return to the house for the night.  Ryan grabbed his jacket to walk her back.

“I didn’t ask before but I’m gonna now,” he started, “are you okay?”

She took a deep breath, “no.  I don’t know what I’m feeling but it certainly isn’t okay.  It feels like everyone else has moved on from him dying already.  They’re all so focused on burning the world down that it feels like they never actually stopped to mourn, y’know?  For 8 years it felt like he was my only ally in that godforsaken house and now he’s just… gone.  And I never got to say goodbye or tell him how much he meant to me.  Now I never get to have a conversation with my big brother again.”

“Oh sweetheart,” he hugged her tightly when they stopped in front of the house, “that’s a lot going on in that head of yours.”

They parted ways and Ryan watched her close the door behind her before he headed back to the bunkhouse.  Y/n headed through the house to her room, stopping in the living room when she saw the fire was still going on and John was sat with a glass of whiskey.

“Everything okay dad?  I told you not to wait up for me.”

John looked over at his youngest daughter, “not exactly.  It looks like we’re gonna have to cremate Lee.

“Just one question, do the ends justify the means?” She asked.

He sighed at her loaded question, “it’s to protect Kayce.”

“Whatever it takes to protect him,” y/n responded, “I don’t want to know anymore that could incriminate her.  Lee would understand why especially after all these years.  It’s about time you protected Kayce too.  Goodnight dad.”

---

Tag list: @child-of-of-the-sunshine @kendallroydefender

[b1xi]

───𝘊𝘜𝘗𝘐𝘋───ハイキュー!!

Tsukishima Kei(ハイキュー!!)x fem!reader

Word count:4009

𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

Anxiety clung to you throughout the day, manifesting in small, uncontrollable gestures. Your foot bounced nervously against the floor, setting an erratic rhythm, while you bit your lower lip every time your thoughts drifted to what Kimura might have discovered. The professor’s words felt distant, a background murmur unable to capture your attention. All your focus was on the clock, which seemed to move at a snail's pace.

Nayuta, sitting beside you, gave you an amused glance at some point, likely noticing your restlessness. "Relax, or you'll wear out the floor," she whispered with a sly smile, though she didn’t seem particularly concerned.

"That's easy for you to say," you murmured back, barely moving your lips. You knew Nayuta was used to dealing with situations that were unfamiliar to you; her confidence in Kimura was proof of that. But for you, having pinned your hopes on what seemed like rumors and gossip, the wait was unbearable.

When the bell finally rang to signal the end of classes, you almost jumped out of your seat. Nayuta, much calmer, gathered her things leisurely before looking at you. "Relax, Y/N. It's not a race," she joked as she adjusted her bag's strap.

"It is for me," you replied hurriedly, grabbing your backpack and heading for the door. Nayuta followed, chuckling under her breath.

"Y/N, come on!" Hinata called out enthusiastically as he took your arm, gently pulling you toward the gym. His energy seemed endless, as always.

"Shoyo, you go ahead. I'll catch up later," you replied with a conciliatory smile, stopping halfway down the hall. You raised your sheet music folder to show him. "I want to practice a bit today."

For a moment, Hinata looked disappointed; his shoulders dropped slightly. But true to his optimistic nature, he quickly recovered. "Oh... sure. Do you want me to let the coach know?" he asked with a mix of understanding and concern, making sure you didn’t need anything.

You shook your head gently. "No need. I'll tell him when I get there. Thanks, Shoyo."

"Alright, but don't take too long, okay?" He flashed you a bright smile before jogging down the hallway with his usual energy.

You walked with Nayuta by your side, her arm linked with yours as you made your way determinedly to the third floor. You stopped in front of a door with a sign that read Computer Lab. From inside, fragments of conversation, laughter, and murmurs filtered out, indicating that the club meeting was already in full swing.

"Welcome," Nayuta said lightly, opening the door with a casual gesture.

The interior was organized chaos, a reflection of the diversity of interests among the club members. Books were stacked on tables and scattered across the floor, some open and others balanced precariously. In one corner, three girls chatted cheerfully as they organized makeup products on an improvised rug. Their laughter contrasted with the two older boys sitting at a powered-off computer, clearly more interested in killing time than actively participating.

Your gaze inevitably drifted toward the center of the room, where Kimura was surrounded by a group of girls. They all held their phones, exchanging quick comments and soft laughter. Kimura seemed to dominate the scene with her characteristic confidence, her relaxed posture as she effortlessly conversed with the others.

Nayuta nudged you gently with her elbow, snapping you out of your thoughts. "Come on," she whispered.

You took a deep breath and followed your friend as the two of you crossed the room, navigating around books and people in your path. Kimura looked up at the sound of your footsteps, her blue eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and barely contained amusement.

"Finally, you're here," Kimura said, setting her phone aside and motioning vaguely to the two chairs in front of her. She leaned back elegantly on the table, her elbows resting on the surface and her fingers interlaced, as if about to seal an important deal.

You and Nayuta sat down in silence. Without wasting time, your dark-haired friend pulled out a gift bag bearing Dior’s unmistakable black-and-white logo. Kimura’s eyes sparkled with genuine enthusiasm at the sight, as if the bag held the answer to all her dreams. However, Nayuta dropped the bag onto the table with a casual gesture, quickly pulling it out of Kimura’s reach before the blonde could lay a hand on it.

"Talk first," Nayuta ordered firmly, her gaze making it clear she wouldn’t tolerate any nonsense.

Kimura sighed theatrically, as if humoring you both reluctantly. Then she cast a meaningful glance at her nearby friends, who immediately got the message and stepped away, leaving the three of you with more privacy. Once the noise in the room faded to distant murmurs, Kimura leaned forward, a conspiratorial expression spreading across her face.

"Alright," she began, twirling a strand of her blonde hair, "it was a bit tricky, but I got it."

You made an effort to maintain your composure, though your hands betrayed your nerves as they gripped the edges of your skirt. Nayuta, on the other hand, remained unfazed, her expression expectant.

"Tsukishima Kei," she pronounced the name with deliberate pause, "does not have a girlfriend." Her words landed as a small relief, but her tone suggested there was more to it.

"That's it?" Nayuta asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly expecting something more substantial.

"That’s all I can confirm," Kimura clarified with a shrug. "The guy is... unusually private. He doesn’t talk much about his personal life, not even with his closest circle. I could swear I’ve never seen him show interest in anyone here, but if he ever had a girlfriend, it wouldn’t be easy to find out.”

A brief silence followed her words as you tried to process the mix of relief and frustration. It was an answer, but not a definitive one.

"So, in summary, he's single, but there's no way to know if he’s had something going on before," Nayuta summed up, turning toward you. "That’s something, isn’t it?"

Kimura smirked, clearly satisfied. "That’s all you’re getting from me, girls. Now, my reward." She extended her hand, her eyes gleaming, and Nayuta, after a few seconds of deliberation, finally slid the bag over to her with a resigned air.

"A deal’s a deal," Nayuta muttered as Kimura inspected the contents with obvious enthusiasm.

With nothing left to discuss, the two of you stood and left the room. Nayuta closed the door behind her with a soft click, and before she could take another step, you bowed deeply, your arms stiff at your sides and your forehead almost touching the floor.

"Nayuta, thank you," you exclaimed sincerely, your voice trembling slightly with emotion. "I promise I'll pay you back for what you spent on that perfume."

Nayuta's soft laughter broke the solemn moment. "Enough of that," she said as she stepped closer and placed a light hand on your shoulder, guiding you to straighten up. Once you stood upright, her warm and friendly eyes met yours.

You stayed silent for a moment, biting your lip as you tried to process her words. Nayuta was direct and, at times, blunt, but in moments like this, her genuine support left you speechless.

"Honestly, Yuyu, I don’t know what I’d do without you," you admitted finally, allowing yourself a small smile.

"I don’t know what I’d do without you either," Nayuta replied with a rare touch of sweetness before shrugging with her usual carefree disdain. "Well, at least we know he doesn’t have a girlfriend. That’s a start."

She turned to open the door to the computer lab again, throwing you one last look filled with complicity. "See you tomorrow. Go practice for now and leave the next move to me. I’ll come up with something soon."

You nodded, no further words needed. Her confidence was contagious, and while you still felt a trace of nervousness, you now had a clear direction.

You made your way to the music room, where the calm of the afternoon enveloped you. You practiced for an hour, focused on perfecting the piece you would perform for the auditions. Your fingers moved confidently across the keys, tracing each note with precision as you lost yourself in the music. For a while, everything else faded away: the rumors, the worries, even the uncertainty that had accompanied you all day. It was just you and the music, a world where you had full control.

You nodded, no more words needed. Her confidence was contagious, and while you still felt a slight nervousness, you now had a clear direction.

You headed to the music room, where the calm of the afternoon wrapped around you. You practiced for an hour, focused on perfecting the piece you would present on audition day. Your fingers moved confidently over the keys, tracing each note with precision as you lost yourself in the music. For a while, everything else disappeared: the rumors, the worries, even the uncertainty that had followed you all day. It was just you and the music, a world where you had full control.

When you felt you had mastered the most challenging sections, you let the final chord resonate in the empty room before carefully closing the piano lid. You gathered your things efficiently and hurried to the girls' bathroom.

You changed quickly, carefully folding your school uniform before putting on the black sports outfit of the team. The lightweight, comfortable fabric prepared you. As you tied the laces of your sneakers, you took a moment to look at yourself in the mirror.

When you arrived at the gym, the familiar atmosphere enveloped you: the echo of bouncing balls, the voices of the players, and the squeak of sneakers against the floor. You greeted the coach with a brief nod as he focused on correcting the posture of one of the blockers, then headed to the table where you usually organized the materials.

You checked the stopwatch to ensure it was working correctly, then inspected the water bottles, carefully lining them up on the table so all the players could grab one during breaks. As you worked, you heard a conversation on the other side of the court, interrupted by the unmistakable tone of Tsukishima's voice.

"Finally here? Wasting time, were you?"

Your hands kept moving, arranging the last bottles on the table, even as you felt Tsukishima's shadow looming behind you. Your brow furrowed instinctively at his remark, but you took a deep breath before turning slowly to face him. His tall figure and relaxed stance, with his arms crossed, forced you to look up to meet his gaze behind those glasses.

"I wasn’t wasting time," you replied calmly, mimicking his indifferent tone while holding his gaze without blinking. "I was practicing—something productive, you see?"

He raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue, leaning slightly toward you as if trying to intimidate you. "Practicing? Funny, because when I went to the music room, you weren’t there. Aren’t you supposed to be so dedicated?"

A slow, almost mocking smile spread across your lips as you leaned casually against the table. "You went looking for me?" you asked, drawing out the words as if the idea amused you. "How flattering, Tsukishima. I didn’t know you were so concerned about my whereabouts."

The blond straightened immediately, his expression barely shifting, but the faint blush at the base of his ears confirmed you’d hit the mark. “Don’t make me laugh,” he replied in his usual biting tone, adjusting his glasses. “I just happened to pass by. I’m not as idle as you.”

“Sure, just a coincidence,” you countered with feigned innocence, turning back to the table to rearrange an already perfectly aligned bottle. “It must be hard for you to admit you notice my absence. Don’t worry, I don’t blame you. Sometimes, I’m hard to ignore.”

You could feel his gaze fixed on the back of your neck as you maintained a neutral expression, the air between you charged with that sharp sarcasm that seemed to be his favorite way of communicating.

“You know, for someone so short, you’ve got a massive ego,” he finally muttered before turning on his heel and walking toward the court, the sound of his footsteps echoing through the gym.

You suppressed a triumphant smile as you watched him walk away, Tsukishima’s words still lingering in your mind. There was something almost twistedly amusing about these interactions, like an unspoken game where both of you tested your wits. Maybe, you thought, Tsukishima was one of those guys who responded best when treated with the same indifference and sarcasm he so often dished out.

The idea left you pondering for a moment. Perhaps, in his own peculiar way, his sharp comments were his version of trying to get your attention. Of course, it wasn’t something you could confirm with certainty, but you weren’t about to ignore the possibility either. Still, you had no intention of sitting around like a fool waiting for clearer signs. If he wanted to keep up this push-and-pull dynamic, you were more than willing to play along. But only to a certain point.

"If he doesn’t make a move, then I’ll stop," you thought, adjusting one of the bottles he had knocked out of place on his way out. You weren’t willing to seem needy or lose your dignity over someone like Tsukishima, no matter how much, deep down, you liked him more than you wanted to admit.

The sound of the coach’s whistle snapped you out of your thoughts, and you quickly grabbed the stopwatch, heading toward the court. The players were already starting their drills, and you had work to do. However, as you went over the training stats and made sure everything was in order, you felt a gaze on you.

You instinctively looked up, and there he was—Tsukishima—pretending his focus was entirely on the drills. But the slight turn of his head and the barely perceptible shift of his eyes in your direction gave him away.

You stuck your tongue out at him in a quick, playful gesture, making sure he saw it clearly. Tsukishima didn’t take long to react. His eyes narrowed briefly, and an exasperated sigh escaped his lips.

He turned back to face the court, now wearing an expression of barely concealed annoyance. The gesture was so typical of him that it almost made you laugh out loud.

As the day wound down and you prepared to head home, you made sure to help with the last few tasks. You gathered the scattered balls across the court and placed them meticulously in their designated spots.

“Y/N.”

The soft, delicate voice of Kiyoko caught you off guard. You turned to find the manager, her dark hair perfectly styled and her blue eyes avoiding yours with a shyness that was as characteristic as it was endearing.

“Yes?” You set the ball in your hands down and gave her your full attention, trying to interpret the slight unease in her expression.

“I… wanted to ask for your help with something.” Her voice trailed off at the end of the sentence, and she avoided looking directly at you, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket. Your mind immediately drifted to not-so-distant memories of her last request, which had landed you in a slightly embarrassing situation. Internally, you prayed this wasn’t something similar, but your curiosity won out over your nervousness.

“Of course, tell me,” you replied with a calm smile, though your eyes carefully studied her every movement, waiting for her words to clear up your doubts.

Kiyoko took a deep breath, as if gathering the courage to speak was a challenge in itself. Finally, her blue eyes met yours.

“I need you to come with me… to buy something for the team,” she admitted softly, her tone almost apologetic for the interruption.

“Sure, no problem,” you answered without hesitation, offering her a reassuring smile. “Just give me a minute to grab my things.”

You quickly headed to where you had left your bag, making sure not to keep her waiting too long. As you slipped on your jacket and double-checked that you hadn’t forgotten anything important, you noticed Kiyoko standing nearby.

When you returned to her side, you gestured for the two of you to leave the gym. “What exactly do we need to get?” you asked, trying to break the silence that had settled between you.

Kiyoko glanced up, her delicate features lit with a mix of excitement and nervousness. “I was thinking of ordering a banner for the team,” she said, a slight smile appearing on her face. “It’ll be black, with white letters, and I want it to say: ‘Fly.’ What do you think?”

You paused for a moment, reflecting on the idea. It was simple, direct, and motivating, but also carried a lot of meaning for the team. "I like it," you replied firmly, giving your approval. "It’s the perfect message for them—short but powerful. It matches the energy they bring to the game.”

Kiyoko nodded, clearly relieved by your support. “I thought something too long wouldn’t catch their attention, but I wanted it to have an impact. I want them to see it before every game and remember they have what it takes to reach higher.”

You smiled, impressed by the level of thought she had put into something seemingly so simple. “Do you already know where you’ll have it made? If not, I can help you find a place.”

“Yes, I think there’s a place downtown that does this kind of work,” Kiyoko explained as the two of you walked toward the subway station.

You took out your phone and quickly typed a message to your mom, letting her know you’d be home late. You didn’t want her to worry unnecessarily, and you knew she’d understand that you were helping with something for the team.

The subway ride was quiet, though the silence between you two was palpable. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t particularly lively either. Kiyoko seemed focused, mentally going over the details of the banner as she looked at her phone. Meanwhile, you watched the train’s movements and the flickering lights through the windows, letting the gentle swaying of the car fill the space between you.

When you arrived downtown, Kiyoko took the lead, confidently guiding you to a small shop specializing in custom prints and designs. The place was filled with samples of work displayed on the walls, from sports jerseys to banners of all kinds.

