#announced on the first day of the break too!! wow!!!

[sainz100]

Carlos' Williams announcement!! ❤️💙

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Just My Type

This one is for @henderdads with her prompt - accidental first kiss. Happy Valentine's Day, Cass! I hope this will bring you some joy!

Steve Harrington wasn't known for sharing his problems with others. He was the one who resolved all your issues, not brought more to the already very overcrowded table. The kids needed some stability, and as much as he loved Nancy, Robin, and Eddie, they weren't exactly fit for that role. The girls would soon leave Hawkins for college (Steve was so proud his heart could burst), and Eddie had his hands full with the whole finishing high school thing while still recovering from being nearly eaten by demobats.

No, Steve had this handled. He was the least fun of the four, but reliable. As far as the kids knew, the only issue Steve had was his inconsistent and ever dramatic love life, nothing else.

When Steve's eyesight started getting worse, likely from all those concussions, he handled it on his own. No need to worry anyone. A secret pair of glasses for home, prescription sunglasses for driving (and yeah, he looked cool in them, despite the kids' grumbling), and that was it. They didn't need to know. Everything was working out just fine. He was great at faking things.

At least until that fateful day. But we’ll get there. First, something about Steve’s love life.

See, Steve was dating around. He had been feeling anxious, unfulfilled, and the more he thought about it, the reason wasn’t Nancy for once. Even stranger, he knew he was over her, but the feeling of needing something and not being able to get it wouldn’t leave. So he got out there, used his charm, and prayed he’d finally find the one.

So far, it wasn’t working out. Most of the girls he went out with were lovely, kind, and gorgeous, but there was always something missing that made him break things off before anyone could get hurt. He had a type - curly or wavy dark hair and even darker eyes, but hey. It wasn’t his fault that Nancy had been the closest to an ideal relationship he’d ever had! That had to be the reason, he thought. Maybe his concussed brain decided that curly hair meant a good girlfriend.

“It’s not like I can help it,” he lamented, pretending not to see Eddie’s amused smirk. They had become good friends after their Upside Down near death experience, and as Dustin never failed to mention with a truckload of disgust, they were now practically inseparable. “Who doesn’t like curly hair? They’re making it this whole thing. I’m over Nancy.”

Eddie snorted and tossed his chemistry textbook somewhere towards the pile of stuff that might have included his desk. “Uh-huh. Sure thing. So this new one-”

“Jenny.”

Eddie snapped his fingers. “Yes. This Jenny. It’s just a coincidence that she’s a dead ringer for Wheeler.” He nudged Steve’s side with his bare foot. “Come on, Harrington. Be honest with your only adult friend.”

Steve kicked him in retaliation. “Wow, rude. I’ll let you know, I have Robin!”

“Buckley is so much more than a mere human, Steven. She doesn’t count, she surpasses our species. Whereas I,” he announced to the broken ceiling fan, “am very human, non-judgmental, and I have seen you go through half a dozen ladies of the same type since the spring break. So?”

Laughing, Steve kicked him again. “So nothing. She doesn’t look like Nancy. Hell, she looks more like you - her hair is darker, more wavy, and she has those really pretty dark eyes. And she’s tall. Are you saying you’re my type too?”

Eddie rolled over and batted his eyelashes. “I don’t know, Steve, am I?”

Steve hit him with a pillow in the face. If he hadn’t been so busy laughing, he might have just noticed the tinge of longing in Eddie’s voice.

..

To recap: the two things that led to the most important day of Steve’s life were a) his tendency to date a certain visual type of girl; b) his unwillingness to admit to anyone that he needed glasses.

Here’s what happened.

Steve, being both a good friend and a good boyfriend, took Jenny to see Eddie perform with the Corroded Coffin. Was metal his favorite music genre? Not really, but he wanted to support Eddie, and Jenny didn’t seem to mind, she even agreed to wear a Corroded Coffin t-shirt from Steve’s wardrobe.

Steve found himself enjoying the concert way more than he’d expected. The alcohol helped, sure, but it was so heartwarming to see Eddie in his element, scarred, but still the same. Steve had even learned to recognize the lyrics within all the noise, and even if he wasn’t ready to discuss that with Eddie yet, Steve considered them surprisingly deep. He really hoped Eddie would make it big, he was a wonderful guy, and life owed him big time.

After the concert, Jenny excused herself to the bathroom, and Steve went to grab some beers. His head was pleasantly buzzing, and even though his eyesight was more blurry than usual, he found his way through the crowd with ease.

He put down both beers and wrapped his arm around Jenny’s waist. He’d lost track of time at the bar, she must have come back in the meantime. And so, as they tended to do, he touched her cheek and turned her face into a quick kiss.

Steve noticed several things at once.

First, stunned gasps from the Corroded Coffin members, along with Robin’s snickering.

Second, Jenny’s cheek felt different. Almost stubbly?

Third, it was the best damn kiss he’d ever had.

And fourth, before the kiss could end, he felt something wet - the beer he’d just brought - hit his head and back, along with an angry shriek.

What happened next was a blur, and not just because he had trouble seeing it. He was vaguely aware of a second Jenny hitting him with her purse and storming off, Robin trying to control her laughter, and the person next to him, also drenched in beer? That was Eddie.

“Eddie, I’m so sorry!” Steve instinctively grabbed napkins and started drying off the beer in Eddie’s hair, on his jacket. “I...OK, not the best time to tell you, but I’ve noticed I can’t see shit, and normally I wear glasses, but I couldn’t take them with me because I look like a baby accountant or something, and I didn’t want you guys to worry. And uh, you probably know, but your hair looks kinda like Jenny’s, and I’m really sorry I did that without asking.”

Eddie was motionless, letting Steve fret over him. He was just staring into the distance, cogs turning in his brain.

Robin, bless her heart, re-directed the Corroded Coffin guys to grab a mop and a dry t-shirt from Eddie’s van for both Steve and Eddie. After that, she started ushering the unlucky pair towards men’s bathrooms, to “wash off that smell before it’s too late.” She snapped her fingers in front of Eddie’s eyes, getting him to move.  

As she shoved both of them towards the sink, she grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him close. “Since you are freshly broken up, I would strongly suggest you think hard and fast about why you made that mistake, Steve. I can’t spell it out for you, even if it would be easier for everyone involved.”

Steve took a deep breath. “Yeah, uh...I think I might know.”

“Might?”

“I definitely know.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’m so dumb. That...even if I didn’t mean to, it wasn’t fair to Jenny. Or the ones before.”

Robin smiled at him and, not unkindly, patted his shoulder. “They’ll get over it. In the meantime, your man looks like he’s about to faint. Don’t mess this up, OK? I couldn’t stand to see you brooding again and going through another set of Eddie substitutes.”

After she closed the door behind Steve, she grabbed the mop and started cleaning the mess. She could say it would cost Steve a lifetime of driving her around, but she knew he’d do that anyway.

..

In the bathroom, Eddie was slowly finding his words. “You...you kissed me.”

Steve took a step towards Eddie, trying not to spook him. “Yeah. I know it sounds like bullshit,” he said, pushing down the bitter memories of that word, “but I really mistook you for Jenny. I can’t see much, especially when it’s dark. I’m really sorry, Eddie.”

He couldn’t see Eddie’s face, but his voice didn’t sound fine. The music from the club drowned out most of the quieter sounds, but Steve could swear he heard a sniffle. “Of course,” whispered Eddie and he seemed so sad. Steve wanted to punch his own face. “Of course it was a mistake.”

Eddie straightened his back and wiped at his eyes before turning towards Steve. “Don’t worry, Steve. It happens. I mean, you should feel more sorry for yourself, you’re single again, and if Jenny or anyone from the club talks, they’ll think you’re a-”

“I don’t care.”

With a bitter chuckle, Eddie shook his head. “You don’t get it, Steve. You have a reputation to protect. Our lovely and pious citizens of Hawkins expect something like that from me, they know I’m...wrong. But you? You’re the golden boy. Steve, you should think about what this will do to you.” He wasn’t looking at Steve, his eyes were glued to the floor. Steve didn’t need a hint to know why Eddie was blinking so rapidly, why he sounded so strained.

He reached out and grasped Eddie’s hands. “Eddie. I really don’t care. I won’t feel sorry for what someone might think. The only reason I’m sorry is that I kissed you without you agreeing to it, in front of people, because...” He took a deep breath and squeezed Eddie’s hands. “...because I wanted our first kiss to be something special. Not a case of a mistaken identity caused by my shitty eyesight. And I wish I could have done it differently, that we wouldn’t be in this dirty bathroom, and sticky and disgusting from that beer. But even if I’m sorry for not asking you, I’m also glad. Because it made me realize something really important.”

Eddie was staring at him with wide eyes, still wet with tears, but there was a hint of a smile on his lips. A hint of hope. “And what is that?” he asked.

Steve moved several wet strands of Eddie’s hair from his face. He looked just a little bit like a wet rat, but to Steve, he was the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. And he couldn’t wait to bury his hands in Eddie’s hair properly, when it was freshly washed. Maybe smelling of Steve’s shampoo. That was a thought.

He stroked Eddie’s cheek and for the first time in so long, he felt puzzle pieces falling in place. This was right.

“I realized that I didn’t answer you when you asked me,” he smiled and pulled Eddie closer. “You, Eddie Munson, are exactly my type.”

[il-miele-che-scrive]

the one where Y/n and Charles had different priorities

this is maybe a bit chaotic because I had one idea and unclear vision, but I like how it turned out eventually

view all comments

username1 How do you know? HOW DO YOU KNOW?!

username2 They have WHAT

username3 nah I don't believe in love anymore

username4 But they were together since even before Charles was in formula 1🥺

↳username2 Right? I thought they'll be together forever

username5 And there goes my hope for them to announce an engagement soon

↳username6 Sameeee except I thought someday they'll just have a secret wedding and not tell the media until weeks/months after

username5 Ngl that sounds like a them thing to do

username6 Well, not anymore

username7 My only question is why? 😭

↳username1 Literally because they seemed like a perfect couple. What could go wrong?

username8 Shit, that hurts more than my parents' divorce

username9 THEY BROKE UP AFTER 8 YEARS??

↳username10 what 😳

username9 They were together since 2016, I remember Charles saying this in some interview

username6 Yup that's right, he mentioned it many times, he was so in love with Y/n. I swear even recently he said after so many years he still falls in love more and more each day

username9 She was there for him when his dad passed, when Charles joined F1, when he signed up with Ferrari, when he won his first F1 race, I wonder what happened that made them break up so suddenly

username10 Oh so she was there for basically a huge part of his life

username5 I remember when Charles said "she's not a part of my life. She IS my life" about Y/n😭my standards for men have been high up in space ever since

username11 Wow just like Sainz broke up with his long term girlfriend last season. Let's just hope Leclerc won't pop up with a new girl weeks after that

↳username12 Charles and Y/n could be broken up for a long time now, we can only speculate when they broke up

username5 Imagine if Charles posted the Vegas vlog after their breakup 🥹 I'm not okay

username12 That was so unnecessary to say, I'm crying now

yourusername One for the money, two for the show, I never was ready so I watch you go

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username1 The caption guys...

↳username2 Does that mean what I think it means?

username3 What do you think it means?

username2 "I never was ready" he wanted to take things to the next level, but she didn't. "So I watch you go" means she had to let him go because they didn't want the same thing

username3 How could she not be ready after whole 8 years?

username2 Every person matures in their own time and that's okay, they'll both find someone else

username4 That's a Swiftie going through a breakup

username5 Noooo it's confirmed now 😭 as long as neither of them confirmed it I could stay delulu and think the rumours are just rumours

oldersister Thank you for babysitting Snow White 🐈‍⬛ (I wish there was a white cat emoji)

↳yourusername It was my pleasure! She's an angel (and a professional model)

oldersister Feel free to come over anytime you want, Snow White loves her aunt 🤍

youngersister HEY how dare you steal Y/n like that!! I wanted to take her out for milkshakes sometime

oldersister Chill, you can do that whenever you want I'm not stealing anyone

yourusername I'd love to go out for milkshakes!!

lilymhe No more Y/nLily in the paddock?

↳yourusername The paddock isn't the only place where we can hang out 😂

landonorris what are you up to on the 2nd pic? 🤨📸

↳username2 LANDO, DON'T

↳username4 LANDO IT'S TOO EARLY

↳username1 DONT RUIN OUR CHANCES TO HAVE Y/NCHARLES BACK

↳username1 Fuckboy Lando been doing too much fuckboying lately

username6 Didn't know she's a smoker

↳username7 Yeah, she was very secretive about it

username2 It's not like she was hiding it from y'all

username7 She was, probably because she would be canceled for being a wag who smokes cigarettes

username2 A grown woman can do what she wants

username6 It's better that they broke up, way healthier for Charles to not be around a smoker

username2 Wtf she was with him through bad and good times, supporting him no matter what, loving him, making beautiful memories together and you say it's good that they broke up because she smokes?

username4 May I add we never saw her smoking throughout the 8 years, she probably started after the breakup

username5 after the breakup or BECAUSE of the breakup?

charles_leclerc Leaving Bahrain with a good result despite some difficulties. Pretty good weekend if you ignore the braking problem, now onto Jeddah next 🏎

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username1 brAking problem or brEAking problem?

username2 How is that the start of the season and there's already something wrong with his car?

yourusername Congratulations on finishing P4🏁given the issues your car had, you did a spectacular job

↳charles_leclerc Thank you 😇 I tried my best, but felt like something is missing

yourusername I'm sorry :(

↳username3 WHAT IS Y/N DOING HERE? ARE THEY BACK TOGETHER?

username4 I wish I could believe they are, but I guess some people break up on good terms

username3 How could anyone end a 8yrs old relationship and be friends? 😭

↳username5 Jail for miss Y/n for leading fans on

username6 He looked so sad the whole time, during interviews and all that 😔

↳username7 Yeah he's either done with the car already or he misses Y/n that much

username8 DID Y'ALL SEE THAT ONE INTERVIEW WHERE HE GOT ASKED ABOUT Y/N NOT BEING IN BAHRAIN??

↳username6 WHAT INTERVIEW??

username8 A lady asked him why Y/n isn't here because she never missed the first race of the season before so it's surprising. He officially said that over the winter break they've decided to part ways due to focusing on different aspects of life🥲

username9 How do you figure something like this out after 8 fucking years? They wasted each other's time

username7 Calm down lol they grew and matured with each other, experienced how their love evolved throughout the years, no time you put into this is a wasted time

username10 I need to know what are the aspects of life they focus on and if they really are that different

↳username11 From what I figured from Y/n's post and Charles' interview - he wanted to get married, maybe even start a family and she wasn't ready

username10 Ahhh I remember how a few years ago Charles said he wants to have three kids. Such a shame Y/n doesn't want the same thing, but it's understandable they figured it now. They were kids themselves when they started dating lol

username11 Not really, they were both over 18 years old

username10 I know, but still that's a pretty young age and you might not know yet what do you really want in life

username12 Plus your brain develops until you're 25, they both turn 27 this year so it explains a lot

username13 I'm telling you, there would be no problems if Y/n was there, @/yourusername get your lazy ass on a plane to Jeddah

oldersister Amazing performance this weekend👏

youngersister Goodluck for Jeddah 🍀

username14 The way Y/n AND her sisters still interact with Charles on social media...

↳username15 Yeah like are they actually broken up??

3 weeks later

yourusername You'd be surprised if I told you why kangaroos are called kangaroos

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username1 What is miss doing in Australia during the race week?

oldersister I told you this story is fake 🙄

↳yourusername But it's funny so I'm gonna believe it

oldersister Kangaroo DOESN'T mean "I don't know" jesus christ

username2 I thought it does 😭

username3 Too much Tiktok I guess lmao

youngersister Glad I could have milkshakes with you in Australia 😌

↳yourusername Back at you although that was a strange excuse to go to Australia in the first place

youngersister It's just not the same in Europe

arthur_leclerc Y/n in her natural habitat🦘

↳yourusername I swear I was a kangaroo in a past life

↳username4 What is going on? Y/n and Charles broke up but they keep interacting with each other and each other's families

username5 I NEED to know which city it is

username6 Is that true all announcements on public transport are made with Oscar Piastri's voice??

↳yourusername Yup, I wonder how much convincing it took to get Oscar to do the voiceover

landonorris not a lot to be honest

username5 AHA so she is in Melbourne! Also, what are you doing here Lando?

landonorris do you wanna hear another aussie fun fact?

↳yourusername I'm scared but yes (as long as it's not about thongs)

landonorris do you know what an australian kiss is?

yourusername @/oscarpiastri please put Lando back in his cage

username7 HELP I'M GASPING FOR AIR, LANDO ALWAYS TAKES THE CHANCE TO SHOOT HIS SHOT

username8 Not gonna lie it pisses me off how Lando tries to "flirt" with Y/n in her comments

↳username2 Me too, it's not ethical

username9 I'm afraid Lando doesn't care lol and I don't think Y/n would ever consider going out with another driver considering Charles and her broke up on good terms

username10 I'm just wondering if norris ever tried funny business back when Y/n would come to races

↳username11 prolly not but hey now he's free to do it

username5 Just because he's free to do it doesn't mean he should do it

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username2 OH 😃

username3 So that's what she's doing in Australia

username4 Wait why is Jacob Elordi in Australia?

↳username2 Well, Jacob is Australian, why wouldn't he be there?

username4 HE'S AUSTRALIAN?!

username5 One thing Charles can't beat is the height 😩

↳username6 Is it worth it tho? Jacob treated his exes pretty badly, he's a cheater

username5 And? People change

username6 Bro, he cheated on Zendaya

username5 Chill out, maybe Y/n isn't even on a date with him, maybe they're just hanging out

username7 If I were Y/n I would enter my hoe phase now and Jacob is a good choice to start with

username8 THIS CAN'T BE TRUE

username9 Charles where are you? 😭 Y/n is a sweetheart, she shouldn't be with Jacob

username10 Sometimes I regret opening this app

username11 Didn't Jacob attend a few races? Is that were he met Y/n?

↳username12 Keep saying things like this and watch gossip unfold about how Y/n was waiting to leave Charles for Jacob

username13 Miss girl did a downgrade

↳username14 Is it a downgrade though if he's that tall?

username13 He can be as tall as he wants, but Charles was Y/n's soulmate and I'll always stand by that

username9 Plus the height doesn't make up for the personality

username14 What personality? 💀 Girl you don't even know him

username9 Someone who cheats on their partner clearly isn't a very pleasant person to date

username5 CALM DOWN GUYS we can't be sure they were on a date, it could be just two friends catching up

username9 what friends? I've never even seen them talk before and there were opportunities

yourusername Don't panic guys, I've been spending most of the time with @/youngersister and her aussie friends

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youngersister Yeah, I clearly didn't set you up for a date with a certain actor...

↳username1 SHE SET Y/N UP WITH HIM?!

username2 Evil mastermind

username3 How did that even happen lmao

↳yourusername Thankfully it didn't go as good as you'd wish it would 😌

youngersister No worries, I have other options up my sleeve

yourusername Keep them up there 🤺

↳username4 I'm confused is [younger sisters name] team Charles or not?

username5 She's just a menace it seems

username6 What's up with Y/n? She didn't wanna be with Charles, but she doesn't wanna move on. That's not normal

youngersister Don't make me set you up with Lando

↳yourusername You'd never, I know you think he's annoying

youngersister Yeah, but he gives me that vibe of a guy who can make you forget about your ex

yourusername That's called a fuckboy

youngersister You deserve a bit of fun don't you 🥳 I'm not saying you have to go straight back to being in a relationship

yourusername NO THANK YOU

username5 Lmao I love how they're having this convo here instead of on dms

username6 OR FACE TO FACE??

username7 Why does Y/n's lil sis support the idea of Y/n having a hoe phase? 😭

landonorris I was hoping you'd come see the race;)

↳yourusername Better luck next time I guess :)

a few months later

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username1 YEAH I WAS LIKE WHAT THE HELL???

username3 I can't defend Charles anymore

username4 Apparently her name is Angeliqué and she's a daughter of some French entrepreneur (a/n: I made her up)

username5 I didn't want Charles to move on, I wanted him to be back with Y/n 😭

↳username6 Worse thing is, Charles moved on but Y/n didn't. She went on this weird staged date with Jacob Elordi a few months ago and that's it

username7 NOOO 😭😭

username8 Charles better say sike now 🔫

username9 Please tell me it's a joke

username10 It truly feels like some part of me being torn apart knowing that Y/n and Charles broke up for good and he moved on

username11 Do we really know nothing about what's going on with Y/n? She must feel terrible now, I'm sure she saw that Angeliqué girl on TV

↳username9 What makes you think she would still watch races?

username11 It seemed like her and Charles are on friendly terms, so why wouldn't she still watch his races?

↳username12 She hasn't posted anything since Australia, went hella private, she ISN'T okay, I think she even stopped hanging out with Lily M

username13 I did some more research and that Angeliqué girl is 20 years old

↳username12 So we're supposed to believe that Y/n who is Charles' age wasn't ready to start a family, but a 20 year old Charles met weeks ago is? Charles, explain yourself

username9 Honestly the new girl seems just like a distraction from Y/n or a PR relationship

username12 You might be right, maybe Charles can't forget about Y/n so he went with "wanna get over, get under someone new"

username14 Nahhhh cuz she was all over Charles whenever she could and he looked so done 💀 that's definitely a stunt

↳username1 Literally, she was always hugging him, touching, holding hands, she barely let him interact with fans, Y/n was so much better AND she always respected Charles' fans

username15 imagine not being able to move on for MONTHS so your pr team finds you a fake gf

yourusername Excuse the inactivity, I've been watching Gilmore Girls

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username1 Very understandable in this case

username2 Our Rory Gilmore finally watching the og Rory Gilmore 🙏

oldersister I'm afraid Snow White might like you more than she likes me 😂

↳yourusername I'm the cool aunt 🤭

youngersister Excuse me???

yourusername I said what I said

youngersister And I don't agree with what you said

yourusername Would you watch Gilmore Girls with Snow White? Nope. I do. So I win the cool aunt competition

username3 Guys... When did Charles unfollow Y/n?

↳username2 He unfollowed?

username3 Yeah... He didn't comment nor even like, so I went to check and he doesn't follow Y/n anymore but she still follows him

username2 Ouch that hurts

username4 I don't care that Charles doesn't follow Y/n anymore, what counts is that she is happy 😊 look at the last pic, she's so adorable with Snow White

↳username5 True, she looks happy and healthy while Charles is out there having to put up with a fake girlfriend

username6 What's funny is that Charles doesn't follow Y/n anymore, but both his brothers and majority of F1 drivers do

↳username7 including the ones who followed her after the breakup 😏

username8 Don't try to make up new rumours, Y/n is single and happy

username9 Not to be mean but... It says something about Charles that he had to unfollow

↳username6 He either thought it'll help him forget or the new girlfriend made him unfollow

username9 Either way it tells us he's still thinking about Y/n

landonorris been a while since I last saw you

↳yourusername Let's see how long we can keep the streak up

username6 SLAAAAAY QUEEN

username10 I'll never be over the Y/nCharles breakup, I'm still going through it months after

↳username11 That's okay because so is Charles

username12 Tbh in Y/n's place I would just take the chance and go for Lando, just to prove that Charles' PR relationship is in vain

↳username2 That's not something Y/n would do, but if she ever did that I would support her

Username13 dating men is so much stress, why bother while you can sit at home with a cat watching Gilmore Girls instead?

[woso-dreamzzz]

Helper III

Lia Wälti x Mariona Caldentey x Child!Reader

Summary: You help your Mummy's girlfriend

Mariona knew about you before she started dating Lia.

It would be practically impossible otherwise.

She can still remember the uproar that went through the gossip vines when Lia took a break due to injury only to announce she was pregnant. At the time, Mariona hadn't paid much attention to it.

She'd seen the pictures, of course, announcing your arrival but she hadn't had any plans to see you. She and Lia weren't close back then.

But then Ana started talking about you both.

First it was 'my best friend Lia' and 'my little niece' that Ana seemed to throw out randomly but then Mariona started paying attention to it. You and Lia had existed on the fringes of her awareness for a while until Lia joined Mariona and Ana's girl's holiday.

You hadn't been there, spending the time with your grandparents back in Switzerland so Mariona got to know Lia without you and then, as time went on, she got to know Lia with you too.

Now she was here though.

At Arsenal after ten years at Barcelona.

"You ready?" Lia asks.

They'd driven separately today.

Mariona had gotten her own apartment rather than moving straight in though both she and Lia know she'll be spending a lot of time with you and Lia at the house.

"Yeah. I think so."

"It'll be great," Lia assures you, opening one of the backseat car doors and undoing your seatbelt," Won't it, guppy?"

"Uh-huh!"

You slide out of the car as Lia goes to get all the bags out of the boot. You place your hand in Mariona's.

"You have to hold hands in the car park," You tell her," Mummy says so. And you can't run either. That's dangerous."

"Oh, wow," Mariona pretends to be surprised," Thanks for telling me."

You beam at her and Lia looks at you both fondly.

