#at least we have a nozzle on the kitchen sink

[lynxalon]

GUYS 😭😭😭 I TURNED ON THE SHOWER. THE DAMN FAUCET *FLEW* OFF EUEUEUEEUEUEU WHY DOES THIS SHOWER HATE MEEEEEEEEEEE

[slyandthefamilybook]

I know we all like to joke about tzfardei'a like "how can frogs be a plague? it's just a bunch of frogs!" But I think we're going about it the wrong way. So imagine, if you will, this:

You're at home when you find a frog. It's sitting in your living room. That's not so bad. You might even make a TikTok about it. What a silly little guy! But eventually it has to go, right? You don't want a pet frog. So you hold out your hand and the frog hops on and you take it outside. You stand up, go inside, close the door, turn around, and there's a frog.

Okay, that's weird. It must have just jumped through your legs when you stood up. But no worries. You hold out your hand and the frog hops on and you take it outside. You stand up, go inside, close the door, turn around.

There are two frogs.

Okay that's definitely weird. This time you don't try to pick them up. You just use your hands to gently push them out the door. You stand up, go inside, close the door, turn around, aaaaaand one of the frogs had peed on your floor. Great.

You go into the kitchen and open the cabinet under the sink. You reach in and pull out a cleaning spray. Sitting on the nozzle is another frog. Okay, what is going on?

You take the spray bottle outside and gently encourage the frog off. You stand up, go inside, close the door, turn around, and there's another frog. It's standing in the puddle of piss. It croaks at you. Okay, this is fine, you're fine. It's just a frog. You gently but firmly push the frog outside. You stand up, go inside—

There's seven frogs.

In frustration you spray the cleaning spray at one of the frogs. You didn't think it was that much, but the frog's eyes bulge and it croaks and hops around in circles. You watch, horrified, as it lands on its back and its legs stretch out and then it stops moving. The other frogs stare at you in silent judgment. Another one pees on your floor. You gently tap the overturned frog with the toe of your boot. It doesn't move, and it's starting to smell. You reach down and touch one of its feet. It doesn't respond. You go back to your kitchen and get your broom. You start to shoo the frogs out of the door. You get them all out. You close the door and, perhaps irrationally, lock it. You return the broom to the kitchen. There's a frog clinging to the handle. You shout and shake the broom and the frog flies off. It hits the floor with a wet thud and does not move. You pick the dead thing up by a foot and drop it in the trash can. It lands on 10 more frogs, sitting at the bottom, all peeing.

You go to your room and slam the door. Behind you you hear a croak. You turn, very very slowly, and look at your room. Every surface has at least one frog. They all just sit there, staring at you, peeing on your belongings. Several of them, implausibly, are already dead. Their overturned bodies create a stench you wonder how you could have missed. You don't even know what to do with this many frogs. Where do you begin? You go to the bathroom. There are frogs in your toilet. You spitefully go to flush it, but there's a frog clinging to the lever. You try to wash your face in the sink, but it's full of frogs. You leave the bathroom and feel something soft and small crunch beneath your foot...

Everything seems to freeze and you sense dozens of pairs of baleful black eyes turn toward you......

You feel something brush the back of your neck and you swat at it, but your hand meets empty air. You feel something wet and you look down at your hand to see a frog sticking to it, peeing. You shake it off and it lands on the floor, already dead. You trample several more frogs as you sprint to the kitchen. You throw open the fridge, crushing the frog on the handle against the wall, and pull out a brewski. You pop open the cap and raise the bottle. There's a frog already inside your brewski. You throw the bottle down and it shatters, sending tens of tiny frogs scattering every which way. You feel something on the back of your neck again, and again you swat and again hit nothing but air, but this time it's because the frog has already made it down your shirt. You shriek and shout and twist about and a frog jumps inside your mouth. It's one of the tiny ones, and when you talk about this with your therapist later you won't feel confident that you didn't swallow it.

The frogs are everywhere now. Your house is more frog than house. Your kitchen is more frog than kitchen. There are frogs on your fresh fruit, and frogs in your sink and frogs in your sourdough starter. Frogs stick to the ceiling and jump inside the extractor fan above the stove where they make a horrible slicing noise. This can't be happening. There aren't this many frogs in the world, probably! You hear a click and turn, horrified, to see your oven preheating. It's set to 700°. Does your oven even go that high? Inside there are crisp frogs, and frogs waiting to crisp. The smell is unbearable.

You wade through a sea of frogs: frogs piled up on top of other frogs, all shapes and sizes and colors and all peeing and dying and smelling. You burst through your front door and take a deep breath of the fresh, clean air. What you see makes your head spin.

A mass of frogs in the approximate shape of your car sits where you're pretty sure your car used to be. A thing that looks like a dog but made of frogs runs past, screaming. Your neighbor's house writhes under a coat of green and red and yellow. You don't even want to imagine what your neighbor looks like. Frogs inundate your herb garden. They're eating all your herbs. You feel them creeping up your shins, but you can no longer move. You fall to your knees, squashing more frogs as you do. The frogs are all croaking. It's so loud it makes your ears bleed. Their voices all blend together, becoming a persistant hum. And oh g-d. You think you can hear words.

[strawheart-pirate]

Icing

Monkey D. Luffy x gn!Reader

December 11th 2023 Words: 994 CW: modern AU, SFW, fluff, food, food fight, no seriously it’s just funny

You've been sharing an apartment with Sabo, Ace and Luffy for a few months now and you like it. And even though Sabo is always on the road because of his job and Ace stays with his partner most of the time, it's never been boring since you had Luffy. But there were days when the urge to throw him through a window was immense.

Life with the ASL brothers is great if you stick to one rule: Never mention food to Luffy unless you want to feed him, and feed him now. You were talking to your best friend on speaker about Christmas preparations while doing laundry. You didn't realize your roommate came home while you were talking about cookies and a gingerbread house your friend was going to bake. At least not until you heard an excited cry from the front door.

"GINGERBREAD HOUSE?!" You end the conversation just in time as Luffy lunges himself at you, smiling brightly. "Oh yes, let's build a gingerbread house!" His eyes sparkle with joy. You could never say 'no' to those big puppy eyes. Never refuse a request when he was so excited.

You sighed. "Okay, fine. We'll build one tomorrow, okay?"

"But why not right now?" Luffy nearly drooled on your shoulder.

"Because I have to go to the supermarket first." The sparkle in his eyes seemed to fade and you felt bad... "But how about ordering food from your favorite delivery guy tonight?"

"Yay, I can't wait!" Luffy jumped off of you and opened the delivery app as you sighed. You were glad that you had at least saved the day and made a list for tomorrow. You had a bad feeling, but it couldn't be that bad, right? This is Luffy we're talking about, so everything will be fine in the end, so you pushed your worries aside and enjoyed a nice evening on the couch with fast food and a happy roommate.

The next day, you were lucky enough to find Luffy meeting his friends for breakfast, so you were able to start preparing. After successfully gathering the ingredients and kneading them into a fairly stiff dough, you rolled it out to the right thickness and cut out the pieces you needed. You had prepared four wall sections and two roof sections. With the remaining dough, you cut out trees and stars. You baked everything and cut it again to get sharp edges before you let it cool completely and concentrated on decorating. You collected all the sprinkles, nuts, almonds, and candy you could find and then made a nice icing to glue everything together. When everything was ready, you took a moment to yourself and waited for Luffy.

Your moment didn't last long because Luffy seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to food. He announced his return loudly and stormed into the kitchen. You giggled and went into the kitchen yourself.

"Hey Luffy. I've got everything ready, so we can start right away," you said excitedly.