“I want it to look professional but simple,” Kiyoko explained to the clerk, who was jotting down notes as she spoke. “A black background with white letters and the message ‘Fly’ in an elegant yet eye-catching style.”

You nodded subtly from where you stood, pleased to see her handling everything with such precision. Although you weren’t directly involved in the decisions, you felt your presence gave her the confidence to express herself clearly.

“Would you like to add the team’s name or logo?” the clerk asked, and you noticed Kiyoko hesitate for a moment before turning to you.

“What do you think?” she asked, seeking your opinion.

“I think just the message will be enough,” you replied after a moment of thought.

Kiyoko nodded, grateful for your input. “Alright, just the message then.”

The clerk promised to have the design ready in a few days, and Kiyoko thanked him for his time before you both left the shop. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in warm hues that contrasted with the bustling city around you.

“Thanks for coming with me,” Kiyoko said softly, giving you a faint smile as you walked back toward the subway.

“It was my pleasure,” you replied sincerely. “I think the team will be thrilled when they see the banner. It’s such a thoughtful gesture from you.”

The manager nodded but didn’t respond right away. She seemed deep in thought, perhaps imagining how the boys would react to her effort. Her slight pause made you stop walking as well, until she finally spoke, her smile just barely visible.

“What do you think about getting some ice cream?” she suggested, her voice calm but carrying a surprising warmth that caught you off guard.

“Really? Ice cream? Kiyoko-senpai, you’re the best!” you exclaimed, your excitement spilling over as you gave a few small jumps of joy and eagerly followed her.

“Yes, really,” she confirmed with a soft laugh at your reaction, though she quickly added, “My treat.”

“You don’t have to do that,” you protested, though it was clear you had no intention of refusing the offer.

The walk to the ice cream shop felt lighter, the atmosphere filled with a mix of city sounds and the occasional quiet chatter between the two of you about the team’s practices or future plans. When you arrived at the small but cozy shop tucked into a quiet corner, the sweet and refreshing scent of ice cream greeted you.

“Pick whatever you like,” Kiyoko said, giving your shoulder a gentle pat as she stepped up to check out the flavors on display.

You moved closer, eyeing the wide variety of options. “Are you sure I can pick anything? This could be a dangerous decision,” you joked, shooting her a playful look.

“I trust you won’t blow my budget,” she replied, with a touch of sarcasm that wasn’t common for her but made you laugh.

Finally, you settled on a two-flavor ice cream, something classic yet delicious. Kiyoko chose something simpler, reflecting her understated style. The two of you took a seat at a table by the window, where you could watch people passing by.

“Thanks for this,” you said after a moment, savoring a spoonful of your ice cream. “I really needed it.”

Kiyoko looked at you, her expression calm but with a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. “I think we both needed this.”

You nodded, letting the quiet comfort of the moment settle between you. And as you shared the ice cream, you felt your bond with Kiyoko grow stronger—not just as teammates, but as true friends.

You had never felt as much pressure as you did in those days. Tomorrow was the highly anticipated interschool games, and in just four days, you had the audition you had been preparing for so diligently. The constant demands of dividing your time between team practices, piano sessions, and the endless pile of schoolwork had you on the brink of exhaustion. You could barely find moments to relax or even take a calm breath.

“Go home and get some rest early,” Coach Ukai ordered in his firm tone, his voice echoing against the gym walls.

“Yes!” the boys responded in unison, their energetic voices momentarily drowning out your fatigue.

You absentmindedly played with the Pochacco keychain hanging from your bag, a nearly automatic gesture in an attempt to dispel the weariness and tedium that had built up.

“Oh, wait, one more thing,” announced Takeda-sensei, his voice bringing silence and attention back to the center of the court.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, turning to hear what he had to say. Takeda looked toward Kiyoko, who stood beside him with her head slightly tilted as if trying to hide her nervousness.

“Shimizu-san,” the teacher called gently, prompting the black-haired girl to slowly lift her gaze.

The manager took a deep breath, as though she were gathering all the courage she could muster. “I know I’m not very good at cheering…” she began, her voice barely a whisper at first. Then, she seemed to make a sudden decision. She walked with determined steps toward the bleachers, climbing the stairs with Takeda close behind to support her.

From where you stood, you could see the players exchanging surprised looks.

After a few moments of expectant tension, Takeda-sensei and Kiyoko began to unfurl the black banner. The white letters in the center formed a single word: "Fly." It was both an instruction and a form of encouragement that seemed to fill the space with symbolic weight. The design was simple, but its visual impact immediately captured everyone’s attention.

Silence lingered as the players’ eyes scanned the message, and it was Kiyoko who broke it. Lowering her head slightly, with her cheeks faintly tinted red, she murmured, “Just… do your best.” Her voice, though barely audible, carried a sincerity that resonated deeply.

For a few seconds, the gym remained in a reverent hush until excited shouts and exclamations broke the spell.

“Kiyoko, no one’s ever said something like this to us before!” Daichi exclaimed, raising an arm to his face in a dramatic gesture as he tried to hide the tears that had started to well up. Around him, the others echoed his sentiment with endless words of gratitude.

The newer members of the team watched the scene unfold, not fully understanding the magnitude of what was happening. They had heard stories about Tanaka and Nishinoya’s devotion to Kiyoko, but seeing them completely silent, staring at the banner with almost reverential admiration, was something else entirely.

“Wow, they’re speechless,” Tsukishima commented from the side, his tone laden with his usual sarcasm. His gaze lingered for a moment on Tanaka and Nishinoya, who appeared frozen in place, staring at the banner’s message. “And that’s saying something—they never shut up,” he added, prompting a laugh from Yamaguchi.

Despite the remark, the intensity of the atmosphere remained. The players continued exchanging words of encouragement, feeding off the emotion of the moment. It was as if Kiyoko’s gesture had ignited a spark within the team, a renewed energy that seemed to transform the air in the gym.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Hinata urged, waiting eagerly by his bike at the front of your house. The redhead had offered to give you a ride to school that morning.

A light morning breeze brushed your face as you put your keys in your bag, trying to stifle a yawn. “Honestly, I should ban you from coming to my house this early,” you grumbled, adjusting your bag strap and walking toward him with reluctant resignation.

Hinata grinned enthusiastically, completely ignoring your complaint. “Hurry up and hop on!” he insisted, patting the back seat of the bike to indicate where you should sit.

You eyed him skeptically, crossing your arms. “Are you sure you can handle both our weights?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course, I can! I’m stronger than I look,” he replied with a wide grin, puffing out his chest as if to prove it was no problem at all.

You sighed, still hesitant, but finally gave in. “If we fall, I swear I’ll never forgive you,” you muttered, carefully climbing onto the back seat while he held the handlebars firmly.

“Trust me, nothing will happen!” he assured you, though the initial wobble when he started pedaling didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Despite that, he quickly managed to stabilize, and the bike glided smoothly along the quiet morning streets.

The morning breeze grew stronger as you moved, ruffling your hair and carrying the scent of freshly cut grass and the promise of a sunny day. Despite your initial doubts, you began to relax, enjoying the steady rhythm of the pedals and Hinata’s boundless energy.

“This isn’t so bad,” you admitted after a while, watching the scenery blur past you.

“See? I knew you’d like it,” Hinata replied, turning his head slightly to flash you a grin full of his usual enthusiasm.

“Awesome, we’re the first ones here!” he exclaimed jubilantly as he reached the front of the school and noticed the gym area was still empty.

You hopped off the bike, smoothing out your clothes and watching with a small smile as Hinata rushed to park his bike. Without wasting any time, you followed him toward the clubroom.

The peaceful morning was abruptly interrupted when Kageyama sprinted past the two of you, his usual focused expression and the rhythmic sound of his footsteps echoing around.

“Ah, Kageyama, you idiot!” Hinata exclaimed, startled as he was overtaken so suddenly. The redhead nearly lost his balance before reacting, picking up his pace to chase after him.

“Idiots,” you muttered to yourself, your tone a mix of frustration and amusement. It wasn’t the first time you’d witnessed one of their spontaneous clashes, and you doubted it would be the last. Despite their constant disagreements, deep down, you knew they complemented each other more than they cared to admit.

You decided to follow them at a more relaxed pace, listening to their voices echo down the hallway, mixed with the sound of their hurried footsteps. As you walked, you wondered if they would ever stop competing over everything... but deep down, you knew it was one of the dynamics that made the team special.

[nausicaamusiclover20]

Hi! I’m so in love with your James fics, so I was hoping I can put down a request. Load!James x actress reader, but they are keeping it secret - he thinks that all the Hollywood events are stupid and “not metal” so she always goes alone. It’s all ok, until her co-star in the biggest movie of the year (I’m imaging someone like RDJ or Negan from TWD) says on an interview that “if she’s been his, he’d show her off to anyone cause dating her is the biggest privilege any man could have”. He also sends her flowers all the time and James confronts reader. But she’s so tired of keeping it secret and she thinks James is ashamed of her. So they have an argument and kinda break up.

But, in a few weeks, before she gets ready to go to Golden Globes/Oscars James shows up, in suit no tie and apologies, and he doesn’t want them to be a secret anymore. So they make their red carpet debut?

Thank you so much, I hope you like it!❤

Breaking the Silence

I adjusted the strap of my dress, twisting to make sure everything sat perfectly in the mirror. The floor-length gown shimmered with every movement, elegant yet bold—exactly what tonight’s event required. The gala was a big one—promoting the movie I’d just wrapped, and Robert Downey Jr. was my co-star. Everyone would be there, and though I wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, I knew the press would be.

“Hey,” I called out, stepping into the living room where James sat with his guitar, strumming idly. He barely looked up as I asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me tonight?”

He shot me a look, raising an eyebrow. “And stand around with a bunch of people pretending to like each other? No thanks, babe. Not my scene.”

I sighed, leaning against the doorframe. “I get it, but it’s important to me. It’s Robert’s movie. It’s going to be a big deal. I need you to show up just once. Please?”

James met my gaze, setting the guitar aside. He came over and cupped my face, his rough hands grounding me. “You know I support you. But I’m better here. You go, be the star. I’ll be here when you get back.”

I offered a faint smile, but it didn’t quite reach my eyes. I had a feeling this would be one of those nights where I’d feel more alone than ever. As I walked out the door, his refusal stung.

The event went exactly as I expected. Photographers shouted, posing requests, while I smiled and waved, doing my best to keep my professional face on. But I couldn’t shake the thought of James, somewhere miles away, unwilling to stand beside me.

Robert Downey Jr., ever the charismatic charmer, was the life of the evening. He made jokes with the press, posed for countless selfies with fans, and even interrupted my own interviews with his usual flair. It was hard to ignore him.

Later, during a joint interview, I found myself sitting beside Robert, who was practically glowing in the limelight.

“So, Y/N,” the host began, turning to me, “what’s it like working with Robert? You two have such great chemistry on screen.”

I smiled, shooting Robert a playful glance. “It’s great. He’s, uh, a bit of a handful, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Robert laughed, leaning toward the mic. “She’s being modest. I’m a lot of handful, but she keeps me in check. Honestly, I think it’s a crime that we don’t get to make more movies together. But hey, I’m just happy to share the screen with someone like her.”

I laughed nervously, trying to keep it casual. But the host, sensing the tension, continued. “There’s been a lot of talk about your off-screen connection. What do you think, Robert?”

Robert grinned, clearly enjoying himself. “Look, if I had a chance with Y/N, I’d never let her out of my sight. She’s too amazing to hide. Honestly, any guy would be lucky to have her by his side. She’s the real star here.”

The cameras clicked wildly as I forced a smile, trying to mask the discomfort. Robert’s words, though lighthearted, dug into me in ways I didn’t expect. There was truth there, but also a twinge of something else—something I wasn’t sure I was ready to face.

The apartment was dead silent when I walked through the door. The sharp, familiar sound of an old grunge track echoed from the speakers, but it didn’t cut through the tension that hung in the air.

I barely had time to put my keys down before I saw it.

The bouquet.

Red roses. A ridiculous, over-the-top arrangement that didn’t even look real. And the note. Robert’s note.

“For the most beautiful woman in the room tonight. You deserve all the attention in the world. - R.”

I was already irritated, but seeing those words made my blood boil. It was like he was rubbing my face in it. The whole charade.

Before I could process anything, I heard a door creak open. James. He was already home, and standing in the kitchen, his eyes locked on the flowers, a storm of frustration building in his gaze.

“Really?” His voice cut through the air like a knife. “Flowers from Robert?”

I felt my stomach twist in that familiar knot. “It’s not a big deal, James. It’s just part of the promotion. He’s just... doing his job. That’s all.”

James’s gaze didn’t falter. “Not a big deal? He’s practically throwing himself at you. And you’re acting like it’s just another Thursday.” He took a step forward, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t see how that looks?”

I exhaled sharply, trying to stay calm, but I was starting to lose it. “I didn’t ask for this, James. I didn’t ask for him to send me flowers or make a spectacle of it. He’s just... doing what he does to keep the buzz going about the movie.”

James’s face tightened, and his voice started to rise. “You’re letting him do it. You’ve let him get close—too close. And now you stand there, acting like it’s nothing? How the hell am I supposed to react to that, Y/N?”

I could feel my frustration bubbling over. “I’m not okay with it, alright? But I’m trying to do my job. I’m stuck in this world where he is a part of the movie too. This isn’t just about me, you know? Robert’s a part of the damn promotion, and I’m just... dealing with it.”

James’s face went from angry to cold. “So this is your excuse? Letting him parade you around, sending you flowers, and you’re telling me that’s just ‘business’? Are you serious?”

I shot back, my voice shaking with the weight of everything. “You really think it’s that simple? Because you refused to come to one damn event, because it wasn’t ‘metal enough’ for you, now you’re accusing me of letting him do all this? You’ve been pushing me away, James. I wanted you to be there with me, but you were too busy hiding, too busy telling me it wasn’t your world. And now you’re mad because someone else is showing me attention?”

James’s eyes flashed, like I’d just slapped him in the face. “I didn’t come to those events because I didn’t want to be a part of this damn circus, Y/N. I thought I was protecting you from it. I thought we were different. But now, it’s like you’ve just accepted it. You’ve gone along with it.”

“Protecting me?” I couldn’t stop myself from laughing bitterly. “No, you weren’t protecting me. You were protecting your damn ego. You refused to show up because it didn’t fit your image. And now you're pissed because someone else is giving me the attention you never bothered to?”

James stepped closer, his voice low but full of heat. “You don’t get it, Y/N. I didn’t want to drag you into this. I didn’t want this world to swallow you up. But now, I feel like I’ve been replaced. Like I’m just some afterthought, and he’s the one that’s getting to show you off.”

I felt my chest tighten, the anger, the hurt, all mixing into a storm. “You don’t even see it, do you? You think you’re the only one who’s been hurt by this? I never asked for any of this. I never wanted to be in the spotlight, but what I did want was for you to stand by me. I wanted you to show up for me, to be proud of us, instead of hiding behind your walls. You’ve made me feel like I’m not enough, like you’re ashamed of me.”

James’s face twitched, and I saw it—the moment he realized how much he’d screwed up. “I didn’t think it would matter... I didn’t think I was hurting you. I thought... I thought staying out of the limelight would protect us.”

“Well, it hasn’t, James,” I snapped, my voice breaking. “It hasn’t protected anything. And it sure as hell hasn’t protected us.”

We stood there, the silence thick and suffocating. He reached out, like he was going to touch me, but stopped himself. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Y/N. I never wanted to make you feel like this.”

I swallowed hard, the sting in my chest making it almost impossible to breathe. “Then why didn’t you fight for me, James? Why didn’t you fight for us?”

He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tight, eyes closing briefly. “I thought I was doing what was best for us... by staying away.”

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head in disbelief. “You thought staying away was what was best? You’ve been avoiding me, avoiding everything. I can’t keep pretending that this is okay when it’s not. I can’t keep waiting around for you to decide you’re ready to be with me. I deserve more than that, James.”

His eyes softened for a split second before hardening again, and I could see the shift in him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. But... I’ve messed up, haven’t I?”

I nodded, my tears threatening to spill over. “I think... I think we need space. I don’t know if I can keep doing this. I don’t know if I can keep waiting for you to come around.”

I turned, grabbing my jacket off the chair. James was silent, his hand clenching at his side as I walked toward the door. “I’ll be back when I’m ready to talk. But right now, I just need to figure things out.”

