#and they have a little townhouse in jersey together. and they really tried. they really tried! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

notquitetwilight · 4 years ago

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THE CULLANOS: A TASTE OF BOSTON, PART ONE

The Cullanos head to Boston to take care of some business.

“Well?” Carlisle Cullano asked his wife from across the table. “How does Boston pizza compare to Jersey pizza?”

“It doesn’t,” Esme answered her husband automatically. “Especially not ours.”

“Typical Jersey girl,” he smirked. He looked to their daughter beside her. “Rosie?”

Rosalie wrinkled her nose, looking up at him from the slice she was chewing on. “It’s too thick. I don’t like it. But then again, Jersey pizza doesn’t compare to New York pizza, either.”

Esme gave a deep sigh and threw her daughter a look. “Really?”

“What? You know I’ll always be a Manhattanite.”

“You were born in Jersey City Med,” Esme pointedly reminded her.

“Where I was abandoned,” Rose said slowly. “…To be raised in Manhattan.”

“You weren’t abandoned at the hospital,” Carlisle countered.

“She wasn’t abandoned at all!” Esme hissed before he could continue. “How many times do we have to go through this?”

“I know, I know, you were just kids, younger than I am now,” Rose waved the hand that wasn’t holding a pizza slice dismissively. “I’m over it. But I don’t know why you always get mad at me for saying I’m a New Yorker when you’re the ones who chose not to raise me in Jersey. Well, chose not to raise me at all.”

A tense silence fell over them. Rose lowered her eyes to the table of their booth as she continued chewing. Esme glowered out the window, her jaw clenched. Carlisle nudged his foot against her leg in an attempt to comfort her, but she ignored him.

It was a little over a year since the couple had gotten their daughter back. Though she had left her adoptive family and seemed to have settled into their lifestyle, the topic of their lost time together still occasionally raised its head.

The couple had had her at the tender age of 17, unbeknownst to their families. Both of them decided they were too young, too broke and already too involved in the mafia game to raise her themselves. She was adopted by the Hales, a wealthy couple of lawyers who raised her in a Manhattan townhouse and gave her the finest private education New York City had to offer. Carlisle and Esme secretly watched her grow from park benches and the back of school auditoriums. They never interacted with her or allowed her to see them, but watching her grow up safe and happy from a distance filled the void that giving her up had left.

Well, it did, until it didn’t. A year and a half ago, right before the couple finally married, Esme’s sister gave birth to her first child. The family rejoiced in the arrival of the baby boy, with Esme’s mother proudly parading her “first grandchild” around. “Aren’t you jealous, Esme?” Mrs. Platt had asked at the wedding. “You hate it when others have something you don’t.”

“No, mom, I don’t get jealous,” came her answer. Carlisle stifled a laugh at that. The death certificate of his previous wife proved otherwise.

“I always thought you’d be the one to give me my first,” Mrs. Platt continued, causing her daughter to bristle. “But your little sister has beaten you to it.”

Esme’s knuckles went white around the champaign glass she held. “She’s just drunk, baby,” Carlisle muttered in her ear. “Fuggedaboutit.”

But it didn’t matter. Esme’s moods worsened in the weeks that followed as she grieved 17 years’ worth of parenting the daughter they tried to do right by. She stopped parking outside the Hales’ Upper East Side building in hopes of catching a glimpse of the girl, or regularly checking her social media pages for updates on how she was doing. Carlisle knew it had become too difficult for her, particularly when her sister got to be a mother so openly. Mrs. Platt was right; Esme hated going without what others had. And Carlisle could never let her go without.

So one day, he pulled his yellow Alfa Romeo into the garage of the couple’s home and paged Esme to meet him there. “Hey doll,” he greeted her from against the bonnet as she entered and closed the door behind her. “I gotcha somethin’.”

She looked around in confusion. Normally when he asked her to come to the garage it meant he had bought her a new car. “What?” She wondered, but before her husband could respond, she was answered by a chorus of thumping and muffled screaming from the trunk.

“Who’s in there?” Esme asked, bored. Visitors to their home arriving by car trunk wasn’t exactly new. He grinned at her smugly as the thumping continued. “What?” She said again, but he could tell he had piqued her interest. He sauntered over to the trunk and opened it, a flurry of blond immediately lunging at him from inside. Esme instinctively reacted with a raised gun, but as Carlisle restrained the girl, her eyes widened and she lowered her weapon. “Is that…?”

He beamed at her as Rosalie struggled in his arms. Her wrists and ankles were tied, but still she writhed around. Her eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and fear, and duct tape covered her mouth. “Take that thing off of her,” Esme commanded. “I wanna proper look.”

“Hold still or it’ll hurt,” Carlisle told the girl. She stopped wriggling long enough that he could gently remove the tape without ripping her skin. She immediately attempted to bite his hand, but he was too fast. Then came an ear-piercing screech that caused both adults to wince, but Esme was smiling.

“You wait,” Rosalie said once she was finished screaming, her voice hoarse. “Just you wait. If it’s money you want, good luck. You might as well kill me now.”

“She looks just like you,” Esme said as if she hadn’t heard her, though she didn’t take her eyes off the girl. “We knew it already, but up close, it’s crazy. I didn’t get a look-in.”

Rosalie’s face contorted to an expression of both confusion and disgust. “What the fuck…?”

Carlisle laughed at her exaggerated expressiveness; the narrowed eyes, the over-the-top frown, the grimace that caused her cheeks to apple. He had seen Esme pull that face a million times before. “I wouldn’t be so sure,” he told her as they both went back to staring at Rosalie — who was attempting to naw at the rope around her wrists — with the kind of fascination people usually reserved for newborn babies.

“Carl, untie her,” Esme instructed. He gave her a hard look, thinking it was a terrible idea. She arched an eyebrow in response, and he knew better than to argue with her.

“Wait ‘til my father hears about this,” Rose grumbled as he began cutting through the thick rope. That amused him, and he couldn’t help but grin. “What’s so funny?” She demanded.

He shook his head. “Nothin’,” he tried, but he heard Esme giggle and he started laughing again.

Rosalie’s face flushed angrily as she looked wildly from her almost-free hands to Esme and then to Carlisle. “I said, what’s. So. Funny?” She said it slowly and punctuated, as if she thought he was stupid. Esme’s laugh was turning into the loud cackle she gave when she was particularly thrilled. He sniffed with a smile and shook his head again.

Rosalie was then red-faced, her eyes flashing with rage. “What the fuck is so funny, you piece of shit?”

The couple collapsed into full belly-laughs for what had to have been at least a full minute as Rosalie could do nothing but glare. “It’s funny—“ Carlisle started, pausing to try and compose himself. “It’s funny that you said ‘wait ‘til my father hears about this,’ because I am your father.”

Rosalie rolled her eyes, irritated. She clearly thought that was his lame attempt at a joke.

“It’s true, saweetie,” Esme tried to turn her amusement into a sincere-looking smile. “Your our daughter. I’m your mommy! Were you ever told you were adopted?”

“What kind of weirdos are you?” Rosalie mused, her eyes still narrowed. “Don’t normal kidnappers just tie someone up and leave them be ‘til they’re paid ransom or get arrested? What is this, some sort of house-play shit? I saw something about that on TLC once.”

“Look, princess,” Carlisle started, struggling to get the blade through another bit of rope. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but it’s the truth. I didn’t bundle you up in my car for money, or to hurt you. I bundled you up in my car to bring ya home, where you belong. We’ve missed you your whole life, and now that you’re a lil’ older, we’d love to make up for lost time.”

She looked silently from one to the other. Carlisle could see that it would take a while to convince her. She was suspicious, defensive, and unyieldingly stubborn. Just like her parents.

“Whadiya say, kid?” He smiled at her. “Wontcha give your ol’ man a hug?”

The last of the rope snapped and Rosalie immediately punched him so hard in the nose that it made a horrible crack. He held it as she tried getting away, having seemingly forgotten about the rope around her ankles.

The pair of them allowed her to hop around the garage as both exits were locked. Esme handed him a tissue for his bloody nose and they stood side-by-side against the car, watching Rosalie noisily hunt for something she could either free her ankles or hurt them with. It took him a second to realise Esme was quietly crying.

“Don’t worry, doll,” he put a consoling arm around her and pulled her into him. “She’ll come round eventually. She just needs time. And maybe a car, or a pony, or whadevathefuck teen girls are into deeze days. Whadeva it takes, we’ll do it.”

“It’s not that,” Esme swiped at her tears and turned to him. He was surprised to see she was smiling.

“Then what? What is it, baby?”

Esme wiped another tear away as she proudly cried, “she’s got my uppercut!”

Getting the three of them to work as a family unit had been no easy feat. After showing her the paperwork that proved they were her biological parents, the couple brought Rosalie back to her adoptive home the same evening they had taken her from it in an attempt to show her they were no danger. She didn’t tell the Hales about what had happened, instead blaming her broken curfew on losing track of time while at a friend’s house. Carlisle knew that this was more out of anger at them for lying to her her whole life than it was out of loyalty to the Cullanos. The couple returned to watching her, but this time it was on a daily basis, and they made sure she saw them either by waving across the street or approaching her if she was alone. They often arrived with bribes, but she rolled her eyes each time.

“Hi, Rosalieeee,” Esme sung one day, the two of them having waited for her to get home at the corner of her block. “How was school?”

“Get lost,” Rose muttered as she went to walk past them as usual. Carlisle caught her arm, so she begrudgingly came to a halt and rounded on them with a glare. “What? What do you want?”

“I bought us matchin’ Birkins!” Esme said excitedly, unfazed by Rosalie’s attitude. She held up her arms, each hand gripping the handles of a bag.

“I already have expensive bags. I don’t need more. You know what? I already have parents, too.”

“Who had about as much of a hand in raisin’ you as we did,” Carlisle said. “Tell me, Rosie, which nanny was it you used to mistake for your motha?”

She flinched for a second before recovering her steely expression. “I told you not to call me that. You don’t get to give me a nickname. You don’t get to ask me how my day was. You don’t get to wait around for me every single day. Seriously, you’re both stalkers. You’re already breaking the law by seeking me out before I’m 18. Stop before I call the police and report you for harassment.”

“I don’t think you will,” Esme said gently.

“Oh yeah? What makes you so confident?”

“If that’s what you wanted, you’d have done it already.”

There was a pause. Esme took her chance to hand Carlisle a bag, freeing a hand to caress Rosalie’s arm. “Look, sweetheart. All we’re askin’ for is for you to get to know us. If you get to know us, and you decide you want nothin’ to do with us, we’ll walk away, no questions asked.”

Rosalie considered this for a moment, then looked back and forth at the two of them. “You swear?”

Carlisle traced the cross-my-heart motion on his chest. “Hope to die.”

“Promise,” Esme said firmly.

She let out a sigh. “Fine. But how will it work? I can’t just disappear to go live with you. I’m in my senior year, and my parents would have the mayor turn the city upside-down looking for me.”

“Well, they work ‘til late, right? So we’ll start pickin’ you up from school, and get you back before they come home,” Carlisle said.

“No, you can’t pick me up. Friends will see me getting into some random car. Plus, I’ll have homework...studying....that kinda thing.”

“Ahrite-ahrite,” he nodded. “Responsible, I like it. Education is very impawtant.”

Rosalie rolled her eyes again. “Yeah, it seems to have played a huge role in your life.”

“How about we get you a cell that you can use specifically for us?” Esme asked. “And you can call or text us whenever you’re finished with schoolwork? We can take ya out to eat or...well, do whateva you wanna do.”

Rosalie paused again. “Do I get to pick the phone?”

“Of course,” Esme smiled. She had told Carlisle the bribes would pay off eventually.

“What about your...business?” Rosalie asked curiously. They hadn’t explicitly told her what they did, but she was bright enough to guess.

“We do most of our work at night, anyway,” Esme answered.

And so the months that followed were filled with evening family bonding. Rosalie would call or text, they’d go out to eat, do different things around NYC or Jersey City, drop her home, go take care of business, get home either a little before or after dawn, and sleep while she was at school. She seemed to enjoy her time with them; she never said she was happy to continue allowing them to be in her life, but she never again brought up wanting them to leave her alone, either. So they continued the way they were as her 18th birthday drew closer.

One evening, when the family had gone go-karting, Carlisle noticed Rosalie’s ability to drive with extraordinary speed and precision. He decided to test it out in an actual car, just the two of them, and was thrilled to discover this skill was transferable.

“Guess what, baby?” He approached Esme from behind at their kitchen counter the next afternoon, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“What?” She smiled sleepily as she prepared breakfast, though it was 1pm.

“I think I’ve found us a driver.”

“Really? Who?”

“Rosie.”

She frowned and pulled away so she could properly look him in the face. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Remember how great she was when we went go-kartin’? Well, I brought her to a track last night and she was amazin’. Turns out she’s actually really into cars — kid knows more about ‘em than me!”

“First of all, drivin’ round an empty racetrack at night is very different from drivin’ the streets when you’re fleein’ a scene or bein’ chased,” Esme said, pulling fully out of his arms and heading for the sink. “Second, Rosie’s goin’ to college.”

“Whadiyamean, she’s goin’ to college?”

“I mean what the fuck I said: she’s goin’ to college!”

“We just got the kid back and now you’re gonna send her off to some otha parta the country to go to college?”

She turned back to him with a glare. “The whole reason we left her in the first place was so that she could have a normal life. College is a normal life.”