"I'm going to school this year," You tell Mariona," So I won't be around a lot."

"I heard you are very excited."

"I am. Mummy already taught me how to read and how to add and take away."

"Well, I think you'll do very well at school then."

Your little chest puffs out in pride as the three of you make your way into the locker room.

You drop Mariona's hand then to go running over to Codi.

You didn't get to see her for most of the summer so now that preseason's rolled around, you just can't contain yourself.

Codi's your best friend at Arsenal, you think. She's fun and cool and has cows back home in Spain that she sends Mummy pictures of for you to see.

Codi does puzzles with you, at Arsenal and at home too. It's quite fun.

She's friends with Mariona as well and she told you once that Mario is just a big puppy sometimes. You haven't met a lot of puppies in your life except for Jordan's Blu and Beth and Viv's Myle but you think you understand what Codi is saying.

Mariona has an infectious kind of happiness.

Infectious is one of the words Mummy taught you last night when you were reading together so you're very proud of yourself for knowing how to use it.

"Guppy!" Mummy calls," Come on, breakfast!"

You usually have two breakfasts. One at home which is your main one. It's cereal most of the time and you and Mummy clean the dishes together before you come to training to get your second breakfast.

This one is usually a bacon roll or something smaller depending on how much first breakfast you eat.

You tell Mariona this as you walk with her, swinging your joint arms.

"I just need to go talk to Kim," Lia says," Guppy can take you to grab food, right Guppy?"

"I can help!"

You lead Mariona over to the buffet and hand her a plate.

"What do you want?" She asks.

"I'm meant to be helping you!"

She laughs and it's that infectious kind of laugh that has you giggling too.

"We can help each other."

In the end, you both end up with food on your plate and you practically drag Mario over to where Leah is eating.

"You're not eating properly," You tell her and Leah groans.

"Come on, it's the first day of preseason! Have we got to start this now?"

"Yes. That's not proper food, auntie Leah!"

Mariona has to smother her laugh. She's not really sure what to make of Leah now that they're on the same team but she knows Leah's important to you and Lia. She's just not sure where the boundaries are right now.

"Yeah," Leah says," You laugh it up Caldentey, just you wait. She'll be on you of your eating habits."

"No I won't!" You insist," Because Mariona eats healthy!"

At first, Mariona was a little confused about how you would fit in with the Arsenal girls. She couldn't wrap her head around what it would be like with such a little kid running around with the team would look like.

But, as she watches you wander around with a clipboard in her own apartment, she can see you're exactly like you are in private.

Overwhelmingly helpful.

She hasn't unpacked yet so she was a little confused as to why you and Lia followed her back from training, only for Lia to get out of the car and tell her you've been preparing for this moment for weeks now.

You hold the same clipboard from training right now and number boxes with a little pencil.

Lia sits on the sofa, watching you with a fond expression.

"Don't mind her," She tells Mariona," She'll let us know when she wants to put us to work."

"Are you sure? I can-"

"Leave her," Lia insists," She gets annoyed when people interrupt her 'system'. She'll get us when it's time."

You touch every box twice, tapping the top before noting down the number on your little clipboard.

"She's very smart."

"She cried last year when I told her she just missed the cut off date for school. She spent all of her time trying to learn what she'll be learning this year."

"Scarily smart, then."

"She's a good girl." Lia watches as you do a second sweep of the boxes. "And she's very excited that you're here."

"Is she?" Mariona frowns. "But-"

"She thinks you're super cool like Codi."

"Does she?"

"I mean, you don't have cows like Codi does but Guppy really wants to see how well you can puzzle. It's her favourite activity."

"Puzzling? Really?"

"Why? Are you surprised?"

Mariona turns her head to watch you poke around a box that she's sure has all of her electronics in.

"No. That tracks. I think I'm more surprised that she got Codi into puzzling."

"Mummy!" You call out before Lia can respond," Mariona! I'm ready."

Lia stands smoothly, "Alright. Where do you want us?"

You look down at your list, quiet for a moment as you sound out what you've written there. "Boxes one and four need to go in the kitchen! Two and three are all clothes and five has a bunch of decorations. Six and-"

"Let's take it room by room," Lia says," Let's start with the kitchen."

You nod, head bobbing up and down twice. "Okay! Boxes one and four!"

Lia grabs one of them, hefting it up into her arms and heading into the kitchen to start unpacking.

"Come on, Mariona," You say, taking her hand," Me and Mummy are going to help!"

[cottonlemonade]

Marriage Of Convenience [Part 4]

word count: 1569 || avg. reading time: 7 mins.

pairing: post-time skip!Kuroo x chubby!Reader

genre: fluff, friends to lovers, slow burn, slice of life

warnings: spoilers

synopsis: Marriage is not a big deal, right? Anyone can do it and it comes with a whole lot of benefits! That's why your friend proposes to you one morning with all the elegance and romance of an empty pudding cup.

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

He knew it was only a matter of time until his wedded bliss would encounter its first stumbling block. And it would only take two months for it to return from a business trip. 

“Did you put sprinkles in your granola?”

“I’m an adult with free will, what are you gonna do about it?” “You know what, you’re so right. Can I have some?”

Tetsuro pushed his bowl closer to you so that you could, with a superior smile, add some of your advanced granola to the rest of his plain yogurt. 

Asana watched it all unfold, a knowing squint darting between the two of you over lunch at the office cafeteria, “You guys are cute together.”

You looked offended, but Tetsuro noted, “Honestly, I agree. We’re so good at marriage. I don’t understand why not more people do it.” 

“Lack of convincing PowerPoint presentations, probably.”, you said wisely, and Tetsuro shrugged in agreement, then finished his bowl and got up, “I gotta run. Meeting with Maeda.”

“Enjoy.”, you said unenthusiastically and Asana waved. 

“We should go by that Italian place tonight on the way home.”

“If you manage to get out of that meeting without another double date invite, I’ll even pay.”

“You’re on.”

As he walked away with his tray, he halted for a moment to talk to someone, greeting him happily, and then that someone came to your table. 

“Hey, long time no see.”, the newcomer said, brightly. 

“Oh! Welcome back!”

The young man took Tetsuro’s empty seat next to you and as he dug into his rice bowl, he asked, “Anything happen while I was gone?”

Asana exchanged a meaningful look with you that silently pleaded if she could be the one to tell him. You smiled and nodded, and your friend leaned casually back in her chair and announced, “Nothing much, just a whole wedding.”

“A wedding?”, the man asked, surprised, “Who?”

“Kuroo.”

“Kuroo? Wow, I didn’t even know he was seeing anyone.”

“And y/n.”, Asana added as if in afterthought. 

The man turned to you in disbelief. 

“You got married, too?”

With leisurely grace, Asana sat back up, elbows propped on the table and her chin resting on the back of her now entwined fingers, savoring the moment when she said, “To each other.”

You still chuckled to yourself at Hayato’s reaction. The shock and stuttering congratulations the news were usually met with, hadn’t gotten old so far. You were standing in the break room later that day, tapping around on the coffee machine for your afternoon special - hot chocolate with an espresso shot. 

“Hi again.”, Hayato said and joined you, grabbing an empty cup from the overhead cabinet, waiting for the machine to finish your drink. 

“Hi. I’m so glad you’re back, actually. I have a proposal I could use a second pair of eyes on, please?”

“Sure thing.”, he replied. 

“Thanks! I’ll wait at my desk.”

“Y/n.”

“Hm?”

You turned back around. The earthy smell of his freshly brewed coffee slowly streaming into his mug and the low hum of the machine filled the space between you. 

“You’re really married?”

Tilting your head a bit in surprise at the question, you confirmed. 

“You’re not wearing a ring. And I never knew you guys were… you always said you were just friends.” He didn’t sound accusatory, just confused, and you didn’t understand why until he said, “Guess I missed my chance with you, huh?”

“What?”

He took his full cup from the machine. 

“I even brought you something back from Italy. But with your husband… I don’t know now if it’s appropriate to give a gift to a married woman.”

He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand while you were too stunned to speak. 

“Of course you can, I don’t mind. That’s super thoughtful of you, thanks, man.”

Tetsuro came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder. The impact or possibly the embarrassment of being overheard made Hayato startle. 

“Ain’t that nice, darling?”

Tetsuro looked from Hayato to you. He seemed and sounded relaxed so once you’ve gathered your thoughts into a neat little stack after it was pushed over like a wonky Jenga tower, you nodded and said, “Very nice. Thank you, Hayato.”

Tetsuro followed the two of you back to your desk where he busied himself with Asana, most likely pretending he was working, because Asana was clearly not paying attention to what he was saying, opting to eavesdrop instead on the conversation that now turned to the aforementioned gift. 

Hayato reached into his pocket and held out his closed fist to you. When he opened it, you noticed Tetsuro and Asana behind him craning their necks to see. 

It was a keychain. You figured it was supposed to be cute. It was a pink, round little piggy with rosy cheeks and a wide smile. 

“I saw it, and it reminded me of you.”, Hayato said, trying his hardest not to sound flirtatious - not that he needed to worry. You couldn’t suppress your frown completely and asked, only half jokingly, “I remind you of a pig?”

“No!”, he called out immediately, “That’s - I mean. No. I just… it looks so cute and happy and -“

Kuroo and Asana watched him fumble from one desk over, clearly giddy with barely contained laughter. 

“Hey, we have to go this way to the restaurant.”, you said, catching the strap of Tetsuro’s bag to halt him in his long steps. 

“I don’t really feel like Italian anymore.”

“Alright.”, you said slowly, letting go again, “What else are you in the mood for?” 

“How about some nice seared pork, hm?” With that he led you determinedly down a side street crammed with different BBQ places, walking straight into the next best one advertising pork, leaving you to follow with a shaking head. 

He didn’t say anything about the incident until the dessert came. You were just admiring the beautifully plated mochi and berries, when he muttered, “It’s odd, right?”

“What is?”

“He clearly knew you were married, and yet he still confessed to you. What’s that about?”

“I didn’t see it so much as a confession as more …”, you paused, looking for the right word.

“A sneaky seduction attempt.”

You snorted, “No. I think he was just trying to be nice while also sort of… clearing his conscience, I guess? Plus, what does it matter anyway? Before we got married, we agreed that if one of us finds the one, we’d just get divorced again, no hard feelings.”

“He is the one now, is he?”

“No, you know what I mean. I’m saying that we specifically agreed that dating isn’t prohibited.”

“You wanna date him? Pig guy?”

“Tetsuro.”

“Y/n.”

“It was just… nice to be wanted, that's all. It was nice to know someone liked me.”

“I like you.”

“You know that’s not the same.”

He sighed. “I just think it’s sleazy to hit on someone married.”

“And with that, you’d be very correct.”, you raised your glass to toast him, “Come on, Tetsu, let’s not fight. Please?”

“Fine.”, he clinked his sake to yours. 

“One more thing.”, Tetsuro came to lean in the open bathroom door while you brushed your teeth. You had made it all the way home, watched some TV for a while, then each of you took a shower, all the while being almost back to normal. You should have known it wasn’t over yet. Not stopping your brushing, you turned to him, arms crossed as much as possible, ready to spit your toothpaste at him if he was being an idiot again. 

“I don’t think you should date him. Think about it. At the office, we’re very clearly and indisputably married. It would look weird if either of us”, he made sure to highlight that part, “would date around within the company.”

He had a point, annoyingly, so you nodded. 

“Okay.”, you mumbled through a mouthful of foam. 

“Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” 

“Alright then. Sorry about earlier. About my…”

“Temper tantrum?”

“Misplaced reaction.”, he preferred. 

“Uh-huh.”

“You know I just wanna look out for you, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” 

“Good. Hug?” He opened his arms questioningly, and you took your sweet time to rinse your mouth and toothbrush, putting it neatly into your cup and drying your face before you accepted. 

“Come on, I’ll walk you to your room.”, he said, and gently wrangled you a few steps down the hall before you managed to escape his bear hug. 

“Night.”

“Sleep tight.”

Tetsuro made to leave to go to his room, and his eyes fell on the key hooks by the door across from your room. 

“You should put the pig on your keys.”

“Nah.”

He turned around to look at you. You casually hung at the door, swinging it a little from side to side, not meeting his eyes but staring at the hooks instead. 

“I got my keys sorted just right, and I don’t want it too cluttered. And it’s such a pain to attach things to a key ring, you know. Just got my nails done and everything. Wouldn’t make sense.”

“Of course.”, he grinned, “By the way, be ready tomorrow at 9 am sharp. We have to go somewhere.”

And he walked off. 

“Go where?”, you asked, leaning out of your room to watch him. 

“Ring shopping!”, he announced before closing the door to his bedroom behind him.

art: @freaka_loonyz on Instagram, X, Pinterest and TikTok

taglist: @etsuniiru @nocaffeineallowedtome @princessshart @aldebrana @grassbutneo @melimelisworld @yatoatyourservice @ranscutedoll @remiratboi @armeenix

[part 5]

[letorip]

kiss with a fist [ii]

"Blood sticks, sweat drips, break the lock if it don't fit, a kick in the teeth is good for some, a kiss with a fist is better than none"

===+++===

pairing: tara carpenter x reader

summary: you signed up to help tara with her stupid plan. not whatever the hell one would call this.

warnings: implied sex, use of alcohol, puking, arguing loudly and wrongly, curse words(?)

word count: 5.2k

A/N: sorry to make you wait so long, but here's the second part. there will probably be a third, so fear not, the story doesn't end here. i originally thought i would be able to just end it off right here, but it’s going kind of really well and i think a third or maybe even a fourth part is more reasonable

===+++===

===+++===

For almost the entire walk to the frat house, Tara didn't actually say much. It surprised you too, the way she just glanced around the city that passed as you walked and fiddled with her nails. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but you were so used to Tara having something to say that it made you speak instead.

"Wow, for once, you're speechless," you commented as you passed under a streetlight. Tara shot you a glare, shoving her hands into her jean pockets.

"Would it kill you to shut the hell up?"

“There we go, back to normal. Why are you being weird?”

“I’m not being weird,” she scoffed. “Mind your own business.”

"I'm just saying."

"Well don't say. Don't say."

===+++===

The party fucking sucked. It was quintessential college, with frat boys who attempted to yell over the loud music that rattled your eardrums. Coolers upon coolers of shitty, cheap beer sat against the far wall, and a crowd had gathered around them to pick off all the free alcohol they could. Maybe a year ago this would’ve been fun. Now you found yourself disenchanted with the ordeal.

Tara was off god knows where, doing god knows what, which you figured was the point of the arrangement anyway. You weren’t too concerned with tracking her down, especially if situation also presented itself as a pleasant bonus— not having to put up with her.

Chad had wandered out of the room when he saw you and Tara arrive together hand in hand, going deeper into the party without a word. He was usually the one you hung around with at these kinds of things, but he had been a sad little dog with his tail between his legs since you and Tara announced you were meant to be a few days before the party. It seemed some of your friends were still adjusting.

The immediate reaction after Tara said “soooo, we’re together,” was to laugh, like you two were doing a bit. It got less funny when they saw you both blankly staring back at them and then Tara grabbed your hand and held it up with a forced smile.

The whole group was going through a somewhat awkward seven stages of grief thing. Chad was avoiding you completely, Quinn was a bit annoyed you were off the market now after an egregious few months of hitting on you, and Ethan was the only one to be a bit normal, even though it was clear he too had a crush on Tara and was disappointed with the matter.

When Mindy had gotten over her disbelief, she dove right into an endless game of questions, only occasionally staved off by Anika. "So who confessed first?" had been one of the first ones, accompanied by a glint in her eye. Tara jumped in before you could even open your mouth, eager to answer.

"(Y/n) showed up on my porch, all sweaty and disgusting looking, just smelling so unbelievably bad it was overpowering-”

“I had been working out,” you rolled your eyes. “That’s why I was sweaty."

“Mhm, whatever. Anyways, apparently they were just being such an asshole because they were in love with me," Tara said, with a wide, shit-eating grin. "Right?"

You had to hide your glare behind your solo cup. "Mhm. I was just overflowing with it. I have so many things to say about you."

“All nice things,” Tara corrected.

“Yeah. That’s what I said.”

“Was it?”

“Uh huh.”

Mindy’s questions followed you everywhere she did. Who kissed who first? Who’s more cuddly? Have you guys slept together yet? They volleyed back and forth and you and Tara fought for the first word each time to pin it to the other with gleeful sadism. Of course, it was then flipped around once the next question came and you would huff in annoyance at the other for being an asshole.

It wasn’t as bad of an arrangement as you had dreaded. You only had to be couple-y when other people were watching you two interact, or when Sam would glare in suspicion. Hold hands a few times, smile, share a glance. Other than that, things stayed mostly the same. The group probably appreciated you both not acting head over heels for the other and you liked it because it meant you didn't have to pretend to like her.

Tara had a brazen way about her that made you roll your eyes. She never took no for an answer, had a teasing remark for anything, and always felt the need to be doing something. Other people seemed to find themselves charmed by it. Others, but not you. Never you.

The walk there had been about all she could take of your personality, and the moment after you two were seen together, she ditched you at the door and wandered off to the dance floor. After that you had lost track of her, and ended up splitting your time between the kitchen, the bathroom, and the front room, away from the crowd. Mindy found you there, tugging Anika along with her.

"Cut the bullshit," She said with an eye roll, sitting right down on the couch in front of you. Anika plopped down next to her. "There's no way in hell you got together with Tara."

You grinned, sipping your beer and partially using it to block your expression. "No, we're together. I really like her."

Mindy scoffed. "You're a terrible liar." Your cheeks warmed and you tilted your head to the side.

"We have to separate you two like warring chihuahuas every time we hang out together," Anika said. She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes in a study of your face. "You're not confessing your undying love."

"I did."

"You didn't!" Mindy said, and she threw up her arms.

"I did."

"You didn't," Anika snorted.

"I...," you looked at them both, "...are you guys going to snitch?"

"Snitch to who?" asked Mindy. Now they were both leaned in, like eager children around a campfire. You swallowed.

"Sam." Mindy blinked. Then she sat back.

"What the hell did Tara get you involved in?" she asked. As much as Sam was part of your group, it was known not to fuck with her, and that's exactly what Tara was making you do.

You frowned. If anyone was going to ruin the plan, it probably wouldn't be Mindy or Anika. "You can't tell Chad, but we're not actually together."

Anika raised her eyebrows and shot Mindy a glance. "That didn't take a lot of brain power to figure out." You shrugged.

"Well, we fooled Sam. Tara needs a fake partner so she can go to parties and see people and stuff. And, well, you know how Sam is about that stuff."

Mindy crossed her arms. "And you said sure?"

You shrugged. "I mean, I didn't really see why not. Plus, she was being super annoying about it. Showed up at my house. She was begging, almost."

"So, you what, took pity?" Anika asked, giving you a look. You rolled your eyes.

"Trust me, it's not because it's fun. She's way too annoying and she'd probably say the same thing about me."

Mindy frowned, looking out the doorway and into the booming party. "Chad wouldn't like it."

You sent her a worried look. "Please please please, don't tell Chad. I know he's upset by the whole thing, but Sam would literally kill me if she knew I was helping Tara run around town."

"I don't know...," she said. "I know Tara wants freedom, but this is kind of bullshit, (Y/n)."

"It won't be for long. She just wants to meet someone. When she does, it's over. Life goes back to normal."

"Do you guys have a target in mind, or something?" Anika asked, a bit amused.

"Not even a little a bit. It’s like, her second party ever,” you shrugged. “I don’t know if she’s really dead set on a person yet.”

“Well… she better figure it out soon.”

“Mhm.” You looked out the same glass door and into the booming party outside. Through the jumping crowd, you could see in the distance Tara, who was dancing with her eyes shut and a smile spread wide across her cheeks. She looked happy like that.

You took a swig of your beer.

===+++===

The boom of a fist on your door shook the thin walls of your apartment, and you jolted awake to hear three more hit the wood.

“OPEN UP (Y/N), NOW!”

Immediately, a headache washed over you and you groaned. You tried to smush your head into the pillow to make it go away but there were the banging fists again, and you sat up, letting your legs dangle off the edge.

“OPEN THE FUCK UP,” came the voice again, and you blinked. Oh shit. You knew that voice. You clambered to your feet and stumbled out your bedroom and down the hall in a dusty pair of shorts and shirt. “I’M NOT KIDDING! OPEN THE—”

You pulled the door open like a deer in headlights, seeing Sam seethe on the other side with her fist raised. Nostrils flared, forehead creased, eyes narrowed. She looked about ready to rip your head off.

“You,” she said, spitting the word. You flinched. “Where the fuck is Tara?!”

Shit shit shit shit shit. Had she not gone home the night before?? Things felt a little bit fuzzy still. You remembered grabbing another beer from Ethan and flopping down in an armchair, then another and another, and then maybe wandering home while the sun started to rise. Had you seriously lost track of the attempted murder victim on her first night out???

You blinked, already aware that your cheeks were a dusty pink. "I, uh... she, um..."

Her hands went to her hips, glaring at you expectantly. "Well?! Where the hell is my sister?!" When you were still staring like an idiot, she threw up her arms. "I fucking knew I shouldn't have trusted you with her! This is what I get"

You stared, feeling a lie (though probably a clunky one) come to your brain. "I think her phone must've died, but she just left."

Sam's eyebrows rose, but you weren't sure if it was in disbelief or even more rage. "What do you mean?"

"We, um," your eyes went to the floor, feeling her glare laser itself into you as you spoke. "We got super drunk last night at the party, and I brought her back here and we both fell asleep," you looked back up to see her giving your pyjamas a once over, nose wrinkled. You flushed. "No! No— we didn't do that. We just fell asleep."

Sam looked at you for a moment, then crossed her arms. "I waited all night for her, you know," she said.

You nodded. "I know. I'm so sorry, it won't happen again."

"It won't." Sam repeated. "When I don't hear from her for a whole night, you know what I assume happened, right? You know how that feels?"

You swallowed. "I do."

She sighed. "I'm really trying here. I know she doesn't want me worrying about her, and I know she wants freedom. So I'm trying, (Y/n). Don't make me regret it."

"I won't, Sam." It felt like a giant wedge in your throat, and you tried to smile at her but she continued to frown, and she turned around and walked off. The moment she was gone, you spun around and slammed the door. You dashed through your apartment, grabbing your phone off your nightstand and quickly pulling up her contact.

Little Shit (do not pick up). You pressed the button and put it up to your ear, wandering over to the nearby curtain and lifting it to look out onto the city. "Come on, come on," you pleaded aloud. "Fucking pick up, asshole."

After the third ring and a good prayer to god even though you weren't especially religious, it stopped ringing and you could hear her grumbling.

"Tara??" you rushed. "Tara, where are you?"

"Mmm," she groaned, "the hell do you want so early?"

You scoffed. "Tara it's almost noon." There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"What?"

"Uh huh," you grunted. "Your sister just almost ripped my door off it's fucking hinges because she doesn't know where you are. And you know what, neither do I!" There was some shuffling from her end, and then what sounded like running footsteps.

"I went home with this girl last night, I just woke up," she rushed. "Sam is going to kill me!"

"She almost killed me!" You almost yelled into the phone. Now that the worry had subsided you were left with anger. "She almost killed me because you wandered off and didn't go home."

"It's not like I meant to fall asleep," she argued back, and you could hear some talking in the background in faint voices. "I must've slept through my alarm— wait, what did you tell Sam?"

"That your phone died, and you were on your way home."

"WHAT?! (Y/n), this girl's apartment is at least fifteen to twenty minutes away," Tara said into the phone.

"Well it's not like I knew that, now is it?" you shot back, scratching your arm, "considering I didn't know if you were even alive until you picked up."

"God, not you too. I'm fine, drama queen."

"Drama queen?"

"Yeah, drama queen," Tara repeated, and more noises flooded in. It sounded as if she was in the city now, walking, "you sound just like Sam. I picked you because I thought you knew I didn't need a babysitter."

"That's not being babysat, Tara. That's making sure you're not dead," you rolled your eyes.

"Well, I'm not."

"Good."

"Great."

"Fine!" you shot back.

"Awesome."

You sighed into the speaker. "Pick up some flowers or something on your way back. Claim that's why you're late."

"Good idea, actually," Tara hummed.

"I know." And you hung up.

===+++===

You found yourself at an identical party the very next Friday night too, and the Friday after that, and after that too. The walls were just as stained. It smelled just as full of mold. This one didn't have a front room for you to barricade in, so you sat at the bar top instead, in the kitchen with your chin rested on the cool granite.

It had taken a whole night to get rid of the hangover from a few weeks before, and in doing so you had remembered why it was exactly that you didn't find these things too fun, anyways. You hadn't gotten anywhere near as drunk since. Mindy and Anika had decided on date night instead, and Chad and Ethan were off to watch a movie that originally you would've been invited to, had it not been for Tara.

It was painful, that Chad was ducking you. The irony wasn't lost, that the more time you spent with your fake girlfriend at parties and outings like a couple, the closer you got to actually repairing your relationship with him. You still would've rather gone to the movie, though.

