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umadosedepascal · 3 days ago

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DIRTY HOLIDAY | Pedro Pascal X f!reader | One Shot

Written by Santa Trindade

Banner by @missyorkswhore

Made in Brazil

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x f!reader

Summary: You go with friends spend the holidays in Mexico, such a coincidence to be at the same resort as Pedro. What a world, so small huh?

wc: 3.7k

rating/warnings: [little surprising plot] [Pedro being Pedro][unprotected PIV][oral sex m/f] [alcohol comsuption] [Curse words]

a/n: C’MON GUYS. Do I need to explain myself after yesterday pictures and videos? NO. FUCKING HELL NO. wtf Pedro.. WHY is he so fucking hot??? WTF. 😭

You are going with your friends to Mexico to spend the holidays this year. It was a tough decision to make because you always spend the holidays with family, but this time you decided to try something new away from home since your whole family always judges you. Your dad always comes to you saying, “You’ve been drinking a lot, my baby; slow down…”

All you want to say is that you are a grown woman and do whatever you want, but every year you keep behaving as an angel to them.

You and your girlfriends get on the airplane on the 24th, heading to Mexico for 2 weeks.

All of you are very excited and feeling some freedom in the air.

“Hell yeah, the first thing we get there will be a round of tequila shots… you gotta deal with me…” and your friends laugh with your sassy attitude.

A promise is a promise. You check in, change to your bikinis, and go to the bar by the pool.

“Hey buddy, 3 shots of tequila, por favor?”

The barman looks at you with half-closed eyes. “ID first, my ladies; you look under 18…”

Although you are all over 27, actually, you three hand your IDs on the counter and look around the pool waiting for your drinks.

One of your friends comes to you and says, “Hey, isn’t that guy from….”

Your jaw drops, your legs start trembling and shaking, trying to hold on to something and not to fall… “YES?”

Pedro is lying down on a sun chair in red shorts, drips of water are running down to his bare chest, and he is really deep into a book.

“I need my shot RIGHT NOW!” You say loudly to your friends, trying to compose yourself at the same time.

They know you have a crush on him and talk nonstop about his work, so this is going to be a wild trip if you get to meet him even for a second.

“Second round is on me; let’s do it,” one of your friends says.

All you can think about is him. You don’t stop to look in his direction and try to plan how to approach without being a silly, stupid, drunk idiot.

The most down-to-earth friend of yours tries to calm you down, saying that you will have your chance, etc., but you are so far away in your thoughts that you ask for a large margarita and tell them you're going to take a sun chair as close as possible to him and see what happens.

“You crazy! But yeah, good luck; I hope he’s not a dick with you…” one of them tells you, hopeless, not trying to hurt your feelings.

“Dick? Yeah, I want some dick… You laugh, already buzzed, walking towards the chair right next to his.

As long as you get near him, by himself, still deep into the book.

You already worked up the courage and asked, “Hi, is this chair taken?”

He gives a side eye, looking at you from head to toe. “No darling, all yours…”

As you sit on the chair, you can hear your friends from the bar cheering like party animals.

You look at him saying, “Jeez, these people know how to party, huh?” Hoping he didn’t see you before taking shots with them a few moments ago.

“Yeah, yeah… young people... having their time…” he says with a smooth voice.

You feel relief because he didn’t see you before with them and anxious at the same time because YES, you could start a chit chat with him.

“Erm, yeah…” You don’t know how to keep this going and pick anything that you find inside your ecobag just to create other possible ways to talk.

Lay down on the chair, put on your Ray-Bans, and open the FUCKING MAP of the resort.

Jesus, what am I doing? Should I say I know him? Should I just ask what he is reading or maybe wait for another brief comment coming from him?

You can see by the side of your eye that from time to time he looks at you, but very, very fast, you just hold that giant map, feeling like you're on mushrooms with empty thoughts on your mind.

You’ve got your friends getting drunk and cheering for you from the bar and the hottest guy in the world by your side.

Think wisely…

You grab your drink from the side table and sip it.

“Is that good?” He asks you.

Pretending like you got scared, almost dropping the fancy glass on the floor… “Did you just.. talk to me? Um, well, I had better ones. But this one isn’t bad at all…” you describe your drink with a shy smile.

What the fuck did I say???

He chuckles, closing his book and now sitting down on the chair.

“Hm... 3-star review? I’m getting one myself; I like cheap stuff.”

You simply just give a “ha” to him as he stands up and walks towards the bar.

Your friends get wild; at this point, they might think he is going to talk to them for sure.

You immediately look at them trying to mimic something like, “Nooooo, noooooo, don’t say shit, you motherfuckers!!!”

You are in a panic because you know them and what they are capable of, especially under alcohol influence.

But they understand wrong; they know you always need a hand in terms of trying to flirt with someone else.

You see one of them approach him, saying something and looking at you at the same time.

You are screwed up. You know.

The only thing you can do now is wait for your end, getting big gulps of your drink and trying to calm down.

He comes back with a wild smile on his face saying, “I just met your friends over there; they told me things... you don’t need to hide anything…”

You sit down quickly. “What? Hahaha, they… They are buzzed; don’t believe in what they say…”

He keeps looking at you with half-closed eyes. “Hmm,” he sits on his chair sipping his drink and says, “Yeah, it’s not that bad at all…”

You simply don’t talk for some moments; your anxiety is building up like a pressure cooker.

Until then… “Hey Pedro… I’m sorry… I just wanted to say hi, but I’m already drunk, and I don’t know how to start a proper conversation. They probably told you I’m a sucker for you… and the ‘dick’ thing as well. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a stalker; I don’t want to bother you. I just think you're awesome, and it was a stupid idea to come over right here, right now.” You run over words.

“Wow, wow, wow, they just told me to be nice to you, haha, because you care... about me.” Pointing to himself.

After you say all that with a flushed cheek, you let out a loud laugh looking at your friends that are already out of sight. You get more desperate saying sorry a million times, trying to compose yourself.

“What more did they say?”

“That you are awesome and know everything about my stuff, but with moderation… I don’t know what they meant, but yeah, I just didn’t catch your name…"

You tell him your name with eyes open and disbelief that your friends, for the first time, did a good job, but not you… not you.

“What’s the dick thing you told me?” He asks you with a smirk.

“Aaah, nothing… being a dick… that’s it.” You say, looking to the ground with shame.

He grabs you by the chin and says, “I would never be a dick to a beautiful girl like you…”

You feel a shiver down to your spine when he touches you like that.

Oh shit…I’m already wet without even getting into the pool.

“I, I think I need to… brb…” You leave everything behind and go straight to the toilet, locking the door and sitting there.

Breathe in, breathe out.Ok, I will just grab my stuff and disappear…What did I do?

As soon as you open the door, Pedro is there waiting…

“I usually don’t do things like that; it can be the vibe, my drinks, or even Xmas. I don’t know…” He says, grabbing your hips, pushing you back to the toilet, and closing the door behind him.

“Is that what you wanted? hm" He rubs his beard on your face, searching for your mouth.

He guides your hands to his growing bulge while running his right hand from behind you, rubbing one finger over your pussy.

You moan when he rubs his finger roughly against you…

“So wet already for me…” he says in between sloppy kisses.

“Since the moment I spotted you here, yeah…” you whisper, with both hands stroking his cock over the shorts…

Then Pedro takes you slowly to the sink and sits you there, spreading your legs…“Let me see what you got, beautiful… spread more…” putting your bikini bottom aside and lowering to the same level.

You grab his wet hair with one hand while he tongue darts you deep, sucking your lips and moaning low with pleasure…

You don’t even blink, just looking down at him savoring you, such a tease.

No fucking way this is happening…

You can feel his nose rubbing against your clit; you are getting close to the edge, but suddenly people knock at the door…

“Oh dammit…” You murmur disappointedly.

Pedro stops his worship on you and tells you with a low voice, “My room isn't far... want to see what naughty presents Santa has for you?" His fingers trace small patterns on your thighs, making you shiver.

“But we need to be discreet… What’s your room number? I meet you there…”

Pedro chuckled softly, his breath tickling your ear. "Discreet, huh? I like the way you think." He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against your earlobe as he whispered, "Room 217, second floor."

Luckily nobody is at the door anymore, so you sneak out the toilet.

You try to find your girls just to quickly freak out and disappear again, but there's no sign of them.

You come back to the pool area, and Pedro isn’t there anymore; you bite your lip, get a deep breath, take your stuff, and go towards the elevator.

Room 217

You knock twice.

The door slowly creaks open, revealing Pedro standing there, his shirt half unbuttoned, revealing his chiseled chest. He's holding a bottle of tequila and two glasses. His eyes roamed over your body hungrily.

Stepping aside to let you in, he whispers suggestively, "Merry Christmas to me, indeed." He gently shut the door behind you, his free hand trailing down your arm. "Hope you like tequila..."

“Hm, yeah, better be careful… right?

Pedro's eyebrows shot up, a devilish grin spreading across his face at the memory. "Ah, but that was just a sample of what I can do sober. Imagine what I'm capable of now, all loosened up." Doing a little dance…

Then he pours two generous glasses of tequila, sliding one towards you before picking up his own. "I've got a list of naughty things I want to do with you..."

Oh, he wants to play a game…I’m just gonna faint 😮‍💨

“Oh… tell me more…” You push him to the sofa, sitting on his lap.

A deep, sexy chuckle escapes his lips as he lets you push him onto the sofa, his hands immediately finding your curves. "Mmm, you're being a naughty girl..." He takes a sip of his tequila, then offers you the glass. "You first."

“My list? With you... it is an extensive list. Better you tell me yours first…”

Pedro leans back into the sofa, a confident smirk playing on his lips as his hands continue their exploration of your body. "Well, since you asked..." He takes another sip of tequila, his eyes never leaving yours.

The motherfucker is a tease; I knew it… I knew it!!!

His hands wander up and down your body possessively as he continues. "I want to see those perfect lips wrapped around my... gifts." He punctuates his words with a gentle bite to your neck.

"Then I want you bent over this fireplace mantel while I take you from behind, watching your reflection in that mirror across the room.” His fingers trailed along your waistband suggestively.

“Wow…You really don’t waste time on your list, huh?” You start unbuttoning his shirt all the way down.

He chuckles, his eyes locking onto yours as he sees you unbuttoning his shirt, revealing his chest and abs one button at a time. He helps you finish the job, tossing his shirt aside. "Guess not..." He growls, pulling you closer.

Pedro's lips curled into a wicked smile as you slowly head down towards his chest, his hand lightly gripping the back of your neck.

"Well, since you asked so nicely..." you murmur approvingly, pressing your lips against his nipple.

He let out a low groan as you began to suck, his other hand coming up to gently stroke your cheek. "Fuck, just like that..."

You let out a soft laugh. “So… you like some worship on your nipples, huh?”

A deep, sultry chuckle escaped his lips, his voice husky with desire. "You're learning my secrets, aren't you?" His hand urges your head towards his other nipple. "Not just my nipples... but every part of me deserves some worship."

“That’s how I make my way down…” you whisper.

His breath hitches as you whisper your intentions, his body tingling with excitement. "Well then, I can hardly wait to feel those heavenly lips trailing lower..." He guides your face down his torso, his abs clenching instinctively under your touch.

As you kiss and nuzzle your way down his abdomen, Pedro's hands rest lightly on your head, his fingers gently guiding you. "Lower... lower... yes, just like that..." He hisses as your lips brush against the waistband of his red swim trunks.

You slowly peel back his zipper, the sound echoing in the room. Pedro's breathing grows heavier as you reach inside and wrap your hand around his thick, hard length. He lets out a low groan as you pull it free, his eyes rolling back in his head. "Fuck... oh god..."

Pedro's cock twitches eagerly as you firm your grip, the skin velvety soft, a prominent vein runs along the underside. The head is broad and round, flushed a deep red, with a tiny slit oozing with pre-cum. His hips giving an involuntary thrust forward, seeking more of your touch. "Don't tease me, beautiful..." He breathes out, voice strained with lust. "Put those gorgeous lips to work."

As you bob your head up and down, Pedro's hands tighten on your shoulders, his fingers digging into your skin. He starts to thrust gently…”Fuck... You look so beautiful with your mouth full of me..." He pants, his abs flexing with each thrust. His hands move to cup your jaw, his thumbs caressing your cheeks as he guides your movements. The wet sounds of your sucking fill the room, mixed with his guttural groans.

I take you out of my mouth for a few seconds. “You taste so good, but I don’t want you to reach the edge, hottie…”

His breath catches at your words. "Mmm, teasing me now? You know exactly what you're doing..." His tone is a mix of both frustration and deep satisfaction. "Yeah, don't make me come just yet…”

“Yes, let’s work on your list…” You say, sitting back on his lap, cleaning the corner of your mouth with his precum.

Pedro's eyes darken with desire as he watches you clean your mouth with his precum. "Fuck, you're so naughty... I love it." He reaches out and runs his thumb over your lips, spreading it around before leaning in to claim your mouth in a deep, passionate kiss.

“So…What did you say about the fireplace? Second of the list…”

Pedro smirks mischievously. "Ah, the fireplace... I was thinking we could move our little session over there." He stands up, lifting you with him effortlessly. "I want to bend you over the mantel and fuck you from behind, watching your reflection in that mirror across the room.”

Pedro carries you to the fireplace, setting you down gently on your feet. He spins you around and bends you over the ornate wooden mantel, the cool marble pressing against your skin. "Keep those elbows locked," he commands, a firm hand on the small of your back.

Not happy with that, you just suggest, “Why don’t you just take me to the bed?”

"Because the bed is too ordinary," Pedro murmurs, running his hands down your thighs possessively, "I want to do this here, where I can watch myself take you in the mirror." He steps back to admire the view, his eyes roaming over your arched back and rounded bottom.

With a mischievous tone, you ask him… ”and you like to watch yourself?”

"Right now I’d love watching myself fucking you," Pedro confesses, his voice low and husky with desire. "Seeing my cock disappear into your pussy, feeling your body shake as I pound into you... it's fucking incredible." He reaches out to run his fingers through your hair, tangling them in the loose strands.

"And the mirror," he continues, his other hand reaching out to the mantel to steady himself as he lines himself up with your entrance. "Watching myself push into you, feeling your tight little hole squeeze around my dick as I fuck you hard against the mirror... fuck, it's going to be perfect."

With a deep grunt, Pedro thrusts forward, sheathing his hard length inside you in one smooth motion. He pauses for a moment, savoring the feeling of being buried inside you before he starts to move, his hips slamming against your ass as he fucks you hard against the mirror.

"Look at us in the mirror..." He reaches around to cup your breasts while continuing his steady pace. "Watch how beautifully you take my cock. Those whimpers you're making... fuck, you're perfect." His pace quickens, his breath becoming ragged against your ear.

His fingers pinch and tug at your nipples as he fucks you relentlessly, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoing through the room. The mirror fogs up from your panting breaths and his sweat, obscuring parts of the reflection but not enough to hide the lewd scene unfolding before it.

In between moans, you beg him to take you to the bed; you can’t stand your legs anymore with so much pressure.

Pedro growls, pulling out of you abruptly and spinning you around to face him. He lifts you up and carries you to the bed, tossing you onto it before climbing on top of you. "I need to be inside you again, now."

He settles between your thighs, his hard cock pressing urgently against your slick folds. "Wrap your legs around me," he demands, easing the tip of his shaft teasingly along your slit. As you comply, he grips your wrists, pinning them above your head with one strong hand.

Pedro leans down, capturing your lips in a fierce, dominant kiss. His tongue pushes past your lips, claiming your mouth as his other hand guides his cock to your entrance. In one powerful thrust, he buries himself inside you again, swallowing your gasp with his mouth.

He breaks the kiss, his eyes blazing with lust as he begins to move, thrusting into you with deep, measured strokes that make the bed creak beneath you. "Fuck, your pussy feels amazing," he grits out, angling his hips to hit that perfect spot inside you.

Pedro quickens his pace, his grip on your wrists tightening as he chases his release. The room fills with the sound of his hips slapping against yours and your breathy moans. "I'm going to fill you up so full," he pants, nipping at your jaw. One of his hands slides between your bodies, finding your clit and circling it with his thumb. "I want to feel you come on my cock…”

"Fuck, you're getting tighter... Is this what you need, baby?" His thumb presses harder against your clit as he fucks you with deep, forceful strokes, the intensity in his eyes unwavering. "Come for me..."

Pedro feels your walls clench around him, and he growls, "That's it, cum on my cock." He slams into you one last time, burying himself as deep as he can go. His thumb circles your clit frantically as his release builds. "Fuck, I'm close..."

With a loud grunt, Pedro explodes inside you, his cock pulsing as he fills you with his hot seed. His thumb presses hard against your clit, sending you over the edge as you scream in pleasure, your pussy milking his cock for everything he's got.

He stays buried inside you, his thumb slowly circling your sensitive bundle of nerves as he nuzzles his face against yours, breathing heavily. "Damn it, I will tell your friends you are amazing… they were right..." He murmurs, his voice muffled against your neck.

After a moment, Pedro slowly pulls out of you, his softening cock slipping free from your still-quivering pussy. He collapses beside you on the bed, pulling you into his arms and holding you close. "Can we keep up with this list?" You say.

He kisses the top of your head, his heart still racing from their intense encounter. "I think we should keep going, yeah. There are a lot more things on that list I want to try with you." He pulls out his phone and starts typing, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Hey, I need to check on the girls...” you say, worried about them being away for a couple of hours already.

Pedro looks up from his phone, his expression softening. "Of course, go check on your friends. I'll be here when you get back. But don't be too long, okay?" He says giving you a little wink.

As soon as you go back to your room, you find your friends passed out on the bed.

Well, I guess you will leave a note at the door saying thanks for the little help, and you guys will catch up on the next day because you won’t sleep in the same room for a while… The list is endless.

😈

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wonderjanga · 21 hours ago

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combining people hitting on ace marvel with Billy having total control over the magical champion body, plus Billy having terrible conflict resolution skills on account of being a child and Solomon not having any answers regarding turning down someones affections. So if someone is hitting on marvel he escapes by acting like hes being attacked or cursed. The magical champion version of "uhh my shoes are untied... OVER THERE!" A person tries to kiss him and he just.

Marvel: *inching away from a lady who keeps coming near him and trying to kiss him*

Lady: “Oh you’re my hero!” *tries to kiss him again*

Marvel: *dodged and sees a nearby drain*

Billy then proceeded to do the only thing he could think of in that moment. Melt.

Marvel: “Ah… I’m melting! Ahhhhhh…” *terrible actor but is trying his best to sound like he’s in agony*

Lady: “Oh my God! Someone call an ambulance!”

Marvel: “NO no… no. Don’t do that.” *still melting and now trying to melt into the drain* “But yeah- Ah… I’m in so much pain!

Billy didn’t really like having to find a way out of the sewers. Nor did he like smelling like sewage after. But, it did get him out of that situation, so he’ll take it.

Marvel: *flying*

Lady: “Captain! Captain, could I have a word with you?”

Marvel: “Of course, miss! Is there a problem?”

Lady: “Not really.” *puts her hand on his chest and bats her lashes* “I just wanted to have a little chat-”

Marvel: *makes his own chest cave in away from her*

Lady: *stares for a solid sec* “OH MY GOD??”

She was absolutely horrified because she could literally hear his rib bones snap and he somehow didn’t flinch at all.

Marvel: *backed up against a wall in a lady’s apartment after he helped with a small house fire*

Lady: *tries to kiss him*

Marvel: *looks absolutely mortified and turns his head away*

The worst part in Billy’s opinion about that situation was that he couldn’t really escape. Like, he couldn’t let himself fly up because there was a roof and if he did, the rubble might fall on the lady and injure her. He can’t go down because they’re on the second story of a building and the rubble will land on the people down below. And he can’t go through a wall because there are other rooms full of people in the other rooms. So what does he do? He explodes. Literally. Not metaphorically.

Marvel: *literally lets his head explode into confetti*

Lady: *stares*

Marvel: *blindly feels around the room because he can’t see and stumbles over a bunch of stuff as he leaves*

He fell down the stairs multiple times, and ran into what he was pretty sure was a trash can. (He can’t be too sure considering he can’t hear or see) He ended up somehow getting to the street and wandering before a JL member came out of nowhere, was horrified, and made him sit down on a bench. As for how he knew it was a JL member, he literally let his hand palm their face so he could feel who it was. It was Flash. Anyways, he regrew his head.

Flash: *talking with someone on his comm* “Dude, I think Marvel was decapitated-”

JL member: *says something that Billy can’t hear*

Flash: “No, I don’t know how!

JL member: *says something else*

Flash: “No, he’s not dead. Somehow. He was walking around before I found him. I got him to sit down.”

Marvel: “Flash, who are you talking to?”

Flash: “Spooky.” *pauses and slowly looks over to him now registering Billy said something* “Wha- dude! You have head again!”

Marvel: “Yeah?”

Flash: “Jesus, man, you had me worried-” *looks back to his comm and speaks to it* “Cap just grew his head back.”

JL member(Now known as Batman): *says something else*

Flash: “I don’t know! It just grew back!”

Batman: *probably says something about how he expects a report or explanation or something*

Flash: “Yeah, yeah I’ll fill more details later.” *hangs up and looks over to Billy* “Dude. How did you get decapitated?” *sits down with him* “I thought you were supposed to be super durable like Supes.”

Marvel: “Oh uh… I blew my own head up.”

*silence*

Flash: “What?”

#billy batson #shazam #dc captain marvel #captain marvel dc #fawcett city #fawcett #fawcett comics

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madschiavelique · 2 days ago

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Hello, I don't have any idea for younger inexperienced halsin, but I have something that might interest you.

Imagine this, experienced Halsin x Inexperienced tav. But tav is so innocent, wants to do so well, but halsin has to control himself. Thus, halsin is the one being unknowingly (for tav) teased and flustered as he has to control himself, and not to frighten tav.

That's it. Flustered halsin.

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ pairing : halsin x inexperienced!reader

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ content warning : explicit, smut, more of a ramble than a specific scenario, feels more like headcanons even, fem!reader, no use of y/n

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ words : 585

─ . 𝜗𝜚‧ author's note : omg anon yES!!! sorry it took me so long but arcane is back on my mind and i just had to get down to writing for viktor bbg

( not proofread, english is not my first language ☆)

Halsin had had many adventures over the centuries. He had experimented with a variety of ages, no doubt travelled the length and breadth of positions that could be taken, and tasted the pleasures of many different races.

And yet, despite all that, it was as if you had shaken every one of his foundations.

You never ceased to surprise him, you were so clinging to this idea of wanting to do the right thing that you were nervous at the drop of a hat. Halsin had reassured you extensively that he would never, ever do anything you didn't want him to do.

But you were curious, and he was pretty sure on Silvanus himself that your cuteness would be his undoing.

You were shy in the kisses you offered him without his having initiated them, watching him with gentle eyes as your gaze drifted to his lips and he had to do everything in his power not to tear every layer of clothing covering you.

There was an innocence and hesitation in the way you took his hand, touched him, said his name that drove him crazy.

The other night, when you were all gathered around the campfire, chatting about everything and nothing as usual at the end of the day, you were sitting on his lap. You laughed and listened to Gale's story that Astarion kept interjecting. You whispered in Halsin's ear a remark about the story that you didn't dare say out loud, and the simple sensation of your breath and your voice so low and close to his ear was enough to make him almost lose his composure.

And when you slept together when the nights were too cold and you embraced him during your pre-sleep chats, your fingers tracing affectionate caresses down his back, Halsin wondered if you were aware of the effects that your touch on that specific area was likely to cause. Then, when you finally fell asleep and he wrapped his arms around you like the big spoon that he was, you couldn't help moving your hips closer to his to get some of his warmth.

You had no idea of the effect you were having on him with your every move.

The first time you finally got down to business, you kept asking him questions, inevitably asking again and again: "Does that feel good?"

And Halsin had to restrain himself every time, answering as calmly as possible, "I don't think there is any way for me not to feel good with you right now, my heart."

But he remained patient, knowing that the more time passed, the more comfortable you would become, and therefore the more adventurous.

When you asked Halsin to teach you how to jerk him off and give him a blow job, he nearly turned into a bear. You asked lots of questions, testing the waters, touching him a little hesitantly, asking "Does that feel good? Can I touch you there?" so gently that he almost came right then and there.

He tried to contain himself, to stop himself from rutting without waiting as soon as he was inside you, your gummy walls so tight around his girth. He tried to contain himself when he saw you marked by his lips and teeth. He tried to contain himself when you said his name over and over in a voice laced with moans.

Holding on was almost impossible, but he was patient, he knew you would venture further. By Silvanus, was he eager for it.

#mads' requests ⟢ ݁ ˖‧˚₊ ☁︎#bg3 #bg3 x reader #bg3 x tav #bg3 headcanons #baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate #baldurs gate 3 x reader #halsin #halsin x reader #halsin x you #halsin x tav #halsin bg3 #bg3 halsin #halsin imagine #bg3 smut

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mxtheialurks · 1 day ago

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I'm here, baby. Avis Amberg x !Singer Reader

Hello there, so I noticed there were not a lot of Patti LuPone fics. Or... perhaps I have already read all of them...? But here it is, a 'Hollywood' fanfic between Avis Amberg and !Singer Reader.

Word count: 2928 Warnings: none

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“Get your head out of the gutter, kid!” Ernie yells, snapping you out of your thoughts. You look down and realize with a jolt that you’ve overfilled a customer’s gas tank, the fuel spilling over the edges.

“Oh my God, Ernie! I’m so sorry, I—”

Ernie sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Save it, kid. Go to my office. We need to have a little chat,” he says, his voice calm but heavy with disappointment.

From the small office window, you watch as Ernie talks to the man whose car you overfilled. Your stomach twists in knots as the man laughs, pulls out a crisp hundred-dollar bill, and drives off, still chuckling.

Inside, you sit anxiously, rubbing your temples as your mind spirals. Am I going to get fired? Suspended without pay? The possibilities whirl around your head like a storm until Ernie finally walks in. He lights a cigarette, inhales deeply, then coughs out the smoke.

Before you can say a word, he cuts you off. “Alright, what’s going on with you, Y/N? You’ve been so out of it lately. Did that guy say something to you? Something about... Dreamland?”

Your heart races, and a nervous sweat beads on your forehead. Ernie notices immediately, his expression softening as he drops to one knee in front of you.

“Tell me,” he says gently. “Did he?”

Tears spring to your eyes, and your voice wavers as you manage to stammer, “Yes, and I—I just froze...”

Without hesitation, Ernie pulls you into a hug, his large arms wrapping around you protectively. “There, there, kid,” he murmurs, his voice thick with emotion. “You know you don’t have to do anything like that, right? You’re here to help me out, not deal with people looking for a good time. That is not why you’re here.” He reminds you.

He pulls back, his voice breaking slightly as he continues, “I know how hard it’s been at home since your mom—my sister—passed away.”

You sniffle, wiping your eyes, as Ernie stands up and pats your shoulder. “The guy whose tank you overfilled? He’s an old buddy of mine. Didn’t realize you were Martha’s daughter until I told him. He laughed it off and even handed me a hundred bucks as an apology.”

He reaches into his shirt pocket, pulls out the bill, and presses it into your hand. “Now, go wipe those tears and buy yourself something nice, okay?”

A small smile breaks through your tears as you hug him tightly.

“Happy 23rd birthday, kid,” he says softly, kissing your forehead.

--------------------------------

After shedding your gas station uniform, you head to the town’s boutique, Uncle Ernie’s words ringing in your ears. It’s not often you get the chance—or the means—to splurge on yourself.

The boutique feels like another world, the faint scent of vanilla candles mixing with the polished wood floors and soft hum of instrumental music. Your gaze drifts instinctively to the rack where that dress once hung.

You’ve been dreaming about it for months—a red dress with a daring slit that cuts mid-thigh. It was perfect in every way, except for the price tag. You’d promised yourself you’d buy it someday, but that day never came. Life has a way of pushing dreams aside for bills and groceries.

“Looking for something, miss?” a cheerful clerk asks, breaking your thoughts.

“Yes,” you reply, hesitantly. “Do you still have that red dress? The one with the slit—”

Before you can finish, she nods knowingly. “Wait here.”

You tap your fingers against the counter as she disappears into the back. The minutes stretch long, and your heart pounds with a mix of hope and apprehension. Then she returns, holding it.

“Here you go,” she says with a smile, presenting the dress like it’s a treasure.

Your breath catches as you take it in your hands. The fabric is even softer than you remember, the color more vibrant. Without a second thought, you pull out your wallet, the crisp bills from Uncle Ernie making it possible.

Moments later, you step out of the boutique, a grin spreading across your face. The dress swings from your hand, a symbol of something rare and precious—joy that’s yours alone.

Back at your apartment, you hold the boutique bag in hand, still glowing with excitement when a voice startles you.

“What’d you get, kid?”

“AHHH!” you scream, nearly jumping out of your skin. “Jesus fucking Christ, Ernie! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” you exclaim, clutching your chest and gasping for air.

“What? Can’t an uncle visit his darling niece?” he replies, unbothered, taking a drag on his ever-present cigar.

“We just saw each other earlier! What do you want?” you ask, exasperated.

He chuckles, his laugh as gruff as his demeanor. “Well, kid, I figured you’d spend your birthday alone in this crappy apartment, so I’ve got a surprise for you. I’m taking you to dinner—me, you, Aunt Ellen, and my good friend Avis.”

You blink, caught off guard. “Avis? You mean Avis Amberg? The owner of Ace Studios?”

Ernie nods smugly.

“Why would a big shot like her come to a birthday dinner for someone she doesn’t even know? Ernie, I’m nobody—”

“Kid, nobody is nobody in this town,” he interrupts, jabbing the air for emphasis. “Once Avis meets you, she’ll see what I see—someone who’s something.”

You snort at his dramatics.

“Come on, Y/N,” he persists, rubbing your shoulders. “You’ve always wanted to be a singer, right? Who knows—maybe she’ll have you record backing tracks for her movies. Whaddya say, hmm?”

You let out a resigned sigh. “Alright, fine. Let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit!” he exclaims, slapping his thigh with glee. “Now doll up. Wear that sparkly red dress of yours—”

You freeze, narrowing your eyes at him. “Wait a minute. How do you know I have a ‘sparkly red dress’ in this bag?” You hold up the sheathed garment for emphasis.

Ernie smirks, his cigar bobbing in the corner of his mouth. “Kid, you’ve been gawking at that dress every time we passed Ursula’s boutique. You think I don’t notice? Besides,” he adds with a mischievous waggle of his eyebrows, “Ursula and I go way back.”

Your face twists in disgust as you chuck a shoe at him. He ducks out of the way, laughing as he retreats toward the door.

“See you at seven, kid! Don’t be late!” he calls out before disappearing with a slam of the door.

You sigh, glancing at the dress. “This better be worth it,” you mutter, already dreading the evening ahead.

--------------------------------

Seven on the dot, just like Ernie said. You stand in front of the restaurant, purse clutched tightly in hand. The cool evening air does little to calm the nervous energy coursing through you. Dolled up and dressed to the nines, you mutter under your breath, “Simple birthday dinner, my ass.”

The thought of the Avis Amberg being inside makes your stomach twist. What if you say the wrong thing? Or laugh awkwardly?

After a minute of deliberation—and a deep, shaky breath—you step inside. Warm air envelops you, carrying with it the sweet and savory aromas of high-end cuisine. The soft hum of conversation and clinking glasses fills the room, but it does little to drown out your own thoughts.

At the front desk, you muster your courage. “Reservation for Ernest West?”

The receptionist smiles and nods, promptly leading you to a private room.

On the way there, your thoughts race. A private room? How much did Ernie shell out for this? And with Avis Amberg as an audience? You grip your purse tighter. Oh boy, this is going to be interesting.

The doors to the room swing open, revealing a warm and intimate space. Ernie is the first to greet you, his arms wide as he strides toward you with his trademark exuberance.

“There she is! The woman of the hour!” he exclaims, pulling you into a hearty hug.

Your eyes sweep over the table. To Ernie’s right sits Ellen Kincaid, his ever-gracious wife, offering you a warm smile. Beside Ellen is none other than Avis Amberg herself. The moment your gaze lands on her, it’s as though the world stops spinning.

Avis is a vision in red, every detail impeccable—from her perfectly coiffed updo to the shimmering jewelry that catches the light with every movement. You glance down at your own dress, also red, and feel a pang of insecurity. Great, of all colors to wear tonight...

But Avis is unfazed, her sharp eyes already reading you, assessing you in a way that makes your palms sweat.

Ernie, oblivious to your internal panic, guides you to the table and pulls out a chair. Ellen stands to greet you, kissing both your cheeks warmly, while Avis remains seated, her gaze fixed on you like a hawk sizing up its prey.

When your eyes finally meet, she smiles—a slow, deliberate curve of her lips. Extending her hand, she says, “And you must be the birthday girl.”

You take her hand, shaking it a little too eagerly. “I am—”

“Avis Amberg,” you finish for her, your voice steady despite your nerves.

Her smile sharpens into a grin, her grip firm but elegant. “Well, well, looks like someone did their homework.”

You laugh awkwardly, the sound escaping before you can stop it. Realizing how unpolished it sounds, you quickly cease, pressing your lips together. Ernie catches it, grinning as he moves to his seat. He leans down to kiss Ellen, who playfully smacks his chest.

“Avis, you know us Wests. We always do our homework, ain’t that right, sweetheart?” he says with a wink in Ellen’s direction.

She chuckles, shaking her head. “Yes, darling, you do. Oh, Avis, if I haven’t mentioned it yet, our darling Y/N here is an aspiring singer—with a voice that could bring down stadiums.”

Avis raises a perfectly arched brow, her red lips curving into a faint smile as she looks at you. “Hmm? If Ellen here speaks so highly of you, perhaps I should have you perform at one of my events.”