“Normal life? She was bounced around from nanny to nanny! We didn’t give her a life with normal parents, we gave her human cash cows and babysitters!”

“Well, at least she was safe.”

“We’d never let anyone hurt her.”

“We couldn’t guarantee that. We still can’t. That’s why she should go to college like the rest of her friends.”

“What, because college is so safe for young girls? Have you neva read a newspaper?”

“Don’t tell me about the dangers young women face,” she practically growled.

“She’d be with us,” he said, his tone much softer. “Where else could possibly be safer for her to be than with the two people who’d die for her?”

She stared at the counter for a moment. “Her 18th is comin’ up,” she said slowly. “That’s her opportunity to decide if she wants to come live with us or not. If she does, she does; if she doesn’t, she goes to college like the private-school kid she is should. But I don’t wanna force her like we did last time. If she chooses us, I want it to be because she chooses us.”

“Okay,” Carlisle smiled, then added, “and she will.”

And she did. She turned 18, deciding to finish out the school year where she had always lived. After graduation, she packed her bags, told the Hales she knew the truth and that she was leaving them for good, and came to live in the Cullano house. The Hales were a little persistent in trying to convince her to come back to them, but it was nothing that couldn’t be solved by sending Emmett, the most intimidating-looking member of the crew, over to their house to smash a couple of things up. As Carlisle had envisioned, Rose started driving for the Cullanos and their team, initially just the occasional, stress-free errand here and there. But she found it brought a certain amount of thrill and excitement her life had been missing, and so she worked her way up to riskier jobs. This trip to Boston would be her riskiest job yet.

“Is everyone done?” Carlisle now asked. Esme still had a slice left over while Rosalie sat with nothing but crust in front of her.

“Mmhmm,” Rose answered. Esme mumbled something about being full.

They gathered their things and headed back to the borrowed Bugatti that Emmett had arranged for them. Though Emmett was a Brooklyn boy, Boston was his father’s city, and he had relatives all around it. Relatives that would be more than happy to see the Cullanos through what they planned to do tonight.

Rosalie set the GPS to their hotel. “How many Ivanovs are there, again?”

“Six— well, 4 Ivanovs, a Petrov and a Ryan,” Esme answered from the back.

“Who’s the head?”

“Mmm, Tatiana. Or at least she thinks she is,” Esme smiled.

“Is she the one who...did she kill Emmett’s dad?” Rosalie met Esme’s eyes in the rear view mirror. She had developed a bit of a soft spot for Emmett over her time with them.

“No,” Carlisle answered instead. “That was Katarina and Garrett.”

“Garrett doesn’t sound very Russian.”

“Garrett is the Ryan. Irish mob, like Emmett’s dad,” Carlisle said.

“They worked together ‘til he fell for Katarina,” Esme added. “So it was a real blow when the two of them killed him. A big betrayal.”

“Then how come no one’s taken them out yet?”

“They’re powerful. Ruthless. Batshit crazy,” Carlisle said.

“Look who’s talking,” Rose said with a slight smile.

“That’s why Emmett’s mother left here and raised him in Brooklyn,” Esme said. “That’s where she grew up, so she knew she’d be safe. The Ivanovs have people everywhere around Boston. And with a target on the back of every McCarthy, stayin’ woulda been a death sentence.”

Rosalie frowned then. “If they’re that bad, what are we doing here? There’s three of us— two, technically, since I’m just the wheels. Those don’t seem like very good odds.”

“There’s also Alice, virtually,” Carlisle reminded. “She’ll be there behind every camera to tell us what we’re dealin’ with.”

“Cool, so she can say, ‘hey guys, you’re about to die’ right before we die. Helpful.”

“It is helpful,” Esme said. “Even the shortest of warnin’s can buy you just enough time to save your life.”

“Besides, we’re not plannin’ a massacre,” Carlisle said. “I’m expectin’ only one to be there. We hit ‘em, we go. Then we’re even for how they fucked us over with the Kiev deal they were supposed to facilitate.”

“So it’s...a blind hit? It doesn’t matter who you get, as long as you get one of them?”

Carlisle nodded. “But it would be...convenient, if it was Tatiana.”

Once they got back to the hotel, they freshened up and changed. The couple pulled out the stuffed bags Emmett had also organised for them. They took only what they needed, a couple of guns and knives each, and shoved the rest back under the bed.

“Don’t forget my favourite,” Carlisle smirked, waving Esme’s thigh holsters in the air.

“Never,” she said, holding up two pistols that were identical to her favourites back home. “Put them on for me?”

He knelt down, lifted up her skirt and strapped one around her right thigh. Then he moved to her left as she slotted her gun into it. After buckling the left one, he ran his hand down her inner thigh, causing her to giggle. Rosalie burst through the door of their adjoining rooms and froze as she registered them, her face immediately screwing up in disgust.

“Oh, for shit’s sake,” she said. “Get a room.”

“This is our room,” Carlisle pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. “Why aren’t you in all-black?”

She was wearing head-to-toe black like they taught her, as she always did. Carlisle was dressed like an office worker from Mad Men, while Esme looked like a housewife from the 50s. Neither of them said anything.

“This isn’t one of your weird sex things, is it? Like, you can’t possibly get off on killing people together?”

The silence continued. “Ugh, don’t answer that.”

They made their way down to the car and Rosalie silently drove them to a street two blocks down from the address they’d given her. As the pair got ready, she drummed her fingers against the wheel.

“You scared?” Carlisle asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“No,” she said, a little too forcefully.

Esme leaned forward into the gap between the two front seats and put a hand under Rosalie’s chin, directing her so she could look at her intently. “Remember the plan. Stay inside the car at all times. Stay put here, lights off, engine off. Only turn it on when you see us. Or when you see people who aren’t us carryin’ guns. If that happens, you drive and you drive and you don’t ever stop. Same goes if we’re gone past, mmm, a half hour. Forty minutes, tops. There’s a loaded gun in the glovebox if you need it. Got it?” Rosalie nodded. “Good.”

“Stay safe, princess,” Carlisle kissed her on the cheek, opening his door. “Love ya.”

He closed the door and Esme took her hand and squeezed it. “Everything will be fine. But in case it isn’t, you know what to do. I love you, sweetheart.”

She nodded wordlessly again. She never said it back; it was probably still too weird for her. But she swallowed tightly. Esme brought the hand she held onto up to her lips and kissed her knuckles. She then let go and opened the door.

“Esme?” Rose choked out just as she was about to close it.

“Yeah, honey?”

“Come back to me, like you did before.”

Now Esme was the one who could do nothing but nod. And with that, she closed the door, and the couple walked off into the night.

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toastedqueso · 4 years ago

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Take A Shot

Pairing: Jungwoo x Original Female Character | Reader

Words: 6k

Genre: Comedy, Smut, Strangers to Lovers

Warnings: Alcohol consumption (drink responsibly), Betting, Explicit sexual content

Summary: A handsome stranger at Yuta’s soccer match watching party catches Ella’s attention. Unfortunately for Ella, the stranger, Jungwoo, is rooting for the enemy. They get entangled in a bet and maybe both of them are winners.

A/N: This has idea has been floating around for a while since I found out Jungwoo is a Manchester City fan. The fic has been sitting around for a while and it’s time I finally posted it. Thank you for reading!

Ella clutches the bottle of Prosecco close to her as she walks the short distance from where her Uber driver dropped her off to Yuta’s townhouse. Ella was looking forward to this party all week. Yuta had been planning for a while to host a soccer match watching party on his brand new fancy TV, which he couldn’t stop bragging about. He let Ella as his soul sister have the honor of the first viewing event be an important match for her favorite soccer team, Liverpool FC. The match is against Manchester City and regardless of how much money Man City spent in the offseason on new players, she’s confident Liverpool FC will win.

Yuta had told her that the party would be just her and a few of his other friends she had hung out with before. They seemed nice from their previous encounters, but she was ready to put them in their place if they questioned her soccer knowledge.

Ella takes a deep breath to relax. She can feel her pre-match nerves creeping up and she needs a drink fast. Ella rings the doorbell when she reaches the front door. Yuta opens the door before she drops her hand away from the doorbell.

“Welcome! Come on in, sis!” Yuta bear hugs Ella and takes the bottle of Prosecco. “Nice. I was in the mood for some mimosas.”

“When aren’t you? You always act like you’re on ‘Real Housewives’,” Ella gruffs and ducks befor Yuta can rufflle her hair. She slips her shoes off and follows Yuta into the townhouse.

Yuta and Ella became fast friends when they started working at the same Graphic Design company 4 years ago. They’re known as “Double Trouble” at work for all the chaos they cause. Some of their nosey coworkers initially suspected they were more than friends, but they quickly quashed those rumors when they started referring to each other as siblings and Yuta brought his girlfriend, Maria, to their office parties.

Ella gives Maria a hug when she spots her in the Living Room. She scans the room to see that the guests are already here sipping their drinks and eating nachos. She greets Johnny, Taeyong and their girlfriends, then notices an unfamiliar face. Yuta has quite a few attractive friends, but this friend was different. His soft brown hair frames his pretty face, which nicely contrasts his tall physique. When he stands up, he towers over Taeyong and Yuta, but stands a hair shorter than Johnny.

“Woah,” Ella quietly says to herself as she tucks a strand of her wavy black hair behind her ear. She now wishes she put in more effort in her attire. She hastily threw on her Liverpool jersey with her medium wash jeans. Fortunately, she did curl her hair and put on some light makeup to highlight the golden glow of her skin.

Ella and the stranger make eye contact and she notices his eyes go wide for a second. Before she can introduce herself to the stranger, Johnny calls his name to grab his attention. Jungwoo.

The guys huddle by the TV to admire it like treasure. While they discuss future viewing plans for Yuta’s brand new fancy TV fit for King, Ella watches Jungwoo bite his lips as he inspects the TV. He catches Ella’s eye as he’s scanning the room and smiles. Ella breaks her stare and looks around to find Maria.

“Want a drink?” Maria asks, noticing Ella is still drinkless. Ella definitely feels far too sober to have to spend the next few hours with the handsome stranger. If Maria suspects anything from Ella's actions since stepping into the townhouse, she doesn’t mention it.

Breaking the awkwardness she feels from possibly getting caught in the act, Ella heads to the kitchen and pours herself a glass of white wine. She practically chugs the wine down and pours herself another glass to sip slowly. Getting drunk before the game would lead to her being really loud and maybe breaking Yuta’s new TV if the game didn’t go how she hoped and she didn’t have new TV money.

Ella heads back to the living room, wine in hand, and settles in on the couch. She gently swirls her wine glass while contemplating how to introduce herself to the stranger. She’s so deep in thought that she almost misses that the handsome stranger is heading towards the kitchen until he’s screaming if anyone wants anything. She watches him walk into the empty kitchen before she chugs the rest of her wine. She gets up too quickly and has to grab onto the sofa arm to steady herself.

“Fuck it. It’s now or never,” Ella tries to hype herself up as she heads into the kitchen.

She finds the stranger concentrating on pouring a mix of liqueurs into a cocktail shaker.

“What are you making?” Ella asks, causing the stranger to jump a little.

“Oh! You’re just in time! I’m mixing my special drink. I call it ‘Jungwoo’s Special’!” Jungwoo announces as he shakes the cocktail shaker.

“What makes it ‘special’?” Ella asks bluntly.

Jungwoo laughs. “Be prepared to be amazed!”

“I’m Jungwoo by the way. I meant to introduce myself to you earlier, but Johnny dragged me away. A TV over a girl, he’s so inconsiderate,” Jungwoo replies.

Ella blushes. She doesn’t want to read too much into Jungwoo’s words, but she lets herself hope he meant something more by it. “I’m Ella. I’m one of Yuta’s work buddies.”

“Oh! You’re the work sister! I guess I need to be extra gentlemanly,” Jungwoo laughs.

“So is the ‘Jungwoo’s Special’ something a gentleman would offer a lady?”

“Why don’t you try it and find out?” Jungwoo gives Ella a mischievous look. Jungwoo pours the drink for Ella and hands it to her. She takes a sip and nods her head. It’s a good drink, but guessing by the bottles he left uncapped, it was a potent drink.

“It definitely knows how to treat a lady,” Ella says. Taking a step closer to Jungwoo, she can feel how much bigger he is than her. She has to crane her neck to look up at him. She notices Jungwoo looking down at the Liverpool FC badge on her jersey and smiles.

“Liverpool fan?” Ella cocks her head. Jungwoo gives her a sweet smile. With all the liquid courage in her, she takes a step closer to Jungwoo.

“Man City,” Jungwoo replies with a playful glint in his eyes.

“Wow, you’re a glory hunter.” Ella gives him a horrified look and shoves his torso. If she wasn’t feeling her pre-game rage and animosity for Manchester City, she would’ve commented how his abs felt solid like a rock.

“If that’s what you want to call supporting the best players and manager in the world, then sure!” Jungwoo teases.

“It’s a TEAM sport. It’s about how everyone works together to win, not just a bunch of megastars.” Ella retorts.

“You make it sound like Liverpool doesn’t also buy the best players and have a great manager,” Jungwoo points out. Ella couldn’t argue with that.

“Touché. But at least we don’t throw all our money at everything.”

“How about we place a bet?” Jungwoo propositions. He knows they won’t get anywhere with their argument, but maybe a bet could make things interesting.

“Seriously? A bet?”