You could actually see Tara, from where you sat. Through the bar window in the kitchen, she was on the dance floor, moving along with the rhythm of hard EDM as best she could. It was a giant mob of people, all clumped up and hopping around in excitement, and you didn't especially want to be out there.

As you watched, a guy came up behind Tara, tapping her on the shoulder and smiling down at her. You thought nothing of it, until you got a longer look at the guy's face. In the revolving, multicoloured lights that hung over the crowd, you recognised him in an instant, standing straight up and weaving your way through the party.

"You having fun, Carpenter?" He asked, with a douche-y smirk on his face as he said it. You rolled your eyes, coming up behind Tara and standing right behind her.

"I—" but you interrupted her.

"She is, Frankie," you shot, staring at him and crossing your arms. Tara whipped around to you with a glare.

"(Y/n), go away," she whispered loudly. But you stood your ground.

"Tara, literally anyone but him. I mean, anyone—"

"That's not your decision."

"Sam tased him in the balls last time. I mean, come on, you have to know he's a douche."

Frankie scoffed. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"(Y/n) is just a—"

"—We're dating," you interrupted again. "So fuck off."

"No, we aren't," Tara shook her head. "Not really."

"Yes, we are," you nodded at Frankie. "Please leave. She's not sleeping with you tonight." He frowned, but started to walk off.

"That's not your decision, asshole!" Tara scowled and she reached out an arm to stop him. "Frankie, stay. You know what, I wasn't going to, but I will now."

"Frankie, leave. I mean it, you creep." You turned to her and glared. "Tara, listen to me, you—"

"No! Frankie, stay. Maybe I need the company," she shot back, narrowing her eyes. Frankie looked between you both, as did a few other people in the room who were starting to notice.

"They literally call him Date-Rape-Frankie, Tara. There's no way in hell you're sleeping with Date-Rape-Frankie. Frankie, leave."

"Frankie, no, stay. Well, what if I want to?"

"Then you're being stupid."

"Bold choice of words coming from you! You're not my mother."

"I'm not trying to be your mom, Tara. I'm using basic common sense. That guy is a creep and a perv," you pointed to him.

"Hey!" Frankie interjected, raising a hand to your shoulder.

"Fuck off!" you and Tara said in unison, dismissing him to glare right at each other.

"Well maybe I deserve the freedom to sleep with weirdos and whoever I want! I mean, who are you, the fucking sex-Nazi?"

"I don't have a problem with literally anyone else, Tara, but he's a weirdo!"

"Well then let me make that call! I'm not five. You don't need to baby me, I know he's a weirdo!" People were definitely staring now. You were both shouting, but a lot of it was drowned out by the EDM. It didn't stop others watching you point in each others faces and scowl.

"It's not babying you, Tara! It's basic caring! You have no clue about this shit, this is like your fourth party ever!"

"I've managed this far, haven't I?!"

"What, you want a cookie?!"

"Yeah, maybe I fucking do! I'm an adult, asshole! Let me do adult shit!"

"Wow, it's so adult and mature of you, to sleep with creeps and get hungover every Friday. How adult."

"Well, maybe it's not, but who gives a shit! I'm having fun for once! I'm being free without a fucking serial killer on my ass! I know you can't relate, but Christ, take the stick out from your ass!"

"Real nice," you shook your head. "This is what I get for helping you. Of fucking course." Before she could reply, you turned around and headed out the sliding glass door, into the fenced-in backyard. There was a pool back there, and you collapsed into a wrought iron pool chair, right near the edge.

People watched you warily, as you sat out there, but within minutes, the party was resumed. Even from outside, you could hear the thumping bass shake the windows gently as the glass moved in the panes.

There was a faint scent of petrichor from the small patch of grass out there, and the sky rumbled in the distance. It was peaceful out there, with small hanging fairy lights and the pool in front of you. You propped your legs up on the glass table and tried not to scream.

This was exactly what you should've expected, from Tara. Of course she would be selfish. Of course she would be brash. A part of you wasn't surprised. Disappointed, sure. But not surprised. You just sat there and tried to cool your breathing, watching the city lights in front of you.

You must've sat like that for an hour or two, just watching the city. It didn't feel like long enough. You might've even felt at peace, until you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"Um...excuse me?" You craned your neck around, looking up in your chair to see a concerned guy looking down at you.

"Are you (Y/n)?" He asked, awkwardly scratching his neck. You nodded, confused.

"Uh, yeah? Do we know each other?"

"No! No, I was asked by Tara, I think was her name? She wanted me to get you. She's your girlfriend, right?"

The worry came back, and you stood up. "Why, what happened? Where is she?" Sam was really going to kill you.

"She's in the guest bathroom, I think she's sick."

===+++===

"Tara?"

"(Y/n)?" you heard a very uneasy voice on the other end.

"Can I come in?" you asked, and when there was no response, you let yourself inside. She was on the other end of the massive bathroom, leaned up against the bathtub with her head close to the toilet bowl.

Tara looked absolutely green, with her hair sweatily stuck to her forehead and eyes barely open. "Christ Tara, how much did you have to drink?" you asked in worry, coming to stand over her.

"Oh, just—" she gagged like she was about to puke and you bent down to grab her and tug her towards the toilet bowl. You spun back to the guy in the doorway, who stared at you both with wide eyes.

"Can you get me some crackers and Gatorade?" you asked him, sending a hopeful glance. He nodded and closed the door, and you turned back to Tara, who was bent over the toilet bowl.

You moved her gently and lifted the toilet seat up. "Are you okay?" you asked with a frown. You felt like an idiot the moment it left your mouth.

She raised her eyebrows. "Do I look okay?" Tara mumbled.

"Well, no."

"Thass' good," she slurred. "I had too many," she hiccupped. You nodded.

"I'd say so. How much did you have Tara?"

She giggled. "This many." She held up four fingers with a giant, toothy grin and slumped with her arms encircling the toilet bowl.

"Since when?" you blinked.

"Since you got allllllllll pissy!" You sighed, hands going to her hair and pulling it back. She wrinkled her nose at you. "Why are you touching my hairrrrr?!"

"So you don't vomit all on it, idiot," you replied, shaking your head. Tara huffed.

"I'mnuh gonnuh puke."

And then Tara puked. Everywhere.

===+++===

You both sat there, that way, for about ten minutes. Tara vomited three times, during that span, and when she was done, you handed her the crackers and Gatorade and told her to do her worst.

She downed them in another fifteen minutes, sitting in the bathtub and eating while you sat leaned up against the bathroom wall, across from her, just in silence. The sounds of the party seemed to have died a little bit as the night droned on, and by now people would be wandering home or to someone else’s place.

While you waited, you shot Sam a text, letting her know you’d bring Tara home and that she was okay. Sam didn’t reply but she saw the message, and you figured that was good enough. When you checked the weather app, Tara finally spoke, coming to her senses a bit with more food in her system.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, staring down at the package for the crackers in her hand. “Thanks.”

You shrugged, staring at the toilet in front of you. It probably reeked in there, but at this point you were nose blind. “For what?” You meant for that to be it, just a small little acknowledgment, but Tara shook her head.

“Thank you for that. For being here.”

She stared right at you when she said it, and you knew she meant it with conviction. You nodded. “I know we don’t always get along, but I had your back, back there.”

“You have my back?” she asked, smiling a little and grabbing her Gatorade from the edge of the tub.

“I agreed to help you, didn’t I?”

She paused for a moment, then nodded. “You did, yeah.” Tara looked over at you, then tilted her head to the side. “I still don’t get why, though.”

“You were honest, for once.” It came from a surprising place, and you said it before you entirely knew you were speaking. You didn’t completely know what it meant either, until after you said it, but the words passed between you almost like a new understanding.

A few moments of silence came and went, before she spoke again. “I walk silently places at night in case I hear I’m being followed. By Ghostface. Same thing as when I’m home alone. I don’t do it as much anymore, but I still do it sometimes. Don’t tell Sam, please please please. She’ll make me go to therapy.”

“Okay,” you said, nodding gently. You leaned your head back up against the wall, craning it up to look at the ceiling.

“Why are you being nice to me?” She asked. You laughed, tracing the popcorn pattern of the roof with your eyes.

“I’m not the devil, Tara.”

“…Neither am I.”

“I know,” you said, and you reached your arm out for a cracker. She gave you one and you crunched down on it, while an especially large bass hit came from the speakers outside. “God, this music fucking sucks,” you groaned.

Tara nodded. “It’s really hard to dance to.”

“Well,” you shrugged, “it didn’t seem like you were struggling earlier.”

Tara frowned, then tilted her head in curiosity. “What’s your favourite song?”

You raised your eyebrows in amusement. “Why?”

“Just wondering,” she said.

“Okay… you’re going to laugh, though.”

“Am I?” she grinned. You nodded.

“Do you know that one song, The Promise, by When In Rome? It’s from the 80s, it’s super cheesy?”

She stared off for a moment, in thought, then shook her head. “Don’t think so, how’s it go?”

You rolled your eyes, but began to quietly sing it in a tone that wavered in between spoken word and humming. It was terrible and you were tone deaf, but it was the song. “If you need a friend, don’t look to a straaanger. You know in the end,” your voice broke a little at the low note, and Tara giggled but you continued, “I’ll always be thereee.”

“Wow.”

“Mhm. And then it skips a little bit and the chorus goes, ‘I’m sorry but I’m just thinking of the right words to say, I know they don’t sound the way I planned them to beee.’”

She cut you off with her hand, laughing hysterically. You felt your cheeks flushed, and in any other time you would’ve been annoyed with her laughing at you. But this didn’t feel mean. You just smiled right back.

“That was good, actually,” she managed, between small laughs. “Why is it your favourite?”

“Um,” you shrugged, “my brother used to sing it to me, years ago when I was scared.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” Tara said, leaning her head on the tile wall of the tub.

“I have six.”

She blinked, then sat up straight. “Since when?!”

“Always, Carpenter,” you shrugged. “Everyone knows.”

“Everyone who?”

“Chad, Mindy, Anika. Even Quinn.”

“I didn't know. How come you never talk about them?”

”I just don’t,” you frowned. Tonight was definitely not the night to get into that. Instead, you pivoted topics. “Why, what’s your favourite song? I showed you mine, now you’ve got to show me yours.”

“I’m ninety nine percent sure that’s not how that saying is used,” she laughed, “but fine. When I was crying as a baby, my mom sung me this song, called Baby, I Love You by The Ronettes.”

“Don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

Tara shook her head. “Probably not, but they’re the same group that does that one song Be My Baby?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Apparently my mom had Baby, I Love You playing in the hospital, when I was born and everything. It’s kind of comforting. When I miss her, I play it.”

“How often is that?”

She shrugged. “More than you’d think, considering she’s a giant asshole.”

"That's always how it is."

"Mhm... and just so you know, I know Frankie was a creep. I wasn't actually going to do anything with him. Just flirt. Have fun."

"I know. I wasn't trying to babysit you, I just wanted to warn you. That creep has so many stories."

"I know. I just don't like being told what to do, sometimes. It's a whole thing. I'm working on it, seriously."

You didn’t know what to say to that, so you didn’t say anything at all. You both sat in what you assumed was a prolonged silence, until you looked down finally to see Tara’s eyelids falling heavy.

You stood up with a sigh. “You should go home.” There was no reply, and you checked out the small window in the bathroom to still see it was pitch black out. It was definitely too late to send her home this sleepy, and after the incident a few weeks ago, there was no way Sam would let her stay at yours. “Tara,” you nudged her.

She groaned, rolling over in the tub and snuggling up. You rolled your eyes, then looked out the window one more time with an annoyed grumble.

===+++===

The longer you had to walk with her on your back, the more you regretted this. Her arms were wrapped around your neck, face pressed onto the back of your shoulder and knees held up by your hands. You couldn’t see her, but you knew her eyes were shut and she was super close to being actually asleep.

"We make a good team, you know," she mumbled into your shoulder. You knew she was being funny, but you were too tired to laugh as you trudged up the hill. Carrying a drunk girl home was not at all what you had anticipated of the night, and though it had been shitty at the beginning and shitty until almost the very end, you could definitely say it wasn't shitty right then.

When you arrived at her apartment complex, Tara was soundly asleep and Sam came out to meet you both, taking her sister from you and stumbling with her towards the door. In the distance, right over another hill, the sky was already beginning to lighten up a bit.

Right as both Carpenters reached the door, Tara stopped for a moment to turn back to you with a smile. "Thanks, babe," she said with a cheeky grin that was only half awake. You smiled back.

"You too, babe."

Sam rolled her eyes, pulling Tara through the door. It was a pleasant night, still with the same faint scent of rain oncoming. In your weird, newfound peace as you walked home yourself, you didn't see that Quinn was watching you from the upstairs window.

===+++===

so that was fun lmao. anyways there will be a part 3 but you and tara are kind of maybe friends now? now it's time for feelings 😈

[gasstationlady]

right person, right timing, right? | a charles leclerc social media au | pt. 1

pairing: charles leclerc x figureskater!reader (fc: jennie kim and some yuna kim)

after almost a decade, monaco's two-time olympic women's figure skating champion, y/n l/n, moves back home for her retirement.

notes: y/n's career is inspired by kim yuna's career! hopefully it’s not too confusing to read and follow 😭

disclaimer: typos. swearing. chatgpt french. i'm not the most educated in figure skating, so pls excuse any mistakes! photos aren't mine, nothing here is factual.

masterlist ⋆ next

nbcsports

92,932 likes

nbcsports Y/N L/N announces retirement after 2024 World Championships

The Queen of Figure Skating has taken her last bow.

NBCSports writer Kyle Smith tweets word that Y/N L/N, whose bid to become a fourth-consecutive World champion was narrowly denied today by the United States's Carolyn Rivers, has confirmed that she will retire at the age of 25.

The Monegasque superstar will end her stellar career with the 2018 and 2022 Olympic gold, three world championships, and the distinction of never finishing off the podium in her senior-level international career.

Read the rest of the article now on our website.

View all 508 comments

user no. fucking. way. please say sike rn

user God I don't blame her, figure skating is turning into math these days. She deserved that gold.

user ik monaco is depressed as hell rn LOL bc same

↳ user The way that's so accurate because imagine the #1 athlete representing your country is all of a sudden retiring. 😭😭 Monaco literally only has 2 Olympic medals EVER and they were both won by Y/N, if that doesn't say how significant she is to the country then idk.

↳ user i heard they even nicknamed her "Ice Queen Y/N" 😭😭

↳ user Yes, she is called "La Reine des Glaces" in Monaco!

user no hate to carolyn at all but she isn't rlly a complete skater. i'm extremely disappointed with the judging today

user wow i suddenly can't read

user Nooooo not my favorite skater ☹️

user i can't imagine watching a competition without y/n present :( such a major loss for the fs community, but i wish her the best in her retirement! 🥺🥺

user she just did one of the best performances i've ever seen, just to end up winning silver?? make it make sense fr

yourusername

liked by _kagavovskay_14, mlnmarta and 140,861 others

yourusername chez moi est là où est mon cœur, je t'aime monaco 🇲🇨 SEE TRANSLATION home is where my heart is, i love you monaco 🇲🇨

View all 1,816 comments

graciegold95 Beautiful 💞

↳ yourusername 💞💞

user are you quiting skating forever? :(

↳ yourusername i’ll be taking a break for a while but i will always skate, just not competitively! ❤️

user Nous regretterons de vous voir compétitionner, mais nous espérons que vous passerez une retraite incroyable, notre reine des glaces. SEE TRANSLATION We will miss watching you compete, but we hope you have an amazing retirement, our ice queen.

↳ yourusername Merci beaucoup ❤️ SEE TRANSLATION Thank you so much ❤️

isabeau.levito 🥹❤️❤️

mae_meite Je te souhaite tout le meilleur, jolie 💞 SEE TRANSLATION Wishing the best for you, pretty 💞

user so beautiful

user Bienvenue chez toi ! SEE TRANSLATION Welcome back home !

user i can’t be the only one wishing for charles and y/n to reunite (and get back together) now that she moved back to Monaco 😅

↳ user STOP BC LITERALLY ME TOOO 😭😭😭

↳ user omg i thought i was the only one who remembered they dated

y/nupdates

5,211 likes

y/nupdates Y/N attending a fundraising event in Paris! This is her first appearance since announcing her retirement three weeks ago 🥹

View all 55 comments

user I already miss seeing her on the ice 🥲

user omgg her wearing chanel is everything

user aww she looks so happy!!

user How did charles fumble her

↳ user i'm pretty sure that it was just the wrong time for them :(

↳ user Ik that they broke up bc she moved to Canada for skating but why couldn't they just do long distance 😩😩

user y/n will forever be my celebrity crush 😍😍

leclerc16

2,332 likes

leclerc16 Charles in Paris with fans today!

View all 30 comments

user seeing everyone surrounding him overwhelms me and i’m not even there 😩

user am i delusional for thinking he’ll somehow see y/n in Paris 😭😭

↳ user I mean they also both have been in Monaco the past two months and so far no interactions between them 😐

↳ user well no interactions that we know of 😁🤔

user charles looks so bf here

yourusername

liked by chanelofficial, lorenzotl, arthur_leclerc and 160,323 others

yourusername merci @/chanelofficial de m'avoir invitée 💞 SEE TRANSLATION thank you for inviting me 💞

View all 433 comments

chanelofficial 💞💞

user face card never declines

user so pretty 😍😍

user omg not arthur AND lorenzo liking this pic?? 👀

↳ user the logical side of me thinks it’s normal bc they all grew up together but at the same time it’s kind of sus since it’s usually just Arthur liking and not both🤔

↳ user 😭😭😭

user wait i’m confused why did she retire at such a young age?

↳ user It’s actually quite common for competitive figure skaters to retire “early.” Y/N hasn’t stated an official reason but I’m assuming the physical and mental exhaustion just got to her, especially because the sport has been favoring difficulty over artistry lately 🤷‍♀️

mlnmarta

liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc and 33,522 others

mlnmarta Les aventures avec sa tante Y/N sont ses préférées ❤️ SEE TRANSLATION Adventures with her Aunt Y/N are her favorite ❤️

View all 193 comments

yourusername le temps avec Chiara est mon préféré 🥰 SEE TRANSLATION Time with Chiara is my favorite 🥰

user the cutest duo 🥹

user Why is this y/n girl suddenly everywhere

↳ user umm y/n and marta are childhood friends lmao they’ve always posted each other! i think the internet has just amplified everything recently

user so does y/n have no job now lmfao

↳ user I'm like 98% sure she's gonna end up being a figure skating coach or an influencer or both

↳ user guys she's literally still working with her sponsors and i don't think they're dropping her any time soon

↳ user Chilllll she deadass just retired

user NO WAY CHARLES LIKED

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, lorenzotl and 597,390 others

yourusername Je voulais juste remercier tous ceux qui sont venus me soutenir lors de ma dernière présentation à Monaco. Je suis infiniment reconnaissante. Ce n'est pas la fin, mais plutôt le début d'un nouveau chapitre. ❤️

I just wanted to thank everyone who came to support me at my final showcase in Monaco. I’m endlessly grateful. This is not the end, instead it’s the start of a new chapter. ❤️

View all 2,104 comments

yourbestie À couper le souffle. Je t'aime ❤️ SEE TRANSLATION Breathtaking. I love you ❤️

user je n'ai pas pu m'empêcher de pleurer en regardant 😭😭 SEE TRANSLATION i couldn’t help the tears from falling while watching 😭😭

user you’re amazing 🫶🏼

chanelofficial 💞💞

adidas A true queen 👑

user WAITTTTT CHARLES LIKED

↳ user It’s aggravating to see Charles constantly being mentioned in Y/N’s comments. Other than that, this is a reach. I think everyone is forgetting that Y/N is highly respected in Monaco so it’s not unusual for Charles to like her photos. You can even check; all of Charles friends and other well known individuals from Monaco are also in her likes.

↳ user lmfaoooo it’s truly not that deep girl, it’s okay to smile

user her adding in her own translation is so real of her 😭

user There will never be another skater as graceful and talented as you 🥺🥺

f1gossip

12,388 likes

f1gossip Charles Leclerc seen with ex-girlfriend Camille Dubois driving around Monaco. Many fans were convinced he was back with a different ex, Y/N L/N, after Charles and his family were spotted at Y/N’s retirement showcase last week. Always Mr. Indecisive 👀👀

View all 116 comments

user bruh 😐

user This is crazy wtf i’d be pissed if i were y/n

user CAMILLE AND NOT Y/N BYEE i’m sliding down the wall punching the air sobbing bc what the hell

user i’m going insane contemplating the possibility that y/n and charles were always just friends and never had any intentions to get back together

user not what i wanted to see first thing in the morning 👎

user guys was it all in our heads

[leavingsunsets]

Helllloo!!

I would like to request a senkuu x reader if possible! (Preferably some angst + romance but anything works!) Been looking for some inspiration and I love your work!

Also hopefully you're okay if I draw some of your work too

Thank youuuu!! (>u<)/

im okay with you drawing my work! saw some of ur art, and wow! glad ur a fan tehee :33 i see you've given me an angst plot, with romance? yes i will definitely fulfill this. i waaaassss ssupposed to make this action filled with scene wit reader dying in battle of treasure island arc and senku going "WHAT" and head in hands and sobbing and the gang has to go back to the mainland hat on stomach like ":(" but exams and research defense finished and i also jus watched cute little vid of an old couple so this is jussttt hmmm a softer angst set between events ig

"ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴍʏ ᴡᴀʏ."

[ꜱᴇɴᴋᴜ x ɢɴ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ]

It wasn't really a secret. You didn't even try, honestly.

Since the first of times of where you'd glimpsed his face at school, to the latest catch of him swirling fluid in a beaker, you've always been confident in your feelings.

Albeit a bit clumsy in your attempts, you were honest, never mincing them, never embarrassed.

"Senku, I really really like you!"

"Yeah, okay, could you pass me that screwdriver?" he says, both of you 6 years old in his room, as he gestures to the tool beside you.

"Senku, I want to date you. I heard Aimi had a boyfriend recently and I was thinking-" your voice goes interrupted as the loud sound of Senku's machinery overpower yours. 13 years old, another one of his favorite past times.

"Senku, if we were both nobles in medieval fantasy and I had to marry someone in order to get a persistent suitor off my back, I'd go to you. Offer a contract with an eventual divorce, but then we fall in love in a slow burn romance and start rethinking about our agreement."

"Can you- just- HELP ME, DAMN IT." Senku heaves, 16 years old, face turning red as he struggles to hold the boxes of equipment you came to help him with.

All these confessions, all these words, even before everything changed. The clatter of a can hitting the ground.

...

In this new life, surely, you know, Senku's had an absolute goal for this world. To rebuilt it as it was, from his own two hands. In your own way, you've had to learn how to pace your feelings.

Instead of words, as you always did, you decided to translate your affections into a language that matters most in a time like this.

Actions.

For every problem, every step he takes, you take with him. Express your thoughts, concerns, ideas. Any progress, you're there to celebrate with, any process, you're there to assist.

Declarations of love aren't so frequent, though you do like to sneak it in rarely. Announcing it in bursts of passion at the top of your lungs. Quite an antic you do, much to his embarrassment. It's become a well known fact, and often a joke between company.

Though, sometimes you wonder if it's what makes him doubt it. Your overt confessions, cheesy poems and bustling energy that could rival Taiju's. Was it too clumsy? Too obvious that he feels it's an exaggerated farce for show?

To this, you whisper gingerly in the dead of night, in the earliest of mornings,

"Senku. I really really like you."

In the times of uneventful hours, peacefulness in comfortable silence,

"Senku,"

You know, of course you do, of all people.

No one knows him more than you and that fact would've made you happy of such a thing if it couldn't break your heart more. The love of your life, saying everything said in a language that matters most in this time.

An unreadable glance. When the sun beams down brightly and you stare at him lovingly like he's hung the stars in the sky.

Winter strikes mercilessly, days are rough, tensions are high. When everything's all good and done, a bold pinkie inches towards his own. He doesn't pull away, but his hand moves back just as further.

Late at night, behind the tree he leans upon, watching, just watching. His ruby eyes enraptured by the night's celestial pearl.

Gaze too high, to see you.

You close your eyes.

You don't think you can ever stop loving him, despite that. That man doesn't like dragging things out, so you're sure a rejection is soon to come. Whether you approach first or not.

Why he doesn't do it sooner? You know why. As much as he doesn't reciprocate, you know how hesitant he is when it comes to close relationships such as you. Is he scared of breaking your friendship?

It's not the warmth you're looking for, but it's the warmth you can get. Even so, you would never expect him to return just as much as you've given. You love him for him, and not for anything else.

Tragic, how terribly you do.

Maybe one day, you'll learn to forget, to move your heart from where it isn't supposed to be. Maybe one day, you would stop gazing at him with something much more than fondness, waiting for his eyes to find its way back to you.

But until then,

"-I love you."

[nadvs]

out of bounds (part six)

pairing zach maclaren and soccerplayer! female reader

rating mature 18+ for smut

summary zach has never been the type to rebel, but when he meets you at a soccer camp where you’re both working as counselors, which has a strict policy against dating between staff, he’s tempted to break the rules for the first time.