Your face flushes as a nervous smile spreads across your lips. “Oh no, Miss. Amberg, I wouldn’t want to intrude,” you ramble, trying to wave off the compliment. “Singing is more of a hobby, really. I couldn’t possibly be as good as Ellen says.”

Ellen and Ernie exchange incredulous looks.

“Nonsense, kid!” Ernie exclaims, his voice booming with pride. “I’ve heard you sing plenty while working the register, and believe me, my customers stick around just to hear you. Take some credit for once, will ya?”

His laughter fills the room, and even Avis seems amused as she leans forward, her interest clearly piqued.

“You let your niece work at your gas station, Ernie?” she asks, her tone half-curious, half-teasing. “How is it that I’ve never seen her?”

Ernie smirks, waving his hand dismissively. “That’s because you never get out of your goddamn Cadillac, Avis!”

The table bursts into laughter, and for a moment, the tension in your chest eases. Still, the realization dawns on you: Avis Amberg is a regular at Golden Tip.

No wonder the boys at the station always seemed to have a little extra spring in their step, boasting about their big tips from “the lady in red.” So it was her all along—the powerful woman who spent money like it grew on trees.

As the laughter dies down, Avis rests her chin on her hand, her sharp gaze locking onto you. “Well, Y/N, it sounds like you’ve been hiding a talent that the world deserves to hear.”

Her words make your heart race, but the warmth in her tone sparks something new: hope.

“Thank you, Miss Amberg,” you say, your tone polite but still tinged with nervousness.

“Oh, baby,” she waves a hand dismissively, her bracelets jangling softly, “you may call me Avis. You’re making my back ache with all the pleasantries.”

You chuckle lightly, a genuine smile breaking through as you nod. “Well then, thank you, Avis.”

Her lips curl into a grin, pleased by your adjustment. “That’s better,” she says, leaning back in her chair with an air of satisfaction. “Now, tell me, Y/N—what’s your favorite song to sing?”

Her question catches you off guard, and you falter for a moment. “Oh, well, I guess it depends,” you say, fiddling with the edge of your napkin. “I like singing jazz, mostly. Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald… their music speaks to me.”

Avis’s eyes light up, the mention of such timeless legends clearly striking a chord. “Ah, the classics,” she says, a touch of admiration in her voice. “Music that comes from the soul. You have good taste.”

Ernie beams at the exchange, clearly proud of you. “See, Avis? Told you the kid’s got it. I’d bet my bottom dollar she could belt out something right here and knock our socks off.”

You quickly shake your head, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. “Oh, no, I couldn’t! Not here, not now,” you stammer. “I mean, I’m flattered, but I’m not exactly… prepared.”

Ellen chimes in with a gentle laugh, “Oh, don’t mind Ernie. He loves putting people on the spot. But if you ever want to perform, Y/N, I’m sure Avis would love to hear you.”

Avis nods, swirling her glass of wine thoughtfully. “Indeed. There’s something about live music, especially when it comes from a genuine place. You’d be surprised how often talent like yours gets lost in the noise of this town.”

Her words carry weight, and for a moment, you feel as though she’s speaking directly to your deepest fears. Lost in the noise. Ernie, ever the optimist, claps his hands together. “Lost? Not this kid! She’s got a voice people’ll remember. Ain’t that right, Y/N?”

You give a shy smile, nodding slightly. “I guess so. I mean… I hope so.”

Avis’s gaze lingers on you for a moment longer before she raises her glass. “To hope, then. And to talent that deserves a stage.”

Everyone joins in the toast, raising their glasses with a clink. You sip your drink, the warmth of the moment settling into your chest. For the first time tonight, you feel like you truly belong at the table.

The dinner continued with laughter, stories, and a surprising ease that settled over the table. Ernie, true to form, dominated the conversation with his larger-than-life anecdotes, and Ellen balanced him out with her gentle humor. Avis occasionally chimed in, her remarks sharp and observant, but never unkind.

By the time dessert arrived, you were almost convinced you could get through the night without further incident. That is, until Avis set down her fork, leaned forward, and fixed you with a look that felt both intimidating and encouraging.

“Y/N,” she began, her tone measured, “tell me, what do you really want? In this town, I mean. Surely you’re not content to spend your life working at your uncle’s gas station.”

The question landed heavily, and the table went quiet. Ernie gave you a small nod of encouragement, while Ellen offered a reassuring smile.

You swallowed, your fingers gripping the edge of your napkin. “I… I want to sing,” you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. “I want to perform. To be out there in front of many people, the spotlight is only for me. My voice ringing deliciously in their ears, I want to become a broadway star”

Avis studied you for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Watching you enunciate every word, how your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth. Her gaze lingers for a while there and when you finally finish she meets your eyes with enthusiasm.

“Let me tell you something about this town,” she said, her voice soft but commanding. “It doesn’t matter who you know—or don’t know. What matters is how badly you want it and what you’re willing to do to get it. Talent can only take you so far. The rest? That’s grit.”

You nodded, absorbing her words, though a part of you still doubted your place in a world as ruthless as hers.

Avis seemed to sense this. “You’ve got a spark, Y/N. I can see it. The question is, what are you going to do with it?”

Before you could answer, Ernie jumped in, his voice full of enthusiasm. “That’s what I’ve been telling her! She’s got the goods, Avis. She just needs the right person to see it.”

Avis’s lips curved into a sly smile. “Well, Ernie, perhaps that person is sitting right here.”

Your heart skipped a beat. “You mean…?”

“I mean,” Avis said, setting her glass down, “I’m planning a charity gala next month. I always need fresh talent for Ace Studios. I have been thinking about it, expanding from motion pictures to Broadway plays and musical numbers. It’s not a guarantee, but if you’re willing to audition, I could give you a shot.”

The room seemed to tilt as her words sank in. An audition? For Avis Amberg? It felt too good to be true.

You managed a shaky nod. “I—I’d love to. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Avis said, her tone playful but firm. “The real work starts now, baby.”

------------------------------------------------------------ A/N: Will do a part two or more if you're interested in reading more. Hehe.

#Patti LuPone #x reader #Hollywood #Avis Amberg x Reader

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midnightwritingsessions · 3 days ago

Text

Cigarettes and conversations

Summary: After having a bad day a stranger comforts you at the bar. This stranger somehow becomes a big part of your life.

Requested

Masterlist

A/n: working the 6 days before Christmas in retail is not for the weak I swear 🥲 I’m sorry for not being active but I should be back now my hours at work are going back down

Sorry it’s quite short!

The pub was buzzing with life, laughter, and music spilling out through the slightly cracked door. Inside, your friends were chatting away, entirely immersed in their conversation. But you couldn’t focus tonight, not with the weight of the day sitting squarely on your shoulders. So here you were, standing just outside in the crisp evening air, your coat pulled tight against the chill. A cigarette dangled from your fingers, glowing faintly in the dim light of the streetlamp. You took a slow drag, trying to let the nicotine calm the storm brewing in your head.

“You alright there, love?” The voice came from a few feet away, startling you slightly. You turned your head and immediately froze. It was him. Louis Tomlinson, standing casually with his hands tucked into the pockets of his coat. His blue eyes held a hint of concern, his head tilted just enough to make it clear he was genuinely asking. You blinked, unsure what to say. “Uh… yeah, I’m fine. Just needed a breather” you said while pointing to behind you to the pub. He nodded slowly, his gaze flickering to your cigarette. “Mind if I join you?”. “Sure” you said, your voice coming out more casual than you felt.

Louis stepped closer, pulling out his own pack and lighting up with practiced ease. He leaned against the wall beside you, his movements relaxed but deliberate. For a moment, the two of you smoked in silence, the sound of distant chatter filling the space between. “Long day?” he asked finally, breaking the quiet. You exhaled a puff of smoke, glancing sideways at him. “You could say that”. He chuckled softly. “I could tell. You’ve got that look about you”. “What look?”. “You know” he said, gesturing vaguely with his cigarette. “The ‘I’d rather be anywhere else right now’ look”.

A laugh escaped you before you could stop it, and Louis’s lips curved into a small smile. “Am I wrong?” he asked. “No” you admitted, shaking your head. “You’ve got me there”. He gave a small hum of acknowledgment, taking another drag. “Well, at least you’re out here. Better than bottling it all up, yeah?” You nodded, glancing down at your shoes. “What about you? Why are you out here instead of inside with your mates?”

Louis grinned. “Maybe I just had a feeling someone out here could use some company”. The sincerity in his tone caught you off guard, and for the first time that evening, you felt the tension in your chest ease ever so slightly.

Over the next half hour, the two of you chatted about everything and nothing. Louis had a way of drawing you out, his playful banter balancing perfectly with his moments of genuine interest. You found yourself laughing at his quick wit, forgetting for a while why you’d even needed to escape in the first place. When you finally stubbed out your long gone cigarette, Louis did the same, turning to you with a curious look. “So” he said, “you heading back inside?” You hesitated, unsure if you were ready to dive back into the noise and energy of the pub. Louis seemed to pick up on your hesitation, because he added, “Or we could stay out here a bit longer. No pressure”. You smiled, grateful for his understanding. “Let’s stay. It’s quieter”. “Good choice” he said, his eyes twinkling.

That night turned out to be the beginning of something neither of you could have predicted. Over the weeks that followed, you and Louis kept in touch. He started texting you casually little jokes, updates about his day, or random thoughts that made you laugh out loud. Before you knew it, those texts turned into phone calls, and those phone calls turned into plans to meet up. At first, it was just friendly, grabbing coffee, taking a walk in the park, sharing another cigarette outside a different pub. But with each meeting, you couldn’t help but notice the way Louis looked at you when he thought you weren’t paying attention, or the way his voice softened just slightly when he said your name. You hoped that you weren’t imagining these things and that maybe in the not so distant future he might act on whatever it is he’s feeling. Looking back you were now more grateful for the bad day you had, never imagining that it could have lead you to something so special in the future.

#fandom #x reader #x y/n #fluff #louis tomlinson #one direction #x you #midnightwritingsessions #louis tomlinson x reader #one direction x reader #louis tomlinson fluff #louis tomlinson x you #louis tomlinson imagine #louis tomlinson fic #louis tomlinson fanfiction #louis #x y/n fluff #x you fluff

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lanasheart · 2 days ago

Text

LOV members and their love languages ~

★~`

Shigaraki ~

DEFINITELY an Acts of Service man.

Do NOT expect this man to try and touch you.

If he really loves you, I doubt he'd dare touch you as he wouldn't wanna accidently decay you.

Plus, this man absolutely hates it anyway. The only person he wanted to touch was his mama.

He would totally kill anyone you ask him to, either if he's jealous or if he has the urge to kill.

Or, he'd just invite you to play League Of Legends or Fortnite with him and Spinner.

(which isn't bad because he could definitely carry you in fn)

He would try and learn everyday how to be a good boyfriend. (He pays way more attention to you than you notice.)

He enjoys receiving Physical Touch, but to an extent.

You could touch his face, or anywhere really, but definitely not his hands.

He just doesn't want to lose you.

Touya ~

Acts of Service and Words of Affirmation.

He'd probably be super surprised if you told him your feelings

But he'd be open to a relationship since he'd be down to try something new.

SECONDS into the relationship he's making up so many nicknames for you.

'Babe', 'Darling', 'Hottie', you name it, he's calling you it.

And, he'd definitely kill someone for you.

I think he'd be more down too than Shigaraki would be.

He'd probably be all of the other love languages too, because don't tell me this man won't steal you a thousand dollar ring.

If you were also a villain, he'd totally BEG Shigaraki to let you go on missions together.

He likes Quality Time the most, since Endeavour never gave him any.

So, if you watch this man shoe you his special moves, he's gonna fall 2x as much in love with you.

Toga ~

Himiko literally seeks acceptance through unconventional love.

So I'd think her love language is Physical Touch or Acts of Service.

Along with the others, she'd be more than happy to kill someone for you or more likely impersonate someone for you.

Plus, she'd definitely have to avoid the temptation of using her knives on you.

So, if you told her she could use them, she'd be the happiest girl in the world.

She would be turning into you everyday.

As a means to show her love for you.

She'd want to be you, and feel what your body feels like upon her own accord, like if she was you.

If not, she could find out every little detail about your body by Physical Touch.

She definitely cuddles. (no one can change my mind!)

She likes receiving Words of Affirmation the most, so if you call her beautiful or pretty, she'll go feral for you.

Jin/Twice ~

Quality Time man.

Even a few weeks into your relationship, he'd be down for you to move into his little apartment, if you wanted to.

This would literally be so big for him, he'd spend every single day next to you, even if you were just cooking or cleaning.

If you were showering, he'd literally comes in and sit on the sink to talk to you.

You would definitely have some deep chats about the state of society, or the people you both retrospectively spend your other time around.

I think this man would somewhat enjoy Physical Touch.

Even if it's holding your hand on a busy subway, or leaning your head on his shoulder as he smokes his cigarette.

He would go feral.

It would be difficult to keep his clones' voices under wraps, but if you love him for them too, he'd be happy enough.

Iguchi/Spinner ~

Gift-Giving, definitely.

Although this man spends probably all of his time playing League Of Legends with Tomura, he'd definitely put some time aside to get you presents.

Whether it's something expensive that he's stole, or something small that he's recently heard you talk about.

Such as a new plush, or figurine.

He probably thinks it's more romantic to actually buy the gift, instead of stealing it, so trust me when I say this man has multiple piggy banks in his room.

He would try and ask Tomura for help, but we all know this man wouldn't give good advice.

'buy her League' shut tf up Tomura.

He would buy you both games he'd think you'd like, and would help try to teach you to play.

If you already play games, he'd buy you everything in the game, like DLCs or extra skins.

He most likely enjoys receiving Words of Affirmation.

He didn't get complimented much growing up, so when you do it for the first time, he's super confused.

But, he relaxes more into it and loves when you call him pretty.

Mr Compress ~

ATSUHIRO MY BABY

He'd totally be into Gift-Giving.

I mean, this man comes from a bloodline of thieves, and you think he won't steal you everything you want?

He would literally go to every store in Japan to buy you the most perfect rings, or necklaces, or clothes to make you look even more stunning than you already are.

He'd make sure you had matching things too, like jewellery or clothes, or even small little trinkets to remind yourselves of eachother.

Your room would literally be filled to the brim of everything he's gifted you, also because you would never throw it away.

He'd swear he doesn't need anything in return, but he'd be more into receiving Acts of Service.

Even if this is making him food or coming to see him if he lives a long way away, he'll appreciate every little thing you do for him, no matter how important it is to yourself.

Muscular ~

Muscular would probably just be into Physical Touch.

This man is 6"6, so if your any shorter he would be making fun of you everyday, by ruffling your hair or leaning his arms or head down on your shoulder or head.

Even though he is huge, he'd love to hold hands, if you even can.

He'd LOVE showing off to you, by picking you up or throwing you over his shoulder with ease.

He might have a small feeling that you dislike his muscles or eye, but if you disregard that, he will be all over you again.

Just make sure that you don't get smushed underneath him and his muscles.

Because we all know he would not be careful at all.

He'd be into Physical Touch too, as he would definitely like having his muscles appreciated by your hands.

If you ask him to flex or show his muscles, he will be down within a millisecond and will show you them in every position possible.

hey guyss this is my first proper post to give you a taste of what I wanna do [even if this is not a lot or very detailed so far], so pleasee give me some feedback, and help me so that I can grow my account. feel free to ♡ !!

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mythica0 · 2 days ago

Text

Rewarding revenge

🎂: epic the musical

🧁: Hermes

🍫:Odysseus

Summary: Hermes has tickled Odysseus one too many times for his liking. Time for a little payback.

A/N; thank you to the anon who gave me this idea! If you see this I hope it’s to your liking! I’m not super proud of the ending but whatever. Also, yay, more shameless lee Hermes! Enjoooyyy :3

Cw: mild swearing, really intense tickles! (But don’t worry, he enjoys every second of it.)

Rewarding revenge

It was another day on the ship, and Odysseus was thinking.

He had just had another interaction with Hermes a few days prior, and like he usually did, Hermes had decided to tickle the shit out of him.

While he didn’t.. hate it.. it was still annoying, and he wanted a bit of revenge.

So, he sent up a hopefully non-conspicuous prayer to summon Hermes.

When Hermes got the message, simply asking to hang out, he was definitely suspicious, but also amused and endlessly curious. So, he decided to go. Might be fun, after all! And Hermes is always up for some fun.

So, later that evening, when Odysseus was spending some time in his room, Hermes appeared.

“Hey, friend! I got your little prayer!”

Odysseus was honestly a little shocked that worked. He sat up in his bed, gently patting the space next to him.

“Ah, Hermes! Come, sit!”

Hermes smiled brightly and sat next to the soldier. “Well, how do you do?”

“Ah, I’m well. You?”

“I’m good as well! I must say, it’s not often I get a request just to hang out! I’m quite delighted you wished to spend time with me!”

Odysseus chuckled a bit. “Ah, well, you’ve been nice to me, and you’re pleasant enough company.”

“I know I am, thanks for noticing!” Hermes winked, playfully posing in a showy manner.

Odysseus laughed. He had summoned Hermes for ulterior motives, but he actually was quite funny.

He scooted a little closer, hoping Hermes wouldn’t notice. Hermes did notice, but he pretended he didn’t. He was curious! Wanted to see where this was going.

“So, what did you want to talk about, friend?” Hermes asked, still grinning.

“Ah, nothing in particular. Just whatever comes to mind.”

“I see, just a causal chat! Always love one of those- I’m quite the conversationalist!”

The joking remark got another laugh out of Odysseus, which caused Hermes to grin proudly. He was always happy to make someone laugh.

“That you are.” Odysseus got a little closer again.

“did you have free time to come down here? Or are you skipping out on your duties?” Ody asked, a playfully teasing tone to his voice.

“Hmm, not telling~” Hermes shrugged and then sing-songed in response.

Odysseus laughed again. “So you are skipping out? I mean, I imagine you’re quite the busy god, with all the various domains you have.”

“True! But I’m also quite speedy, don’t you forget! Nah, I had some time.” Hermes revealed with a laugh if his own.

“Ah, well that’s good. Wouldn’t want to distract you from your job, now would we?”

“That we would not.” Hermes laughed again, his little squeaky giggle.

Odysseus posed a question, seemingly out of nowhere. “So, Hermes- do you like to laugh?”

Hermes seemed a little surprised at the sudden question, but answered nonetheless. He had a feeling this might be why he was actually summoned.

“Why, of course I do! Who doesn’t?”

“Ah, that’s good. Let me help you with that!” Without any further warning, the captain snapped his arms around the god and started to scribble against his ribs.

Hermes immediately bursted into happy giggles, not trying to hold back in the least.

“Ehehehe- Ohohody! Ahahaha!” He called a bit, squirming slightly.

“What’s wrong? Can’t take what you dish out?”

“Ehehehehehaha! Ohoho, thahat tihihickles! Ehehehe!” Hermes giggles were bubbly and almost childish in nature, such a purely joyful sound that it made Odysseus laugh along with it.

“Ha! It’s about time I got a little payback!”

Hermes could easily get out of this. Easily. He was very powerful, after all. But he didn’t want to, and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. But. He wanted to see if Ody could figure it out on his own.

“So, how’s it feel to be on the other end, huh?”

“Tihihickly!” Hermes snarked, an obvious statement, for amusement. It worked as intended, getting a small amused huff from Odysseus.

“Well no shit, Sherlock. That’s the point.”

To accentuate his words, Odysseus moved his hands to Hermes’ tummy, starting to press lightly on the surface.

Hermes giggles immediately increased in pitch, such a joyful, silly, sugar-sweet sound that Odysseus couldn’t help but laugh along.

“Eeehahahahaha ohoho nohoho, dohohont doho thahat- ehehehehehe!”

“You know, you could probably escape easily if you really wanted to.” Odysseus commented, successfully realizing the thing Hermes wasn’t even trying to hide.

“Ihihi knohow! Ehehehehe!”

“So, why aren’t you? Do you perhaps like this?”

Hermes nodded, gleeful and giddy as he laughed. “Yehehehehes! Ehehahahahaha-! Tohook yohou lohong ehenohough toho fihigure ohout!” Hermes teased slightly, never one to hold his tongue.

“Oh, really? Are you in any position to give me sass?” Odysseus teased, getting far more into the role now that he knew his friend was enjoying it. He pressed down harder, vibrating clawed hands into Hermes’ stomach.

Hermes squealed, a bouncy, bubbly laugh falling freely from his chest. “Eeee! Ahahahaha thahahat reheheally tihihickles ehehehehehe!”

“Good. Maybe that’ll teach you not to sass me.” Odysseus didn’t let up, still pressing vibrating claws into the god’s belly, making him laugh giddily, his wings flapping slightly.

Odysseus’ eyes followed the motion of the white feathers, and he smirked. He took one hand and moved it up, grabbing one of the wings behind his ears and starting to rub the feathers in between his fingers.

Hermes squealed, a high pitched laugh leaving him. “EEEE! NOHOHOHO-! NOHOHOT THEHE WIHINGS!”

“Oh? Not the wings? Not these little wings right here?” Seeing how horribly it tickled the god, Odysseus brought up his other hand to grab the matching wing in the other side and do the same thing.

Hermes was completely lost to his laughter, chest and stomach shaking from the force of it as small tears formed in his eyes. That tickled so! Bad!

“EEEHAHAHA PLEHEHEASE, OHOHODYYY!” His laughter was squeaky and happy, and Odysseus found that it got more and more contagious the longer it went on, not being able to stop himself from laughing along.

“Hehe, that’s a pretty contagious laugh you’ve got there.”

Hermes was too busy laughing and squirming to reply, his sanity starting to slip in the best way from the ticklish sensation. It was driving him mad, unrelenting tingles racing across his wings and causing fluttering laughter to swarm in his belly.

“What’s wrong? Too ticklish to speak?” Odysseus emphasized the word with a teasing lilt, causing a slight blush to form on Hermes’ face.

The room was filled with the happy, bubbly giggles of the god of messages, squealing laughter echoing from him as his very sensitive wings were assaulted with happy, tingly sensations.

“EEE OHODY PLEHEHEHEASEE!” He begged through his loud, squeaky laughter, only partially true. Because he could probably get away if he really wanted to, although it might be harder considering how weak he was from laughter.

Odysseus just chuckled. “Tickle tickle tickle~” he spoke with a teasing lilt, and he could swear that Hermes squeaked at the words.

Hermes was overwhelmed but at the same time so happy. The tickles were driving him crazy and he didn’t even care, because it was so much fun, sending waves of pure joy through him with every wheezing laugh, every contraction of the muscles in his tummy and sides. Tears of joy had fallen at the point, trailing past the shaded boundary from his helmet.

“EEHAHAHA OHODY PLEHEHEASE STAHAHAP! EHEHEHEHEE!”

“I don’t know.. you tickled me first. Twice.”

“IHIM SOHORRRYYY PLEHEHEHEASEE!”

He was absolutely hysterical with laughter, face starting to hurt from being stretched into such a wide smile for so long. His thoughts were so foggy, his brain thoroughly turned to mush from happiness that he couldn’t even think straight enough to use his powers to get away. He loved it so much but at the same time he couldn’t take anymore!

Sensing that Hermes was getting a little overwhelmed, Odysseus decided to give him a small breather, just lightly tapping against his hips to keep him giggling.

Hermes took the chance to greedily take in air, letting his warm face cool down.

“Hehehehehe.. ohoho myhy gohods.. ehehehe- thahat wahahas aha lohot.”

“Oh, did you think we were done? Oh no no no, I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. I want you to be an absolute puddle of laughter by the time I’m through.”

Hermes eyes sparkled with excitement, hidden by the shade of his helmet, a few giddy giggles falling from him. He was honestly excited by the idea, even though he had just been wrecked within an inch of his life, he still wanted more.

Ody smirked as he saw the excitement ripple through the god of speed. “Oh, what was that~? Did that excite you?”

Hermes nodded, still unashamed for his love of being tickled.

Odysseus chuckled in response, before responding with a teasing lilt that caused more giddy butterflies to flutter within Hermes, making him giggle more than he already was from the light taps on his hips.

“Any last words before I make you hysterical again~?”

Hermes thought for a moment, before shaking his head, eager to get on with it.

Odysseus nodded and then started with kneading his tummy, making him burst into giddy laughter immediately.

“Ahahahahahaha! YohOU ahahare reheheally gohood ahat thahahat- EE!” He complained and complimented at the same time, half protesting but not really meaning a word of it.

“Oh, why thank you!” He grinned smugly, and then, just to be evil, he moved his hands to attack Hermes’ underarms and started to blow raspberries all over his belly.

“OHOHO NOHO- EEE! Dohohont dohoho THahahAT-!”

Odysseus felt his inner father emerging, putting on a sort of playful act and making silly noises as he blew raspberry after raspberry onto the messenger’s tummy, using his beard to add an extra layer of ticklishness.

“Omnomnom! This belly is really tasty!” He made little growling and nomming sounds, which made Hermes laugh even harder from amusement at the silly act.

Hermes was absolutely hysterical with laughter, kicking his feet slightly to try and expel the intense giddy energy rippling through him. Each raspberry sent waves of laughter and tingles across his belly, and it didn’t go away. It lingered, and then layered with each new raspberry or nibble, growing more and more ticklish as time went on. Hermes was crying with laughter and happiness, the feeling so intense and so amazing.

He squeaked and squealed as Odysseus blew a raspberry on his lower tummy, then on each side, then right over his bellybutton, then on his ribs, all over his torso, leaving waves upon waves of giddy tingles.

“AHahahahahHEHA! Ihihit tihihickles sohoho BaHAD EhehehehEHEHAHA!” His chest and stomach were shaking and bouncing from his laughter, the wide, giddy smile never leaving his face, his genuine happiness being contagious to Odysseus.

Odysseus chuckled as well, unable to stop himself at hearing the silly, contagious sound of Hermes’ laughter. He decided to lower the intensity for a bit, moving his hands down to start scribbling behind his knees.

Hermes kicked slightly on instinct, but he didn’t try to truly escape. His hysterical, squeaky laughter died down to giggles again, allowing him to take in air.

“Ehehehehe ohoho myhyhy! Ehehe- ihihi cahahant breheheathe- hoholy moholy..” Hermes breathed out through his giggles, taking in breaths and still feeling so giddy.

Odysseus gave him a chance to breathe for a moment, wiggling his fingers behind his knees and tracing around his ankles, before managing to pry his sandals away from his feet slightly, and scratching gently at the soles.

Hermes giggles increased, not nearly as hysterical as it was earlier, but definitely more than it was from the more gentle tracing.

“EhHahHaha ohohohody plehehehease! Ehehehehe!”

“Oh, come on. We both know you don’t actually want me to stop.”

Hermes nodded again. He really didn’t. He protested, yes, but he didn’t mean any of it. It was only instinct, the natural reaction to such intense tickles, even though he enjoyed every second.

After a few more moments, Ody smirked and turned to look at Hermes, speaking with a teasing, taunting tone.

“I’m gonna get your wings~” he sing-songed, scratching at the edge of his ankle, right before where the wings met.

Hermes frantically protested, a giddy nervousness filling his chest and stomach. “Nonononohoho!”

“Yes yes yes~ these soft, little wings are gonna get tickled~”

A faint blush dusted Hermes’ face at the teasing words, so many butterflies and zaps of giddy, nervous excitement rushing through him as the anticipation drove him up the wall.

“Are you ready~”

“Nohoho!” Hermes protested again, even though he would much rather the soldier get it over with rather than deal with this anticipation.

Odysseus smirked again, responding instantly and with a faux lack of sympathy. “Too bad.”

Without any pause, he grabbed each wing on one leg and started to scribble against the feathers, scratching at the base of the wings.

Hermes was once again immediately thrown into heavy , hysterical laughter. “EEHAHAHA! OHOHO MYHYHY GOHODS- NOHOHOT THEHEHEHERE! EEEE!”

Odysseus chuckled again, the contagious laughter fully infecting him. “Oh my, quite ticklish here, are we~?”

Hermes blushed a bit more at the teasing, the fluster only adding to the ticklish experience, if you asked him.

His free wings on the other ankle flapped frantically, drawing the king’s attention.

“Well, would you look at that. It seems like your left set of wings is feeling a little left out.”

“NohOhOHO-! PLEHEHEHEASE!”

“Please tickle your other wings? Why of course!” He taunted, switching sides.

He once again pinched and rubbed the feathers in between his fingers, making Hermes toss his head back as fits of laughter racked his whole body.

He got such an evil thought just then, leaning to one of the wings being his ears and blowing a huge raspberry right on it.

Hermes squealed with laughter once again, absolutely hysterical as mirthful tears dampened his face.

“NOHOHO- EEEEEHAHAHAHAHA! IHIHI CAHAHANT HOHOLY MOHOLY-EEHAHAHAHA!”

Hermes was in absolute ticklish agony, his whole torso quivering with the force of his hysterical laughter from the blissful torture. It was absolutely horrible and yet he loved it so much, rushes of euphoria filling him with every laugh, every raspberry on his wings, every overwhelming ticklish touch.

After only a minute or so of that, Odysseus stopped completely with a final wiggle in his bellybutton, leaving Hermes gasping for air in between fits of residual giggles.

He wiped his eyes under his helmet from the tears of laughter, his face still split in two from his wide smile.

“Ahahahaha.. wohohoah.. yohou’re reheheally gohood ahahat thahahat… ehehehehe…”

Odysseus chuckled a bit. “Yeah, I really did a number on you, didn’t I?”

Hermes nodded, still giggling and trying to cool his breathing and blushing face.

“Are you alright? I didn’t go too far, did I?”

Hermes shook his head slightly. “No, Noho, yohou’re ahalrihihight. That was greheheat.”

“Man, you really like being tickled, don’t you?”

“Yeheheah! It’s fun to laugh like thahat.. ehehehe.”

“Well, I’m glad to have provided that for you.”

“Thahank yohou, daharling.”

“No problem!”

After another minute or so, Hermes finally stopped giggling, and dusted himself off before standing.

“Well, I best be off. I do have a job to do! But don’t be afraid to send a message whenever you want to hang! This was splendid!”

Odysseus chuckled a bit. “And you dont be afraid to come down and ask me for tickles anytime you want.”

Hermes giggled a bit in response. “I’ll keep that in mind. Ta-ta darling!~”

“See ya round!”

And with that, Hermes flew off, leaving with a light heart and a wide smile.

———THE END———————————————————-

#sfw tickle community #parrotwrites #epic the musical tickles #lee!hermes #ler!odysseus

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sleepynoons · 20 hours ago

Text

SHIAWASE BY OMOINOTAKE – miya atsumu (hq) x gn!reader, sfw

genre – fluff word count – ~2,200 warnings – explicit language, slight suggestive content synopsis – atsumu is forced to articulate all the ways and reasons for why he loves you, which he thinks is ridiculous because there's no end to the list. little does he know, it's his voice, not his words, that fail him.

It’s at this moment that Atsumu has realized that he had underestimated – severely underestimated – how nerve-wracking proposing can be. Osamu’s giving him a pointed glare, as if to say “Get the fuck on with it!” Suna’s just holding his phone out in plane sight, not even trying to hide the fact that he’s filming something staged. Atsumu’s leg, the one propped onto the high barstool that he’s sitting on, bounces incessantly, and he knows Aran’s resisting the urge to smack him still. All of his other high school volleyball teammates are here in the restaurant, aware that he’s planning to propose tonight, and they’re waiting for him to get on with it.

Atsumu takes a sidelong glance at you. You’re busy chattering with your friends, and from your perspective, you think the dinner’is simply a massive reunion party between a couple of Inarizaki High alumni. His eyes dart, and he accidentally makes eye contact with one of your friends. She squints at him, and he guesses, somehow, that even your friends have him figured out.

He thought he had the entire thing planned out. You would all get together with your hometown friends, wine and dine, and finally, before everyone disperses, he would drop the question. Osamu had told him it was a stupid idea, that he should drop the question earlier on so everyone could have a grander time together, but Atsumu was adamant. Now, Osamu’s suggestion is haunting him, and for whatever reason, he’s losing faith in his old plan, and now, he doesn’t know when’s the right time he should ask. It doesn’t help that you’re fluttering about the long table, making sure you have a chance to greet and chat with everyone, because who knows when’s the next time all of you can gather together like this.

He startles when he feels your hands clap his shoulders, as you come over to his side of the table. You peer down at him curiously, a silent “Is everything alright?” The best he can do is muster a too-loud laugh and rub his hands over yours. You start talking to Aran, asking him about the Tachibana Red Falcons’ upcoming games and how his wrist’s doing after the slight sprain from a month ago. You give Atsumu a light kiss on the tip of his ear before shuffling between Aran and Kita.

It dawns on him that Atsumu just missed another chance. Technically, he could drag you back – it’s not strange at all, given how clingy and touchy he can get, but he doesn’t want you to baby him right before he’s about to do one of the most serious things in his life. He can’t give Suna anymore blackmail than he already has.

Luckily, you come back, and this time, Atsumu’s instincts kick in. He takes one of your wrists in his hand to get your attention. You lean over so you can hear him clearer amidst all the restaurant noise, and for a moment, Atsumu loses his breath because, goddamn, you look so fine in this light. There’s a pendant light hanging behind you, and it’s as if there’s a warm, golden halo floating around your head.

“Can we –“ His voice cracks, and the last word to his question can’t be heard.

Atsumu frowns, thinking it’s because everyone else is being too noisy. So he tries again.

“Ca –“ But nothing after comes out. He can see your eyes widen, too, at the sound of his voice reducing to nothing but a raspy whisper.

This cannot be fucking happening, he thinks. He gets up abruptly, surprising those sitting near and around him, and even shakes you off to beeline directly to the bathroom. He locks himself in, glad that it’s its own room instead of a line of stalls.