The days after the fight were suffocating. My head was spinning with everything we’d said to each other, the words that felt like knives one moment and then like a shield the next. But mostly, I felt the pain. The hurt of wanting him, needing him to be there, but he wasn’t. And worse, I wasn’t sure if he ever would.

But then came the Golden Globes.

I had to go. It was my job, my career, my life. But I couldn’t shake the emptiness I felt without him by my side. The thought of walking that red carpet without him made my chest tight.

Standing in front of the mirror, I finished my makeup, but my mind kept wandering back to James. To what we said. To what I said. And it hit me—what I was really angry about. It wasn’t just that he wasn’t there. It was that I wanted him to care enough to be there. And that thought hurt more than anything.

Just as I was about to leave, there was a knock on the door.

My heart skipped a beat. I knew who it was before I even opened it.

There he was. James. Standing in the doorway, looking unsure and a little hesitant, but so much more vulnerable than I’d ever seen him before. He didn’t say anything at first. He just stood there, like he wasn’t sure if I was going to slam the door in his face or invite him in. I wasn’t sure either, honestly.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “I messed up. I shouldn’t have pushed you away like I did. I should’ve been there for you, and I wasn’t. And I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry for that.”

I blinked, my throat tight. I wasn’t sure what to say, because part of me still felt the sting of everything he said the night of the argument, but another part of me just wanted him to hold me, to tell me everything would be okay.

“I didn’t think you were going to come back,” I said, my voice quieter than I intended. I looked away for a moment, trying to steady myself. “I didn’t think you wanted to. I was... I was mad at you. And I didn’t think you’d care.”

His eyes softened, and he stepped inside, closing the door behind him gently. “I’ve been an idiot,” he said. “I’ve been too proud to admit that I was wrong, and I’ve been scared of... I don’t even know what. But I should have been there. I should’ve shown you how much I care. I’m sorry, Y/N. I never wanted to make you feel like you weren’t enough.”

I felt a lump in my throat, and I took a shaky breath. “I wanted you to care enough to show up,” I whispered, almost afraid to admit it. “I wanted you to want to be with me at all those things. To be proud of me. I didn’t need the flowers or the... whatever, I just wanted you there.”

There was a long pause, and then James reached out and gently cupped my face with both hands, forcing me to look at him. “I know, and I’m so sorry. I thought I was protecting you. I thought all that stuff—those events—were just distractions. But I see now that it wasn’t about the events. It was about me being there for you when you needed me, no matter what.”

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check. “I was angry,” I said softly. “And... and I know it wasn’t fair to take it out on you. I didn’t... I didn’t think you deserved that.”

James’s voice was tender when he spoke again. “No, you were hurt. And you had every right to be. But you didn’t deserve to feel alone, not from me. And I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”

I wiped my eyes, sniffing a little. “I care about you so much, James. And I just... I wanted you to show me that you cared too, you know? But I shouldn’t have exploded like that. I should have just told you how I felt, instead of pushing you away.”

James nodded, his thumb brushing the tear away from my cheek. “You don’t have to apologize for feeling the way you did. I made you feel like you couldn’t rely on me, like you were in this alone, and I hate that I did that. But if there’s anything I want you to know, it’s that I care about you more than anything.”

I looked up at him, feeling the weight of everything we’d been through. “I just want to feel like I’m not too much for you. Like I’m enough, like I’m worth the fight.”

“You are,” James said softly. “You’re more than enough. And I’ve been a fool not to see that.”

I closed my eyes, feeling a mix of relief and lingering pain. "I’ve been so angry, but part of me was angry because I wanted you to fight for me. And I didn’t feel like you were."

“I know,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion. “And I’m sorry. I wasn’t fighting for you. I wasn’t fighting for us. But I am now. I’m not running anymore. I’m right here. And I’ll always show up for you, Y/N. I swear.”

I felt the anger in me start to dissolve, replaced with something softer, more vulnerable. “I’ve missed you. So much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” he said, pulling me into his arms. “But I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”

When we walked onto the red carpet, I felt like a new person. The flashing cameras, the chaos of the event—it all felt secondary to the man beside me. James had his hand gently resting on the small of my back, his touch grounding me, as if telling me everything was going to be okay. The familiar tension that had marked the past few days faded. Instead, it was replaced with something lighter, warmer.

I glanced up at him and caught his eye. For a split second, time seemed to slow. His lips curled into a small, but genuine smile. It was like everything from before had melted away. I smiled back, a quiet understanding passing between us.

We walked a little farther down the carpet, the flashing cameras only a distant hum in the background. His hand found mine, his fingers curling around mine like it was the most natural thing in the world. I felt his thumb trace the back of my hand absentmindedly as we stopped for a photo op.

Every time I looked at him, he was looking back at me, those quiet moments of connection that no one could capture with a camera. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell by the soft look in his eyes that he was just... happy to be there with me. Happy to be by my side, showing the world that we were together.

I leaned in slightly, my lips brushing against his ear as we posed for the cameras. “I didn’t think this moment would ever come,” I whispered.

James’s gaze softened as he turned his head just enough for our eyes to meet. “I didn’t either,” he replied, his voice low and serious, but there was a glimmer of playfulness in his eyes. “But I’m here now.”

I smiled, feeling my chest lighten. The anger, the hurt—everything that had weighed me down for days—was slowly starting to fade. And in its place was something real, something I hadn’t expected: hope. Hope for us.

We continued down the carpet, and as we did, I couldn’t help but steal little glances at him. Every time, he was looking back at me with that same warmth. The tension had dissolved, but in its place was something more intimate, more comforting.

I couldn’t help but smile every time our eyes met.

He leaned in again, his voice almost a whisper. “You look amazing,” he said with a smile that made my heart flutter, his gaze lingering on me just a moment longer before he turned to face the next wave of photographers.

I felt my face flush slightly, but I couldn’t hide the smile that spread across my face. “Thank you,” I replied softly, squeezing his hand, my fingers threading through his.

It wasn’t just the smiles or the glances—it was everything. The way we fit together again, like we always had, but with a new understanding. The kind that could only come from working through the mess and the hurt, and realizing that we were still here, still standing side by side.

I didn’t care about the flashing cameras anymore. I didn’t care about anything other than the man walking beside me. The world could be watching, but for me, this moment was just ours.

[realityjoey]

PRACTICE (RILEY ANDERSON MC x EVAN BUCKLEY)

The 118 was out in the training yard, helmets under arms, ready to take on a challenge they hadn’t faced since the height of COVID. Everyone’s fitness levels and routines had shifted during the pandemic, and with life finally back to some semblance of normal, Bobby had announced they’d be doing retraining drills to sharpen their response times.

“Alright, listen up!” Bobby clapped his hands, gathering everyone’s attention. “We’re running a search-and-rescue simulation. You’re all pairing up. One of you will go into the practice building and pretend to be unconscious. The other has to bring their partner out. Fastest time wins.”

The group exchanged glances, already sizing each other up.

Chim leaned toward Hen. “Wanna show these rookies how it’s done?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Hen grinned, cracking her neck in preparation.

Meanwhile, Eddie nudged Buck, who was already glancing Riley’s way. “I see you’re already locked in with your partner,” Eddie teased.

“Obviously,” Buck said with a grin. Riley, standing a few feet away, caught Buck’s smirk and rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

“Are we ready to win?” Riley teased, adjusting the strap on her helmet.

“Is that even a question?” Buck shot back, giving her an exaggerated look of mock disbelief.

“Right, partners: decide who’s lying down, who’s rescuing.” Bobby’s voice boomed across the yard. “I’ll call out when it’s time to switch if you get a second run. The clock starts when your partner goes in—time stops when you both get out.”

Buck instantly raised a hand toward Riley. “Dibs on rescuing first.”

Riley snorted. “Coward.” But she didn’t argue. “Fine, but you’d better not take all day in there, mate. I’m not getting dirt in my hair for nothing.”

“Like you can resist a dramatic rescue by me,” Buck teased, nudging her shoulder. His eyes glinted playfully. “I’ll carry you out princess-style if you ask nicely.”

“Get lost,” Riley scoffed, though the corner of her mouth curled.

Riley stepped up to Bobby, giving him a sharp nod. “Where do you want me?”

“In the second room on the right,” Bobby instructed, his face unreadable, though a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes at the easy banter between Buck and Riley.

Riley strode off into the dark practice building, the heavy metal door clanging shut behind her. Inside, she found the designated spot—a dark room with overturned furniture and simulated debris. She lowered herself to the floor, stretching out flat. Lying on the cold, rough surface, she grumbled to herself about Buck taking his sweet time and let her head rest on her arms.

Meanwhile, outside, Buck waited for Bobby’s whistle, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Eddie and Chim, standing nearby, were already cracking jokes.

“You think you’ll be able to resist making a whole dramatic scene when you find her?” Eddie smirked.

“Probably not,” Buck admitted, grinning.

The sharp whistle cut through the air, and Buck shot forward, sprinting toward the entrance.

Inside the building, it was pitch-dark, with smoke machines filling the hallways to simulate a real rescue scene. The eerie hum of silence pressed down, but Buck was laser-focused. He knew Riley would be annoyed if he so much as stumbled or hesitated—she’d never let him live it down.

He burst through the second room on the right, scanning for her. When his gaze landed on Riley’s figure lying perfectly still, he couldn’t help but grin. She had her arms crossed and looked too relaxed for someone meant to be unconscious.

“Oh no,” he muttered under his breath with a smile. “Poor unconscious Riley. Whatever will I do?”

He crouched beside her, slinging her arm over his shoulder. In a low, playful voice, he whispered, “You’re supposed to be unconscious, but I know you can hear me, Anderson.”

Riley fought to keep a straight face but failed, a tiny twitch tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“You’re gonna regret that,” Buck whispered smugly as he stood and hauled her up over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

“Oi!” Riley hissed, breaking character for a second. “I swear if you—”

“Shhh, unconscious people don’t talk,” Buck said, adjusting his grip as he started moving.

Even with Riley’s weight balanced across his shoulders, Buck moved fast, navigating through the smoky hallways with precision. Every step was deliberate, every movement controlled. The building’s maze-like design didn’t faze him—he trusted his instincts.

As they reached the final hallway, Riley finally gave up pretending. “If you drop me, Buckley—”

“You mean when I save your life in record time?” Buck interrupted, smugness dripping from his voice.

Riley rolled her eyes but didn’t protest further, secretly impressed with how smoothly he moved.

Buck burst through the exit, Riley still slung over his shoulder like a sack of flour. The rest of the team, waiting outside, burst into laughter.

“You could’ve carried her normally, you know!” Hen called out, grinning.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Buck grinned as he set Riley down on her feet, slightly breathless but triumphant.

Riley straightened her helmet and shot him a glare, though there was a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

“An idiot who just won,” Buck shot back with a grin, reaching out to tug her closer by the strap of her helmet.

Bobby glanced at the stopwatch in his hand, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Good time, Buck. Impressive.”

“See?” Buck whispered to Riley. “Told you.”

“Alright,” Bobby called out, waving the next group forward. “Switch roles—your turn, Riley.”

Buck groaned dramatically. “Be gentle with me, will you?”

Riley shot him a wicked grin as she adjusted her helmet. “No promises, mate.”

She took off toward the entrance with a determined stride, leaving Buck to mutter under his breath, “What have I gotten myself into?”

As the whistle blew again, signaling her turn to rescue him, Buck flopped onto the floor inside the building, ready to be “unconscious” this time. And if he knew Riley, she wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to make her revenge memorable.

And honestly? He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Buck lay flat on the cold floor of the practice building, trying not to grin as he waited for Riley. It wasn’t easy—he could already imagine the payback she had planned. If there was one thing he’d learned in three years of dating her, it was that Riley Anderson played to win. And after his playful antics earlier, she was definitely going to make him pay.

He kept his breathing slow and steady, pretending to be unconscious. The only sounds around him were the low hiss of the smoke machines and the distant clink of metal from somewhere in the training structure. Time ticked by slowly, his anticipation building with every passing second.

Then he heard it: the faint thud of boots approaching. Here she comes. Buck suppressed a grin, forcing his face to remain slack and lifeless.

Riley rounded the corner and found him lying prone on the floor. For a moment, she stood over him, hands on her hips, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

“You look pathetic,” she muttered under her breath, though her voice was laced with fondness.

She crouched down beside him, and Buck fought the urge to crack an eye open. Instead, he stayed perfectly still, knowing Riley was probably smirking at him.

“Alright, Sleeping Beauty,” she whispered, giving his cheek a couple of light slaps. “Time to get you out of here.”

She grabbed his arm and started to haul him into a sitting position with surprising ease. “God, all those hours at the gym finally paid off,” she muttered with mock effort. “Your massive arse is gonna be a nightmare to drag out, though.”

Buck bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

Riley slung his arm over her shoulder and braced herself, muttering under her breath as she prepared to lift him. “Okay, Buckley, let’s see if you bounce.”

Before Buck could react, Riley hooked her arms under his and yanked him upright with more force than he expected.

“Ow!” Buck yelped, breaking character. “That’s not fair—”

“Unconscious people don’t talk,” Riley interrupted with a grin, throwing his own words back at him.

Buck glared playfully at her but let her take control. With surprising grace, she got him over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry, the way he’d carried her earlier.

“Damn, Anderson,” he said, impressed despite himself. “Where’d you learn to lift like this?”

“You’re not the only one who’s been hitting the gym, mate,” she said, smug. “Now quit talking. I’ve got a drill to win.”

As she carried him through the dark, smoke-filled hallways, Buck couldn’t help but marvel at her strength. Even though he wasn’t exactly light, Riley carried him without slowing down, navigating the maze-like layout of the building with ease.

“You know,” he muttered, bouncing slightly with each step she took, “this is kinda nice.”

“Oh yeah?” Riley asked, her voice dry. “Enjoying being manhandled?”

“Definitely. Feel free to carry me out of every burning building from now on.”

Riley snorted. “You wish, Buckley.”

As they neared the exit, Buck noticed she was speeding up. “Hey, Riley… you’re not going to—”

Before he could finish the sentence, Riley sprinted the last few feet to the exit and unceremoniously dumped him onto the grass outside.

“Oof!” Buck grunted as he hit the ground with a thud. Laughter erupted from their teammates.

“Nice technique!” Chimney called, grinning from ear to ear. “Real graceful, Buck!”

Eddie was doubled over, laughing so hard he had to clutch his side. “Oh man, that was beautiful. Anderson, you’re my new hero.”

Buck propped himself up on his elbows, rubbing his back as Riley stood over him, hands on her hips, grinning down triumphantly. “Told you I’d win.”

“You didn’t have to throw me,” Buck grumbled, though there was no real annoyance in his voice.

Riley leaned down, her smile widening. “You carried me like a sack of potatoes. Consider us even, love.”

Buck shook his head, laughing despite himself. “You’re impossible.”

“And you love it,” Riley quipped, giving him a wink.

Bobby approached, glancing between the stopwatch and the two of them. “Not bad, Anderson. You shaved a few seconds off Buck’s time. Looks like you two are tied for the lead.”

Riley extended a hand to Buck, helping him to his feet. “Looks like we’re gonna have to do a rematch, then.”

Buck’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Oh, you’re on.”

The rest of the team groaned good-naturedly, already anticipating more chaos from the couple.

Hen clapped her hands together, calling out, “Alright, who’s next? Eddie and Chim, you guys ready?”

As the next pair prepared for their run, Buck and Riley drifted off to the side, still catching their breath. Buck nudged Riley with his shoulder. “You know, for someone pretending to be unconscious, I did most of the hard work back there.”

Riley scoffed. “Keep telling yourself that, mate.”

They stood together, helmets tucked under their arms, watching their teammates tackle the challenge. Riley’s hand brushed against Buck’s, and without thinking, he laced their fingers together.

For a moment, everything around them—the drills, the smoke, the teasing banter—faded away.

“Good job, partner,” Buck murmured, squeezing her hand.

Riley tilted her head toward him, her smile softening. “Right back at you.”

And just like that, they were ready for whatever came next—whether it was another drill, a rescue, or just more teasing from their friends. As long as they had each other, they were unstoppable.