» part one | two | three | four | five

» masterlist

Every made-up explanation you can think of won’t cut it. Nothing you say will be believable. You’ve been found out.

“They’re bug bites?” you say weakly, pulling up your shirt so the hickeys aren’t in clear view anymore. Ami laughs, shaking her head.

“I knew you and Zach were a thing,” she says. “Why didn’t you just tell me? I wouldn’t judge. You know that I’m breaking the rules, too.”

You sigh, dropping back into your bed.

“We really don’t want it getting around,” you say.

“Then you should be more careful about where you let bugs bite you,” she laughs.

“Ami,” you groan, half-chuckling. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t. You can trust me,” she says. “When did this start?”

You sit back up and give her surface details, recapping when you two kissed by the lake, then tried and failed to wait until after the season to pursue anything.

“Have you guys…” she asks with raised brows. Your cheeks burn.

“Last night,” you admit. Your stomach goes numb at the memory. “But seriously, you can’t mention it to anyone. If people find out and he gets fired, it’d crush him.”

The amusement in Ami’s eyes fades, replaced with compassion.

“Wow. You’re really worried, huh?” she says.

“He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. I don’t want him to get in trouble,” you reply. “We decided today that we’ll keep things on hold. For real this time.”

“Can you keep it on hold?” she asks. “I don’t know about you, but it being forbidden makes it ten times hotter.”

You shrug. You’re unsure if you’d be doing this much this fast with Zach if you met outside of work, and he did tell you last night that he never moves this quickly with a girl.

“I’m going to have to try,” you say. Zach’s hard to resist, but for his sake, you don’t want to give in.

“Fair,” Ami sighs. “I knew it, though. Malcolm called me crazy.”

“You talked about it with him?”

“Yeah, the night you went shopping,” she says. “I said that I think there’s something there and Malcolm was like, I can tell he likes her, but there’s no way he’d break the rules. I wish I could rub it in his face.”

You shoot her a look.

“But I won’t,” she promises. You nod gratefully.

“He can tell he likes me?” you ask.

“He said when you’re around, Zach smiles way more than usual,” she recalls, “which is already a lot to begin with, apparently.”

Your heart flutters. Zach is already such a cheerful person, so to think you make him even happier, and very obviously at that, is flattering.

“I guess Malcolm would know since they’ve been best friends for so long,” you say.

“Yeah,” Ami agrees. “He actually…”

She chuckles.

“What?”

“He was randomly talking about Zach the other day,” Ami continues, “and he said that he treats every girlfriend like he’s gonna marry her. I guess he’s a hopeless romantic, so I hope you’re prepared for that.”

You chuckle, wholeheartedly believing it. Zach is sweet and sensitive and while you didn’t doubt his sincerity for a second, hearing that he’s not one for flings is a relief. Because you want so much more with him.

“Good to know,” you reply. “And you and Malcolm are still keeping things casual or…?”

“I don’t know,” she says with a hopeful smile. “But if it gets more serious, I wouldn’t be mad about it or anything.”

You laugh together and finally, you allow yourself to gush about the man who’s thrown you for such an unexpected loop. It feels nice to not have to keep it in anymore.

You’re relieved when Saturday rolls around. Even though fun days at camp are just as busy, you welcome a break from running training drills.

After breakfast in the dining hall, Ruby announces to the campers to prepare for a morning of hiking, an afternoon of swimming, and a camp-wide relay race before dinner.

The sky is cloudy, but the chance of rain is low, so you stay optimistic that you won’t be forced to spend the day inside.

You quickly realize it’s not going to be as easy to keep your distance from Zach today, because you’re put in a hiking group with him.

As you set out on the trail with your cohorts of campers, their chatter loud over the sounds of shoes crunching over the dirt and birds chirping in the sky, Zach leads the crowd under towering trees that line the perimeter of the campground.

It’s only been a couple of days since you spoke with him about cooling things down, but not talking how you used to has been disheartening. Neither of you have been scheming to find ways to be alone like you used to, settling for friendly conversations whenever your paths cross.

“We’ll get a pretty cool view at the midpoint,” Zach says loudly to the campers, turning back. He meets your eyes for a second, a small smile flashing on his face, before he looks ahead again.

You wonder if he took your words as you suggesting you two shouldn’t talk at all, when that’s far from the truth.

You make conversation with your campers while you hike, and when you reach the height of a steep trail, you approach Zach as he looks out at the view of lush forestland.

“Hi,” you say quietly. His eyebrows raise when he sees you, like he’s surprised you’re speaking to him. It’s your first moment out of earshot from others in too long.

“Hey,” he says.

“You know, I didn’t mean we can’t talk at all,” you say with a soft laugh.

The pang of rejection has been burrowed in Zach’s chest since your last private conversation. He’s hardly ever one for overthinking, but since you came into his life, all he does is mull over everything you do and say to him, anxious that you don’t like him as much as he likes you.

But now, as he gets lost in the softness in your gaze, he realizes what an idiot he is for worrying that you don’t also think that what you have is special.

He needs to remind himself that you’re just being careful. Not rejecting him. He shoves down the prickly feeling and smiles at you.

“I thought I wasn’t even allowed to look at you,” he jokes to dismiss his uneasiness.

“Stop,” you chuckle. “How’ve you been?”

Zach’s blue eyes dart over his shoulder, his lips flattening.

“I miss you,” he half-whispers.

You tilt your head as you gaze up at him, your lips in an endeared frown. You’ve gotten used to there always being a sense of a playful smirk on his face, a look of mischief in his eyes, but right now, he’s completely doleful.

“I miss you, too,” you say. “Forcing each other into the friend-zone sucks.”

Zach laughs, his heart warming.

“No kidding,” he says. At this point, he just needs to get through a few more weeks as just your friend. It feels like forever, but he’ll get through it.

After lunch, counselors work together to set up for an afternoon by the lake, handing campers life jackets and inflating water toys.

After set-up, you stand on the dock, shades shielding your eyes now that the sun has peeked out from behind fluffy clouds.

You look out at the beautiful water, surrounded by campers talking and laughing, feeling that calming sense of being where you’re meant to be. Even though the days are tiring and the kids can be difficult, you’re so glad you came here.

You hear Zach’s familiar voice as he chats and walks past you, followed by two boys. He leans down to grip the edge of the empty canoe bobbing in the water on the dockside, gently reminding them to enter the boat slowly.

You can tell he’s been running around tirelessly, his lips parted as he pants, sweat sheening his skin.

When he stands to collect the ore, he quickly lifts the bottom of his shirt up to wipe his forehead, giving you a glimpse of his chiseled body. You’re glad you’re wearing shades because you can’t take your eyes off of him.

You clasp your hands together, your body rushing with heat as you remember what happened a few nights ago. How taut his body looked when you were on top of him. The way he breathed and moaned when you slowly sank onto him.

You force yourself to look away. Seeing him like that and knowing you can’t have him is only making things harder.

A couple of hours later, the relay race is underway on the north soccer field. You’re standing at the touchline on your own, stationed to hand out water and snacks to any campers or staff who need it.

Your stomach goes wild with butterflies when Zach makes his way towards you, offering you a charming grin as he pushes his sunglasses up to rest on his head.

“No way,” he says when he approaches, squinting, his voice low. “You got the easy job.“

“Rude. It’s actually way harder than it looks,” you reply.

“Standing there looking pretty is hard?”

“Very,” you say, his compliment making you a little lightheaded. You mirror him, perching your sunglasses up.

“I don’t believe it.”

Zach opens the cooler, not giving you a chance to get a drink for him. He collects a water bottle and unscrews the cap.

“You remember when you told me I can’t look at you a certain way when we’re at work?” you say, pushing the lid of the cooler shut.

He smirks, tipping his head back as he gulps down water. You’re gazing at him like that now, your stare hard on him. It’s addictive being on the receiving end of that look. It makes him feel like he’s floating.

“Yeah, and it still stands,” he nods. “So, stop it.”

“I’m not even…” you scoff, crossing your arms. “I have a rule for you, too. You can’t lift up your shirt when I’m around.”

“What? When did I do that?”

“By the lake. And I don’t appreciate it.”

“Why not?” he chuckles.

“Just stop,” you flirt with a roll of your eyes.

“I need a reason.” By the smug smirk on his face, you can tell he already knows. Because he’s so cute, you give in.

“It’s hard not to stare,” you say. “And we’re not supposed to stare at each other.”

The flattered look you’ve quickly grown to love flashes on his face.

“Oh, you mean when I get hot?” he teases. “I can’t control the sun.”

“Zach,” you warn. He says your name with the same teasing tone.

“I’m serious,” you say.

“So am I,” he laughs.

You shake your head at him when he lifts up the bottom of his shirt to wipe the water off his lips. His eyes stay locked on your expression as yours drift down the cut of his abs.

Zach’s entire body buzzes when you look at him like that. He so deeply loves feeling wanted by you.

“You just don’t listen,” you mumble, taking your eyes off of him. He chuckles, letting his shirt fall back down.

“Come on, baby, it’s my fault it’s hot out?” he murmurs.

You can’t stifle your grin. Maybe he technically shouldn’t call you that if you’re pretending to be friends, but nobody can hear, and you love when he’s sweet like that.

“Everything’s your fault,” you say.

Zach winks at you before he turns to rush back to the game. It’s the type of silly banter that made you develop a crush on him so fast, and you’re glad you can at least flirt if you’re not going to sneak around anymore.

After the relay race, Tom reminds the campers that in a week and a half, you’ll be hitting the midpoint of the camp season, and as tradition goes, a staff soccer game will be held.

Even though it’s just a no-stakes match at camp to give the kids a fun chance to cheer on their counselors, you feel nerves twist in your stomach at the reminder.

Despite the fact that your love for soccer has slowly been finding its way back to you, your confidence still isn’t quite where you want it. And your instinct is to talk to Zach about it, to be comforted by the one person you’re trying to stay away from.

As you settle at your table for dinner that evening, you look for him in the crowd. He’s sitting at the head of his usual table, laughing in conversation. When he meets your eyes, you give him a smile. He returns it.

That evening after lights out, you’re lying in bed scrolling on your phone while Ami watches something on her laptop when you realize the nagging desire to see Zach is only getting harder to ignore.

You’ve also been considering telling him that your cabin-mate knows about him. It may just serve to worry him, but it feels wrong keeping something from him.

The way he looked on the hike when he said he missed you is stuck in your head. You miss him, too. As if you haven’t seen him in weeks.

It feels silly to keep your distance. You’re being too careful. You’re sure you can manage to hang out and keep your hands off of each other.

You hung out platonically before. Why can’t you do it again? There’s no rules against that. In fact, being friends is encouraged. You open your text conversation with Zach.

When Zach steps out of his cabin into the brisk air that night, he looks up at the sky to see he can hardly spot any stars. The air is thick with the threat of rain, but it’s stubborn, refusing to fall.

He heads out to the dock, sitting on the cool surface, his phone in his hand. Malcolm already fell asleep, so he decided to take his call outside to not wake him.

It’s never easy for him to be away from his family for very long. He appreciates checking in every so often, making sure his parents are doing okay, hearing how his sister’s summer is going.

As he catches up with them during the video call, at one point, his dad asks his mom where his glasses are and when she points off screen and his dad thanks her with a kiss to her temple, the simple, passing moment is a reminder to Zach of how loving his parents’ marriage is.

He grew up knowing that his mom and dad adore each other, that they believe they’re meant to be together. It’s fun to act grossed out by their affection, but in reality, he admires them. He’s never wanted to settle for less in a relationship.

Zach has always desired to be surrounded by love and approval. He’s sure his heart will never fully heal after his childhood, but when he knows he’s around people who like him, that wound feels much smaller.

And the way you accept him for everything that he is, never once looking at him with judgement, unconditionally offering compassion, gives him a sense of being complete, of that wound actually being gone. He hasn’t ever felt that before.

He looks out at the dark water, breathing slowly. He’s always thought of himself as an optimistic person, so it’s uncomfortable to be wallowing over his circumstances with you this much.

He forces himself to see the bright side. He may be facing weeks of not being able to be with you the way he wants to, but when the camp season wraps up and he goes back to his normal life, you won’t be living under any of these rules.

He’ll take you out on dates. He’ll hold your hand in public. And hopefully, you’ll still like him enough that he can introduce you to his family and officially be your boyfriend.

At that moment, his phone buzzes with a text. It’s you. havent worked on my defense in a while... do you have time to help a friend practice?

He grins, feeling the tension in his body dissipate.

You agree to meet on the field farthest from the staff cabins, positioned at the far edge of the campground. When you approach the pitch, Zach’s practicing kick-ups by the net under the bright moon.

“Show-off,” you say once you’re close enough. He looks up to see you, letting the ball roll away. His smile fades once he sees your bare arms under your t-shirt.

“Aren’t you cold?” he asks.

“No.” His concern remains etched on his face, quickly unzipping his hoodie and stepping closer.

“I’m fine,” you laugh, unsuccessfully protesting as he drapes his hoodie over your shoulders.

“Now you are,” he says, looking down at you with a relieved smile. He leans down to leave a chaste kiss on your cheek, then quickly pulls back.

“Sorry,” he says. “Not allowed.”

You chuckle, looking around into the silent darkness surrounding you.

“I think we can get away with it here,” you tell him. “But I figured if anyone sees us, we’re just two coworkers innocently practicing for the game.”

“I ever tell you you’re a genius?” he asks, cocking his head, his eyes trailing down your face.

“Don’t think so,” you reply.

“Well, you are,” he says.

“Thanks, baby.”

“Okay, you can’t call me that and not expect to be kissed,” he murmurs, cupping your jaw with his cool palm. He leans down to kiss you, slow, his lips just barely parting.

“We still have to be careful,” you sigh amusedly when he pulls away. “Let’s practice.“

“Right,” he says. “As friends.”

“As friends.”

Zach smirks, rushing to get the ball as you stand in front of the net, stretching to warm up your legs.

“How was your day?” he asks once he stands a few feet across from you, gently kicking the ball to you. “Barely broke a sweat, huh?”

You trap the ball below your foot with a gasp.

“What’s that mean?”

“You’re still gonna pretend standing next to a cooler is hard?” he asks.

You laugh and kick the ball with unexpected force, watching him dramatically dodge it as it whirls past him.

“Whoa, you mad or something?” he laughs.

“I don’t need your attitude or your hoodie,” you tease, pulling the sleeves off.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” he relents, laughing harder. “Please put it back on.”

You roll your eyes and comply, loving how soft his sweater feels on your skin, loving how much it smells like him.

“Just go get the ball,” you say in resignation, a smile pulling at your lips.

“Yes, ma’am,” Zach replies.

You watch him jog towards the center line, expertly dribbling the ball when he reaches it. He comes forward and stops a few feet away from you.

“Hey, I have something to tell you,” you say. The guilt weighs even heavier on you when you see the worry in his gaze.

“What?”

“Ami knows about us,” you confess. “She saw my hickeys the other day and I couldn’t think of a lie fast enough. She promised she wouldn’t tell anyone. I’m sorry.”

His heart aches when he hears the distress in your voice.

“You’re sorry?” he says. “I’m the one who left them.”

You breathe out a chuckle, tugging at the sleeves of his sweater over your knuckles.

“You can be upset with me,” you mumble. “I know you didn’t want anyone knowing.”

“I’m not upset,” he replies. “It’s okay.”

“Really?” you ask.

Truthfully, hearing that someone else knows about you two makes him tense. It increases the risk of being found out, of disappointing his family, of ruining his reputation. But he can’t bear to make you feel any worse.

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it,” Zach says, keen to push past the topic. He kicks the ball to you. “So, your day?”

“It was good,” you say. “The hike was nice. But thinking about the staff game made me nervous. I guess I’m still not all that confident yet.”

“And you came to the best for help,” he says. You kick the ball back, laughing softly.

“I did.”

“You’ll get into your stride again,” Zach tells you. “I wasn’t just trying to flatter you the first night. You’re a really good defender. Honest.”

“Thank you,” you say, stopping the ball when he kicks it to you again. This is exactly why you wanted to come to him. He consoles you so effortlessly, already making the nerves unravel. “How was your day?”

“Good,” he says. “I actually just got off the phone with my family when you texted.”

“How are they?”

“Falling apart without me,” he answers sarcastically. “My sister was saying my dad doesn’t do monster checks right.”

“I’m sorry, what’s a monster check?” you laugh.

“A check for monsters, obviously,” he replies. “I’m usually the one that scouts out Avery’s room before bed, but since I’m not home, my dad’s in charge. And his heart’s just not in it.”

“That is not something to slack on,” you play along.

“Right?” he says. “I couldn’t live with myself knowing a monster might’ve flown under the radar.”

You laugh again, touched by how sweet of a big brother he is. You kick the ball to him and start training together.

It’s been just under ten minutes of practice when you feel a cool raindrop on your cheek. Zach’s towering over you, your legs brushing as he tries to gain possession of the ball, when you freeze and look up.

“I just felt rain,” you say, gently panting. He takes the opportunity to gaze at you as you stare up at the night sky, the moonlight washing your pretty face in its glow.

You lower your gaze to meet his eyes, revelling in the feeling of him looking at you like that, like you’re the only girl that exists. It reminds you of the way he stared at you when you met, needing you to repeat yourself because he was too out of it to pay attention to your words.

“Zach,” you giggle. “It’s raining. We should go.”

In that moment, he feels a raindrop on his head.

“Oh. Yeah,” he says. He bends to pick up the soccer ball, dreading how long the walk back to the staff cabins is.

You rush off the field, letting him grab your hand, enveloped in the darkness of the night. Drops of rain start to hammer down within seconds, cold moisture covering your clothes.

“Shit,” Zach chuckles, running faster, pulling you forward. “We won’t make it.”

You’re both laughing breathlessly when you run into the closest storage shed, shutting the door behind you, clothes sticking to you.

When Zach stumbles over something in the dark with a grunt, you laugh even harder, asking him if he’s okay between your cackles.

“I could have broken something,” he says, pretending he’s insulted, “and you’re laughing.”

You feel for him in the dark, cupping his bare forearms as he stumbles over the disorganized supplies scattered on the floor.

“Are you okay?” you repeat, facing him, trying to make out his features in the dark.

“Why don’t people ever clean up?” Zach complains. “It’s a safety hazard.”

“For the third time, are you okay?” you say amusedly. Your hands feel up his arms, cupping his face as the rain loudly drums on the roof.

“Yes,” he finally murmurs. He wishes it wasn’t so dark so that he could see you, but if he turned on the light, it’d be too easy for someone to notice.

“Good,” you whisper. You gently stroke his cheeks with your thumbs, feeling a bit of stubble over his jaw, his skin cool from the night air as he leans into your touch.

“That feels nice.” His voice is low and rough beneath the sound of pouring rain. You smile to yourself, adjusting to the dark, seeing that he shut his eyes.

“Then I’ll keep doing it,” you respond.

“You looked good out there,” he murmurs. “I mean, you’re skilled. You don’t have anything to worry about. You’re a solid soccer player.”

“So, to clarify, my playing looked good, but I didn’t?”

Zach lets out a tsk, finding your waist.

“Cut it out,” he scoffs. “You know how pretty you are.”

“I do?”

“Come on,” he mumbles. “Don’t even pretend to say bad things about yourself.”

“Or what?” you ask.

“I’ll cry. Is that what you want?”

You giggle, loving how easily he makes you laugh, feeling like you’ll be falling victim to your own impulses. And fast.

Cool down. You said you’d cool down. But there’s nothing cool about his lips pressing against yours when you pull him closer.

It’s only been a few days since you had a moment totally alone together, but when he kisses you with abandon, it’s like your body is getting its first drop of water after being parched.

As your kisses grow hungrier, Zach’s body melts into pure contentment. It’s perfect how you fit into each other, how his mind goes completely blank when he holds you, letting him ease into the bliss of your touch.

Your lips brush and your tongues graze and your breaths catch as you kiss, his grip on your waist tightening as your palms press on his cheeks.

“We’re bad at this,” you whisper when your lips part. “We’re bad at staying away from each other.”

“I’m okay with that,” Zach rasps, pulling you in tight, his body curving into yours.

You’re in a fog as you continue to make out, surrounded by him, listening to your shallow breaths and the heavy rain.

Your knees are weak by the time you pull away from each other, the roar of rain now reduced to calm droplets.

“What now?” Zach breathes. He needs to know if he’s going to go through the agony of not sneaking around with you anymore.

Every inch of his skin tingles with warmth. He wishes he could just lie down with you, not because he needs anything sexual, but because he hates the thought of saying goodnight and parting ways.

“I don’t know,” you reply. “I don’t like not kissing you. But I don’t like getting fired, either.”

Despite himself, he smirks, dipping his head to pull you into a hug and bury his face in the crook of your neck. You drape your arms around his broad shoulders, shutting your eyes as he squeezes you.

Zach breathes you in, feeling safer than he ever has in his life.

“I’m really glad you texted me,” he mumbles.

“Me, too,” you say.

When you sneak back into your cabin, still wearing his sweater, the fear you felt of getting caught the whole walk over reminds you of why you suggested you cool things down in the first place.

If you’re found out, it’s over. You’re still not sure what to do, if you should keep trying to stay away from him or just continue meeting in secret. But you do know that whatever you decide, Zach will respect it.

The next morning, you wake up with a sore throat. You realize you caught a mild cold from last night. And being sick in the middle of the summer while working an exhausting job is not ideal.

You barely make it through the day, then have an overnight shift in one of the campers’ cabins. By the next day, you’re a bit better, mainly dealing with muscle soreness.

After dinner, Zach notices the faraway look in your eyes as you sit across the fire and talk with campers. You were together just two nights ago, kissing and laughing, but you haven’t had a chance to speak privately since. And something seems wrong.

He discreetly pulls out his phone to text you: Are you ok?

You feel the buzz in your pocket and when you read his text, you meet his eyes, melting at the concern in his gaze. In an effort to ease his worry, you speak a little louder to the kids around you.

“Nobody caught my cold, right?” you ask. They shake their heads no.

“You’re sick?” Zach asks from the other side of the pit, over the chatter.

“A little,” you reply, your nose scrunching. “But the worst of it is over.”

Zach’s heart aches, upset that you’re in pain and that he didn’t notice sooner. It’s from the night you got caught in the rain together. He’s sure of it.

When he knocks on your door after lights out, even though he’s still uneasy about your cabin-mate knowing about you two, at least he doesn’t have to worry about how to look like a concerned friend and nothing more.

You’re sitting in bed when Ami swings open the door. Zach is standing on your front step, cupping something in his hands, his eyes darting between her and you.

“Hey,” he says, looking at you. “Thought I’d drop off some tea.”

Ami looks back at you, a grin on her face.

“You brought her tea?” she says. “That’s so sweet.”

“It is sweet,” you say with a shy smile. “Thank you.”

“Come in,” Ami says, stepping back. “You can hang out. I was about to go see what Malcolm’s up to anyway.”

“Really?” you ask, not buying it.

“He’s on an overnight,” Zach says.

“Is he? That’s crazy,” she says with a coy smile. She looks at you. “Text me.”

You know what she means; you need to let her know when she can come back since you and Zach might be in doing more than just hanging out.

Ami pulls a sweater over her pajama top and rushes out, leaving you and Zach alone in the cabin.

“Where’d you get tea?” you ask once the door shuts.

“From the office,” he says, crossing the room and setting the mug on your nightstand. He settles on the edge of your bed, inches away from you, gazing at you worryingly.

“I can get more if you need it,” he says. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re sick?”

“It’s really not that bad,” you tell him. “It’s just a headache now.“

He purses his lips, reaching forward to put the back of his hand on your forehead.

“I don’t think I have a fever,” you laugh.

“No other symptoms?”

“Just a sore throat yesterday, but it passed.”

“From being in the rain the other night?”

“That, and the stress of being scared we’ll get caught,” you laugh. He knows you’re joking, but his chest twists in pain. “Should I have told you?“

The question sets him aback for a moment, uncertainty rushing through him. You’ve been acting like you want a relationship, too, but maybe he’s being unrealistically hopeful.

Even though he’s been afraid to come on too strong, he needs to know, so he speaks before he can talk himself out of it.

“If I’m going to be your boyfriend, I need to know when you’re not feeling well,” Zach says.

You gaze at him for a silent few seconds. He’s unbelievably grateful when you lean forward and press your forehead into his chest, hugging him as best you can while you sit across from each other.

“It was just a little cold,” you mumble. “But I bet it would’ve been worse if my boyfriend didn’t make me wear his sweater.”

He cracks a smile, relieved, loving the way it sounds coming from you.

“Which you stole, by the way,” he says, making you laugh. He kisses the top of your head, then leans over to hand you the mug, steam curling from the top.

“Thank you,” you say. “How are you?”

You talk to each other about your days, swapping stories as you lean against the wall, taking slow sips.

“I’m cured,” you say once you’re done, setting the empty mug on the nightstand.

“Can I get you anything else?” he asks.

“Hugs,” you say, feeling desperate for his touch.