His hands cling to the ceramic sides of the sink, and his head hangs over it in despair. He had this whole speech planned out, even bothered to write an outline and rough drafts of it despite his confidence in his ability to wing things, but you deserve better than some words he can pull out of his ass. He can barely even believe that he lost his fucking voice out of literally fucking nowhere. He tries making any sound, practicing in front of the mirror with one hand hovering over his Adam’s apple. He looks like he’s trying to hack something out of his throat, but despite his many wholehearted, insistent attempts, his voice gives out past the first syllable of any word.

Atsumu doesn’t know if he wants to punch a hole in the wall or claw away at his lungs. He can’t give a speech by whispering through it, let alone propose to you when he can’t fucking talk!

He squats down to the floor and heaves a deep, heavy sigh. He regrets all of the drinking he’s done in the past week. He should’ve taken more Vitamin C supplements and worn that scratchy scarf you knitted him years ago when he forgot his last Monday. Upon reflection, there’s a million things he should’ve done and nothing he can do right now.

He pulls out his phone, ready to text Osamu.

Suddenly, panicked knocks come from the door, causing Atsumu to accidentally drop his phone. Then, two more knocks, followed by your very muffled voice.

“‘Tsumu?” you ask, “you alright in there?”

He can’t respond, so instead, he unlocks the door to let you in.

You peer in, and somehow, he feels better in your warm, glowy presence, which he realizes is not coming from the light. Atsumu opens the door wider so that you can step into the bathroom with him.

“Sorry, my bad,” you say with a wince. “Asked outta habit. I brought you some water.”

You hand over a tall glass, and he downs it within seconds. He then tests his throat again, but still, only a cracked note or two make their way out. His shoulder slump, and you frown at his defeated look. That makes him feel worse, and now, Atsumu wants to cry. Even if he wasn’t going to propose, it’s disappointing that the both of you are wasting your precious time in the bathroom instead of spending it with your friends that you rarely get to see.

You rub the heel of your hand into the center of his back. He leans his head on your shoulder, pressing his closed eyes and nose into the side of your neck, breathing in your scent.

You murmur, “It’s alright, 'tsumu. Does it hurt?”

He rubs his face vehemently into your skin, and you take that as a no. You pick up his phone and slide it back into his hand, with a notes app pulled up on screen.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes, these things randomly happen.”

j didn’t want it to be today

“I know, ‘Tsumu.”

You’re about to give him a reassuring kiss on the temple, but he straightens back up before you can. Then, he shoves your phone in your face, a new thought typed out.

wdym

Puzzled, you ask, “What do you mean?”

why did u say ik

You shouldn’t have frozen up, but the split-second blank stare that you have gets you caught red-handed.

u knew??????

You shake your head, but the sheepish smile on your face begs to differ. You’ve always been a terrible liar.

Atsumu can’t believe it. Forget whatever the fuck’s wrong with his voice – how did you know about the proposal?!

You respond before he can even ask. “”Tsumu, you were… kinda obvious with it.”

???

“Uh… you don’t really pick up a pen that often.”

that’s fucking rude

“Well, it was all a guess on my end! I didn’t actually know you were going to propose tonight!” You hold your hands up to demonstrate your innocence.

Atsumu runs his hand down his face, tugging at his skin, and you can hear the agonizing groan that doesn’t materialize.

You do your best to fix the mess you’ve made. “You can always do it another time!”

Obviously, he won’t do it another time because he wants it to be today, but he can’t make the quip. Instead of even a half-hearted nod, Atsumu tugs out a few folded pieces of wrinkled paper from the pocket of his button-up and gives it to you.

You separate the sheets and begin to read the contents.

Hey babe! (or hon)

You don’t need to cry. <— because they’ll definitely be crying

I know you never thought this day would come, but I promised you it’d be a whole surprise, and look, I’ve done it!

It was really hard, you know? Especially coming up with this whole speech or whatever. This tradition’s r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ f̶u̶c̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ stupid because it basically means I have to list out all the reasons for why I want you to spend the rest of your life with me, when some of those reasons can’t even be explained.

I just love you. (DON’T CRY)

I’m supposed to reminisce during these speeches or something, so I’ll do some of that, I guess. We’ve been together since high school, so we’ve been together for a reallllyyyy long time now. But I think I was interested in you before we started dating. I remember first meeting you when we were both skipping class. This was middle of second-year, if I remember right. You were sneaking into the garden behind the gym, and we kinda made eye contact. I didn’t know what you were thinking, but I guess, because I was just practicing under the sun there, you ran away and then came back with these two sodas. You sat one next to the gym steps, and left. It’s so easy to love you, you know. You just do these random ass things, because you’re naturally caring like that.

And then, we got together a year later during the summer in our third-year. You know Osamu was mocking me for that? He was saying shit like there’s no way we’d still be dating after graduation or whatever. Don’t worry. I beat the hell out of him for that. (Smirk here)

Anyway, we went to a summer festival together. Got a lot of yakisoba and cotton candy, won you a little keychain, the whole nine yards. And, of course, you can’t attend a festival without watching the fireworks, right, so we went to the field…

See, this is why I don’t get this stupid tradition. It’s hard to describe just how damn good you looked. It was so crowded and loud, but none of that mattered to me anymore, because you looked the way you did. And you looked so excited and adorable, and, wow, I really wanted to fuck you I really want to go to a summer festival now!

Then we graduated. We made it work. We fought a lot. I think we even broke up twice, but neither of them really counted since we’d just train to where the other person lived and cry crocodile tears. Well, I didn’t cry, of course. But you definitely did. (Say that so it’s obvious it’s a joke)

One time, you really scared me, you know? I know, it was totally, completely my fault. For context for everyone else in the room (right, they exist), I got pretty heated during this one fight, and said some things that I’d never mean in a million years. Anyway, you pulled back. Entirely. You weren’t supposed to leave for another two days, but you just put on your shoes and left the apartment without looking back. Turns out you crashed at Shouyou’s girl’s place, but I was terrified. You gotta know that I didn’t mean any of the things I said, alright!

Up to that point, though, I’ve never really even thought about a life without you. It never came to mind that you might go away or not be there by my side at some point. So that’s why you leaving me that night was shocking, because that was what was happening, and I didn’t think I could live without you.

Still can’t live without you. (DON’T FUCKING CRY)

So… with all of that being said…

Will you do the honor of marrying me and spending the rest of your life with me?

There are more scribbles that follow, but you can’t read them at all, not with the tears swelling in your eyes and the fact that Atsumu’s handwriting’s already difficult to decipher since it looks like chicken scratch. Atsumu just holds you tightly, tears streaming down his face as well, and the two of you stay like that. You’re pretty sure you blubber something – probably, most likely, a really incoherent “I love you” –, and you know by the shake in his chest, Atsumu mouths it back to you.

Eventually, the two of you get up from your huddle on the bathroom floor. Then, without caring about how much of a mess the both of you look at the moment, the two of you march out, holding onto each other as if you were each other’s lifeline. When everyone sees the two of you return, you break out into a wide smile and thrust out the letter in your hand, as if it was a giant rock on your hand.

Don’t worry, you’ll get your actual fat diamond ring later that night.

winter event masterlist

#haikyuu!!#haikyuu #hq #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #haikyuu fluff #hq fluff #miya atsumu #atsumu miya #haikyuu atsumu #hq atsumu #atsumu x reader #atsumu miya x reader #miya atsumu x reader #atsumu fluff #carrot cake!#house of solis occasum

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clarkeyhill · 8 hours ago

Text

She's not, you. | George Clarke

Fluff - inspired by Gavin & Stacey

"Tell me tomorrow, I'll wait by the window, for you"

The air was crisp as I strolled through the busy streets of London, the city buzzing with life even on a quiet afternoon. I was lost in thought, as I often was these days. It had been years since George and I had parted ways. Our breakup was amicable, but the feelings I had for him lingered like a haunting melody. Time had moved on for him—he was engaged now, due to be married in less than a week. For me, though, the memories of our time together were still fresh, like pages of a book I couldn’t close.

As I passed a cozy little coffee shop, something, or rather someone, caught my eye. Seated by the window was George. He looked the same yet somehow different—his familiar warmth and kindness now mixed with a certain confidence. My heart skipped a beat as I pushed the door open.

“George?”

He looked up, surprised, and then smiled. “Oh my God, hi! It’s been ages.”

We chatted like old friends. I asked about his life, and he told me about his job in social media, how he still lived in the same flat. It was as though time had folded in on itself, and for a moment, I let myself forget that he was no longer mine.

When I got home later that day, I couldn’t resist scrolling through his Instagram. He was doing so well—successful, happy. His fiancée was beautiful, blonde, and elegant, the perfect picture of someone who had her life together. I smiled but felt a pang of sadness deep down. I was happy for him, truly, but a part of me couldn’t help but wonder, What if things had been different?

The morning of George’s wedding arrived, and I couldn’t shake the thought of him. As the clock struck noon, I imagined him standing at the altar, waiting for her. My chest tightened, a bittersweet ache settling in. I whispered to myself, “If only…”

Little did I know, George was having thoughts of his own.

George’s POV

The ceremony was beautiful. Everything was perfect—or it should have been. The flowers, the guests, even the sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows of the chapel. Yet, as I stood at the altar, waiting for her, my mind was elsewhere.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the coffee shop. About y/n.

Seeing y/n again after all these years had stirred something in me. The familiarity, the connection—it was still there. I realized then that I had never really moved on.

The organ started to play. She was walking down the aisle, radiant and smiling, but all I could think was: This isn’t right.

By the time she reached me, I knew I couldn’t go through with it. Taking her hands in mine, I whispered, “I’m so sorry. I can’t do this.”

Her eyes widened in shock. The murmurs of the crowd grew louder, but I could only focus on her.

“It’s not you. You’re wonderful. But… it’s me. I’m not the person I thought I was. I’m so sorry.”

I turned and left, ignoring the gasps and whispers. My heart was pounding as I climbed into Arthur Hill’s car, my best man. Who looked at me with no judgement.

“You’re doing the right thing,” Arthur said simply, his expression calm.

I nodded, though my chest felt tight. I had to see you. I couldn’t let another moment pass.

I was sitting on my couch, trying to distract myself from the day, when there was a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone. When I opened it, my breath caught.

It was George, still in his wedding suit, slightly disheveled but heartbreakingly handsome.

“George?” I whispered.

He looked at me, his eyes full of emotion. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t marry her.”

“What? Why?”

“Because she’s not you,” he said, his voice trembling. “Seeing you again made me realize I’ve been lying to myself. I thought I could move on, but I can’t. I can’t imagine my life without you.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I stepped aside to let him in. The world seemed to pause as we stood there, the weight of everything we had been through hanging in the air.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he said, stepping closer. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

And in that moment, the years of longing and heartache melted away. It was just me and George, as it had always been meant to be.

🫶🏻

@arthurhillmastermind

#george clarkey #youtube #george clarke #british youtubers #arthur hill

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jazeswhbhaven · 13 hours ago

Note

If MC chose Minhyeok at the end of the game. But another character appeared with the same level of attraction as MC, but she didn't feel attraction for kings (including an Asmodeus). How do you think the kings would react?

Disinterested!MC let's go...😏

Lead in: It's been about 1 year since Ra-On left Hell to be with Minhyeok, and one year on Earth meant nothing in Hell, a blink of an eye compared to their eternity. But with their absence, it might as well had been a century passed. One day, a new human ended up in Hell, she was different than Ra-On, in both looks and personality. What's more...she absolutely had no interest in the kings. No fear, no hate, no admiration, nervousness. Just nothing. Despite of her reason for being there, she focused on completing it and returning....

Satan: When Dis!MC arrived in Gehenna it was Satan who first investigated, thinking it was Ra-On who returned. He saw it wasn't them but a new human visitor. Sure, she'd be no replacement for Ra-On, but any human visiting meant some kind of new thing. Maybe another descendant? He finds out quickly that Dis!MC is no one to be reckoned with, her straight up ignoring him after asking a question. His rage was through the palace that day, even Heaven could feel the brunt of it. But why was he so bothered? It pissed him off even more that he couldn't figure it out.

Mammon: Dis!MC's trip to Tartaros was pleasant, despite receiving the cold shoulder from Bimet and Eligos (she didn't pat his head). Mammon's curiosity and warm welcome were wasted on Dis!MC as she was more concerned about her reasons for being there in the first place. While this doesn't necessarily bother him, in the back of his mind he remembers Ra-On fondly simply takes it as "well humans are never meant to be similar anyway". He's still very polite to Dis!MC and doesn't give her too much trouble while being hospitable. He does try to flirt a little, but seeing as how she doesn't respond it becomes dull for him.

Beelzebub: Honestly? He forgot what Ra-On looked like so for a minute he thought they had came back. Dis!MC has no trouble telling him off and even directly getting down to business with Bael with getting what she needs done getting the questions she wants answered. Beel surprisingly is disgruntled by her behavior, but he quickly forgets why he was bothered in the first place. Though when he's alone, he wishes that his "original" cute human was back. This new girl was going to be a pain.

Leviathan: He paid Dis!MC no mind at first, telling himself he was happy that it wasn't Ra-On who came back to Hades because they shouldn't have left in the first place. Though when he realizes that this new visitor to Hell has zero interest in him, he starts to get jealous. Who is she thinking about then? Which of the kings had she met first before him to cause such a reaction? What could he do to make sure that her focus is on him? Though, with all of that overthinking, it ends up to where Dis!MC moves on to the next country and Levi is just more pissed he spent more time overthinking than ignoring her.

Lucifer: Literally doesn't pay much attention to Dis!MC whatsoever. Humans come and go. While Ra-On was a joy to have around (or a headache depending on the day) having Dis!MC around for company wasn't too bad either. Especially since she stayed mostly out of his way and didn't rile up Gamigin too much. In fact, he wanted her to stick around a little longer and have a small chat over some tea. She doesn't seem interested though, which doesn't hurt Lucifer's feelings, but he's still slightly bothered. Maybe rejection doesn't sit well with our fallen seraphim...

Belphegor: He woke up because he noticed someone new in was in Nifelheim. Dis!MC oddly, was his type. Pretty much not into him at all, and straight to the point. She did everything, didn't ask him questions, and didn't annoy him. Too bad his idea of flirting was asking straightforward to get into bed with him. Beleth tried to explain in a more formal way, but Dis!MC was not having it and rejected both devils outright. Belphie didn't have the energy to be annoyed and just went to sleep. Beleth didn't take it to personally either.

Asmodeus: No one would be able to resist his charms. Right? Ra-On certainly didn't, and no other human or devil could resist. But Dis!MC? What was she made of? Her rejection only made Asmo more horny and more determined. Sure he wasn't going to pressure her into anything, in fact he liked the rejection. The glare in her eyes, the frigid body language. Reminds him of his wife when they first met. Perhaps that's why he doesn't mind her behavior. Truth be told....he jacks off to Dis!MC's rejection out of frustration of not being able to have her.

#whb #jwhbasks❓#whb headcanons #jwhbrequests📬#whb kings

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adult-kinda · 3 days ago

Text

My Baby Alone

Warnings: mentions of death, hospitalization, comas, and disordered eating, chat this one’s angsty with a happy ending

In which Sunoo can’t leave yet…

300 days. For the past 300 days you had been visiting him. Every single day you made time to set aside your anxiety, enter that sterile building, and sit with him. You knew he wouldn’t respond. Everything in you said to let him go. The guys told you there was no hope and disbandment was in the works.

But you couldn’t. You weren’t going to give up so easily. Even if it was the tiniest voice in your soul begging you to stay.

“You would have loved to see the fans get well soon trucks today! They used your Not For Sale photos this time.” You said with a smile.

You knew he would be disappointed in you. You had lost a lot of weight and the sparkle in your eyes was gone. He would never have allowed this.

“Oh! And your photo cards are reselling for big prices too! Like thousands of dollars. The other members would be jealous.” You explained.

Once again nothing. Just the quiet beep from machinery.

“I’ve been putting in more hours. The company put out a statement announcing our relationship. I knew it’s what you would’ve wanted by now. So far not as much hate, but I try to distract myself. I’m working overtime most evenings.” You say referring to your job at the animal shelter.

The nurse stepped in the room and sighed.

“Y/N, darling, should we consider-“Don’t! Don’t even think about it.” You interrupted.

The nurse nodded and glanced at the body in the bed. Typically she wouldn’t push but it was nearing a year now. It was time.

“I know you don’t want to think about this, but it’s time. He’s not progressing.” She said.

You refused to answer her and waited for her to leave. Once she was finally gone and the door was shut you broke down. You had done so well with not crying while you were here but the possibility of losing him, it was too much.

“Why! Why would you leave me? You can’t do that!” You shouted.

Your pleas fell into the abyss of the fluorescent lights. But they weren’t unheard.

Sunoo heard you. He desperately wanted to get to you, to respond. But he was locked in and could not make his way out. He was banging on doors through an endless hallway praying someone would open.

“I thought you loved me!” You cried.

I do, princess! I do!

“Why do you insist on leaving?”

I’m trying to come back! I’m gonna find you!

“I love you so much!”

I love you too! Hold on just a little more!

When he was met with silence he assumed you’d left. But then you entered one more time. This time two other voices were with you as well as more on a mobile device.

“It’s time to let him go.” You said sorrowfully.

No! No! No!

“Are you sure? We can give you more time to say goodbye.” A male voice said.

“It’s alright, father. I think this is what he would have wanted.” A digital voice confirmed.

No! No this is not at all what I want!

Finally. After all these days of running and searching a door opened. Sunoo was running through that door and toward an image. An image of you holding his hand.

“I love you so much.”

I love you too! I’m almost there!

Pressure. Before the doctor could proceed with anything you felt pressure.

“Stop!” You shouted.

Everyone paused. You had felt phantom touches before but this, this was certainly different.

“Miss Y/N-“No! He’s here! He squeezed my hand!”

The doctor sighed. “Y/N we’ve been over this. It could be in your he-“No! Look! Grab his other hand.”

The doctor humored you and grabbed his other hand.

“Sunoo! If you can hear me squeeze your left hand!”

To the doctor’s surprise he squeezed. Hard. That was unmistakable.

“Oh my word.” He muttered.

You smiled with tears of joy streaming down.

“We’ll be there in the next hour.” Jungwon said over the phone before cutting the line.

I’m almost there, baby!

Just as Sunoo was going to step into the image he felt a tug on his arm. It was an… angel? It was so human but had wings… it was him. Sunoo was faced with a reflection of himself in the purest of whites with majestic wings.

“Come with me, it’s time. You have so many people waiting to meet you up here! And there’s kpop idols too that you would get along with.” The reflection said.

Sunoo looked at him intrigued, but you were down there.

“Come, Sunoo. You have family on the other side. Moonbin is on the other side. Jonghyun is on the other side. Your pets are on the other side. Heaven is waiting on the other side.” He said trying his hardest to convince him.

Sunoo missed these things. He had always wished he could go back and experience these people, these memories one last time.

But you were not on the other side.

“No. I’m not leaving my baby.” He said before stepping into the image.

“Doc we have signs of brain activity!” The nurse exclaimed.

Everything went so fast. Nurses were working to make sure everything was prepped. The doctor halted all end of life protocols. The priest stood outside to pray over the room. You… well you sat patiently waiting for your boy to come back to you.

Apparently you were very patient because you remained there the entire night. The rest of the Enhypen members waited outside in the waiting area, not wanting to get their hopes up.

“Good morning, Sunoo.” You greeted groggily.

You smiled when you felt a squeeze in your hand.

“I probably look a mess right now. I’m glad that you’re coming back. I’ve been missing you like crazy.”

Another three squeezes.

“Have you been missing me? I think about you seven days a week. I’ve never given up on you.”

You nodded in response to his pressure again.

“I’m excited to take care of you! You’ll stay in my apartment while you finish healing. I’ll make you all your favorite soups, hell I’ll even stock up on mint chocolate chip ice cream! I’ve been eating it since you’ve been gone, it reminds me of you.” You said with a giggle.

“I’ll be diligent. I’ll make sure you take all your medications and eat all your meals. I’ll do it all because I love you, Sunoo. I just need you to wake up for me.”

You ended your plea with a kiss on his lips. But this one was different. This time you could feel him kissing… back? There was no way! You pulled away in shock.

“My love.” Sunoo mumbled as his eyes slowly opened.

You gasped as you watched him come back to you. His eyes were opened, his voice was hoarse after not using it for so long. But none of that mattered to you. All that mattered was that he was alive.

“Sunoo!” You cried.

Sunoo saw you and gave his signature smile (albeit a little tired). “Hello my love.”

Your embrace was warm. Sunoo could get used to this again. You were so warm and loving, he knew he couldn’t afford for anyone else to hold you.

“You’re alive! You’re here and… oh Sunoo!” You sobbed into his chest.

Sunoo smiled and held you just as tightly. He had found you and was not going to let go.

He’d take your embrace over the wandering, the running through the hallway. And in the same breath he would do it all again if it meant he could spend lifetimes with you.

Heaven can wait.

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jehhskz · 11 hours ago

Text

Love Again

she fell first, and she fell harder

summary: you just got back to Seoul, and hopefully you'll get back into his heart too

genre: romance, fluffy cliche, second chances, smut

warning: this fic contains smut, so it was made for adults only, MDNI.

jé's note: did a little something super self indulgent, if you read this, please be kind, it's my first time and english isn't my first language. huge thank you for my girlies for all the support, special thanks to @doitforbangchan & @jeonginsleftcheek for beta reading it, your words made me happy. and it got a little big, so i had to split it into 2, the link for part 2 will be at the end of part 1

divider by @saradika-graphics

Drinks in hand, crowded dance floor and Chk Chk Boom's full volume, up next was Get Lit, and everybody screamed, you cheered with your best friend clinking glasses and sitting down.

“What are we celebrating?” A random glass clinked with yours and you looked to the side, a tall and really pretty guy smirked at you two.

“Her promotion and return to Seoul!” Heyoon exclaimed excitedly and the boy chuckled, sitting down next to her.

“Oh really? That 's amazing!” He nodded to you and you grinned, thanking him.

“I am Tae-joon” He smiled at you two.

“Heyoon, and this is Y/N” Your best friend presented you both, you glanced at her and smirked, she had that look in her eyes.

It didn't take much talk for you to realize you were third wheeling, so you excused yourself saying you were going to the restroom.

Once there, you fixed your makeup, applied some more lipstick and decided to walk around. The place was crowded, it felt like Felix invited all of Seoul to be here.

You spotted the birthday boys, Felix dancing, Han and Seungmin talking with some friends, soon enough Chan and Minho showing up with some drinks to join them, Jeongin flirting with a girl, Heyoon making out with Tae-joon and Changbin dancing with a girl nearby.

7 out of 8, you freezed on your heels, it was your 4th time walking around, if he wasn’t here he must be…

No, no, you shook those thoughts out of your head, and even if he was sucking faces or whatever the hell could be happening behind some of those closed doors here, it was none of your business, right? It stopped being your business a while ago, 2 years to be exactly.

But it’s not like you were counting, anyway.

You went to sit on the couch across Heyoon, Jeongin now was kissing the redhead he was talking to early. Too distracted watching people, you didn't perceive the boy who sat by your side.

“Guess I lost my friend” He commented when he saw Heyoon waving at you before she and Tae-joon walked away.

“Uh?” You looked at him with curiosity, and he motioned to Tae-joon.

“Oh yeah, so did I” You slightly smiled, shrugging. You chatted for a while, you learned his name was Min Kyu, he was a software engineer, and also had the cutest dimples when he smiled.

He asked if you wanted to dance and his dimples appeared when you said yes, so he grabbed your hand and you two headed to the crowded dance floor. As you two swang to the beat you could feel him getting closer and his hands making its way to your waist.

Yours found their way to his shoulders, you were having fun slowly approaching each other and you could lie to yourself saying you were taking glances around to check if Heyoon was around, but this excuse failed as soon as your heart skipped a beat.

There, leaning against the wall, looking so effortlessly handsome in his black jacket, up a white shirt and a pair of dark jeans: 8/8 you checked off your list.

He was alone? That was too good to be true.

And it really was, because it didn't take long until Changbin appeared along with 2 girls with the tiniest skirts you've ever seen.

He stared at you, his gaze was unreadable and all you wanted was to dig a hole on the floor right there and jump in.

“Are you alright?” Min Kyu leaned down, you could see Hyunjin's eyes still glued on you as he spoke with one of the girls, unbothered by her hand touching his arm.

“Yeah, just a little thirsty” You looked away from him and faced Min Kyu, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at you with concern, his hands were still resting on your waist.

“Oh, wait here. I'll get us something to drink” He smiled and you nodded, watching him go away.

You did your best to avoid looking in Hyunjin's direction, but curiosity kept taking the best of you and you had to take some glances, the girl was still there, the four of them now laughing at something Hyunjin said and you rolled your eyes. What could be so funny?

He looked at you while he talked, he had that grin. Damn.

“Here's it, I saw you weren’t drinking beer so I brought you this instead ” Min Kyu's voice brought you back to reality and you turned to look at him, he handed you a lemon drink and you smiled as your fingers briefly brushed as you took the glass from his hand, taking a little sip and thanking him.

“Hmm, it's too loud in here, why don't we go talk outside?” You suggested, he smiled at you and then you realized the implication on your request, as you both made your way out.

Too bad you were leaving, you didn't see Hyunjin's grin fading away.

~ {♡} ~

Min Kyu guided you outside, it was nice there. Some couples were kissing on the benches while a few other people were just talking and smoking, you chuckled, comparing the contrast with the agitation from inside although you could still listen to the music coming from there.

You two sat down at a secluded bench, talking and enjoying your drinks, you smiled and nodded at his words, deep down wishing he wouldn’t ask you anything that required an actual reply. Yeah your body was outside, but your mind was away, lost in the different scenarios that could be happening inside there.

But luckily you didn't have to worry about appearing to be rude to Min Kyu as words weren't necessary at that moment, you realized that as you watched him closing the distance between you.

He was going to kiss you and you'd like it, of course you would.

He was cute, he was being nice, and most important: he wasn't there talking to mini skirts bitches and letting them rub him as if he was some kind of genie in a bottle ready to grant their dirty wishes.

The gentle touch of his hand putting a strand of your hair behind your ear brought you back to reality, you looked at him and his cute dimples as he smiled leaning closer, you closed your eyes, his lips barely inches from yours.

Focus on him, y/n. It was happening!

Oh, sorireul jireuneun naega oh…

You two jumped at the loud intro of Thunderous.

Min Kyu is a Stay? Really?

Another check on your list: his cologne smelled good plus he had good taste in music. Although listening to your ex's song when you were about to kiss someone new feels a little weird, you had to admit.

His trembling hand reached for his phone inside his pocket, he rolled his eyes at the name on screen.

“Ji-an, what's up?” He looked annoyed as he heard her speaking on the other side.

“You did what?” He closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, he was annoyed.

“No, you're not. Say your friends goodbye, I’m going there, you're still grounded, did you forget that?” His voice was hard as he spoke his last words and ended the call.

He turned to you, offering a shy smile.

“I'm sorry, my sister is grounded and our parents are out of town, she thought it meant a free pass to her to get some friends over” He looked disappointed, and so did you, but you gave him an understanding smile.

“It's alright” You gently squeezed his hand.

“I'm sorry, maybe we can meet up another time? I'd love to see you again” He handed his phone to you and you added your number on the device before giving it back to him.

“I'd love that” You smiled as he gave you a kiss on the cheek before leaving. You watched him go and sighed, deciding to go back inside, maybe you could meet some friend there and distract your mind.

Hyunjin knew you'd be there, Felix had told him about you moving back, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't eager to see you.

You looked pretty in your crimson dress with matching crimson soft lips that he still remembered how they felt on his own. He sighed, you looked prettier than he remembered.

He haven't seen you during those years, all he knew from you was little snippets he overheard here and there from the boys and mutual friends. There was a boy, back in Busan, he rolled his eyes, of course there was, but it’s over now, he assumed as he watched you and Min Kyu so closely.

Hyunjin was annoyed, he wanted to go there and ruin whatever Min Kyu’s plans were, and he was about to do it, when he was interrupted by Changbin and his friends. He sighed, he wasn't in the mood today.

Your annoyed stare caught his attention and he smirked, maybe he was in the mood today. He saw your struggle to look away, your hands clenching as the girl touched his arm, he grinned, he was having fun, until he watched you two leaving.

Getting rid of them wasn't easy, but when he was heading outside Min Kyu passed him by, and he was in a hurry and alone.

Hm, interesting, Hyunjin thought.

As you were crossing the door you were surprised by a collision. Your drink spilled on your dress and on the floor.

“Oh shit! Don't you look where you're going?” You were looking down, checking your dress. “It will stain” a well known chuckle made you lift your head.

“Look who's back” He crossed his arms, smirking at you.

“Hyunjin…” Your eyes widened as you glanced at him, your breathing getting caught on your throat.

“Aren't you going to present me to your boyfriend?” He looked around, before grinning at you and you looked down.

“He's not my… damn, it's staining!” His gaze followed your desperate hand on the wet spot on the dress.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed you by your wrist, pulling you inside making you follow him to the restroom.

He opened the door and you two got in, after closing it behind him, he quickly kneeled down in front of you, making you gasp.

“What are you doing?” You asked with gritted teeth.

“Cleaning up your mess, what else do you think I am doing?” He grabbed some tissues and started dabbing it on the fabric, his free hand holding your leg.

He suddenly looked up at you, grinning. “Ohh you thought I was about to…”

You trembled slightly, looking up to the ceiling and wishing he didn't notice, but he did, his grin getting wilder.

“You really did, y/n you naugh…” His eyes sparked with mischief.

“Stop it!” You hissed and he chuckled, you grabbed the tissue from his hand and started dabbing the almost gone stain.

“You stop it!” He pushed your hand away and grabbed the tissue back, going back to his previous task, the grip on your thigh got slightly harder.

“Are you done?” A few moments passed when you asked, looking down, the stain was gone, thank God.

“Almost…” You watched as he dragged the tissue to your thigh, cleaning the tiny drops there.

His lips were parted and he was taking his time as he cleaned the nonexistent drops. Your heart wanted to believe he was using a silly excuse to touch you, as you felt his fingertips brushing against your skin every so often, but your brain was telling you he was just into autopilot, cleaning up the mess he did, and for all you know it could be the alcohol playing too.

You two were startled as the door opened suddenly, looking to the side you saw a very drunk girl step in. She looked from you to Hyunjin who was still kneeling in front of you, with his hands on your thighs and she giggled.

“Opss, am I interrupting something?”

“No, nothing. I’m already leaving” You saw the way she was looking at him after your reply, and didn't think twice before you act as you wrapped your fingers around his wrist and pulled him to stand up. “Actually, we are leaving!”

The drunk girl waved him goodbye and signed a “call me” as you dragged him out with you, Hyunjin laughed and you realized you were still holding him and dragging him to wherever. You let go of his hand, cheeks getting warm.

“You're still jealous of me” His tone was cocky as he stopped by your side, lifting his chin.

“You wish!” You did your best to look unbothered, crossing your arms and looking away.

“You're. You almost made me fall on face just to get me away from that girl”

“Well, if you wanna talk to her so badly, go after her then” You said nonchalantly, but deep inside you were burning, and not in a good way.

“Awn, I forgot how cute you get when you're jealous” He squeezed your cheeks, laughing.

“Stop that!” You slapped his hands and he laughed more. “I already said I'm not”

“Admit it. You die for me” You stared at him and it wasn't a good idea, because when he said that, he licked his lips as he nodded.

God, you were not the strongest soldier.

“Y/N and Hyunjin!” A drunk Felix appeared, he threw an arm over each of your shoulders, bringing you close. “Two of my favorite people!”

“C'mon, we are about to go play spin the bottle” He started dragging you two with him, but you stopped.

“Lixie, no, I can't play, I was just about to leave and…”

“She's looking for her boyfriend” Hyunjin said and Felix's lips turned down.

“I already said he's not my boyfriend!” You snapped at him.

“Perfect, so you can play” Felix clapped, grinning again and you shook your head no.

“Just a few rounds, please. You can't say no to the birthday person, it's the rule” Felix insisted as he held both of yours hands.

“Your birthday's only sunday” You scoffed.

“Well, but it's my birthday and I would like to see you play” Jisung suddenly appeared behind you, you jolted and it made Hyunjin and Felix chuckle.

“Yeah, he's right, now come with us” Felix held you by your shoulders before you could try to protest some more and guided you to where the group was.

You were nervous as you sat down on the floor and took a look around, the boys were all here, along with some of their friends, Yuna, Chaeryeong, Nabi and some other girls you didn't know yet.

Quickly glancing at him, your heart sank when Hyunjin sat down beside you. The way those girls looked at him made your stomach twist and you wanted to get up and leave, not wanting to watch him kissing randoms.

Felix gently squeezed your hand when you shifted on your seat, probably sensing what you were trying to do. You sighed, staying in place, he smirked, tapping your hand.

Some rounds went down and it wasn't getting any easier on your anxiety, but at least Hyunjin hasn't kissed anyone yet.

Yet… The look on those girls' eyes when it was their turn made your stomach twist each time.

He took glances at you every time the bottle stopped, noticing your sigh of relief, and he couldn’t help but smirk to himself, you've never been good at concealing anything, especially your feelings for him and he finds it adorable.

But if we were being honest, he felt relief too when the bottle didn't stop at you.

It was Chaeryeong’s turn and judging by the way everybody screamed when the bottle stopped at Changbin and their heated makeout, you realized you had a lot to catch up on in your friends lives.

Being there for a good while now, you were ready to get up and leave, when Seungmin screamed it was your turn now and you dead stared at him, a smirk crossing the menace's face.

Everybody's eyes were on you as your shaking hand grabbed the bottle and you held your breath as it spinned and spinned.

Until it lost speed and stopped at Jisung…

And then at Hyunjin. You looked up and saw Changbin's mischievous smile. It happened too quickly and it seemed like everybody was too drunk to notice when he nudged the bottle with his foot.