“Come on, it’ll be fun. It’ll be some extra fun for the match,” Jungwoo coaxes.

“Fine, what are the terms of the bet that you propose?”

“If Liverpool wins, you get to pick what to do and If Manchester City wins, I’ll get to pick what to do. To make this a little more fun, not only does the winner get to pick what to do, but they get to pick a thing or wish for each goal their team scores.”

“What if it’s a draw?”

“We can go with who had the most possession in the game.”

Ella sips her drink and contemplates whether to accept or not. She had come into the kitchen to expect a bit of talking, maybe some flirting, but not a bet. The only downside would be if Man City won, but Ella was pretty confident Liverpool had this game in the bag.

“You have yourself a deal, Jungwoo.” Ella stretches out her right hand for Jungwoo to shake. Jungwoo lights up and shakes her hand.

“No matter who wins or loses, I’m sure we’ll both end up winning at the end.” Jungwoo winks at Ella before he chugs the rest of his ‘Jungwoo Special’ drink.

They settle into the couch in front of Yuta’s fancy TV. The players complete the pre-match rituals of pennant exchanges and hand shakes and then the kick off. Liverpool gains possession early and builds up momentum. The two teams go back and forth creating chances, but no one scoring. Ella glances over at Jungwoo from time to time and notices even Jungwoo seems to feel the tension. Then in the 39th minute, Liverpool breaks away with the ball and scores a spectacular goal.

“FUCK YES!” Ella screams and jumps around. Yuta high fives Ella to celebrate.

“In your face!” Ella says with satisfaction to Jungwoo.

“Don’t get too cocky. The game is far from over.” Jungwoo playfully shoves Ella when she sits down.

Ella rolls her eyes and shoves Jungwoo back. Five minutes remain for the first half. Each team approaches the last few minutes differently. Liverpool seems to be playing it safe while Manchester City is looking to equalize. Ella nervously takes a sip of her drink. Even if Liverpool is leading, she can’t help but feel something worrying looming in the air. Unfortunately, her gut instincts were right. As soon as she puts her drink down, Manchester City takes possession of the ball and scores. Jungwoo starts jumping up and cheering. Ella huffs and lays back onto the sofa.

“We’re even now,” Jungwoo says as he shakes Ella’s shoulder.

“Whatever. There’s still another half,” Ella replies. She lightly smacks Jungwoo’s thigh. Jungwoo laughs at her reaction.

Both teams seem to just pass around the ball to wind down time before the referee blows the whistle to signal half time. Jungwoo springs up to head to the kitchen. Jungwoo asks if she needs anything, but Ella just waves her hand to indicate she’s fine. Ella needs a few moments to wallow in her misery. In the middle of her self pity, she feels someone land on the couch next to her.

“Ooooh you two are getting cozy,” Yuta comments.

Ella rolls her eyes. “It’s nothing. I’m nice to everyone.”

“You can lie as much as you want, but I know you better than that.” Yuta nudges her arm. “Really though, he’s a good guy. You guys are getting along. You obviously think he’s hot. I saw you chase after him and go to the kitchen.”

“Can we not talk about this right now? He’s the enemy. I have a bet to win.”

“Hate sex is a thing you know.”

“Don’t imagine that, please,” Ella groans, rubbing her forehead.

“Are you imagining it?” Yuta gives Ella a quizzical look. “You totally are! I won’t tell him. Do you. Or rather, do him.”

“Do who?” Jungwoo chimes in right as Ella picks up a pillow to smack Yuta while he’s laughing.

“The only thing I’m doing is going to the restroom,” Ella replies as she gets up.

Yuta continues laughing at his own joke and Ella smacks him with a pillow before she heads to the restroom to freshen up. The game is tied 1-1 and she really needs to channel some positive energy into Liverpool. She freshens up and grabs a bottle of water from the kitchen then settles back into the couch next to Jungwoo.

“Here. I got you some pizza.” Jungwoo hands her a plate with 2 slices of cheese pizza. “I can’t have you throw up on me.”

“Wow, that’s really all you care about?” Ella scoffs.

“I care about you! You should eat. Win or lose, your health is most important” Jungwoo replies. The pizza may have lost its oven fresh heat, but the gesture is still sweet. If she wasn’t trying to fight for her team's honor, Ella would probably kiss Jungwoo.

“Thanks,” Ella meekly says as she turns her attention to the pizza. She hopes he can’t see her blush while she’s nibbling on the pizza.

The second half starts and Ella’s nerves are back. Both teams are picking up momentum and creating chances for a goal. Feeling her stomach churn every time either side attempts to score, Ella puts the pizza on the coffee table. She nervously taps her foot and hopes Liverpool can keep possession if they can’t score a goal.

“Have you thought about what you want if you win?” Jungwoo tries to break the tension. He leans back into the couch.

“No, have you?” Ella asks. Following Jungwoo’s actions, she leans back too.

Jungwoo looks like he’s in deep thought when the game commentator starts screaming. They bring their attention back to the TV and watch Manchester City score their 2nd goal in the 88th minute.

“OH FUCK.” Ella deflates on the couch. Jungwoo is high-fiving everyone, almost spilling Taeyong’s beer on him.

“Well, that’s it then,” Jungwoo says. He plops down on the couch

“There’s still extra time.” Ella knows it’s unlikely to win, but if Liverpool can scrap up a draw, then maybe she might have some hope.

“Don’t worry. Even if I win the bet, you’ll still feel like a winner too,” Jungwoo says with a playful look.

The remaining minutes of the game are uneventful and Man City grabs the win, much to Jungwoo’s delight. Jungwoo spreads his arms inviting Ella in for a hug. Ella shoves his shoulder away instead.

“Aww don’t be like that! That’s not good sportsmanship. Or sportswomanship!” Jungwoo complains. He slowly inches closer to Ella. She rolls her eyes and finally relents. She would be lying if she didn’t admit that Jungwoo gave great hugs. Yuta looks over in their direction and gives Ella a look that says he’s definitely interrogating her later.

“There you go! That’s the spirit!” Jungwoo commends, patting her back.

“Congratulations. Have you thought about what you want?” Ella asks

“Already in a rush to claim the prize?”

“I’m pretty sure you won and it’s your prize.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it just as much as I will!” Ella feels nervous as Jungwoo takes his time to contemplate what to ask for.

“Don’t leave me in suspense!”

“Okay! Okay!” Jungwoo raises his hands in defense. “My first reward is that we exchange numbers.”

She hands Jungwoo her phone and watches him add his number. He texts himself from her phone to make sure he has her number too. Ella was hoping for something grander, but she’ll settle for that now. A part of her was hoping he wouldn’t stick to being a gentleman as he said before.

The rest of the weekend passes by in a blur and Ella finds herself back at work too soon for her liking. She’s looking through her email inbox when Yuta comes in and smacks her on the shoulder.

“Good morning!” Yuta shouts at her. He plops down on her desk, causing a few stray papers to crumple. Ella opens her mouth to complain until Yuta shoves an iced coffee in her face.

“Thanks Yuta. I desperately need caffeine,” Ella says, taking the iced coffee from Yuta.

“Soooo tell me about you weekend, my dear friend.”

“I did laundry on Sunday.”

“And Saturday.” Yuta gives her a pointed look as he sips his coffee.

“I was at your house to watch a Liverpool match,” Ella deadpans. She knows he’s trying to weasel all the gossip out of her.

“Yes, tell me more. More than just the game and where you were. Tell me all the other details.”

“What are you trying to get at?” Ella squints at Yuta. She knows what he’s after

“This development of you and Jungwoo. Don’t think we didn’t notice!”

Ella rolls her eyes and turns back to her laptop. “Thanks for the coffee, Yuta. These emails aren’t going to delete themselves.”

“Don’t ignore me! I’ll get my answers at lunch!” Yuta gets up and leaves to his desk on the other side of the divider in front of Ella.

Ella turns back to her email. She has a few design mockup requests from clients she needs to get to this week. Some clients were better with their requirements than others. She was already dreading the long email chains and meeting after meeting with clients who couldn’t describe their requirements well. She knows at some point during the week she has to set up some time to work with Yuta on a project for one of their bigger clients. She knew the cat would be out of the bag by then and Yuta’s nosiness would only get worse.

Jungwoo (9:02 AM): Good morning beautiful ❤️

Ella feels a little flustered seeing Jungwoo call her beautiful.

“Thank God Yuta left already,” Ella thinks to herself. If he saw the message, he’d never let her live in peace.

Ella and Jungwoo spent the entire Sunday texting back and forth, but Yuta didn’t need to know that. She learned that he’s a Mechanical Engineer, which she hadn't expected at all. They talked a lot about their lives and interests. Ella was glad she was getting to know him better and didn’t let a football rivalry get in their way.

Ella (9:03 AM): Good morning! Don’t you have work to do?

Jungwoo (9:03 AM): But I like talking to you!!!!! Talk to me!!!!!

Ella (9:10 AM): Can’t right now. Maybe in a few hours? Yuta is going to grill me at lunch 💀

Jungwoo (9:11 AM): I’m bigger than him. I’ll hurt him!!!

Ella turns her phone face down and turns back to her laptop. She has a design draft halfway completed that she wants to get done before lunch. She puts her hair up in a messy bun and gets back to work.

Lunch time comes around sooner than anticipated. Yuta’s head pops up from the other side of the divider.

“Ready for lunch? I’m starving,” Yuta announces as he stretches.

“Yeah let’s go. Poke?” Ella suggests. She grabs her purse and phone and walks towards the door.

“You read my mind!” Yuta follows closely behind.

They complain about their workload on their short walk over to the Poke restaurant. Although it was nice they had a constant stream of clients, they needed more designers to balance the workload. After ordering their food, they settle down at a table by the window.

“It’s so nice outside. It’s criminal that we have to work indoors,” Ella comments as she digs in.

“Hmm, yeah,” Yuta gives a short reply, as he scarfs down his food. “Enough about that. Now tell me about Jungwoo!”

“What do you mean ‘tell me about Jungwoo’? He’s your friend! You know more about him than I do!” Ella replies. She knows what he’s getting at, but refuses to give into his demands for gossip so quickly.

“You know what I mean! You two have something going on!”

Ella rolls her eyes. “It’s not like that! We just had a bit of friendly competition and banter on Saturday and we’ve been talking.”

“Uh huh, right. ‘Banter’. Next thing you know, you’ll end up in bed together!” Yuta accuses, pointing his fork at Ella.

“Can’t you keep it down! We’re in public!” Ella whispers.

“Everyone could do with some gossip on a boring Monday.” Yuta shrugs. “Whatever is going on with you two, I approve.”

“God, you're not my dad!” Ella rubs her forehead. She knows Yuta isn’t going to let this conversation go easily.

“Thank God for that!” Yuta agrees. “Anyway, all of this was part of my master plan anyway. I guess Johnny was too tall. Taeyong was too pretty. Jungwoo is slightly shorter and I guess slightly less pretty.”

“Johnny and Taeyong are also very much taken,” Ella points out. “And why are you insulting Jungwoo behind his back?”

“I’m not! There’s no point in being the tallest or prettiest. He has the right amount of both,” Yuta explains, shoving the last spoonful of his Poke in his mouth.

“I’m going to expect updates!” Yuta says. He gets up to throw away his empty bowl and trash.

Ella looks at her phone notifications and sees 10 texts from Jungwoo. She’ll have to read them once she’s back at her desk. She can’t risk Yuta’s prying eyes seeing the messages. Once Yuta’s back, they leave and take their post-lunch walk before they head back into the office.

After she settles back into her chair, Ella pulls out her phone and goes through Jungwoo’s messages. The texts have jumped from 10 unread to 20 unread messages. Most of the texts are of Jungwoo sulking about Ella ignoring his texts.

Ella (1:10 PM): Sorry, just got back from lunch with Yuta

Jungwoo (1:11 PM): I thought you ghosted me! But I forgive you. I don’t want you to starve.

Jungwoo (1:11 PM): What was he grilling you about?

Ella (1:12 PM): You duh lol

Jungwoo (1:12 PM): ME??

Ella (1:13 PM): Actually about us

Jungwoo (1:14 PM): He’s just jealous. He doesn’t have what we have.

Ella (1:15 PM): What? Soccer rivalry?

Jungwoo (1:16 PM): OK that and he’s not as hot as us

Ella takes a moment to think how to reply when she sees Jungwoo typing again. She decides to wait and see what he says before replying.

Jungwoo (1:18 PM): Speaking of us…I believe I’m owed a 2nd wish. Let’s grab dinner Friday night? At the new Brazilian Steakhouse you mentioned?

Ella (1:20 PM): Sure! I’ll meet you there at 7?

Jungwoo (1:20 PM): It’s a date 😉

Ella feels butterflies thinking about their date. Suddenly all of her work seems a lot less important than planning her attire for her date. She makes a mental note to go through her closet as soon as she gets home.

Fortunately, the work week breezes by quickly. Unfortunately, it’s Friday afternoon and Ella still hasn't decided what to wear on her date. Although they aren’t dining at a formal restaurant, Ella wants to dress up a little this time. Sorting through her dresses, she finally settles on an off-the-shoulder forest green dress that sits right above her knee.

With her outfit picked out she does her makeup. She decides to do a bronze smokey eye to accentuate the bronze glow of her skin and complement the color of the dress. Ella decided to do a nude mauve lip. She curls her black hair into even waves and sets the waves with hairspray. After she’s done with hair and makeup, she changes into her dress. After surveying her look in the mirror, she decides to put some bronzer and highlighter on her collarbones to accentuate them. After she’s satisfied with her work, she checks the time -- 6:15 PM. She had to put her jewelry and shoes on now if she wanted to be on time.