Luffy looked at everything you had prepared on the counter and his eyes sparkled. "Can I have a taste?"

"No." You slapped his fingers back from the gingerbread. "Just wash your hands and we can start."

He pouted, but walked over to the sink to wash his hands.

"You can have the leftovers when we're done, okay?" You sighed and made him an offer.

His pout immediately turned into a smile and you could start decorating the sections.

You were impressed how well Luffy could control himself. He didn't even nibble at the decorations. You had finished most of the house and decorations when the icing got stuck in the piping bag. You squeezed harder, but it didn't work, so you held the bag higher and checked the nozzle. Big mistake. When you were eye-to-eye with the nozzle, Luffy decided to squeeze the bag hard, and within a second, the nozzle separated from the bag and hit you in the eye. The icing splattered everywhere, on your face, on Luffy's shirt, all over the counter...

As if that wasn't enough, the door opened to reveal Sabo coming home from work. Your eye began to twitch with annoyance... How much bad luck can you have in one moment... Luffy threw his hands in the air and let go of the piping bag to lunge at his brother. Sabo just giggled and hugged him, even though his clothes were now covered in icing as well.

"I see we have a new roommate." Sabo joked as he looked at you.

You stared at him, wiping the sticky sweet goo from your eyes. Sabo was still laughing and hugging Luffy when you suddenly appeared right next to him. His reflexes were good, but not good enough, and a second later you were rubbing your face against his to share the icing. The whole thing escalated quickly, and after a decent icing fight, the three of you sat exhausted on the floor while Luffy licked the sweet, sticky stuff off Sabo's and your hands. You were all a little happy when you realized that the gingerbread house was on the floor. Your smile turned to a frown, and Luffy let out a small cry when he realized what you were picking up. His eyes filled with tears that threatened to overflow.

"Luffy... I'm sorry... We'll make a new one..." You were doing your best when Sabo interrupted you.

"We'll make it a tree house. Just like the one we used to have when we were kids! And you can make the flag, okay?"

Luffy's tears were gone in an instant, and he started gathering things for the flag. Sabo and you salvaged what you could from the broken gingerbread house, and you built a tree house according to Sabo's instructions. All three of you stood proudly around the counter as Luffy placed the flag on top and put on his trademark smile.

"This is the best gingerbread house we ever made." He said proudly.

"Let me just take a picture." You pulled out your phone when you heard crunching noises.

"Luffy! No!" Sabo and you shouted in unison, but it was too late. Luffy had already devoured the whole gingerbread house.

He looked at you with an innocent expression. "What? I was hungry from all the work and the icing battle..."

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[eroaneki]

Just a life update kind of thing

I started a project over the summer where I was gonna repaint all the kitchen cabinets and install physical door handles on them (they're wood and have grooves carved into them), and new hinges

I was gonna try filling the grooves with wood putty but i horribly underestimated how much work it is and sawdust

Idk what kind of paint is on those doors (they're the original doors from the 70s). there's likely at least ONE layer of lead paint on them

So I think I'm gonna just

Wash them down, paint over them, install new hinges and then the door handles

I need to look at new laminate flooring too because what's currently in the kitchen is peeling. I don't wanna put down a floating floor because then I have to somehow bridge the lip going into the living room and that's a lot of work I don't know how to do so new laminate peel and stick flooring it is

We have "plans" to exchange the sink tub to something else but idk, maybe I'll just get a different faucet. Something stainless steel that curves upward with a detachable nozzle head. The faucet we have now on it is like a standard bathroom faucet.

Every time I bring freshing up the kitchen to Joe though he's like "who cares we're not gonna live here forever" and I'm like yes I know but for now we live here

And I don't wanna live here like this for now

Also trying to sell my dad's place has been a nightmare so far. The people we're in contract with are ridiculous and they're playing games and I'm just like bro why did you sign a contract to begin with if this is the way you are

Also life update my work contract has ended. I'm gonna take a couple weeks I think to just chill and then start looking for another contract/maybe part time work so I get some better insurance

Maybe actually sign a marriage license too idk. We've resolved ourselves to it being a court wedding and probably doing some kind of weekend vacation thing with friends as like a "reception"

I have barely anyone that would come aside from my mom, brother, and a couple friends. It would pretty much be his entire family at the wedding if we had one. And that's kind of embarrassing to me, idk. It doesn't bother me that my circle is small because tbh I prefer it that way. I just think it would be ridiculous to have a giant wedding for such a small party though. We'd also just rather spend the money on an actual home.

But yeah that's life for me as of late. I'm dog sitting for a few hours today, paying bills and yeah. Living life. Trying to restart a workout routine now that I'm home again. Trying to cook more. Trying.

[vorrentis]

Tzuyu x M Reader x Dahyun - Sticking Together~

Okay, so explanation time.

I know this was a Sana and Chaeyoung...but Sana has SO MANY SMUT FICS AND REQUESTS that it's getting too long (heh) for her.

Chaeyoung while, not the same number as Sana, has two upcoming smuts.

So, I went and checked and with Dahyun and Tzuyu having the least amount of smuts for them, well, it was a no brainer.

The other girls already have smuts coming up with their own sequels and these two aren't getting the love they deserve so yeah.

But, if you all hate it, then I'll change it back.

Word Count: 20,924

ENJOY!

===============================================

"Yeah Dahyun I know. Not too long on one side. I have done this before." You spoke on the speakerphone.

"Yeah, I remember. I remember that night we ordered take-out." You heard your girlfriend joke behind the phone as you smile and shook your head.

"Oof Dahyun that hurt." You said smiling at nothing as you heard Dahyun giggle. "Oh, my misery is that funny." You joked as Dahyun laughed more.

"Hehehe, a little, hehehe~...ahh (YN), a laugh is what I needed right now."

"Things getting rough?" You asked as you stirred a pot of noodles.

"Pretty much. A pair of students signed up today one is good and the other just...yeah."

"Well, it's a good thing you only have an hour left." You spoke up as you heard a yup from the line.

"Can't wait to leave though. I'd much rather be at home with you. Cuddling with you on the couch~ I miss you (YN)~" You heard as you chuckled.

"I rather have that too Dahyun, believe me. I miss you too."

"Well I miss you more...-Yeah...just one moment...great, sorry (YN) I have to go." You heard Dahyun's tone drop fast as you smiled.

"No worries Dahyun. See you in an hour."

"See yah! Love you!~"

"Love you more~" You sang along as you hung up the phone and continued to do your cooking with a smile on your face.

The two of you have lived together ever since you both were out of high school as lovers, living in the same apartment for all of college, graduated, and decided to stay in the place till they have a steady plan to move out and start a family.

You and Dahyun had been best friends since they were four years old...and lovers since middle...and soul mates for life.

You both were inseparable and you loved her with every centimeter of your heart and body and her to you as well.

You had just gotten off a nine-hour shift at (Work) an hour beforehand and were bone dead tired.

Dahyun was due to arrive an hour later at her vocal class after you had gotten home as you were prepping dinner for her...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Suddenly frantic knocking starts on the front door of your apartment door.

You turned towards the door quickly and went to it and as-

"(YN)! Dahyun!"

A high-pitched call of your name had you sprinting now and to the front door in only a pair of sweatpants and loose shirt on.

Pulling open the door before the knocking could continue, you came face to face with your frantic neighbor, Chou Tzuyu.

"Fire! Fire!" Tzuyu was in panic mode as soon as you had the door open, the smell of smoke coming from her open apartment door.

"Oh shoot." You curse as you run into your kitchen for the fire extinguisher you kept under the sink, grabbing it and pulling the pin as you rushed past Tzuyu and into the girl's apartment.