Everybody cheered, well, almost everybody, you didn't see it but those girls staring at him early had pouts on their mouths, one of them - mini skirt from earlier - tried to protest but Minho quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

You turned to face him, his piercing eyes already staring at you. You were glad the music was loud, otherwise everyone would be able to hear your heart beating like drums and you looked down.

Stereo Love came on and you rolled your eyes, it's the same song that was playing when he kissed you for the first time, ironically at this same club, only difference you didn't have expectators.

Isn't it funny how life always found ways to mess up with you?

Hyunjin touched your chin with his slender finger, lifting your face as he leaned closer, his piercing eyes going from your eyes to your lips. You closed yours and then you felt his breath against your face, mingling with your own, his plump lips brushing against yours lightly.

Feeling your lips being pressed against his own, your lips connected, his tongue slowly running on your bottom lip and you parted them giving him entrance. Your hands wrapped around his neck, going up to play with his hair as his hands snaked around your waist and then he swiftly placed you on his lap, making you softly moan against his lips in surprise.

He smirked, realizing how much he missed your little sounds. One hand went on your hair, his fingers entangling on the strands and angling your head to deepen the kiss. Somebody whistled, but you didn't even notice. The only thing you noticed was the groan that escaped his throat when your nails slightly scratched the back of his neck, earning a bite on your bottom lip as response, and now the sounds were escaping from your lips again.

Your mind was foggy as you felt his soft lips on yours.

Oh how much you missed his kisses, the taste of his lips, his scent… And from the way he was kissing you, it seemed like he missed it too.

The kiss was hungry, as your tongues explored each other’s mouths, his grip on your hips getting harder as you pulled his hair.

It happened in a blur, in a moment you were playing a silly game, sitting on his lap, devouring each other and on the other your back was pressed against the wall, you two hidden in a corner of the club, your soft moans mixing with the music as he had his leg in between yours, one hand in your hips pulling you closer to him, pressing your bodies together and the volume on his pants was making you dizzy.

You whined in protest when his lips left yours, chasing them again and he chuckled, giving you a peck before making a trail of kisses from your jaw to your neck, finding that spot under your ear that makes you shiver.

“I knew it, you still like me…” He smirked against your skin as he whispered in your ear.

God, he was so cocky… And you found it so fucking hot!

You rolled your eyes and instead of lying you decided to shut him up by grabbing his face and kissing him again. He was taken back by your sudden attitude, but was quick to kiss you back even more intensively.

Hyunjin loved it when you got bold like this, your hand went to his shoulder, sliding down his chest and to the south. He moaned in anticipation.

Your fingertips brushed the outline of his bulge when the annoying buzz of your phone snapped you back to reality. You jolted, withdrawing your hand and he whined, trying to grab your wrist to put your hand back in, but you were already picking your phone.

“Ignore it” His voice was muffled as he peppered kisses and nibbles at your neck.

“I can't, it's Heyoon” You read her text telling you to go meet her at the entrance.

“Always the cockblock” He sighed, making you laugh, remembering how it was always her, the one interrupting you two.

“I've gotta leave” There was a hint of disappointment in your voice.

“You know, I could take you home later” His offer made your heart skip a beat, you glanced back at him.

“C'mon, I know you want that ride” And there it was, the devilish grin again while he pulled you by your waist. Your breath hitched.

~ {♡} ~

You clutched your staff ID badge as if you were holding a golden ticket, looking around you realized not much has changed since the last time you were here.

The feeling was good, familiar even, as you walked down the reception of the company, staff and trainees were passing you by in a hurry and as you looked at those hopeful faces couldn’t help but wonder if one of those people belonged to the group you would be assigned for.

The email didn't say much, actually it was only a notification that you got selected and was about to start in the following month, more details would soon be explained when you started, but as for now you knew you'd be part of a staff team.

The adorned walls with posters of JYP’s biggest groups caught your attention, you stopped in front of the Stray Kids one and smiled, memories passing in front of you, their singing practices, their playful banters in their dorm, their burst of laughter filling every room they were in…

Until your eyes landed on Hyunjin, and the sound of laughter gave space for the silence and the distance and then the tears, your heart shrinked and you remembered last saturday, his gaze, his plump lips, his grip… Your heart just shrinked some more.

“Y/n?” You turned around and saw a tall man standing behind you. Nodding at him, he introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you Joo-wan” You smiled at him.

“Nice to meet you too, y/n. You'll be working with me on the staff team” Joo-wan shook your hand “C'mon, I'll show you around before taking you to meet the group” His smile was warm as he motioned for you to follow him for a little tour of the company.

As you walked around he introduced you to some other staff members, shared some curiosities about the company, guidelines, your responsibilities, all that stuff. You read the sign up when you reach the last door: dance practice, Joo-wan stopped with his hand on the knob, turning to you and saying the last but maybe more important rule of here: do not date the idols.

Then he opened the door and walked in with you. The boys were chatting, sitting on the floor and some others on the couch while they were taking a break from practicing.

They all turned their heads to your direction.

“Boys, come on here I want you to meet someone!” They stopped talking and looked at you, a huge smile appearing on their faces. Well, some faces, there was an expression in particular that was quite difficult to read.

“Y/N!” They came to you, Felix and Han stopping at each side and hugging you together, making you laugh, the sunshine twins were really the sweetest.

“Hi boys” You hugged them back.

“Oh, so you already know each other?” Joo-wan looked surprised at you and them.

“I did my internship here like three years ago, and we met in the halls, I was working in another area at that time” You explained to him, the boys still attached to each side of you.

“Oh that's great y'all are familiar with each other because the group you'll be working with it's them” He smiled and your mouth fell agap, eyes widening.

“Really?” You were truly surprised, all this time you imagined you'd be assigned to a new group, one that didn't even debut yet. Working with an already successful group as big as SKZ can feel very intimidating.

Joo-wan and the boy chuckled seeing your surprise, his phone started ringing and he picked it out of his pocket.

“Oh, just give me a minute, I've got to pick this call” He excused himself and went out of the door with his phone in hand, the boys gathered around you.

“Welcome to the fam, y/n!” Felix hugged you tight.

“You're gonna have so much fun!” You heard Han's voice.

“Yeah, you're gonna love it!” Minho reached out and playfully ruffled up your hair and you let out a squeal, shifting away from him.

“Minhoo, stop it!” You whined, putting your hands on your hair.

“Yeah Minho, don’t do that!” Seungmin intervened, stepping closer to you and fixing your hair.

“Thank you, Minnie” You smiled at him and his lips turned up into a mischievous smile as he ruffled up what he just fixed seconds later, chuckling “Here's it, much better”

The boys all laughed at you as you wiggled away from him.

“You two stop or I'll ask to switch groups” You whined again and the boys laughed, watching you fix your hair.

“Just arrived and already leaving? Nuh nuh, we can't let you do that” Seungmin said shaking his head.

“Yeah baby, you signed the contract you're stuck with us now. No turning back” Changbin smirked and you rolled your eyes.

“It's like a marriage,” Said Jeongin cheekly.

“Through good and bad or whatever they say” Han chuckled when Felix completed Jeongin's phrase.

“What?” You playfully crossed your arms “I want divorce, then”

“Not gonna happen sweetheart, should have read between the lines: this is not a 7 day trial, there's no turning back now!” Minho mischievous said.

“Guess I'm stuck…” You shrugged looking up to the ceiling.

“Without a doubt” Changbin nodded.

“Y'all better behave then!” You crossed your arms, rolling your eyes.

“We…” Chan started, a mischievous spark on his eyes as he look at the boys “...will definitely not do that”

“I'm not even surprised at this point” You lifted your hands and rubbed your temples.

“C'mon, you love us” Han threw an arm over your shoulder, hugging you.

“Only on even days” You rolled your eyes and they all laughed.

“Y/n!” Joo-wan appeared at the door, “Come with me, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team”

“Okay” You turned back to the boys, quickly glancing at Hyunjin as you said “See you later then” They all waved you goodbye and watched you leave.

Hyunjin pretended to not see the smirk on Felix's lips as he elbowed him.

“Let's go back to practice” He said, already heading to turn the music back on.

~ {♡} ~

Your first day of work was good, spent most of your day following Joo-wan's steps, the team was amazing and very welcoming to you. From watching their interactions you learned Joo-wan's a good boss, he's hardworking and with a vision for results but also open to the others’ ideas which was nice, not like those “pushy” bosses you met previously in your past jobs.

Also, applying for the job on JYP, you weren’t delusional to think you wouldn't come across Hyunjin, it was bound to happen sooner or later and you were fine with it.

At least that's what you said to Heyoon when you showed her the job ad.

Did she believe in you? Of course not!

To be honest, deep down not even you believed in yourself. The day you got the email announcing you got the job you played a whole fanfic in your head about how you two would meet again in the halls and sparks would fly like a Taylor Swift song and ta-da, just a few days later you'd be texting Heyoon saying you're back together.

Then, Felix's birthday happened, you hadn't heard from Hyunjin the whole week after. Did he even have your number anymore? Because he didn’t ask for it saturday.

Did he even remember what happened? Judging by the way he looked at you today, he did.

“Stop it” You looked at Heyoon when she popped your bubble of thoughts.

“But I'm not doing anything” You whined, putting your hands down on your lap.

“Puff, you've got that look in your face” Heyoon rolled her eyes.

“What look?” Your eyes widened.

“That ‘Hyunjin’ look” You could feel your cheeks burning at the accusation, but tried to sound nonchalant anyway.

“What is that even supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what it means” She grabbed your wrists and pulled your hands close, looking at them “and stop biting your nails, you're ruining the nail polish”

“Oh, I'll fix it” After seeing your teeth ripped off the tip of your nail polish you jumped out of the couch and went to your bathroom, coming back with the manicure basket and placing it on the coffee table. You picked the color you used previously.

“No, not this color, it's looking boring” She took the little basket from your hands and fished the crimson glass “Use this, much better” She shook it with a grin and put it in your hand.

“I don’t know Yoon, I think it’s a little too much for work, I usually use this one for when I’m going out” You looked at the glass uncertainty.

“Exactly! Perfect for our double date with Tae-joon and Min Kyu” She clapped and you looked at her confused.

“Uh, the text I sent you earlier? Tae wants to meet up tomorrow, and he said his friend asked about you, so…”

“Oh yeah, right. The coffee date” You vaguely remembered her text floating somewhere in the conversation you two were engaging earlier.

“I was expecting you’d be more excited? He's so cute and has dimples!” Your friend's reaction made you chuckle.

“He is, but don’t you think it's a little weird tho? I mean… Hyunjin's tongue was inside my mouth just minutes after he left”

“Yeah, but it was because of a silly game and it was just in your mouth because I interrupted because otherwise it would be inside your…” She teased.

“Bestie, shhh. Don't say it!” You felt your cheeks burning as you jumped and covered her mouth, muffling her laugh.

“And he left before it happened, he had no idea anyway. Plus… It's been like forever since you've been on a proper date, you could use a little distraction…” Heyoon playfully poked your side and you jumped. “Get some d…”

“Heyoon!” You exclaimed and she laughs more.

~ {♡} ~

Hyunjin saw you kneeling on the floor, your cheek against the glass of the vending machine while your arm was shoved inside, he chuckled at your visible struggle and decided to walk to you. He stopped just a few steps behind you and crossed his arms, you cursed under your breath, too annoyed at the machine to realize he was there.

You pulled your arm back and smacked the machine to make the can fall, your attempt was unsuccessful. You sighed.

“C'mon, I don’t have any more money left!” You cried out, smacking it again.

You heard chuckles and turned around, seeing Hyunjin stepping closer and you sighed.

“Breaking stuff on your first week? Hm, I don’t think Joo-wan will like to hear about that”

“What do you want?”

“I just finished practice, thought I'd grab something to drink, but now I can’t because you broke the machine”

“It was already broken when I arrived!” You complained, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

“Yeah, right” He smirked and placed a hand on your shoulder, slightly pushing you to the side.

You watched intently as he kneeled down in front of the machine and shoved his arm inside like you previously did, easily grabbing the Sprite that was stuck.

He stood up and gave it to you.

“Thanks” You murmured while taking it, your fingers brushing briefly.

He didn’t show any reaction, neither did you, but deep inside you shivered. Just like him.

You opened the can and took a sip, he watched as you leaned on the wall and grabbed your phone from your backpocket, absentmindedly scrolling.

“You're unbelievable” He scoffed, crossing his arms.

“Excuse me?” You looked up confused at him.

“One day, you're going all octopus on me, and the other you act as if I don’t exist” His tone gave away his annoyance and the way he rolled his eyes just confirmed it.

“What? You were the one getting all handsy!” You stopped mid way from drinking your soda, side eyeing him.

He smirked at you, grabbing the can off your hand and taking a long sip.

You gulped as you watched his adam's apple bobbing.

“What's so interesting for you to be ignoring me, anyways?” He grabbed your phone from your hand, looking at the screen with curiosity.

He saw you had your calendar open, various notes with work stuff related content written, as he was reading, a notification popped up and he rolled his eyes. It was a text from Min Kyu.

“Give it back!” You tried to grab your phone back, but he turned his back to you, his fingers quickly typing something.

“What are you doing? Give it back!” You tried to reach and pick the device from him again, but he wiggled from you and lifted his arm up, holding your phone above his head, laughing as you failed to reach.

“Oh y/n, you're not supposed to be on your phone during work hours, you know?” He shook your phone in front of you, pulling it back when you tried to pick it again.

“Last night was great, wanna meet up again Friday?” Hyunjin mocked, reading the words from Min Kyu's text to you. His gaze met yours as he continued, now reading what he replied as you “No, thanks!”

“Oh my God, stop it!” Your cheeks were burning from embarrassment, you smacked his chest and he feigned hurt, placing his hand where you hit him. You quickly grabbed your phone back, checking to see what he really did.

“You sent it” You looked back at him surprised, for a moment you thought he was just pretending to annoy you.

“Of course I did, I was even polite, so I don’t know why you are so bothered by it” He scoffed and continued, his voice low now, as he stared at your eyes “Plus… You will be busy with me, so it's not like you will be free anyways”

“With you?” Your heart skipped a beat and you truly hoped he didn’t notice the weakness in your voice or the spark that crossed your eyes.

“Yeah, we got some stuff from the tour to discuss, we got a meeting at the studio after we record some new songs” He shrugged, speaking nonchalantly, grinning when he saw your lips turning down in a disappointment you failed to conceal in time before getting caught.

“It's written on your calendar” His tone now was teasing as he approached you, and you mentally cursed yourself, looking down.

You felt his fingers touch your chin, lifting your face up to look at him, his gaze intense as it met your eyes.

“You thought it was just us?” Hyunjin grinned, he had a mischievous spark in his eyes as he teased you, his fingers still holding your chin.

“What? No, of course not!” You shook your head in denial and he chuckled.

“Cute” Your heart jumped as you watched him lean closer, whispering in a secretive way, as if somebody could hear your conversation, although there were only the two of you in the hall “Maybe we could…”

“Get lost!” He shouted and you jolted, heart almost escaping up your throat.

“What the hell?” Your hand flew to your chest, feeling your rapid heart beat. You were so entranced by him, that you didn’t see when he looked over you, spotting the heads peeking behind the wall meters away from you both.

“No, not you” He shook his head and pointed behind you “These two”

You turned around and all you saw was a fast glimpse of the brunette and blonde hairs as they pulled back inside.

Thanks to the sunshine twins, the mood was ruined now and you wouldn't sleep at night thinking about what Hyunjin was about to say.

Your cheeks were burning when you turned back to him and noticed Hyunjin was annoyed as he took another long sip of your soda, he jerked his head for you to look behind you again, there was Joo-wan coming with some papers in hand looking for you.

“Thanks for the soda!” Hyunjin quickly tapped your shoulder before leaving, lifting his hand and waving the can of Sprite before chugging it as he walked to the other direction.

“Hey, that’s mine!” You screamed at him, taking one step to follow him but being stopped on your track by Joo-wan's hand on your shoulder. You heard Hyunjin's laugh as he passed through the door.

“Y/n, great to see you here. I've got some things to discuss with you…” Joo-wan was agitated as he handed you the papers, speaking fast as he listed all the details you needed to take care of: contact with stylists, location for the promo photoshoots, confirm the special appearances on tv shows, just to say a few.

“...also show the ideas for the boys and see if they want to make any changes and all that” He glanced at you giving a thumbs up “Got it?”

“Yeah yeah, I will talk with them” You nodded, trying to make mental notes from everything he said to you.

“Don't worry, soon enough you will know all those things by heart” He chuckled, giving you a reassuring smile and flexing his arm “Fighting!”

“Fighting!” You repeated, flexing your arm too.

“Have you tried this? It says it's supposed to give you an energy boost, they have it in the cafeteria” Joo-wan showed you the little carton on his hand, it said high on caffeine on it and you chuckled, that’s why he was so energetic.

“Oh, I think I should go and try it then” You smiled politely at him as you excused yourself, there was a long day ahead.

~ {♡} ~

It was lunch time which meant the cafeteria was quite crowded when you made your way to the line and grabbed some food. As you walked around looking for a place to sit, a loud shout caught your attention, and you turned to the left to be greeted by the boys.

“Hey new girl, come sit with us!” Changbin shouted and you laughed, making your way to their table. You sat between Chan and Jeongin, Jisung was in front of you on the opposite side with Hyunjin by his side.

Enjoying your meals together, laughing and chatting with them felt good, just like the old good times you spent together in this same place. The cafeteria may have changed, but luckily your friendship remained the same.

You and Hyunjin weren’t talking, but the stolen glimpses of each other sure felt like that time too, those cute early stages when you would keep looking at him, trying to get his attention and praying he would ask you out.

“Hyunee” A girl appeared by his side and you automatically rolled your eyes and didn't see it but he noticed it and smirked. Oh, just like the old times, indeed.

“Hyun, you're meeting me up later to help me practice, right?” The girl had that tone, and it annoyed you even more.

“Yeah, sure” He might had sounded nonchalantly but he stared directly at you when he replied, clearly with the intention of annoying you.

“He can't help you today” You nonchalantly said, shrugging.

“Excuse me?” She raised an eyebrow looking at you in disbelief.

“He's busy with the group activities” You replied not even bothering looking at her, still eating your lunch.

“Mhm, maybe we could meet up…” She rolled her eyes at you and placed her hand on Hyunjin's arm.

It looked like a claw squeezing the flesh and your grip on the hashi got tighter.

“Beloved? I think you didn't hear me right, so I will say it again, he's very busy, which means he has no time, okay?” Your voice was sweet, calm even, such a contrast to how you were feeling inside when you saw she wouldn’t let go of his arm.

“Plus, Jyp didn't contract dance instructors for trainees to bother idols like this, did you have any problem with choreography? Ask for their help and work harder”

The boys looked at you in awe, including Hyunjin - who was smirking the whole time - clearly enjoying the situation, you couldn’t help it, the words were slipping off your mouth as if they had come to life.

It wasn't jealousy. Of course not.

You’d intervene if it was with any of the boys, it was just basic etiquette, it just happened to be with Hyunjin. It's insane how it always happens to be him.

If stares could kill, you'd fall drop dead right there.

“Chae-hee, you're a trainee part of LuaX, right? We weren’t introduced yet, I'm y/n and I'm the…” You kept your sweet persona, even feigning a smile at her.

“Our leader” Chan said giggling at the same time you said you were their staff.

“You… know who I am?” Chae-hee's eyes were widened in surprise, and you wanted to laugh at how her aura changed so suddenly.

“Who doesn't?” Seungmin scoffed and Minho nodded, chuckling, he had a point.

Chae-hee was known in the halls not only for her beauty, but also for her demeanor. She's new to the agency, just joined as a trainee at the end of last year, but already has two strikes under her name.

“Oh sweetheart, of course I do. What type of staff would I be if I didn’t?” That was a lie, you only knew who she was because you recognized her from the pictures and tea spilled to you by other staff people.

Honestly, it was none of your business what she’s been up to. Until now…

You looked around before leaning in, as if you were about to share a secret, and you kind of were.

“I don’t even know if I should be telling you this but you've been walking on thin ice lately” Your gaze went to her hand on his arm then back at her “I think you don’t wanna get caught on the same drama again, do you?”

She pulled her hand off, shaking her head at you. Hyunjin and the boys quietly chuckled looking at each other, it was never so easy to get rid of Chae-hee like it was now.

“Yeah, I thought so” You leaned back on your chair, smiling at her “This life can be quite difficult, specially for someone who haven’t debuted yet”

Chae-hee looked down, her expression was quite hard to read, but at least she let go of his arm, so you took that as a good sign. Right?

But then a spark crossed her eyes and she leaned in, whispering something in his ear, and you gripped the hashi again as you watched him nodding. She stood up again and looked at you with a smirk.

“Well, guess I'm going. See you around, y/n, boys” She still had that teasing smirk as she passed you and you rolled your eyes.

“What annoying bitch” You murmured under your breath and Chan giggled and murmured he agreed.

“Wow new girl, the way you protected your man was hot” Changbin's comment made you choke on your water.

“Oh my God, no no, he's not…” Your cheeks were burning and you placed your glass back down.

“It didn’t see like it when you were making out at the party” Seungmin teased and the boys chuckled.

“That was just a silly game, we were drunk. Plus, Changbin kissed Chaeryeong and it doesn't mean they are dating”

“This way you hurt my feelings” Hyunjin chuckled and you glanced at him and he stopped.

“Uh, actually we are” Changbin confessed shyly and you turned back to look at him, your mouth falling agap and you squealed.

“Okay, you gotta tell me everything!” Your enthusiasm made the boys chuckle, they missed your spontaneous reactions. Yeah, it felt good to be back.

~ {♡} ~

Arriving in the agency, your hands were full as you jiggled the coffee cups you brought for the boys: a little treat for their hard work. It had been a month since you came back and things were great, well, almost everything.

New house? Beautiful.

Work? Amazing.

Your love life? Thanks to Hyunjin, it went from 5 to 0 really quick.

You and Min Kyu were still in touch but he was super busy with work and to top that, he would be leaving for a couple days for a work trip, so you barely talked. But if you were being honest, it's not like you really cared.

Yeah, you knew this was ‘wrong’, you were tired of hearing Heyoon go off about how cute you'd look together, how Hyunjin belonged to the past, how you needed to be a strong independent woman who didn't need a man, bla bla bla, but the heart wants what the heart wants, and yours only wanted him.

As for him, he was very aware of your feelings, ever since day one, damn ever since you laid your eyes on that cute boy who held the door for you when you arrived at the agency for the first time. He wanted you too, but he was younger and full of hormones, he was just a boy, thinking with his other head, and there were also the bans, he later would learn wasn't as black and white as it seemed, and the pressure from his building career…

You know the saying: what is a drop on a glass already full of water?

Well, in Hyunjin's perspective, it was all it took for the glass to overflow.

‘Maybe we should stop this’, was what you told him that night, ‘Yeah, maybe we should', was his reply, and just like that, there was no you and Hyunjin anymore. You wouldn’t lie, the thought of him wanting to end things with you crossed your mind more times than you'd like to admit, and you'd cry at night and even avoid him the next day, as if this silly act would prevent you from hearing the words coming out of his mouth.

Why were you the one saying it then? You didn't know for sure, you were stressed, drunk, and most importantly you thought he would tell you to go to sleep, tomorrow would be a new day. It's just that he didn’t, he was acting weird for days, you felt it even from the way he kissed you, something was off, but then he didn’t even ask you why, didn't even try to change your mind, he only gave you one more kiss, a “goodbye” one before he watched you go back inside your house.

That kiss was good, unlike that other one, it gave you hope you'd wake the next day to a text from him and you’d spend the day together and this conversation never happened. But unfortunately, you woke to a thousand messages from Heyoon, telling you that he got back to the party, shortly after he left you home.

~ {♡} ~

Back to the present, everyday you sacrificed those 5 more minutes of sleep to put on your makeup and get all dolled up for work, looked for excuses to talk to him or just be around him, tried to catch his attention, truly oblivious to the sunshine twins keeping up with you two like their personal kdrama.

One day during practice, Han even had the audacity to appear with some candies, handing them to Felix as he sat on the couch, both watching intently as Hyunjin was teasing you about what he was planning to do on tour:

“For real, y/n. Just imagine it, me walking in the crowd during Get Lit, stays will go crazy!” He was gesturing with his hands, his eyes sparkling and he could clearly picture the image on his head, and it wasn't of the stays going crazy, no no, it was you with fire coming from your eyes.

“Yeah, they will and that's exactly the problem!” You rolled your eyes and he chuckled softly.

“I don’t see how giving the fans the best day of their lives could be a problem” He chuckled again.

“You know exactly what I'm talking about” You stared at him, then had a realization as he was slightly pulling his t-shirt up, a peak of his abs showing.

“Oh my God, that's why you are hitting the gym lately, to let people feel you up!” Your eyes widened and he smirked, taking a few steps to close the distance between you, his piercing eyes locked with yours.

“Don't be jealous, y/nnie. I let you feel me up too…” His voice was low, his hands still on the hem of his t-shirt, that devilish grin appearing on his plump lips and he leaned in.

“I'll let you feel everything” He whispered in your ear, making your cheeks burn and a shiver ran down your body.

“Oh, he's sexy” Felix murmured, eating his candy, his eyes fixated on you and Hyunjin, Han nodded, his cheeks fluffy from his mouth full of candy. Neither you or Hyunjin noticed them watching you.

Teasing you, that seemed to be Hyunjin's favorite hobby after painting, annoying you with his comments, blocking your way as you’d walk around, stealing your drinks and food, and even sending you kisses while practicing. He was having fun, especially when he could get you all flustered.

~ {♡} ~

“Protein cookies n cream shake for you” You handed Changbin his beverage, he happily thanked you.

“A strawberry frappuccino for you…” You handed Felix his and his face lighted up as he took a sip.

“And an iced americano for you” You were about to hand Hyunjin his, when you saw he already had a cup on his hand. “Oh, you already got one” He noticed your lips slightly turning down and looked around.

“Hey Wook, you like vanilla latte?” He called the other staff who was nearby.

“Yeah, why?” Wook replied, coming closer to him.

“Here, for you” Hyunjin handed him the cup he has holding and picked yours from your hand “And this one is mine”

“Hmm, much better, thanks y/nnie” He said after taking a sip and for a moment you wondered why he had a drink he didn’t like.

Maybe he was in a hurry and ordered it wrong. Maybe the waiter was too busy and got it wrong. Or… Chae-hee.

Her name was written in the cup when Wook drank. You scoffed, after your first and much luckily only encounter, she had been quiet, out of sight out of mind, at least that's what you thought, but truth is that Chae-hee has been subtly around, in the coffees Hyunjin always pass up to someone at the reception, hanging on the agency at evening when everyone was gone but the boys, and she would “forget” something behind and needed to come get back.

Neither Hyunjin or the boys told you about those things, it was just a normal day in their lives at this point, each experienced it too at some moment or better saying moments, the girls were usually trainees or newly idols and if they were lucky, they would get their way with them. He wouldn’t tell you, but despite being a bitch, Chae-hee was his type so yes he was attracted to her, and yes he was thinking about having his fun with her and he would, if he didn’t see you at the boys’ party that day.

“What's wrong?” Hyunjin asked, nudging you after he plopped down by your side on the couch.

“Nothing, why?” The boys were all sprawling out on the floor, panting as they just finished practicing, you glanced at him, sweaty and hot in his gray sweatpants, you looked away.

“You are acting weird today, quiet even. It's so unlike you, what's worrying that pretty little head of yours?” He looked at you, leaning closer and your heart skipped a beat.

“Did I do something?” Ironically, Hyunjin didn’t have that teasing tone this time.

“What? No, of course not” You brushed off, shrugging and looking away.

He didn’t do anything and that's exactly what the problem was.

“I just had a hard time sleeping tonight, that’s all” You sighed.

“Couldn’t stop thinking about me, I see” He chuckled lightly.

“You wish!” You scoffed. Obviously he was right, you were watching vídeos of him before bed, but he didn’t need to know that.

“I know. You don’t fool me, doll” His hand landed on your thigh casually, and you turned to him again. Your heart skipped a beat.

“So, what was it, fanfics, fancams, TikToks?” His fingertips drummed on your thigh and his eyes sparkled “Thirsty TikToks, maybe?” Hyunjin squeezed your thigh and you jolted, flustering hard and he chuckled, letting go of the flesh and giving it gentle taps.

“It was!” Hyunjin grinned and he leaned even closer.

“Ohh y/nnie, you know you don’t need these things, I can take care of it for you. You know?” His fingers dangerously slidding to your inner thigh as he whispered “All you have to do is ask nicely”

Your skin tingled under his touch and you were glad you chose pants instead of a skirt today, that way there was zero risk of him or anyone see the damp in your panties. Sighing under your breath, you placed your hand over his, stopping his moves.

“No, it wasn't” You murmured through gritted teeth and he chuckled, you turned away again.

“Hey lovebirds, sucking face's only after work. Let's keep it professional, shall we?” Minho shouted at you two, and all the boys laughed, Hyunjin included. You flipped Minho off.

“Alright, boys. Break is over, let’s start again” Chan stood up and the boys whined.

“I will get back to practice now, try not to miss me much” He playfully smacked your thigh and got up, running back to the center of the room to reunite with the boys.

~ {♡} ~

“Na-yeon isn't a good dancer, she keeps messing the routine up, Hong-jo” Chae-hee kept playing with the straw of her finished juice, sitting on the chair in front of the main staff responsible for LuaX.

“She did pretty well at last’s week showcase” Hong-jo pushed Chae-hee's feet off her table.

“Hunf, that’s only because she knew you'd be watching, she isn't like this normally” Chae-hee leaned in, resting her face on her hands “I think you should switch our positions, let me take the center”

“Chae-hee…”

“Please, please, Hong-jo. At least think about it” She put her hands together as she pleaded.

“Fine” Hong-jo sighed “Now, excuse me. I need to finish some working and you need to record with the girls” The staff tapped her on the shoulder, motioning for the girl to get off of her chair.

“Thank you, Hong-jo” Chae-hee got up in a jump and happily exited the staff's office.

“Hey lady, don’t go there” A female voice surprised Chae-hee as she touched the restroom's door knob, she turned around with curiosity.

“The door knob is broken, you could end up stuck” The woman stopped in front of the door, pinning a warning sign.

“Oh, I will go for another one then, thank you” The woman smiled at Chae-hee and walked away.

Chae-hee was looking around at the posters hanging at wall, she stopped in front of the Stray Kids one, smirking while she admired Hyunjin. That was when she heard your voice from another room.

What a coincidence, you were complaining to someone that you should slow down on the water, because now you had to go to the restroom every 10 minutes and you were afraid you'd have to leave in the middle of an important meeting that was just about to start.

An idea popped in her mind and she smirked.

Ever since you met, everything has changed and Chae-hee noticed it, but that was okay, she wasn't stressing over it, nobody ever said No to her before, and she wouldn’t let this be the first time, but as much as she hated to admit, you were right and she had to be careful. Careful and have patience.

Quickly, Chae-hee pulled the sign off and ran, turning the left just in time before you opened the door and stepped into the empty hall. You knocked on the door and were glad it was empty, you didn't think you’d make it until you reached the other restroom.

You got in and locked the door. Chae-hee waited a bit before going back and pinning the warning up and running away again.

After finishing, you washed your hands and went to unlock the door, it made a muffled - tique - sound and didn't open. You tried again, nothing.

Weird, you thought to yourself, trying once more, pulling the door knob with a little force. Another tique sound, this time louder.

You held the handle as it fell off from the door. Trying to put it back, you realized it didn't attach, oh shit.

Grabbing your phone from your backpocket, you quickly typed a message to Joo-wan, letting him know that you were stuck. You frowned when you got the notification: your message couldn’t be delivered, you sighed, trying Woo’s number, same, the group chat, nothing.

You tried calling, but it failed too. Looking down at your phone, the tiny sign of out of service was up on the screen.

“Is there anybody here?” You screamed three times, but didn't get any response.

There wasn't, it was morning, time of the day most of the meetings happened, which meant the staff people were in the designated rooms that of course had to be far away from where you were.

Tried using your phone again, still out of service. The notification of the meeting popped up on the screen and you wanted to cry, wasn't just important because it was about the tour, but also you were going to present yours and the boys ideas, you needed to get out.

“Woah, watch out!” Na-yeon held a very giggly Chae-hee who stumbled on her while running.

“Na-yeon!” Chae-hee's eyes widened “What were you doing here?”

“I was about to go to the restroom and grab some water, why?” Na-yeon stared at her with curiosity.

“Don't go there, the door's broken. Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria, I will buy you a juice” Chae-hee turned Na-yeon around and threw her arm around her shoulder, squeezing her as they walked together.

“Oh, thanks but you really don’t need to” Na-yeon shook her head, she was confused, Chae-hee never treated her with anything, wasn’t even nice to her to be honest.

“I insist “Chae-hee grip on her arm got slightly tighter, she had a grin on her lips “You did so well during the showcase, you'll be a star Na-yeon”

“You thought so? Thank you, Chae-hee” Na-yeon smiled with sincerity, truly believing the older words.

“Of course, you were amazing!” And just like that, Chae-hee guided her away from the hall, and especially: away from a desperate and locked you.

~ {♡} ~

Hyunjin was walking in circles at this point, in almost two months working there, it was the first time you didn't show up for a meeting. Thinking about it, he just realized he didn’t see you at all today.

Damn, he was missing you.

He walked around, discreetly sneaking up to the staff's office, practice rooms, cafeteria and no sight of you. The strangest part was that today was important, and it wasn't like you to miss meetings.

“Can you stop?” Hyunjin stopped shaking his leg when Felix asked.

“Sorry” And Felix laughed, touching his own head.