Zach grins, standing to let you comfortably lie down before he settles next to you. Your cheek is on his shoulder as he holds you in his arms, and when he lifts your chin to guide you into a kiss, you shake your head.

“You’ll get sick,” you warn.

“What? You said I cured you.” He pecks your lips gently, then shifts to kiss your forehead. “Where’s it hurt? Here?”

“Mhm,” you mumble.

“I don’t think it’s the cold,” he says. “Your head hurts because you think about me too much.”

You giggle, your hand trailing up and down his firm stomach.

“Oh, that must be it,” you say.

“I think about you too much, too.”

“You do?” You close your eyes as he continues to plant gentle kisses on your forehead. “What do you think about?”

“I mostly wonder when the next time I can be with you is,” he murmurs, “and how it can’t come fast enough.”

You stroke his chest, stopping to feel his heartbeat over the fabric of his shirt.

“Me, too,” you say. You trail back down his stomach and up again, arousal twisting in your core the more you feel him.

He sighs quietly. It’s unreal how just a minute of your touch does this to him. He’s already hard.

When you gently tug at his hip so he’ll turn on his side to face you, you feel him stiffen once his erection presses against your stomach, letting out a heavy exhale.

“I swear I didn’t come over to do this,” Zach murmurs, worried you’ll think he’d try to come by under false pretences just to hook up.

“I believe you,” you whisper against his neck, kissing softly, breathing in his scent.

Zach kisses the top of your head, cradling your jaw, revelling in the feeling of your affection, sure you can feel him growing even harder against you.

“I don’t know if – I mean, are we back to seeing each other?”

You shuffle back to meet his eyes, sympathy in your gaze.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been confusing,” you say. “I know I told you we should cool down just to make out with you like, two days later.”

“I’m not complaining,” Zach says with a soft chuckle. Maybe someone else would be frustrated, but everything about this summer has been unpredictable and he’s always been quick to adapt.

“I can’t decide what to do. I feel like you,” you tease.

“Hurtful,” he jokes, squinting.

“Remind me of how much time we have left before the season ends,” you say sadly.

“A month and three days.”

“It’s cute that you know the exact number.” The compliment makes his cheeks flush pink.

“Yeah, I’m pretty cute,” he replies. You laugh, your fingers dipping beneath the hem of his t-shirt. He bites his lip when he feels your skin against his, eyelids low.

“You’re very cute,” you say. “And very kind for coming to check on me.”

His heart is racing. You’re looking at him in that way he said you can’t look at him at work. It gets him all flustered, making him feel like you want him as bad as he wants you.

“And so sweet and so handsome,” you continue, your hand sliding up his back under his shirt. “And so good for me.”

“Baby,” he sighs happily, the praise making his head swim. “You know what that does to me.”

“That’s why I’m doing it,” you breathe. “One more night? Then, we cool down, for real?”

“But your head hurts.”

You shrug, admittedly still feeling tension in your temples.

“You made it better,” you say. He shifts lower to kiss you, gently sucking on your bottom lip, breathing heavily.

His thoughts are rushing like a current, the desire to make you feel good, to relax you in the best possible way burning deep inside him.

When he pulls back a bit, his lips brush against yours when he asks, “Can I kiss lower? Make you feel even better?”

You catch the weight of his words, the coil in you tightening even more.

“Yes,” you breathe. “Please.”

“You never have to say please to me,” Zach says. “Not for that.”

You groan when he lowers to kiss your neck, down to your collarbones, over the swells of your breasts. He’s on his knees as he pulls up your shirt, trailing kisses up your stomach as he hungrily pulls down your pants.

You lift your hips to help him push them off, left in your panties in seconds.

Zach settles on his elbows, his eyes meeting yours as he rests with his head between your bent legs. He doesn’t take his eyes off of you as he puckers his lips against your inner thigh.

“You want this?” he murmurs.

“Yes,” you sigh happily.

“Me, too,” he says. “So bad.”

He kisses harder, surely going to leave a mark. His big hand drags over your knee, down your other thigh, resting at your pelvis.

His gaze refuses to leave yours, his lips still on your skin, when he lowers his hand to stroke his thumb over your middle. You moan softly, blinking slowly.

Like every other time he touches you, it feels like a dream. He can’t believe he gets to do this. The anticipation of knowing he’ll be tasting you soon makes his skin tingle.

Zach is agonizingly slow with his kisses, planting them all up one thigh, then moving to the other, then dipping to kiss right above where you need him most, over your underwear.

You lace your fingers in his messy hair, not pushing or pulling, just feeling his head move with every kiss, trying to be patient.

Finally, he puts his mouth over your core, kissing over the fabric, pulling a shudder out of you.

He can feel how wet you are, earning a taste of you, and it makes him ache with need. He looks up at you again as he gently pulls at the band of your panties.

Once you kick them off, his lips part in awe when you readjust to slightly spread your legs.

“Fuck,” he breathes. It’s almost nerve-racking, the way he’s staring at you. You’ve never been looked at like this. He gently pushes your knee down so he can see more of you.

“Fuck,” he says again, groaning through the word this time. He can’t wait any longer, lowering to press his lips against you. Your body rolls with pleasure when he makes contact, his lips warm and wet and soft, puckering against you.

Zach leaves countless kisses on you, angling his head so that he can give every part of you equal attention, licking his lips in between so that he can savor you.

You arch your back as he starts to languidly tongue you, letting out low moans and warm breaths. His nose presses against your groin, the sound of his wet kisses filling the room.

You run the heel of your palm over his head, caressing him, and he starts to suck your clit, his lips locked tightly.

“That feels so good,” you whisper. The way his mouth is working you sends waves of easy, soft satisfaction through you.

He threshes his tongue, gazing up at you as your face pinches in pleasure. You meet his eyes again, seeing how utterly intoxicated he looks to be doing something so intimate with you.

Zach pulls back, lips smacking off of you, panting now. He runs his hand up to your hip to find your hand and lace his fingers in yours.

“You taste so sweet,” he says, his tone thick with ecstasy, before leaning down again. It’s even better than he even imagined. You’re so slick and hot against his tongue. He could do this for hours.

You continue to run your fingers through his hair with one hand as you squeeze his fingers with the other, soft sighs spilling from your mouth. When you feel his tongue dip into you, you have to bite your bottom lip to quiet your moan.

His groans vibrate against you, guiding you into a state of pure solace. He pulls his hand away from yours to stroke his thumb in gentle circles over your clit as he tongues you. Every inch of your body tingles.

“Don’t stop,” you breathe. “That’s perfect.”

The praise spurs him on. His jaw is sore from how much his tongue is writhing inside you, but your pleasure is worth it.

The orgasm reaches you quickly, a million fireworks of ecstasy bursting through you, pushing you to quiver beneath him.

Zach kisses you as you come down from your high, shifting up to kiss your thigh, then your sternum, then finally your lips.

You meet his lips lazily and tenderly, tasting yourself on him. When you slowly trail your hand down his stomach to palm him over his sweats, he pulls back.

“No, baby,” he murmurs. “I don’t want you doing any work. Just rest tonight.”

He’s rock hard. You can tell how bad he needs the release. You want to do this for him, no matter how dazed you are. But you know he’ll feel guilty if he feels like you’re straining yourself.

“Then you do the work,” you whisper. “The condoms are in the bottom drawer.”

Zach sighs, kissing between your eyebrows, breaths shallow.

“I made you sore last time.”

“A good sore,” you breathily laugh.

“You’re sure?” he asks.

“I want you,” you say.

Your lids are low as Zach shifts to find a condom, pulling down his sweats and boxers, rolling it on carefully. His large frame leans over you, a flush coloring his cheeks as he looks down at you.

“I’m going slow,” he tells you.

“Whatever you want,” you say, and you mean it.

He holds himself at his base, slowly dipping himself into where his tongue was just minutes ago. His breath is strained as he sinks into you, wrapped in your soft heat.

He’s close to bottoming out, and stops, stroking your cheek.

“Still good?” he rasps.

“Yes,” you say. “Keep going.”

Zach sinks into you completely, taking a moment to savor how nice it is to be deep inside you again. His mouth is at the crook of your neck as he slowly starts to thrust back and forth, your bodies meeting with soft smacks.

The pressure of him is hard and perfect as your body rocks with his movements. You shut your eyes, swimming in bliss, breathing out short sighs into his ear as he rocks in and out.

He can’t believe how nicely you’re squeezing him, how perfect you feel, how lucky he is to be here right now. Your bed squeaks when he starts to move faster, his muscles tensing as you wrap your arms around him.

“Still okay?” Zach whispers.

“Yes,” you say. “Come for me.”

Your words are everything to him, the tender dominance he so deeply loves spinning him into a euphoric high. The way you make him feel makes the world stand still, makes him feel like perfection can exist.

He kisses you deeply, his stomach tautening as he comes. He continues to thrust slowly as he rides out the pleasure.

When he collapses, you kiss his cheek over and over, running your hand over the back of his head.

“Thank you,” he whispers. You smile weakly.

“Thank you,” you say.

Zach doesn’t let you stand up. After he gets dressed, he grabs a towel to help clean you up, gentle and slow. You’re still lying on your back when he sits at the end of your bed to pull your panties up over your ankles.

“You always gonna do that?” you tease quietly. “Put my clothes back on after?”

“Yes,” he says. He pulls them all the way up, then drags your pants up, too, before lying down next to you. You shuffle into the position you were in before, your cheek on his shoulder, his arms around you.

“My headache’s gone,” you tell him, “and I’m not just saying that.”

Zach’s chest gently bounces as he laughs.

“Good,” he says. He rubs up and down your arm. “Just tell me when I should go.”

“How’s never?” you ask. He smiles. His heart has never felt warmer.

“Doable,” he chuckles, kissing your forehead. “And… I’m with you. We’ll wait until the end of the season. I don’t want you stressed out, baby.”

“Okay,” you agree. It’s bittersweet and a month and three days have never felt so long, but you agree.

Eventually, you pull yourselves apart. You kiss Zach goodbye and text Ami that the coast is clear.

The next few days are a busy haze, full of stolen glances between you and Zach, and before you know it, it’s the midpoint of the season, the day of staff game.

It’s a scorching afternoon as you warm up on the pitch, eyes flitting to Zach as he jogs on the other side of the field.

Both teams were randomly assigned, and when you noticed that Zach was wearing a red vest over his t-shirt, not matching your blue one, you internally sighed.

You miss him. And if you were on the same team, at least you’d have a perfectly valid reason to talk with him right now.

The campers are seated under canopies on the touchline, already in a spirited cheer-off, rooting for the team their counselors are on.

Ruby blows the whistle to signal the start of the game. Your team keeps the ball on the other side of the field for the first little while, but remain goalless, until eventually, the red team starts to move in.

You’re focused, feeling more confident about your playing than you have in a while. You know you have Zach to thank. You hope you have the opportunity to tell him soon.

You’re quick on your feet as you watch the red team retain possession, the ball quickly spinning back and forth over the grass.

Finally, they make their move, with Zach leading. With slightly bent knees, you watch as he approaches the goal. You’re the only person left between him and your goalie.

He fakes left, but you call his bluff, stepping right to successfully kick it away. A chorus of groans sounds from the campers and some of his teammates.

“Oh, come on, Zach!” Malcolm shouts from the halfway line. “Obviously you want to go easy on your girl, but have some pride.”

“Chill, Malcolm,” Ami shouts back, laughing uneasily. You look back at your teammate, wondering if she broke her promise and told him about you. Or maybe Zach let him know at some point.

Or maybe Malcolm doesn’t know anything and you’re just reading into it. Your eyes dart to Zach as he jogs away. He looks back, his expression tense.

The game ends in a 0-0 draw, and Ruby decides it should come down to a penalty shootout just to end it with a bang. To your surprise, Zach misses, hitting the post. He looks rattled. Your team wins.

After lights out, you replay the moment on the field in your head, wondering how many people heard Malcolm. You want to question Ami about it, but you don’t get a chance to before she leaves for her overnight shift.

You step out into the humid night, figuring a walk will be a good way to clear your head. The anxiety eventually is too big to avoid, so you text Zach: everything alright? does Malcolm know?

As you pace past the camper cabins on your loop around the campground, you see that he replied. I asked him after the game. He knows. Ami told him.

You send a sigh up to the starry sky. She promised. Now not only is the secret out to two people, but considering that Malcolm is Zach’s best friend, maybe he was offended that Zach didn’t tell him, causing even more issues.

You text him: crap. sorry. do you want to talk about it?

You’re surprised and a little slighted to see him text back: It’s all good.

When you reach the staff area, you see Zach’s tall figure heading down the steps of his cabin.

Zach never thought he wouldn’t be glad to see you. But after the tense conversation he just had with Malcolm, he knows that the worry he’s harboring over the very real possibility that his aunt heard Malcolm’s words on the field today won’t make him good company.

He knows it’s not your fault. He willingly went into this with you. He pursued it. He left the marks on your body that exposed you. He should be mad at Malcolm for what he shouted today, and Malcolm only.

But he has a voice in the back of his mind pestering him, frustrated that you didn’t just hide it better and not tell Ami. And he feels like shit for being a little mad at you.

You already saw him. He’s not going to be a dick and ignore you. He’s going to pretend he’s fine.

“Hi,” you say softly, stopping in front of your cabin.

“Hey,” he says. “Out for a walk?”

“Are you mad at me?” you ask.

“What? No,” he says. “Why do you think that?”

“It feels like…” You hold up your phone. “I don’t know, this is the type of thing you’d want to talk about. But you just brushed me off.”

“I’m sorry,” he says. “We’re keeping our distance, right?”

You cross your arms, unable to shake the feeling that he’s not being totally honest. You know him well enough by now. Maybe he’s good at putting on a show for other people. But it’s not working on you.

“Zach, is this… is this what you talked about before?” you ask over the crickets chirping loudly around you. “When you said you don’t like to admit it when something’s bothering you?“

He looks down, his tongue jutting from under his cheek.

“Are you mad at me?” you ask again.

He’s silent. His mind is totally blank. He’s never been good at this. He hates that he can’t control how he feels. He feels like a bad person for being upset with someone so sweet who didn’t mean any harm.

“This just… it sucks,” Zach mumbles.

You nod slowly. It’s not a clear answer, but it’s enough. Your heart feels too heavy to force a conversation.

“Yeah,” you say. “It does.”

You turn to go up to your cabin. It hurts when he doesn’t stop you.

(part seven)

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[vad-hander]

YOU KNOW WE'RE NOT COMPATIBLE, RIGHT?

pairing: Haechan x reader

others: Mark, Jaemin, Jeno as Haechan's friends.

genre: smut | angst | fluff | college AU | fuck buddies AU to lovers | series

warnings: reader is mean and degrading towards Haechan throughout the fic (but nothing serious), mentions of drugs and alcohol, mentions of stealing, Haechan gets injured (breaks his leg, no graphic descriptions), explicit description of sexual interactions between Haechan and reader, unrequited love, reader has issues with showing her feelings, scared of other people's opinion, slowburn, romance

words: 8k

summary: despite being fuck buddies, both you and Haechan hated each others guts. he was a nosy, ignorant, attention seeking brat. at least that's what you thought, before he took you out for some bonding time. now you weren't so sure of your feelings or his intentions. it doesn't help that your friends seem to hate Haechan's guts too. you try to navigate your own feelings, while trying to please everyone surrounding you, sometimes at your own expense.

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 fin

“Aaa!Aaaah!“ You felt a death grip on your bicep, three steps inside that boat and you were man - or better say girl- handled into the corner next to the table with snacks. Eunsoo continued to scream into your ear as she tucked you away from everyone else. “Oh my god!“

“What? What?“ You panicked, did she somehow sneak on you and Haechan? 

“I! Kissed! Jeno!“ She announced excitedly, hiding her mouth behind her palms, like you could see the evidence on her lips. 

“Oh, wow.“ You laughed light-heartedly. You really wanted to ask how did that happen, when she was convincing you to come because Jeno wanted you-

“Did anything fun happen to you?“ She suddenly paused and then looked down on you. Oh, wow. Where did that question pop from.

“Huh?“ You giggled and grabbed her forearm. “You’re asking about my fun when you and Jeno finally ended being pining idiots and got it on? What? Did y’all only kiss? You were out of here for like… what? An hour?“ You tried to at least estimate for how long have you and Haechan been glued to each other. Has it been hopefully less… did you by any chance disappear for longer?

“I was here the whole time, you, though… What did you do outside?“ She smirked and ran her eyes over the people behind you. Like she was trying to find someone, like she was trying to find Haechan. 

You were sure Pina Coladas and being horny played with your mind, no way Eunsoo played Sherlock Holmes now. 

“Watched the moon, drank Pina Coladas.“ You trailed off carelessly, rolling your eyes slightly and coming up with things you could’ve possibly done there on your own.

“For real?“ Eunsoo dropped her excited face expression, making you believe in your acting abilities all of a sudden.

“Ugh.. yeah?“ You asked creasing your forehead in confusion.

“That’s… interesting.“ Eunsoo mirrored your face expression. 

“Ya, anyway.“ You cut her off excited. “How did that happen? What did he say? That you’re the love of his life, I hope?“ 

“Ah- I actually kissed him first.“ She bit onto her lip obviously reminiscent. 

“Okay?“ You gestured with your brows for her to continue.

“He said he thought I was in a relationship because YOU told Haechan once, your roommate had her boyfriend over, and you had to leave the house.“ She raised an accusatory brow.

“Oh shit.“ You gasped, remembering suddenly how you randomly pulled up at Haechan’s place with no excuse and had to make up shit on the spot.

“I can’t even guess why would you tell him something like that-.“ She cut her own self off. “Anyway, Jeno connected the dots and assumed I had someone. I just had to let him know I didn’t.“ She shrugged, brushing her own hair behind her ear.

“I’m sorry-.“ You pouted, you didn’t want to tell her you just randomly felt like spending time with Haechan on a random Thursday evening or whatever day it was. 

“I had to run off, but we agreed on leaving together.“ she announced proudly, not even hearing your excuse.

“First time Jeno pl-“ you exclaimed excitedly.

“Yeah, that-. Jeno lives with Jaemin, who will already bring someone, and Jeno feels awkward when Jaemin brings people, cause they’re always loud-“ she monotonously started to explain.

“Ew. Excessive info.“ you cringed.

“Yeah, so I was hoping you’d agree for Jeno to come to our place…?“ she gave you a hundred innocent blinks in a nanosecond. 

“Dude!“ You gasped in pure shock, not a suggestion you expected “I’ll feel awkward too, huh.“

“Pretty please? I was in my room, when you brought Haechan, though.“ She smirked and your head spun. Not once did you fuck Haechan in your bed, not did once you made her go through that. Just ew. 

“We did school on that couch, not sex!“ If that’s what she actually meant.

“And if I’ll promise we won’t do that, in case we will at all, anywhere but in my room?“ her hands connected in a pleading manner. “If you don’t want to be outside the door maybe you could have a sleepover…?“

“And where do you want me to sleep tonight?“ You cackled because you were happy for them to finally work it out, you weren’t happy they were trying to do it at your own expense. 

“Ugh-.“ Eunsoo ran her eyes over the crowd, probably in search of Aeri or Sua, with the way her eyes widened and she waved, you were sure she finally spotted one of them. You turned around to see your friends, only being met with Haechan. He had his hair all wet and brushed back, you could guess he splashed his face with water. You checked out him head to toe, his body overall looking calm to your eye. You looked at him neutrally, turning to Eunsoo in full confusion. 

“What are yo-“ you had to stop and contain yourself with a heavy breath. Haechan grabbed your waist from the back, not in a sensual manner, but more of I need an anchor manner, leaning over your shoulder to get closer to Eunsoo, like he couldn’t walk over you and stand directly next to her. You extended your neck so his face wouldn’t be this close to you, in case in Eunsoo’s eyes this looked even more weird than in yours.

“Haechan, hi.“ Eunsoo spoke so sweetly, like when she needed something, and you couldn’t even wonder what she possibly could need from the boy that currently fought with your fingers that were trying to get his off your waist. You ended up with your fingers trapped between your back and his front, caressed carefully over the back of your hand. “Me and my roomie are having a fight.“ She announced, side-eyeing you.

“It’s not a fight-.“ You sighed, having an actual fight behind your back.

“Yeah? I’m intrigued.“ he chuckled and turned to look at you, somehow ending up explicitly close to your face, despite your effort to move away. You were struggling to take breaths as his eyes blinked heavily, suddenly forgetting whatever giggly vibe he had, lowering his gaze onto your mouth. 

“There’s a boy I like-, I want to bring him for movies! Movies!“ She exclaimed when you gave her a stare “And am asking her, kindly, to stay over at someone else’s.“

“Oh.“ Haechan smirked. “I’m sure you have options.“ satisfied grin adorning his face like he’s the happiest man on earth.

“No, I don’t. I only sleep in my own bed.“ You frowned. Even if you were losing control from his proximity, it wasn’t like you were about to eat his face off in front of Eunsoo. He really needed to stop with that face, god. You squeezed his fingers between yours to make him feel maybe a little bit of pain and move away. He was always so dramatic about minor hits and now you were putting the biggest effort to twist his fingers and the boy didn’t even bat an eye. 

“You stayed over at Sua’s many times last year when she needed us!“ Oh right, Eunsoo was still here, outside your little bubble. 

“This doesn’t count like at all-.“ it was a family matter, it’s not the same with wanting a boy between your legs, god. And the boy that seemed to really want to get between your legs found your waist with his free hand, leaning into your face more.

“Don’t be a bitch. Let your friend get some.“ Haechan’s shoulder bumped with yours from behind. “You have so many options for sleep over.“

“Ugh.“ You rolled your eyes, you hated him teasing you. Haechan very clearly was beaming with the idea he was the potential destination. “I’ll ask Sua, okay.“ You teased, he didn’t have to know you even considered his place.

“I’ll make sure she stays safe tonight.“ Haechan excused himself, pulled back from you, very tellingly grabbed your palm and led you off your friend without allowing you to tell her a word or two. 

“Thanks, Haechan!“ Eunsoo shouted after you two.

Haechan walked confidently, forwarding from the girl and holding onto you tightly, still. 

“Hey.“ You called out finally. “How do you know where Sua is?“ you wondered, dumbly assuming he was looking for the girl.

“I don’t.“ He shrugged. 

“Where are we going then?“

“My bed.“ he said it casually, like nothing could be any more obvious than this.

“I never said I wanted that.“ You caught up to Haechan as the two of you were walking the ground again. To no surprise, Haechan ignored your words, looking very busy, turning and spinning his head. “Are you lost? Are you trying to get to your house by foot?“ 

“Huh? No.“ Haechan stopped and let go of you, quickly pressing the button on the front door to unlock the car. 

“I’m not getting in a car with a drunk you-“ you protested.

“I haven’t had a sip of anything. I got here by car, why would I anyway.“ Haechan’s hands pressed against your waist, forwarding you towards the car.

“And why would you do that?“

“Had a feeling I’ll have someone very special to bring back with me.“ He smiled cooly at you, as his hands opened the door and invited you to the passenger seat.

“Still, I haven’t said I want to come with you.“ You took a step towards him and felt Haechan’s hand grab your palm and push you to him, only to intercept his hands and with an arm around your waist forcefully push you inside the car. You sat down with not much resistance, ready to buckle up, when Haechan leaned inside the car, forcing the belt carefully over your body and locking it into its slot. Haechan’s fingers smoothed the material over your chest, focusing his gaze on what his digits did.

“Starting from now on… if I asked you to stop being so hard to get, would you do it, for me?“ 

“If you asked nicely..?“ You smiled apologetically at him, Haechan’s head moving towards you at the same time yours did to him and with a little collapse of your noses in the middle of your way, you were still able to find his lips quickly, freezing in a moment with his mouth moving against yours with a lot of unspoken attraction. You bent your neck, sealing what he asked for with an unspoken promise that you’d do anything for him and his quiet thank you as he understood everything you told him. 

-

“Need clothes or you’ll spare me effort and get in here naked?“ he shouted from his bedroom and you shivered at the idea of getting in his bed in this new unspoken status you had. Would it be different? You wanted everything to be different, but at the same time keep everything as it is because you really liked him like that.

“I’m not fucking you tonight.“ you let him know, once again, the same way you did in his car and in the lobby and in the elevator, and at the door of his place. 

“Neither am I.“ he stroke you with a different answer and you actually had to walk into the room to see what made him change his mind.

“Yeah?“ You asked confused.

“Changed my mind last minute. A sleepover with the girl I like sounds even better.“ He cooed in a baby-girl manner, kissing your cheek sweetly, before moving his feet to the wardrobe. “Do you need pants? Or just a tee?“ His fingers ran over clothes that were neatly hung on hangers and even more neatly folded on the shelves. You tip-toed behind him in an outburst of feelings and in privacy of his room you suddenly felt overwhelmed at the idea you two confessed to each other your feelings, it felt so terribly foreign you had to make sure you didn’t make this stuff up, that you weren’t hallucinating off those Pina coladas. Your arms wrapped around Haechan’s torso from the back, burying your face between his shoulder blades. You could feel him puff a little bit of air out as he so confusedly, reached behind his back to touch your body and understand what you were doing.