The oven is open while a small gray smoke wavered out, you pointed the nozzle of the extinguisher at the oven and presses the lever down, the foam coating the appliance in white.

"What happened!?" You question the girl, turning away from the now smokeless oven to see the girl standing in the doorway of the kitchen biting her bottom lip in worry.

"I put a pizza in for dinner and left it in there for a while," Tzuyu mutters softly, tucking a loose strand of her long hair behind her ear, her feet shuffling as you set the fire extinguisher down on the counter.

"How long was it in there?" You asked as you checked on the oven.

"Um, well. I put it in thirty minutes ago and passed out on the couch and didn't wake up because I forgot to set a timer..." Tzuyu admits sheepishly, her fingers tugging at the hem of her oversized t-shirt.

You sighed and nodded.

"Tzu you need to be more careful, you could have burned your apartment down or worse gotten yourself hurt." You sigh as you took a step closer to the girl.

"Yeah...I know...thanks (YN)."

Chou Tzuyu has been living across the hall from the two of you ever since she finished college two years ago and started to work here.

You three became quick friends as you both helped her move her boxes since then it felt like she was with you two since four years old as well.

You and Dahyun were...protective over her.

Tzuyu was a year younger and inches shorter than you, while taller than Dahyun and she had her moments of help and aid and she would always turn to you two in need. 

You both didn't mind, as she was only ten feet away from your place.

She was currently in a silky Pj's. Her attire made her look adorable as it was making you want to wrap her up in a blanket and make sure nothing bad happened to her.

"I know, I'm sorry I had to bother you. I know you must be tired." Tzuyu replies, not looking you in the eye, but instead keeping her gaze on her sock-clad feet. "I would have called 911, but...y-you came to mind first and..." She shrugged as you shook your head.

"It's fine Tzu, I'm just glad you weren't hurt."

Tzuyu smiled at you.

"You should open the windows to air the place out, and don't touch the oven until tomorrow. I can help you clean it if you want." You offer in response, resting your hand on the girl's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze for reassurance of her to remain calm.

Tzuyu looked at your hand as she looked up at you.

"Thank you, but I don't want to put you out more than I already have. I appreciate the offer though." Tzuyu smiles, looking up so you could see those cub-like eyes.

You smiled and nodded.

"Alright, if you need anything, I'm in the kitchen. Dahyun is to arrive in about an hour." You took your hand back as you spoke, covering a yawn at the end of your sentence.

"Yeah...I will." Tzuyu nodded in agreement as you walked past behind her with the fire extinguisher.

"Goodnight Tzu."

"W-wait (YN)." You stopped as you turned around. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

Tzuyu appreciated that.

"So, (BN) and I went on a date last night."

(BN) was Tzuyu's boyfriend whom she was dating for two months now.

"Yeah? Did it go well?"

"It was so-so, lately he's been...off though," Tzuyu admitted as you shut the door behind you and went towards Tzuyu's couch.

"You want to talk about it?" Pointing at the couch.

"It's not much to talk about, but I want to ask, when you and Dahyun first dated, did you two have issues too?" You raised an eyebrow in questioning. "Sorry, if it's personal-"

"Oh no no it's quite alright." You reassured the girl as you pondered that question.

"Well...Dahyun and I were best friends so there weren’t any issues or problems towards each of us." You told her as Tzuyu nodded. "We had a tad bit of mad or arguments, but we always end up apologizing like minutes later. Are you and (BN) fighting or something?" You asked as Tzuyu looked down.

"I...I think it's me. He seems more talkative than usual and wanting to go out more and when I decline...he gets upset. Is it wrong of me that I don't want to see him that often?" She asked you as you shook your head.

"Of course not Tzu. I mean he just wants to be with you more often. And I don't blame him."

Tzuyu smiled as she looked down.

"But relationships are a two-way street. You're a part of that relationship too Tzuyu, you can make decisions on when and where you want to go out. But don't get me wrong, while it's great that he wants to be more interactive, he needs to consider you as a factor and talk about it together rather than get mad at you."

"Huh..." Tzuyu muttered as you nodded. "Dang (YN)...you should be like a teacher or something." You chuckled a bit.

"It's just simple stuff when it comes to relationships. You're not doing wrong anything by the way. Just talk with him about it." You waved as she nodded.

"Yeah, yeah okay, I will. Thank you (YN)."

You smiled as you walked near her again and placed a hand on her shoulder once more.

"No worries Tzu. Glad to help you out." Tzuyu gave a soft smile at you. "Anything else or..."

"No, I think I got this." As she put her fists up to her chest.

You nodded as you let go and went towards the door.

"Alright Tzu, good luck and good night okay."

"Goodnight (YN)." She whispered back as you closed the door behind you.

Tzuyu looked towards the door as she released a breath of contentment and held the shoulder you just held with her hand.

"Hmm...thank you (YN)." She hummed as she smiled.

She turned around and went to start her cleaning on the oven.

RING RING RING

Tzuyu stopped her action as she went to her phone...with a sigh, she answered it.

"Hey (BN)...yeah I'm not busy right now...hey listen we need talk...no nothing bad...yeah I'll meet you there...okay...see yeah."

Tzuyu hung up the phone...as good as the advice you gave her, she was not looking forward to tonight.

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

THREE DAYS LATER

Kim Dahyun.

In your opinion, the most beautiful girl in the world, both in personality and image and you were lucky to call her your girlfriend.

Dahyun was coming back with two bags of groceries as she gleefully arrived back in her place and to be with you soon.

"You have to be kidding me, again? Really?"

Dahyun tilts her head to the side at the voice, rounding the corner to the hallway of her apartment to see Tzuyu in a pair of short blue shorts and a white plain t-shirt, a full laundry basket at her feet as she jiggled the doorknob to her apartment in frustration.

Dahyun couldn't help but smile to herself, you had told him about the pizza incident the previous week and from what she knew of Tzuyu, she was in a pickle.

"Locked out?" Dahyun asks softly, watching as Tzuyu jumps slightly before turning to her with a small grimace.

"I swear I didn't lock the door but when I came back from the laundry room it was locked and I don't want to have to go tell the creepy landlord I locked myself out for the third time this month." Tzuyu sighs, her bottom lip pouting.

Dahyun couldn't help but find it adorable.

"Tzuyu, we're only halfway through the month." Dahyun laughs gently, coming up beside the younger girl.

"I know; I'm a disaster!" Tzuyu whines back, banging her head against the doorframe.

"Hey don't hurt yourself, Tzu."

Dahyun told her as Tzuyu looked to her and apologized.

"It's okay, I'll get your spare key for you," Dahyun assures, giving Tzuyu a gentle nudge out of the way as she went towards her door.

"Here let me help you." Tzuyu offered a hand at a bag as Dahyun let go.

"Thank you," Dahyun spoke up as she opened her apartment door Tzuyu followed and placed her bag with Dahyun's on the counter.

"Now your door." Dahyun skipped towards the door and fished out a key from the five keys on the door hanging.

"And here's yours, shall we?" Dahyun says with a small smile as she moves out the door and she inserts the key in the hole and twists.

CLICK...SQUEAK

"And voila~" Dahyun turned on her heel as Tzuyu smiled at her.

"Thanks, Dahyun. You saved me from having to talk to our creepy landlord. I swear I think he stares at my butt whenever I pass by him..." Tzuyu replies as she bends down to pick her laundry basket back up.

"You really should just hide your spare key out here, you shouldn't talk to the owner if you can't help it," Dahyun tells her, frowning at the thought of the greasy old man looking at Tzuyu like that.

"Not really anywhere to hide it unless I get a plant or something to put out here." Tzuyu shrugs, a few loose hairs falling into her eyes where they have come loose from her undone hair.