“Much better, I was feeling like you were trying to make my brain fall off” He chuckled, his eyes still closed as he kept lying on Hyunjin's lap.

“Don't worry, she’s fine” Felix smirked.

“I am not worried” Hyunjin scoffed “I just find it strange, she never misses work”

“Maybe she was busy” Felix said nonchalantly, and Hyunjin scoffed again.

“Too busy to even stop a little and come see us?” Hyunjin was quick, he almost said ‘me’ instead of ‘us’, but of course Felix knew what he meant, and chuckled.

“Yeah, right, she would never forget us like that” And Hyunjin rolled his eyes.

“Hmm, yesterday she mentioned something about not feeling so well, maybe she took the day off” Felix opened his eyes and smirked teasing his friend “Maybe we could stop by her place later, pay her a visit”

Hyunjin noded absentmindedly, maybe Felix was right, you probably weren’t feeling too well and took a day off to rest.

“Awn, look at him missing his girlfriend, how cute” Felix lifted his hand and pinched Hyunjin's cheek.

“Stop it” Hyunjin slapped his hand away, but his cheeks turned slightly pink from the blonde's comment.

Meanwhile, you were still stuck. Doing your best to stay calm, you kept trying to text and call your contacts, to shout in hope someone would be passing by, but it’s been 3 hours now, and you were getting scared, it was not possible the same agency with halls that are always so full of people, suddenly be so empty today.

People were passing, but very few and they were all busy speaking with their headphones.

You were sitting on the floor, hugging your knees, some tears rolled down your face.

“I am stuck, somebody help, please” You sighed and then you heard some steps, you got up and started smacking the door to try to catch their attention.

But just like it appeared, the footsteps were gone, you rested your forehead against the door. Maybe you imagined it.

Chae-hee stepped away, covering her mouth to prevent her giggles to escape, she kept coming every now and then, having fun as she heard your calls for help. She was going to let you out, she wasn't mean, she just needed for you to mess up your work and as a bonus, stay away from Hyunjin too.

She grinned, clapping her hands. It was a win/win situation for her.

~{♡}~

5 and half an hour in, you picked a candy you kept in your pocket, your phone battery was getting low and it was scaring you more.

You were rolling the wrapping paper around your fingers, an attempt to calm you down when you heard some whistling and you stood up again.

Ice cream, it was his whistle. He was here.

“Hyunjin?” You screamed, crossing your fingers it was him and he would hear you.

“Y/n?” He stopped on track, looking around.

“Hyunjin, oh my God, it's really you!” You started crying and he saw the warning on the door.

“Y/n, calm down. What's happening?” He tried to sooth you, thinking for a way to get you out.

“The door's knob came out and won't come back, I've been stuck here all day, help me, please” You cried out, Hyunjin tried to open it from the outside, but it only made a click sound and nothing, you cried again.

“Okay, calm down, I will get you out” He ran his hands through his hair “Step back”

“Okay” You took a few steps back, nervously fidgeting the hem of your shirt.

Hyunjin turned the knob again, twisting it a few times before pushing the door and turning again with force, seeing it didn't work, he took a step back and kicked the door with all his strenght.

One, two times and then the door was open.

“Hyunjin!” All it took was just a few long strides and you threw yourself on him, wrapping your arms around his neck and holding him tight.

“Shh, I'm here, everything's okay now” He soothed you, running his hand through your hair, holding you tight too, until your breathing calmed down.

“Why did you get in here? Didn't you read the sign?” He asked when he broke the embrace, but kept holding you by your shoulders.

“What sign? There was nothing when I came here” You wipped the tears away and turned to look at the door, seeing the warning sign that clearly wasn't there before.

“That's so weird, I don’t remember seeing this before” You tried to remember. Were you in such a hurry to use the toilette that you didn’t pay attention?

Well, you were a little distracted, so wouldn’t be strange if that was what happened.

“Hm, maybe you slow down a little, you are working too hard” You nodded and he grabbed your wrist “Now c'mon, let’s get out of here”

“Oh wait, just a minute!” You subtly pulled your hand back and stepped in front of the mirror.

Your eye mascara was messed up from crying and your make up was a little smudged, so you grabbed some tissues. Hyunjin crossed his arm, watching as you fixed it.

“Alright, now we can go” You turned to him when you finished.

“You're cute” He chuckled and held his hand out for you and you took it, shaking your head as you two went to the other room to pick your purse and leave.

It felt natural. It felt good.

Chae-hee just finished her practice and was going to free you, when she saw you and Hyunjin walking at the end of the hall. He was nudging you and you both were laughing, Chae-hee groaned, that wasn't suppose to happen.

Thinking quickly, she picked up her phone and snapped a picture. She smirked, looking at the screen.

“What are you doing?” Na-yeon stopped by her side.

“Oh Na-yeon, isn't it obvious? I'm gathering proof” The younger looked at her with confusion and Chae-hee rolled her eyes.

“No dating in the workplace?”

“Ohh, no dating idols rule!” Na-yeon exclaimed and then murmured giggling “This one you know too well”

“What did you say?” Chae-hee snapped and Na-yeon shook her head, stopping.

“Nothing, nothing” The older side eyed her, scoffing.

“But, who do you think are dating?”

“Hyunjin and y/n, haven’t you just seem them?” Her face twisted in annoyance, you two were gone.

“Yeah and?” Na-yeon questioned her “They didn't see to be doing anything, but talk”

“Oh my God, Na-yeon! Stop being so naive!” Chae-hee rubbed her temples.

“It's obvious something’s going on, he was wrapped around my finger and now he changed after this girl came around”

If you asked Na-yeon or anyone from their circle, they would tell you a different story, but Chae-hee was mad and Na-yeon thought it would be better no disagree with her fanfic now.

“She's his staff, she needs to talk to him. I’m sure it’s nothing” The brunette lightly rubbed the other's arm, trying to sooth.

“Hmm, should I go talk with Chan or straight to Joo-wan?” Chae-hee was thinking out loud, tapping the tip of her phone on her chin.

“Or maybe you could just leave it?” Na-yeon suggested and Chae-hee rolled her eyes.

“Na-yeon, at which side are you?”

“Yours, of course” Na-yeon replied without even thinking “And that's why I'm telling you to let it go, I don’t want you to get in trouble”

“Hmm, okay” Was all Chae-hee said.

She wouldn’t leave it aside.

~ {♡} ~

“Are we close yet?” You turned to Hyunjin with curiosity.

“Almost there” He chuckled, taking a turn on the road. It was the second time you asked.

You opened the Mc Donalds bag that you were holding and picked some french fries and ate them.

“I’m serious, we are almost there” Hyunjin chuckled when he side glanced you and saw you enjoying your fries.

“Ugh, I’m starving” You admitted and he chuckled again.

“Gimme some too” He opened his mouth and you giggled.

“Here” You took some fries and fed him, your eyes widened when he unnecessarily wrapped his lips around your fingertips, you quickly pulled your hand, flustering.

“Uh, enough fries. We can eat more when we arrive” You said shyly and he chuckled.

You spent the rest of the drive in silence, it felt awkward for you, but luckily it lasted just about 10 minutes until he stopped in a secluded spot. You recognized the place right away, Seokchon Park.

“Let’s sit outside” He gently tapped your thigh, his hand felt warm against your skin.

“Hm, sit outside while wearing a skirt? I don’t think it’s a good idea” You’d regret your clothing choice today, but he just touched your thigh so you could say it was the right option.

“It's okay, there's only us here. Nobody's gonna see anything” He shrugged.

“That's just one of the problems” You shook your head and he got it right away.

“C’mon doll, we can't properly see the stars from here. Let's go outside” He nudged your side and grinned, that grin that could convince you to do anything he wanted.

“Fine” You sighed and his grin got wider, but then you pointed a finger at him “But no funny business!”

“Okay, no funny business” He grinned and got out of the car, followed by you.

He helped you climb on the car hood, and you sat by his side, handing him his burger and grabbing yours. You listened intently as Hyunjin told you about the meeting and his day, as you two ate, he assured you he and the boys talked about your ideas and Joo-wan was excited to bring them to life, and it made you smile a little, you were still disappointed you couldn’t be there with them.

Hyunjin and you finished eating and were enjoying the silence, drinking your milk-shake and looking at the stars. You felt chills when you glanced at him while he wasn't looking, he looked so pretty under the moonlight.

You sighed and he looked at you, making you quickly turn away and he quietly chuckled. He observed you as you finished your milk-shake, still looking anywhere but him.

He slowly scooted closer and you kept acting unbothered, until his knee was touching yours, he quietly chuckled, finding your attempt to ignore him endearing. His hand rested on your exposed thigh, fingertips tracing lazy patterns on your skin, near your knee.

You quickly glanced down and stood still, but your skin was tingling. His hand slid further up a little, his gaze locked on you, watching intently as you kept looking away and bit the straw.

Hyunjin scooted closer, as if it was that even possible, his body almost pressing against yours, fingertips dangerously coming closer to the hem of your skirt and you sighed.

“You didn't thank me for saving you” His voice was low, his eyes still on you.

“Of course I did!” You put your cup down and looked at him.

“Uh uh, I mean a proper thank you” He shook his head, his movements stopped but his hand kept on your thigh.

“That would be?” You raised an eyebrow, and he turned his face, poking his cheek with a mischievous smile.

Your heart could explode from his cuteness, but you tried to act nonchalantly as you leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

“Good, now?” You asked when you pulled back.

“Nuh nuh, more” He shook his head, and you chuckled slightly.

“More?”

“Uhumm” He nodded, his eyes were closed and that mischievous smile was still there.

You leaned in, kissing his cheek again, and again and again as he kept saying “more”, until he started to slowly turn his head and when you realized, he was capturing your lips with his, cupping your face and you didn't try to pull back, no, instead you kissed him back, giving him sweet little kisses until you felt his tongue on your bottom lip and then entering in your mouth.

Smiling, you felt his thumb caressing your cheek, his tongue slowly touching yours as your lips moved in sync. He tasted sweet, like strawberry, and your heart was beating so fast, you could swear he was listening.

The minutes were going by, you whining every time he would part from you for breathing, chasing his lips again, you didn't need air, you needed him. His kisses were so good, you'd kiss him forever if he'd let you, so he would smile and give you small pecks before starting to kiss you again, loving how you craved more of him.

His hand slowly slid down from your cheek to your neck, until it reached its final destination: he lightly squeezed your breast and the soft sound that escaped your lips just pushed him to do it again, but squeezing a little harder now. Hyunjin's lips started making a trail of kisses to your jaw and you tilted your head slightly, giving him a better access to your neck, your skin was tingling as he started nibbling the sensitive spot.

“Jinnie…”

“Hm?” He hummed, lips still attached to your neck, alternating between kissing and nibbling.

“We can't do it here…” You sighed, he was pulling the collar of your shirt down, and you knew he was about to mark you.

“Hmm, yeah… You're right” He fixed your shirt and hopped off the car. You looked at him with surprise, was he really giving up so easily?

Of course not.

“Let’s get back inside” He held his hand out for you and helped you get down.

“Backseat, lady” You giggled when you felt his hands on your shoulder, turning you and gently guiding you to the second door, when you tried to open the passenger's one.

“We aren’t doing anything tho…” You warned him, sliding on the seat, quickly followed by him “No funny business, remember?”

“Right, I'm not doing anything” Hyunjin words didn't match his actions, as he held your waist and wasted no time in swiftly pulling you up on his lap.

“Hyunjin!” You squealed in surprise and he tilted his head.

“Yeah, say my name again” He closed his eyes and smirked.

“Stop it!” You smacked his arm and he chuckled, opening his eyes and staring at yours, but then his laughing stopped, his gaze getting darker as he leaned closer.

“Don't worry, we won’t do anything. I just wanna play with it a little, and you'll let me, right?” His hands found their way on your butt, he grabbed the flesh through the fabric of your skirt, pulling you closer to him and you sighed, nodding.

“Good girl” You clenched around nothing when you heard him saying that, his hands going to the hem of your shirt and getting under the fabric.

Feeling the warmth of your skin under his palms made him hum in satisfaction, and you regretted choosing simple cotton panties today. But it’s not like you imagined Hyunjin would be playing with the waistband of it on a random tuesday, better saying, you did, more times you'd like to admit, you just didn't think today would be the day.

Well, at least that was okay, Hyunjin liked it when you’d wear them, ‘feels more spontaneous' like this.

He made another trail of kisses from your jaw up to your lips, kissing you slowly as his fingers hooked on the waistband, playing with it.

“Feel it? How much I missed you?” He groaned as he pressed his bulge on you, and you saw stars when your hips involuntarily rocked against it.

“Hmm, I'm guessing you missed me too?” He whispered and you nodded slightly.

“Let’s see how much you missed me…” And there it was, that devilish grin on his lips as his hand went to the front of your panties, fingertips brushing against your middle.

His free hand went back to pull the collar of your shirt and he darted his tongue out, slowly licking before starting sucking your skin, he felt his fingers getting wet through the fabric and Hyunjin's hum of satisfaction was easily the prettiest sound you've ever heard, better saying, the second, first was when he moaned your name.

You shivered, letting your own hands roam over his shoulders and chest, quietly sighing and tugging his t-shirt when you felt him pressing his fingers against your panties, rubbing your pussy through the fabric. You buried your face on his shoulder, your hips moving against his fingers, you whined in annoyance.

“Is this annoying you, doll?” He teased you, grinning after giving you a small love bite that made you moan.

“Getting on the way?” And you nodded slightly, humming.

“Don't worry, Jinnie got you” He cooed and then pushed it to the side, his fingers now freely feeling you, getting soaked with your arousal.

So wet and warm. He groaned, imagining how good it would feel on his cock, and it twitched inside his boxer.

“Is that better?” He teased, hearing your soft muffled sounds, his fingers lazily tracing figure 8's on your clit, you kissed his shoulder, nodding.

Your hand slid under his t-shirt and his breath hitched when your nails lightly scratched his abs, his fingers increasing the pace on your bundle of nerves. You leaned in and started kissing his neck.

“Wanna take care of you, too” You murmured against his skin and your hand lightly palmed his outline and he took a deep breath.

“You… don’t need to” Hyunjin whispered, deep down wishing you wouldn't listen to him.

“Oh, but I do…” You whispered in his ear “I wanna play with it too” You cooed and bit his neck very lightly, careful because you couldn’t mark him for obvious reasons.

He groaned, twitching under your palm and you smirked, giving it a light squeeze. Dark eyes watching intently as you took your hand to your lips and delicately licked it before slid under his sweatpants and boxers, you sighed, wishing you were somewhere else, your moves were restricted, there was so much you wanted to do to him, to kiss him, explore him, to show how much you loved him…

Hyunjin could sense your frustration and deep down it made him happy, he always loved how you’d be all over him, as if you couldn’t get enough of him. He knew he should wait, make it special and all, but you were looking so cute, sitting there under the stars and the pretty full moon, he couldn’t help it, he needed to kiss you, and once he did, he couldn’t stop too.

Eyes closed, lips brushing against each other’s, turning into passionate kisses and soon enough you both were lost into your own little world, the soft sounds filling the small space getting louder as your hand dragged up and down his length, pace in sync with his digits pressing and tracing figures in your clit.

“Are you close?” You rested your forehead against his, eyes still closed as you whispered, breath hitching as you were rocking your hips against his fingers, feeling your climax building.

“Mhmm yeah, keep going” He groaned, hips bucking up, he was tensing up as he gripped tighter on your waist and fingers going faster.

You held tight into him as you came, his name slipping off your lips in a cry, head resting again on his shoulder, you kissed his neck, just a few more strokes and he was moaning your name as his warm release was slid down your fingers, you smiled against his skin, he held you tight too, pulling you closer and you stayed like that for a while, feeling each other’s heart beat as you calmed down.

~ {♡} ~

Hyunjin drove you back home, you took a nice and warm shower, changed into new pajamas, grabbed Jiniret and slid under the covers, you were almost sleeping when your phone buzzed with the notification of a new message:

Jagiya: just got back. sleep well 😘

Your heart jumped, he still had your number saved. You smiled, texting him and putting your phone back on the nightstand.

Drifting to sleep cuddling Jiniret, you had a good night of sleep after a long time.

Next day at the agency the stress started early in the practice room.

“Uh Chae-hee, I don’t understand what you want me to see?” Chan crossed his arms in front of his body and looked at her.

“Here Chan, how can you not see it?” Chae-hee pointed at the screen, the picture she took of you and Hyunjin.

Had spent most of the night working with 3racha, Chan's patience was starting to wear thin for having to deal with whatever silly drama the girl was trying to start.

“Yeah, y/n and Hyunjin walking together, so?”

“Don't you think they are too close to each other?” Chae-hee asked whispering “I mean, I was paying attention and they seem too close around the agency”

“Ah, Chae-hee, seriously?” Chan laughed “This is the ‘important’ thing you needed to talk to me about?”

“Yeah, because…” She started, but Chan motioned for her to stop, shaking his head.

Chan threw his arm over Na-yeon and the younger blushed, taking by surprise when he side hugged her. Chae-hee’s eyes widened.

“Does it look like Na-yeon and I are dating?” He asked her and she shook her head.

“Good, but let’s check again, just to make sure, okay?” He kept his arm over Na-yeon and turned them to the opposite direction, asking Minho the same question.

“What? No, what is this about?” Minho chuckled and then completed “We all know that I’m Na-yeon’s type, if she was about to date anyone from here, this would be me” He smirked and she blushed harder.

Chan chuckled, his arm leaving Na-yeon's figure and he turned back to Chae-hee.

“See? If that was the case, not only y/n would be dating all of us, but we also would be caught into a crazy net of love affairs” He shrugged.

“Heyy, good morning everyone” You entered the room followed by Hyunjin and Jeongin, Chae-hee gritted her teeth.

As your usual routine, you were handing them their coffees.

“I asked for them to slow down the caffeine today, because I heard you Mr. have been sleeping badly lately” You handed Chan his coffee.

“That's not fair, why only Hyunjin's has a heart on his?” Changbin whined “Y/nnie, are you playing favorites? I thought I was your bias”

Chae-hee glanced from you to Hyunjin and then Chan, who was just laughing with the boys.

“Binnie, gotta start exercising your brain too” Seungmin approached Changbin and turned his beverage around, showing the heart drawn on the cup.

“Ops, my bad” Changbin's cheeks turned red, making everyone laugh.

“See? I don’t have favorites, I love you all the same” You giggled “Now, I think you owe me a chocolate frappuccino as an apology”

“Oh girls, I'm sorry I didn’t know you'd be here, I'd bring you coffee too” You said to Chae-hee and Na-yeon.

“It's okay, there's no need to” Na-yeon smiled with sincerity to you. She liked you, never believing the stuff Chae-hee said about you, it was pretty clear to her that her colleague was just jealous.

“Here, to make your day sweet” You smiled at them, giving each a candy you picked from your purse.

They thanked you, Na-yeon smiling and happy, contrary to Chae-hee murmuring and annoyed.

You wouldn't lie, you weren’t pleased to see her there either, but you'd keep your distance and hopefully Hyunjin would too and everything was going to be fine.

“Well, we should be going. C'mon Na-yeon” Chae-hee pulled Na-yeon by her arm and you had the impression the girl trembled slightly.

~ {♡} ~

“I'm glad you're coming on tour with us” Hyunjin leaned on your kitchen's island, watching your back as you worked on the oven, the delicious aroma of the treat you're making filling the air.

“Me too, I’ve never traveled like this before, this will be fun” You replied, grabbing the pan and turning around to face him.

“Here is it!” You smiled, placing the pan on top of the counter and Hyunjin's mouth watered.

“Finally!” He grabbed the spoon he had separated by his side and was going to take some of the cream when you held his wrist.

“Wait, wait. It’s too hot, you're gonna burn your tongue” You warned him, there was strings of foggy coming up from inside the pan.

“Oh, c'mon” He pouted, letting go of his spoon and you chuckled. He was so cute.

Heyoon was working late today, so you invited him over. The boys didn't know he was there, both agreeing to keep it just between the two of you, Hyunjin lied to them he was going to a painting class.

They seemed to believe him, except maybe for Felix, who told him to be careful when painting the insides and giggled. That little menace, he was spending too much time with Seungmin.

You looked at him, still in his practice clothes, fluffy hair contorning his pretty face and the cutest pout ever.

“Ughh, you're so cute, I could just eat you!” You leaned up on the counter, and your hands flew to his cheeks, squeezing them a little hard in your aggressive affection moment.

Hyunjin groaned and cupped your face, pulling up, giving you a quick peck on your lips before nibbling the bottom one, making you squeal.

“Hey, what are you doing? I said I’m the one eating!” You protested, just realizing he was pulling you up over the counter when you felt his hands on your waist, your body dragging against the cold marble, butt up in the air.

“Not if I eat you up first” He murmured against your lips before giving you more kiss, then helped you get on your knees and then let your legs slid off, now properly sitting on the counter.

“You're crazy, you know that?” You chuckled, your arms flew over his shoulders, pulling him closer after he parted your legs, making room for him to stand between them.

Hyunjin chuckled and shook his head, his hands found their way on your hips, pulling you closer to him, lips brushing against yours. You closed your eyes, relishing the feeling of his soft lips, giving him sweet little kisses and nuzzling your noses together making him chuckle.

“C'mon, let’s go to the couch” You gently pushed him and hopped off the counter, grabbing the spoons with one hand and the other grabbing his wrist, Hyunjin picked the pan and followed you to the other room.

You picked the remote control on the coffee table and lied on your back on the couch, tapping your parted legs for him to settle in between. Hyunjin smiled, lying down with his back against your chest and body settling between your legs, pulling the fluffy pink blanket over you both.

He smiled again when you hugged him, arms resting over his shoulders, fingers absentmindedly caressing his chest while you watched the opening of Mr Queen.

“Mhmm, this is delicious” Hyunjin hummed after trying the treat you made. You leaned forward and gave a kiss on the top of his head.

“It's called brigadeiro. This girl who used to live in my building made them for me, and it was love at the first bite” You explained to him, happy he enjoyed it, the treat was perfect for moments like this.

“It's really good” Enjoying it so much, he almost forgot to feed you some brigadeiro too.

“Jinnie, I want some too” Hyunjin chuckled, he was sure if he turned around right now, he would see a pout on your lips.

Hyunjin got a spoonful and turned around, feeding you. He smiled watching you savoring the treat, and then gave you a peck before lying back.

While caressing him, holding him while watching your favorite drama, you couldn’t help but smile, from doing the same thing cuddling Jiniret to now getting to do it with his dad, you felt your heart full of happiness. It truly felt like a dream, and wouldn’t want anyone to pinch you.

Hours passed, the notification with a message asking if you wanted to keep watching. You looked down at him, Hyunjin was strangely quiet for a while, you soft giggled and carded your fingers through his fluffy hair.

“Hey, are you awake?” You whispered, not really wanting to wake him up, because it was good to stay like this.

Silence. You kissed the top of his head.

“Jinnie?”

“Just five more minutes” He purred sleepy, eyes still closed, holding the blanket closer. You giggled and let him nap some more, caressing his hair.

“You can spend the night, if you want to” You whispered softly and he nodded, but didn't move.

“I gotta go” He sighed after some minutes, and slowly got up, he sat and looked at you, scratching lightly.

“Really?” You pouted and he caressed your cheek with his thumb.

“Yeah, the boys don't know I am here, and Changbin will get suspicious if I don’t come back home” He shrugged, reluctantly getting up.

“Alright, then” You got up too and walked him to the door.

“I’ll stay another time, okay?” He said softly, cupping your cheeks and tilting your face to look at him and you nodded.

“And soon you'll get the chance to sleep with me every night” He teased about the tour and you flustered, shaking your head, making him chuckle.

“Don't act like you aren’t all eager, counting the days…”

“I'm not!” You tried to sound nonchalant.

“I bet you're the one responsible for booking the rooms, making sure mine's next yours…” Hyunjin had a mischievous smile while teasing you.

He was partially right, you weren’t responsible for the bookings, but you already checked how many doors until his.

You shook your head and he took your hands in his, intertwining your fingers and pulling you close to him.

“You can't wait to put your hands on me, admit it” He whispered in your ear and then leaned back, smirking at you.

“Hunf, I'm completely fine” You scoffed.

“Yeah, right…” He placed both your hands on his chest, tapping gently the back of them with his, piercing eyes locked on yours.

“For how long? Half an hour? 15 minutes maybe?” He teased and you stopped your hands that were already automatically running down.

He chuckled and you smacked him.

“Stop playing me” You whined, pouting.

“You can't keep your hands to yourself, y/nnie. It’s okay, if I was you I wouldn’t too” He teased, and honestly, he was right.

Yeah, Hyunjin was right and you were stubborn, that's how you ended up in your little bet, he was convinced you'd lost it in 3 days, a week maximum, but you'd prove him wrong. You had plans but they were ruined, as he sent you a goodnight text and a reminder that you'd be cheating if you avoided him for the next few days.

Jagiya: [sent a picture]

You drooled when you saw the selfie he sent you, of him in his bathroom, wet hair just out of the shower, you could see the droplets running down his chest.

Your hand was sliding down your shorts, when you saw the three dots: Hyunjin was typing.

Jagiya: remember, hands off yourself too, goodnight baby 😘

Your hand quickly came up and you scoffed. You could imagine his grin when he sent that, and you'd get rid of that really quick.

You got up and stopped in front of the mirror, the lilac short doll was pretty, you fluffied your hair, then pulled the top a little down, showing some cleavage to the camera and snapped a picture.

You: [sent a picture]

You: no touching! goodnight, jagiya 😘

That night Hyunjin experienced his first of many blue balls.

~ {♡} ~

“Oh, they finally fixed it. Great!” You said stopping near Na-yeon, who was getting a soda from the vending machine.

“Hi, y/n. What's up?” She turned to face you, she was smiling, nevertheless it didn't reach her eyes.

“Good. Is there something wrong?” You asked her and Na-yeon's eyes widened.

“What? No, why?” She tried to brush it off, but you saw the lilac marks on her arm as she sipped her beverage.

“Na-yeon, you're hurt. What happened?” You touched the mark and she hissed, it was recent then.

“Oh this?” Na-yeon turned her arm, looking at them and shrugging as if it was nothing “I slipped on practice, that was all”

It didn’t look like bruises you'd get from a simple fall, you were about to try to make her tell you the truth, when the can you were holding was suddenly taken off your hand. You looked from your empty hand to the boy a few steps further.

Hyunjin, of course. Na-yeon took the chance to escape you when you shouted at him, excusing herself that she needed to go practice.

“Na-yeon?” You called, but she just waved and kept walking.

You sighed and turned on your heels, you'd talk to her later. But you didn't see her for the rest of the day or week.

~ {♡} ~

Week 3 of the challenge was almost complete and even you were surprised with yourself. Especially with the amount of time you had been spending together.

Chae-hee had been around too, a little too much for your liking, if you were being honest, and although you weren’t saying much, your expressions and actions were loud enough for Hyunjin to know it was bothering you and he wanted to reassure you everything was fine.

So that’s how you ended up there that friday night, you both were hanging at his place, like you've been doing lately, but something was different and you could tell from the moment he invited you.

“Cheers to me!” You raised your glass after Hyunjin poured you more soju.

“To my balls!” He said, clinking his glass with yours and drinking the shot right away.

“Oh my God, don’t say such a thing!” You flustered, chuckling and so did him.

Hyunjin grabbed the bottle and shook, he stuck his tongue out and poured the last few drops, pouting after as he looked at the coffee table and saw the other bottles were empty too.

“Ugh, I'm so tired” He plopped by your side and stretched his arms up then they fell on his thighs.

You didn't miss it when his hand slid dangerously to his waistband, but something clearly clicked inside his head and he pulled back, resting it on his abs.

He almost let his intrusive thoughts win.

Your breath hitched. You'd let yours.

Placing your hand on his thigh, you started to rub lazy circles on the fabric, Hyunjin slid down on the couch and closed his eyes, a slight smile forming on his lips as he knew what was coming next, his cock twitched in anticipation.

You leaned forward, lips trailing kisses on his neck and he sighed as your hand started to wander more deliberate now, reaching everywhere but where he needed you the most. He groaned.

“My baby is tired, uh?” You cooed and he nodded.

“You've been working so hard, let y/nnie take care of you, okay?” And he purred.

His eyes were still closed when he purred, lying there in his practice clothes, hair disheveled and pretty plump lips so inviting. And you just wanted to pounce on him right there.

You touched his cheek gently, turning his face to you and capturing his lips in a slow kiss, tongue tracing the outline before he gave you entrance, deepening the kiss. Your hand went back to his lower abs, sliding under the hem of his t-shirt and scratching your nails lightly there, earning groans from him, his bulge starting to become evident in his pants.

As you were about to slide your hand there, you stopped. The bet, Hyunjin remembered.

“Keep going” He grabbed your wrist and placed your hand there, his moan made you press your legs together.

“But what about not touching?” You whispered.

“I don’t give a damn about it, I just need you now” His eyes were dark as he bucked his hips against your hand.

And just like that, you were kneeling on the fluffy rug of his living room, fingers hooked on his sweatpants slowly dragging the piece down, revealing his black boxers. His cock strained by the fabric made your mouth water and he smirked.

You leaned forward, licking the outline and he hissed. You did it one more time before holding the waistband between your teeth, pulling it down, using your fingers to help

He groaned, throwing his head back and there it was, glistening with precum that leaked, long and not too thick, pretty and pink, beautiful… Just like everything about him.

Hyunjin watched intently as you wetted your lips and twitched when you gave his tip a little kiss, your hand wrapped around the base, lazily stroking him a few times before licking up, wrapping your lips around the tip.

“Oh shit” His hands flew to your hair, holding it into a makeshift ponytail as you lowered your head, bobbing your head and taking more of him.

You looked up at him, his sounds, the way he bucked his hips up, grip tightening in your hair, it was driving you insane. Your free hand played with his balls and your lips on him like you were savoring your favorite lollipop.

“Fuck, y/n” He groaned and pushed your head, the sight of you gagging on his cock made him roll his eyes to the back of his head.

Tears gathered in the corner of your eyes as you choked on him, the tip hitting the back of your throat, you bobbed your head up and down.

Doing your best to ignore your gag reflex until it got too much, you gave gentle taps on his thigh, he loosed the grip on your hair and you lifted your head resuming in lick and sucking him again.

“Baby, I'm gonna… Oh shit” Hyunjin moaned and you sucked harder, trying to take more of him again.

Eyes locked on him, a silent plea that he was more than happy to oblige, white ropes soon enough sliding down your throat. You let him go with a pop, tongue swirling the tip, licking him clean, eyes intently watching him, with half lidded eyes staring at you, chest rapidly coming up and down.

“That was so hot, c'mon here. Let me take care of you, too” Hyunjin beckoned with his finger and you climbed on top of him.

He tilted your head and kissed you, tasting himself on your lips as he gently moved you, pushing you to lay on the couch. Sloting between your thighs, he kept kissing you as his hand roamed over your body, until he bunched up your skirt, grinning when he saw the black lace being unveiled.

“Somebody was planning to get lucky today, uh?” He teased you, lowering himself and nibbling your inner thigh, making you whimper.

Hyunjin made a trail of open mouth kisses on your thighs, nibbling and suckling the flesh, making sure you'd have traces of him tomorrow. Your soft sounds echoed in the room, and a moan a little louder slipped when he traced your middle with his fingers.

“Doll, you're so wet already” He teased, but feeling proud of his effect on you.

“Jinnie…” You sighed and he chuckled softly.

“Yes?” He kept running his fingers very lightly, wetting the pads and chuckling when you'd buck your hips up, seeking for more contact.

“Oh, I see somebody's getting eager” Hyunjin teased again and pressed his thumb, forcing the fabric against your slick, making you moan.

He stopped teasing you soon, seeing your annoyed glance at him, he lowered himself between your legs and pushed the lace to the side, smirking as he saw your glistening core.

“Don't worry, doll. I won’t tease you…” His breath blowing air on your middle, you squirmed slightly “not today”

Hyunjin licked a strip up, humming as he just tasted his favorite dessert. Your heart skipped a beat as he looked at you and grabbed your wrists, guiding your hands on his hair, he loved it when you'd play with it while he'd eat you out.

Your fingers carded on his hair and he kept licking you up, teasing your entrance with his tongue before slowly tracing patterns all over your pussy, savoring you.

“My sweet, sweet y/nnie” He hummed, gripping your thighs, fingers digging on the flesh holding you in place.

He groaned when he teased your clit with his tongue and you slightly pulled his hair, biting your lower lip to hold back your moans.

“Don't hold back, I wanna hear you” He said and as he wrapped his lips on your clit, sucking on the nub. Your moans echoed through the room.

“Yeah, just like that” He smirked, sucking harder.

He circled your entrance with his fingers, coating them with your juices before slowly pushing his finger in, and then a brief moment later a second slid up too, making you gasp. His fingers stopped for a moment, tongue still playing with your clit before he moved his fingers again, slowly pumping in and out of you.

“Jinnie… oh shit!” Your mind was foggy, the world slowly disappearing before your eyes, leaving just the two of you.

“So good, so fucking good” Your cries became louder as he found that sensitive spot inside you, his tongue swirling and teasing on your clit and you came without warning, shaking and gripping on his hair as you called out his name, clenching around his fingers.

He kept lapping on you until you stopped shaking, licking all your juices off you and giving your nub a final kiss before he placed your panties back in place and sat on his heels. Hyunjin smirked, admiring your disheveled figure in front of him.

“I won” He chuckled, pulling your skirt down again, straightening the fabric, the sight of the faint lilac mark peeking under the hem made him smile.

It took you a minute to realize what he was talking about, you crossed your arms over your chest.

“That's not fair, you said it was okay!” You pouted and then murmured “And you touched too!”

“Never said I could keep my hands off of you” He said flirting and your heart jumped.