[its-a-ittle-bit-cold]

I traveled fifteen hundred miles to meet you

Maverick x daughter!reader

series masterlist

my masterlist

summary: you begin training and quickly make a name for yourself

a/n: soooo I decided to get rid of the hangman romance that I was gonna put in, and kind of wrote over the scenes as hangman x phoenix (sorry) I didn’t wanna get rid of a whole section ..

ps : sorry for the wait :’( i’ve been swamped with life stuff

warnings: PTSD, child abuse (mother- daughter), feeling unwanted, violence ? canon typical mostly, death, loss of a loved friend

The drill is simple in theory. 

Shoot down Maverick, you win.

But, like your unfortunate lack of skill playing eight ball, the execution is getting there. The first team to go in is too cocky.

He gets them, easy.

Hangman and Phoenix give him a run for his money, but not by much. You’re up next, with Hangman as your wing man. 

Strapping into your jet feels almost surreal. It’s an awesome feeling to be back.

It’s not until you’re in the air that the flashbacks start. 

You and Hangman take off, having decided pre-exercise that you were going to try to divide and conquer: one of you as bait, the other lying in wait for Maverick to take it. You, as the pilot with the best evasive skills and maneuvers, drew the short stick as the bait in the experiment. 

you know that Hangman is notorious for leaving his wingmen behind, so you’re going to be looking for chances to give him a little of his own medicine.

“Ready, team?”

You’ve become more comfortable with the notion that Maverick is your dad. 

It hit you, while you were  lying awake last night, that maybe you should be mad that he left. Your mom always had been angry at him, but could you really blame him for leaving the crazy woman who gave birth to you?

the answer is no, because you did the same. 

“Ready when you are cap’n.” You flick on the proper controls and Hangman gives you a Shaka sign, signaling his okay. 

And then you’re off. 

The rush is exhilarating. It’s not until you can hear Maverick behind you and Hangman warning you that he’s on your tail and you need to shake him that the flashbacks start. 

You grunt, forcing your jet up and over in a backwards barrel roll to escape Maverick’s targeting system. You begin a classic evasive maneuver, the realize he’s not even on your tail anymore. 

“Majesty! he’s on me!”

“Shake him, then!”

But you follow your radar to where Hangman’s getting chased in a high speed game of tag, and readying your targeting system. 

“Majesty, where are you?” Hangman shouts into the comm. You hear the familiar beeping.

He’s done.

You’re on your own.

Majesty! Keep moving! there’s still a mission to complete! 

the rough voice of your former commander rings in your ears as you pull up in a steep climb, about to try a new maneuver. 

(Y/n). I’m sorry. Duchess’s vitals aren’t looking good.

You metaphorically slam the breaks in your plane (which you can’t do because there are none) and let yourself free fall. It’s a special trick that you and Tae always practiced. 

“What the fuck kind of maneuver was that?” 

Maverick’s rough voice breaks the comms. You click your targeting system on and hit him. The beep over the comm would be music in your ears if you weren’t stuck in the past. 

“Wake up! Y/n, we need to go fly before training starts!” Tae, your best friend and wingman (wingwoman?) has always been an early morning productivity person. You always joke about her absolute inability to sleep in, even when you’ve stayed up till three the night before engineering new tricks and stunts to try the next morning. “I have an idea!”

“Uh oh,” you say through a yawn, already tossing on your uniform and tying your hair back. Tae rolls her eyes, then practically sprints out of your dorm room, you got on her heels.

she collected me, up off the ground where you abandoned things 

“That was some damn good flying out there,” Hangman tells you. He’s bought you your first mocktail of the night - a fancy-looking ombré concoction that Penny’s cooked up for you. “If only I’d been alive to see it.”

“Don’t you worry,” Phoenix butts in. “We all saw it, and we also all saw her hang you out to dry!” her tone is just a little too gleeful. “Now that’s something to toast to!”

“You wound me, Trace.”

You toast with Phoenix, then excuse yourself from the pilot’s table, seeking some fresh air. You’d snapped out of your flashback, but Tae’s laugh still rings in your ears. You make your way out to the deck and lean on the railing overlooking the beach and the ocean.

“You’re one helluva pilot.”

You rub your nose with your forearm. 

“That’s what I keep hearing.” You close your eyes, wondering if you should confide in him or not. Probably not. He’s your instructor, not your dad. 

I mean, he’s also your dad.

“whatcha drinking?” You steal a glance at your drink, which has faded to a dull pinkish orange. Maverick’s holding a bottle. 

“Some kind of mocktail Penny came up with.” you take a sip of it. “I don’t drink,” you add after a moment. 

“Well, you’re better than all of us, then.”

You grin and shake your head. Looking out over the water, it’s easy to forget why you’re here and be transported back to the past.

“Now that,” Tae begins, setting down her gin and tonic on the table and admiring the multicolored mocktail Penny concocted. “That is what I call a mocktail.”

You take a swig.

“See, Duchess, Apollo was wrong. Mocktails can be fun!”

“I never said they weren’t!”

This is the last night you have at top gun, and, appropriately, you’re a spending it at the Hard Deck, which is a newer bar that just opened. You’ve made fast friends with the owner and her daughter - Amelia.

You glance outside and gasp, standing up. 

“Come on! look at the sunset!” 

You rush out to the front deck, wide eyed and giddy at the pure beauty of the sunset. Tae trails behind, watching you watch the colors paint the evening sky. 

“Can you believe it’s over?” You ask her. “No more coming to the Hard Deck, no more Apollo or Clipper, and pretty soon we’ll be deployed on the other side of the world.”

Tae sighs. 

“You know what I think? I think this experience will stay with us forever. I’ll always remember the pranks we pulled on the guys and the late night beach walks. It’s like graduating high school. or the academy. This chapter of life is over, and we need to move on.”

You give her a wry smile. 

“You know, you may be a dumbass ninety five percent of the time, but you do give some damn good advice.”

“Want another?”

you nod.

“You’re a damn good pilot. You’re top of the class for a reason. Don’t you ever forget that.”

you meet her eyes.

“Duchess-“

“Hey. You with me?”

Maverick snaps his fingers in your face, trying to snap you out of your daze. you shake out your neck.

“Yeah. Sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was telling you I’ve never seen a plunge like that executed correctly, and then you zoned out on me.”

You focus your gaze on a spot on the horizon.

“Yeah, uh, I was just remembering.. something.”

He looks at you, doing a once-over, face skeptical. He almost looks.. concerned? Again, you wonder, if you were in another life, would he be worried for you, his daughter, instead of you, his pilot. 

“Anything you wanna talk about?”

Yes. You’ll understand. You’re probably the only one here who would. 

You smile sadly.

“Goodnight, Captain.”

he filled the holes that you burned in me at six years old 

The next morning, Maverick sends you all an email to wear “beach clothes you can run around in”, so you, Phoenix and Halo all put on your shorts and sports bras, and Halo puts on a t-shirt. The email also ordered you to meet in front of the Hard Deck, so that’s what you do.

You leave significantly earlier than the rest of the group specifically to see Amelia, who you still haven’t seen since coming back to the base. You tap your knuckles on the doorframe, drawing her attention. She looks at you, looks again, gasps and sprints towards you in some kind of flying tackle- hug. 

“Hey!” You exclaim, squeezing her tight and spinning her around in a circle. “You got big!”

Amelia giggles into you. 

“Mom told me you were back. I almost didn’t believe her.”

“Well, I couldn’t just never see my favorite tea party partner again, now could I?”

Amelia pulls away, observing you. Her eyes brighten as she remembers your tea parties from when you were in Top Gun.

“I’d forgotten about those! And Tae would bring those little cucumber sandwiches!” 

Her face falls in a frown.

It’s like a sneak attack, having someone mention her in passing. You’d been up almost the whole night before trying to calm the memories that have been resurfacing since your return to Miramar.

“I miss her.”

Sometimes you forget that Tae was almost as close to Penny and Amelia as you were. She would always come with you to watch Amelia and hang with Amelia and Penny on the slow nights. 

“Me, too.”

“Well, look who the cat dragged in.” Penny comes over to you from the storeroom and hugs you. She then holds you at arms’ length and looks you up and down. “Now, I know you’re busy, but tomorrow isSaturday, and I’d love for you to come for dinner like we used to.” 

The unspoken with Tae beats down on you. You glance out of the window to see the rest of the squad gathered there in varying forms of swimwear. Most of the guys are wearing obnoxiously printed swim shorts, obviously wearing no shirts. 

“That sounds… great. I’ll be by. Text me, okay? I have to go.” You give Amelia another squeeze and beeline out of the bar, joining the group of your fellow pilots. 

Maverick’s the last to get here, wearing a white shirt and a pair of jeans, holding two footballs.

He introduces the game: dogfight football, offense and defense at the same time. It doesn’t really sound like there are very many rules in the game, only that you get touchdowns occasionally. 

He also divides the teams. You and Phoenix are together, Bradley too. 

And then you’re starting and you have actually no idea what you’re supposed to be doing; you never were adept at playing football. 

You’ve been paired up with Hangman, who must be going easy on you, because you get past him every time, even scoring a touchdown once. About half and hour in, he strikes a deal with Phoenix.

“Okay, Trace. Here’s the deal,” he says between plays. “The next touchdown, if it’s your team, I’ll buy a round for everyone the next time we all go out.”

“okay,” Phoenix glance at your team. You’re all looking pretty skeptical, as you should. “What’s the catch?”

“I my team gets the next touchdown…” he drags out. He leans in and whispers in her ear. Her face breaks into a cautious smile.

“Deal, Bagman, but I’m just warning you, that’s an awful deal on your part.”

He shrugs, flashing you a perfect smile. 

The next touchdown goes to Halo, who’s on Hangman’s team, and everyone turns expectantly to him, wondering what the bet was. He walks up to Phoenix, dips her and presses his lips to hers.

You let out a wolf whistle. She breaks the kiss and flips you off before pulling Hangman in for another one.

Coyote’s making a point of covering Bob’s eyes. Rooster has a hand over his mouth, pretending to retch and you jog over to him, patting him on the back, face splitting in a smile.

Penny shares a look with Maverick as they watch the two young people kiss. She’s smiling, and that makes him smile. 

“What do you think of her, now that you’ve flown with her?”

She nods at the pilot in question. 

There’s so much he can say about her: smart, confident, thoughtful. Reckless and sassy and a little bit too stubborn. She’s talented, anyone can see that, maybe even the best on the squad, but she’s holding back.

She’s hesitant to fly with anyone but herself, even leaving her comrades out in the open in favor of shooting down the enemy, which is surprising, considering her most recent deployment.

Her deployment. He finally got around to looking into that, the incident that sent her into leave for more than half of the last year. 

The report had been brief: routine patrol, they had gone to investigate a distress signal, not enough ammo or fuel. Someone detonated a missile too close. Duchess went down. Majesty took down three bandits in the span of five minutes before her aircraft was too damaged to continue flying.

There had been no saving duchess. she was waterlogged and impaled with a scrap of metal before Majesty was even there to save her. 

Very, very traumatic. 

It reminds him of Goose.

he’s surprised she’s even willing to fly at all after that.

“In all seriousness?” Maverick looks out over the game. She’s awful at football. Can’t throw a spiral. “She’s a good kid. Even better pilot. She’s been the closest to finishing the course out of all of them.”

She glances over at the two of them, waving to penny before jumping for the ball. 

“She reminds me of you,” Penny tells him. “You’re more similar than either of you know.”

Admiral Kazansky, AKA Iceman has been a mentor to you since the beginning. He’d taken a liking to you and your reckless flying when you’d first joined the Naval academy. Said you reminded him of a friend of his. You’d always thought he meant his wingman, and he had, but more recently, you’d realized that his wingman was the one and only Maverick, AKA Pete Mitchell, AKA your dad. 

You knock on the door and his wife lets you in. Her eyes are red and puffy.

“Sarah…” you say, hugging her. “It’s back?”

she shakes her head. 

“we don’t know. he can’t even talk without the pain coming back.”

You squeeze your eyes shut. 

“Maybe I shouldn’t-“

“He’s in his office,” she tells you gently. “You know he always wants to see you.”

You purse your lips, smiling tightly. 

“Thanks, Sarah.”

You ease the door to Ice’s office open, He turns to face you. He’s paler, gaunter, and wearing an overcoat and a scarf. you know enough to know he’s not doing well.

“Hey, Ice.” 

He points at the seat across from him.

Right. He can’t talk.

“I had to see you.” You sit down and reach into your purse. “Kevin sent me this.”

You pull out the wrinkled, folded photograph and hold it out to him. His shaky hands pull it taut as he squints at it. You hold your breath, waiting for some kind of surprise to show on his face. Something, anything. 

“Did you know? Is that why you kept me around?”

Your voice shakes uncontrollably. Like most things recently, you want to be angry, but you just don’t have the strength or conviction anymore. You just want to know.

Ice hands you the photo back and types on the computer. 

Yes.

No.

your breath catches. 

“How long?”

Since we met.

You sigh shakily. 

“Why? why didn’t you tell me?”

Ice stares at you. 

You stare back. 

“How long did the doctor say you have?”

Weeks. 

You gnaw at your lip. 

“I don’t want to lose you, too.”

You’re not going to.

You shake your head, wiping under your eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. 

Losing Ice hurts. He’d always been there for you when you needed to talk. Even now, when he can’t use his voice. 

He clears his throat.

“Tell… him.” His voice is raspy and wet. It grates on your ears like it must on his throat.

you nod vigorously. 

“I will. I just… I want him to like me, you know? before he feels obligated to, I mean.” you stare at the picture of the two of them on Ice’s desk. “I don’t even know if he’d be happy to know.”

He will.

there’s a soft knock on the doorframe. It’s Maverick. Of course it is.

You grip Ice’s hand.

“Looks like your next appointment is here.” Your laugh is wet. “Bye, Ice.”

You nod to your father as you leave. his brow is furrowed in confusion, but he nods back.

Penny and Amelia’s house is one thing in North Island that’s always stayed the same. the smell of candles burning constantly, amelia’s artwork hanging on the walls, (which, admittedly, has gotten a lot better over the last few years) and the little bits of clutter scattered around the house. 

You’ve dressed up a bit, put on some makeup and washed all the gel out of your hair for the occasion. when you get there, Amelia drags you to her room almost before you can say hello to penny. 

“Okay. Where’s the fire?” You tease, once the door is shut and you’re sitting on Amelia’s bed. She’s giddy in anticipation to tell you her news. 

“I have tea,” she whispers conspiratorially. You lean in.

“Lay it all out for me.”

“Mom had Mav over last night.” her tone is smug. She’s obviously very happy to be able to tell you this news. “He tried to sneak out but I caught him. And,” she looks around and lovers her voice even more. “He’s coming over for dinner tonight!”

“No!”

“yes!”

“That’s crazy.”

It’s crazy that you literally keep running into him. It’s not like you’re avoiding Maverick, per se, but you still don’t know how to break the news to him. 

Hey man, great lesson today. Oh, by the way, I’m the daughter you didn’t even know you had because my mom ran away when she found out she was pregnant. Yeah, I know it’s fucked up. If I was on good terms with her I would ask why, but she only calls me when she’s drunk. 

That’d go over well.

Amelia crosses her arms.

“That’s my tea. Now, tell me yours. Tell me about Top Gun.”

You look around her room. She repainted the walls a shade of yellow that you love. There are pictures hanging on the walls. One, a big one over her desk, is your favorite picture: a selfie you took of you, Amelia and Tae when you took her to Malibu to learn to surf.

“I love that picture,” you admit. Amelia nods, getting up to remove it from the wall. “Top Gun’s… not the same without her. Nothing is.”

Amelia’s always been wise for her age.

“I see her everywhere. I mean, I know I don’t, but I do.”

You smile tightly.

Grief sure is strange. Even Amelia feels the loss of Tae heavily.

There’s a soft knock on the door.

“Girls! dinner!”

“What were you two talking about in there that was so important I couldn’t be part of the conversation?” Penny asks over the steak she’s prepared. 

“Oh… nothing…” you take a sip of water.

“Just how Y/n’s in looooooooove,” Amelia singsongs.

You shoot Amelia a dirty look.

“We were actually talking about how the two of you have been canoodling.”

Maverick stops, his fork hanging in midair. Penny’s expression is priceless. 

“Yeah, I mean why else would Mav be invited to Saturday dinner?” Amelia asks. You nod along with her sagely.

“This used to be a girls night,” you explain to him. “When Duchess and I were in Top Gun.”

“ah,” is all he says.