Ella picks out a pair of golden strappy stilettos to wear with the dress. She accessorizes her outfit with gold hoop earrings and several gold bangles on her right wrist. She does a final check in the mirror and is finally satisfied with her appearance. This look definitely had the glam factor to balance her casual look from last Saturday.

Grabbing her purse, Ella rushes out of her apartment to meet her Uber. The Uber ride takes about 25 minutes and Ella arrives at 6:55 PM. She sees Jungwoo check in with the host as she walks into the restaurant. When Jungwoo turns around and sees Ella walk in, she notices his eyes widening.

“Wow.” Jungwoo keeps scanning her from head to toe.

“Hello to you too, Jungwoo,” Ella greets. She giggles at his reaction.

“I forgive you for being a Liverpool fan. I might even become a Liverpool fan now,” Jungwoo replies. He comes closer to give her a hug. Ella laughs and smacks Jungwoo’s arm away.

“I tried to look good for you too!” Jungwoo points to himself. He did look good. He’s wearing a beige sweater, which accentuates his wide shoulders, and black jeans.

“Okay fine, you look good too,” Ella says, going in to give him a hug.

“Of course I do. I did it all for you,” Jungwoo whispers in her ear. Ella buries her face in his chest hoping he doesn’t notice her blushing.

“Sir, your table is ready,” their host announces. They jump apart quickly and follow the host to their table. Ella keeps her head down to hide her embarrassment as she makes her way to the table.

The host explains to them how the ordering will work. The waiters will come around with different cuts of meat and give them a slice. They each get a green card and red card - green to indicate to the waiter they would like more meat and red to indicate they don’t. They both order a glass of red wine. While they wait for their wine to arrive, their waiter serves them a basket of Pão de Queijo, Brazilian cheese bread, and their salads.

“You know, I’m really surprised you’re a Mechanical Engineer,” Ella says before taking a bite of Pão de Queijo. The bread tastes like a deliciously cheesy cloud and she has to stop herself from moaning.

“Why? Do I look dumb?” Jungwoo asks, holding his Pão de Queijo next to his pouting lips.

“No, no! That’s not what I mean! It’s just that you look, I don’t know, you’re tall and handsome.” Ella hopes she didn’t offend him.

“Just say you think I’m really hot. Is a hot nerd one of your fantasies?” Jungwoo teases.

“Let’s see if you get to find out,” Ella says with a glint in her eye. She isn’t going to let him win so easily.

A waiter comes by with some meat and they start piling up their plates. They compare which cuts and marinades they like the most.

“Say ‘aah’. Let me put this meat in you,” Jungwoo

Ella leans back and gives him a pointed look.

“What? You don’t want my meat?” Jungwoo asks suggestively.

“Just that little piece?” Ella leans forward and whispers, “You need to give a girl the full experience.”

Jungwoo chuckles. “I was waiting for you to ask, babe.”

Jungwoo leans over and places the meat closer to Ella’s mouth. Ella looks into Jungwoo's eyes and bites the meat off the fork. She leans back and slowly chews. They seem to be having a staring contest, which neither wants to lose. Ella slides her right foot slowly up his left leg while maintaining eye contact. Her foot makes it up to his thigh before Jungwoo squirms and closes his eyes.

“That’s cheating!” Jungwoo grabs her ankle.

“Hey, no one said there were rules.” Ella laughs.

“Babe, you don’t want to play dirty with me,” Jungwoo warns. He slowly moves his hand up her calf.

“Maybe I do.” Ella smirks and drinks the last bit of her wine. “I came here to win.”

“Your place or mine? I’ll grab the bill now or I’ll do you right here.” Jungwoo leans over, letting go of her leg.

“Mine. I’ll call an Uber,” Ella replies. Her clothes were probably strewn everywhere in the bedroom, but at least the rest of her apartment was spotless. She couldn’t be as sure about Jungwoo’s place and didn’t want the potential mess to ruin her night.

Jungwoo gently places a kiss on her cheek and walks over to a waiter to pay their bill. Once he’s out of sight, Ella pops a mint in her mouth and requests an Uber. Jungwoo comes back soon and they leave the restaurant hand in hand.

Their Uber arrives a minute after they leave the restaurant. Ella rests her left hand on Jungwoo’s thigh. She teases him the whole ride by slowly moving her hand up his thigh and giving his thigh light squeezes. Jungwoo silently curses and grabs her hand to prevent her from going any higher. Fortunately, they arrive at Ella’s apartment sooner than their estimated time and they scramble out of their Uber quickly.

“Thank God! Another minute in there and I would’ve started making out wit you in the back seat!” Jungwoo exhales.

“Can’t keep it in, huh? You’re really playing to lose,” Ella comments.

Jungwoo stands behind her and grabs her hips. “If it means we’ll take our clothes off sooner, I’ll gladly lose.”

She giggles at his impatience and quickly types in her apartment code.

“Just a few more minutes. And no funny business in the elevators. I can’t have a Man City fan ruining my rep in public,” Ella jokingly warns.

Jungwoo back hugs Ella and moves close to her ear to whisper, “Don’t worry. I like to do my ruining in private.”

Ella giggles as they make their way into the elevator and presses the “5” button for her floor. Thankfully, the elevator goes straight to her floor and they’re at her door soon. Ella tries to focus on opening the door while Jungwoo is pressing light kisses to her neck. Finally, she finally manages to get the door open despite the distractions. Jungwoo pushes them in and quickly pins her to the door, causing it to slam closed.

“Fucking finally!” Jungwoo shouts.

Jungwoo dives in for a kiss. He slides his hand up from her cheek and grabs her hair. Ella can feel the pent up frustrations from the way he deepens the kiss. He breaks their kiss to trail soft kisses down her neck sending shockwaves of pleasure through Ella. He finds the sensitive spot on her neck and begins sucking. His actions make Ella quiver, causing him to smirk.

“Fuck, Jungwoo,” Ella moans.

“Where’s your bedroom?” Jungwoo asks.

She points to the closed door on the opposite side of the apartment. Jungwoo goes to lift her up, before she stops him.

“I’d fuck you in these stilettos, but shoes on my bed are an absolute no.” Ella starts untying her right shoe. As good as her whole look was, she was now wishing she opted for easier shoes to get out of.

“We’ll do that somewhere else next time, Princess.” Jungwoo bends down and helps her out of her other shoe.

Once Ella’s shoes are off, Jungwoo throws her over her shoulder and heads to her bedroom. He pushes her door open and throws her on the bed. He makes quick work of taking off his sweater. Ella gasps at how ripped he is. She had felt through his clothes he was toned, but seeing his abs up close was a different kind of thrill.

Jungwoo hovers above Ella and gives her shoulder light kisses.

“Where’s the zipper?” Jungwoo asks.

Ella takes his right hand and leads it to the zipper on the back of her dress. He hastily unzips her dress, almost breaking the zipper. She slips out and tosses the dress to the side onto the pile of rejected clothes for their date. Ella unhooks her strapless bra and tosses aside as well.

“God, since I saw you in this dress, I wanted nothing more than to take it off,” Jungwoo confesses.

“Well, are you going to do anything or just talk?” Ella questions. She crawls back to Jungwoo on the bed.

Jungwoo laughs before he seals their lips. This time he moves slower, relishing the feeling of her pouty lips against his. Ella tugs his lip and lightly swipes his lower lip with her tongue to push him to pick up the pace.

“Anxious?” Jungwoo questions. He begins to trail kisses down her neck, chest and torso. He softly licks below her belly button to the hem of her underwear before he slides her underwear off. He moves his fingers down her folds, feeling her wetness.

“So wet already. You really want me, huh.” Jungwoo continues rubbing his fingers on her folds to tease her.

She gives his head a light shove, inciting a laugh from Jungwoo. He slowly rubs her clit, causing her to tremble. She arches her back when she feels him lick up her pussy. His tongue focuses on licking her clit as he slowly inserts a finger. She tangles her fingers in his hair giving it a slight tug encouraging him to continue. He adds another finger and pumps his fingers faster. The sensations drive Ella to dig her heels into Jungwoo’s back.

Jungwoo slips his fingers out causing Ella to whine. He begins kissing her while he reaches down to unbuckle his belt and slip his jeans off. Ella slides her hand down his abs, caressing his solid muscles. Her hand makes its way down to his boxers, feeling his hardness through the fabric.

“Don’t worry about that,” Jungwoo says. He shakes her hand off and hastily takes off his boxers.

“I just want to be inside you already.” He gives his already hard cock a few strokes. “Condom?”

Ella points to her night stand. Jungwoo quickly rips open the packet and puts on the condom.

“Ready?”

“I’ve been ready for hours.” Ella grabs the back of Jungwoo’s head and gives him a kiss.

Jungwoo breaks the kiss and laughs at Ella’s impatience. Ella leans back on a pillow and Jungwoo places soft kisses on her shoulder before he lines himself up to her entrance. He slowly enters Ella’s pussy.

“God,” Ella moans. Her toes curl from the pleasure she feels.

“Keep calling me your God. I’m going to fuck you like one.”

Jungwoo picks up the pace and thrusts deeper each time. The sensations cause Ella to wrap her legs around Jungwoo’s hips, trying to feel more of him. He reaches down to rub her clit, causing Ella to shake in pleasure. Ella feels her orgasm building up and digs her nails deeper in his back.

“I’m gonna come,” Ella’s voice comes out in a whisper.

Jungwoo rubs her clit faster and her orgasm finally hits her. Her pussy pulses as she rides out her orgasm. Jungwoo thrusting becomes more erratic and he takes a few more strokes before he comes too. He collapses on top of her after he’s done, almost crushing Ella's body. She’s reeling with the sensations of her orgasm and how much bigger he is than her. Jungwoo gets up after he catches his breath and discards the used condom in the bin. He slips back into the bed and snuggles close to Ella. They lay entangled together, basking in each other’s presence.

“If you won, what would you have wished for?” Jungwoo asks, after he places a soft kiss on Ellas lips.

“You really want to know that?” Ella raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I can handle it.”

Ella laughs. “I would’ve just asked to fuck.”

Jungwoo gasps. “Seriously? Did you think I was that easy? I told you I’m a gentleman!”

“You just said you wanted to rip my clothes off at the restaurant!”

“But we got to know each other first at least!”

“Whatever you say, Jungwoo. I’m sleepy. We can discuss our kinks in the morning.” Ella curls up closer to Jungwoo.

“After the Man City match.” Jungwoo muffles into her hair.

“NO! You’re not watching that trash here!” Ella shoves Jungwoo away.

“Please? We can go for round 2 before and I’ll get us breakfast.” Jungwoo pleads.

Ella contemplates for a moment. “I’ll think about it. Now let me sleep.”

Ella cuddles up to Jungwoo and rests her head on his shoulder. Maybe sleeping with the enemy wasn’t such a bad idea.

#jungwoo #jungwoo scenarios #jungwoo smut #jungwoo x reader #nct scenarios #jungwoo fanfic #nct fanfic #comedy #romantic comedy #smut #nct smut #strangers to lovers

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coffee-obsessed-writer · 6 years ago

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When You Least Expect It, Part Seven

Jensen x Musician!Reader; Nathan (OMC); Mama Mia (OFC)

Also featured this chapter: Rob Benedict, Briana Buckmaster, Jason Manns

A/N: This is a slow burn fic that I have been working on for a while. Its a story I wrote for myself and just wanted to share with everyone. Yes, the “Dee” in the story is who you think, but there is no intended hate on her or their actual marriage. It is a work of fiction, that is all. Part seven is from BOTH POVs. There is also a playlist to go along with the series.

Series Playlist: “When You Least Expect It” (Spotify). Songs in this chapter include: “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”; “What About Love”, “The Joker”; “Whipping Post”

Beta’d by @closetspngirl who has contributed so much to this fic! Thank you for not only indulging my lunacy but encouraging it with gusto! She also put together the amazing wardrobe shown in this chapter, as well. I don’t know what I would do without you!!!

Chapter Summary: Realizing that its time to leave NJ again to get back to work on the festival and have a much-needed conversation with Jensen, Y/N meets up with everyone at ChiCon. This gives finally gives her a moment with Jensen and an added bonus of playing with Louden Swain, featuring Briana Buckmaster, on stage for a crowded ballroom; something that affects Jensen more than he was expecting it too.

Chapter Warnings: Ehhh... nothing really.

WC: 9.5K

*Banner created by me; pics & gifs found online

It had been one month since Y/N left Austin and came back to New Jersey. One month of awkward texts with Jensen related only to work, daily calls or texts from Briana and at least one Skype or FaceTime call from Robbie every few days. When it came to the amount of work and scouting to be done for the festival, the little man was a bundle of nerves and Y/N was the only one who seemed to be able to talk him down.

February came, and that’s when the first real pangs of doubt began to creep in. The life she had begun in Texas was beginning to fade, and she found herself missing it. Y/N missed the townhouse and living so close to a city like Austin with the diversity in the restaurants, the bars, the bands, the nightlife… and of course, there was Jensen. She missed all of it. Not that life in New Jersey had been boring or lackluster. Y/N had gone back to work for Leo temporarily since she was handling both ends of the transactions now for the Brewfest. Being back in her small office in his hotel, living in the bungalow again felt good, but the longer the cold winds of winter at the shore blew through and chilled her to the bone, the more she really missed Austin.