Hyunjin hovered over you, and you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him to lay on top of you. You stayed like this for some time, just kissing him, feeling each other’s heartbeats in the silence of the house.

Until the sound of the door being open snapped you back to reality.

“Hyunjin-a, I'm home. You better not be dressed” Changbin shouted from the door, you heard him leaving his shoes at the threshold and soon enough he appeared in front of the couch.

“Oh, you’re dressed. How disappointing” Changbin faked a pout looking at Hyunjin who laughed while greeting him.

Changbin's eyes scanned the coffee, the empty soju's bottles catching his attention. He recalled the second pair of shoes at the threshold and then he turned to the right.

“Y/nnie, what a lovely surprise!” He had a cheeky smile that made you fluster as he greeted you when you came out of the bathroom.

~ {♡} ~

You smiled looking at the wave emoji shining in your calendar: the Australia concert was coming soon and luckily Joo-wan put you in the group who were going with the boys, touring could be very overwhelming behind the scenes too, as an alternative to make the work easier Joo-wan splitted the staff in teams and each would be responsible for a different portion of the tour. You were over the moon, it would be your first time in the country and it was even better to experience it with Hyunjin.

You were excited to spend the day on the beach, to meet Berry, to meet their aussie friends at the party Hannah was planning on throwing for them. Not to mention the days off they would have after.

Thinking about it made you smile. Quality time with the boy of your dreams in Australia, after all those years of working and not proper vacation? What else could you ask for?

An email notification popped up on the screen, bursting your daydream bubble and your lips turned upside down as you read the beginning of the message: Sorry to inform, but…

There was a problem with your visa application and due to the amount of pending requests, there would be a delay in analysing and delivering your permission. You fell on your back on the mattress, texting Joo-wan and then Hyunjin, who got as upset as you were.

And just like that, your plans got swiped under by the wave.

All your attempts to get it fixed in time didn't work, all the company did was ensure you to keep your stuff packed, because it would be ready for the Japan dates.

In his attempt to let you somehow be ‘part of it', Hyunjin kept sending you photos and vídeos of his days there, showing you the venue, the places they visited to record the SKZ Code episodes and cute videos of Berry of course.

Jagiya: [sent a picture]

Jagiya: check out this room, it's the fanciest, i threw my Versace robe there so now it'll be mine.

You zoomed the picture, you've been looking for Jiniret all day, and now you found him.

You: ohh so that’s where that sneaky little ferret was, i've been looking for him everywhere 👀

Jagiya: [sent a picture]

Jagiya: he said he wanted to come on tour with his dad

Your heart flustered as you looked at the selfie of Hyunjin hugging the plushie, pretending to kiss it.

You: jiniret’s living his best life 🤧

~ {♡} ~

Hyunjin checked his phone, there were no new messages, he settled it back on the couch. It was almost show time and you've been gone since yesterday morning, which was weird because you loved to yap and didn’t even read his messages from today.

You were up to something, Hyunjin thought.

A knock on the door caught his attention, everyone was here and their food was delivered already. You were missing all day.

What if?

He grinned, standing up and running to the door, so that's why you were gone. How sweet, you were planning a surprise for him.

But Hyunjin's smile faded as soon as he opened the door.

“Chae-hee, what are you doing here?”

“Hi, Hyun!” She had a smirk on her red lips “We came to support our favorite group!”

Chae-hee pulled Na-yeon to stand by her side, Ha-ri and Ji-soo, the other girls from her group were behind them.

“Wow Na-yeon, first in Seoul and now you came to watch me here too?” Minho teased her, appearing behind Hyunjin “You must really like me then” He winked at her and she blushed.

“Don't get into your head, their miles were just about to expire!” Jeongin said cheekly and Minho grabbed the nearest cushion and threw it at him.

“We leave Korea to have some break from Chae-hee and she manages to appear here too. Is this what that mercury retrograde thing means?” Seungmin murmured, making Chan laugh.

“Er… girls, nice to see you here. Why don't you get inside, we just bought some pizza” Chan politely said when he appeared in the living room, it wasn't like he was pleased to see them there, but now they were and there was not much they could do.

“Oh we would love to” Chae-hee took a step and linked her arm with Hyunjin “Let’s go, Hyun. I’m starving”

~ {♡} ~

Back in Korea, you plopped down on your couch after a much needed shower, sighing, you grabbed your phone, checking the messages Hyunjin sent to you. You couldn’t help but smile at the ones asking where you were.

Heyoon's sister was moving and she recruited you both to help pack, unpack and organize her new apartment. Everytime you'd close your eyes, you saw boxes and boxes falling down in front of you like pieces of Tetris, you texted him.

It was almost show time, you opened Instagram to see if you could find someone streaming and the first image that appeared was a picture of Sydney Opera House posted by Chae-hee.

~ {♡} ~

The boys were flawless, as usual, and after the show there was a party waiting for them at the house. In typical Stray Kids style, the vibes were chaotic by the time they arrived from the venue.

There was people dancing, chatting and making out, the music was blasting, the cups were always full and the boys were hyped, reunited with their friends from there, new friends they just made and even Chaeryeong appeared as a surprise for Changbin. It was fun, until somebody broke a vase and Chan decided to hide all the glasses and delicate decor before Joo-wan would choose to put an end to the party, now it was all good.

“What are you doing?” Ha-ri's question made Chae-hee jolt. The girl appeared behind her, peeking over her shoulder.

“Oh my God, Ha-ri, don’t walk around scaring people like this” Chae-hee finished pouring the vodka in the drink she was making.

“Hm, this looks pretty. What's it?” Ha-ri grabbed one of the cups filled with red liquid, she took a sip and almost spat.

“Chae-hee, what did you put in here?” Her eyes widened.

“Just a little bit of vodka” Chae-hee shrugged feigning innocence and Ha-ri blinked.

“A little bit? It tastes as if you poured the whole bottle in there”

“Oh Ha-ri, you're too dramatic” She grabbed the cup from her and took a sip, noticing her friend was right.

“See?” Ha-ri chuckled “It's energy with vodka and not vodka with energy”

“Yeah, you're right. I'll make a new one” Chae-hee half smiled, grabbing another cup. Ha-ri turned around, missing her friend's eye roll.

“Hey, are you alone?” A blonde aussie approached Ha-ri, Chae-hee smirked, right on time.

“I'm with…” Ha-ri was about to point to the brunette, but she shook her head, Ha-ri hand fell to her side.

Less than a minute later the boy was guiding Ha-ri to the improvised dancefloor. Chae-hee watched the scene unfold with a smile, before returning to her drinks making.

Chae-hee looked around, near the aussie line making out with some girls, it was Na-yeon dancing with Minho.

“Lucky bitch” Chae-hee murmured to herself, turning to the other side, then she spotted him.

Hyunjin was going to sit on the couch with Jeongin, they talked a little and then the maknae stood up, leaving him alone. Perfect.

~ Part 2 ~

#hyunjin x reader #hyunjin smut #stray kids smut #My fic

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mya-jaa5 · 1 day ago

Text

jealousy

scaramouche and you have been friends for a while, at first you two didn’t talk to each other, until he started greeting you in the mornings, or talk to you during class, even sometimes helping you with homework at lunch. scaramouche was funny, he had sarcastic humor, you like to tease him, just to get a reaction from him since he likes to act nonchalant all the time… But it was just all fun.

Until recently you noticed even when you don’t sit next to him in class, he glanced at you a lot, he’s quiet, not a lot of friends, but he can talk if you talk to him, like teachers. Even your friends tell you how he always glances at you in class, you were a little happy, getting small attention from a guy who’s practically a loner…. He’s cute… You don’t care for his reputation, just his personality.

You weren’t the most popular, but you and your big friend group made you known… seeing this scaramouche became a bit hesitant that you were gaining more friends, people to talk to, even when you weren’t around your main friends you always had someone else you talked to… Scaramouche knew this was your personality, you had no control over it…. Surly he could so something about it.

Slowly…. Scaramouche started doing little things for you, like if you didn’t have a pencil, he’d go in front of the class just to get one for you, or if you printed photos out for a project he’d pick it up and hand it to you, even going out of his way to give you snacks without asking you. It was the little things that made you happy.

Scaramouche started to overthink also, what if you started another friendship? With another guy, what if you two get closer than what scaramouche and you have, i mean technically you may have put your friend group over him but… But that only means for little competition for your attention, but it made sense why since he’s a guy… Scaramouche wants to be your first, your to go person, the person Y/N seeks too, message, any type of time spent with you, and your attention focused him.

Scaramouche decided that now he needed to save you.

It was the perfect time around, winter hit, seasonal depression slowly getting to you, well just recently you’ve been feeling down, your friends were in a bit of a argument, which caused you to choose between your friends, and your home life… Man scaramouche would never tell you, but it was pathetic, plus with all the progress he made just to be close enough to you to listen to your problems, issues. Scaramouche knew he soothed you, comforted you. Everything he did was intentional.

Soon you will see.

____

Today a guy ends up confessing to you, the guy told you to text him how you feel since you didn’t have an answer right then and there. Later you and scaramouche had class together, you both normally chatted, scaramouche was focused on his assignment while you were looking at the board, cus you were done.

“Yeah some guy had confessed to me today… I didn’t really know him so i told him to give me time” y/n said.

Scaramouche didn’t look up from his paper, he was focused on his assignment.

“You didn’t really know him?”

Scaramouche repeats what you said.

“The answer is clear y/n, why do you need time to think about an answer.”

Scaramouche was saying that the clear answer was no

“Your only gonna get his hopes up, if you had gave him the straight forward answer you wouldn’t be worrying about this”

still focused on his assignment

You thought for a moment.

“Yeah well… He also said he wanted to get to know me… And we could take it slow… That sounds a little reassuring….?”

Y/n said.

Scaramouche looks up at you blankly.

“y/n… You’ve gotten this far right? What’s to change for this boy you barely know, not only that but going for a guy who gives you the slightest bit of attention? Don’t be a pick me….”

You were a bit surprised at his honesty, you knew he was blunt but geez…

“Hey! i’m not a pick me… It’s not like i fell in love with the guy already… i just considering it… Maybe talking to him, getting to know him would be nice, and a nice way to enter a relationship-“

“Stop there y/n… You don’t work on relationships… They just happen, that’s like me saying i’m working on being best friends with someone, that’s just weird. If you want a genuine relationship just let it happen.”

He sternly said, like he’s shutting down your idea.

You scratched your head as you turn to look at him.

“…. This situation don’t feel like something genuine…?”

You asked scaramouche, actually wondering and considering his words.

He gave you one glance, then returned to his homework.

“No, if you need emotional support i’ll go with you to refuse his confession.”

“hm…” You look down at your paper now thinking.

His words were a little harsh, maybe you are over thinking this, you finalize your thought with a “it’s better to be single” and accept it.

“…Yeah your probably right..…” You say.

after a moment a silence…

Scaramouche looks at you once more, his eyes softening just a bit if you were really paying attention… You were looking at your homework now.

“Just text him y/n… I’m sure after that he’ll leave you alone… Plus i’ll probably provoke him so, don’t think too much about it.”

He tells you reassuring you.

It did reassure you, since you didn’t want to approach the guy to only tell him bad news… texting him would be much better, easier and no drama.

You’d come up with a explanation and text it to him soon…

_______

Few days later scaramouche invited you to go the store with him after school, saying he’d give you a ride back, and that he needed supplies for a certain project in one of his classes. Now who are you to turn down a free ride, and a nice car? currently scaramouche was taking you home, you were just drinking a soda scaramouche bought you, and thankfully graced him for, you were quite thirsty, you even forgotten your water bottle that day... though it tasted weird… metallic almost… you look down at the drink seeing it fuzz… like it’s reacting to something in the drink, kinda looked like powder in the drink.

“this taste weird… did you taste the drink before buying it-“

And next thing you know you were knocked out…

____

You soon wake up… Candle scented room… You open your eyes and see that your in a room… You were laying on a towel of some sort on the floor, the room is pretty empty, besides some drawers or rubble… also the fact that the whole room is covered in saran wrap…

You try to get up only to hear a shackle sound, you froze and tried again… Seeing that it resisted you there on the hard railing, only one of your hands but there wasn’t anything you can reach with your arm chained to the bed… despite it being black in the room the candles showed just a little, only 2 being lit. Seems like you made a lot of noise because…

You hear the room door unlock.

Scaramouche comes into the room and throws a bag filled with something heavy on the floor. Then comes up to you.

“Hello y/n”

He squats in front of you, this was the first time you ever saw him smile willingly, or up most… this side to him was new, he had crazed eyes, he was fidgeting a little.

“Scaramouche why am i here…??”

You say timidly.

Scaramouche eyes seem to soften when you spoke in a low scared tone, something that’s rare for scaramouche. Scaramouche sits a bit besides you.

“Your so pathetic y/n… Wanting love, accepting any kind of love without realizing it’s love, you always been desperate for a lover….”

Scaramouche said the end with a bit of irritation and condescending tone.

“But… I know you don’t do it intentionally… mya i don’t want you to be hurt… I want to protect you from all that… Your just too dumb without me…”

Suddenly he hugs you.

This is weird… Walls and furniture being wrapped up… Even the floor… Being kidnapped, you weren’t all that dumb, what else could you assume, that he was most definitely going to kill you. He nudged his nose into your neck.

“A-Are you gonna kill me…?”

Scaramouche starts to sensually rub your shoulder with his hands, then your arm, Scara purrs in your ear, seemly lost on the moment being close to you.

“What makes you think that sweetie?”

Y/n look around the room, and scara does too, realizing you noticed the saran wrap all over the room. Scaramouche smiles at you and pats your head.

“Your so observant, you like to watch crime shows a lot? Well your not so dumb afterall… ah but no i’m not, we have another guest…”

Scaramouche pulls away from you sighing, at the loss of touch from you. Leaving the room and coming back with… Someone on a chair.

“scara… you didn’t….”

You say shocked and disbelief, scaramouche brought the fucking guy who confessed to you… what’s with all this…

“Yup just that guy! it really irritated me when you told me he confessed, not only that but he was still waiting for an answer?”

He pulls the guy head up by his hair, his face mixed with blue and purple… His face plumped up like he got bashed with something… Scratches all over his face. Your face contorts at the thought of going though whatever that guy went through.

“Did you ever text him? like i said y/n.”

He saids looking at you sharply, and with authority.

“Um… I never sent it”

you say nervously, and quickly looking away.

Scaramouche chuckles.

“Yeah well i’ve always known, y/n you should start listening to me more often… Anyway i knew because i saw you never texted him on instagram, then i started to wonder if he contacted your number, or other social media i don’t know of… Don’t worry y/n… I got it under control. Imagine what he would’ve done just for an answer, consistently text you, go up to you…. Stalk you……

And unfortunately, If you wont do anything about It I will, mya from now on, you listen to me, and everything I say.”

You were surprised by his tone how… How you almost listened to him…. You quickly gained some confidence to say something back .

“Y-You can’t just command me…!”

Scaramouche gives you a death glare. Daring you to say anything else.

“Y/n, i’m only trying to give him a lesson, but if you’d like to get one afterwards…”

He saids sinisterly and irritated.

You decide to shut up after that.

“Ah that’s what i thought… Anyway …”

Scaramouche then pours water on the poor guy, and he wakes up

*he gasps and flinches, seemly scared the moment he woke up. “please no…“

Poor guy face was so beat up he couldn’t even figure out what he was looking at now….

“Cmon dude! it was just a crush not even that serious… Just let me go please i don’t deserve this!!

The man cries and whines, begging for his life.

“Shut up… “ scaramouche grumbles

Scaramouche goes and picks up that heavy bag and drops everything in it all on the floor… It’s weapons… Knifes, chainsaw, machetes, torture devices, all that stuff…

“Now mya.. To prove my love… I want you to pick one, for me to use.”

He looks at you with twisted affection….????

“What-?! You want me to pick how to kill him?? No i’m not doing that!”

the man turns his head over while scaramouche not looking to see what that sound was, as you watch him you see his face go cold, he starts sobbing and even praying.

“y-y/n?? Is this some sick plan?? Please y/n give me mercy…..” the poor guy said.

“Shut the fuck up, or should i break your face until you look different .”

Despite scaramouche not talking to you… You were surprised that it almost shut you up too, he was glaring at the man currently.

“Scaramouche… Please let him go…”

You say timidly. Scaramouche visibly looked like he was gonna swing at him just for uttering your name.

Scara looks back at you, sighing audibly, he still looks mad but his voice softens as he responds to you…

“Y/n… Im not gonna do that, anyway… I’m sure you can think of some creative way from those crime shows you watch…”

He was getting closer to you, like he was trying to persuade you, using his charm at you despite the situation.

“Cant you see y/n… I’ll do anything for you… Please just give me something… Just point a weapon at least…”

He sat back on the floor next to you, He’s now buried his head in your neck.

“I can’t just…”

You hesitantly said, scared to say the rest of your sentence or you’ll get shutdown again.

Scaramouche grabs you by your waist now looking down at you.

“y/n it’s inevitable…. Let it go… Let it happen”

With much guilt…. You look at the floor full of weapons… And point at the small pocket knife

He looks over, and he sighs looking back at you.

“What would you be without me…”

He smiles and kisses your cheek softly and affectionately, and gets up and off of you and goes over to pick it up, though it seems he missed it… Instead picking up the axe right next to it.

“S-Scara please hold on…”

“I love you y/n… I want you to watch please”

Scaramouche smiles. now walking next to the guy tied to the chair, smiling from ear to ear, just happy that your there.

“Are you ready shitface?, all that work for nothing… she was never gonna choose your weird body built self.”

Scaramouche presses the axe onto his arm, just giving him a scratch, deep enough to draw blood, giving a teaser of what he’s about to get.

“fuck you!! and fuck you y/n!!!”

the guy yells and screams. Slowly scara fully gets back, and plunges the man in the chest with the axe… by throwing it…

“ACK-“

the guy immediately coughing up blood.

The blood spattered everywhere, blood dripping from his chest…. The axe must i’ve not hit his heart yet… Since he’s still full on screaming, but now grasping onto life…

You were shocked… This is new to you so you were processing everything slowly, but everything was happening fast, you just now registering the fact you can see the insides of his chest, his ribs showing also omfg…

“o-oh my FUCKING GOD SCARAMOUCHE??”

(You start to crawl back the edge of the bed.)

The poor guy continues screaming, and he begins to have a seizure, the poor sight of seeing foam and blood come out his mouth, it’s traumatizing to watch. Scaramouche quickly goes to get another weapon, that small knife you actually chose, and comes over and slices his throat to cut off his vocal cords, but then continuing to cut through, likes he’s trying to cut off his head, ultimately the guy dies…

YES you were crying a little, you were scared as FUCK. You try your best not to look at the now dead man, seeing he had an axe through his chest, and his head now being held off his neck… Like it would drop his head due to the pressure of it being on its side… Blood being splattered everywhere even on you and especially scaramouche… It’s just something your not used to… You were shaking so much.

“y/n…. This makes me so happy”

He finally turns away from the man, Scaramouche looks like he relieved…? Much more calmer, you were surprised by his reaction initially just staring at him, emotions everywhere and overthinking.

He comes up to where you sitting, though you back away from him scared of him, pushing him away with your hands*

Scaramouche tilts his head confused.

“Y/n…? No no don’t look away.”

He gets closer and pulls your arms towards him, and tilts your head up to look at him. By this point your back is against the wall, while scaramouche is inching more in front of you.

“Are you also happy mya? Your free now…”

He looks at you now caressing your face looking at you affectionately.

You try to look away from the blood… Splattered on his face. Only for scara to force your chin back to him. Feeling the smudge of blood on his hands on your chin and cheek.

“mya we can focus on just us now… Now there’s nothing holding you back, I can have you…

He sighs like a big bolder just got off his shoulder and puts his face in your neck, sniffing you like a pervert.

“I- I don’t wanna be in here… Scara… It’s creepy in here…” you say in a very low low tone, this did affect you a little

Scaramouche doesn’t move from your neck.

(“Do you like your new clothes, I picked them myself… I think it suits you…”

Scara taking the time to appreciate the lingerie and nightgown he had put on you..

he sighs.)

“All this work just to make you happy Y/n…. It’s fine because it’s worth it… I’ll be back”

He goes to the drawer and grabs a syringe

“this will prick your neck a little…”

he suddenly kisses you softly as he then puts it in your neck… soon you fall asleep to remember the rest….

____ part two soon, im still not done w it but there will be smut

#kunikuzushi x reader #wanderer x reader #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche genshin impact #wanderer genshin #murder #dark #scary #tw kidnapping #drugged

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nvmjccnluv · 18 hours ago

Text

My Escape

a little jasper hale x reader blurb before I go to bed :)

12:38 AM the clock reads, as it sits slightly illuminating my nightstand. A yawn creeps up my throat but I push it back down. No, I’m not tired yet. Not yet…but that reminds me.

“Does it ever get annoying? Y‘know, not sleeping.” I ask while tilting my head up towards him a bit, not too much so I can still rest it on his shoulder comfortably.

Jasper shakes his head, “No, actually quite the opposite. All the commotion during the day stops at night, for eight hours of peace.” His golden eyes peer down at me, a smile fighting its way onto his face. “Plus, eight uninterrupted hours with you, doll.”

I roll my eyes, though I know he can feel that I’m not really annoyed. Flattered really.

“Doesn’t really count, does it? I mean, I'm asleep so it's not like we’re chatting up a storm at night.”

He chuckles slightly, shaking his head, “No, but I’m still here with you, right? Counts in my book.” The arm he has wrapped around me begins to rub small circles in my waist. Not sleeping, not yet. “But it's rather enjoyable for me too, other than being in your presence, of course. I can feel everything you’re feeling, all your emotions while you’re experiencing a dream. It’s quite soothing, almost like I'm resting right with you.”

The murmur of the tv in front of us is all that fills the room for a moment as his words sink in, but then he continues.

“I miss dreams. Used to love having them, all the different places they could take you. Some good, some bad. Some soothing, some exciting. It was always a surprise, something new. I don't have that escape anymore.” My arm tightens around him as I listen, feelings of sadness seep out. He notices, like always.

“Don’t be sad for me, sugar. See, even though I miss all that, it's okay. I have a new escape now, you. When I lay here with you each night, and feel what you’re feeling, that’s my escape. Being with you is an escape from everything, all the danger that surrounds us suddenly disappears when I see you. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

My smile grows impossibly bigger, “I love you so much, Jasper.”

He laughs, that smooth sound I love so much. “I love you too, honey.” I watch as his arm leaves me for a second to grab the blanket beside us, dragging it over our bodies. “Now sleep, I know you’re tired.”

The drawl of his voice slowly lured me towards sleep much faster than I had realized. My eyelids are threatening to close for good, but I chose not to fight them.

Fine. We will continue this conversation tomorrow, after I sleep of course.

#jasper hale x reader #jasper hale #jasper whitlock #jasper whitlock x reader #twilight x reader #{✍︎︎} ➾ my writing

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training4theapocalypse · 3 days ago

Text

Sweet (Cormac McLaggen x fem!reader)

Rating: Explicit 18+

Word Count: 15.5k

Warnings: Smut, unprotected sex, friends to lovers, mutual pining, confessions, GOOEY ROMANCE, Christmas 🎄

Summary: You try to ignore your feelings for your best friend, Cormac McLaggen. Reader and Cormac are both 18+.

A/N: A Christmas fic! The Sabrina Carpenter-fication of Gryffindor Common Room. I know everyone hates Cormac but my full-time job is actually fixing him (lets not look into what that says about me okay thanks). I wrote this for @cinderellasmissingshoes but it's been so long she's deactivated (RIP girl). Also, it turns out, anything can be a one-shot if you just post it all at once!!!! And nobody can stop you!!!!!

Masterlist

Chapter text:

The Gryffindor Common Room is a riot of gold and red, as laughter and music fill the room. Even though Quidditch has never been your thing, a team win is always a good excuse to get swept up in the celebration. You’re dressed the part, of course, with a red bow in your hair and wearing a borrowed, oversized Gryffindor training jumper that by a happy coincidence makes the gloss on your lips pop.

The victory has everyone riding high, but as much as you’re enjoying the party, you can't help feeling a little tug of concern for one person. You’re at Katie Bell’s side, amongst the throng of her teammates happily celebrating as the rest of the party-goers chant Ron Weasley’s name but your eyes search the crowd for a certain someone. You excuse yourself - Katie will be fine without you for a few minutes.

Cormac McLaggen hasn’t been at all himself lately. And while Katie is adamant that she considers this to be an improvement, his newfound reservation is just plain weird. Katie told you to stop worrying about Cormac, that he was probably just sulking over not being chosen as Keeper for the Quidditch team this year and that he should just lighten up. And you’d probably agree if the change hadn’t been so drastic - usually so confident, even arrogant at times, he’s been acting almost shy lately.

Cormac’s tall, broad figure and golden halo of curly hair are easy to spot from the other side of the room. He’s half-heartedly chatting with Dean Thomas, who, like Cormac, is still nursing the sting of not making the team.

“Cheer up, boys!” you call. Dean still looks sullen but Cormac's entire demeanour shifts when he grins at you skillfully weaving through the crowd towards them without spilling the two butterbeers in your hands. “Anyone would think we’d lost to Slytherin if they saw your faces,” you joke, slipping into the tight space next to him.

"Well, we wouldn't have let so many in if I'd -" starts Cormac.

"If you'd have been chosen as Keeper," you finish. His many complaints about Harry Potter's chosen team are easy to memorise and rhyme off back to him. "I know. I know. But we won, right?"

“Since when did you refer to the team as ‘we’?” teases Cormac, accepting the bottle you thrust into his hands. “Big Quidditch fan now are you?”

You smooth down the jumper you’re wearing, so oversized that the hem of it sits just above your skirt. “Well, if I’d known I’d look this cute in the team merch, I might have taken an interest sooner.”

“I don’t care how cute you look, I want it back.”

He flashes a smile and you can’t ignore the flurry of butterflies you feel.

“Oh, come on. We both know it looks better on me,” you shoot back, enjoying the fun of prying a compliment from him.

Cormac presses his tongue against the inside of his cheek, considering you, before finally concluding, “Debatable.”

You both laugh and you feel a warm sense of satisfaction that your attempt to take his mind off his exclusion from the team is working.

“Oldest trick in the book, mate. Don’t fall for it,” Dean interjects with a knowing smile, snapping Cormac’s attention away from you. You almost forgot Dean was there.

“What’s the oldest trick in the book?” asks Cormac.

“Everyone knows if you give your girlfriend your clothes, they’re hers for good. You’re never getting them back.”

You and Cormac look at each other awkwardly. The flirtatious banter suddenly feels much more complicated by Dean’s assumption.

Because Cormac is not your boyfriend.

In fact, in the run-up to Yule Ball several years ago, he made it crystal clear that he wasn’t into you like that.

Cormac opens his mouth to reply but you spare him the necessity of correcting Dean and hurting your feelings.

“Oh, we’re not going out,” you blurt before he can. “I was cold when we were watching the game and Cormac was just being nice.” Dean’s sceptical eyebrow rises, flicking between you and Cormac. Attributing the sudden flush in your cheeks to the heat of the room, rather than embarrassment, you say, “Actually, I don’t need this anymore now that we’re inside - here hold this.” You hand Cormac your butterbeer and start pulling off the jumper.

“No, look, you don’t have to -” Cormac starts, but you’re already tugging the woollen fabric off over your head. The scent of him - clean, with just a hint of his woody aftershave - floods your senses, making your heart twist painfully in your chest at its sudden absence.

You toss your hair back and hastily fix yourself.

“Here -” you say, taking the butterbeer back and replacing it with his jumper.

“Thanks,” Cormac mutters, but there’s a hint of annoyance as he does. He takes the jumper before throwing a look at Dean.

“Katie’s probably looking for me,” you announce, needing to put some distance between you and this now-too-complicated situation. You turn on your heel, attempting to slip back into the midst of things with your usual grace, but there’s a slight stumble in your step - barely noticeable, but enough to rattle you.

As you make your way over to Katie, you’re distracted by a sudden onslaught of whooping and cheering. Through a gap in the crowd, you see Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown unreservedly snogging.

That’s odd, you think. You could have sworn he was going out with -

The portrait hole opens and you spot a flash of bushy brown hair exiting the Common Room.

A hand grabs your arm. “Sweet!” The familiar nickname that you’ve never quite been able to shake off - not that you mind it - there are certainly worse things to be called. “There you are!” says Katie, her eyes sparkling with post-victory excitement.

“Did you just see -?”

Katie rolls her eyes. “The giant squid impression in the middle of the room? Yup.”

“Do you think we should see if Hermione is alright?” you ask, looking back over to the portrait hole.

“Harry’s already on it,” Katie says, nodding toward the door where Harry disappears after Hermione. “C’mon, I need another butterbeer.”

As you follow her, it’s not long before Katie brings up her favourite subject of late - Professor Slughorn’s Christmas party in a few weeks. Neither of you made Slughorn’s elite list of attendees so the only way you’ll get invited is if someone asks you. As much as you’d love the opportunity to get dressed to the nines, you could do without the drama. If the Yule Ball taught you anything, school dances inevitably lead to heartbreak.

“I don’t even want to go, anyway,” you insist. “See - this is a party. Slughorn’s will be so dry. I mean, there’ll be more teachers and Ministry bigwigs than students.”

“You know, if Cormac weren’t going, I’d suggest throwing our own party on the same night. But we couldn’t do that to him...” A mischievous smile dawns on her face. “Or could we?”

You hesitate but Katie presses on.

“I bet he’d forget all about Slughorn if you told him we were having a party.”

“You really think Cormac would miss a chance to cosy up to old Sluggy?”

When the two of you make it to the drinks table, she leans in conspiratorially close, lowering her voice just enough to be heard over the noise. “What I mean is, maybe he’d ditch Slughorn’s Party if you asked him to.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” you dismiss the idea quickly, not quite meeting her eyes. “If Cormac was interested in going to a party with me, he’d have asked me to Slughorn’s. I shouldn’t have to plan my own just to - ”

To what?

Go out with him?

You cut yourself off, but Katie’s sharp eyes catch yours. The noise of the party swells around you, enough to disguise her prying.

“What’s going on with you two, anyway?”

The question catches you off guard. Truthfully, nothing is going on between you and Cormac McLaggen.

Well, not nothing on your part.

Even if you disregarded the way your eyes sought out Cormac’s reaction whenever you styled your hair differently, or how you sometimes overanalysed his extra-tight friendly hugs that lingered a bit too long, there was no denying you were - at the very least - best friends.

And that was the problem. You were friends. Nothing more. No matter how much you wanted it to be otherwise.

In the run-up to the Yule Ball two years ago, you overheard Cormac firmly assuring Oliver Wood that he did not find you attractive. Like, at all.

You remember you were waiting on Katie finishing Quidditch practice in the courtyard, sitting behind the fountain in your usual meeting spot when you heard Oliver and Cormac at the other side of the fountain talking about the Gryffindor Team. You didn’t even lift your head from doodling on some parchment - the last thing you wanted to do was be dragged into a conversation about Quidditch.

Then the conversation drifted, from tactics to Quidditch team succession planning when Oliver left Hogwarts the following year and then, your ears pricked up when they started talking about the Yule Ball.

“I can put in a good word with Angelina about making you Keeper next year if you do me a solid,” Oliver said before lowering his voice. “Think you could ask if your mate is interested in going to the Yule Ball with me?” Oliver had asked. Your peacock feather quill paused as you sat up straight and held your breath.

There was a pause.

“Yeah, I’m sure Katie would be up for that,” Cormac said eventually, his voice steady in reply.

“Not Katie. Team dynamics would get messy,” he said seriously. “The other one. Sweetie or something.”

The other one. Cormac had two best friends.

That could only mean you.

“Oh,” Another pause, shorter this time, like Cormac was searching for the right words. “Are you sure you want to go with Sweet?”

The way Cormac said your nickname so incredulously made your stomach drop.

“I’m not stepping on your toes, am I?” laughed Oliver.

You leaned forward discreetly, peering around the side of the fountain to see Cormac shifting uncomfortably as he deliberated on his next words.

“No, nothing like that. She’s… alright, I guess. Decent looking. But, not really my type. She’s kind of annoying, y’know? Pretty full of herself. A bit of an airhead, actually.”

You remember feeling a sting of embarrassment, sharp enough to make your eyes water as Cormac listed off all your supposed shortcomings. But you blinked it away, hurriedly gathering your things and forgetting your plans to meet Katie before they could notice you had been there the whole time.

At the time it hurt so badly. Because back then you had such a thing for him. How couldn’t you? Cormac McLaggen was the quintessential golden boy - tall, handsome, athletic - exactly your type on paper. Even if you weren’t his, apparently. And not only did he not want to date you, but he actually found the idea so repulsive that he was trying to put Oliver off you too.

In the end, Cormac’s disapproval didn’t deter Oliver. Even though Cormac reneged on his promise and never mentioned that Oliver was interested in you, Oliver still asked you to the Yule Ball without Cormac’s intervention. And you said yes, relieved that at least Cormac’s poor recommendation hadn’t dissuaded him. In fact, you got on so well at the Yule Ball, that you dated for a few months. Until he dumped you when he left school. But, you supposed, that was boys for you.

And it affected you. Between Cormac McLaggen’s lukewarm feelings towards you and Oliver Wood dumping you, you swore off the idea of dating anyone.

It was easy to forget about Oliver when he left school. You gradually became friendly with Cormac again - you might even call him your best friend, aside from Katie, of course.

But you always kept your guard up around boys, never quite forgetting the sting of either incident.

“So, you wouldn’t go to Slughorn’s Christmas Party if he asked you?” Katie probes, bringing you back to the present.

Even though you trust Katie more than anyone, you’ve never told her about your feelings for Cormac or the utterly humiliating reason that you’ve never pursued them.

He’s just not into you.

“We’re friends. That’s all. And that’s the end of this conversation.”