You pat your pocket, remembering the gift you had brought for Amelia and Penny.

“Actually, we were just talking about how Tae and I would take Amelia out on the weekends,” you tell Penny. “And I just remembered I brought this for you guys.”

You take the strip of photos from your pocket. It’s a photo booth strip from a long weekend taken to Disney. All four of you are smushed into the booth, wearing matching Minnie ears, leaning into each other and grinning.

“I have a copy, so you keep that.”

Penny admires it, sad smile forming on her lips. Amelia peeks over her shoulder, grinning. You avoid Tae’s eyes. They used to pierce you. The still do.

“I’d like to toast.” Penny raises her glass, setting the strip down. “To new beginnings.”

“to new beginnings,” you agree. 

You don’t get very far into dinner before your phone rings. You decline the call. five seconds later, it’s ringing again. 

Decline.

“Do you need to take that?” Mav asks (he’s gotten you to stop calling him sir, finally.) and you shake your head.

“It’s my mom. Hang on.”

Penny and you share a look. She raises an eyebrow. you shake your head.

Nothing to worry about. 

You’re suddenly very hot as you excuse yourself from the table. you’re not quite out of the kitchen when you pick it up. 

“Mom?”

“Y/n? Is this my disappointment of a daughter?”

you sigh into the phone, staying silent. Her jab sends tears welling up in your throat. Spending time with Amelia and Penny has always reminded you of the mother you could’ve had. 

“Where’s your deposit? Where’s the money you owe me for giving you life and a roof over your head?”

You hurry to ease the door shut. The deposit. Goddamn. She’s sober enough to remember it. Ever since you moved out, you’ve been wiring her deposits every month to make sure she keeps living. You’d hoped it was enough to send her to rehab, but she refused to go. 

“The deposit?” you say faintly, heart dropping. 

Her voice gets thin and screechy over the line. You can’t bring yourself to pull the phone away from your ear as she spits barbs at you. You cover your mouth to muffle the wet sobs escaping your throat. 

“You never wanted what’s best for your family! You left me for the Navy. You’ve never done anything right and that girl - Tae - died because of it.”

She’s never gone there before.

And you’ve never had anyone lay it out for you. 

“Mom. mom. mom, stop!” You gasp out. “Everything I’ve done if for you! The money, the house, I stayed. For you!”

You don’t hear the porch door swing open. 

“I didn’t owe you anything! I never did! I didn’t ask for you to have me!” 

Your mother begins to argue with that, that you forced her to have you. You cut her off with a gut wrenching cry.

“I JUST WANTED YOU TO LOVE ME!”

You tear the phone from your ear and slam your thumb on the red button. 

“Y/n.”

Penny. 

You drop your phone, defeated. Penny reaches out hesitantly and uses her fingers to wipe your cheeks. 

She’s hugging you and you’re crying before you can even know what’s happening. 

To new beginnings.

begged you to want me, but you didn’t want to.

“Rooster.”

he’s pissed, drinking his second bottle.

“Rooster.”

You sit down next to him. 

“What do you want?” he snarls. You gingerly put your hand on his shoulder. 

“Are you okay?”

He leans into your hand. You sigh. 

“Phoenix and Bob are gonna be okay. I went to see them before I came here. They’re not injured. Just shaken up.”

He slams his bottle on the table. You finch away.

“Did Maverick send you?”

“what? No.”

Surprisingly, it had been Hangman who told you that Rooster was sulking in the Hard Deck. He’d seemed worried about him, so you went to check up on him.

“He likes you, you know. Thinks you’re a good pilot.”

“I am a good pilot.” You nudge his shoulder. “But so are you. So are Phoenix and Payback and Coyote.”

“He pulled my papers, you know. So he must not think I’m that good.”

You hesitate. this has always been a sore subject for Rooster. Saying the wrong thing could result in making it worse- not better. 

“He flew with your dad, right?”

Rooster rubs his face and takes another swig from his bottle. 

“Yeah. But I’m not my dad. He thought I’d-“

“Maybe he was just scared, you know? Maybe he cared so much for you that he didn’t want to lose you.”

If he had known that you were his daughter, would he have pulled your papers, too? Or would he have wanted you to be like him, be a pilot in the Navy? 

“whose side are you on?” Rooster snaps. “You’re saying the same things I’ve heard my whole career. No one thinks the great Maverick could make a mistake, I guess.”

“that’s not what i’m saying, Bradley!” you take a deep breath. “Like it or not, he cares about you. You’re the closest thing to a -“

You cut yourself off, because, strictly, Rooster isn’t the closest thing he has to a child that he has. You gulp back the words. 

“Y/n? Are you okay?”

“Can I… tell you something? But you have to swear not to tell anyone else.”

“I won’t,” Rooster promises. You hold out your pinky, and he stares at it. You raise your eyebrows at him. he looks around, no doubt making sure there’s no one who would make fun of him for pinky swearing, and interlocks his pinky with yours. 

You reach into your pocket, retrieving the wrinkled, folded picture and hand it to him.

“That’s my mom,” you say, pointing to the woman. “and that…”

“That’s Maverick!” Rooster looks triumphant in his revelation. “So, what, Mav dated your mom?”

“No! Well, yeah, but that’s not what i was trying to tell you. Look at the date on the picture.”

Rooster squints and brings the paper closer to his eye.

“Wait. That’s..”

“twenty six years ago, and ten months after that was taken, I was born.” 

Rooster drops the picture, mouth falling open. He’s staring at your face, no doubt picking out features reminiscent of Mav’s. You shift uncomfortably.

“What. The. Fuck.”

“I know!”

“Does he know?”

You hesitate. He might. There’s been a lot on his plate, though, and your last name could be forgettable if they only dated a couple of months twenty some years ago. 

“No. I don’t think so.”

Roosters eyes widen.

“Wait so I can’t tell anyone?”

he groans when you nod.

“Y/nnnn you can’t just dump this on me and tell me I can’t tell anyone! That’s too much pressure!”

 You snap your fingers in his punting face.

“You listen to me, Bradley Bradshaw. If you tell a single person I will hunt you down and slice you into tiny pieces and then cook you and let Hangman feed you to his horses.”

You cackle at the pure, unadulterated fear in his eyes. “That’s right. I remembered your deathly fear of horses, bitch!”

He’s pale, but his face breaks into a smile.

“I’m glad you’re back to normal, Majesty. You had me scared there for a second.”

You know what he means. Since Tae died, for a while, you had no will to do anything or see anyone- in other words, you were super duper depressed. Lately, you’ve felt lighter, like you can laugh and smile again without feeling guilty. 

Here’s to new beginnings.

disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about how planes work or flying or anything like that

[mooodyblue]

How about an Austin Butler smut where they've broken up but they still can't stay away from each other? Maybe they have a sex scene in Elvis and they end up having sex in his trailer after filming and they're just really clingy with each other because they still love each other?

ty for the request!! hope i did it justice 🫶🏼

tryin' to keep away from you | austin x fem!reader

wc: 1.3k

warnings: nsfw mdni, p in v, unprotected (once again!), fingering, idk.

masterlist

you didn't know if you were dreading this upcoming scene or it was just nerves. you and austin had a mutual agreement to break up just shortly before finding out you'd both be filming a scene on elvis together, it was funny honestly. especially with it being a hookup scene. baz swore he didn't do that on purpose, but if he hadn't known you were broken up, he'd still think you were together with how cozy you still were with each other.

the romance just wasn't there anymore. it was clear you still loved him as much as he loved you, but it wasn't going to work out. therefore, you broke up. you were still best friends though, there was no doubt about that. it left the public confused though. nobody truly knew if the relationship was over or what was going on. neither austin or you were going to confirm or deny it, it was nobodies business but yours.

thankfully, you were only filming one scene. you were around to see him film a few performances but today, you were actually on set to film. you were supposed to film the scene and then head back home, but covid happened and forced you to be stuck in australia where you occasionally hung out with austin to pass the time while he wasn't being possessed by elvis presley.

austin was already on set when you walked in, chatting with baz about the script. you took a deep breath as you walked in, robe wrapped securely around you until it was time to film. “there she is!” baz grinned, “i’ll let you two check your lines-then we’ll begin.” he pat austin on the back and left the two of you alone.

“just like old times, huh?” austin joked.

you crossed your arms, chuckling. “yeah.”

he cleared his throat awkwardly, handing you his script. “think this one's pretty self-explanatory.” he muttered. “are you gonna be okay? like-this isn't gonna be awkward or anything is it?”

“no, no. i’m fine.” you flipped to the scene you were about to film, “i have experience in faking my moans.”

his eyes widened, “what do you mean?”

“i’m joking!” you handed him back the script, playfully hitting his chest. “ease up, butler. i’m about to have fake sex with you.” you untied your robe and made your way to the set, tossing it aside.

everyone gathered on set, you and austin both where you need to be as baz yelled action.

austin smirked, crawling on the bed. “buntyn needs a little lovin’ tonight…”

“is that so?” you giggled, leaning back onto the bed.

he placed a knee in between your legs, dangerously close to your own heat. his lips met with yours, slipping off the straps of your negligee. he scooted closer, his knee rubbing in the right places. luckily it couldn't be seen on camera, but it was enough to get realistic moans from you, perfect for the scene. more clothes were striped and austin was on top of you, thrusting as he kissed your neck while you moaned passionately under him.

baz yelled cut, whistling at the two of you. “beautiful! both of you! let's take a break for lunch!”

austin was still on top of you, panting and looking down at you. his pupils were dilated, wetness pooling in your panties as he looked at you with hungry eyes. his own arousal was obvious, right up against your thigh. “a-are you?-”

he let out a breathy laugh, “god baby, you still drive me crazy.” he looked around the set and snuck a hand down to your panties, smirking at how wet you were. “my trailer or yours?”

you gasped at his touch. “fuck. yours, please.”

without any hesitation, you slipped your clothes back on and followed austin to his trailer. he rushed you inside, slamming the door behind him and gently pushed you back on the bed while stripping again. “gonna treat you so good. y’don’t know how bad i missed you.” his voice husky, as if he were still in character. he tore off your robe and slipped your panties off, wasting no time and rubbing his fingers in between your folds. his cock was hard against your thigh, twitching at the sound of your moans.

your back arched as he inserted his fingers inside of you, pumping in and out and hitting your sweet spot every time. the cold metal from the rings on his fingers made such a nice burn, sending shivers down your spine. “fucked anyone else?” he asked, quickening his pace.

you panted, shaking your head. “no. god-austin, need you.”

“that's my good girl.” he smirked, pulling his fingers out of you and sucking them clean. he hovered over you, lining himself and inserting in you slowly. you felt so full again, so tight around his cock. your arms were thrown around his neck, nails scratching up and down his back as he pumped in and out of you. “missed you so fucking much. missed your pretty, little pussy. made just for me, ain't that right?”

his black hair messy, hanging over his eyes and bouncing with each thrust. you looked up at him, surveying every little detail on his face, every freckle and mole that only your eyes could see. it was a face you missed so much, a small grin appearing on your face. “what’re you smiling' at?” he chuckled, pausing his thrusts.

you shook your head, bringing a hand to the back of his head and running your fingers through his freshly re-dyed black hair, damp with sweat. “you're just so beautiful.” you replied softly.

“i think that's supposed to be my line.” austin lowered himself, resting his arms by your head. his hair tickled you slightly as he kissed the bridge of your nose and gave you a gentle smile. he hummed quietly and brushed the hair out of your face. “let's take it slow..” he gave a slow thrust, “wanna savor this moment.”

his lips moved to your neck, kissing and making small love bites to claim his territory. his hips moved slowly, chasing his release as yours got closer. it was all overwhelming for you. he began to pick up the pace again, his chest heaving and jaw clenched as he moaned against your neck. “oh my god-don't stop.” you threw your head back, your nails digging into his back surely to leave temporary crescent marks. “i’m-”

austin sat up, moving your leg to his shoulder as he started to hit that sweet spot with every single move of his hips. you gasped, eyes rolling to the back of your head as you arched your back. the feeling of you tightened around austin’s cock made him throw his head back, shooting his own seed inside you with a spewl of curses and a loud groan.

he brought your leg back down, keeping his still cock nustled inside you as he caught his breath, looking down at you. “i’m sorry.”

your eyes widened, propping yourself up on your elbows. “for what?”

“i’m-i’m still in love with you.” he ran a hand through his hair, sighing. “you have no idea how happy i was when you told me you were stuck in australia. like it's so stupid, i know we broke up but-”

a small laugh escaped from your lips, causing austin to furrow his brows. he pulled himself out of you and tossed himself next to you. “what are you laughing at?”

“just-” you sat up, “i missed you. i missed this. i don't think i could have ever moved on from loving you.”

austin pulled you back down to him, holding you tightly in his arms. “i love you.” he whispered, pressing his lips behind your ear.

“and i love you.” you sighed contently. “can we pretend we never broke up?”

austin let out a dramatic gasp, bringing a hand to his chest. “we broke up?”

“oh, shut up.”

[luvyeni]

THE HIGH LORD OF NIGHT COURT; SEO CHANGBIN

PAIRINGS. highfae!changbin x springcourt!reader

WC. 6.7k

SYNOPSIS. When you run away from spring court and cross the lines into night court, changbin immediately recognizes you as his enimies little sister. He lets you stay, saying it's just to make him mad, but in reality it's because his mating bond activated.

WARNINGS. oral (f receiving), multiple sex scenes (two), fingering, mentions of breeding, unprotected sex, mentions of mating (THIS IS NOT A A/BO FIC)

TAGLIST. @kosmoreads @hipsdofangirl @imhyvnjin @lovemepie67 @chvnnie @hgema @candiecans @my-name-is-namename @yourhwngness @midsoulz @jessyrdn @cutielittlepie @intomysoul-555 @cxentrxcks @yurippiefelix @missrobyn81 @stayinthemirohwoo @3retcha @lifeissteph @skzfelixlove @reiheis @chereshnyya @levantea @why-am-i-sad @blankdyean @kunstistliebchen @userbangchan @fairywriter-oracle @elmi-chan @compersian @mal-lunar-28 @n4tiii @ddazed-lhs @felixcharmerera @ch4nniebang @hyunibinnie @fairyyeo @reddesert-healourblues @fxckedupbitch

DISCLAIMER! THIS IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE BOOK SERIES BUT IT WILL HAVE REFERENCES TO THE BOOK.

You loved your brother, you did. but god was he controlling sometimes— he controlled everyone in spring court, he was a busy man and you were an adult, so why did he make it his mission to always be in your business.

"Lee know said he caught you trying to sneak back in through the border of the mortal realm." you scoffed, turning to lee know. "snitch." he shrugged.

"＿＿, you think this is a joke— you went there, knowing jaebum was recently murdered, have you learned nothing." you rolled your eyes.

"Please, like i'd let a mortal kill me." he sighed angrily, slamming his hands on the table, making you jump. "jesus chan!"

"Don't act like this is just you coming in late at night, you keep crossing the border, you're powerless- i can thank you for that." you mumbled. "you can thank yourself for that, i told you there are consequences for your actions—you disobeyed me, and i told you what would happen if you did."

"It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Wasn't that big of a deal— you tried to cross the border, you could've died!" you stood up, tired of his yelling. "but i didn't, let it go."

"How about you grow up, you're always claiming you're an adult, then act like one, or the next time you find yourself in a dangerous situation, i'll let you die like the idiot you are." it was silent, no one ever bothered to intervene when you got into these arguments.

"I hate you." you spat, walking away from the table, and making your way to your room, you weren't gonna stay here and take this, you were leaving, for good this time.

Waiting for everyone to fall asleep, you put on your shoes, making your way to the stables where the horses were stored.

"Hello midnight." you patted the horse you used to ride when you were younger. "long time no see, me and you are gonna get out of this wretched place." the animal huffed in response. "you don't have much of a choice."

You climbed on the back of the animal, shushing her when she began to make a lot of noise. "you're gonna wake up the staff hush." you held the strap, keeping her steady, "okay, let's get out of here." you slowly took off— just until you crossed the gate of the castle, then you commanded the horse to go faster, and you watch as the castle became smaller and smaller until it was no longer in sight.

You rode and rode throughout spring court, without a care in the world, you finally felt free from your brother and the spring court castle... well that was until midnight came to a stop.

"Midnight, what the hell?"