"Well (YN) and I will still keep it for you so you don't get locked out again." Dahyun offers with his own shrug. Tzuyu gave her a relieved smile in reply.

"Thanks. That makes my life easier."

"No problemo, so (YN) told me about your oven."

"Ugh, don't remind me...still beating myself up for it. What's for dinner tonight?" She looked at the bags.

"Oh just chicken and vegetables, I prep while (YN) cooks. Then probably a movie and...well who knows~" Dahyun spoke up as Tzuyu nodded slowly.

"It's really sweet how close you two are." Tzuyu voices as she allows Dahyun to enter the apartment, setting her basket down on the coffee table before lending the grocery bag to Dahyun.

"Helps that we grew up together. What about you and (BN)? (YN) told me about your issue." Dahyun says as Tzuyu drops the laundry basket on her couch.

"Well we talked and I guess he took it well...we went out last night and he seemed okay I guess." Tzuyu said shaking the back of her head.

"Well give it time. I'm sure he'll be better over time."

Tzuyu shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know Dahyun...he seems...odd."

"Odd?"

"I don't know...he's just...he gives me these vibes and not lovey-dovey vibes either." Tzuyu explained as she massaged her arm.

"Hmm...well, I don't know what to say to that? Maybe go on one or two more dates and then see what happens. Not every couple is perfect or meant to be." Tzuyu looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah...maybe you're right...oh speaking of sweets, that reminds me, I've got something for you and (YN)." Tzuyu claims with a snap of her fingers, moving towards the kitchen and coming back a moment later with a tray of cookies.

"I was thinking of how to thank (YN) and I made a batch of cookies for him saving me from my oven, now cleaned and workable, and I guess now you for the door."

Dahyun looked at the tray with a bright smile.

"Thank you, Tzuyu, you didn't have to." Dahyun says as she hands her the tray with a happy smile.

"Course I did, you two have been helping my poor two years here and well... I haven't done much to give back so I thought I should do something in return now." Tzuyu explains, folding her hands behind her back. "I hope you guys like snickerdoodles." Dahyun smiled with glee.

"Aww, Tzu...they're actually my favorite, I'll probably try and eat the whole batch before (YN) gets here." Dahyun laughs, shaking her head at the thought.

"Really? Well, what's (YN)'s favorite then so next time I can do it?" Tzuyu questions, rocking back on her heels.

"Chocolate chip," Dahyun supplies, tucking the spare key into her pocket so she wouldn't lose it while her attention was on holding the tray.

"Okay." Tzuyu says with a nod, her phone buzzing loudly from inside the laundry basket before Dahyun could reply.

"Who's texting me?" Tzuyu mumbles to herself as she moves to rifle through the laundry. "Oh...it's (BN)..."

Dahyun looked at her as she noticed Tzu's drop in morale.

"...What does he want?" Dahyun asked as Tzuyu sighed.

"If I'm free tonight...and he...wants to come over..." Tzuyu looked at Dahyun pursing her lips.

"Hmm...I don't know Tzu, if he gives you bad vibes. I wouldn't." Tzuyu nodded.

"No, you're right, I'll text him I'm working a late shift tonight, and then we can go see a movie tomorrow or something."

"Good idea. Well, I'll let you be for tonight, thank you again for the cookies." Dahyun smiles as she makes her way to the door, giving the younger girl a small wave in parting.

"And thank you for being such a good friend Dahyun, let me know what you think of the cookies," Tzuyu calls out, finally pulling her phone out of the mess of clothes with a triumphant sound.

"Will do." Dahyun speaks ups as she went out the door and into her apartment as she closed her door with her leg and Tzuyu went to close her own door.

'Snickerdoodles...like me...' Tzuyu took a few breaths to calm her down as she started to put away her laundry.

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

TWO WEEKS LATER

"What are you doing Tzuyu?" You cut the girl's singing off as he comes to stand next to the blue jeep parked in front of their apartment complex where the younger girl was laying on top of the hood in short shorts and a crop top.

A towel keeping her skin from burning on the metal of the car, her phone blasting music, and a bottle of wine in her hand.

"(YN)! What's up? I'm sunbathing silly, it's hot out did you know that? It's like really really hot, at least two hundred degrees at least. I think I'm melting, am I melting?" Tzuyu rambles, her voice slightly slurred.

"How much have you had to drink?" You are glad you were the one to find her here.

"This is my second bottle...I think. The first one was this really yummy pink drink. Why? Want to drink with me?" Tzuyu asks, excitement creeping into her voice as she looked up at you with glazed eyes, her hair artfully laid out around her.

"I think we should go lay down Tzuyu."

"But I'm lonely (YYYNNN)~ everyone is at work or doing couple stuff together and I'm all left outtt…will you pretty please hang out with me?" 

She asked of you and now you weren't sure if she was drunk, but you nodded.

"Okay Tzuyu we can hang out, but let's go up to my place to hang." You said and agreed easily if it meant Tzuyu wouldn't be outside where anyone could take advantage of her drunken state.

"Yay!" Tzuyu cheers, sitting up fast and swaying slightly, her hair falling in careless waves down her back. She looked down at her bare feet then at the asphalt covering the ground, a small pout playing on her lips.

"Um, does this involve me walking?" She looked to you as she brought her arms out.

You shook your head, grinning to yourself at how cute Tzuyu was at the moment. You pocket your phone, turning your back to the car while you got as close to her.

"Hop on, be careful with the bottle," You instructed, letting Tzuyu wrap her arms around your shoulders and her legs around your waist, hooking your arms under the girl's knees to make sure she didn't fall.

"Oh (YN)...you're really strong, do you work out~" Tzuyu mutters into your neck, her lips squished against your skin making you repress a shiver as you carried her into the building, walking towards the elevator and pressing the fifth-floor button as Tzuyu kept breathing down your neck.

Then you gulped as Tzuyu lowered an arm down and started to rub your upper torso as you looked forward.

"My my...Dahyun is one lucky lady..." You were getting a bit uncomfortable by this.

"...Y-you're even more talkative when you're drunk." You chuckled nervously as the elevator its way up.

"Excuse you, I'm not drunk." Tzuyu huffs, bringing the bottle up to her lips to take a drink as they made it to their floor.

"Oh I'm sure..." You said in amusement as you pulled your keys out of your pocket as Tzuyu's legs were tightening around you so she didn't slip while you unlocked the door.

You opened the door and went inside your place and headed to the couch.

"Tzu, you needed to be careful when you go out like that, not everyone has your best interest at heart." You warned the girl as you set her down on the couch gently, Tzuyu curling her legs up underneath herself as she cradles the bottle of wine in both hands.

"..." Tzuyu grumbles with a frown, taking another drink.

You shook your head at the girl as you move to your room, grabbing one of your shirts for the girl to wear so she wouldn't get cold. Dahyun always had the air conditioning blasting and Tzuyu had only a crop top on and shorts on.

"Here," You said as you handed the shirt over to Tzuyu, taking the bottle out of her hands so she can pull it over her head.

It was about three sizes too big for her small frame making her look even more adorable than you could honestly deal with right now. "Why were you drinking? You're not a drinker."

"Because boys are stupid." Tzuyu huffs, settling herself back into the cushions as you sat in the armchair nearest to the couch.

"(BN)?" You ask, your muscles tensing at the thought of him trying to press them on Tzuyu.

"Yeah...I dumped him about two weeks ago."

Your eyes widened.

"You did?"

"Hm-mm...he keeps texting me and he showed up at my work like three times this week. I keep telling him to leave me alone but he's not getting it through his thick head. I dumped him for a reason; he's a horrible man who was always snooping through my stuff and being a controlling person. I don't need that in my life so I kicked him out of it, but now he won't leave me alone." Tzuyu explains, frown deepening with each word.