Katie sighs. “Okay, okay, I get it.” She spins around to the empty drinks table. “How have we gone through six crates of butterbeer already?” She groans. “Do you wanna come to the kitchens and get more?”

“I’ll go, you stay here,” you say and she immediately begins protesting but you ignore her. “Listen, this is a party for your team. You should stay.”

She hesitates before spotting Cormac across the room.

“Why don’t you go to the kitchens with -”

“If you mention Cormac one more time, I’ll lose my mind,” you warn her. “I can handle a trip to the kitchens alone. I won’t be long.”

Katie laughs, holding her hands up in mock surrender.

“Okay, Sweet. I don’t know what’s got you so sour.”

You roll your eyes and ignore her comment. As you walk towards the portrait hole, you glance at Cormac and realise he’s already looking at you. You pretend not to notice like you’re scanning the room for someone else, before disappearing through the door.

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

Later, as you walk back up towards Gryffindor tower, a few crates of butterbeer (that the house elves were extremely eager to bestow upon you) clink behind as they follow you, levitating in the air.

The cool, empty castle offers little comfort. You left the Common Room to clear your head, but all you’ve found since you left the kitchens are your own thoughts, swirling endlessly as you walk.

If Cormac wanted to ask you to Slughorn’s party, he would have done it by now. You’re not getting your hopes up again. And besides, why would he need to wait for a party to ask you out? If his feelings for you had changed since the Yule Ball, he could have told you at any point.

She’s kind of annoying, y’know? Pretty full of herself. A bit of an airhead, actually.

Harsh criticism. Not entirely untrue. It’s not like you’re clever. And sure, you take pride in your appearance, but until you heard him say that, you didn’t think it bothered anyone. Especially not him. If you had to criticise Cormac, you’d probably say he was full of himself too. And as far as intelligence goes, it’s not like he’s the quickest broom in the shed either.

As you turn it over, replaying scenarios in your head that you haven’t revisited in a long time - most notably, ones where Cormac didn’t talk badly about you behind your back - you walk straight into someone hunched over their knees at the bottom of the spiral staircase.

“Oh, sorry! Wait - Hermione?” you ask. The bushy-haired sixth-year looks up and hastily wipes her eyes. “Are you okay? Where’s Harry?”

Hermione swallows hard and nods, though her red-rimmed eyes betray her. “I told him to go back to the party. There’s no reason for both of us to miss it. I’m fine. Really. It’s silly.”

“You don’t look fine,” you say gently, sitting down beside her on the cold stone steps. After a pause, you add, “I saw Ron and Lavender.”

Hermione’s breath hitches, and she quickly looks away, blinking back tears. “I—I feel so ridiculous. I already asked him to Slughorn’s party, and now he’s… I should have known.”

You scoff, shaking your head. “You’re not the ridiculous one here. Honestly, I think these stupid formal events should be banned.”

Hermione lets out a half-laugh, half-sob - a wet, spluttering sound - but you catch the faintest glimmer of a smile, and you feel a small surge of relief. At least you’ve distracted her for a moment.

“I’m serious,” you insist, leaning back against the wall. “They’re more trouble than they’re worth.”

Hermione sniffles, wiping at her eyes again. “Maybe. But it doesn’t make me feel any less foolish.”

“It’s not foolish,” you say firmly, the butterbeer crates you were levitating now drifting to the ground beside you. “And to tell you the truth, I know exactly how it feels to have your heart broken at one of these things.”

She looks up at you, her eyes wide with surprise. “You do?”

You nod slowly, thinking back to your own past. “Yep. And besides, Hermione, you’ve handled worse than this. You stared down Umbridge, for Merlin’s sake. This? This is nothing compared to her.”

Hermione lets out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “It doesn’t feel like nothing,” she says quietly. “In fact, it feels… it feels worse.”

“I know,” you admit softly. “And I know it probably feels like you’ll never get over it. Like it’ll never stop hurting. But trust me - if I can get through it, you can too.”

She looks at you earnestly, her brow furrowing. “How?” she asks, her voice small but full of curiosity. “How did you get over it?”

The answer isn’t easy, and the truth is harder still. Convincing others - and yourself - that you’re perfectly fine, even when you’re not, is something you unfortunately have experience with.

You push yourself to your feet, brushing off your skirt and forcing a small smile. “By acting completely unbothered,” you say, trying to sound casual, even though the irony stings. After all, here you are, still trying to bury your feelings for Cormac McLaggen.

“We’re gonna go back to the Common Room and make it look like you don’t have a care in the world,” you say as you extend a hand to help her to her feet which she accepts. “And tomorrow we’ll find someone else for you to go to Slughorn’s party with. Someone better than Ron Weasley.”

“Who?”

Perhaps this is your chance to help Hermione and bury your feelings for Cormac in one fell swoop. Maybe, just maybe, if she went to Slughorn’s party with him, it’d help you finally put Cormac - and the lingering ‘what could have been’ - behind you too.

If he was going out with someone else, you could draw a line under all this and move on.

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

The following Monday, Hogwarts students arrive in the Great Hall to find a winter wonderland. A whirlwind of snowflakes dances over the enchanted ceiling past icicle-adorned rafters. Enormous Christmas trees - decked in baubles the size of bludgers - flank the room. The usual breakfast smells of toast, bacon, and pumpkin juice mix with the scent of pine and cinnamon, giving everything a festive buzz.

But Cormac barely notices any of it.

Sitting at the Gryffindor table, Cormac stabs the fried egg on his plate, watching it ooze onto the rest of his breakfast like it might help him decide how to do what he was about to do next. Oliver Wood used to joke that Cormac had the appetite of a Graphorn, but lately, he hasn’t been feeling hungry. His mind is completely elsewhere.

He’s going to ask you. To Slughorn’s Party. Today.

You and Cormac have History of Magic classes together on Monday afternoons, just the two of you away from the rest of your friends. A rare moment alone. You’re always surrounded by people - constantly laughing, flipping your hair in a way that makes his insides flip, and you seem completely oblivious to how nervous he’s become around you lately.

“Can you stop murdering that egg?” asks Katie, jolting him out of his daze and glancing at his half-destroyed breakfast. “It’s making me queasy. That’s the last thing I need before we feed raw meat to Thestrals.”

“Sorry,” mutters Cormac, setting his fork down, though the uneasy knot in his stomach isn’t going anywhere.

Katie studies him for a second. “What’s up with you? You’ve usually asked me if Ron’s playing worse than you at least three times before the bell rings.” She’s grinning, but Cormac just shrugs.

“It’s not that,” he mumbles.

Katie raises an eyebrow. “Then what?”

Before he can answer, you appear, slipping onto the bench beside him with Hermione Granger in tow. You’re wearing a bright red and gold bow with your hair in that half-up, half-down style that he knows takes you forever to do. It’s probably why you’re late - as usual.

“Morning!” you chirp, grabbing a piece of toast off his plate without asking, your fingers brushing his for a second. The contact sends a jolt through him, but you’re completely unaware. “What’s with you two?” you ask, noticing the odd expressions on their faces. “You look like you’ve seen a Dementor.”

“Not Dementors,” blurts Cormac, the excuse coming easily, thanks to Katie’s reminder. “Thestrals.”

“Ugh,” you say, wrinkling your nose. “Rather you than me. Are you doing the N.E.W.T. in Care of Magical Creatures, Hermione?”

Hermione shakes her head. “I’d have loved to but I had too many other subjects this year.”

“Yeah, right. You’re only saying that because you’re friends with Hagrid.” Hermione smiles sheepishly. “It wouldn’t be too bad if we got to learn about nice creatures -” you start but Katie cuts you off.

“Well, life isn’t all Puffskeins and Unicorns,” she says, pointing forked sausage at you. “The creatures we’re dealing with are much more interesting.”

“That’s just another way of saying ‘ugly’,” you laugh, tossing your hair over your shoulder. In the process, the bow at the crown of your head slips off and drops to the floor. You don’t even notice.

Cormac does.

“And it’s dangerous too,” you continue. “Remember when your poor arm was burned by those Blast-Ended Skrewts, Cormac?”

“Sweet, you dropped this,” he says, quickly leaning down to retrieve the bow before anyone else can.

You reach up, feeling the spot where the bow was. “Oh, thanks.”

“Let me,” Cormac offers, his heart pounding as he tries not to mess this up. He leans in close, and the noise of the Great Hall fades into white noise. It’s just the two of you, and all he can think about is how soft your hair feels between his fingers.

“It’s kind of tricky,” you murmur, glancing up at him.

“I’ve got it.”

“You sure?” you ask, looking up at him in a way that makes his stomach lurch again.

“Easy,” he says, more confidently now as he finishes clipping it into place. “Like putting an angel on top of a Christmas Tree.”

You laugh, and the sound makes his heart race all over again. He quickly turns back to the table, trying to pretend that wasn’t at all nerve-wracking. But Katie’s already watching, her shrewd look making it clear she hasn’t missed a thing.

“So,” Cormac says quickly, desperate to change the subject, “What’s everyone doing for the holidays? Assuming no one’s mad enough to stay here?”

“Nope,” says Hermione brightly. “I’m going home to visit my parents.”

“Yeah, same here,” says Katie. “If you ask me it can’t come soon enough.”

“Tell me about it. I can’t wait to go home. My Uncle’s been invited to Minister’s house for Christmas lunch and -”

“You’re going so you can suck up to Rufus Scrimgeor?” asks Katie.

“Well, it has its perks. But mostly it’s because I haven’t seen my Uncle in ages. Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” says Cormac. And, he thinks, maybe his Uncle won’t tease him for being single again this year if he can convince you to go to Slughorn’s party with him.

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves here. We’ve got more pressing things going on before Christmas, Cormac,” you say. “Or have you forgotten about Slughorn’s party?”

The fork he’s holding clatters onto his plate. “I… er, no, I haven’t forgotten,” he stammers, his face burning as he tries to sound casual.

“So… have you asked anyone yet?”

Your voice is light, casual, but Cormac’s pulse quickens. Is this… actually happening? Well, it certainly makes things easier. He swallows, trying to steady himself.

“Not yet,” he starts, the words feel unfamiliarly shaky. He’s normally so self-assured that he hardly recognises his own voice. But you’re already cutting him off, oblivious to his growing panic.

“Well, I was thinking, if you’re not already going with someone…” You shift slightly, glancing between Hermione and Katie before landing back on him. His heart leaps. Are you about to ask him? But when you finish, your words douse his hopes like ice water. “...maybe you and Hermione could go together?”

“Yeah, I’d - wait - what?” Cormac’s voice cracks, the sound of his own disbelief ringing in his ears. He glances at you, searching for any hint of a joke, any sign that you’re teasing him - but you’re smiling, unaware of the storm you’ve just unleashed in his chest. Didn’t you realise how much nerve he had built up, how many times he had rehearsed this in his mind?

You don’t even realise you’re wrecking him - it’s just another Monday morning to you. Meanwhile, he feels like he’s accidentally tumbled down one of the castle’s trick steps.

“Oh,” Hermione says, clearly flustered. “I don’t - er - I mean, that’s really not necessary,” she adds, casting an awkward glance at Cormac, her cheeks reddening slightly.

“No, listen,” you insist in a low voice, glancing at the end of the table where Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown are engaged in some more intense snogging. “It’s perfect. Neither of you is going with anyone, right?”

The bell rings and everyone in the hall starts moving, getting ready to leave for the first class of the day.

“It’s win-win. This would annoy Ron the most,” you say.

“What’s he got to do with this?” asks Cormac.

“Long story short, Ron’s ditched Hermione for Lavender. And since you were so clearly better than him at Quidditch tryouts, I thought if she went with you it would piss him off.”

Cormac pauses, momentarily stunned. “...You thought I was better than him?”

“Well, yeah. Obviously. The only reason you weren’t picked is because of that last penalty. It was like you were confunded or something”

There’s a thud as Hermione unexpectedly knocks her bag from her seat and it spills open.

“Really?” asks Cormac as you both get off the bench to crouch on the floor and help Hermione pick up her things.

“Yeah, everyone knows that you’re much more talented at - wait, Hermione are you okay?”

The two of you look at Hermione when you notice she’s turned white as a sheet.

“I’m fine,” she squeaks.

“You sure?” you ask and reach out to grab a fallen book. You accidentally touch Cormac’s hand as he reaches for it too and the touch sends another jolt through him. “And it works out for you too, Cormac,” you continue. “Maybe if Ron is distracted by the two of you going out, he’ll play badly enough to get kicked off the team.”

Katie tuts but Cormac has to admit that you’ve got a point. But he can’t put his feelings for you aside because of Quidditch. Not again. Not after the Yule Ball fiasco.

You press the book into Hermione’s hands. “Look, just think about it, alright? I’ve got to go - I’m gonna be late for Muggle Studies.”

“I’m going that way too,” says Hermione quickly, stuffing her book into her bag and not looking at Cormac.

And so, with a swish of red and gold, you and Hermione leave Cormac feeling like he’s just been hit by a bludger,

It wasn’t as if Hermione wasn’t good-looking. Everyone knew she was smart, pretty - she even used to date Viktor Krum. But she wasn’t… well, you.

So why couldn’t he just say it?

He walks beside Katie, silently replaying what he should have said in his head, so clearly as if watching it through omnioculars.

“Cormac, do you have a date for Slughorn’s party?”

“Well, actually, I was thinking about asking you.”

He avoids Katie’s gaze, instead busying himself with pulling on a scarf and hat, bracing himself for the freezing cold of the castle grounds.

Feeding Thestrals feels like a much less daunting endeavour than unpicking this mess he’s gotten himself into.

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

Later that night, the Gryffindor Common Room is almost deserted. It’s well past midnight, and the only sounds are the crackling of the fire and the soft rustle of turning pages. As Seventh Year N.E.W.T. students, you, Cormac, and Katie have become accustomed to being the last ones awake, studying long after everyone else has gone to bed. When the clock chimes one, even Hermione bids you all goodnight before heading upstairs to her dormitory.

“So… any thoughts about my idea earlier?” you ask, trying to sound suitably impartial, and not at all conscious of the way you and Cormac keep sinking towards each other on the plush sofa and brushing arms. “You know, going to Slughorn’s with Hermione on Saturday?”

Cormac glances at the staircase leading up to the girl’s dormitory. “I dunno…”

Katie says nothing as the grandfather clock ticks ominously. Instead, she and Cormac exchange a look - one that you can’t quite decipher.

“Well, I think you’d be a good match,” you say, just to break the awkward silence.

“Yeah, well, Hermione’s not really who you want to go with, is she Cormac?”

Your eyes fly up, looking between them.

Cormac shifts in his seat, eyes on his copy of A History of Magic. "She’s nice enough."

"That’s not what I asked," Katie presses.

Cormac looks at her seriously. “Stop.”

Katie shrugs, leans back in her armchair and flips through her book.

So, Cormac has someone else in mind for Slughorn’s Party. And he feels comfortable enough to make Katie privy to it. But not you.

Great.

So not only does he not fancy you, he doesn’t even trust you enough to confide in. And you thought you were best friends.

For some reason, that hurts almost as much as when you overheard him telling Oliver Wood that he wasn’t interested in you.

You don’t know what to say anymore, so you look down at your book again.

It doesn’t take long for the words in A History of Magic to blur together on the page, as you read and reread the same passage, trying to remember the names of the loyalists from the 19th-century goblin rebellion. The plush velvet of the sofa feels impossibly soft and warm, and the heat from the fire seeps into your bones, lulling you into a deep, drowsy comfort. Your eyes droop heavily as you sink deeper into the cushions, your body slowly surrendering to exhaustion.

You lazily glance at Cormac’s open textbook, hoping he’s made better progress. He’s supposed to be reading the same chapter, but instead, he and Katie are talking softly about their holiday plans. Katie is debating asking her parents for a new pair of gloves after snagging hers during Care of Magical Creatures. Cormac is once again trying to brag about his Uncle taking him to the Minister for Magic’s house on Christmas Eve without sounding like he’s bragging.

The sounds of your two best friends in quiet earnestness make you feel safe and comfortable - so comfortable that you don’t even realise you’ve dozed off, leaning on Cormac’s shoulder.

That is until Katie closes her book with a loud snap.

“Right, this is useless. I’m heading to bed,” she declares.

Her voice startles you slightly, but you’re too tired to fully wake. You consider opening your eyes and lifting your head but it feels like too much effort.

Five more minutes, you think. Just five more minutes in this comfortable position and you’ll make the long journey up the winding staircase to bed.

“I’ll go to bed soon,” Cormac says, his voice lower now, quieter. “I’m still reading. And I don’t want to wake Sweet”

You’re not entirely asleep, but not fully awake either - just hovering in that cosy in-between. His voice rumbles softly in his chest and the warmth of his shoulder feels solid, familiar. You could stay like this forever.

Your eyes remain closed, and you feel yourself falling asleep again listening to the sound of the merrily cracking fireplace and Katie’s footsteps retreating up the carpeted stairs.

And then you feel a small shift.

Cormac turns his head, pressing his lips against the top of your head and inhaling deeply, somewhere between kissing you gently and breathing you in.

Your eyes flutter open, the haze of sleep fading as you realise what’s just happened.

Did he just… kiss you?

You look up. Cormac freezes as your tired eyes meet his alarmed, green ones. He opens his mouth - maybe to apologise - but whatever he was about to say disapparates when you look from his eyes, to his parted lips then back to his eyes again.

He just stares at you, his breath held, searching your face for some kind of response.

You don’t say anything.

For a second you’re not sure what to do.

But then you just give the tiniest nod as your heart thuds in your chest.

He leans in, his breath is warm on your face. The clean, woody scent of his aftershave tingles your senses - it’s even better than when it lingered on his borrowed jumper. You close your eyes as he moves tentatively towards you.

Then the thundering of footsteps as Katie runs back downstairs makes the two of you break apart hastily.

“Forgot my quill,” she announces. “Oh, are you coming up to bed, then?”

You swallow, your heart hammering. “Yeah,” you say, fixing your skirt and getting to your feet. “Sorry, must’ve dozed off.” You hastily grab your book,

“Yeah, same,” Cormac says, his voice strained. He clears his throat, gathering his things in a flurry of movement. “I think I must have too. For a couple of seconds.”

You glance at him but he doesn’t look at you as he gathers his things, his focus entirely on shoving them into his bag.

You follow Katie up the stairs, your heart still racing as you try to make sense of what just happened. But did it happen? Or were you (like you’ve done more times than you’d ever admit) dreaming about Cormac?

Soon after, you lie in the dark, staring at the hangings of your four-poster bed.

Cormac said he thought he had fallen asleep. You had been so drowsy that now you couldn’t be sure if he had actually kissed the top of your head. Maybe he just rested his head on yours? Or maybe you dreamt it, woke up and immediately tried to kiss him.

It’s a mortifying thought - that one minute Cormac had been asleep and the next he had woken up to find you practically ready to pounce on him.

No wonder he looked like a deer caught in the wandlight.

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

In the boy’s dormitory, Cormac has similar thoughts.

You were asleep. And you caught him smelling your hair. Kissing the top of your head. Now that he’s removed from the situation, he cringes - hard, realising that it was extremely weird.

Together with Katie’s obnoxious hinting that he really wanted to go to Slughorn’s party with you must have made you uncomfortable. Because you didn’t even look at him. So either your feelings towards him are so platonic that you hadn’t realised he was interested in you or you were choosing to ignore Katie’s comments altogether.

But he swears there had been a moment. A split second downstairs when your eyes met his, and he really thought you wanted him to kiss you. He can still feel your fingers brushing his chest, how you looked at him like you were waiting for him to close the gap between you.

And he almost had.

Almost.

Then Katie had barged in, and you’d jumped away like you couldn’t get far enough, fast enough. Like you’d realised how ridiculous it was - how ridiculous he was.

He clenches his jaw, turning over in bed. You were probably horrified.

He groans, burying his face in his pillow.

There was a moment, wasn’t there?

Maybe he’d imagined how you looked at him. Maybe the exhaustion from studying had gotten to him, and now, his mind was just playing tricks on him.

But then again… maybe it hadn’t.

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

You spent the majority of the rest of the week avoiding Cormac.

You’ve even been staying in the library with Hermione every night just to avoid Katie after she kept asking pointed questions about what happened after she left the Gryffindor Common Room the other night. Hermione is glad of the company - over the past few days, you’ve been talking a lot. Mostly to keep her mind off of Ron Weasley. And without her realising it, it’s been a great help in stopping your mind wandering to Cormac McLaggen.

Being surrounded by dusty books and writing an essay about plug sockets for Muggle Studies, isn’t exactly conducive to imagining yourself back in the Gryffindor Common Room, cuddled up with Cormac, seeing his face inches from yours, wondering whether or not he was about to kiss you.

But now it’s Saturday morning and tonight is the night you’ve been trying not to think about: Slughorn’s Party.

You’re going to go to Hogsmeade to take your mind off of things. It’s one of your favourite places in the world - especially this time of year. Steamy pub windows, cobblestone streets dusted in white, smugly ordering Firewhisky in front of younger pupils.

It’s just what you need to distract you from Cormac.

At least he’s not coming with you. Studying, he said. Although you think he might just be as keen to avoid you as you are to avoid him

But there’s no avoiding Katie forever, you think, as you and Hermione walk into the Great Hall for breakfast. As if reading your mind, Katie, who is already almost finished breakfast, waves you over and you have no choice but to sit with her and a few of the sixth years.

“Wait - are you sure you want to sit here?” you ask Hermione under your breath, spotting Ron and Lavender enthusiastically entwined just a few spaces away.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ve got a plan. Just like you said.”

Well, at least your advice is working for someone.

“Morning!” you say brightly, sitting on Katie’s left-hand side, across from Harry Potter and Parvati Patil. At least in front of a group, you should be safe from her interrogations about Cormac.

"Hi, Parvati!" says Hermione, ignoring Ron and Lavender completely. "Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"

You help yourself to some cornflakes and as Parvati passes you the milk, she frowns.

"No invite," says Parvati, gloomily. "I'd love to go, though, it sounds like it's going to be really good... You're going, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm meeting Cormac at eight, and we're -"

The jug slips from your hand, milk spilling everywhere. It splashes onto the table, drenching your skirt and soaking your tights. There’s a loud, wet sound as Ron, startled, pulls away from Lavender for a moment.

"- we're going up to the party together."

Throughout all your nights studying together this week, Hermione had not shared that detail with you.

You stare down at the mess, your heart pounding as if someone just pulled the rug out from under you.

"Oh, flipping heck,” you mutter, feeling the cold, wet fabric cling to your legs.

Katie quickly vanishes the milk with a flick of her wand and hands you a napkin.

“No need to start throwing f-bombs - it’s only spilled milk” she jokes, taking the heat off of you but her expression is unusually careful as she watches you. You force a tight smile, but your heart is still thudding too fast, a mix of shock and something else twisting in your chest.

"Cormac?" asks Parvati. "Cormac McLaggen, you mean?"

Even though this was your plan all along, you never expected that just hearing his name would sting.

"That's right," says Hermione happily. "The one who almost” - she puts a great deal of emphasis on the word - "became Gryffindor Keeper."

"Are you going out with him, then?" says Parvati, wide-eyed.

Hermione giggles - a sound that cuts right through you. "Oh - yes - didn't you know?"

A lead weight sinks to the pit of your stomach.

"No!" says Parvati, looking positively agog at this piece of gossip. "Wow, you like your Quidditch players, don't you? First Krum, then McLaggen..."

"I like really good Quidditch players," Hermione corrects her, still smiling.

It’s too much. You think of Cormac and his stupid Quidditch jumper. Hermione wearing it at the game instead of you. Then you feel bad for feeling bad about them being together when it was your idea in the first place. Guilt makes the knot in your stomach tighten painfully, and you push your cereal away, the sight of food suddenly nauseating.

“You alright?” asks Katie quietly, leaning towards you.

You nod stiffly, though your throat feels tight. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’d just better change before we go,” you sigh. “I’ll meet you outside.”

“You’re definitely still coming, right?” Katie asks, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she can sense you’re having second thoughts about going to Hogsmeade.

You hesitate. The idea of going upstairs, burying your face in a pillow, and screaming into it for the next several hours suddenly seems more appealing than pretending you’re okay in Hogsmeade. "I don’t know..."

“No, please, you have to come,” implores Hermione, not realising it’s her declaration that has you wanting to retreat upstairs until the end of term.

“Where are you going?” asks Harry, glancing at Ron and Lavender who have once again resumed their public display of affection, as if he’d rather be anywhere else but in their presence.

“We’re going to Hogsmeade. The three of us. Oh, and Cormac, obviously,” says Hermione loudly and for a split second you see the back of Ron’s head pausing.

Harry gets to his feet quickly. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“The more the merrier,” Katie tells him before adding to you in a low voice, “We’ll wait in the courtyard - I think my breakfast might make another appearance if I stay around Ron and Lavender much longer.”

This is good, you tell yourself, getting up from the table and following them a few steps behind. This is what you wanted. You told yourself you had to get over Cormac. And now he’s going out with Hermione. Just like you suggested. Your plan is working. This is good.

But it doesn’t feel good. It feels awful.

As you trudge up the stairs to the common room, you find yourself repeating the same mantra.

This is good. This is what you wanted.

But the more you repeat it, the hollower it sounds.

By the time you come back downstairs to the courtyard, Harry, Hermione and Katie are having a snowball fight. It’s in full swing. And in the midst of it all, Cormac is there. Of course, Cormac is there. Hermione said he would be, didn’t she? And she should know. She’s his girlfriend, now. Apparently.

Harry fires a well-aimed snowball at Cormac but he dodges it.

“I told you, Potter - lightning quick reflexes!” Cormac shouts, his voice brimming with exhilaration. There’s something about the way his laughter fills the air that stirs something inside you that you’ve been trying to bury all week.

Harry launches another snowball, and Cormac, in an obnoxious display of skill, catches it mid-air and flings it back, hitting Harry squarely in the face.

“And the crowd goes wild!” cheers Cormac before chanting his own name. “McLaggen! McLaggen! McLaggen! McLagg - oh. Hi.”

He stops when he sees you. Like he wasn’t expecting to see you here either.

“Don’t stop on my account,” you say, putting on a brave face.

He grins at you “You joining in for once, then? I’ve never seen you throw a snowball in your life.”

“Well, maybe you’re about to,” you say, more threateningly than you intended, thinking that you’d quite like to smack him in the face for not telling you that he was going out with Hermione.

He takes a step toward you, misreading the challenge in your voice. “I’d love to see that,” he teases, scooping up a handful of snow and launching himself at you.

Before you can react, Cormac’s arm is around your waist, lifting you off the ground in one quick motion. The world spins as snow flurries around you, your shriek of protest escaping in the form of a half-laugh.

“Cormac!” you say, breathless. But your laughter dies almost instantly when reality sets in - Hermione is bent down, scooping up snow just a few feet away. His girlfriend is right there.

“Put me down,” you say, seriously this time, the joy draining from the moment. Your voice is firm, but not loud.

He stops immediately, setting you down gently, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What’s up?”

You step back, brushing the snow off your coat, swallowing the tight feeling in your chest. “I think you know.”

“Oh… sorry,” he says, now embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to cross a line or anything the other night -”

“It’s fine,” you say quickly, trying to keep your voice steady. “Don’t worry about it.” You give him a tight smile as laughter rings behind you, the others clearly not noticing or caring about your hushed conversation as their snowball fight continues. You turn away from him and call out to Katie and the others, “Are we going, then?”

The walk to Hogsmeade feels longer than usual. The others chat happily but the conversation is distant, and you keep your eyes on the snow-covered path. By the time you reach the village, the promise of a hot butterbeer should lift your spirits but it doesn’t. You feel disconnected like you’re watching everything through a fog.

“So,” Katie says, as you approach the The Three Broomsticks. “What made you come along, Cormac? I thought you were studying today?”

Cormac shrugs, but there’s a slight defensiveness in his voice. “Just something I had to do before the holidays.”

You wonder if it’s picking up a gift for Hermione.

Katie raises an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips as her mind defaults to shopping too. “Determined to impress Scrimgeour, then?”

Cormac stiffens. “It’s not for Scrimgeour, Katie,” he says, his voice edged with frustration. “I just needed to pick something up.”

You don’t say anything, keeping your eyes on the ground as they continue their back-and-forth. All you can think about is how wrong everything feels.

When you reach The Three Broomsticks, Hermione opens the door, letting the warmth and chatter from inside spill out into the cold air as you go to file in behind her, Harry and Katie.

“Wait,” says Cormac, catching your arm before you can go in. “Can I have a word with you first?”

You hesitate, glancing down at his hand on your arm, then up at his face. There’s something in his expression - something hesitant, almost apologetic - that makes you pause. You really don’t want to talk but as usual, Katie butts in.

“We’ll meet you inside,” she says firmly, pulling the door closed in your face with a slam.

You have no choice but to follow him away from the door. Snow crunches beneath your boots as you walk, and the cold air stings your cheeks.

When you stop, Cormac turns to face you, running a hand through his hair, looking unsure of himself. “Look, I… I wanted to see if we were okay. You’ve been avoiding me.”

“You’ve been avoiding me too,” you challenge back.

Your breath fogs up in the cold air as you glance down at the snow, trying to collect yourself. It takes a moment for you to find the words, but they come out before you can stop them.

"I'm just... hurt, Cormac," you say, quieter than you'd planned. "You didn't even tell me you were going out with Hermione."

There’s a beat of silence as Cormac stares at you, his brow furrowing in deep confusion. He blinks, clearly caught off guard. “What? I’m not going out with Hermione.”

You meet his eyes, frowning. “I heard her say it. You're going to Slughorn’s party together.”

“I - yeah, I asked her last night because you told me to. But just as friends.” Cormac runs a hand through his hair again, exasperated. “But I’m not going out with Hermione - are you sure she told you that?”

“She told everyone at breakfast, loud and clear that -”

“Everyone? Including Ron Weasley, you mean?” he asks, trying not to smirk.

Oh.

“She was… trying to make him jealous. Like I told her to.” You blink, trying to process what he's saying. “So… you’re not - I mean - she’s not your girlfriend?”

“No.”

You let out a shaky breath and he steps closer, closing the gap between you. His voice drops to barely a whisper, but it carries with it the force of something that’s been buried far too long.

“Do you really not see it? Do you really not know?” he says, his tone almost desperate now. “I’ll go with Hermione to Slughorn’s if you want me to. Hell, I’d go with Filch if it would make you happy. Because that’s all I want. To make you happy.”

“...Really?” You can hardly believe what you’re hearing.

“Yeah.” He smiles sheepishly. “I thought you’d have worked out that’s why I asked her - since it was your idea.”

“Well… maybe you were right when you said I was an airhead,” you challenge. If you’re getting all of your confessions off of your chest, you might as well tell him you overheard this too.

“When did I ever say that?” Cormac asks, taken aback.

You hesitate, the memory is painful but clear. “You told Oliver that I was an airhead. And full of myself. And annoying. It was right before -”

Cormac groans in realisation and finishes the sentence for you. “- Before the Yule Ball.”

“Yep.” You nod, the hurt still lingering after all this time.

“So he told you all that, did he?”

“No… I overheard you. In the courtyard.”

“I -” he groans, looking so painfully guilty that you almost feel bad for calling him out. “I promise I didn’t mean it.”

“Cormac, you don’t have to make excuses -”

“It’s not an excuse.” He shakes his head. “Wood promised that Angelina would make me Keeper after he left school if I set the two of you up. And I wanted to make the team more than anything. Well - I thought I wanted to make the team more than anything.” He pauses, his green eyes locking onto yours. “But I was already planning on asking you to the Yule Ball. So I tried to have it both ways. I said that horrible stuff about you to put him off. And I never told you he was interested because… I was afraid you’d be interested back.”

“But none of it worked,” he continues, the regret in his voice cutting through the quiet. “He asked you anyway, and you said yes. And I never made the team in the end, so… it was all for nothing.”

You don’t really know what to say. How much time was wasted.

“I’m sorry,” he says softly, his voice steady but filled with regret. “For saying that about you. You didn’t deserve it. I was so focused on trying to have everything - I didn’t stop to think about what was most important.”

“I didn’t know you felt that way,” you say, your heart pounding. “And, for the record, I would have gone with you. To the Yule Ball. To Slughorn’s… any of it.” You look up at him, your gaze meeting his, and for the first time, it feels like you're both finally on the same page.

Gently falling snow lands across your nose and cheeks as you look up at him. The space between you is almost nothing now. His hand reaches up and cups your face, his touch achingly gentle, almost reverent, as he brushes a wet snowflake from your cheekbone -

But then the door to The Three Broomsticks bangs open behind him, and Katie storms out, her face flushed and her hands gripping a package close to her chest.

“Katie?” you say, taken aback by her sudden appearance. “What’s going on?”

The door of the Three Broomsticks bursts open again. Harry and Hermione spill out looking frantic but Katie is already disappearing along the snow-covered street, the package clutched tightly in her arms.

“All she said was that she needs to deliver a package,” says Hermione, looking worried.

You and Cormac look at each other in alarm before you both sprint to catch up with her. You grab her arm. “Katie, what’s wrong?”

“Leave me alone!” she snaps, twisting to wrench herself free from your grip.

“Katie! What’s going on?” asks Cormac, running to her other side.

“Can you both just fuck off?”

“Woah, woah - what’s with you? And what is that? Who gave you it?”

“None of your business!”

You try to grab it. “Give it to me!”

The two of you struggle, you try to take the package from her and Cormac tries to restrain her.

Then all of a sudden, Katie lets out a scream so loud and so high that it almost pierces your eardrums.

Everything turns black as the snow-covered ground rushes up to meet you.

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

You open your eyes a split second later in a sterile but comfortable room. Have you… apparated?

You try to sit up, but the world spins violently, your vision blurring as an antiseptic smell floods your senses.

“Woah - hold on, let me get Madam Pomfrey,” comes a familiar voice, soft but urgent.