The steed nudged her head forward, almost as if it was trying to tell you something. "what is it?" you look forward, finally realizing that you were at the border... the border of night court.

"He'd never think i went into night court, he'd search the mortal realm first." you ushered the horse along, but she resisted. "go midnight." the horse huffed, before continuing on slowly.

You could definitely tell you weren't in the spring-court anymore, everything was covered in weird artwork. "we must be in the hewn city, it's just like they described it." you whispered, trying not alert anyone, walking further through the streets of the hwen city.

The more you walked, the more worked up midnight became. "midnight, calm down why are you act- i know a spring-couet faerie when i see one?" the voice sent shivers down your spine, and apparently midnights too, because before you could even react, midnight stood on her hind legs, sending you flying to the ground, before she took off in the other directions.

"Shit."

"That must've hurt." you could just tell he had ill intentions. "oh? that's a pretty gold necklace." his eyes raked down your body, making you feel uncomfortable. you quickly jumped to your feet as he walked closer to you.

"N-no it's mines." you rubbed your elbow that stung from your fall. his lips curled into a sinister smile. "oh, i didn't ask, give it." he backed you into a wall. "and i'll let you live."

You felt his hand on your waist, pulling you against him. "let me go!" his laugh showed you he didn't really care. "feisty one, maybe i'll keep you, see how long you can put up a fight." he held both your wrist together to keep you from hitting him. "see how long it takes to break you."

You tried to scream, but he just held his free hand over your mouth. "shut the fuck up." his hands were rough on your lips, as his hand reached up to grab your necklace.

"Come on, leave her alone."

A voice spoke from behind. "you can't be serious trying to rob her of a necklace." he was definitely more built then the asshole who was currently pining you to a wall.

"Aw come on, looks like she's having fun though, i'll share her." you locked eyes with the raven haired man, and he could tell you were scared. he walked closer towards you and the asshole, who still hadn't turned around yet, grabbing his shoulder.

"Look i don't normally even ask, if you don't want to share her then get the fuck-" his voice got caught in his throat once he locked eyes with the mystery man. "w-what a-are you doing h-here, in the h-hewn city?"

"My business here doesn't concern you, i told you to let her go." the asshole immediately let you go, trembling in fear. "no go before it's you who is pressed against the wall, but i'll snap your neck." his tone serious, sent the asshole running tail tucked between his thighs.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." you wiped all the dirt from your dress. "tha- don't worry about it." he interjected. "hold up, i know who you are." shit, you were caught. "what's chan's little sister doing here in night-court? you're a long way from home." he smirked, but it wasn't sinister like the previous guy, more so mischievous.

"It doesn't matter." you tried to walk away, but he grabbed your arm, preventing you from doing so. "let me go." you tried to pull away. "i could let you go, let the people here have there way with you, or you could come with me and you can get that elbow checked out, your choice spring-court." you snatched your arm away.

"My name is ＿＿." he quirked up an eyebrow. "and fine, i'll go—only because i don't want to run into that asshole again." he chuckled. "my carriage is over there, let's go." you stopped.

"You're carriage?" he rolled his eyes. "you're the high fae."

"Changbin is fine, now let's go before i change my mind." he led you to the carriage. you climbed up sitting on the opposite side of him, holding your elbow. "not much of a talker are you?"

"You're stranger." you stared out the window.

"But here you are, in my carriage, about to go to my castle." his tilted his head. "just drive please, my elbow is killing me." you snapped.

"Yikes. you are something else, you heard her, let's go."

Not much wasn't said on the way there, but changbin couldn't keep his eyes off of you. he was intrigued, why were you here? you're practically royalty yourself, so why were you alone, in the hewn village of all places, without guards? and where were your powers? you should've been able to easily throw that man off of you.

You eventually arrived at the doors of his castle, stepping out of the carriage, 3 of his servants waited at the door for him, one of them taking his jacket. "let's get that arm checked out, mrs.jung escort her to the left wing, the rest of you get back to work." he spoke with such dominance, everyone scrambled to do whatever they were instructed to do.

"Let's go, the left wing is that way." she walked and you took it as a sign to follow her.

"It's just some blood and bruise, you should be fine, the pain should decrease within a few days, the bleeding in a few hours." the woman stood up. "It's just a little boo boo." changbin stood in the threshold.

"Leave us mrs jung." the woman nodded, before leaving the room quietly, closing the room door. he moved over to the seat in front of you, eyes never leaving yours as he took a seat, crossing his arm, biceps flexing.

"What, why are you looking at me like that?" there we was again with that stupid smirk. "no need to be so uptight, just want to ask you some questions, that's all." he sat back in his seat.

"What?"

"Why are you in here in night-court, alone?" he questioned. "royalty like you just doesn't waltz into night-court without multiple guards surrounding you."

"I ran away." he sat up, intrigued. "ran away? why, and why'd you allow that asshole to pin you down like that—unless you like things like, but that guy should've been lightwork for a fae like you."

"You ask a lot of questions." who was he to ask all these questions, was he gonna tell on you or something. "but since you want to know so bad, i ran away because i wanted to get away from my controlling brother, he doesn't allow me to do what i want, then he yells at me to be an adult."

He shook his head, "and what is it that you wanted to do princess?" that new name sending a chill down your spine, changbin smirking, watching your eyes widen a bit. "c-cross t-the border to the mortal realm." he laughed.

"Why would you want to go to that wretched place?" he noticed your face, deciding not to press for now. "well, what about your abilities, what happened to them?" he changed the subject.

"i got them stripped away." he scoffed. "of course you did." He stood up, walking slowly over to you.

"W-what are you doing?..."

"The sister of my sworn enemy, i could have a alot of fun with this." it never stopped to occur to you that he was a enemy of you're brother. "y-you can't keep me prisoner here." he chuckled, bringing his hand to your cheek. "princess, if i wanted to imprison you, i could." you were about smack his hand away when he grabbed your hand.

"You're powerless, remember."

His laugh was tantalizing, he dropped your hand in your laugh, letting your cheek go. "but, i have a different agenda in mind, you can stay here." he said. you were confused, "stay here?"

He nodded. "sure. why not, first your brother will look in the mortal realm for you, thinking you finally crossed the border, for a few days, he'll be stressed , angry— and for me, that's the enough, then." it was your turn to scoff. "so you're doing this just to piss my brother off?"

"I could let you die out there, and call him to tell him, his cries of agony and mourning of your death would still make me smile for the next following months, either way i win." he looked at you with a 'what's it gonna be' look.

"where will i sleep?" you coughed awkwardly. "i'll get mrs. jung to show you to your room, don't worry, i'll sure it's fit for royalty such as yourself." you rolled your eyes, not noticing his smile as he walked out of the room.

—

Mrs. jung escorted you to your room, the decor much more darker than the your normal room back in spring-court. "he requested you have this room, it's one of the best rooms here." you sat down in the bed. "it's nice."

"Seeing as you don't have any clothes, he's taken it upon himself to request the tailor to design a few for you, be warned, they're fit to his liking." you rolled your eyes. "of course he did." she pointed to bed. "you'll find everything you need in there for tonight, it's late you should get ready for bed." she left you alone, closing the door behind her.

why did he make you feel like this.

You decided to take just a quick bath, just to wash the dirt from your fall off your body, stepping out, wrapping the towel around your body when the water grew cold.

You eyed the black night gown sitting on the bed, picking it up to feel the fabric. "pretty isn't it?" you whipped your body around so fast your towel almost fell down, but luckily you grabbed it tightening your grip on it.

"Oh wow, i didn't think we'd move this fast, i don't mind it though." you wanted to smack that smirk right off his face. "i'm kidding, i just wanted to see if you had gotten settled in." he said.

"I did, you can go now." instead he didn't leave, he just inched closer and closer, backing up you didn't realize the chair was behind you, until the back of your legs hit it. "g-go."

The close proximity was killing you, and he was aware of it "g-go."

"go before i- what?" he grabbed your arm. "what are you gonna do?" he whispered, you tried to pull your arm away, but his serious face made you stop immediately.

"Good girl, i just want to check the bandage on your elbow." he lifted your arm, you used the other to hold the towel.

"Why do you keep trying to cross the border to the mortal realm?" he unwrapped the bandage. " there must be a reason why you keep going back?" you shrugged.

"Because i've been told my entire life listen to your brother." "he's older than you, so he's right." "your brother just wants the best, it's so annoying, im my own person you know." he nodded, feeling for you.

"How close have you've gotten?" he questioned. you sighed. "not close, chan is always there to find me." he laughed, you stared blankly at him. "it isn't funny." you went to slap him, but like before he grabbed your hand.

"You'd have to let your towel go to use the other one, i have no problem if you want to be naked princess, but i bet it would be embarrassing for you." his eye's traveled down, smirking.

You looked down, horror evident in your face. how the hell did you forget you were naked? "get out!" he stood up, laughing on his way out. "good night princess." he closed the door.

"Asshole." you let out a yell of frustration, not knowing he was laughing on the other side of the door, he thought you were cute.

Sitting on the bed with a huff, you slipped into the night gown, noticing the little bit of blood poking through the badge, thinking about the minutes before, when changbin had just wrapped it.

"Idiot." you unrolled it, doing it the right way. "you did it wrong." a smile creeping up on your face, he was cute.

—

The next morning you woke up pretty late, you weren't in your realm, so you didn't have any duties to do, why not sleep in a little late.

"You're up." mrs. jung stood in the door. "finally, I don't know if that's how they do it in the spring court, but here we get up on time for breakfast." you laughed, embarrassed. "for you, he made the cooks fix you breakfast, it's waiting for you." you nodded.

"Hurry and get dressed." she closed the door. "what a cold lady." you shook your head, deciding not to let it bother you, getting up to get ready for today.

"He has got to be kidding?" you scoffed as the tailor helped put the dress on, the black longsleeve dress, that went to the middle of your thighs, a slit in the side, with a deep plunge.

"Beautiful ain't it." you rolled your eyes at the familiar voice. "I knew you'd look amazing in it." he ordered the tailor to leave.

"Absolutely ravishing."

"A bit short, don't you think?" he shook his head no. "of course not! i personally think it should be shorter, maybe right..." you gasped as his hand touched the side of your thigh, slowly pulling up the fabric of the dress, stopping. "here." he smirked at your flustered face.

"I can see how frustrated you are, you thinking of something naughty princess?" he chuckled, pulling away. "s-shut up." you frowned. "it's okay if you are, i had a naughty thought about you too, i can't tell you though, i want to keep it to myself."

"I didn't ask."

"So mean princess, i get you all these nice clothes, and you treat me like this." he pouted, but your face still stayed stone. "what do you want?"

"I just wanted to see your beautiful face, i'll be out for the day, i'll be back later this evening, you may do whatever you want, but i wouldn't recommended going out to the city, cause you know." you nodded, "we're are you going?"

"Why will you miss me?"

"No, but i'd rather not be left here if you so happen to die." he grabbed his chest jokingly, which looked like it was about to burst from his black button up shirt. "ouch, that hurts princess." he smiled. "I'll be back soon, i promise." you nodded as he walked to the door, turning to face you once again.

"You really do look beautiful." You tried to contain the smile that crept up on your face, but he saw it, he chose to keep quiet though, closing the door, smiling to himself.

"Have you told her?" He turned, facing the woman. "About the mating bond? have you told her that she's your mate?" he sighed. "mrs. jung, i met her yesterday, how do just tell someone something like that, someone of another court, and your enemy's sister at that."

"She knows what it is, she isn't stupid." changbin walked away, her following right behind. "yeah well it hasn't even activated for her yet, so it might not even be her." the woman grabbed him, stopping.

"But it activated for you. you said it as soon as you heard her call out for help, it activated." he shrugged. "i don't know what's going on, besides she has a lot going on right now with her brother, she doesn't need this—so drop it for now, i'll figure it out later. i have to go." and like that, the man was gone.

—

And he stayed gone for 2 whole days, leaving you lonely, and you had to admit— not having him around, you definitely felt a little ping in your heart that you couldn't understand why.

Not being able to do anything, you stayed in your room, reading the books mrs. jung bought you, even though she complained the entire time.

Quickly the new day bled into a new night, and you grew quite hungry.

You remember the words mrs. jung told you as she left for the evening 'the staff made deserts for you, if you want one, they're in the kitchen, ring for help if you need it.' you didn't need to ring for help, the kitchen wasn't that far away, sliding your slippers on, making your way to the kitchen.

You were greeting in the kitchen by the smell of different desserts sitting on the table, stomach rumbling with hunger. you picked up a chocolate chip cookie, taking a bite, moaning at sweet treat on your tongue.

"Such a pretty noise." changbin stood in the corridor of the kitchen. "you're back?" you said, mouth full of cookie, biting back a smile in relief. "where were you for two days?" he made is way over to you. "you missed me did you?" he smiled. "no, i was bored, there's nothing to do here."

"You're so cold." he pouted. "i missed you." you rolled your eyes. "i did." his voice a bit more deeper. "i was in agony for 2 days without you." he was getting closer and closer, much like this morning. "c-changbin, s-stop playing around." he was getting frustrated, he wished the mating bond would just activate already.

"I'm not playing around princess."

He knew he wasn't supposed to rush the mating bond, but no one said anything about having any fun— maybe the bond will activate.

He now was standing behind you, caging you in between him and the table. "you're wearing the nightgown i picked out for you." he held the end of the gown, slowly dragging his hand , the dress going up exposing your underwear. "you look so sexy."

"We shouldn't be doing this." you bit back a moan, as he turned you around, face him. "what's stopping us?" he pulled you into a hungry kiss, swallowing the moan in your throat.

"There's no one here." his hands danced across your panty line, "no one to stop us." his hands finding his way into your panties, cupping your heat. "changbin." you moaned, grabbing his shoulder to keep upright.

"You're so wet princess, you tried to resist me, but this whole time you're soaked down here."

He drew circles on your clit, letting you grind down on his hand. "that's it — fuck yourself on my hand." he attacked your neck with kisses. "im gonna add a finger, okay?" you moaned, nodding.

he slowly pushed a finger into your aching hole, you let out a whine as he pulled out, sliding back in. "So fucking tight, gonna let me split you open with my fat cock? hmm, fuck my cock into you." your mind was somewhere else, moaning in agreement.

"Yes! yes, fuck! im about to cum." he smirked, adding another finger, speeding up to get you to cum, so he could finally fuck you. "go a head and cum baby princess."

"Oh my- fuckkk!" you screamed, cumming on his fingers. "that's a good girl, keep cumming." he rode out your high.

He gently picked you up, sitting you on the counter, his clothed cock twitching against your heat. "changbin....i want you." you desperately grounded your hips against him, he bit back a groan, reaching under your dress pulling down your underwear.

"Jesus, you made such a big mess." he toyed with your clit, using his free hand to unbuckle his pants, pulling his cock out precum leaking from his tip. "please." you moaned when he pressed his cock at your entrance, your cunt fluttering just from the action.

"I'm not even in you yet and you're moaning so prettily." He slowly pushed the tip of his cock into you, watching your cunt swallow his cock. "princess you're taking me so well." you moaned, moving your hips, signaling for him to go faster. "please...please go faster."

"You want me to go faster?" he teased, you nodded. "p..please, changbin." he chuckled before picking up his pace. "oh fuck!" you screamed as he slammed into you. "that's it princess, let it all out." he raised his hands to squeeze your boobs, you clenched around him hard. "fuck- you're gonna cum princess again-" you cut him off with a moan. "yes!"

"fuck princess me too." he groaned, kissing you passionately. "cum for me." he whispered in your ear, biting the lobe a bit, sending you into another powerful orgasm. "that's it- fuck!" he pulled out, tugging at his cock, white pouring out of his cock, landing on your stomach.

You breathed heavily, eyes fluttering. "You felt so good princess." he held your exhausted body against his.

"Let's get you to bed okay?" he held you so gently as he carried you to his bedroom, not wanting to let you go, even for a second when he had to clean you up.

"Princess?" he noticed your sleeping body...it hadn't activated yet.

He felt his heart about to burst in sadness, he was so sure it was gonna activate. he heard of male fae going crazy if the mate bond was denied, but not when it hasn't even been activated yet.

Or has it? had you found out without him knowing and rejected it? his head was spinning, he was slowly losing his mind, coming out from his head when he felt your body shifted. "C...changbin." you sighed.