“Baby love, are you still drunk on those cocktails?“ he chuckled with a very soft tone of his voice. Haechan’s fingers traced your arms, finally getting to your fingertips and you let him unlock them to entangle with his own. 

“No, I’m just glad I can do this now.“

“Oh.“ he mouthed, trying to unwrap you from him. 

“Can I hug you a little more?“ you murmured and felt actually drunk. Not on drinks, on Haechan, who seemed to be the main intoxication of the evening.

“But I really want to hug you too.“ He whined.

“Okay.“ you loosened your grip and in a second Haechan turned around, flashing you against him, your face now hiding in his neck and he was so right to ask for that because it felt so good to be in this cocoon of his love. You hugged his waist once again, his face rubbing affectionately against your neck. It felt so soothing, right until the moment his lips started to pepper little kisses and tickle your entire being.

“Aren’t human brains crazy?“ he spoke suddenly, making his way up your throat.

“Mmh?“ 

“Isn’t it crazy, that we like each other so much, but wouldn’t tell anything for months?“ his palms smoothed your hair back like you were a cat.

“Ah, should I say it wasn’t that long for me or should I agree?“ you smiled, rubbing your palm over Haechan’s cheek. 

“I know it’s hard for you to show me your vulnerable side. I appreciate you even more, because you work really hard to show it to me at times.“ his fingers squeezed your head in a funny manner that you guessed was supposed to show his affection.

“Mmh.“ You nodded and leaned in to press your lips against his. Haechan quickly caught up to you, moving his mouth in unison with yours, slipping his tongue inside your mouth. Your hands sneaked behind his clothing, stroking his bare back, sides and stomach. Haechan grabbed your shoulders, turning you to press against the wardrobe he earlier tried to find clothes in. “What are you doing?“ you smirked, moving your hands to the apples of his cheeks. Haechan’s fingers laced with yours, forcing your hands off him. 

“We’re not changing our minds, are we?“ he squeezed your fingers in his. 

“We aren’t, but kissing is not fucking, so why’re we asking?“ You tried to catch up with his mouth once again. Being deprived of such a privilege for months of stubbornness, you’d like to get your fill of him as fully as possible. You’d hug and kiss him all night long if he’d let you.

“Go take the shower first, I’ll wait for you here.“ Haechan ran his fingers through your nape, tangled up in your hair and kissed your lips in a quick lick. “Take whatever clothes you need.“ his hand patted the wardrobe door and he walked back, dropping on his bed face down. 

-

“Heeey.“ Haechan cooed above your ear at the sight of you cocooned in his bed sheets, eyes closed as you were very slowly dozing off.

“Hm?“ you blinked nonchalantly at him, holding back a stretch. You were trying to act innocent, it was way past your bedtime, it was cozy, quiet and dark and Haechan took ten million years in that shower. You had no other choice but to fall asleep. “What took you so long, huh?“

“I was there for no longer than 15 minutes. Not my fault you fall asleep quickly.“ Haechan pecked your cheek and rolled over you to the other side of the bed. “Good night, I guess?“ he mumbled in obvious pout, you could sense it even with your back. “Sweet dreams.“ His fingers patted your bum through the duvet. You had to turn around and see him for yourself. Even in the darkness of the room you could see him laying in the farthest corner of the bed from you, forcing a chuckle out of you that you tried to swallow resulting in a sound that sounded like you were choking. 

“So you take me all the way to your bed, for us to sleep on totally different sides of it?“ You crawled over to him and Haechan turned on his side, you guessed to see you better.

“I’m just trying to be considerate of your feelings.“ He continued to talk in a pout, like he was very hurt by you falling asleep.

“Suddenly?“ Your fingers patted his pouted lips.

“I always have.“ He pointed the obvious, you just wanted to tease him a little. 

“You have, you’re right.“ Haechan grabbed your fingers, trapping your hand in his, to move it away from his mouth. “I wonder though, what would you do, if you didn’t?“ Aren’t you the most cuddly, touchy-handsy person ever? I was fantasising how I wouldn’t be able to sleep because you holding me in your sleep would make my heart pound like crazy through the whole night. You wanted to say that too, but didn’t want to show your cards yet.

“I’d hug and kiss you all night long.“ he chuckled at the admittance. His own palm intertwined with yours covered his face. 

“I bet I’d love that.“ You whispered distantly. 

“Yeah, sure-“ somehow Haechan took this as sarcasm. 

“No, I’m sure I’d love that.“ You repeated more confidently. Haechan stopped the chuckling and very swiftly pulled your body to his side of the bed by the arm that was his prisoner previously. 

Haechan’s arms like tentacles wrapped over your body, forcing your hands around his neck. He moved so expertly, you wanted to tease and ask how many people he hugged in that bed before you. His thigh wrapped around your legs, giving you satisfying pressure of his body on yours and leaving you with no chance to move any of your limbs at all.

“Do you hate it?“ Haechan’s very hot breath on your neck made your heart tingle.

“No.“ you almost said you love it. “You know, they say it’s better to sleep under a weight. I guess body weight counts.“ Your fingers traced his nape, you tried very hard to stay up for him.

“I can’t believe tomorrow I’ll wake up and you’ll still be here.“ The sigh that left his throat made your head go dizzy. It’s like he couldn’t breathe properly before and now that the idea of you not leaving him at night was settled, he was breathing full-chest again.

“Not like I could get from under you unnoticed.“ you chuckled, not getting any reaction from Haechan. You had to add on top of that, you were too worried his feelings might’ve gotten hurt by what you said you couldn’t fall asleep anymore. “Not like I would ever want to voluntarily leave your hugs.“

“Good night, baby love.“ Haechan kissed your shoulder blade affectionately. 

-

A slap on your butt and you jumped in place, first feelings in your body being frustration and distress. A soft tap afterwards and all blood outflowed from your face for a reason. Aeri stood right in front of you on the other side of crosswalk and she had to be either blind or too preoccupied with her phone to not notice how Haechan’s hand landed right on your hip now.

“Hi, pretty.“ Haechan mouthed as your face turned in his direction. He smiled sweetly and it could’ve been a sweet greeting on your side too, but the traffic light turned green and the girl started walking in your direction. You grabbed his wrist, to force it off you and pressed it against his own stomach with a little tap of your fingers.

“Hold it in, please. She doesn’t know.“ Haechan mouthed an o as he acknowledged Aeri approaching. 

“He…llo?“ Aeri immediately questioned and you weren’t surprised. She was so uptight with Haechan it didn’t sit with you how someone could really hate someones guts to that extent. You used to hate him for how annoying and teasing he was, but it wasn’t to the point you could feel sickness in your throat with disgust and it kinda looked like Aeri just felt that - swallowing thickly the letters on her tongue. 

The girl grabbed your forearm and pulled you towards the building, ignoring the boy you liked completely. Haechan wasn’t the one to be flustered or taken aback. You don’t even think he felt sad with that behaviour, but you felt like you did so on his behalf. It’s been a little over a week since your confessions in mutual attraction and the very rare 3 times he tried to slide himself into your friend group didn’t go well. You cleared your throat, trying to fit in a word in Aeri’s non-stop blabbering. You could see Haechan following right behind you with his shade on the asphalt, reaching out blindly to his shoulder, forcing him to walk in one line with you two.

“Haechan’s here too. He bumped into me on the way, right?“ You shoot him a glance.

“Yeah, bumped.“ he cackled “On accident, with my hand.“ He widened his eyes, lifting the very hand he slapped you with, giving you an amused wink afterwards. You couldn’t hold back the eye roll. “Do you two always meet on that crosswalk?“ he tried to make small talk and your head turned to see Aeri’s reaction. Her eyes were set on her smartphone.

“Huh?“ She asked confused as your elbow hit her ribs lightly. Her eyes ran between you two and Haechan repeated himself in exactly the same wording. “No, I had an appointment and made it a little too early to class.“

“I think we’re going to be there just in time.“ You chuckled.

“Yeah, exactly.“ The girl nodded and re-linked her arm into yours. “I don’t see a point in coming too early. Everyone should be at least seated when I come.“

“Gotcha.“ Haechan’s head bobbed in confusion and his eyes questioned you, instead of your friend. “I didn’t know being fashionably late to classes was a thing.“

“It is. What’s the point in waiting for professors? If I’m 10 minutes late it’s never even properly started.“

“I could only wonder what things are more important in your life than being on time at school.“ He chuckled not offensively, just because he couldn’t understand her point of view even though he never stroke you as someone that loved to follow rules. You would tell him she just couldn’t wake up and get ready on time. Like, crazily never on time type of person, but she seemed to not want to give him that information. 

“So you’re never late?“ She sounded accusatory, your head going from one side to the other, while you tried to read both their emotions and deescalate the small talk at the right time.

“If I feel like I’m going to be late, I just get into my car and drive here. In other instances I walk, so no, I’m never late.“ 

“Yeah, sure. Cut the crap, dude.“ Aeri rolled her eyes. “You literally overslept your project presentation day.“ Yeah, right. You remembered not telling your friends anything about that when he told you the truth. Just a shrug of your shoulders when they assumed he slept in.

“I-“ he looked confused at the girl. “I didn’t, I had to deal with personal matters, FYI.“ 

“Of course. That’s what everyone says when they miss school after a party.“

“Sure.“ Haechan agreed sweetly and you were thankful. You guessed he was in a very good mood this morning. Not to lie into anyones face, you were walking on cloud 9 on your way to meet Aeri, replaying in your head Haechan’s sweet voice and words from last nights phone call. Is it too weird if I’m going to say that the past week’s been probably one of the happiest in my life? It wasn’t weird, you would tell him you were pretty much the same if you had the courage to be as open about everything with him. Having him on the phone before sleep felt so sweet and classy. It would only be better if he was right next to you, but for some reason he didn’t want you two jump back into that. “What is your first class?“

“Marketing in bulding 5.“ Aeri sighed. 

“Mine’s in building 2.“ You sighed too, as the three of you walked through the campus.

“Cool, mine’s in building 2 too.“ Haechan quickly replied, grabbing onto your wrist. “Let’s hurry to make it on time.“ He smiled politely at Aeri and walked off, forcing you to follow behind.

“Bye, see you for lunch.“ You waved Aeri off, and the girl waved back confused, turning away. “Isn’t your first class in building 6? Last night you sai-“ you moved your attention to the boy that pulled you behind him. 

“She walked away?“ He asked, slowing down a little.

“Yeah.“ You gave him a nod and Haechan’s eyes focused on you. You stopped, expecting an answer, building 2 and 6 were on completely different sides of the campus. Haechan lowered his gaze onto his fingers on your wrist, chewing on his lower lip in a thought process. His fingers crawled down to your palm, quickly running his fingers through yours. Before you could make any sound his hand guided both yours into his bomber jacket’s pocket. 

“I’m going to walk you first. If I’m going to be fashionably late to my class, no one’s going to die.“ You chuckled, squeezing his palm in yours. Haechan nodded slightly and returned to walking, his thumb stroking you on the way. 

“You know, how I don’t really feel like PDA…“ you started softly.

“Exactly why your hand’s sweating in my pocket now and not freely hang in the fresh air.“

“It’s not sweating.“ You protested with a chuckle. You honestly could agree with him, it was a little warm inside that pocket.

“It is, a little, just agree with me.“ He stated matter-of-factly. And you couldn’t hold back a smile. Gosh, what a stupid I’m-so-in-love-with-this-boy grin you must be having right now. 

“Anyway, don’t randomly slap me like that. First of all, I could’ve hit you. Second of all, what if Aeri saw this?“

“I think you kinda messed up the order of the reasons?“ He teased and you tried to pull your hand out of his hold in return. “Even if she saw that, what would she say? Oh my god my friend hooks up with this crazily attractive, funny, smart and all-you-could-ever-want guy? I mean, jealousy, yes, I’d feel that too.“

“Haechan, I’m serious.“ You pouted.

“I heard you, I got you. Want to go on a date tonight?“ He said in one breathe, you took a second to distinguish his words, right after giving him an excited nod. Haechan smirked at you, as you jumped in place slightly. Before you could process your moves, your other hand reached to his waist and you gave him a hug. Haechan’s free hand returned the gesture, pressing your body more tightly against his. “Okay, right after school or later at night?“ 

“Night, I think.“ You pushed yourself off him quickly, like nothing at all happened.

“Okay, with no intention to stay over?“

“With the very intention, but I can’t and will have to go back home.“ you couldn’t hold back sulking in your voice.

“I’ll cover for you.“ He smirked.

“Yeah, sure.“

“Just tell Eunsoo the truth, I guarantee you she’ll happily send you off on your merry way.“ You didn’t doubt your roomy, you very insecure in your own self. Not in a way you weren’t sure you liked Haechan - that thought very firmly sat in your head by now, you weren’t really yet there to let the whole world know about it and as much as you wanted to always stay true and honest to him you couldn’t just say that out loud. Haechan was so free and calm in that sense, you wouldn’t be surprised the whole world would’ve known without having an idea who you two were. The only reason he held back was how reserved you were. And he saw you being just that - he gave you time to adjust and open up to him more and eventually, open to people around you. But really, it wasn’t the time nor the place to get deep in your thoughts and you blinked at him. 

“You don’t know her.“ You nodded and Haechan stared at you funny. Does he… know her? Through Jeno, maybe. Not in a I’ve-been-sharing-pads-and-bras-with-the-girl-for-the-past-few-years kind of way and that technically meant he knew nothing. 

“Of course.“ he stretched out his lips in a grin. You weren’t sure if his mind was still on Eunsoo or on the fact you stood closely to him after the hug and his head moved closer to yours by a millimetre a second.

“Didn’t I tell you to slow down on PDA, my friend.“ You giggled, trying to sound scolding, as your hand caught his head, hooking your thumb over his ear, as he went fully in to kiss you. 

“Just a goodbye kiss.“ Haechan half-whispered, his hand finding its place on your waist. You had to give in since the feeling made goosebumps run down your side. Before he could even decipher what’s about to happen you pecked the corner of his mouth and took a paced step back. 

“Bye-bye.“ You waved at him, having to actually run backwards as Hyuck took a step towards you. When he lifted his foot to try once more you went for the same move backwards and he went through multiple feelings in a second, rolling his eyes backwards as his hand went down his face, biting down on his lip and chuckling to himself. You waved him off with a smile, only to be met with a scolding pointing finger of his as he walked away.

“Later. You’ll regret all this a little later.“ He nodded to himself, finally walking away. 

Oh boy, were you hoping he’ll make those words come true.

-

You were strolling through the alley at the Yeouido side of the Hangang park. You would’ve loved to go down to the river and touch the water maybe, but Haechan cried for at least five minutes how it was still hard for him to take a set of stairs and you would’ve had to carry him back on your back, if you’d convince him to go down to the embankment. 

You really didn’t mind though, not with the way Haechan’s thumb was caressing your thumb with every step he took. 

“I really hope that cherry blossoms didn’t all fall to the ground yet.“ you broke off the silence. It really wasn’t that late, but there wasn’t a single passer by on your way, except for a dog owner that crossed the road on the opposite side of it like 10 minutes ago. There were only half-empty busses, that brought some sort of sound into the scenery. You couldn’t love this district more - right next to National Assembly was your favourite spot to think and to enjoy loneliness, except for now you weren’t alone. 

“We should’ve went to that park with the waterfall I told you about. And during the day.“ he tried to sound nagging, but he really failed with the way his lips quirked up at you.

“Shh. It’s the best place I promise.“ you squeezed his fingers in yours. “The Cherry Blossom alley starts right after the crosswalk.“ You announce excited, stepping in front of him, to grab his full attention, your other hand lacing through his fingers as well. 

“Are you going to walk backwards?“ he asks amused.

“Yup. Focus on me.“ you really wanted to say it casually, but couldn’t resist smiling at his lovey-dovey stare. You took a step and then one more backwards, scrutinising yourself for making that decision, it really wasn’t that convenient to walk backwards on such flooring. Haechan somehow could sense you’re about to trip over your feet, as his hand lands on your waist right in time. Now you looked like you were dancing under the streetlight, with your hand landing on Haechan’s bicep, taking steps deeper into the alley. You had to force your eyes off Haechan’s intense stare for a moment, just to make sure a cherry tree was above you. It was. Still perfectly blossomed, and perfectly pink, illuminated by the street light. “Look up.“ You announce and raise your eyes back up first. The view of blossoming cherry was pretty, no matter how many years you spent staring at it - you couldn’t get enough of it and Haechan’s warmth was making the feeling even better. It felt so nice to stand there in comforting quietness with someone you liked so much. Actually, it was a little too quiet from his side. Did he… not like it? Your eyes fell back to the boy that held tightly onto your waist. The intensity of his stare forced you to swallow, it seemed like he didn’t move his eyes once off your face. “Will you?“ your eyes signalling up, only your mouth moving, but with the way Haechan’s gaze pierced through you, you’re sure he was able to read your lips.

“I’m in love with you.“ he whispered calmly.

“Haec-“ you were cut off with his heart-shaped lips. He paced his mouth against yours, you didn’t expect him to be so fierce out here at the cherry blossom alley. You let go of his shoulder, taking in your hand his pretty face. Haechan’s body was burning, you could feel him on fire as you snugged your body more against his. He wasn’t burning because he was sexually affected, no, it really didn’t seem like it. It was a different kind of warmth. It felt like he was burning inside from his feelings, he was overwhelmed with his feelings towards you and it made you feel totally overwhelmed because you couldn’t understand. How, just how. “How would you know that?“ You had to voice it to him, because it felt like you were hanging on a cloud. 

“What do you mean?“ he chuckled, tucking your head under his chin.

“How do you know you’re in love.“ You state dumbly.

“Because it crossed my mind that cherry blossoms would never compare to you in prettiness.“

“Hm?“

“If I’ll want to look at something pretty, I would just call you. You’re the prettiest to me.“ You wanted to tell him something, anything at all, but all words got stuck in your throat. “That’s why I know, and because just thinking of you brings me joy and comfort I’ve never experienced before.“

“I’m so sorry.“ you sigh into his chest, squeezing your eyes shut in sorry.

“Why?“  Haechan immediately worries, you could tell not only by his voice, but by the way his body stiffened in your hold.

“It’s hard for me to say it like that, to word these things to you in the same way. But it doesn’t mean I don’t feel the same way. As we walked here I was thinking how it felt nice to be in my favourite spot in the city with my… favourite man in the whole city of Seoul.“ you gulped and tried to catch a glimpse of his face expression, but Haechan pulled you in a tighter hug. “I would just love to stand here with you and have your body press against mine all day and all night. For weeks, months and eternity, because you bring me comfort.“ Haechan almost squeezed the life out of you, taking a couple steps to the side of the alley, to rest his bum against fencing. 

“Okay, let’s stay like this forever.“ He whispered into your shoulder and falling silent, you closed your eyes in utter cosiness, your fingers thoughtlessly running over his nape. Little waves of wind forced already bloomed cherry blossoms to fall onto your head and shoulders, but you couldn’t be less bothered to react to it.

“But just how introverted you have to be, for your favourite spot in the city to be this human-less corner next to the Assembley, baby love.“ Haechan broke off the silence maybe after eternity, maybe a minute, you couldn’t decipher how much time passed in that comforting drowsiness. He chuckled and rubbed your back for reaction. 

“Yeouido is the busiest during daytime, come on.“ You protested quickly, bumping your fist with his shoulder. “Anyway, I’m not deeply introverted, I have friends, I’m just shy with strangers.“

“Me too.“ he smiled.

“You really aren’t, come on.“

“No, I’m for real. I get all flabbergasted and unable to put two words in a sentence. It happens when I’m forced to present in front of people or get in a company with many strangers.“

“Wait-“ wheels in your head moved fast. “So what was the real reason when you didn’t show up at the presentation of our project?“ You weren’t mad, you liked him a disgusting amount, if he told you he didn’t come because he was scared to present, you would’ve kissed him and giggled at how cute he was.

“No.“ Haechan said confused, before his brain connected the dots. “No!“ he protested loudly, finally getting what you implied on. “No, I would’ve fought my fear of strangers for you. It really is just an accident-.“ you reached to his lips for a quick peck. A thank you, for saying he cares, for making you believe he cares with the way he talks and blinks and breathes. “I’m not going to lie, a very lucky coincidence, but still.“ Haechan rubbed your cheek affectionally “Actually, I never said it properly, I’m so sorry I left you alone that day. I was in agony before the trial began, and then they forced me to leave my phone at the entrance of court room. I was only able to reply an hour later and it didn’t seem like good timing and you ran to my place all mad and instead of saying the truth I decided to get on your nerves.“ 

“I was hoping you’d walk out after me when I stomped out of your place and bring me back to you.“ You admitted, your finger drawing lines on his shoulder.

“Fuck.“ Haechan reached to kiss you, but you felt only the ghost of his lips, as he pulled back. “I thought you hated my guts and I lost you forever.“

“And I hated your guts and stood behind your door for 10 minutes in hopes you’d kiss me apologising in your bed.“

“Fuck.“

“Yeah, that would do, too.“ you smart, getting an annoyed snicker off his lips.

“Stupidly plain humour, that’s one more reason I know I love you.“ 

“I love you.“ you murmur against the skin of Haechan’s cheek. Very shyly, but it feels so appropriate to let him know those feelings are very much reciprocal. 

“What?“ he pushes his nose against your cheek, in a blunt manner to tease you. 

“Ugh.“ Your eyes rolled, he could’ve not ruined the moment for you to repeat it louder. But oops, the moment fleeted. 

“One more I love you and I’m taking you straight to the registration office.“ 

“Shut up.“ You punch his chest and take a step back. Haechan’s arms slide down your bum, you ignoring his gesture. Your eyes focused on cherry blossoms that landed in the hood of his hoody, multiple of those. Your fingers picked up one, twirling it in your fingers. “You know that its good luck to eat the cherry blossom that fell on you?“

“Yeah.“ Haechan nodded almost immediately. Confusion almost made you give away your lie. There wasn’t such thing, at least you never heard of anything like that, you just wanted to joke with him. Well, if  he says he heard of it, then.

“Open your mouth then, prosperity, eternal luck, happiness and love await you on the other side of the chewing process.“ You twirled the blossom in front of his face, expecting a reaction, but Haechan plainly opened his mouth. Okay, not a reaction you expected. 

“Aaah.“ He even voiced his wish to get it over with quickly. Well obviously, he wouldn’t die from a blossom in his system, you put tens of these in your mouth every year, trying to take a pretty pick and failing each year, but somehow you still malfunctioned. 

“Did you really hear of such a thing?“ You creased your forehead in confusion.

“No, plain humour, didn’t I just say. I wanted to see where you’d lead it.“

“I would’ve led it in your mouth.“

“Sounds kinda funny, if you take it out of context.“ You squirmed and cringed.

“Ew.“ Haechan took the blossom from your hold and put it in his pocket. “What will you do with it?“

“Look.“ Haechan ignored your question, grabbing your fingertips with his long digits. His eyes trained on his hold and you lowered your eyes to it too. 

“What is it?“ You asked confused.

“We’ve been doing a lot of things for a little while.“ He started slowly, flexing his fingers over yours. 

“Mmh.“ there was nothing else to do but agree.

“We’ve been doing even more things for a long while.“

“Right.“ Your eyes caught Haechan’s stare, that he now moved to your face.

“We never talked about anything. You never asked why I asked you to sleep with me, you never told me why the hell did you even agree to that stupid idea.“ He snorted in an attempt to contain his laugh. “We did different things and hurt each other and now we’re here holding hands on a cherry blossom alley. I know you don’t like to talk about what you’re feeling much, but I do and I really need to talk to you about it all or I’ll go crazy.“

“I get it.“ You squeezed Haechan’s fingers in support, giving him a little nod. At least one person in this relationship didn’t have problems with voicing out his feelings, you smiled at him. “You can tell me anything. I’ll- well, I’ll try my best to do the same.“

“I really like you.“ Haechan sighed, heaved with feelings. It almost felt like he was about to burst with the way his eyes were glistening. You chuckled, not in a mean way.

“I know, I do really like you too.“ You let go of his fingers to cup his cheek and coo at how sweetly he was looking at you. 

“I liked you since the first time I took you to my place. The first time when we talked and you were hella drunk and I was too and I thought I wanted to kiss you even before I knew your name properly. And then we somehow ended up in my bed and I thought that we can lead this somewhere. But you ran away the moment I dozed off, and then that other time and the other. And all those times.“

“You should’ve said something-“

“I couldn’t, not when you were making that discussed face expression when you were sober, when you were seeing me at school. I couldn’t risk at least getting this much of you taken away from me.“

“I’m sorry.“

“No but it’s not like I’m asking for pity.“ 

“I know.“ You nodded and caressed his bicep reassuringly. “I would’ve never guessed you liked me. You acted like you wanted to sleep with someone and I was a chosen option. I never even thought we could be anything like that up until that boat thing.“

“You liked me only back then?“ Haechan exclaimed scandalised.

“Well-.“ You smiled. “Yeah. I didn’t have a thought like that before you dropped your head on my lap and after you did… I couldn’t stop thinking how fucking attractive you are.“

“I’m hurt.“ He pouted too playful for you to believe him.