It wasn’t all work, though. She had a couple of occasions to play at one of the bars that were still open in Seaside during the winter, as well as reconnect with a few friends from the Burlesque group. Y/N had even spent some time with Nathan, though when she did, she made sure to keep her guard up, be wary of any promises he made or plans he tried to get her to agree too. Reminiscing with him was a trap that was easier to fall into than she thought it would be, and after the third time they met for coffee, she invited him to go have dinner. Once or twice a week in the time she was home, she would run into him in town, or make plans to hang out. Y/N always tried to keep it in a public place, and never let him get too close. She was doing her best to follow Bri’s advice and figure out what it was she wanted from, not just Nathan, but life itself.

In between all of that, was Jensen. Y/N thought of him every day, and on more than one occasion picked up the phone to actually call him. However, knowing that he was traveling from Vancouver to conventions and back for the foreseeable future, she decided against it. After the way they left things, she thought maybe a random phone call wouldn’t be the best move and wanted to wait until she could see him face to face. When that would be, she didn’t know, but by the time Groundhog Day had rolled around, she felt ready to make it happen soon.

The morning she woke up with the intention to make arrangements to fly back, a winter storm warning had gone into effect, ultimately grounding all flights in or out of the area. Y/N knew the drill and began to run the errands necessary to hunker down for the long haul, getting supplies for two to three days at least. By the time she reached the bungalow and filled the small pellet stove in the corner of the room, the snow had started falling.

As a kid, seeing the beach turn from the beige sand, to white snow had always been sort of magical. Watching the waves crash and spray the icy mist into the swirling flakes made her feel like she was experiencing something majestic, and it always left her feeling a little whimsical and reflective. That’s what she was doing when she heard the knock at the door several hours later, just as the storm was hitting its peak.

Pulling the crocheted blanket around her shoulders, Y/N went to the front door and opened it enough to see who it was.

“Nathan?” she asked, then opened it further and with it came a burst of cold, snowy air. “Come in before the snow does.” She ushered him in and closed the door quickly. “What are you doing here?”

He removed his scarf and hat, shaking off the snow that littered his shoulders and boots. “I came by to make sure you were alright. Didn’t know if you realized that cell service is sketchy, wanted to be sure you had everything you needed.”

“Yeah, I saw the winter storm advisory last night, made sure to hit the market this morning. Don’t tell me you walked all the way here from Seaside Park. That’s a few miles at least.”

“No, I have my dad’s truck,” he said then paused before unzipping his coat. Y/N could see in his eyes he came not just to check up on her, but because he wanted to stay a while.

“I’m fine, Nathan. Just watching the snow, reading and staying warm. I have everything I need.”

“Ok,” he said and half turned back to the door, then faced her again. He wore that crooked grin that she used to love so much. “Well then, maybe you need some company?”

“Sure. But I am going to tell you now, you can’t stay the night. You have to leave before the sun goes down.”

“Of course, Y/N. I just thought we could hang out for a bit.”

“Want some tea?”

“No,” he laughed. “I hate that stuff. I’ll take a soda if you got any, though.”

“Sorry, fresh out,” she said, but there’s water or juice in the fridge.

“Sweet,” he replied as he shrugged off his coat and hung it on the rack, then removed his boots before heading to the refrigerator and helping himself.

Y/N strolled back to the couch and reclaimed her place near the window that overlooked the ocean. She brought her knees up into her chest and watched Nathan as he moved about the kitchen and the living room just as naturally as he did in the old days. When he finally sat, he took the spot on the opposite end of the same couch she was on and rested his arm along the back of it.

Whenever Y/N and Nathan saw each other while she was visiting this time around, things were always awkward in the beginning. It didn’t matter if it was just for coffee, or on the few occasions that she actually let him take her to dinner. It was almost as if neither of them knew what to do with the situation or what to say to one another. But given enough time, they would end up finding a comfortable conversation.

Some of the time she’d watch him as he talked and recognize the man she used to love; same high cheekbones, same crooked smile, and sandy brown hair. Only now, his hair was short instead of the shoulder length it was when they were younger. His sky blue eyes were still able to lock her in and make her wonder how it had all gone so wrong between them. He had been the love of her life, her prince charming, the man who was going to save her from the kind of life that you grew up promising yourself you’d never live. But it had all gone so, so wrong.

She considered asking him, potentially broaching a long overdue conversation that they needed to have; especially if there was any possibility of a future. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to start. She tried to hide the smile that wanted to come when she wondered what Bri would say about that, but it quickly faded when she realized how much she missed Bri, too. That would make her thoughts circle back around to Austin, again, and how much she longed to go back.

“Hey, haven’t seen these in a long time,” he said and leaned forward, and plucked one of the photo albums from underneath the coffee table.

“Oh, yeah…” she replied and craned her neck over to see which one he picked up. They had been there since she showed Jensen the pictures from Grease, which now felt like a million years ago.

“Holy shit, high school pictures,” he laughed and started flipping through the album.

Over the course of the next hour, Y/N sat a foot or two away, yet enjoyed talking about old times with him. It felt good to laugh with Nathan again; it felt good to have her friend back. She didn’t notice that he was inching closer and closer until suddenly the arm that had been draped around the back of the couch was now brushing against her shoulder.

Nathan continued shaking memories loose; he brought up their junior prom, and how they had spent the night on the beach under the Tiki bar, getting drunk and screwing around until dawn before falling asleep together wrapped up in a blanket. She was smiling at the recollection, enjoying the feeling it brought back into her life when she felt his fingers toying with a tuft of her hair.

“I’ve really missed this,” he said softly. “A lot. I’m glad you’ve let me back in and gave me a chance to make it up to you.”

“Nathan, I… I don’t know--”

He inched closer, and what he did next surprised her. Before she could react, Nathan was brushing his lips against hers. Her eyes stayed open, but his drifted closed. It only lasted for a moment, but in that time Y/N realized that she knew everything she needed to know. She didn’t push him away, even though something inside of her told her too. Y/N kissed him back, but timidly, and without passion. His lips parted against hers, making it clear that he wanted it to escalate, but after a moment, Y/N broke away.

She retreated from him and brought her fingers up, pressing them gently to her lips. “Nathan... “

“Don’t, ok? Don’t say it was a mistake. Just, promise me that you won’t shut down on me. If I was being pushy--”

“It’s not that,” Y/N said and swallowed hard. “I care about your recovery, Nate. Seeing how well you’re doing has even allowed me to start forgiving you. But in the spirit of honesty, you should know that I’m not ready to be with you again. I don’t know if I ever will be. That doesn’t mean there is someone else. It means that I am going back to Austin, and I am focusing on work and don’t want anything sort of romantic entanglements.”

“Oh,” he sighed, clearly disappointed. “That doesn’t mean we have to say goodbye though, right? Can I still call you? Keep in touch?”

“Sure,” she said, and genuinely meant it. “As long as you understand, that, for now, I just want to be your friend.”

She watched him process this and had a second where she didn’t know how he would react. He wasn’t the same Nate she knew most of her life, and yet he wasn’t the last version she knew, either. Nathan was turning into a product of both of those men, and she was still learning his mannerisms and couldn’t always tell what he was going to do.

Nathan made it clear he wanted her back, and this rejection could be dangerous if he wasn’t as far into his recovery as he had said. But once his shoulders relaxed, and he picked his head up to meet her gaze, he smiled more like the Nate of long ago.

“Of course, Y/N. I get it. I’m going to keep showing you that you can trust me again though.”

“You just keep doing what’s best for you, Nate. That’s what would make me the happiest.”

Y/N’s cell began ringing in the with the familiar tone of Robbie’s FaceTime calls. She hesitated to answer it, but also didn’t want to miss out on a chance to talk to him knowing there were some meetings coming up they needed to prep for.

“Excuse me,” she said to Nathan and got up from the couch, pulling the cell out of her pocket as she did.

Y/N moved through the room and stood at the precipice of the hallway as she answered the call.

“Hey Robbie, what’s shakin’?” she answered in greeting.

“Thank God you picked up. When are you coming back, lady? I need you in Austin. I won’t be able to get back to there for another week or so. Any chance you’re heading back soon?”

“I’m working on it Robert,” she replied with a sigh. “The damned snow, however, has other plans.”

“Soon-ish, then?”

“Yes, my darling. Soonish. Honestly, as soon as the airports open up, I’m getting a ticket and will be on my way.”

“Did he tell you that the TCAC meeting was pushed back to the end of February?” Robbie asked into the camera, and the concern she saw on his face made her feel guilty.

“No,” she answered softly.

Her disappointment was not lost on Robbie. He hesitated, not wanting to make her feel worse, though he knew Jensen had been avoiding her. He didn’t have all the details about what happened between them but knew enough to know something had. “He’s been crazy busy, you know. Traveling like a lunatic. I’m sure he just forgot.”

“I’m sure,” she agreed and immediately wanted to change the subject. “So, the grant proposals? Any word?”

“Yes! Actually,” Robbie paused, relieved that she was the one to shift gears and shuffled through some papers that were off screen. He held up two and smiled victoriously. “We got two approvals! One from the Austin Creative Alliance and another just came through yesterday from one of the Federal ones. Buuuttt… can’t seem too…” he drifted off to the side, leaning out of the camera frame again.

Y/N chuckled. “Rob, it’s fine, come on back.”

She shifted away from the wall by the hallway and wandered into the kitchen to put the tea kettle back on the stove. As she did, Rob came back into view and noticed Nathan in the background of her call.

“Oh, hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had company. I won’t keep ya while I look for it.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… that’s ok. My friend Nate dropped by to be sure I was stocked up for the storm. He’s leaving soon, so if you need to go over more stuff later, I’ll be here.”

“Oh great. The band and I are going in to talk to a guy about some stuff coming up, so maybe I will give you a call later. This way you can be totally caught up before heading back to Austin. Which reminds me… did you make your travel arrangements yet for Boston or San Diego?”

“Yes. I am heading to Boston, San Diego and Seattle starting end of February through March. Couple days in each to secure all the contracts with the vendors. Oh, New Orleans, too.”

“Perfect. That means you’ll be back and able to head to Chicago with us, right? Same weekend as ChiCon? Thought we could meet up there and go check out a few bands.”

“Works for me,” Y/N said, and then realized that there would be no avoiding Jensen that weekend.

“Fantastic, you’re a gem, you know that?”

“Flattery will get you everywhere Robert.”

“Love it when you call me Robert,” he teased. “Ok, they’re yelling for me. I’ll talk to you later!”

“Bye,” she chuckled and ended the video call. She returned the phone to her pocket and continued to fix herself a cup of tea.

“So, work friend?” Nathan asked, getting up from the couch and heading into the kitchen now that her call was through.

“Yes.”

“Nice guy?”

“Yes, he is.”

Nathan nodded, leaned back against the counter and noticed she had only one cup out. “If you wanted me to go, you could just say so. I mean, you told him I was leaving soon. One cup out…”

Y/N sighed softly and tried to not turn the visit sour. “I thought you hated tea? Besides, it’s getting late. As well as things have been between us, I am not ready for you to stay here. With the weather being what it is, you probably should head back to your mom’s. I’m sure she could use your help with your dad being laid up with his foot in a cast. Can’t be easy for her to manage this weather on her own.”

He nodded, though she could see him straining to keep his mouth shut.

“I’m not trying to shut you out, Nathan. I genuinely have enjoyed hanging out with you again. You know, after all that shit happened--with the fight, and your life spiraling out of control--I never thought you’d be you again. Or that I would even be able to stand to be in the same room as you. But, here we are. Can’t that be enough for now?”

Nathan’s shoulders relaxed. “Don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“Not if you want this to continue.” She was blunt, but she needed to be. Y/N didn’t want to take any chances where Nathan was concerned.

“Alright,” he finally replied and pushed off the counter. He went to take his coat off the hook and as he laced his arms through the sleeves, turned to face her again. “I’m grateful you’re giving me another chance, Y/N. I am. So, you call the shots, ok? I know you’re busy, but maybe once your traveling calms down, I can even come to visit you in Austin. Never been to Texas before.”

The idea of him in Austin felt strange. There was a sudden fear that if the two different parts of her life came together like that it would blow up her entire world in some glorious fashion. Trying to neither encourage or discourage the idea of his visit, she simply shrugged, found her most pleasant smile and nodded.

Nathan moved across the kitchen and took her in an embrace before she had the chance to say no. It was a familiar feeling; similar to what one experience when finding an old winter coat they hadn’t worn in years. It may not fit properly anymore, but the quilting of the fabric brought back pleasant memories.

“Call me, ok?” he said before releasing her.

“Sure thing. Take care of yourself, Nate.”

When Nate opened the door to go, the wind whipped through and the day’s fading light allowed him just enough time to get home before going completely dark. When the door latched shut behind him, she felt a mild sense of relief that she was alone again. There were still a lot of things she wanted to have time to mull over before returning to Austin, especially before seeing Jensen again in Chicago. The extended trip home had been good for her, despite the reasons she ended up there. It allowed her time to be sure that Austin and the job were the things she truly loved and wanted in her life.

Even the time she spent with Nate had been helpful in coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t something that had to stand in her way anymore. Her feelings for Jensen were still confusing and muddled, but in her heart, Y/N felt sure that her time as Nate’s girlfriend had come to an end. Though unexpected, the kiss they had shared that night cemented that. She could find room in her heart for him as a friend, but there was no future for them as a couple.