"Oh, I'm sorry Tzu." She shook her head.

"I tried to hang in there, but it didn't work out for me. I broke it off after our last date and then he just randomly texted me a week ago and I told him to stop answering and even blocked his number...and then out of nowhere, he comes to my work this week. He wanted to 'fix' what we had, but I wasn't interested in him anymore." Tzuyu huffed as you listened.

"Tsk..." You scowled to yourself, how dare someone bother Tzuyu like that. Tzuyu was her own person who could make her own choices. "Next time call me or Dahyun okay, he shouldn't be bothering you like that." You pointed out as Tzuyu looked at you and grinned.

"Thanks (YN), I appreciate it, but I got this." Tzuyu sighs, resting her head against the arm of the couch, her eyes fluttering open and shut.

You were going to counter, but then you'd be going against what you were thinking about her making her decisions.

"...Okay then. Here why don't you take a nap and I'll make us some dinner," You said softly, standing up and taking the half-empty bottle out of her hands and draping a throw blanket over the girl's body.

"Mhh, I like food, especially your food (YN)..." Tzuyu mutters back, sinking further into the couch, her eyes staying closed now that she was comfortable.

You ran a hand over her hair gently, making sure it didn't bother her face before leaving her to nap while you worked on dinner for three.

Dahyun would be home in about an hour and you were already itching to tell her everything Tzuyu had told him about her stalker ex.

Little did you know...

Tzuyu was watching you, gathering food from the fridge, your back to her the whole time.

'...You and Dahyun are lucky (YN)...I wish I was that lucky too...'

With that Tzuyu felt her body go numb as she closed her eyes to take a nap.

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

"Sweetie I'm home," Dahyun calls out as she pushes the front door open, dropping her keys in the dish on the entry table and hanging her jacket up on the coat hanger.

"What are you cooking it smells-ohh..." Dahyun cuts herself off when she sees Tzuyu's sleeping form on the couch, the blanket pooled around her shoulders and her mouth parted open slightly.

"Shh, don't wake her up." You whispered as you came out of the kitchen, your eyes running over Tzuyu to make sure the girl had not woken up before settling on Dahyun.

"What happened?" Dahyun trails off with an eyebrow raised at you.

"I found her drinking out on the hood of her car singing at the top of her lungs and sunbathing." You inform her, ushering Dahyun into the kitchen so they could speak without waking the sleeping girl.

"So you brought her over here?" You nodded. "Good job." Dahyun praised as you nodded.

"Yeah...but we have a problem. When I was getting her up here she told me about her now ex-boyfriend (BN) won't leave her alone." You replied to her as Dahyun's response was of pure shock.

"Wait? Ex-boyfriend? When did they break up?" Dahyun repeats.

"Two weeks ago...but yeah, she said he's been coming into her work and won't stop texting her. I don't know Dahyun, it sounds...bad." You state, leaning back against the countertop with your arms crossed over your chest.

"Really?" Dahyun questioned in worry as you nodded.

"Pretty much that he wants to get back together with her and won't leave her alone." You told Dahyun what Tzuyu told you.

Dahyun had a frown tugging at her lips, "Aish...sounds rough."

Dahyun looked at Tzuyu and then too you.

"What should we do?" Dahyun muses, her brow pulling down in concentration.

"I don't know, for now we should keep an eye out Dahyun. For her and that guy."

Dahyun looked to Tzuyu...

"Why didn't she tell us this?"

"Probably thinks it's her issue...but she's drunk right now and probably wasn't even thinking straight when telling me-"

DING DING DING DING DING

The oven timer going off a moment later causing you to rush to turn it off.

'Damn did that-'

"Ughh...." Tzuyu groans from the living room as you pull the chicken out of the oven.

Dahyun chuckles to herself and heads into the living room just in time to see Tzuyu tugging the blanket up over her head.

"Hey there, have a nice nap?" Dahyun asks softly, sitting down on the coffee table in front of the girl.

"Very..." Tzuyu moans pitifully as Dahyun stifled a giggle.

"Are you hungry? (YN) is almost done with dinner." Dahyun hums in reply, smiling as Tzuyu pokes her head out from under the covers.

Her eyes half-lidded as she looks up at her.

"Of course, but I also like sleep." Tzuyu mutters, a hand-pecking out to rub over her face tiredly.

"Well we'll just eat your portion then." You joked from the kitchen, causing the girl to groan in annoyance as Dahyun chuckled.

"Ugh, fineee. Dinner better be worth it then. I will be judging you." Tzuyu huffs back as she sits up, the blanket pooling in her lap and showing off the t-shirt she is wearing.

Your t-shirt.

Dahyun has to admit, it was utterly adorable on her.

"C'mon, it's definitely worth it," Dahyun assures the girl, standing up and offering Tzuyu a hand.

"Right..." Tzuyu mumbles as she takes the offered hand, letting Dahyun pull her up and off the couch.

The shirt was huge on her, hitting her mid-thigh and falling off one shoulder showcasing her collarbone.

 "Don't worry, it is."You spoke to the girl as you set plates filled with chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes down onto the small table in the corner of the kitchen.

"Oh god...I got to stop drinking..." Tzuyu groans as she takes a seat, burying her head into her hands.

"I'll go get medicine," Dahyun spoke up as you nodded at her and looked at Tzuyu.

"Tzu, we really need to do something about (BN) and to your workplace too." You said softly as you took your own seats.

"Yeah...yeah I know." Tzuyu replies, cutting up her chicken with a frown covering her face at her own words.

"Tzuyu, if he's bothering you so much. Maybe we should tell the police." Dahyun voices coming back with a few pills as Tzuyu took them. Tzuyu figured you would tell Dahyun, but she didn't mind though.

"No I don't want to go that far...don't worry you two, it's fine. If he bothers me at work again, I'll pepper spray him or something." Tzuyu shrugs, trying to brush the subject off.

You and Dahyun smiled and Dahyun even chuckled a bit at her joke.

"Well, remember what I said earlier Tzuyu, if he bothers you again you can call Dahyun or I. It's not a bother to us to help you in this." You put in, looking the girl right in the eyes as you spoke so she knew you were serious.

Tzuyu gave a smile as she nodded.

"I know, thank you both, for everything. Just...I can handle it." Tzuyu happily said, pushing her potatoes into her mouth.

"We won't interfere if that's what you want, but call us if anything happens alright?" Dahyun chimed in.

Tzuyu smiles at Dahyun's words, nodding her head once.

"I promise."

========================================

ONE WEEK LATER

"It's been a while since we had a date hasn't it (YN)." Dahyun spoke up as you nodded.

You were driving both Dahyun and you back to your place from your apartment after a nice dinner with Dahyun.

"Yeah work just gets to us doesn't it?"

"Hm-mh." Dahyun hummed in agreement.

"But know that I still love you Dahyun."

Dahyun smiled lovingly as she leaned toward you and pecked you on the cheek.

"And I love you too (YN)." You smiled looking at the road.

"You think Tzuyu is okay?" Dahyun asked as you stopped at a red light.

"She looks okay. She did say she hasn't seen him for the past five days." You told her as Dahyun nodded.

"I know...it's just bad luck to her you know. And I'm just worried about her."

"I know Dahyun. Me too." You pressed onwards as you were near your guy's place...but you both didn't expect the welcome...

"What the hell..." You muttered as Dahyun and you looked to see something...bad.

A crowd of people was around the apartment complex and you both saw cop cars lighting up with red and blue lights, lighting up the night, and cops holding the entrance away from the complex's doors.