Madam Pomfrey?

You’re in the Hospital Wing.

You blink hard, trying to focus, and slowly, Cormac’s face swims into view. He’s sitting at the edge of your bed, worry etched into every line of his features. His eyes, which normally gleam with a casual confidence, are shadowed with exhaustion.

Cormac.

He’s looking down the length of the hospital wing, scanning the empty beds for the matron, but when you touch his hand lightly, he turns back to you, his face softening with relief.

“Cormac, what happened?” You panic as you look at the empty bed next to you. “Where’s Katie? Is she here too? And that package? What was that thing?”

His brow furrows as he tries to find the right way to explain it all. "I promised I’d get Madam Pomfrey when you woke up," he says, glancing toward the door. “It was her only condition -”

“She can wait. Just tell me. Please.”

He studies your face for a moment, clearly weighing whether or not to tell you, but eventually, he sighs and moves closer, his voice low. “Katie... that package she was carrying - it was a cursed necklace. McGonagall thinks she was put under the Imperius Curse when she went to the bathroom. She wasn’t herself. You noticed it too.”

You swallow hard, the memory of Katie’s vacant eyes and her erratic behaviour flashing through your mind. “And when I tried to stop her?”

Cormac’s face darkens, his eyes flickering with something that looks dangerously close to fear. “The package split open. The necklace - it should have killed her. The curse was lethal.”

Your eyes widen, bile rising in your throat. “Lethal…”

He nods grimly. “The only reason she’s still alive is that it touched her through a tiny hole in her glove. Barely made contact with her skin, but even that was enough to put her in a bad way.”

Your blood turns cold, the weight of his words pressing down on you like a heavy stone. “Where is she?” you whisper, dreading the answer. “Is she… is she alright?”

Cormac’s jaw clenches, his voice barely above a whisper. “She’s at St. Mungo’s. They don’t know when she’ll wake up. But she’s alive.”

The room spins, this time from the sickening realisation of how close you were to losing her. Your mind races, fear wrapping its cold fingers around your heart.

“That curse was dark magic - whoever planted it knew exactly what they were doing.”

“Katie…” Your voice cracks as you press your palm to your forehead, struggling to process it. “If I hadn’t tried to take the package -”

“Hey - no.” Cormac’s voice is sharp but softens immediately. He moves closer, his hand squeezing yours. “This isn’t your fault. None of it. If anything it’s my fault -”

“Cormac…”

“No, listen. If I hadn’t asked to speak to you outside - I mean, when do you or Katie ever go to the bathroom alone? The person who put her under the Imperius Curse might not have tried if there were two of you there.”

“It’s not your fault either, Cormac. The only person to blame is whoever gave her that necklace.” You don’t even remember seeing the package split open. “But… I didn’t touch the necklace, did I? How come I’m in here?”

“Katie, er… punched you. Knocked you out cold.”

You hadn’t expected that. You find yourself lost for words, not quite able to believe what you’re hearing.

“She was under the Imperius Curse… not in her right state of mind,” continues Cormac, watching you carefully and you give him a small nod.

Silence stretches between you. The hospital wing feels eerily quiet - no bustling, no holiday cheer, just the faint sound of the fire crackling somewhere in the distance. No usual sounds of excitement of the last night of term.

The last night of term.

You glance at the snowflakes drifting down, a sense of dread creeping over you. “Cormac… what time is it? Shouldn’t you be getting ready for Slughorn’s Party?” you ask, knowing that he’d hate to miss the opportunity to network with all the people Slughorn would want to introduce him to.

Cormac shifts a little closer. “Slughorn’s party was two nights ago.”

“Two?!”

“Yeah,” he says, sounding more casual than you’d have expected.

The realisation hits you like a punch to the gut.

“It’s… it’s Christmas Day, then?” you whisper, your voice hollow, the words barely registering as they leave your mouth. “We’ve missed the train.”

Cormac shrugs again, but the weariness in his eyes betrays him. “Yeah.” His tone is light, but you can see the exhaustion etched into his features, the slight slump of his usually easy posture. He’s trying to downplay it like it’s no big deal.

But then it hits you. You stare at him, your thoughts slowly clicking into place. “Did you end up going to -” You stop yourself, feeling like it’d be incredibly selfish to ask if he and Hermione went after all, considering everything that happened.

He rubs the back of his neck, looking away like he’s embarrassed. “Slughorn’s Party? Yeah… I didn’t go. I’ve been here.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be… I - I don’t know if you remember what we talked about in Hogsmeade but -”

Butterflies erupt in your stomach as soon as you recall what he said to you. “I remember.”

“Well, I didn’t really want to go without you anyway.”

You open your mouth to respond, but no words come. You don’t know what to say. How do you thank someone for missing something like that because of you? For staying here over the holidays, for caring, for... everything.

Just as you’re about to say something - anything - the doors to the Hospital Wing swing open.

Professor McGonagall strides in, her expression as serious as ever, but there’s a flicker of relief in her eyes when she sees you sitting up.

Behind her, Madam Pomfrey hurries in and starts checking you over, pouring a large bottle of bright golden Invigoration Draught into a cup for you. At her instance, you drink it in one gulp - it’s sharp and spicy, and less gruesome than you’d braced yourself for. As the heat spreads through your chest, you feel a bit less confused.

“Well, it’s good to see you awake,” McGonagall says briskly. “Miss Bell is receiving the best care at St. Mungo’s. The Healers are doing everything they can.”

Everything they can. It doesn’t feel like enough.

“Have we missed dinner, Professor?” asks Cormac, hopefully.

“I'm afraid so, Mr McLaggen,” says McGonagall, less sharply than you're used to her addressing him as she looks from his tired demeanour to his hand holding yours. She waves her wand and a tray of sandwiches is summoned on the table beside you. “I’ll notify your parents that you’re awake and both of you can take the Knight Bus home from Hogsmeade tonight.”

“Not tonight,” says Madam Pomfrey. “Another Invigoration Draught tomorrow morning. Then you can go home.”

Your heart twists painfully, the weight of everything pressing down on you. Katie’s in St. Mungo’s, fighting for her life. Christmas has come and gone, and the world outside feels like it’s moving without you.

“Do I have to stay in the Hospital Wing tonight?” you ask, thinking you’d like nothing more than to sink into your four-poster bed upstairs.

Madam Pomfrey hesitates.

“Oh, please, Madam Pomfrey. It’s Christmas,” you pout. “I’ll come back here after breakfast tomorrow.”

“Before breakfast,” she says sternly. And once you agree, she and Professor McGonagall leave.

Cormac is still here, beside you, his hand lingering on yours, his presence steady and comforting despite everything.

“When was the last time you slept?” you ask.

“I -” He pauses. “Not for a few days.”

You insist that he go back to Gryffindor Tower and he eventually agrees. Cormac grabs a couple of sandwiches, flashing you a tired but grateful smile.

“See you at breakfast,” he says softly, and with a quick wave, he slips out of the Hospital Wing, leaving the room quiet and still.

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

The dormitory is dark and eerily silent. Too silent. You’re used to the comforting background noise of sharing a room with four other girls - the soft rustle of sheets, the occasional sleepy murmur, the muffled creak of bedsprings. Tonight, without them, the emptiness feels vast and oppressive, as though the walls themselves are holding their breath.

You had expected Cormac to be in the Gryffindor Common Room when you got dressed and came upstairs. But he wasn’t there. He was in bed - no doubt shattered after sitting by your side in the hospital wing for two days straight. Two long, harrowing days where you were unconscious and he was busy worrying about both you and Katie.

Katie. The thought of her pulls at your chest like a lead weight. She’s at St Mungo’s. Alive but unresponsive. The cursed necklace nearly killed her. And while Madam Pomfrey has done her best to reassure you that she’s receiving the finest care, the image of Katie in St Mungo’s is enough to keep you awake.

It doesn't help that the Invigoration Draught has worked too well. You’re frustratingly alert. You’ve never noticed the grandfather clock much before but its ticking serves as a reminder of how much time is passing without you being able to sleep.

You wonder if Cormac is in the same predicament. He was tired but maybe everything that’s happened is keeping him up too. Cormac - of all people - stayed with you through it all. Missed Slughorn’s Party. Didn’t go home for Christmas -

He didn’t go home for Christmas.

You sit bolt-upright in bed.

That means he didn’t go to the Minister for Magic’s Christmas lunch with his Uncle today. He missed it. It’s all he’s been talking about since November and he missed it.

All so he could stay here at Hogwarts.

With you.

Something swells in your chest. A little guilt mixed with, well… overwhelming affection. Did you even thank him properly? You can’t remember - everything after the cursed necklace feels like a blur. You swing your legs out of bed, wincing at the icy chill of the stone floor against your bare feet.

You walk quietly towards the boy’s dormitory. The stone floor is freezing on your bare feet as you tiptoe. Though you’re not sure why you’re being quiet - you didn’t see anyone when you walked through the Common Room earlier. You think that you and Cormac might be the only two people in the whole of Gryffindor house that are here for the holidays.

The door to the Seventh-Year boys’ dormitory creaks faintly as you push it open. “Cormac?” you whisper into the darkness.

There’s a faint stir, followed by a groggy, half-asleep voice. “Hm?”

You cross the empty room, the cold gnawing at your skin, and perch on the edge of his bed. “Are you awake?”

“Wha?” he asks, blearily.

The cold air makes goosebumps rise on your skin. “It’s me,” you say as you sit on the edge of the bed.

Cormac sits up slightly, blinking at you in confusion, his hair sticking up in every direction. “What are you doing? This is the boys’ dormitory.” He pulls the duvet to his chest. You try not to notice that he’s not wearing a t-shirt. “Are - are you okay?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Cormac rubs his face, his tired brain catching up. “Katie is going to be fine,” he reassures you. “We’ll visit her as soon as we’re allowed.”

“I know,” you say. She’s getting the best care possible. And it’s not like either of you can do anything about it. “It’s not just Katie. Well, that’s part of it. But it’s that I realised… you missed Christmas lunch with your Uncle - and the Minister.”

“Oh. Yeah. It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”

“It’s not fine. It’s all you’ve been talking about for weeks,” you insist, making a conscious effort to stop your teeth from chattering. “Missing your Uncle. Seeing Scrimgeour again. The fact you stayed here with me instead… that’s like, the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Cormac fumbles for his wand on the bedside table, muttering “Lumos.” It lights the nearest lamp. You scoot closer to him on the edge of his bed. The soft glow of the lamp bathes the room in warm light, and he turns to look at you properly, his eyes - greener than you’d ever realised - serious and searching.

“It was nothing. I told you already.”

“Well… I just wanted to say thank you -” you take a steadying breath, moving closer to him again. “- And… do this.”

Without thinking, you lean in, your heart racing. You close the distance between you and press your lips to his before you can second-guess it or get interrupted again.

Cormac pauses, completely caught off guard. You can feel the surprise in his stillness, but it lasts for barely a second before he responds with a surge of enthusiasm that almost takes your breath away.

He shrugs his bedsheets aside, sitting up so he can deepen the kiss, his lips warm and eager against yours. There’s no hesitation now, just the full force of his want, crashing into you like a tidal wave.

It’s everything you wanted it to be. He’s a good kisser. Really good.

You try to put a lot of meaning into the kiss. That you’re grateful for him staying here at Hogwarts with you. That you forgive him for his stupid, blundering mistakes before the Yule Ball.

But mostly, you try to tell him that you’ve been in love with him forever. Ever since you sat beside him on the Hogwarts Express on the first day of school.

You intended to give him a quick goodnight kiss and go back to your dormitory but the thought of leaving quickly leaves your mind when he parts his lips, tender and soft as Honeydukes caramel, as he explores the taste of your tongue. His hands wrap around your back, encouraging you closer, pulling you onto his lap so you’re straddling him.

You were freezing a minute ago but his bare chest and shoulders are warm and he doesn’t seem to mind your cold hands traversing over his body.

You need him. This is new territory. This is… you’ve never felt like this before. Well, maybe alone in your bed, but not with other people. You haven’t done anything more than kissing before.

But this is already more than just kissing, you think, as your tongue meets his again as he licks into your mouth. This is hot and heavy. You’re already starting to feel like you’re not close enough to him.

And so does he.

You feel a firm bulge pressing into your open legs and with a jolt of excitement, you realise he’s only wearing boxers. Everything below your waist throbs hot and sticky as his hips subtly twitch upwards, pressing against your pyjama shorts.

The ache between your legs is too unbearable to ignore. You adjust your hips and the friction against your bundle of nerves is white hot, almost dizzying. He responds to your movements by gripping onto your hips, his cock twitching against your pussy, just two thin pieces of material between you. You’re positively burning up now as he lets out a low groan into your mouth as you kiss him, before pulling back to suck on his bottom lip.

“Fuck…” you murmur, as you wriggle your hips impatiently. But when you say that he pulls back to look at you, his eyebrow raised. “What?” you ask.

You don’t want him to stop - not now.

“I’ve just never heard you swear before,” he grins and your cheeks burn.

You bite your lip. “It just… slipped out.”

“I like it…” he says, eyes glancing over your chest as it rises and falls rapidly in time with your breathing.

His fingers hook around the straps of your tank top, pausing just before they drop over your shoulders. The touch is featherlight like he’s waiting for something. Then his voice, low and careful, breaks through the charged silence.

“Is this okay?” he asks softly, his eyes meeting yours.

You nod and then, realising what he’s just said, you blink. “You’re... asking?”

Cormac tilts his head slightly, frowning just a little like something about your surprise bothers him. “Of course I’m asking,” he says, his voice quieter now, but insistent, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

You swallow, looking away for a moment, feeling still warmed by the way he’s watching you. Nobody’s bothered to ask you if they could touch you before. It’s…. well, it’s classic him. Considerate. Sure enough of himself that he genuinely would respect whatever answer you gave him.

It makes you want him even more.

“You can - you can touch me. Wherever you want.”

You place your hands on top of his and help him slip your straps down, pulling your top down over your breasts.

“Fuck…” Cormac takes a deep, steadying breath. He tilts his head up and looks at the hangings above the bed.

“...Cormac?” you ask, uncertainly. “Are you -?”

“Yep,” he tells the hangings. “It’s just - I mean, I’ve just - thought about this moment a lot. And in no version did it involve me - y’know - making a mess of myself just from seeing your tits.”

A mischievous smile creeps across your lips. “Are you about to?”

“I’ll be fine - wha - oh, that is not helping.”

You slowly grind your hips against his and place his hands over your breasts. The underside of his cock twitches again against your now soaked pyjama shorts.

“I’ve thought about it a lot too,” you whisper, pressing your lips against his ear. “You can cum like this. If you want.”

“That would be - ah, fuck - completely fucking embarrassing,” he says, his eyebrows knitting together.

“I think it’s hot.”

As soon as you say that, his shoulders relax and he buries his face between your tits with an agonised groan. Your hands tangle in his hair as you rock restlessly against him, moving your hips in search of the gnawing need between your legs.

Cormac swirls his tongue, open-mouthed and panting against your skin. He pushes your tits together, toying with your nipples, pinching the hardened buds between his fingertips in a way that makes you let out an involuntary squeal.

“Too hard?” he asks, concerned, and you shake your head fervently.

“Do it again,” you whimper.

You grind yourself along his rock-hard bulge, feeling exceptionally greedy as Cormac toys with your tits. Pleasure swells in your abdomen. God, this feels good. He drinks up every noise you accidentally release, as you hover on the edge - wasn’t he the one who was supposed to be close?

Suddenly, Cormac grabs your hips, stopping you from moving and you almost cry out in protest. He breathes shakily, adjusting himself.

“Did you just…”

“Not yet,” he says, and before you know it he’s manoeuvring on top of you, flipping you on your back and splaying you out on his bedsheets. “I need to find out just how sweet you taste first.”

This is more like the Cormac you know. He’s been so reserved, so unlike himself around you for the past several weeks that you almost forgot how cocky he could get.

And wow, do you like it.

“Cormac,” you whisper, feeling yourself turn crimson now under his touch.

He plants a trail of kisses along your collarbone, down your torso and pauses just below your navel. Cormac hooks his fingers in the waistband of your pyjama shorts and you arch your back so he can remove them and toss them onto the floor in a pathetic heap.

Cormac drags the pads of his fingertips across your flushed, slick pussy. “Is this… for me?” He gives you the widest, most gleeful grin you’ve ever seen plastered on his face as he laughs once, under his breath. “You’re so wet.”

“Don’t laugh,” you pout - although from the way he’s lighting up, you can tell he likes the effect he’s having on you.

“You’ve got to admit, it is kind of funny. How everyone calls you Sweet because you’ve got this ‘butter wouldn’t melt’ thing going on but here you are… sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night.”

Your hips buck as he slides his fingers through your folds, dragging your arousal across your clit. An uncontrollable whine leaves your mouth as his fingers glide up and down, up and down. He rolls his tongue against the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as he looks you over. “I wonder what other swear words you know…”

“I - ah - I told you it just slipped out -” you stammer. Goosebumps break out along your arms - this time it’s nothing to do with the cold - you’re burning up, hearing him talk to you like this. But the more you blush, the more it spurs him on.

Cormac gives you a lop-sided smirk as he drags gentle, lazy circles around your clit. “So… that kind of talk is just for me, right?” he asks. You wriggle again, opening yourself up wider, silently willing him to put his fingers inside you.

“Yes,” you whimper. He’s got you wrapped around his finger - almost literally. You’ll say anything he wants to hear. Do anything - everything that he wants. Give him anything he asks. As long as he keeps touching you like this.

You make a soft, vulnerable sound in bliss, feeling yourself slowly falling apart at how he’s circling over that little bundle of nerves that makes your eyes fucking roll back. He hisses an inhale through his teeth, watching your reaction.

And then suddenly, he’s pushing in and curling two thick fingers inside your eager, soaking wet pussy and hooking them tight against your g-spot.

“Oh.” Your hand flies blindly down to touch his face - just for something to feel - and his expression changes from a smug smile to stern concentration.

Your thumb brushes along his cheekbone, grazing the rough stubble of his jaw. He tilts his head just enough to kiss your palm, the warmth of his lips lingering against your skin, sending a spark racing up your arm.

Then his eyes find yours - those green eyes, darker now, pupils blown out with a burning intensity that knocks the breath from your lungs. The way he looks at you, unflinching, unrestrained, sends a rush of heat through you, making your heart pound and your pulse quicken.

You almost cry out when Cormac lowers his head and his soft lips envelope your clit. You clench around his fingers and tense your stomach when his tongue swirls even hotter and more dextrous than his fingers.

“Mhmm,” he says, pressing a kiss against your inner thigh before looking up with a wicked grin. His chin is wet. “You are sweet.”

You bite your lip and let your head roll back as he resumes his gentle licking. You can hardly believe this is happening. You’re trembling as you try to suppress another squeal but it’s like he can read your mind -

“It’s okay to make noise. Nobody’s here. You don’t need to hold back,” he says between sloppy sucking. You remind yourself, that you’ve been best friends for so long he can probably read the nuances of your body language.

“Ah - okay, okay. Fuck - Cormac,” is all you can manage.

“That’s my girl.”

Oh, fuck. Why did he have to call you that? Your pussy clenches tight, neediness swelling in waves in your abdomen.

And then you don’t expect the way his whole arm moves as he picks up pace. At first, you feel jostled, almost manhandled when his fingers don’t go in and out but instead curl into you with such intense pressure that you feel like you can’t keep up. It’s too fast. Too much.

Until it suddenly isn’t.

The flat of his tongue rubs against your clit in time with his fingers pressing against your g-spot. Blazing, white-hot heat twists tightly in your pelvic floor muscles. Your hand slides down to the juncture of muscle between his neck and his shoulder as you grip helplessly, feeling the relentless pressure of him stimulating that perfect spot deep inside you.

“Cormac,” you pant, as your walls twitch and tighten around those two fingers. “I’m - ha - that’s - yeah, there.”

“Mhm,” he murmurs, sending vibrations across your clit. His eyes move back to your face. You convulse around your best friend’s fingers as he pulls you closer and closer to the edge. You’ve stopped wriggling, chasing your release - you don’t need to. Your whole body goes limp as you just let him drill inside you.

“Yes,” you say, biting your lip, your eyebrows knitting together, losing yourself in the mindless sensation. “Fuck, yesyesyesyes -”

He looks into your eyes while you plead for him as he pulls the orgasm from you. You clutch on his shoulder, feeling his hand working between your legs, pulling you higher and higher and -

Fuck.

Everything plummets.

White noise rings in your ears as your insides twist and release, sending agonising pleasure rippling through your whole body, more bright and explosive than anything you’ve felt before.

His hand slows down, dragging out the boiling hot aftershock, massaging your pussy until you’re a trembling mess.

At last, he slowly slips his fingers out from inside of you and lies next to you.

Cormac can’t tear his eyes from you, watching the way your head falls back onto the pillow - his pillow - as you catch your breath, looking up at the velvet hangings above and raking your hands through your hair.

You think you must lie there in stunned silence for a full minute before you realise he’s waiting on you to say something.

“What -” you swallow, your mouth feeling dry. “What time is the Knight Bus tomorrow?”

Cormac tilts his head, concerned. “After breakfast, I think. But, I mean… if you need space or something, then that’s fine -”

“No,” you turn your head on the pillow quickly. “No, nothing like that.”

You roll on top of him so that you’re straddling him again and lean down. Your hair tickles his cheek as you lean in close enough to see every detail of his face - the faint freckles across his nose, the shadow of stubble on his jaw, even the flutter of his lashes. Every inch of him feels so present.

“I’m trying to figure out how many times we can do that before McGonagall sends us home,” you smirk and relief crosses his face.

“I thought you were trying to see if there was any way you could leave earlier,” he murmurs, his voice rough with sincerity.

You shake your head. “I want to stay here forever. I want -” You plant a kiss on his cheek and slip your hand between your bodies, your curious fingers lightly dancing over his hard cock through his boxers. “- I want you. So badly. You have no idea.”

“Pretty sure I have some idea how that feels.” Cormac reaches down to catch the waistband of his boxers with his thumbs and lets you pull out his cock. It’s just as gorgeous as the rest of him. You wrap your palm around him, feeling how warm and thick he is, and slowly jerk your wrist. His jaw tightens and he jerks his hips upwards to meet your soft, clenched fist.

“That’s - fuck, that’s good -” he says, closing his eyes, his lips slightly parted. He looks so good like this, you think, as you watch him swallow thickly, neck muscles contracting.

You adjust yourself higher up his body so that you can kiss his exposed neck. As you keep working your wrist between your bodies the tip of his cock rests against your wet folds.

“Cormac,” you whisper, your voice trembling slightly, “do you want to…?”

His eyes open, searching yours with quiet intensity. “Yeah,” he says softly like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Your hand pauses stroking him, caught off guard by the steadiness of his answer. “You didn’t even let me finish the question.”

“I don’t need to,” he says, his voice gentle but certain. “If it’s you, the answer’s always yes.”

You can’t help it - the corners of your mouth twitch upward despite the nervous flutter in your chest and the fact that the tip of his leaking cock is pressing against your soaked entrance.

“Does it… do you know if it hurts?” you ask, your voice quieter now - hesitant.

Cormac tilts his head slightly, studying you, his brow furrowing - not in judgment, but in thought. “I don’t know,” he admits, his voice honest but calm. “I’ve never - ” He pauses for a beat, his green eyes flickering with something unreadable. “I haven’t done this before either.”

Your eyes widen. “You haven’t?”

He shakes his head, his expression softening into something almost self-conscious. “Nope.”

“Really?” The word comes out before you can stop it, your voice tinged with disbelief. Somehow, you’d always imagined him as… well, more experienced. The fact that he isn’t, that this is just as new for him, feels oddly grounding.

“Yeah, really,” he says, a small, self-deprecating smile tugging at his lips. His gaze remains fixed on yours, unwavering. “It’s not like I’ve never had the chance or anything… just none of them felt right.”

You swallow hard, your throat tight. “And… this does?”

He doesn’t hesitate. “Yeah.” His lips twitch into a faint smile. “It’s always been you, Sweet. And if you want this too, then -”

“I do. Cormac.” You swallow, the truth spilling out before you can second-guess it. “Of course, I do. I’ve been in love with you since I was eleven years old.”

“So have I,” he says, his voice low but certain. “So there’s nothing to worry about,” he says softly, like a promise. “I’ve got you.”

For once, you don’t think, don’t question. You lift your hips back slightly, just enough for the head of his cock to part your folds. Cormac holds the base of his length, positioning himself so that you can balance your weight, one hand on his chest, the other on the bed.

You sink down, feeling pressure as his cock pushes through your entrance. You shut your eyes tight, expecting pain but you open them again when you feel two large hands caressing your hips.

“Still got you, baby.”

A deep heat blooms within you, sweeping through your body like a tide and leaving your thoughts in a hazy, breathless blur. You slide down further - so slick and hot between your legs that there’s no resistance besides the stretch of him filling you up. As you lower yourself, his reassurance becomes a dark, lustful groan and his thumbs press on your hipbones.

“Fuck,” he grunts. “Fuck - that’s - yeah -”

The back of your thighs meet his hips as you bottom out and the sensation is all-consuming, a wildfire of longing that burns away reason.

His cock presses up against every part of your insides in a way that your body has craved for so long while you tried to ignore it. Every smile he flashed you from across the room, every time you brushed past him as he held a door open - it always made something in your core lurch. And now as you feel those same muscles tighten you realise the extent of your primal want for him.

“It’s… it’s in,” you whisper and it feels almost redundant to say it when it’s so patently obvious but you’re trying to tell him and yourself that you’re okay. It hurts a little - but in a good way - like when your legs ache from climbing a long flight of stairs. Except you never feel fire igniting in your belly like this when you ascend the staircase of the Astronomy Tower.

“Yeah, I’m inside you,” he says breathlessly. Then his expression changes, something flickering in his eyes - an intense, unspoken longing that unfurls in the space between you. “I’m fucking inside you,” he says again, the words low and rough, tumbling from his lips like he’s surrendering to a need he can no longer contain. He thrusts upwards and you gasp breathlessly, it’s as though the world tilts on its axis.

“You good?” he asks, grabbing firm fistfuls of your hips. You nod, your thoughts disapparating around the edges when his cock twitches inside you. “You feel perfect.”

You melt so fiercely under his compliment that you need to look away. But when you look down between your bodies and see him buried to the hilt inside you, you can see why he had to repeat himself.

This is happening - it’s real and it’s actually happening and it’s everything you ever hoped.

You lift your hips in slow, stuttered little jumps, experimenting with the way he feels inside you. Is this right? Are you good at this? Should you move more like this? But Cormac helps, his hands on your tentative hips aid your momentum as he decisively guides you forward and back and - oh.

Now, this is right.

You know for certain now, as his thick cock glides in and out of your sopping wet folds, your arousal dripping all over him, and you can’t tear your eyes away in an almost enchanted haze. You know you must feel right for him too because in almost rhythmic agreement, his cock pushes against that deep sensitive spot you need as you convulse around him.

“Oh, shit -” breathes Cormac. “Look at me, look at me.”

With difficulty, your eyes pull up weakly, looking away from his cock driving into you and meeting his gaze. He’s so present and focused - like he’s searching for something.

Cormac’s hand slides from your hip and his thumb finds your swollen clit. You gasp, realising only now how close you are to the edge. You curse and Cormac grins. This is the answer to the silent question he’d been searching for.

“Fuck -” you whine, your pussy clamping down hard around him. “Fuck, fuck, fuuuuuck -”

“That’s it, baby. Tell me how good it is.”

“Mhm,” you huff as you pick up pace, bouncing against his lap, chasing every bit of friction he has to offer you. It all melds together, the way his cock fills you up, his wet thumb rubbing against your clit, his other hand roughly guiding you up and down on him.

“Fuck - it’s good - s’good -” you try and keep focused on his gorgeous look of concentration as your floor muscles clamp down. “You’re so fucking good.”

He closes his eyes and an agonised groan tumbles from his lips when you say that.

“Yeah? You like that?”

“Yesyesyesyes,” you whimper, every syllable punctuated with you riding him. Your eyes roll back as everything winds tighter and tighter, your nerve endings alight and sparking pleasure through your body.

“Fuck, say it again,” he growls, his hips jutting up to slap against the back of your thighs.

You don’t even know when you say next. All you know is that whatever filthy words spill out, make Cormac laugh triumphantly through gritted teeth as your world shatters.

He murmurs your name - your real name, not that nickname everyone calls you - as he rubs your clit and fucks you exactly where you need him to, throwing you towards raw pleasure.

“Are you cumming again, baby?”

“Ah - uh-huh,” you choke and even that little moan in the affirmative is a struggle.

Every unbridled bounce of your hips sends your mind reeling as your orgasm crashes down over you. Your pussy throbs and twitches around him, squeezing him hard as you ride out the beautiful wave.

Fuck.

It’s messy, it’s aching, it’s blurry, it’s debilitating. You can barely see straight.

You twitch from oversensitivity as Cormac fucks himself up and into you in search of his own high. His hips thrust erratically and his face contorts in pleasure and then suddenly he’s forcing your hips down onto him, and with a guttural moan, he’s cumming deep inside you, holding you in place even as you squirm and shake through the aftershock of your own ecstasy.

Everything goes dark - you see actual stars behind your eyelids. Vaguely, you’re aware of Cormac tenderly manoeuvring you with strong, safe arms so that you’re lying at his side, your head resting on his chest. He pulls his duvet over you - it's cosy and smells like him. It's wonderful.

“You’re shaking - are you warm enough?”

“Mhm,” you murmur, feeling your eyes grow heavy as you try to keep them open. “Just tingly. It’s… it’s nice.”

Cormac tilts your chin up and he leans down to kiss you, slow and lazy. He’s soft and warm. You’re safe and pliant. His fingers tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear and sweetly brush the curve of your jaw.

“Are you tired?” he asks.

“A little,” you say. It's an understatement. You're barely able to lift your eyelids to look at him. There’s something about being nestled here on his shoulder - like you were in front of the common room fire a few weeks ago - that just signals to your body that it’s secure and that you can relax fully. “You?”

“Yeah… I just don’t wanna fall asleep in case I’m already dreaming. I can’t believe this is real.”

“It’s real,” you sigh pleasantly, feeling his very real heartbeat in his chest as you snuggle in closer. The way he’s looking at you - like he’s seeing something precious - makes your chest ache.

“Good,” he murmurs, his voice low and soothing as he lies back on his pillow. “Because I don’t want this to end.”

You don’t want it to end either.

“I know you probably want to catch the Knight Bus tomorrow and see your family but -” he starts, hesitating slightly.

You cut him off gently. “We could stay here. For the holidays. If you want to.”

He closes his eyes, the softest smile curling his lips as his thumb brushes your shoulder. “Yeah,” he says, his voice steady now. “I want that.”

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

The Gryffindor Common Room is a blazing display of gold and red. Laughter and cheering fill the room so loudly that you can barely hear yourself think as you weave through the crowd with two butterbeers in hand.

“Cheer up, Cormac,” you say, finding him on a plump armchair in the corner of the room. You hand him a butterbeer and sit on his lap. He pulls you close, his hand resting on the back of your thigh. “We won the cup, didn’t we?”

“I really thought this was going to be my year,” he grumbles. “I might just have to face it - maybe I’m not cut out to play Quidditch.”

“I think you’re brilliant,” you say, although your words are probably meaningless - you don’t know the first thing about Quidditch.

“Oh, come on. You were there - you watched me knock Potter out with a bludger in the last game.”

“Well, Katie was still in St Mungo’s, wasn’t she? You had other things on your mind.”

Cormac tuts, as if he’s annoyed at himself for being distracted by one of his best friends being in mortal peril.

“Besides,” you say, leaning in and pressing your mouth to his ear. “You have plenty of other talents. Ones that are more… useful than Quidditch.”

“Oh, yeah?” he asks, turning to give you a lopsided grin. His tone is low, teasing, but the heat in his eyes makes your pulse quicken. “Care to elaborate?”

You don’t bother answering. Instead, you press your lips to his, letting the butterbeer bottle tilt precariously in your grip as his arms tighten around your waist. His hand slides a little higher up your thigh, the warmth of it sending sparks skittering down your spine. You tilt your head, deepening the kiss, and suddenly it feels like the whole room could catch fire from how hot your skin feels against his.

“Alright, that’s enough of the Devil’s Snare impression” Katie’s voice interrupts, dry and sharp as she drops into the armchair beside yours, looking equal parts amused and exasperated.

You pull back, flustered, trying to regain a sliver of composure. Cormac shifts slightly, but his arm stays around your waist, not bothering to hide the grin on his face.

“Do you have to keep doing that where I can see? I’ve had enough trauma this year without adding that to the list,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“Sorry,” you grin sheepishly.

“Don’t be,” Katie snorts. “Honestly, I prefer this to whatever you were doing before. It was unbearable. I mean, the pining - ” she shudders theatrically “- disgusting.”

You laugh, but Cormac just raises his butterbeer in mock toast. “Thanks for your support. Truly heartwarming.”

Katie waves a hand dismissively, clearly unbothered. “Just get me my next butterbeer so I don’t need to fight through that crowd again, and we’ll call it even.”

Cormac reaches over without missing a beat, handing her his unopened bottle. “Here. You’ve earned it.”

She raises an eyebrow, suspicious. “Why, because I nearly got cursed to death and inadvertently set the two of you up?”

“No,” Cormac says dryly, though his lips twitch. “Because you’ve basically just won us the bloody Quidditch Cup.”

You raise your butterbeer in solidarity. “To Katie.”

“To me,” she says smugly, clinking her bottle with yours before taking a long sip.

The three of you settle into easy conversation, as easy and as natural as it’s always been.

Sitting here in the glow of victory, with Katie healthy and whole, and Cormac’s arm around your waist, you feel like the luckiest person in the world.

Things are pretty sweet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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