Lost in thoughts, Y/N didn’t move from the counter until the kettle began to whistle behind her. She flipped off the burner, and as she poured the hot water into the cup, she felt determined to settle the Jensen business. With so many of her other uncertainties fading away, she wanted this one too as well. Taking her cell phone back out of her pocket, she went to the contacts in her messaging app and pulled up “Mama”. If anyone could help her sort things out, it would be that tall drink of water.

<<Hey, any chance you’re around once snowmaggedon stops?

It only took about ten seconds for her to respond.

>>I’ve always got time for you, sugar. Whatcha thinkin’?

<<Rehearsal?

>>Cancelled.

<<Damn. Ok, snow should be done by midnight. Coffee at my place in the AM?

>>Be there with bells on.

<<Knowing you, I expect nothing less. Luv u!

>>Back atcha

The following morning dawned bright, with a clear sky and a snowy beach that reflected the colors of sunrise. Mama was knocking on Y/N’s door by quarter past nine, holding a pastry box in one hand and a garment bag in the other.

Y/N opened the door to greet her, and immediately broke out into laughter as she realized that Mama was wearing sleigh bells in her hair.

��You’re a freak,” Y/N laughed and gave the woman a big wet kiss on her cheek. “But you’re my freak.”

“Always and forever,” Mama purred lowly, winking at Y/N as she handed off both the pastry box and bag. “Dear Lord, I have not been here in forever! When was the last time?”

“God… it has to be last spring, maybe. Maybe even Christmas prior.”

“Either way, too long. Though I see you’ve kept the decor fisherman chic. Please, when will you let me redecorate for you?”

“One day, I promise. But for now, I have some things I want to talk to you about.”

Y/N moved around her small kitchen, pouring coffee and unveiling the apple crumb cake Mama brought from Freedman’s Bakery. The smell of apples and cinnamon instantly filled the room and mixed with the aroma of the coffee, Mama began to hum.

“Mmmm MM! It smells good in here. Like a little slice of heaven,” she sighed and pulled out one of the two chairs at the kitchen table. Just as she sat, she gratefully took the hot mug Y/N offered her. “What sort of things do you have on your mind?”

“Well,” Y/N started, then pulled out a seat of her own and began to slice the crumb cake. “I texted you last night because I had something on my mind. However, I couldn’t sleep last night, and I started thinking about work, and had something else entirely to talk to you about.” Y/N was rambling and Mama sensed she was probably already a pot deep into the coffee.

“Honey,” Mama said and covered Y/N’s hands to get them to stop fidgeting with the cake. “Slow down. First things first… what was on your mind last night?”

She hesitated, unsure of how to start. “I didn’t get to tell you because you were in Florida, but I went to a New Year’s party, back in Austin.”

“Ok, sounds fun. Continue,” Mama said and motioned towards her before sipping at her coffee.

“Right. Well, I guess I should start with saying that when I was home for Christmas, Nate showed up here Christmas morning. Then, I went back early so I could go to this party with Jensen. He kissed me at midnight and then I panicked and ran out.”

Mama coughed as she tried to swallow her coffee and then carefully placed the mug back on the table. She grabbed a napkin and wiped at the corners of her mouth like the old southern debutante that she had once been. Once she regained her composure, she sat up straighter and looked Y/N squarely in the eye.

“You best start from the beginning and leave no detail out. Because hearing that you spent an evening with that luscious man is one thing, but also hearing that dickhead’s name in the mix has soured the first bit. Explain yourself, please. What the hell do you mean that Nathan was here on Christmas? Why didn’t you call me?”

“He took me by surprise. He wanted to talk.”

“And you let him in?”

“Yes...” Y/N replied with a sigh, knowing she would get a barrage of crap from Mama for that.

“I’m in shock. After what he did to you!?”

“I know… I just… I don’t know. He wanted to apologize. He’s working the twelve steps--”

“Twelve steps? Ha! Twelve steps…” she muttered. “I didn’t realize you could twelve-step your way out of being a shithead.”

“I know he was terrible then, but for a lot of years he wasn’t and I guess I wanted to know if there was anything good left in him. I saw a glimmer of who he used to be.”

“We need to move on from Nate, cause honey, it just makes my blood boil.”

“Ok, so after he left, I went back to Austin a few days later and went to a party with Jensen. We’ve been getting along great, working together well, and he’s a lot of fun.”

“Yes, he certainly is,” she mused, her expression quickly fading from aggravated to dreamy. “Now I believe you mentioned something about a kiss…”

“He did. WE did… at midnight,” Y/N answered and couldn’t help feeling the twist in her gut that was now associated with that night.

“And?”

“And… it…”

“Y/N?”

She shrugged. “I’ve never felt anything like that. Ever.”

Mama’s face relaxed into a euphoric afterglow. “Please, dear, sweet Lord in Heaven tell me you let that man have his way with you.”

“No!” Y/N laughed and got up from the seat. She was feeling anxious about it all; mostly because she felt so stupid for having run away from him. “It was amazing, and then I got nervous. Someone walked in and it gave me a moment to basically lose my mind and run.”

“You left?!” Mama’s jaw dropped and she quickly stood from the table. “What the--Child, I should whoop your ass. First, you let Nathan in this house, then you run out on that precious Texas boy? It’s like I don’t even know you,” she huffed.

Mama, for a woman of her generous height and weight moved across the kitchen in a heartbeat and lightly smacked the back of Y/N’s head twice.

“One for lettin’ Nathan in, the other for running out on Jensen!”

“Ow,” Y/N whined and rubbed the back of her head. Her brow furrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Trust me, I wish I knew why I do what I do. One second we were… you know, gettin’ handsy, and the next minute…” she shrugged.

“That son of a bitch Nathan… he was on your mind, wasn’t he?”

“Partially. It was more than that though. I’ve had two relationships in my life, Mama. Two. Nathan, and he who shall not be named.”

“Mmmm, yes. I forgot you had your own Voldemort. But that was what... six months after Nathan left and lasted for less than a month? You can’t count him… especially cause I can’t even remember his name.”

“Whatever, my point is, that both of these relationships were toxic. The last thing I want right now is another go-round with getting my heart broken. I should never have dated after Nathan, so figured I would try a one night stand. It left me so cold and empty. I don’t want that, either. I didn’t want to ruin a good friendship with Jensen, or have it turn toxic.”

“Sug, I get that. But you can’t push your feelings away every time they try and wake you up.”

“Can’t I? I love this job, Mama. I feel like I finally found what I am meant to do. What if we slept together, and it got weird. I wouldn’t be able to work with him. Besides, it’s not even all that happened.”

“What else?” she sighed and rubbed at her temples. “This should have been a Bloody Mary breakfast.”

Y/N ignored her quip. “The next day I told him I wanted to talk. He said he was busy. So I stopped by to drop off some contracts and it turned out he was home. He lied because he didn’t want to talk.”

“That’s why you are back here, instead of living in Austin?”

Y/N nodded and watched with anxiety as Mama seemed to sift through a host of quiet thoughts before deciding how to respond.

“If I didn’t love you as I do... I would smack you again.”

“Why?”

“He lied? So what?! You ran out on him! You know what that’s gonna do to a man’s pride. Hell, anyone’s pride?! Sugar, you… you need to stop lettin’ that heart of yours dictate all your decisions. That man--I spent time with him, ok? I saw how he watched you on that stage. You didn’t. I saw how his face lit up, and that gorgeous grin spread from ear to ear. You mesmerized him.”

Mama took Y/N’s chin between her fingers and lovingly lifted her face so their eyes could meet. “Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t like that boy.”

“I can’t,” she whispered, almost pathetically. “I do like him. But I’m also very scared of him.”

Mama considered this for a minute and smiled at her friend. “Then, you need to go back to Texas, make amends, and rekindle that friendship you two had been startin’. I think that will be how you stop being so damn scared.”

“I have a flight out tonight,” Y/N said and laughed when Mama raised both fists into the air in celebration.

“That’s my girl!”

“I mean, I won’t see him for a while, but I think you’re right. I owe him an apology. I just hope he can forgive me.”

“I have no doubt that he probably already has. Now, that’s settled… Nat--”

“No. I’ve given him enough thought lately. I’d rather talk about my burst of inspiration that I had last night.”

“Which was?”

“You, the whole troupe… I want you to perform at the festival.”

Mama’s eyes grew large, her plump dimpled cheeks expanding as the smile unfurled across her painted pink lips. “Shut the hell up! Seriously?”

“Yeah. I mean… I am still working out all the logistics, but, we have a few stages to fill and I thought who better than to take on one of the theaters for the Saturday night slot? Whatever you guys wanna do… it’s your call. We have a hotel all reserved for talent, so your accommodations are taken care of. And I am sure I could help you with the travel arrangements. I just need you guys to say yes, and you’re in.”

“Well slap my ass and call me Sally!” Mama cackled and smacked her knee; her southern lilt bolder than usual. “You best believe we’ll be there, suga!”

“Fantastic! I will get you all of the details as soon as I get back to Austin.”

“Well now, hold on one second… you know what’s funny,” Mama said and went into the living room to retrieve the garment bag she had brought with her. “I brought this today because I thought you may want it for something. Didn’t know what, but when Marie brought it into rehearsals last I was there, everyone agreed only you would be able to pull this costume off.”

She hung the hanger on the top door of the refrigerator and slowly unzipped the vinyl bag. Y/N softly gasped when she saw the frock Mama had brought her. It was a full-length strapless dress that had a corset top with a heart-shaped bustier with deep purple accents, streaming out into a black skirt that was shorter in the front and flowed out from the back. The skirt itself had black velvet swirls imprinted on the ebony material and heavily ruffled bottom that would give it an amazing look when it twirled.

“Mama…” she breathed and ran her fingers over the dark purple accents. “This is gorgeous.”

“It is. And in the bottom are the accessories. You have to wear this. At least once. And what a better place than at the festival. So, you agree to perform one number with us, then we will be there to fill your stage for an entire night.”

Y/N considered the offer and knew that she had to say yes. She hadn’t gotten to the point where she thought about her part in performing at the festival. Working behind the scenes had completely garnered all her attention, so this was the first time she gave it any real thought.

“Alright,” she said, “you win. I will take this back to Austin with me and put it aside for a night on stage with The Corsets. Do I get to pick the routine, or…?”

“Oh no, honey. I’m the Creative Director now,” Mama pinched her cheek and took her place back at the table. “Now, don’t think I am done talking about this whole Jensen situation. I wanna hear more details about this New Year’s Eve party…” She leaned back and sipped her coffee before taking a large bite of her crumb cake. “You best start talking.”

For the rest of the morning, Y/N caught Mama up on New Year’s Eve, including playing with Bri, hearing Jensen sing, the encounter with Dee all the way up to her moment in the game room. By the time the coffee was gone and the cake was only crumbs, Mama had heard the tale, soup to nuts, and sat there stunned, letting it all sink in.

They talked a while longer before Y/N realized the time and had to get ready to leave for the airport. Mama had hugged her tightly with both a warning and a promise before she left.

“I promise that we will put on one hell of a show for those Texans. But, in the meantime, stop being stupid and go kiss the cute boy. Let him know that you’re all in, even if it is a slow-moving gamble. You’ll regret it if you don’t. You hear? I’ll keep my promise to whoop you when I get to Austin if you don’t. Got it?”

“Yes, Mama,” Y/N laughed and embraced her again before watching her go out into the cold winter air.

Hours later, as she made her way through the airport and onto the plane, she felt good about going back. There were still a few lingering doubts about how she and Jensen would be with seeing each other again, but there was time to work on that. First, she needed to get back to Austin, her new home, and refocus herself completely on making the Brewfest as big, bold and beautiful as Jensen’s vision for it was. Outside of that, everything would just have to wait.

Much like Y/N expected, there wasn’t much of a chance to see Jensen through the rest of February and March. It was disappointing to her, mostly because she was really starting to miss him. His schedule in Vancouver changed last minute, which caused him to have to miss the Texas Creative Arts Council meeting as well as a few others he had intended to be at, in turn dashing her hopes of finally getting to talk face to face. Her own travel schedule picked up, as she zigzagged across the country meeting with business owners, sponsors, and supporters of the Hometown Brewfest extravaganza.

The frequency of text exchanges between them increased, and it gave her a glimmer of hope that they could still work through whatever they needed to. As the weeks carried on, and the dates of ChiCon inched closer, Y/N found herself growing more and more anxious about finally having that moment.

Two weeks before, the whole group was in Nashville for a con, while Y/N was wrapping up some last minute business in New Orleans. She was chatting with Rob about a band she found by happenstance, and during the video call, Jensen passed behind him in the background. Her heart lept up in her throat, though she successfully kept her outward demeanor calm and collected. Y/N watched as Jensen did a double take as he noticed her on the screen of Rob’s phone. Leaning over his friend’s shoulder, he shoved his face in the camera and smiled, gave a simple wave and then was called away before he could actually speak.

It was enough to give her that final boost of confidence that they would be ok, but she still desperately needed to clear the air with him. That, however, wouldn’t happen for another two weeks when she found herself pacing the backstage area of the hotel in Chicago where the stars of Supernatural were gathering in preparation for a weekend full of panels, photo ops and a jam-packed concert with Robbie’s band.