"(YN)? W-what's going-"

"Call Tzu now." You commanded as you parked in the parking lot that wasn't being guarded with Dahyun immediately to her phone and dialed Tzuyu's number.

You both stepped out and speed-walked towards the caution tape as you heard Dahyun curse.

"She's not picking up!" Dahyun was in worry mode now, as were you.

You both found a spot near the front of you both approached the tape and an officer stopped you both.

"I'm sorry, you can't-"

"We need to get in there." You spoke up suddenly as the cop shook his head.

"I'm sorry we can't let you pass."

"Can you at least tell us what happened?" Dahyun frantically asked as the cop looked at her.

"A break-in happened. We're searching the entire complex to see if they did anything else." He answered as both your and Dahyun's hearts dropped.

"You both live here then?"

"Y-yes! Floor five." You informed as the cop looked at you.

"Well consider yourselves lucky that you were out. That was the same floor the break-in happened." As if your body couldn't handle any more anxiety...

"Oh god..." you muttered as you looked to Dahyun who wasn't fairing any better.

"I-it wasn't room 508, w-was it?" Dahyun asked as the cop looked at her funny.

"Yeah it was. Do you know something about this?" He leered at her.

You and Dahyun both looked at one another, as she seemed to have trouble breathing, you felt stressed beyond belief.

"W-was she hurt?!" Dahyun asked frantically as the cop looked at her. "The lady who lives there?!"

The cop held his hands up.

"No don't worry. She wasn't at home at the time. We are currently questioning her. She's shaken, but safe and sound." The cop reassured as you released a breath as Dahyun hugged into your body as she praised god, " you know the lady?" The cop asked as you both nodded.

"Yeah, we're close friends." You managed to say as you held onto Dahyun, feeling her shake in fear.

You held back and massaged her back and cooed her into her ear, telling her it was okay.

"Hold on a sec." The cop took a few steps back as he pressed onto his radio. "(DN)...I got a couple of pedestrians who know the victim…your names?" He asked you.

"I'm (YN) and she's Dahyun." You answered for her.

"(YN) and Dahyun...okay then...you two come with me." He raised the tape as you both went under.

"(DN) is the head officer talking to the girl in the lobby. She's shaken so hopefully you both can calm her down." Both you and Dahyun felt horrible as the three entered the lobby.

As soon as you did, you saw cops all around and more noticeably...

"(YN)! Dahyun!"

"Tzuyu!" "Tzu!" You both called out and looked behind the cop to see a frantic-looking Tzuyu pushing past cops towards you two.

Tzuyu comes running over to you two, her hair wild and her eyes filled with unshed tears as she throws herself into you, knocking down the caution tape.

"Oh thank god you're okay Tzu!" Dahyun spoke up as Tzuyu sobbed in your chest.

"We got you, Tzu, don't worry we got you." You muttered as you leaned down and massaged Tzuyu's back as well.

"I-I-it was h-him...it-it was him...I have no idea he was so crazy...I-I-" Tzuyu cuts herself off, a sob catching in her throat as she buries her head into Dahyun’s chest.

"Excuse me?" You both looked up to see a person in a coat, approaching you two, "my apologies. My name is (DN). I'm investigating this case." He pulled out a badge as you and Dahyun nodded. "Do you two mind if you calm her down a bit while I check the progress on the tapes?" (DN) asks the both of you as you both nod as he thanks you both and leaves.

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

After a long conversation with (DN), Tzuyu came clean about everything (BN) had been doing.

Apparently, she wasn't telling the whole truth to you and Dahyun.

Not only was (BN) coming to her work...he had been following her around and...not just her, but you, and Dahyun as well.

"He texted me the night we three had lunch and told me I was being a...a disloyal girlfriend. He's seen me talk to both of you before and kept telling me to stay away from you guys. I told him to leave me alone or I'd call the cops to arrest him and he stopped texting me for a few days...then I came back from a quick walk to the laundry mat and I came back to see my door smashed and.. and...thank christ I wasn't there." Tzuyu held your hand tight with both of hers as she looked at the tile as Dahyun leaned onto her.

You were aghast at this...this was happening...this was no dream.

"I knew it! We should have done something!" You spoke a bit of temper as Dahyun patted your arm and shook her head.

"I didn't think he would do anything (YN), he was just being a freak and not taking no for an answer. I thought he would get bored and stop." Tzuyu replies.

"Well...we got his number so we'll trace it to his. Miss Chou, do you have anywhere else to go besides here?" (DN) asks as Tzu shook her head.

"Alright, then I hate to propose, but I need the three of you to stick together. If he's as crazy as he seems, then I'm afraid that he's after all of you. I want you three together at all times. We'll also have patrols around the premises and a couple of guards in front of your door for the night. We need to keep you three safe." (DN) states as he stands up from his seat. "We know now what he looks like thanks to the cameras and her description and if he does come out here, he'll get him."

"Yes sir," Dahyun nods, rising from her chair at the same time as you.

"I'll let you know when we bring him in." (DN) says as he exits the room, nodding in farewell as the three stayed in the lobby seats.

"I'm sorry you guys got dragged into this mess, I don't know what the hell is wrong with (BN)...or me for dating him." Tzuyu sighs as she runs a hand through her hair in frustration.

"Don't blame yourself, Tzu. You're not the psychopath." Dahyun hums, trying to lighten the mood. Tzuyu lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head.

"Okay then...Tzu, you're staying with us till he's caught. We'll reinforce the door and we'll be together if we need to head out. I'll call my job and let them know what's going on. I know they'll let me get some days off right now and take my sick and vacation days if needed." You spoke up as Dahyun nodded.

"Yeah me too."

Tzuyu shook her head vigorously.

"No I can't have you two-"

"Tzu this isn't up for discussion." You sternly spoke to her. You felt bad...but it was necessary. "We're doing this. We want and need to keep you safe."

Tzuyu looked at you and Dahyun alternatively as you both nodded.

Her lips began to quiver...

"T-thank you...oh t-thank...ugh ahh!" Tzuyu started to sob as you both went to her sides and just hugged her as she felt the warmth of two bodies on her.

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

THIRTY MINUTES LATER

"Okay...thank you (DN). We'll be safe don't worry." CLICK "(BN) wasn't at his place, they have a wanted and news out on him but they don't know where he is." Dahyun tells the two after he called to inform her.

You three were in your apartment on your couch. Tzuyu couldn't even look into her apartment as you both looked at the scene...it was like a hurricane went in there.

Ripped up clothes on the floor, destroyed furniture, glass and even a couple of holes in the wall...it wasn't pretty.

Your best guess was that the neighboring apartments heard and called the cops if Tzuyu wasn't around...thank god she wasn't.

"They can't find him?" Tzuyu asks as her bottom lip caught between her teeth and a worried expression across her face.

"Not yet, but they will. You're staying the night here until they do. I don't feel right leaving you alone, even just across the hall, when he's out there somewhere." Dahyun replies.

"Me either, he might try and do something barbaric." You scowled.

"I'm more scared he's going to come after you two." Tzuyu admits to them, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

"I'd like to see him try, (YN) and I can handle ourselves just fine." Dahyun reassures, resting her hands over Tzuyu's own and giving them a small squeeze.

"I know but I still don't like it." Tzuyu sighs, her lip pouted out.

"C'mon, let’s start on dinner, get your mind off of it." You offer as you stood up, helping the younger girl off the table.

The three of them work together to make steak, Tzuyu cutting up the vegetables while Dahyun grills the steaks and you prepared sides.

It was a silent and slow start as you three were being cautious at the sounds out the hall, but knowing it was the police investigating the scene.

Still...you had had to be calm...for Tzuyu's sake.