"It's okay, i'm here." he layed beside you, pulled your frame against his. "Please don't reject it." he whispered to himself, not even noticing the tear drops falling from his face.

"Please don't reject me."

—

You woke up the next morning back against changbin's buff chest, arm around your waist tightly. "changbin i can barely-" it felt like the wind had been knocked out of you as you turned your body to face him.

It can't be...

"This can't be right." almost as if changbin felt it too, he slowly arouse from his slumber. "what's- this is wrong." you slid your body away from him. "this isn't possible."

Changbin could feel his mind slowly slip into more madness. "please... please listen to me, i know it was weird, but it can't be helped." he tried to grab your hand, but you pulled away.

"You knew already?"

"Since the day i saw you, but yours hadn't activated, well until now."

You were in shock, you didn't know what to feel, he was from a different court, you never heard of something like this before. "my brother won't allow this, and we need his blessing."

"b.but please don't reject it just yet, please i know you feel something too, you wouldn't have let me do what i did yesterday." he was right, you wouldn't just have sex with anybody, you felt something there for him.

"Just please give me a chance, just get dressed okay? i want to show you something." you could see the desperation in his eyes. "please."

"okay."

The staff helped you get ready for the day, a longer dress, similar style to the short one. "you look beautiful." changbin didn't have a flirty remark today, not when he was about to figure out if he was about to be rejected or not.

"thank you." he hesitantly took your hand. "we have to get there by winnowing, is that okay with you?" you nodded, "that's fine." you whispered, nodding he let out a deep shaking sigh, he closed his eyes, concentrating so that you'd get there safely.

Before you could blink, you were standing outside a building, no longer in the hwen city. "what is this?" you looked turned to changbin. "my home." he said, you looked at him with confusion. "what?'

"This is velaris, the house of wind to be exact, my real home." you were even more confused now. "but- please let's just get upstairs, i'll explain everything then."

"we have to fly up, winnowing isn't allowed in, and the only other way is climbing 10,000 stairs." he said, smiling when you chuckled for the first time that day at such a ridiculous thing. "well when chan took away my abilities, he took away all of them." he gently wrapped a protective arm around your waist. "i can fly us both up."

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, holding on tightly as you felt your legs leave the ground. "i won't let you fall, i promise." he whispered into your ear as he made his way up, slow that you wouldn't be too afraid.

"You can open your eyes now." he said once your feet hit solid ground, "see, we're safe." you looked around the new place, it was less extravagant than any castle you lived in, but it wasn't any less beautiful, it was comfortable, something you would love to live in.

"It's beautiful." you said. "but this doesn't explain it, you said this is your home, then what is the hewn city?"

"The hewn city is a dangerous place, but it's still part of night court." he started, "the faeries of hwen city never accepted me as the high-fae, due to me being half illyrian, but the fae of velaris did. so when my dad passed away, he put a spell on velaris, sealing it away from anyone outside of it, letting everyone believe that the hewn city is what night-court really is, and that im the scary evil high fae ." he explained.

"This place is a secret, so please, even if you decide to reject the mating bond, please keep this place a secret, for the faeries safety." he looked at you with soft caring eyes, he wasn't the scary guy everyone thought he was, he got scared to, he cared for people too." you nodded. "i promise." you smiled, grabbing his hand.

"My closest inner circle live here, from the dangers of everything else." he showed you around the house of wind. "meaning?" before you could get a answer, the door flew open.

"Changbin! you're home." A bunch of people crowded into the room, startling you. "it's only been a day, did you finish the secret business that quickly?" a raven haired boy went in for a handshake. "almost." he returned the handshake.

"Your family." everyone turned to you, finally noticing your presence. "yes, my family." he said.

"That's my sister." he pointed to a young girl. "yeonjun and chan but everyone calls him dino, they aren't blood related- hey, blood doesn't matter." the boys interrupted him. "i was gonma say that, if would've let me finish." you smiled.

"And, that's my- his mother." the older woman strided towards you in such a graceful manner. "i knew he wasn't just staying in the hewn city for fun." she smiled, taking your hand into hers, before turning to him.

"You met your mate, and decided to keep her in the hewn city?" everyone was silent again. "i..i didn't want her to reject me, and you guys watch me slowly go insane." he scratched the back of his neck.

"So you accepted?" you swallowed nervously. "well- she's a spring court faerie, her brother is bangchan." changbin quickly spoke up.

There was a collective 'oh'.

"She isn't sure what to do, her brother will never allow this, i wanted to show her this before she makes her decision." you lowered your head in embarrassment.

"I haven't made a decision yet." you finally spoke up. "well do you love my son?" his mother was talking to you again.

"I do feel something for him, my parents died when i was young and my brother has raised me practically all my life, it hasn't been the best, seeing as my predicament, so im not sure what love really is." you told her.

"Well whatever it is im sure you'll figure it out, i can understand where your brother is coming from, his father's parent weren't to happy with me being illyrian, but we didn't let it get in the way of our love, and you shouldn't either." you nodded. "thank you."

"I won't force you to accept my son and marry him just because he's your mate, but please take that into consideration." you could see the sadness in everyones eyes. "i will, i promise."

"You two have a lot to talk about, so we'll leave you be." everyone left the room, leaving you and changbin alone.

He showed you around velaris, the different shops and restaurants, everything, telling you different stories about his family; how he, yeonjun and chan would get in so much trouble, because they would sneak and fly away and eat snacks when they were supposed to be training, or his sister dressing him in her dresses when they were much younger.

"No she didn't!" you giggled as your feet touched the ground of the house of wind once more. "yes, yes she did, whenever she didn't want to play with her dolls, she would dress me up." he said in between laughs.

"Your family is beautiful." you spoke up after a few seconds of silence. "they are, i love them so much." he smiled, his family meant everything to him... you including. "and it's really beautiful here." you walked out on the balcony that over looked velaris.

"This would be our home, you'd be free here." he followed you, caging you in between him and the railing, just like yesterday. "i wouldn't allow you to feel any pain here." he wrapped his arms around your waist. "no worries." he softly kissed your neck. "c-changbin." you moaned soflty, but he shushed you by planting another soft kiss on your neck.

"wouldn't you like that?" kiss "have no worries?" kiss "being my cute little wife, letting me take care of everything?" kiss.

You heart felt like it was gonna burst, you wanted to say yes so bad, nothing was stopping you. "say yes." your head fell on his shoulders as his hands traveled up your dress, squeezing your boobs through the dress.

"don't fight it."

"Changbin, i want you." you wanted him, in everyway possible... you needed him. "i need you so bad."

"Then you have me." he turned you around kissing you, it much softer than last night, but not failing to make your head spin. "let go baby, i got you." he held right below your ass, lifting you up and carrying you to the bed.

"I told you i won't let you fall." he whispered into your ear, leaving a small kiss behind, working his way down your neck. "let's take this off you." he sat you up, unzipping the dress, pulling it over your head, throwing it somewhere. "so pretty, my princess so pretty." he undid your bra, you boobs falling, jiggling at the impact. "so fucking pretty."

He softly pushed you on your back, setting himself in between your legs. "c...changbin, p...please." you mewled impatiently. "i'll give you want princess, be patient." he kissed the inside of your thighs. "you smell amazing, i've been wanting to taste you since the moment i saw you." he pulled your underwear, leaving you fully naked.

He gave your clit a kiss before he spreaded your folds open, licking a stripe up your clit, eating you like a starved man. "fuck changbin!" your hands tangled in his hair, tugging at it everytime he teased the entrance of your cunt. "ple..lease."

changbin was in heaven, you tasted heavenly. "you want more?" the tip of his finger prodding at your entrance, you let out moan, as he slowly slid a finger in, continuing his assault on your pussy, eyes rolling to the back of your head as the knot in your tummy began to tighten.

"C...changbin, im gonna- cum go a head, i want you to cum on my tongue." his lewd words setting you off, grinding down his face as you came. "fuck." you tried to catch your breath. "i knew you taste so sweet." he left you even more breathless.

Changbin stood up to get rid of all his clothes, settling right in between your legs again, his cock standing tall on his abdomen, pink tip leaking. "p..please put it in." you begged so sweetly for him.

He grabbed the base of cock, lining his tip at your puffy cunt, your hips twitched. "look at your pretty cunt all ready for me." he slid right in.

"F...fuck s..so wet, j..just slid right in." he pulled out, pushing into you fully, groaning at the way your pussy tightened around him. "so t...tight, gonna fuck you everyday, until your cunt is used to me." his thrust becoming harsher and needier with every lewd word. "gonna let me stretch you open?"

"yes... yes- fuck!" you couldn't even think with the way he was fucking into. "then say you accept me." he was in the same boat you were, not being able to think, saying anything his brain could muster. "say it!"

"I accept you!" you screamed, it being cut off by his rough kissing. "then cum." he toyed with your clit. "fucking cum for me, my little wife." him calling you his wife set you off and you came with a scream. "g..good fucking girl." his hips stuttered before he pulled out cumming on your abused pussy.

"Oh fuck, i love you." he breathed.

—

After accepting the mating bond, you and changbin lived in pure harming for the next few months. getting to know his family and him better; planning the mating ceremony with changbins mother and sister, and getting to see the dynamic between changbin and his friends, only for him to tell you to keep it a secret from everyone because he was supposed to be a "evil cold head fae", which you agreed to with a laugh.

But with the ceremony approaching soon, you knew you couldn't hold it off anymore; you needed to talk to chan, you need his blessing.

"He's gonna say no, i just know, i mean we have never gotten along." you and changbin stood outside of your old castle. "don't work yourself up, what happened to my "cold evil head fae"." he scoffed.

"You try being on this end." you laughed, grabbing his face, kissing his pouted lips. "come on, remember what you said huh? cute little wife." he kissed his teeth.

"Don't use what i say during sex against me." you smiled, grabbing his hand. "come on my big scary husband." you pushed the huge doors to the castle open.

"Mrs. jung!" you called out to the older lady.

"＿＿? is that you?" you heard the lady rush out of the room. "my heavens, it's you!" the woman who helped raise you, pulled in her embrace. "it's been months, we didn't know what happened, we thought you finally got into the mortal realm and something bad happened " she squeezed you.

"I'm fine, although a lot had happened." her eyes traveled to changbin. she was about to say something, when a voice boomed throughout the whole house.

"The hell are you doing here?" chan stomped down the step, heading straight towards changbin, a girl following behind him trying to stop him. "chan wait a minute." you stepped in front of both of them.

"Did you have something to do with this, did you hurt her?" you pushed him back. "stop it ch-" you suddenly taken aback when his arms wrapped tightly around you. "don't do that again, i thought you finally crossed the border to the mortal realm, i thought you died." he was squeezing you like you'd run away again.

"Before you rip my head off, i'm not here to mess with you." changbin spoke up, chan looked at you, and that back to changbin, putting two and two together.

"Absolutely not."

"I already accepted it."

"I don't care, you won't get my blessing." he stared at you. "Then i'll run away again." he huffed. "you know i will." he looked at changbin and then back at you. "you sure he isn't making you do this, compelling you or something." you scoffed.

"You can't compel someone who is so willing to accept you." you heard the growl in chans throat, turning back eyeing changbin. "sorry, i had to."

"Of course you did." you turned back to your brother. "so do we get your blessing?" he kissed his teeth, huffing. "fine." you hugged him. "whatever, i won't show up to your ceremony." he pouted, side eyeing changbin. "good thing i didn't invite you." changbin just had to tease, but you slapped his arm before chan could do anything.

"I see who wears the pants." you jumped in changing the subject. "who's that girl talking to mrs. jung? and why is lee know all over her like that?" your nose scrunched up in disgust.

Chan sighed, shaking his head "long story, now go, you're finally free from this house." he said. "what about my abilities?" you eyed him. "i'll give them back as a ceremony present, now go- lee know get off of her." chan yelled. "bye." he walked away.

"See was that too bad?" he nodded playfully. "yeah, you invited him to the ceremony." you rolled your eyes. "oh how will you ever live?" you teased, he wrapped his arms around your waist. "happily, because now we get to the best part." he kissed your neck. "what is it? the ceremony?" he nodded. "that too, but i was thinking of something else." another kiss.

"mmh, what is it?"

"fucking you full of my children after the ceremony."

©️LUVYENI

[kay-wren]

I’ll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 20

When they finally got back to the house it was clear Rafe didn't want to talk. He walked straight to his room but before he could get there he heard Jessie's voice.

"Rafe." She commanded. Her voice always perked his ears. Some things never changed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore that sweet voice. Rafe stopped in his tracks, not daring to turn around and look at Jessie.

"Can we please not let it end like this." Jessie pleaded. She sounded on the verge of tears, maybe this really did tear her apart as much as it did him? He took notice of the desperation in her voice. Still, his heart hardened back like it did years ago.

"You've let things end way worse." Rafe spat, still looking at the floor in front of him as he tried to get his anger under control.

Jessie deserved that one. She couldn't argue, but she had to keep Rafe engaged. She convinced herself it was strictly for strategy. 

"Let's do something." Jessie hinted as she walked closer to him. "Let's... go find a party to crash or something... like we used to. Something to get our minds somewhere else." She whispered as she touched his shoulder to spin him around.

Rafe looked at Jessie with teary eyes and yet with so much rage. Jessie didn't flinch, she still knew Rafe better than anyone.

"Come on, Rafe. You know it'd be fun. It'd be good for us."

"You really think partying is good for us?" Rafe scoffed.

Jessie thought for a second. That is what got in the way of them in the first place, but it was also what brought them together.

"You always told me you wanted my freedom. You always said you appreciated my ability to just let go and have fun. Well now you have that freedom. Use it." Jessie whispered as she cupped the side of his face. Rafe couldn't help but calm down just a little when she did that. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"You've got 10 minutes to change and meet me back down here." Rafe commanded as he walked away.

Jessie breathed a sigh of relief. She was back in the game.

Jessie ran upstairs to find a cute dress in Sarah's summer closet. She opted for a short, satin, olive green dress with spaghetti straps and a loose v neckline. She wore her very old, very dirty converse, she knew Rafe would remember them.

Jessie slipped down the stairs, this time waiting on Rafe. Rafe came around the corner in a white button down shirt and some simple jeans. Rafe stopped when he saw Jessie, eyeing her up and down with lust in his eyes. He laughed when he checked out her shoes.

"You're still wearing those dirty old things?"

"You know I don't party without them." Jessie simply replied. Rafe knew she was right, she never was much for heels. Jessie extended her hand. "You ready to go?"

"I don't know where we're going but sure." Rafe exclaimed as he met his hand with Jessie's. Jessie tightened her grip and pulled Rafe out the door.

Neither one of them knew exactly where they'd end up, but they landed on a local hot spot, a hidden club down in the depths of the city.

Rafe and Jessie bellied up to the bar. Jessie secretly wanted her high noons, but she figured in a more upscale place like this, she better settle for an actual mixed drink. She decided on a Moscow mule, she did enjoy those from time to time.

"I'll have what she's having." Rafe said.

"Two Moscow mules please." Jessie asked kindly to the bartender. Rafe looked over at her inquisitively.

"What about your high noons? Not even a mai tai or..." Rafe furrowed his brows in confusion.

"This isn't exactly our old party scene, Rafe. This place calls for something a little more fancy than what we used to drink. I don't think we'll be drinking out of solo cups." Jessie joked as the bartender passed them both of their drinks.

"Yeah, but still... when did you start drinking stuff like this." Rafe questioned as he took a sip, not liking the very acquired taste.

Jessie laughed at his puckered face. "Since I grew up." She joked as she brought the copper cup to her lips.

"Well you've grown up alright, that tastes like something an old lady would drink." Rafe retorted as he puckered his lips like a child eating lemon for the first time. Jessie put her hand over her heart pretending to act offended.

"Well this old lady has still got it." Jessie sassed as she got off of her chair and tried to pull Rafe with her to the dance floor. Rafe stayed planted and looked at Jessie knowingly.

"You know I don't dance." Rafe slightly yelled over the loud music with a half smile. Rafe never was one to dance at parties or clubs or anything of the sort, the only exception was when he would get to slow dance with Jessie, and this clearly wasn't one of those times.

"You are in a city thousands of miles away from home in a club where absolutely nobody knows you. And you still can't find freedom in that and just get off your butt and dance?!" Jessie challenged Rafe with a knowing smile on her face. Rafe tried not to get lost in her longing eyes as he just smiled at her and shook his head no.