Y/N had arrived that Saturday morning well after the festivities had gotten underway. Bri was the first person who she found and was greeted by an over-exuberant hug and the subsequent barrage of questions about everything under the sun. She was quickly whisked away to her panel with Kim, leaving Y/N holding her credentials and aimlessly wandering around the hotel. That was until she found herself on a mission to finally locate and talk to Jensen.

The extra wide hallway of the hotel outside the green room was carpeted with the ugliest yellow, gold and blue carpeting Y/N had ever seen. Though, as she paced it back and forth, she couldn’t take her eyes off of it. Eventually, she found herself pacing along the blue lines that intertwined between the yellow and gold diamond pattern. As ugly as it was, it was somehow keeping her nerves at bay. She could run into Jensen at any time now, and it took all of her willpower not to just turn and run… again.

She wouldn’t though. Her and Jensen needed to set things straight. She didn’t know if this was the way to do it, or what she would say exactly, but she knew it had to be done. Y/N had gotten a peek at his schedule when she checked in and got her credentials to be able to come and go as she pleased. He would be in the green room now, or at least on his way there. So that’s where she headed.

Y/N stalled once she reached the green room door, deciding that maybe just barging in and demanding he talk to her was a bad idea. That’s when the pacing started again and continued for several minutes. She bit on her lower lip and closed her eyes, hanging her head and trying to decide what to do.

She continued walking, but with her eyes closed, she didn’t realize she was walking off her pattern, and straight into oncoming people.

“Whoa there!”

Y/N looked up, and in horrific slow motion, realized she ran square into Jensen’s chest. His hands had gently grabbed her shoulders when they collided, and they lingered there now as recognition touched his features one by one. Seeing him again after so long felt like a shock to her system; her mouth went dry, and she could feel her hands starting to tremble. When she tried to swallow, it stuck like a lump in her throat cutting off the air to her brain and making her feel light headed.

“H-Hey,” she breathed.

“Robbie said you were gonna be here,” he said, then nervously ran his tongue out and over his bottom lip. “It’s good to see you.”

“Yeah,” Y/N agreed, still unsure of what to say. “How’ve you been?” Her words were hesitant and staggered; her gaze unable to break from his.

Jensen finally realized his hands were still on her shoulders and quickly let go.

“Good. Busy, but good. You?”

“Better now that--”

The green room door opened with a bang, startling both Jensen and Y/N. Half a dozen people funneled out, mostly hotel staff, but Robbie was among them.

“Just who I was looking for!” he exclaimed and walked over to them. “You,” he said pointing to Jensen, “have about two minutes before Rich is gonna call you up for your panel with Misha. And you,” he turned to Y/N, “need to come with me while I got a quick ten minutes and figure out where we are going tonight if there’s time. There are a few clubs we gotta hit between tonight and tomorrow.”

“Can you just give us a minute, Rob?” Jensen asked him, and yet, his eyes still didn’t waver from Y/N’s gaze.

“Uh, sure. I’ll be right over there, Y/N.” He looked hesitantly between them, and quietly stepped back and around the corner.

Jensen cleared his throat and turned back to her, unable to disguise just how nervous he was. “About what happened… I wanna, I mean, we should talk, but I do gotta go right now--”

“Right, of course,“ she said, taking a step back from him and suddenly scared to say what she wanted to. “We can do it another time.”

“Later, you’re scouting bands tonight with Rob? Sounds fun. Maybe if you’re not back too late--”

“Mr. Ackles!”

A small blonde haired woman popped her head from around the other end of the hallway and waved frantically for him to come.

“I gotta run,” he said but took a beat to hold her gaze a little longer. It took the impatient little woman at the end of the hallway calling him again, to get his feet moving.

Jensen took a few steps in the direction he had to go, then turned to face her as he walked backward down the corridor. He chuckled nervously and Y/N felt a rush of relief when she realized he seemed truly happy to see her.

“Don’t go far, okay? The panel only lasts about an hour. Maybe we could talk after? I’d really like too--”

“Jensen, please, the panel is starting!” The woman was pleading with him now.

“I’ll be around, Hollywood. Come find me,” she shrugged, trying to be calm, cool and casual. Y/N held back as best she could, but Jensen got the idea that she was happy to see him, too.

“You got it, Trix. I’ll come to find you.” The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk, and as he continued to walk away from her, Y/N could hear his happy chuckle fade down the hallway. Just before he turned and disappeared completely, he paused and gave Y/N a wink before heading off to his panel.

When he had disappeared around the far corner, she sighed heavily and laughed to herself, completely overcome with relief. A moment later she heard Robbie walk up behind her and clear his throat.

“Everything go ok?” he asked hesitantly.

Y/N nodded. “Yeah,” she said and did her best to stow the overwhelming relief she had over that encounter with Jensen. “I think we’ll be good.”

“Good,” Robbie said and slung his arm over her shoulders. “Now, let’s talk about the weekend, shall we?” He turned her around and guided her in the opposite direction.

The panel, one that he normally loved doing, felt like an eternity on that particular Saturday afternoon. Jensen and Misha answered questions, engaged in their usual banter, and of course, made a room of hundreds of people scream and laugh with delight. He did his best to maintain his normal energetic vibe, but even Misha could see that his mind just wasn’t in the game.

Instead, Jensen’s mind was firmly stuck on Y/N.

She was there, in the same city, in the same hotel just a few hundred feet away. All he wanted to do was go and see her, talk to her, hash this dumb shit out that made them lose three months of getting closer; three months of seeing her smile, hearing her voice and getting to know more about her.

Jensen was pissed at himself for weeks after New Year’s Day. Regardless of whether he had the right to be upset at her or not, he reverted to his petty and childish demeanor, where women were concerned, and he beat himself up for it. His knee jerk reaction to her running out had everything to do with Dee, and not so much Y/N herself. He needed to tell her that’s why he lied about something so stupid to avoid her. Y/N would understand… that’s what made her different.

Y/N had made the effort, hadn’t she? She came to leave the envelope, and in it was her plea to talk to him. She wanted to explain herself, but at that moment he just couldn’t let her. Then she ran back to New Jersey so fast, which initially made him angry. But it didn’t take him long to realize that she’d been through just as much bullshit with her past as he had, and instead of being angry, he should try and sympathize.

Weeks later he happened to talk to Rob who’d mentioned in passing that he had a FaceTime call with Y/N. It had been in the middle of the snowstorm towards the end of January that she told Rob she would be coming back to Austin. That wasn’t all though, was it? As Jensen sat on the panel stage, and half listened to Misha tell a story about his daughter that made the crowd roar with laughter, he was thinking about the guy hanging out with Y/N while she was home; the one Robbie saw in the background that day. As if on cue, he laughed at Misha’s story, joining in with the rest of the ballroom, but on the inside, he was simmering with jealousy.

Jensen wondered if that was the same “old friend” that showed up at her place on Christmas, and of course, couldn’t help but be curious if that guy was part of why she’d run out on him. Swallowing down the bile that rose in his throat, he continued on with his Q&A with the fans and tried to forget it for the time being.

Finally, the panel had come to an end, with it also being their last panel of the day. Misha was escorted to his last set of photo ops, while Jensen was able to head back to the green room, hoping that he would once again bump into Y/N.

The hallway where he had left her was now empty, as was the green room. He considered calling her and asking where she was, but instead texted Rob and asked if they were still together.

<<Hey man, is Y/N still with you?

>>Nah, she went to check a few places out while it was still light out. She’ll be back for SNS.

Jensen sighed and sent back a quick reply, then tucked his phone away and headed back to his own room to get ready for that night’s concert.

Louden Swain took the stage around nine that night. They played through a few of their originals, and then a handful of covers with some of the cast. Jensen knew he’d go up for a couple of songs, but he was holding out until the end so he could catch Y/N.

“Hey handsome,” Bri greeted, coming up alongside where Jensen was sitting, startling him out of his thoughts. “How’d your day go today?”

“Great,” he said with a tired smile. “Long day though. How about you?”

“Oh you know, fantastic. Kim and I kicked ass. Had some great ops… a cocktail or two in between. You know, the usual.”

“That’s my girl,” he teased and then perked up thinking she could help him. “Any chance you’ve seen Y/N around?”

“Yes! Earlier today when she first came in, then about five minutes ago. She’ll be here in a second, why? Got something you need to say to her? Hmmmm?” Bri raised one perfectly manicured brow at him, challenging him to open up a bit more.

“Yes. Actually, I do.”

“Good boy. I know she wants to talk to you too--” From the stage, Bri heard her cue to go up with Robbie for her song. “Look, she’s around. Talk. To. Her. Then, keep her close, I’m gonna need her.” She wiggled her brows and stuck her tongue out playfully before bounding up the short set of steps that would take her backstage.

Jensen chuckled as she disappeared behind the curtain and out to the roar of applause from the crowd. He tried to think of what he would be doing that night with the band. Jason was playing too, and they talked about The Joker and maybe Whipping Post. He closed his eyes and ran through both songs, half hearing Robbie and Bri singing “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” coming from the stage. He certainly didn’t hear Y/N and she came from around the corner and stood in front of him.

“Hey stranger,” she said softly. Despite the music coming from close behind him, he heard her perfectly.

Jensen opened his eyes and thought maybe he was just imagining her there. She looked different than she had earlier. Gone was her T-shirt and ripped jeans, a look that he really loved on her. Now she wore the tight blue jeans and knee-high boots with a black and white, long sleeve peasant-style blouse that was loosely tied at the neck and open enough to accentuate her cleavage. Jensen had a split-second thought about what she had on beneath it before he was able to make himself speak again.

“Hey yourself,” he breathed, standing up from the platform he was sitting on. “How’s your, uh, you know, how’s it--”

“I’m good, Jay. Robbie asked me to come back for the concert. Glad you stuck around. Are you going up there tonight?”

Jensen nodded, suddenly tongue-tied and unsure of what to say.

“They sound great,” Y/N motioned towards the stage and took a few steps closer. “That’s a great song.”

“It is,” he said, but needed to say more and was tired of waiting. “Y/N,” he paused and waited for her to face him. She did, and he could tell she knew what he was about to say. “About New Year’s…”

“Jay, wait. Before you say anything… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for running away like I did. I shouldn’t have--”

“It's okay. I shouldn’t have lied about the stupid movie. It was all so…”

“Stupid?”

“Childish. I guess I could give you a laundry list of reasons--”

“But they wouldn’t matter,” she said quietly and cast her gaze down to her feet. When she looked up at him again, he saw something in her face that made him relax and understand she wanted to move on as badly as he did.

“Yeah. Can we just,” he sighed and shrugged, “just get back to being friends?”

“Yes. I want that, more than anything,” she sighed in relief.

“Good,” he breathed and took a hesitant step closer to her. Y/N stepped in and put her arms around his neck to hug him. Though it took him by surprise, he didn’t waste a second in returning the embrace. She felt so good in his arms as they snaked their way around her waist. It took a lot of willpower on his part to stop himself from nuzzling his face into her neck and drawing in a deep breath of her scent.

From the stage, the music shifted and while the band kept playing, Bri popped her head through the curtain and saw Y/N with Jensen.

“Hate to break up this very much needed moment, but Y/N, I need you up here please.”

Jensen reluctantly released her and saw the scheming look in Briana’s eyes. He narrowed his gaze at her, and she just slyly winked. “Come on slowpoke! They’re waiting.”

“Who’s waiting?” she asked, looking curiously between Jensen and Bri.

“Everyone…” Bri replied and swept back the curtain so Y/N could see the audience.

“What? Oh no, I didn’t--I’m not--”

“You are, and you can. Come on, lady! Time to get your cute little ass up here and sing on stage with me and Robbie.”

Y/N looked to Jensen to save her, but he just shook his head. “Oh no, I’m with Bri on this one. Like I’d ever pass up a chance to watch you on stage.”

Realizing she was being ganged up on, Y/N sighed as her chin fell to her chest in defeat and she made her way up the small set of stairs. “I hate you both,” she chided and both Bri and Jensen rolled their eyes.

Jensen watched from backstage as she got up next to Robbie who was on the mic and introduced Y/N to the crowd. When he spoke about the Brewfest the crowd cheered, and it was the first time Jensen understood just how much work she’d been putting into it, not just into organizing things, but getting the word out to the public about the upcoming event.

Robbie leaned over and whispered something in her ear, Y/N nodded and faced the crowd, giving them a wave. Jensen saw how they seemed to love her already and they hadn’t even heard her sing yet. Robbie faced the band and signaled the next song as the familiar beat of Heart’s “What About Love” kicked in.

Y/N started to sing, and Jensen felt his knees go weak. It had been a while, too long he would say if someone had asked him since he had heard her sing. She fell right into the groove with the band, completely unaware of how sexy and majestic she was on the stage. Bri was beside her, sharing the verses and singing harmonies together. They blended effortlessly with Robbie’s voice, too. Y/N held the notes and used her strong bravado to carry them out, once again making the crowd go wild.

Hints of jealousy filled Jensen, but not because of the reaction she was garnering, but because he wasn’t on stage next to her. How could he have not sung with her yet? At least strummed a guitar while she sat across from him, her tender pitch humming along with whatever he was playing. It suddenly became of utmost importance to him to share a stage with her, but for now, he just hung back and relished in the way her voice made him feel. Anyone that saw him watching her would know that he was so clearly infatuated with this girl, and almost nothing would have pulled him away.