“Why?“

“I thought okay, you didn’t like me maybe after our first or second time, because you were wasted and all that. But when you got to my place to spend the time together for whatever reason, didn’t you-.“ he paused and grimaced confusion. “I thought you liked me and that’s why you came.“

“I don’t think that was the reason. I’m sorry.“ Both your hands landed on Haechan’s cheeks, caressing his hurt expression, opting for a peck when it didn’t work out on him.

“Not even a little bit?“

“The tiniest bit? Like under nine locks deep down in my heart bit?“

“Okay, I’ll take that. Anyway, I liked you for a very long time. Just wanted you to know that. Wanna have a giggle?"

"Mmh?" You were expecting literally anything fall off his lips, you couldn’t wrap your head around this boy before your eyes turned into a very sweet mush because he was in love… with you. 

"I think the fact you were telling shit about me kind of made me fall harder for you." Okay, maybe you weren’t prepared for literally anything to fall off his lips. " Jaemin said once he thinks I have a degrading kink and I told him to fuck himself, but kind of being with you made me question if he’s somehow… right?" You  scoffed flabbergasted at his words. 

"Should I… continue, then… being mean to you?" You giggled, intertwining your fingers with Haechan’s.

"At certain point I started to feel like I never was enough, I was getting confused." You squeezed his fingers with yours.

"I’m sorry."

"I’m just glad we worked this all out. If I say it honestly, you’re partially a bitch and I’m a fan of those parts of you, but…"

"Shut up." You cooed "You’re so cheesy I can’t believe people take you as a bad boy."

"Who does?" Haechan chuckled in pure disbelief. 

"My friends, they say you’re a bad guy. That’s why I try to keep us lowkey."

"Maybe they’re just jealous huh? I am very much every girls’ dream." he made his palms go under the chin, to look all cutesy.

"You are very much right, I’m sure of it."

[squidwriting]

#4: Guilty

✁ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

⇥ Masterlist

⇥ Taglist (hope they're all working!) @ferrari-curse, @solarisstarrsolomonsbeloved, @robertthehoover, @annasnape7, @menabuser16, @swthrtbyeol, @foulbreadpaenut, @earphonejack09, @namelesslosers, @pearl-pool, @ameagrice, @ayyylol, @honeynanamin, @ninglovr, @beebeechaos, @gracesworks, @muscrat112, @androgynous-lady

⇥ Pairing Hwang In-ho x fem!reader

⇥ Warnings Spoilers for Season 1 & 2, angst, violence, graphic descriptions of injuries & death

⇥ A/N: Almost got emotional there. 👀😂

⇥ [#3] | [#5]

✁ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"How could you?"

Gi-hun's voice was low as you approached the small group that hat once again gathered at their usual spot after collecting their small dinner. "We lost by one vote. One vote. If you had pressed the red button, then-"

"Wow, stop right there," you cut him off, raising your hand. "First off, I don't need to tell you why. Second, if you want to give someone shit for this... give it to Jung-bae, your twice-as-righteous friend. I've had an O on my chest since the beginning. He changed his vote."

In-ho listened silently, biting back a smirk. Despite everything that had happened to you, you had not lost your confidence and quick-wittedness.

"Fine," you sighed in response to Gi-hun's glare. "I'll keep my distance."

"Don't," In-ho answered quickly, grabbing your wrist to keep you from leaving. "There's no use in arguing about our votes anyway. Let's just... focus on whatever is going to happen next. Okay?"

Dae-ho pulled Jung-bae back as well. The older man stumbled over his words, apologizing and explaining his vote, hoping to make the whole situation less awkward. You sighed and sat down, unpacking your food slowly. It was not much, but it would be enough to not have anyone go to bed hungry.

Silence settled over the five of you; a thick and suffocating silence, only interrupted by the occasional argument being thrown around the dormitory. You swallowed thickly, contemplating whether or not you should break the silence. It was risky to pry, but part of you was either curious... or just desperate to talk to your husband.

"I'm sorry you can't go to your wife now," you said quietly, taking another bite of your bread. You felt like shit saying those words - but the silence had been even worse.

"Not to worry," he answered after a short moment, a strange sense of melancholy seeping into his words. "She wouldn't know anyway."

Before you could say anything, the already well-known female voice announced the end of the day through the speakers. Gi-hun had suggested that you would all stay together from now on, even during the night, taking turns in keeping watch. All of you settled in quickly. By the times the lights went out, the dormitory was eerily silent.

Dae-ho was fast asleep.

Jung-bae and Gi-hun talked and laughed quietly about something.

In-ho was quietly staring at the ceiling.

And you were quietly staring at In-ho.

"Will watching me help you fall asleep?" He smirked, looking at you from the corner of his eyes. You were unable to suppress a small smile. "Maybe," you whispered, rolling onto your side. "Compared to everyone else around here, you always seem so calm and collected. Like a haven of peace."

He chuckled quietly, before a deep sigh escaped him. "That's what my wife used to call me, too."

"What happened," you asked, scooting a bit closer to him, "if... you don't mind me asking?"

In-ho stayed silent, his eyes finding the distant ceiling again, as he drifted deeper and deeper into his memories.

"It was... a warm, sunny day in late July. I was just finishing up some paperwork for my boss, so I could leave early. That day.... we had been married 15 years. I had planned a surprise for her. And then... I got a call from the hospital."

You swallowed thickly, settling into a more comfortable position. You knew your story obviously... but you never heard In-ho's side of it. Part of you was curious - the other part terrified.

"She got hit by a truck. Didn't even see it coming."

"I'm sorry," you whispered, biting back words of protest. Like a mantra, you reminded yourself to not interrupt or correct him. Let him talk. You know nothing.

"And... she's still in the hospital? Four months later?" 

In-ho nodded slowly. "It's a severe case of retrograde amnesia. She doesn't remember anything that happened before the accident. The doctors are doing everything they can," he inhaled shakily. In the dim light, you could see tears welling up in his eyes. "But there's only so much they can do, and they're not... too optimistic anymore."

"Damn," you whispered, rolling onto your back. 

"If only I had taken the day off."

In-ho's words barely reached your ears. His voice was small, too small for a man of his caliber. "What?" you looked at him, confused by his statement. He huffed lightly before speaking up again. 

"I promised her on our last anniversary. I promised to take the day off. I didn't. If I had, she wouldn't have been out on the road, getting run over like that." 

You took a deep breath, collecting your thoughts. Memories - long forgotten - flooded your consciousness. "My god..." you whispered, remembering the fight you and In-ho had the year before your accident. What was supposed to be an amazing anniversary for you two, ended in one of the loudest and nastiest fights you two ever had - in all those years you had known each other. 

A realization hit you as more new found memories came to light slowly. 

"You two had a fight on the day of the accident, didn't you...?" 

A single tear escaped In-ho's eye, glistening in the soft light. 

 "That's why I need that money," he whispered, slowly looking over at you, "to get her the best possible treatment. When she gets her memory back - even if she doesn't want me anymore - I need to tell her-"

Another tear rolled down his cheek, and a heavy lump in his throat kept him from talking. Your heart clenched painfully. Had he carried this heaviness, this unnecessary guilt with him all these years? 

Had he not told anybody?

Or had no one told him how cruel he was being to himself by beating himself up over something that was not his fault? 

In a moment of unexpected boldness, you reached out and gently wiped his tears off with your fingers. It was electrifying to touch him like this again - after all these long years. The tips of your fingers tingled pleasantly, and you could not keep yourself from cupping his cheek gently. 

"You shouldn't carry this weight on your shoulders," you whispered, your thumb gently stroking his cheek. "I'm sure... your wife wouldn't want that. Take it from someone who lost her memory as well," you chuckled lightly, "we don't worry about the bad things that happened before the incidents. We wonder about all the great things we have forgotten. We long to remember the happy times, the joyous things that made us who we are, and that formed our bonds and relationships."

"And you should, too. Why beat yourself up over something that was out of your control? The only thing you messed up was to not stick to your promise... which, I guess, would have been resolved with an apology, flowers, chocolates, dinner in her favorite restaurant, and great sex. In that particular order." 

In-ho was unable to suppress a small chuckle at your words. 

"Everything else was not your fault... was it?" 

Slowly, you pulled your hand away again. You were treading on dangerous territory now, the urge to tell him everything growing with each passing minute. But who knew how he would react? 

How would you deal with the situation going forward anyway? You could not live a lie forever, even if you made it through the last remaining days in this facility. 

"Thank you," he whispered after a few long moments. 

Once more, silence settled over the two of you - but it was not as heavy and tense as before. 

"Try to sleep," he mumbled, carefully scooting a bit closer to you. "I'll keep watch."

You hummed, curling up on your side. "Jung-bae and Gi-hun already do. You should catch some sleep as well."

"It's fine," he smiled, "I'm not tired anyway." 

Surprisingly, you drifted off to sleep fairly quickly. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was the familiar feeling of sleeping next to your husband that you had come to miss over the past months. 

Whatever it was, when soft lips placed a gentle, loving kiss on your forehead, you were already fast asleep.

"Sleep well, my love," In-ho whispered, nuzzling against you carefully, inhaling your scent. The storm brewing within his heart and mind was still raging.

But with you so close to him, he did not hear the roaring thunders and howling winds. 

[gingerteafairy]

𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙨 (𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙭𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧)

What if you broke all first date rules? Peter totally loved that idea.

tags n warnings: fluff, slightly suggestive. word count: 937

You were lying on the couch, scrolling through your phone while half-watching your favorite series. It was one of those lazy afternoons where multitasking wasn’t exactly on your agenda. A little voice in your head told you to wash your hair and freshen up, but you ignored it. Why bother? You didn’t have plans. Or so you thought.

A ping from your phone interrupted a pivotal moment of your show.

Peter: "Almost ready. Be there soon."

Your eyes widened. *Oh no.* That little voice in your head hadn’t been random after all. You had a date. With Peter Maximoff. The gorgeous guy from your college. And you forgot?

You: "Same here. I'll be ready, waiting for you."

Liar. You scrambled off the couch, nearly tripping over the coffee table. Muttering curses at yourself, you dove into the closet, throwing clothes around in search of something decent. This wasn’t the time to be picky, but your mind screamed otherwise. Finally, you opted for a blouse and a suspiciously short skirt—a desperate break from your usual dark jeans.

By the time you emerged from the shower and were brushing your damp hair, a car horn honked outside. The perfect timing was accompanied by another notification:

Peter: "I’m here <3"

You sighed. Wet hair? Fantastic. What else could go wrong?

Peter was leaning casually against his car, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. His signature grin greeted you as you opened the door.

“Hey!" you chirped, trying to mask your frazzled state.

"Hey," he greeted, his smile widening as he took you in. "You look amazing."

He stepped closer, enveloping you in a brief, warm hug before guiding you to the car. With a gentlemanly flair, he opened the door for you.

"Wow, what a gentleman," you teased, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Thanks. I’ll take that as a compliment," he chuckled, settling in and starting the car

The ride was filled with soft music from the radio. You swayed gently to the rhythm, glancing at Peter as he drove. He looked so effortlessly cool, and yet, there was something endearing about the way his fingers tapped the steering wheel to the beat.

When you arrived at the mall, Peter parked and instinctively placed a hand on your waist as he led you inside. The casual touch sent sparks through you, but he didn’t seem to notice.

"What do you want to eat?" he inquired as you both found a table.

"Anything’s fine. You pick," you responded politely. He nodded and headed to the counter, returning with a triumphant grin.

"Brought soda for both of us," he announced, placing the cups on the table.

"Thanks, Peter," you replied, smiling.

The conversation, however, hit a weird lull. The two of you sat in silence for a solid 18 minutes, exchanging awkward smiles as the food took its sweet time.

"Taking a while, huh?" you remarked, breaking the tension.

"Yeah, they’re usually faster," Peter replied, mentally facepalming himself. Way to keep it interesting, Maximoff.

"Totally." You laughed, and he joined in. You couldn’t let the awkwardness win. "Ever had a weird first date?"

He raised an eyebrow before chuckling. "I don’t think it’s the date that’s weird. It’s the person."

"Had both," you admitted, leaning on the table. "One date was so bad I pretend the guy doesn’t exist to this day. And now I’m breaking the number one rule of first dates."

Peter smirked. "Since we’re breaking rules, I’ll add that I once went out with someone so strange, their kiss made me question my life choices."

You laughed, the awkward atmosphere dissolving. "Alright, how about we break more first-date rules?"

Intrigued, he slid over to sit beside you, wrapping his arm casually around your shoulders. "Like the one about not sitting too close?"

"Exactly," you beamed, leaning into his arm. "Also, no defensive body language." You crossed your arms and made a mock angry face.

"Adorable," he teased, glancing at you dramatically. "Guess I’ll break the rule about not staring because your boobs looks twice bigger when you do it."

You raised an eyebrow, laughing. "This is turning into a competition."

"Definitely, shawty," he winks, pulling out his phone. "I’ll win by ignoring you completely while playing Candy Crush."

"Candy Crush? That’s low," you chuckle, watching him open the app. "Then I’ll share way too much about my boring past, pets, and favorite movies,"

"Perfect. I’ll have a reason to block you afterward," he shot back, grinning as you nudged him playfully with your shoulder.

"Call it a tie," you declared, shaking his hand in mock sportsmanship.

"Sure, but I won’t forget how competitive you are," he teased. Just then, the signal for your order sounded. Peter retrieved the tray, revealing your favorite meal.

"How did you know?" you asked, delighted.

"One of my rules was spying on your Instagram stories," he joked.

"You’re impossible," you laughed, enjoying your food.

After the meal, you wandered the mall, eventually dragging him into a store to browse nail polishes. Breaking the rule number i-dont-care of making him bored, but Peter was surprisingly interested on beauty things.

"This one," Peter annouced, holding up a shimmering silver bottle.

"Why?" you giggled, amused.

"Matches my hair. Obviously. Don't pretend you're not crazy bout this color.”

You rolled your eyes, laughing. Moments like these made breaking all the rules with Peter feel worth it. Especially when he kissed you goodnight—breaking yet another rule—and asked you to be his girlfriend right there in the parking lot. And obviously you broke another rule about not going to bed on the first date. It was Peter Maximoff, after all.

[spiderwcd]

Stalked | s.g. 

pairing: Sam Golbach x influencer ! f ! reader 

summary: They knew something was off, but they never imagined it to be this bad.

Warning(s): angst! stalkers, breaking in, fear, profanity, mentions of a weapon

A/N: honestly first time writing angst, so forgive me if it's really bad, ALSO, please read the last note, I need your guys opinion on something.

images from pinterest ! 

Sam loved y/n, so much so that Sam let her finally move in. Well rather, they made it official. She had practically lived with Sam for a year now, always sleeping over and leaving all her things around his house. 

It was great, she loved waking up to Sam every morning and making him breakfast. She adored how he'd show up for some of her streams and talk to her fans. Sam was the love of her life, there's no doubt behind that. 

But recently something was off. 

It started off with a few overly creepy dm's, saying perverted things to her. She would block them but they seemed to never go away, assuming as they made multiple accounts to send the horrid messages. 

But then she felt like she was being watched, going out in public became sketchy for her. She noticed a hooded man in the coffee shop she frequented or around the corner in the supermarket. 

Then, it was getting really out of hand. She would receive random packages from fans all the time, opening them on her live stream and laughing at gag gifts. But it was odd to receive gifts on her front porch, when she regularly received gifts via a P.O. Box. She had opened one, regretting it to this day. 

In the box were various pictures of her around town, heart shapes surrounding her face. On top was a letter, long story short, she realized it was a stalker. 

Sam and y/n tried to figure out a way to put a restraining order, but couldn't due to the fact that they didn't know this said man's identity. 

Unfortunately, enough was enough. All she could do was go on another live stream tonight, explaining reasons why she wouldn't be streaming anymore. She propped up the camera, Sam in the back for moral support. 

"Are you ready?" She weakly smiled. 

Sam nodded, reaching for her hand as she sat back down as many fans joined in. 

She tried to put on her bubbly personality, attempting to welcome many of the fans. 

"Hey guys," she waved to the camera. "How are you guys?" She asked, placing her other hand on her chin as she looked at the various comments. 

Her fans knew her all too well, quickly recognizing that something was wrong. 

'oh no, y/n you okay? you look sad :(' 

'woah, mom and dad look so serious!? Are we in trouble?!' 

Y/n smiled at the concern, "yeah, guys you have all been bad," she sternly pointed to the camera. "Right sam? We gotta take away their Xboxes." She turned over to Sam, causing him to chuckle. 

"Yeah guys, who shit in the kitty litter? The cat's shit is not that big!" He joked trying to lighten up the mood. 

Y/n smiled, squeezing Sam's hand a little stronger as she looked back at the camera.

"Alright guys, Imma wait a little longer for more people to get in just so they don't miss anything." She announced, continuing to read the comments. 

'mother is mothering' 

'y/n, ask sam when the next video is coming out?!' 

'y/n is so pretty guys :)' 

She turned to Sam, "they're asking about your next video, babe." She pointed out. "I don't know, I've been put under a contract not to discuss any future videos guys." She put her hands up in defeat. 

Sam grinned at her before looking up at the camera, "Well, Colby will kill me for saying anything, but we're working on something to record tomorrow actually." He raised his brows, pursing his lips a bit. 

"You heard it here folks, Sam is not retiring." She joked. 

As they were goofing off and joking around, the viewer count went up to nearly 50k. She was impressed by the amount, amazed by her followers. 

"Wow guys, there's 50 thousand of you here!" She cheered, raising her hands up into the air. "So now that we have a lot of your attention, don't get too distracted by this beautiful face." She pointed towards Sam. 

Sam dramatically covered his face, pretending to be flustered. "Oh, stop it guys!" He responded with a high pitched voice. 

Y/n playfully smacked his thigh as she giggled, "Well, so this is sorta sad news guys," she began, trying not to look at the comments. "But this will be my last stream for a little bit, just there's been stuff that came up and it's no longer safe for me to stream. I would go more in depth but again, for our safety I can't really say why." 

She held back tears as she glanced over to her comments, fans practically panicking. 

'what?! noooo :(' 

'omg what happened?!' 

'nauuur! I look forward to your streams :,('

Y/n gulped, holding back tears as she read the comments. "Yeah guys, it's only temporary," she sighed, Sam holding her hand as he laced his fingers with hers. "But it's just to ensure safety for me and my loved ones, it's only until this problem goes away guys. I just gotta say, I love you guys, you guys give me purpose and I'm so thankful for that, so I hope you guys understand."

She weakly smiled, reading the many comments of support and touched by their kindness. 

"Well with that guys, I'm just gonna end it here," she sighed, leaning towards her computer. "See you guys, hopefully soon." She blew a kiss into the camera before cutting the stream off. 

She let out a sigh as she sat back down in her chair, a creak emitting from it. Y/n looked over to Sam, who offered her a smile as he rubbed his free hand on top of hers. 

"You okay?" he asked her, furrowing his brows as worry coated his voice. 

She nodded weakly, "I will be," she replied. "I just hate to stop streaming, I really want this stupid stalker to like chill the fuck out." She groaned as she rubbed her face. 

"I'm sure it won't be long," Sam tried to comfort her. "I mean he hasn't been around for a while." Sam shrugged. 

Y/n couldn't help but stare off into the ceiling, taking Sam's words sink in, "That's true," she mumbled. "I've had stalkers before, but they were never this bad." She emphasized. 

Sam understood her frustration, he knew streaming was everything to her. She worked hard to please her fans, streaming every other night practically. He loved that about her, how caring she was and worked for her fans even when days weren't as good to her. 

"Well let's get some sleep, okay?" Sam patted her thigh, standing up from his seat. 

Y/n groaned, throwing her head back, "This feels so weird," She grumbled, mimicking Sam's movements and walking towards their bedroom. "Are you still going to that haunted hospital or whatever?" She asked him, removing her sweatpants and sweatshirt. 

"Yeah, but I can always stay here with you if you want," Sam answered, watching her movements. "I can always reschedule it." He offered. 

Y/n threw on one of Sam's t-shirts, jumping into bed next to him, "No, no, I'll be okay," She declined, stabilizing her head onto her hand. "I don't want you to disappoint your fans, plus the cameras you installed really give me a lot more comfort." She smiled, her heart warmed by his gesture. 

"Are you sure? I-I just don't know how I feel about leaving you here all alone." Sam sighed, pulling her close to his chest. 

"Yes, I'm sure sam." She laughed a bit, laying her head onto his chest. She listened to his heart beat against her ear, she breathed in deeply before looking up at sam. "I love you, you know that?" She whispered to him. 

Sam smiled down at her, placing his finger under her chin as he pulled her into a kiss. "I love you more." He whispered back, pecking her on her forehead. 

The next day, she watched as Sam packed various equipment into his bags. But he wouldn't stop pestering her about his offer, her refusing it every time. 

"Okay, baby I will call you when I land, i'll check the cameras often, oh, and update me every like hour," Sam commanded, his suitcase in hand as his backpack strapped to his back. "I don't care if you think it's annoying, I just need to make sure you're okay." 

Y/n laughed at his demands, kissing him on the cheek, "I promise, but youre gonna have to worry about Colby in about two seconds cause it looks like he's gonna drag you away." She joked, pointing at Colby in the car. 

Sam sighed, "He’ll be fine," He rolled his eyes playfully. "Okay, I love you like a million, please be careful, okay? Lock all the doors and keep the windows locked, I'll call Celina or someone to come and keep you company." He suggested, landing a quick peck on her lips. 

"Alright, love you too," She chuckled, embracing him into a long hug. "Okay, okay, now you have a safe trip okay? And make sure Colby brings you back in one piece." She joked. 

She watched as Sam ran towards the car, looking back every few steps as he blew her kisses. She noticed Colby rolling his eyes, impatient as is. 

Y/n sighed as she locked the door, making her way to the living room. She dropped down onto the couch as she exhaled a breath. She looked down on her phone, deciding to check up on her socials. 

She was surprised by the sheer amount of support she received, fans encouraging her. She smiled at the many comments, her smile soon fading away as she looked at the random drama article of hers. 

Streamer Y/N L/N, goes on break cause of STALKER?! 

She rolled her eyes, of course they're trying to profit on her vulnerability. She threw her phone down onto the pillows, standing up onto her feet as she made her way towards the kitchen. She figured she could distract herself and make something to eat. Usually when she was bored she would stream, but for obvious reasons she couldn't cure her boredom at that moment. 

After she had made some dinner, she turned on one of her favorite shows. She decided a few episodes wouldn't hurt to catch up on, resting her head onto a few pillows as stared at the screen. 

A season and a half in, she heard her phone ding. She picked it up, letting the phone turn on and the message displayed on her screen. 

sam: 

just landed! How are things over there?

Y/n started typing out her answer, trying not to make it sound depressing as it felt. 

y/n:

great, i'm just watching some of my shows right now :)

It didn't take long for the phone to ding again, Sam's response delivered onto her phone screen yet again. 

sam:

sounds good

Do you want some company? I could send Jake or even Celina over

y/n:

I think i'll be okay for now

I prolly will be up for a while anyway so i'll let you know

sam:

okay, be safe babe 

I love you 300 million tons baby!!!

Y/n smiled at the text, seeming to miss her boyfriend even more now. 

y/n:

well I love you 300.01 million tons!

She shut off her phone, tossing it back to where it last was. She blankly stared into the TV screen as she tried to focus on the show. Her eyes began to grow heavy, slowly beginning to grow more tired. 

It didn't take long before she found herself sleeping on the couch, the random show adding as a background noise.

She awoke from her sleep, hearing her phone buzzing next to her. She fluttered her eyes, looking outside at the now dark night that had overtaken the evening sun as she slept. 

She groaned as she picked up her phone, Sam's name displaying on her screen with his photo on it. She mentally cursed herself for falling asleep, forgetting to update Sam. Y/n slid the answer button, bringing the phone up to her ear. 

"Hey, sorry I fell asl-." But before she could answer, Sam cut her off with panic in his voice. 

"Babe, Babe?! Are you okay?" Sam frantically asked. "Where are you right now?" He added, panic rising in his voice. 

Y/n furrowed her brows, confused on why he had begun panicking over not updating him on her whereabouts. 

"I'm just home, in the living room right now." She sighed, rubbing her eyes out of her tired state. 

"Okay, okay, please tell me you locked all the doors and windows," Sam sternly replied. 

Y/n stood up, noticing the TV had still been blaring. "Yeah, I locked the front door when you left and the backdoor had been locked, what's going on sam, you're really freaking me out." She grumbled. 

"Y/n, please listen to me very carefully," Sam began, shaking in his voice. She heard him talk to another person in the back, something about a ride to the airport. "Go to our bathroom, and lock the door, please baby." He panted, hearing a car door shut in the background as he began to run. 

Y/n just was more confused, but complied with his instructions. She began walking towards their bedroom, but froze when she heard a sound from downstairs. The sound of glass shattering echoed from the home. 

She sprinted towards the bedroom, locking the door and entering the bathroom connected to it. She swiftly locked the bathroom door, backing away as she tried to cover her heavy breathing. 