"I'll watch." He answered plainly.

"Oh I'm sure you will." Jessie scoffed followed by a smirk. With that, she left Rafe to sip on his drink. He took another taste, completely forgetting that he hated it. He was reminded very quickly as he tried not to spit it out.

"Hey man," Rafe waved the bartender over, "Can I get something different? Literally anything." Rafe laughed. The bartender understood the assignment as he chuckled.

"Whiskey on rocks coming right up."

Rafe admired Jessie as she weaved through the crowd of people. She didn't have a dance partner but she didn't care. She never did. That's what made Rafe fall in love in the first place. Just like the first night at the Island Club, Rafe watched Jessie's every move. Jessie knew Rafe was watching, and she intentionally calculated every move because of it. She was going to get him on the dance floor, no matter how long it took. This assignment had nothing to do with the gold, it was strictly for her pleasure knowing that she could still pull Rafe in, hook, line, and sinker.

After a few songs and a few more sips of her drink, Jessie made a few friends out on the dance floor. How could she not? Jessie loved this scene, she was never afraid of anyone. Rafe loved that she didn't care about social graces or being awkward, she genuinely had never met a stranger, and nobody was too good or too bad for her. After all these years and Rafe still couldn't have the freedom- the zest for life- that she had. He couldn't let himself be truly careless no matter how hard he tried.

An hour went by and Jessie still hadn't made her way off the dance floor for more than enough time to get a drink. She wasn't drunk by any means, not even tipsy.

"You're not drinking a whole lot?" Rafe questioned the next time Jessie brought herself back to the bar.

"I told you, I don't really drink much anymore."

That was true, Jessie really hasn't drank since she left, not enough to get drunk anyways. She didn't really miss it like she thought she would, but she most definitely still enjoyed the change of pace.

Rafe wanted to ask why, but he knew what the answer would be. She'd grown up. She'd moved on from her old life. Rafe couldn't say the same. Rafe hung his head a little lower with a tinge of sadness as he realized that him and Jessie were most likely in two different stages of life. Maybe there was no hope for them after all. Rafe began to think he'd just be holding her back if he tried to pursue her any further. He didn't know what specifically she was doing nowadays, but he could tell she was successful and happy in her own way.  Rafe loved her too much to mess that up.

"Are you ready to dance yet?" Jessie asked with annoyance as she pulled on Rafe's arm, successfully pulling him out of his running thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, no I'm still watching." Rafe replied with a smile as he quickly grabbed the lifeline that was his drink and gripped it tightly as he brought it to his lips.

By the look on Jessie's face she still didn't like that answer, and was clearly judging him for it, but she went back to dance with her newfound friends with a very visible huff and puff of annoyance.

"If I gave you every piece of me I know that you could drop it."

The song began to play and Jessie could once again feel her body move in a way that was all too familiar. The sway of her hips and the placement of her arms was like riding a bike. She let the music take over as she danced to the beat with perfect rhythm. As Jessie perused across the floor, every movement making Rafe's body ache with longing, she made sure to steal a glance over at her husband every chance she got. Jessie seemed to move in slow motion for Rafe, every movement seeming more isolated and intentional as the blue lights bounced off her dress and illuminated her skin perfectly. He watched her hair cascade and fall perfectly with every flip of her head along her exposed shoulders and trailing neckline. He noticed every little detail like her dress riding up a little too much for his liking or her body getting a little too close to the others around her. Jessie knew Rafe was undressing her in his mind, and that was how she wanted it. She missed the feeling of being Rafe's vice. She could see the hot anger welling up inside him, the same anger she used to see from him when they were teenagers and she was dancing at parties with him just lurking along the sidelines, waiting for his moment to intervene when a man got too close.

Rafe finally couldn't take it anymore. She knew what she was doing. He finally stomped out on the floor and took her hips in his hands to stop them.

"You know what you're doing." Rafe hummed with a clenched jaw. Jessie turned around to face him with a smirk, placing her hands on his chest and moving closer into him, still lightly dancing.

"Oh do I?" Jessie smirked as she fixed the collar of Rafe's shirt and unbuttoned the top button with one quick snap of her fingers. "Well you need to let lose." She stated as she looked directly in his eyes with just as much lust for him as he had for her. Rafe stood there motionless, not wanting to move, but scared to stay.

"If I showed you all my demons and we dive into the deep end would we crash and burn like every time before?"

Jessie turned around and placed Rafe's hands on her hips as she had one arm snaked around his neck. She swayed to the music as she leaned into Rafe, him enjoying every second of it. It was growing increasingly difficult for Rafe's hands not to roam.

Jessie spun around and wrapped her arms around Rafe's neck as she moved with the music. Jessie looked directly into Rafe's eyes, seeing he was having a hard time staying focused, she laughed to herself.

Rafe's hands couldn't help but explore her body more, moving up and down and any which way he could among the sea of people. Rafe clenched his jaw as if to not say something he'd regret. He began to squeeze Jessie's hips tighter in an attempt to release some of the energy he had pent up in the moment. Jessie noticed, and she didn't mind.

One thing is for sure, their chemistry never left. After four years, their bodies still moved together in perfect rhythm, and their flirting was timeless. Jessie still knew exactly how to get under Rafe's skin, and Rafe knew exactly how to get what he wanted.

Jessie began to close the distance as she connected her forehead to Rafe's, he leaned down a little to make it easier for her. Jessie tried to control her breathing, which was growing increasingly hard to do as she had been dancing for a long time.

"You still feel like partying wasn't the best idea?" Jessie smirked as she never broke eye contact with Rafe. He didn't say anything. Hell, he couldn't. What he wanted to say was not for anyone else to hear.

"If the only other options letting go, I'll stay vulnerable."

Jessie and Rafe couldn't help but listen to the message of the song playing above them. They both agreed in their hearts that they would rather  crash and burn by the hand of the other as many times as they could than forget about what they had.

"You know what we used to do after parties?" Rafe asked seriously.

Jessie just nodded with a sheepish smile. She knew where this was going. She couldn't fight against it any longer. She didn't want to let Rafe go, not again. She needed to stay vulnerable to save what they had.

With no more words left to say, Rafe pulled Jessie off the dance floor with her hand held firmly in his and left the club. Rafe secretly wished that they weren't on his motorcycle. At least then if they were in a chauffeured car like the night before, Rafe could do what he had been wanting to do all night. Instead, he had to wait until they got home.

[im-a-king-baby]

I love ELYN, it was a wonderful read. 🪷

<333

Today's bonus scene is a post-epilogue snippet, because Kevan is one of my favourite characters who barely appeared in the actual fic XD

Under the cut for maaaajor ending spoilers! Go read ELYN first!

“The band should have arrived,” Simon checks his phone, for about the twentieth time since getting out the car that had picked them up at the airport. “Normally we’d meet in the bar, have a drink.” He looks across the lobby to the hotel bar, racks of liquor stretching up to the ceiling.

Wilhelm catches his hand. “The schedule I got said we were meeting for dinner,” he says. He’s pretty sure Simon knows that, but sometimes it helps to have someone else say it out loud. “So let’s check in, and you can have a shower while I ask Farima what time.”

“Right.” It takes Simon a second too long to drag his eyes away from the bottles. He keeps tugging on the straps of his backpack, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Wilhelm had asked widely around for advice on how he could support Simon going back to playing live shows but the consensus from everyone was just, ‘It’s going to be hard, but if he wants to tour again you have to start somewhere.’

“Hey! Si…imon!”

Wilhelm barely has a chance to jump before someone is bounding across the lobby. He’s a huge man with long black hair dressed in a leather jacket with silver studs and for an instant Wilhelm wonders if he should be throwing himself in front of Simon - where are the bodyguards when you need them?

Then he registers that Simon is laughing. “You can keep calling me Simme,” Simon says, stepping past Wilhelm so the man can pull him into what looks like a bonecrushing hug. “I don’t mind.”

“Oh thank god,” the man says, letting Simon go and stepping back. “Farima keeps sending emails about ‘Simon’ and I’m like ‘who?’ every single time.” He notices Wilhelm for the first time, slightly off to the side in his carefully nondescript jumper and jeans combo. “Let me guess, you’re the boyfriend formerly known as Prince?”

Simon snorts. “Kevan, this is Wilhelm. Wille, Kevan. He plays guitar.”

And now Wilhelm remembers him from the Faktory, standing off to the side of the stage with a red guitar. And the name, too. Kevan was the person Simon called in Bjarstad, the one who told Candace where to find them. Wilhelm’s first instinct would be to keep him far away from Simon, but he’s aware that - as much as he doesn’t like it - the Candace Issue is more complicated on Simon’s side.

Simon met her for coffee, when he was in L.A. and Wilhelm was stuck in class a million miles away, and Wilhelm’s phone left imprints in his palm he was gripping it so tight waiting for a phone call that didn’t come, just a text two hours later: she’s gone, all still standing and heading to the airport. See you soon xx

Here and now, Simon seems relaxed for the first time since they entered the lobby, flicking the studs on Kevan’s jacket and saying, “Did you listen to the EP?”

“I did. Not really my thing,” Kevan says, but with a grin as though this is some shared joke between them. “But we can add more guitar solos when you record the full album.”

Simon snorts a laugh, like he hasn’t been up all night for the last week worrying about The Full Album. “Let’s get through these shows first.”

“Speaking of, I did need to catch you.” Kevan’s smile drops. “There’s a problem with my schedule.”

Fuck. Wilhelm steps a bit closer to Simon as his laugh dies and he casts a desperate look towards the check-in desk and escape. “The schedule isn’t really my area,” Simon starts. “Can you talk to Farima about it?”

“No,” Kevan says. “I think I need you.” He’s already pulling out his phone. “See, I’ve got the dinner tonight, rehearsals tomorrow, shows Friday and Saturday, but in the middle I have something called a ‘day off’? I told them, this is a Simme tour we don’t do that here -”

The tension drops entirely out of Simon’s body. "Oh my god," he says, shoving at Kevan’s shoulder, the kind of easy roughhousing that he would've done with Ayub or Rosh back at school. “You’re such an asshole.”

Kevan uses his height advantage to ruffle Simon’s hair then takes off running before Simon can retaliate. Simon is laughing, but pauses to kiss Wilhelm’s cheek and shove his backpack into Wilhelm’s arms before chasing Kevan across the lobby, scattering guests and hotel staff in all directions.

Wilhelm slings Simon’s bag over his shoulder and heads to the desk, only glancing back every other second. “Simon Erikkson and Wilhelm Kassel, I think our bags have already been dropped off.”

She digs out some paperwork for him to sign - he’s still figuring out his signature, still forgetting to respond for a minute when he hears ‘Mr Kassel’ - and she’s coding up two keycards when Simon stumbles back up against the counter, breathing hard.

“Hey, sorry. Didn’t mean to abandon you,” he says, and Wilhelm can’t blame him for it when he’s still smiling like that, lighting up his whole face.

He had kind of understood what Simon said about wanting to be back on stage - in that he could see it was something a person might want, even if the idea of doing it himself made him want to throw up - but he’d thought the touring was a necessary evil that went with that, not something that could possibly be enjoyed. When Simon had arranged these first shows for Spring Break so Wilhelm could come along, Wilhelm had just assumed it was so that he’d have someone other than Farima there to fall back on.

But as Kevan falls into step with them on the way to the elevator, talking about dinner plans like booking a table at a restaurant is the most outlandishly posh thing that any person has ever done, he realises maybe for Simon it was about showing Wilhelm this other side of his life. To show that he’s not alone out here.

“Di was asking if we need to dress for dinner,” Kevan says. “I said I didn’t think we should go naked but I’d check with you.”

Simon elbows him in the side. “I think we can be us,” he says. “It’s not -” he pauses as Wilhelm presses the button to call the lift, waits for the doors to open and them to step inside before he continues. “It’s just to keep it out of the bar, you know?” Wilhelm steps closer, so their knuckles touch and Simon gives him a sideways smile. “Things are going to be a bit different this time.

Wilhelm half expects Kevan to make another joke, but Kevan nods, like he gets it. “You let us know what you need, yeah? We’re all rooting for you here.”

[good-beanswrites]

And here's Emergency with Kazui for @qrevo, thank you for the request! I realized as much as Kazui's moment saving Fuuta lives in my brain, I haven't ever written anything for it, so have some more Kazui propaganda haha! (There's reference to violence, but no graphic descriptions or anything 👍)

Kazui may have joked that his reflexes were dulling with age, but they were still perfectly intact when called upon. He thought leaving his profession behind meant he’d no longer be the first responder to an emergency situation. He thought that he’d be done stumbling onto blood-covered scenes of victims and assailants. Milgram had proved him wrong.

He left many of the others in the common room, enjoying a lighthearted conversation after dinner. He stepped into the dim prison hallway, hoping to grab a cigarette from his cell and return in time to catch the end of Shidou’s story. 

There rose some shouting from up ahead. Kazui picked up his pace, but there was no need to get too worked up, he thought. Mikoto had been awfully loud in his cell after his verdict. Tensions were high among the prisoners, and squabbles broke out all the time. Even upon recognizing Fuuta and Kotoko’s voices, he figured the two were having one of their usual disagreements. 

It was only when he could make out some of Fuuta’s desperate words that his instincts kicked in.

“Help! Please! Is anybody -- aargk!”

Kazui’s feet were pounding across the prison before he had a moment to think. Everything snapped into focus. His time in Milgram had felt like some strange dream, but now his senses became completely clear. 

He followed the noise, now recognizing the sickening sounds of violence and agonized cries between each. Though he could already piece together what was going on, his training had him peer around corners and into cells to be sure there were no other threats. He went flying into Fuuta’s cell.

He had only a second to take in the scene. Kotoko was winding up for a kick -- another kick by the look of it. Fuuta was curled in a heap in the corner, his uniform straps tangled around him. His hands shielded his face. All of which, and the ground below, dripped with blood. 

Kazui took Kotoko’s arm, yanking her back before her boot could connect. She recovered much quicker from her surprise than he expected. She shifted her weight around, using new leverage to escape his grasp. As she took a swing at him, he suddenly recalled their earlier conversation about fighting styles. 

He blocked blow after blow. Damn, she was strong.

“Kotoko, what is all this? I’m not trying to hurt you, but you can’t --” Kazui grunted as she landed a solid hit. He continued rattling off some typical deescalation attempts, but she didn’t hear a word of it. She hardly even looked at him, keeping her eyes trained on Fuuta as they fought. 

“He’s a killer,” she said evenly. “Do you even know what he’s done?”

“Do you?”

“It’s unforgivable.”

“It’s not your call to make!” At last, Kazui managed to shove her outside the cell. She stumbled back. The two took a breath. 

She wiped blood from her lip where Fuuta must have struck back. “The warden knows this is true justice. You know it is, too.” 

Then, she disappeared around the corner.

Kazui stepped out to be sure she wouldn’t return. He ran back to Fuuta the moment she was out of sight. She wasn’t his top priority.

He found Fuuta mumbling to himself, still clutching his face. Kazui had only seen him with his confident, fiery attitude. He felt his stomach clench hearing the boy whimper in pain and fear. Kazui often forgot how young these prisoners truly were.

“Hey, it’s okay. She’s gone. Hey, look at me.” He gently took Fuuta’s hands, pulling them away to assess the damage. His face twisted at the sight. This was more than he was equipped to handle. 

Fuuta’s hands wrapped back around himself. He gasped for air. “She… please… I can't... my eye…”

“You’re going to be alright. Just stay with me.” In a swift motion, he swung Fuuta over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. The boy cried out, but Kazui was already on the move. He called to Shidou from down the hall. 

As soon as he set foot in the common area, he began giving orders. He told Shidou to examine Fuuta's condition, laying him on one of the tables. He demanded the others stay put until he could find Kotoko. He asked where the other guilty prisoners were. Most just gaped at him in shock. Though their delayed reaction was frustrating in the moment, he understood their surprise. He realized it was the first time he’d raised his voice since coming here. He’d always sat back and let the others take the lead; it was probably strange to see a laid back man like him suddenly taking charge.

Yuno leapt to her feet, already ignoring his warnings. He caught her with an arm before she could run out the door. “Oh god, Mahiru!”

“I’ll find her. Don’t leave.”

He turned on his heel and went running once more.