As the song wound towards the end, Jason breezed past Jensen, smacking his shoulder along the way.

“Almost ready, brother? Gonna kick it off with ‘The Joker’, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! Just like we said, call me in when you’re ready.”

“You got it!” Jason replied before running out on the stage.

Jason handled the first chorus, and during the musical interlude, he brought Jensen up and he easily slipped into the version of himself he brought out on the Saturday Night Specials. He noticed that Briana and Y/N were still up there, yet off towards stage right, and singing along with the chorus of the song. Jensen casually strolled in their direction, just feeling the need to be as close to Y/N as possible. The moment the music came back around to where he picked up the song, happened to be the same moment that Jensen walked around behind her, then was at her side. Without giving it a second thought, he draped his arm around her shoulders and sang the lines directly to her… their eyes locked as if he was speaking solely to Y/N and not to a room of hundreds of people.

“You’re the cutest thing I ever did see…

Really love your peaches wanna shake your tree

Lovey-dovey lovey-dovey lovey-dovey all the time...

Oooey baby I sure show you a good time…”

The song played on, and eventually, he moved back across the stage and sang out to the crowd. But the expression that came to rest on her face was not something he would ever forget. He caught glimpses of her smiling as her eyes followed across the stage. He liked how it felt for her to watch him; he felt uninhibited and free to be himself.

When it was over, he was disappointed as Bri grabbed Y/N’s hand now that their turn on stage was done. They waved to the audience and the band transitioned into “Whipping Post” while they exited through the back.

As Jensen belted out line after line of The Allman Brothers song, he wished Y/N had stayed out there with them and secretly hoped she was watching from backstage. Thank God he was singing a song he knew without having to think about because all his mind could really focus on was how good it felt to have her back around. At that moment, Jensen had felt better than he had in a very long time.

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neraawritesxx · 7 years ago

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Thank you for the request, dear Anon! I hope you like what I came up with. A little angst, a little fluff, and some doctor!Sakura? A perfect combination!

title: lean on prompt: just please be my best friend right now, not the guy I confessed my love to pairing: naruto x sakura word count: 2,354 genre: angsty (really, it’s just wangst lol) // friendship // romance

He found her on his porch, leaning up against the front door, curled up in a sopping wet ball.

There was a split second where Naruto worried he had somehow managed to lock Sasuke out of the house again, but one glimpse of the damp, bubblegum pink hair revealed who exactly his surprise visitor was.

The blond approached with caution.

Naruto hadn’t heard from her in weeks – not since their falling out after, what he now dubbed, ‘the incident’ – and something deep in his chest ached at the sight of her, shivering and soaked to the bone on his doorstep.

What could she possibly be doing here? Now? After all this time?

“Sakura-chan?” Naruto tentatively called out.

At the sound of his voice, the rosette’s head snapped up at breakneck speed; flat, dispirited green orbs locked with his own. They were bloodshot and swollen from crying, rimmed with sunken pools of onyx. The same faded makeup framed the tear tracks which ran down the roundness of both cheeks. Where the wet, sloppy mix of mascara and eyeliner didn’t cover alabaster skin, Sakura’s complexion was flushed with angry, blister-like red patches.

In the back of his mind, Naruto vaguely remembered his best friend informing him that she usually broke out in hives when she was severely upset.

It took a moment for murky viridian depths to recognize him, but after they grew impossibly wide with acknowledgment, the dam broke.

Sakura’s face crumpled in turmoil, and a strangled, agonized wail escaping her parted, chapped lips. She scrambled to stand, her movements overwrought and frantic as she half-crawled, half-launched herself in his direction.

Naruto met her halfway, panic-stricken. He was so unused to seeing this side of his childhood friend.

He grunted with the force of their collision, instinctively wrapping one arm around her waist so that he could keep her upright. Sakura’s right hand clutched at the collar of his shirt, tugging impatiently on the cloth in tandem with her ragged breaths. One of her arms – he couldn’t tell which one at this point – was squished awkwardly between them and Naruto was sure there would be a bruise on his right bicep in the morning where Sakura’s left hand had the muscle imprisoned in a vice.

She was holding onto him as if he was her lifeline.

Just what was going on?

“I di-didn’t,” Sakura hiccupped between her tears. Her chin trembled against his collarbone, the wobbly movement causing her teeth to click together audibly. “I didn’t k-kn-now wh-where to go.”

Naruto’s chest tightened at her defeated confession, and that unnerved pang from earlier became all-consuming, a trickle of trepidation slithering down his spine.

The tenseness in Naruto’s shoulders – a stiffness that he hadn’t realized that he was carrying – deflated, and his body slumped forward, encompassing the petite, cherry-haired woman in a tender embrace.

Right now, Sakura needed him, and there was nothing that was going to stop him from helping her.

Their current fight be damned.

“Shh…,” The blond cooed affectionately. “Shh, Sakura-chan. It’s alright. I’m here.”

He wasn’t sure how long they remained under that awning, out in the rain, but enough time passed for his sweater to become drenched in a soggy blend of tears and the secondhand moisture from her own wet attire.

When a particularly strong gust of wind blew through the veranda, the fair-haired male quivered, though this time, not from the overabundance of repressed emotion.

Naruto expertly extracted himself from Sakura’s secure hold, maneuvering the distraught woman so that she was facing the front door, flush against his chest. His coral-haired best friend had calmed down significantly, sniffling almost soundlessly as she bonelessly leaned against him.

Sakura went along without a fuss as Naruto corralled her through the door and into the townhouse.

Luckily, at this time of day, neither of his roommates were home. Sasuke was somewhat inept when it came to dealing with a hysterical Sakura and Sai…well, if the hole in the kitchen wall amounted to anything, it was that the socially stunted artist now knew better than to call the rosette ‘ugly’ when she was distressed.

Shuffling Sakura into the living room, Naruto gently guided her to the couch, carrying most of her weight as he assisted her when she sat down. He tried to ignore the way the carpet gave a wet ‘squish’ underneath his sneakers, but he could already hear Sasuke bitching about the muddy mess they undoubtedly tracked throughout their home. The impending argument could wait, however, and Naruto brushed away any thoughts of the dark-haired Uchiha, instead focusing on studying Sakura face.

The color of her skin was eerily white, almost ashen in certain areas, contrasting greatly with the bright crimson that ran along her the expanse of her neck and the sides of her face.

“I’ll be right back…,” Naruto murmured, hesitating only slightly as he waited for her acknowledgment. It wouldn’t be worth the effort of leaving the room if he were to come back to find her bawling.

At the small bob of her head, the blond ventured off down the corridor to his bedroom. Naruto kicked off his shoes, socks included and traded in his sodden shirt for an extra-large, pullover sweat-shirt. He could make do with some damp jeans for now.

A quick rummage through a few of his dresser drawers produced a pair of gym shorts and one of his old, long-sleeved rugby jerseys. With unrepressed haste, Naruto exited his room, stopping only to deposit the extra clothing in the bathroom before returning to Sakura’s side.

She hadn’t moved, nor did she look in his direction upon his reappearance.

For a brief, unpleasant moment, Naruto felt out of place and out of his depth, warily watching her as the sound of his heartbeat revibrated in his ears.

He tried to shake discouraging awareness of it all, but the picture that Sakura presented, this unnaturally, heartbreaking tranquility, filled him with immeasurable dread.

Whatever happened to her to make her react in such a way, must have been monumentally significant. Childish theatrics and throwing tantrums wasn’t something that Sakura dabbled in; she never carried on like this without reason.

“Sakura-chan?” The blond ventured. Attempting to hide the slight note of discontent in his voice, Naruto cleared his throat before continuing, “I put some dry clothes in the bathroom for you. Why don’t you go get cleaned up and change, while I make us some tea?”

There was a pregnant pause, then tortuously slow, Sakura lifted her head, shifting her gaze in his direction with languid unhurriedness.

And for a long while, all she did was stare.

It was enough to make Naruto fidget in an uncharacteristic shift of antsy restlessness. Never, never in the history of their relationship had Naruto seen Sakura look so defeated.

Eventually, the pinkette rose from her perch, slipping out of the living room silently. Naruto turned to watch her pad down the hallway, disappearing into the designated sub-room. Only when he heard the soft ‘click’ of the bathroom door as it closed, did he finally move towards the kitchen.

-o-

A short while later found them both back in the sitting room. Naruto sat stiff as a board, in the middle of the couch while Sakura was on the floor, tucked between the sofa and the coffee table, a spare blanket from his bed securely wrapped around her shoulders.

She still refused to look in his direction, and Naruto wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not by the action.

This entire thing was a weirdly strange, convoluted mess and all Naruto wanted to do was talk to Sakura about what was going on, but he didn’t know what to say.

How do you comfort a woman who shows up on your doorstep, crying, after weeks of not talking to one another?

The same woman, who had previously confessed her love for you? A confession, mind you, that caused your brain to malfunction and your body to shut down, resulting in you just sitting there and staring at her like she sprouted another head?

Never in his wildest dreams did Naruto believe that Sakura felt anything other than close kinship towards him. He must have garnered a lot of bad karma in his previous life because when the situation presented itself, and he was given the opportunity to finally tell Sakura just how he felt, his mouth stopped working and his mind blanked.

It didn’t help that the rosette took his uncharacteristic silence as rejection, either.

As if Naruto Uzumaki would ever reject Sakura Haruno.

Naruto knew he was being absurd; that this was Sakura and she came to him in her time of need for a reason, but he was nervous, and it was awkward, and the last thing he wanted was for this entire situation to blow up right in his face like most things tended to do.

Despite his apparent desire to provide comfort, Sakura needed to be the one to initiate this discussion.

So, here he sat, idly twirling the mug of steaming green tea between his palms, trying to calm his array of frenzied nerves.

As if somehow sensing his internal dilemma, Sakura finally broke the silence.

“My patient died,” The emerald-eyed woman croaked, voice hoarse from disuse and her earlier breakdown.

Before Naruto could interject with remorse filled words of empathy, Sakura carried on, “He passed away on the operating table…he bled out…right underneath my very hands.”

Ah. Well, that explained it.

Sakura was always naturally drawn to people. She had some unquenchable thirst to help others, to seem them grow and mend with the aid of her skill. It was what fueled her motivation to attend medical school.

The death of a patient came with the territory of being in the medical profession. Thankfully, this only occurred in Sakura’s case twice before – and both times they hadn’t even been her direct patients – but she always took the news particularly hard.

Leaning forward, Naruto placed his cup on the glass tabletop, resting his left elbow on his knee for balance before setting his right hand on the shoulder that was closest to him.

“I’m sure it wasn’t your fault, Sakura,” He assured, giving her an encouraging squeeze.

“That’s the thing Naruto…this…it might be my fault.”

She still wouldn’t look him in the eye, but Naruto felt the muscle under his palm go rigid. She must have been scowling.

“He came in complaining of nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath…or at least that’s what the referring doctor noted in his chart. There was a familial history of chronic heart disease and blood clots, so immediately, I started him on blood thinners while we were conducting preliminary tests.”

The rosette paused long enough to take a breath, then she said, “I thought it was congestive heart failure. If it wasn’t serious, a few changes to his diet and some medication could help. If it were severe, the best option would have been coronary artery bypass surgery. Either way, it wasn’t a complicated case.”

The shoulder in his grasp began to tremble, and her voice hitched an octave higher as she continued, “What no one told me, or noted in his paperwork, is that he had been in an accident a few days prior to the start his symptoms. While I was too busy focusing on his heart, because that is what his chart lead me to believe the issue was, blood had been pooling in the membrane between his brain and his skull. It’s called a subdural hematoma, and it only got worse because I put him on Coumadin. By the time I realized what was happening and went in to operate so that I could relieve some of the pressure…it was too late and he just…flatlined right on the table.”

She was crying again, her chest heaving with the force of her sobs. “Tsunade gave me a few days off because the hospital wants to look into what happened and figure out where the exact miscommunication occurred. She told me that everything would turn out alright in a few days and I was fine…but Naruto…I could lose my license, and I don’t know what to do! I didn’t know where to go…and I…I just needed you.”

Sakura leaned against the outside of his thigh, pressing her cheek into the already damp material of his jeans.

“I know things aren’t exactly copesetic between us at the moment, but please, just please be my best friend right now. I need the man that protected me from bullies when I was a kid, not the guy I confessed my love to.”

“I’m here,” Naruto rasped voice thick with emotion.

Unable to do much with their current seating arrangements, he lifted his hand from her shoulder, burying it in her short, pink locks. His thumb immediately began to knead small, soothing circles into the soft patch of skin behind her right ear.

He reiterated, “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

At his declaration, the floodgates opened again, and Sakura did her best to muffle her sorrow against his muscle of his hamstring. Naruto tried to ease her pain as best as he could, given the circumstances. A coo of consolation here and a kiss to her temple there. He gave what he could freely and without hesitance.

Under different conditions, he would have provided more verbal assurances, but right now, empty promises that everything would be alright would amount to nothing.

Sakura’s livelihood was on the line over a simple lack of communication, and there was nothing he could say that would ease her discomfort. It would be best let her get everything out, and when it was all over, they would pick up the pieces together. She wanted him there, and he would be; reliable, and stable, and ready to face anything that life tossed her way.

And maybe, when this whole thing was over, and their lives returned to a semblance of normalcy, they could finally sit down and talk about them.

After all, the woman who loved him needed to know that he felt the same.

Send me a pairing and a prompt!

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