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

"What a day huh?" You sighed as you sat on the couch with Dahyun at your side.

"Yup..." Dahyun replies as she follows her lover's gaze. "She asleep?"

"Yeah...after about an hour of holding onto me." You spoke up as you sighed.

"What are we going to do (YN)?" Dahyun questions as she tightens her hold on you.

"About (BN)? I don't know...but I know she's much much safer here." Dahyun nodded in response. They both wanted her here, they just needed to figure out what they were going to do about (BN) if he does come around...or if he's even caught.

"You okay with this Dahyun?"

"Of course I am. I'll be damn if we let her be on her own." Dahyun points out as you nodded.

"Good, I'm like that too...god...I can't get her out of my head. How can someone be so crazy." You spat at nothing as Dahyun shook you a bit.

"I don't know (YN)...I don't know." Dahyun agreed.

"And to Tzuyu of all. She doesn't deserve this Dahyun...not her."

Dahyun looked to you as she saw a glare on your face.

Dahyun knew you're over protectiveness of the people you care for. It was evident back when they met and to this day and Dahyun loved it very much.

"I know (YN), but we're her bodyguards now. We got her safe and sound." She said as you nodded.

"Yeah...safe." You muttered after as Dahyun stood up.

"Well we should get some sleep. Since Tzu is in our bed, I'll get some blankets and pillows. Pull out the futon please." She spoke up as you nodded and went to the coffee table to pull out the futon.

Dahyun went to the closet in the hall and got two blankets and was going to make another trip for the pillows. Walking down the hall, she spotted the slightly opened door to her room.

Dahyun tiptoed to the door and pressed gently to see Tzuyu sound asleep as she was curled with the blanket over her.

Dahyun formed a soft smile as she went toward Tzuyu.

She noticed the girl holding onto her blanket tight and figured she was cold, so Dahyun placed the one she had with her over Tzuyu softly as she dropped the other.

Dahyun then moved the hair off of Tzu's face as she saw a content smile on her face.

"Don't worry Tzuyu...(YN) and I am here to keep you safe...sweet dreams." Dahyun whispered as she left the room...leaving a partly awake Tzuyu with a smile on her face.

"Thank you..." She whispered as she clenched the blanket and nuzzled against the bed.

=============================================

ONE MONTH LATER

True to (DN)'s word, there were some police parked in front and back of the building and you even reinforced the door with three locks.

The owner allowed it, as he was worried for the safety of you three.

But there was no need for that anymore.

(BN) was found three days after the incident.

He turned himself in.

After ID-ing (BN) and seeing the look of (BN)'s stale face, Tzuyu looked away and never looked at him again after he was cuffed and in the back of the police cell.

But (BN) also had something in his possession...a camera.

(DN), who was scrolling through the gallery, turned his knuckles white from how hard he was holding the device.

They're all of Tzuyu.

At work, in her car in the parking lots of home and work, even entering the building of her apartment complex. There's some of you and Dahyun too as you three went out and hanged out.

He admitted to following Tzuyu around...even before the breakup happened...he said that she was too alluring...

Tzuyu couldn't take it as Dahyun took her away as you shot him a death glare to the man who made her life a living nightmare.

"You're a sick fuck." Were the last words you said as you headed out with the three out of the station where he was behind bars and awaiting trial.

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

Tzuyu is over the entire time after that day, Dahyun makes sure Tzuyu eats proper meals, You show her how to cook basic dishes without burning the apartment down and as you, Dahyun and Tzuyu became more relaxed with each other.

She didn't want to be alone and you didn't blame the girl.

You and Dahyun agreed to make the whole thing seem like it never happened as you both tried to make Tzuyu's days filled with smiles and laughter.

It sort of worked and you both saw Tzuyu's laughter and smile on her for a bit each day that made both of you exhilarated, a small smile in a long day, but you'll take that.

In the weeks since (BN)'s arrest, Tzuyu was sticking at your place every day.

When you were at work, Dahyun and Tzuyu would watch horror movies and play endless vintage board games they were both obsessed with.

When Dahyun was at work, you and Tzuyu would bond over their love of books and end up in heated debates over random conversations that Tzuyu always seemed to crave.

When all three of them got together they binge-watched Netflix or went running in the preserve or went out for dinner and a night at the arcade.

As time went by the small touches past between the trio became cuddling on the couch or in your bedroom...yes bedroom...there was a good reason.

...Until night came...when Tzuyu had a nightmare on the day (BN) was arrested.

She woke up in cold sweat and ran from the couch and started to bang on your bedroom door, only for you to rush towards the door as you held a bat in hand hearing her voice, ready to save her.

As soon as you opened the door, she immediately grabbed onto you and even latched herself with arms and legs as she sobbed into your chest.

She stayed the night in your bed with you and Dahyun...and the next night...and the next night...it was evident she wouldn't leave any time soon.

And now it was three weeks afterward the incident, Tzuyu was getting better, but the fear of (BN) was still there...of course it wasn't going to go away like that.

Not for a while.

Even work was held up for her, but her boss learned of what happened and assured her that she can return whenever she is able.

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

You were awoken to the smell of coffee and bacon frying.

You then tried to sit up...but an arm was over your chest.

You looked to see not Dahyun, but Tzuyu.

Her face peacefully sleeping she was breathing out of her parted mouth.

You smiled at the sight as you gently moved her arm out of the way as she then hugged the pillow she was sleeping on.

You didn't bother getting dressed, heading into the living room/kitchen in a pair of sweatpants and the plain top you wore to bed as you scrubbed the sleep out of your eyes.

You saw Dahyun sizzling on the pan on the stove.

"Morning." You yawned, sitting down on one of the bar stools that faced the stove, both hands wrapped around a mug of coffee.

"..." Dahyun didn't answer as she cracks two eggs into a pan, adding spices over top after tossing the shells away.

"Dahyun?"

"..." Dahyun then looks to you as you saw her face looked...bleak. "Is she asleep?" She asked as you nodded. "Do you think for a while longer?"

You sat upright as you stared at her concerned.

"Dahyun...what's up?" You saw her gulp as she lowered the heat on the stove and turned to you. She now stood on the island table as she perched herself on her arms.

"(YN)...can you answer a question?" She asked as you woke yourself up, but you still had the concern.

"Of course."

"And please be honest...I promise I won't get mad."

Now you were getting intrigued.

"O-okay." As you answered, Dahyun, nodded and took a breath.

"What do you think about Tzuyu?" Dahyun asked as your eyes widened slightly.

"Oh...well she's a great girl." You simply replied thinking it was a simple question.

"...That's it?" She responded as you looked at her.

"What do you want me to say?" You quizzically asked.

"Just...anything more." She responded as she had the calmest look to her as you just thought of Tzuyu.

"Uhm well, she's funny..." You looked to Dahyun who didn't seem bothered, "super nice, responsible, a tad silly, but that's what makes her...unique. And she's great to be around, not a boring moment with her...well before all this crap happened." You finished as Dahyun nodded. "That okay?" You asked as she nodded.

"It's great...just one more thing?" She asked as you nodded. "Do you think she's cute?"

You were taken aback.

"Cute?... Why are you asking me that Dahyun?" You asked in a hushed tone as you saw Dahyun gulp.

"I just wanted to know if...well do you...like Tzuyu?" She asked awkwardly.

"Well of course I-" You paused as you realized that Dahyun's question might have a deeper meaning. "Wait...you don't mean...like us, right?" You pointed at her and you.

She nodded as your eyes budged.

"S-Dahyun?!" You didn't yell, but you lowered your volume for Tzuyu to wake up.

"Well do you?" She asked calmly like she didn't just ask or heard herself.