She forgot she was on a call with Sam, faintly hearing his loud shouts for her. She brought the phone back to her ear, barely stabilized in her shaking hand. 

"Y/n!? y/n!? What happened?! Y/n, please answer me!" Sam shouted, calling out for her. "Was that glass breaking?!" He called out. 

"Y-Yeah, I just heard someone fucking break a window or something downstairs," Y/n whispered into the phone. "Sam, I-I'm scared." Her voice cracked as tears began to spill onto her cheeks. 

Sam cursed a bit in the background, "Fuck, it’s gonna be okay baby, I promise." His voice shook, distressed as he felt hopeless in this situation. "Colby called the police so they should be over there any moment, just stay there and don't make a sound, okay?" He informed her. 

Before y/n could respond, she heard faint heavy footsteps make their way up towards the stairs. It seemed as if he had stopped at the end of the staircase, in front of the living room.

"Sam, I-I think he's upstairs," Y/n sobbed softly. "I’m so fucking scared, Sam." She whimpered out.

Sam cursed yet again on the other side, clearly frustrated and worried. "It's gonna be okay, Colby's still on the line with the cops, they said 5 more minutes, okay? Just don't say anything, it's g-gonna be okay." She heard Sam's frustrated sniffs as his voice cracked. 

Slowly, the footsteps became louder. They thudded with each step, slowly making their way towards the locked bedroom. Y/n felt hot tears stream down her hot cheeks, her heart pumping as if she ran a marathon. 

But then the footsteps stopped at the door to the bedroom. She listened carefully, her ears perking up to every sound. 5 minutes will feel like eternity. She listened as the door handle started jiggling to their bedroom, with a frustrated man's voice as he kicked the door once, then twice and with a loud crack as it swung and hit the wall.

She let out a scared squeal, Sam still shouting for her on the other side. She didn't dare to move, still intently listening as the man rustled around the room, trying to find something or someone. 

She could practically feel her heart beating out of her chest, feeling nothing but pure fear as the man began stepping closer to the bathroom door. 

Y/n found it odd when the man knocked. She didn't answer, letting yet another tear slip out of her eye. But she found it even more odd that he slipped a piece of paper under the door, seemingly blank. 

Y/n prayed that the police would arrive any moment, rescue her from this nightmare. But mostly wanting Sam to be there for her, to protect her. 

She shut her eyes, bringing the phone to her ear again. Sam kept calling out for her, freaking out. "Sam, If something happens, I-I love y-you okay?" She sniffed softly as she whispered softly into the phone. 

"Y/n, don't say that! You're gonna make it just a little long-" as Sam was about to finish his sentence, the door cracked just like the one in the bedroom. 

She jumped, tears spilling as she let out a sob. Just as quickly as he opened the bedroom door, the door ricocheted against the wall. She felt herself shake like a leaf as her back pressed up against the bathtub, watching intently as everything moved very slowly. 

The background noise of Sam's voice and everything else drowned as she heard her heart beating, eyes glued to the broken door. The man slowly stepped closer inside the bathroom, turning his head very menacingly.

The masked man creeped into the bathroom, the glimmer of a blade in his hand. She let out a sob as she turned her head away, shutting her eyes shut as she prayed it was a nightmare she woke awake from.

She could practically feel his breath on her face, now kneeling in front of her. His hand at first moved to her face, tracing his fingers on her wet skin but then moving his attention to the phone clutched in her hand. He scoffed as he snatched the phone out of her hand, bringing it to his ear. 

"Y/n? Y/n?! answer me, please." Sam begged on the other line. 

"She's unavailable at the moment." The man's deep voice rang out in the bathroom. 

"Dont you dare fucking touch her," Sam spat through the phone, gripping onto his phone with anger. "I swear to God, I will fucking kill you." He growled. 

The man chuckled a bit, amused by his threats, "Well, I don't see you anywhere." He laughed. 

Before Sam could give an answer, the man hung up the phone and set it down onto the counter. He turned back ever so slowly to her, staring down at the floor to avoid eye contact with her stalker. 

He kneeled back down, looking at her as she cried. 

"You're much prettier than I expected," He laughed, running his finger on a strand of her hair. "Don't be scared, only brought this if your little boyfriend would get in the way." He smirked under his mask, tilting the knife. 

As y/n froze up, tensing under his touch, she heard the loud sirens pulling closer to her house. The red and blue lights filling up the room, causing the man to jolt up and look at her one last time. 

"This isn't over." He mumbled, running out of the bathroom. 

With him gone, she let out a sob as it rang throughout her body. She covered her face, trying to calm down and reassure herself it was all over. 

Y/n heard the shouts of a police officer, warning the man to get down. She heard frantic footsteps run down the hall, afraid it was the man again. 

But instead it was a female officer, her gun drawn out and a flashlight shining onto y/n's face. She lowered her weapon, turning to her shoulder as she spoke through the walkie. 

"Are you y/n?" She kneeled down to her level. 

Y/n nodded, "Y-Yes." she let out.

The officer reached for her hand, helping her up. Y/n's legs shook as she stumbled forward slightly, apologizing as she straightened herself up. 

"It's okay, you have no need to apologize." She reassured, beginning to walk her out of the bathroom. 

"T-That paper, he slid it under the door when I was locked in h-here." She pointed with trembling hands. 

The officer nodded, kneeling as she lifted the paper. Y/n couldn't help but peek at the paper, curiosity eating at her. 

From what it looked like, it was a love note as he declared his love for her. The officer's face retorted into a one with disgust, hiding it quickly from y/n. 

"This will be put into evidence, my other officer will take you down to question you," She informed y/n, letting one of the other officers grab her arm and lead her down the hall. 

Y/n's eyes wandered to the broken bits of wood that was flown across the room, their bedroom in complete disarray. She noticed that the same knife he had carried was now lodged into the broken door that hung loosely on the hinges, on the door was a picture of her and sam. Sam's face was scribbled on, with a few profanities scratched around. 

Y/n felt sick to her stomach, unable to hold back tears as she trembled down the hall. The street was filled with cop cars, neighbors coming out to investigate the commotion. She spaced out, deep into thought as the police officer's informed her about the break in. 

Y/n simply nodded, still in shock. Then she noticed a figure run up to her, Sam. She felt tears spilling out again and a wave of relief washed over her as she watched him sprint towards her, hugging her as he panted and sobbed into her hair. 

"Thank fucking god," Sam cried, rubbing her hair as she trembled in his arms. "I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I should've never left you alone." He cried, stroking her hair as he comforted her. 

She peaked over his shoulder, the flashes of blue and red covered the streets. She watched as the officers handcuffed the now revealed man as his mask had been removed, pushing him into the back of the cop car. Y/n quickly looked away, determined not to be afraid of him any longer. As long as she had Sam, she was safe. 

She didn't say anything, soaking his sweatshirt with her tears. He didn't let go of her, talking to the police as they interrogated him to find the story.

"Hey, can we do this another time?" Sam snapped, holding y/n as she rested her head onto his chest. "I would love to answer your questions, but she's been through a lot and I need her to rest." He sighed, stroking her hair softly. 

The officer understood, handing him a card. They thanked them for their time, getting into the car as they sped away. Y/n sniffled, gripped onto Sam's arms tightly, as if he would leave again. 

"You guys can stay at my place for the meantime," Colby offered. "I know your house is sort of a crime scene right now, and your doors are completely wrecked. I have the space." He added. 

Sam nodded, thanking his best friend. Y/n hasn't said anything to Sam, still traumatized from her experience. She sat silent in the car, holding onto Sam's hand tightly as they drove. Sam couldn’t help but glance at her, guilt building up inside him. 

When they had finally reached Colby's house, Sam followed y/n around. He was so afraid to leave her side again, y/n was comforted by his presence but she knew he had blamed himself for it. 

Y/n laid on the bed, glancing at her phone as she looked at the many articles about her. She frowned at the media article, turning off her phone when she noticed Sam enter the room. Sam jumped into the bed, letting out a deep breath as he stared up for a moment. 

"It's not your fault sam," Y/n began, causing Sam to avert his gaze to her. "If anything, I'm glad you weren't there, you didn't see what I saw." She added, looking over to him. 

"Y/n-" Sam started, but was ultimately cut off by y/n.

"No Sam, don't blame yourself, I told you to go," her voice cracked, fighting back tears that threatened to spill. "He would've hurt you, o-or killed you." She let out a sob. 

Sam didn't say anything, pulling her into his chest as she let out tears. He whispered to her that everything's gonna be okay, kissing her head as he petted her hair.

"T-There wasn't much you could do, Sam," She whispered, sniffing. "He came there to hurt you, you did the right thing to call the cops." She commented, looking up at her boyfriend. 

Sam half smiled down at her, "I know, just I wish I was there to protect you, I'm sorry." He mumbled, sniffing back tears. 

She smiled, placing her palm onto his face. "It's okay Sam, I'm okay," She reassured. "I have you around me to protect me now." She shushed softly. 

Sam nodded, reaching for her hand off his face. "It's all over," He sighed. "That's all that matters, you're safe." 

Sam wrapped his arms around her, her head pressed against his chest as she listened to his heart beat gently against her ear. It didn't take long for her to finally rest, his scent and gentle heartbeat to soothe her to sleep. 

"I'm never leaving you ever again." Sam whispered to her, kissing her head. 

˖⁺‧₊˚ ♡ ˚₊‧⁺˖

hey guys, thanks for reading!

so now for my question, I want to know if you guys would like smut from me. I have a few works saved, but I'm so nervous that you guys wouldn't like it so please please PLEASE let me know if its something you'd like :)

thanks for your attention!

[azxulskz]

Somewhere between us.

Pairings: han jisung x m!reader

Genre: friends to lovers, college au!, fluff and fluff and fluff!

Warning: none.

Wc: 980!

Request: open.

Dividers: @sister-lucifer

A/n: wow, blxue posting???? Finally! I hope you guys would enjoy this one, I really hope this is good for you guys!! I can't wait to write more since I'm all free now that school has ended already!! Also, comment on what I should post next since I have another han fic in my draft, 2 felix fic, and currently working on a seungmin fic!! Since my request will be open for a while for more ideas and stuff, please drop by, also pls bare if there's any grammar mistake, English is indeed, not my first language. Likes, reblogs, and commenting will be highly appreciated, love u guys!!

Please don't repost, steal, copy, translate, and any kind of plagiarism. This is my work, so please don't steal it.

There’s a thing about best friends: people assume they’re temporary. Something about youth, timing, or growing pains. But you and Jisung had been best friends for years, and if you’re being honest, you never planned on growing out of him.

He arrived in your life like a storm in sneakers. Loud, chaotic, and impossibly charming in that annoying way that made teachers roll their eyes and strangers smile. He'd talk to anyone, laugh like life was a joke only he understood, and he made you feel like existing next to him was a privilege.

You were the quieter one. Observant. You liked watching him more than speaking sometimes. It wasn’t that you didn’t have anything to say—just that he said it better. So you let him. And somewhere along the way, being near him started to feel like home.

You told yourself it was just friendship. Boys grow close. Boys lean on each other. Boys don’t always say the things they feel because maybe the words are too fragile to carry in the open. Maybe some truths are too tender to survive daylight.

So you stayed quiet.

He didn’t.

---

"If I die first, delete my search history," he once said, completely unprompted while lying on your bedroom floor, surrounded by empty snack wrappers and an uneven playlist of sad indie and chaotic pop.

You laughed. "You’re not dying first."

"That’s so selfish of you."

"It’s not selfish if I go with you."

He looked at you then, really looked. Something unspoken hovered between you. Then he tossed a chip at your face.

Moments like that piled up like unsent letters.

You kept them all.

---

There was a girl once. He liked her, or thought he did. You watched him fumble with texts and pick out outfits and rehearse lines like he wasn’t already perfect in his mess. You helped him get ready.

Then he came home early.

"She was nice," he said. "But she wasn’t... you know. She wasn’t it."

You didn’t ask what it meant. You were scared the answer would break you.

---

One day, he stopped by your place unannounced. You weren’t surprised; he had a key and never used it. He preferred the dramatic knock, the slow push of the door, the exaggerated sigh as he announced, "Your favorite person has arrived."

You were on the couch, hoodie pulled over your head, pretending to read.

"Rough day?"

You nodded.

He didn’t ask questions. Just dropped beside you, close enough that your arms touched, but not close enough to say anything with it. He handed you a candy bar. Your favorite. You didn’t know how he always knew.

The silence between you wasn’t awkward. It was comfortable, worn in like an old hoodie. He rested his head against your shoulder.

"You’re always here when I need you," he whispered.

You swallowed. "You don’t even have to need me. I’m just here."

He smiled, not looking up. "That’s the best kind."

---

There was a moment.

Not a loud one. Not a kiss or a confession. Just a moment. You were watching a movie on your laptop, both of you lying side by side on your bed. It was a dumb movie, one you’d seen too many times, but it was background noise.

He shifted. His hand brushed yours.

Then stayed.

Neither of you said a word. Your pinkies curled together like secrets. And the world kept spinning.

---

It wasn’t love at first sight.

It was love after a hundred moments you didn’t recognize until they were memories. Love in the spaces between words. Love in late-night food runs and inside jokes and the way he always picked your fries even though he had his own.

You knew it, even when he didn’t.

You carried it alone. For months. Maybe years.

Until one day, it slipped.

You were arguing. Not really arguing, more like sparring with emotions too big for your chests. He had canceled plans last minute again. You pretended it didn’t hurt.

"Why do you care so much?" he snapped. "You don’t even say anything half the time. You just sit there and act like everything’s fine!"

You stared at him. "Because I like you, you idiot."

Silence.

He blinked.

You felt like the floor had vanished.

"You... like me?"

"Forget it," you muttered, already moving to leave.

But his hand caught yours.

"You like me," he said again, slower. Softer.

You couldn’t look at him.

He stepped closer. "Hey. Come on, look at me."

You did.

He was smiling. Not the teasing kind. Not the one he used to charm his way out of trouble. This one was real.

"You should’ve told me sooner," he whispered.

Your heart stopped. "Why? So you could let me down easy?"

He shook his head. "So I could tell you I like you back. So I could stop pretending."

Time folded in on itself.

You were still holding hands.

He leaned in. Not fast. Not dramatic. Just enough to press his forehead against yours.

"This okay?"

You nodded.

Then he kissed you.

And in that kiss were all the moments you never said, all the looks, all the almosts. It felt like closing a book and starting a new one at the same time.

When he pulled back, his voice was barely a breath.

"We’re really dumb, huh?"

You laughed, giddy and weightless. "The dumbest."

He grinned. "Good thing we’ve got each other to balance it out."

---

People talk about big, fiery love. The kind that burns hot and fast.

But you learned love could be quiet too. Slow and patient. Built in movie nights, ice cream runs, and two boys holding hands under dim lights, finally brave enough to say the things that lived in their hearts all along.

Somewhere between friendship and forever, you found love.

And it was his laugh, his eyes, his voice that carried you there.

[cottonlemonade]

Can I please order from menu A with a soda, dango and I’ll be sitting next to Hinata. Thank you so much!

The New Girl

word count: 1055 || avg. reading time: 5 mins.

pairing: Hinata x chubby!Reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none

request: fluffy, school festival as a new student with Hinata

You imagined your first day at school very differently. Transferring in the middle of a semester was probably an introvert’s worst nightmare and you had been worried you wouldn’t find any friends since the other new first years would by then already divided themselves into groups. But when you folded your hands over your pudgy tummy and bowed deeply in front of the class, a boy with fiery hair and bright eyes had caught your attention, and you were surprised when the teacher asked who’d show you around and the boy’s hand immediately shot in the air.

Luckily, students seemed to be too busy to pay much attention to you, as everyone was preoccupied with preparations for the school festival that weekend. Your homeroom teacher strongly urged you to join a club for social activities as well as everyday practice of your Japanese, and you rifled through a small leaflet she handed you listing all the available ones. The book club seemed fun, or maybe the sewing club. You doubted any sports team would take you with your chubby appearance, even though you did genuinely enjoy quite a few of them. Deciding to check out the possibilities for yourself during the festival, you got dressed and began your arduous journey to school that Saturday, paddling your bike over the many hills Miyagi had to offer.

As you pushed it into the bike rack by the school gate, someone came to a screeching halt next to you.

“Hey, y/n-san!“ It was Hinata, the boy with the fiery hair.

“Good morning!“, you smiled.

“I made a plan for us.“, he announced proudly and slipped his hand into his pocket to pull out a hastily folded - slightly crumpled - piece of paper, waving it through the air, “We‘ll start with the snacks and refreshment stand obviously, then we can check out the book club and then we- what?“

He looked at your shocked face in confusion.

“But aren‘t you busy today? I thought you‘d be with the volleyball team?“

The tips of Hinata‘s ears turned very pink, and he ruffled a hand through his hair. He looked somewhere off to the side when he said, “Nah, I told them I‘d be showing you around again. But we should stop by their stand! It‘s awesome! There is a flyer and everything and I‘m on the cover!“

He basked in the impressed admiration that followed for a moment, then put the paper back into his pocket, grabbed your hand and pulled you along.

Munching on yakisoba buns from the snack stall, courtesy of the Sakanoshita Store, Hinata kept on talking as he led you through the crowds, grabbing your hand again every so often so as not to lose you. Your heart skipped whenever he did, but since he acted so casual about it, you pushed the blossoming feelings down again and again. Once you‘d made the rounds to the clubs you had earmarked in your leaflet, Hinata suggested a short break under a large tree next to the main building, disappearing for a minute before returning with two water bottles. The unfamiliar summer heat of the countryside pressed down on you, and you took a couple of grateful gulps, emptying half the bottle.

“You know…“, Hinata began, pushing a pebble around with his shoe, “the volleyball club is always looking for new managers. Just a thought. We already have two so you wouldn‘t be alone, and they‘re both super nice! You‘d get along great! And the team is also super cool! And you already met a couple of them! Kageyama, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima are also in the club.“

You nodded slowly. “You don‘t have to, of course!“, Hinata added, earnestly, “But.. it would be cool to… to see each other outside of school, too.“

For a moment you both blushed at your shoes before you cleared your throat and told him to lead the way. He beamed and bounced ahead.

“Wow…“, your jaw dropped when you saw the posters on either side of the volleyball stand. Hinata hadn't exaggerated - his picture really was incredible.

You picked up a flyer and stared at the cover for probably way too long, admiring the way the light shimmered through Hinata‘s hair.

“Are you thinking of joining?“, a boy with a kind smile asked. You offered a mixture between a shrug and a nod.

“This is y/n l/n.“, Hinata introduced.

“Oooh!“, the boy said, “Yes, Shoyo-kun told us a lot about you. Quite frankly he has talked about nothing else this past week.“

Hinata froze in horror and his face became bright red as he croaked, “Sugawara-san!“

“What‘s this now?“, a third boy, possibly even shorter than Hinata appeared by Sugawara‘s side, a blonde strand falling over his forehead amidst the otherwise brown spiky hair, “Oh is this her? You didn‘t do her justice, Shoyo, she is even prettier than you said.“

“Here, keep the flyer.“, Sugawara said and pushed the glossy leaflet you had placed back on the table into your hands again, “We would love to have another manager. I bet you‘d be great at keeping Hinata in line - I mean, keep him motivated.“

Hinata at this point had practically dissolved into the wind from embarrassment.

“I don‘t think he needs more motivation for volleyball, Sugawara-san.“

Yet another club member spawned out of nowhere, this one at least you‘d seen before. He had a mischievous, almost daringly evil grin on his face as he pushed his glasses back up on his nose.

“If only he would apply himself to homework and studying as much as he did to volleyball. Then we wouldn‘t have to wait at training camp for this airhead to finish his make-up classes.“

Sugawara kept an angelic smile on his face as he elbowed Tsukishima in the side.

“Just think about it, y/n-kun.“, the third year said, never losing his smile and giving you a thumbs up.

With an uncertain bow you turned and pulled the small heap of misery formerly known as Hinata back into the stream of students and visitors.

“They… seem … nice?“, you said slowly as his soul gradually returned to his body, “You know… if you struggle with homework and studying… I could tutor you, maybe. - If you like.“

Hinata looked at you in surprise and blushed, then walked against a tree.

a/n: thank you so much for such a cute request for our favorite tangerine! Please enjoy 🌟

I still have 9 requests to go so if your request hasn’t shown up yet, know, I haven’t forgotten about it and am on it ^^

[killuasskateboard]

Killua x reader !

10 days of being seatmates

•.:°❀×═════════×❀°:.•

Day 1

The first day of the semester at Hunter School was always chaotic. Students filled the room with chatter and energy, all abuzz with excitement over new classes and new challenges.

Killua Zoldyck sat lazily at his desk near the window, his silver hair catching the sunlight. Next to him was his best friend, Gon, the only person who made the craziness bearable.

"Alright, brats, listen up!" Biscuit Krueger, their petite but terrifyingly strong teacher, clapped her hands, demanding attention. "We’re doing seat arrangements today! This year, I’ve decided to mix things up."

Killua leaned back in his chair, his usual smirk in place. "Whatever. As long as I’m next to Gon, I’m good."

But his smugness quickly faded when Biscuit announced, "Killua Zoldyck, you’re sitting with y/n!"

"What?!" Killua shot up, glaring at Biscuit. "Why do I have to sit next to her? Gon and I—"

"No arguing," Biscuit cut him off with a sharp glare. "This is for your own good."

'that old hag...' killua cursed under his breath looking annoyed.

Grumbling, Killua slumped into his new seat. You looked over at him, smiling nervously. "Hi, Killua."

He didn’t bother looking at you. "Whatever."

Later, during class, you asked, "Killua, can I borrow a pencil? I forgot mine."

He groaned dramatically, digging through his bag. "Seriously? Why do I have to sit with someone so unprepared? Here." He shoved the pencil toward you without even looking.

"Uhh thanks?" You spoke, laughing awkwardly.

Day 2

The second day started with a similar attitude from Killua. He barely acknowledged your presence and spent most of his time whispering to Gon across the room. 

You decided to leave him be, but during a group exercise, you had no choice but to talk to him.

"Killua, we need to finish this together," you said, holding out the worksheet Biscuit had assigned.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just don’t slow me down."

Despite his grumbling, you noticed he was actually pretty smart. 

By the end of the exercise, the two of you had finished first.

Day 3

Killua’s complaints continued, though slightly less frequent. During lunch, you surprised him by offering a homemade snack.

"Here," you said, placing the small bento on his desk. "I made too much, so you can have some."

He stared at it suspiciously. "What’s your angle?"

"No angle," you replied. "Just being nice."

He hesitated but eventually took a bite. 

His eyes widened slightly. "This… isn’t bad."

You smiled. "Thanks, I guess?"

Day 4

By the fourth day, Killua had stopped actively ignoring you.

He still complained, but it seemed less genuine. During a particularly boring lecture, you doodled a small cartoon of him looking grumpy and showed it to him.

"Is that supposed to be me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

You nodded, grinning. "Yeah. See? I even got your signature pout."

He tried not to laugh but failed, a small chuckle escaping him. "Okay, that’s pretty good."

Day 5

Killua found himself noticing little things about you—how you always came prepared with notes, how you helped other students who were struggling, and how your laugh was… oddly nice.

When you asked him for help during a sparring exercise, he didn’t complain as much as usual. "Fine. Just don’t blame me if you can’t keep up."

Day 6

By now, Killua had stopped complaining altogether. Instead, he found himself initiating conversations with you.

"Hey," he said during a break, "how do you always stay so calm during Biscuit’s training? She’s terrifying."

You laughed. "I guess I’m just used to it. What about you? You’re supposed to be this amazing assassin, right?"

He smirked. "I am amazing. Just… not a fan of authority."

Day 7

Killua started waiting for you outside class, though he pretended it was a coincidence.

"Wow, you’re early," you said when you saw him.

"Yeah, well, I just didn’t want to listen to Gon talk about bugs again," he lied.

You laughed, and he felt his chest tighten in a way that confused him.

Day 8

Killua realized he was looking forward to seeing you every day. During lunch, he offered you some of his food, surprising both of you.

"Here," he said, shoving a snack in your direction. "You always share with me, so… whatever."

"Thanks, Killua," you said, your smile making his cheeks feel warm.

Day 9

He couldn’t deny it anymore—he liked being around you. During class, he found himself watching you more than paying attention to Biscuit’s lecture.

When you caught him staring, he quickly looked away, his ears turning red.

Day 10

Killua finally admitted to himself that he had feelings for you. When you smiled at him that day, thanking him for lending you his eraser, he felt something shift in his chest.

"Hey," he said after class, stopping you in the hallway.

"Yeah?"

He hesitated, scratching the back of his head. "I… uh, never mind."

You tilted your head. "Killua?"

He sighed. "Forget it. I’ll tell you later."

But deep down, he knew he couldn’t hold it in much longer.

✩*⢄⢁✧ --------- ✧⡈⡠*✩

This was in my drafts hehe , im sorry if there are grammar mistakes and all, thank you for reading! :)

Have a good day/night !!

✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