"I-I do Dahyun but as friends. Friends. What type of question-" You paused again. "Is it because I'm being with her too much?" Your spirit and well-being dropped thinking you were betraying Dahyun.

But Dahyun shook her head.

"Dahyun it's okay, you can tell me if I am. I don't mean to hurt yo-" She raised her hand up as you stopped.

"Hehe, no (YN) I don't mind you hanging with her...it's just...well...what do think...umm...about..." Dahyun was playing with her fingers on the table.

"About?"

"...Dating Tzuyu too?"

.

.

.

Your eyes go wide in confusion and you even dropped your mug on the table, making a metal screech in the silence.

"W...W-what...d-date her?" You looked at her in straight confusion as you couldn't and didn't believe the words that came out of her mouth.

"..." Dahyun nodded as you shook your head and raised your hands up to your head as you struggled to think of anything logical to say.

"W-w-wait...so...hold up...you want us...me...to date Tzuyu?" You said each word slowly thinking you were getting it wrong...you weren't.

Dahyun nodded as you looked around the room.

"...I...Are you pranking me?" Dahyun shook her head. "Is this a joke with you and her?" She shook her head. "Dahyun, do you realize what you just said?" She nodded.

"Tzuyu talks about you." She spoke up as you stopped. "When you go to work. Tzu asks me about these types of questions about you."

"L-like what?"

"She wanted to know you better and about how we met and how we fell in love and all sorts of stuff. What does she ask you?"

"...oh crap...yeah she questions about you too. I just figured she wanted to know us better."

Dahyun nodded.

"But Dahyun I don't understand-"

"We talked about her and (BN)..."

You froze.

"It wasn't good (YN)...he didn't treat her right."

"Could have figured that out myself..." You muttered as Dahyun nodded.

"Yeah...but (YN) she had a hard time with him even before talking with us. Even now when he's gone, he still has an effect on her." You placed your head in your hands.

"And I've been thinking (YN) about her. I feel for Tzuyu's life right now...(YN) she had a stalker and her place was broken into...she's having the roughest time and even if (BN) is gone, she's just sulking and it hurts me."

You were hurt as well, she wouldn't go anywhere around anymore without the two of you and she wasn't like the Tzuyu you knew.

"And I honestly don't think she'll trust anyone again or be the same alone. And if we leave this place...we'll be leaving her too."

That caught your breath...you didn't think about that.

You two were planning to leave sooner or later...how would Tzuyu react?

"...and I just thought if we bring her into our relationship...maybe we'll change how she is and make her the Tzuyu we know again." Dahyun added as you laughed in disbelief.

"I-I know Dahyun, but why us? Let's set her up with a friend of ours. I mean you must know someone?" You tried to reason as Dahyun shook her head.

"She's deadlocked onto us (YN)." You looked away as Dahyun stood up and approached you.

"Us...wait does Tzu...like you?"

Dahyun nodded as you eyes widened.

"How would you even know Dahyun?"

"I catch her staring at me too. She blushes even when I touch or hug her."

You blinked several times as you comprehended this.

Dahyun got super close, she raised her hands and placed them on your cheeks. You looked to her as she had a smile on her face.

"I know it's huge of what I'm asking, but (YN) she's practically living here already. We knew her for two years now and three of us just click. Why not just make it something more? Heck, we even sleep together now (YN). Nothing major is going to change (YN)."

You shook your head in disbelief.

"Nothing major? Dahyun our lifestyle and future are going to change."

"Minor things yes, but...I don't mind (YN). I know we can push through with her." Dahyun kept a smile on her face as you looked at her with a discomforted one.

"Dahyun...I get that you want to help Tzu. I do. But the solution is not...this." You played with her arms as she sighed.

"Think about it (YN). You like her, she likes you, you love me, I love you and it'll help Tzuyu mend with all this. It's perfect. Plus we still get each other and you have Tzuyu to be with too." You listened to her...why was she so eager for this?

"Do you not like her?" She cuts you off as you shook your head.

"Of course I do like her Dahyun."

"Is she annoying?"

"No, I told you she's great and-"

"Then I don't see why-" You tightened her arms a bit.

"Because I'm with you Dahyun...even if you're suggesting this...I feel like I'm Tzuting on you...I just don't want to hurt or betray you Dahyun. I don't." You held her arms as Dahyun lovingly smiled at you.

Dahyun's heart raced as she felt your words...she loved you with every fiber of her body, heart and mind...and it grew from hearing that.

"And that's why you're the best (YN)...but you're not Tzuting on me...I'm sharing you if that makes it better. I'm sharing a one-of-a-kind boyfriend with a super close friend of ours."

"..." Your eyes wandered slightly to the left.

.

.

.

You closed your eyes.

"And you're sure she likes me?"

"It's super obvious (YN). I can tell. She likes you a lot (YN)...a lot. And I don't blame her."

Your eyes were still closed as you thought this through.

"...Do you like her?" You asked Dahyun.

And her hurt look said it all.

"I'm sorry..." She muttered and walked up to you as she held your hands. "But I adore and love what we have (YN). Nothing and I mean nothing will make us apart. I swear that I want to be with you for the rest of my life, with my soulmate, best friend, and lover. I love you with everything I can give. I do like her (YN), but I love you. And if this makes you uncomfortable or you don't like it then I'll drop this conversation and we'll forget about it. But I know this can work (YN)...I know it." You felt her breath on your face as you felt her words invade your mind and opinion on this.

.

.

.

"Is this what you really want to do? Do you really want this? There's no going back if we go with this."

"It is." She confirmed. "But what about you? Like I said, I'll drop it if you don't want it as well."

Everything will change if you went with this...but could you?

This was your choice.

While you needed some time...Tzuyu was just in your head as you thought this through...

What seemed like hours was only minutes as Dahyun just stared at you.

"Tzu is a great girl."

Dahyun looked at you in amazement.

"A-are you saying yeah?"

"Heh, yeah, I'm in." Dahyun nods slowly.

"Yay!" Dahyun grabs you tightly, pushing you back down onto the seat with her giggling into your chest. "Hehehe thank you (YN)!" Dahyun was cheering and hugging you like mad.

You smiled at her emotions right now. You loved that you were the one making her so. Once Dahyun had her moment, she raised her head up to see yours.

"Okay okay. Now since this is going to be new, we're going to have to go slowly with her. It'll almost be like starting over in a way." Dahyun pointed out as you patted her back.

"Hold on Dahyun, Tzu still needs to agree on this."

"I know, but...something tells me that she will agree with this. I just know it."

You smiled at Dahyun's positive outlook, one of the many reasons you loved her.

You smiled and went along with her.

"Okay, so nothing too big at first?"

Dahyun nodded with a smile. "Exactly. We have to be courteous to her, so even though we've been together longer, we can't exclude her when it comes to things like cuddling, kissing, affection, stuff like that."

"So ease her into things slowly?" She nodded. "That sounds good...wait, you too?" You asked.

"Well yeah, if the three of us are going to be together, then I'm going to have to be extra comfortable with her as well."

Your eyes widened...maybe this won't be a bad idea after-

"You're thinking naughty stuff aren't you~" Dahyun teased as you shook your head.

"N-no..." An unconvincing 'no' came out of your mouth...way to go...

"Hmm...it does sound kind of hot now thinking about it..." Dahyun responded as your brain melted. "But that's way, later on, so tomorrow we'll ask. I think that's the best time."

.

.

.

"(YN)." She poked your cheek as you came back to reality as Dahyun laughed at your face.

"S-sorry..."

"No worries, so tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow, why not now?" You asked as Dahyun smiled.

"Oh~ Eager to get into that...hot stuff~" She teased as you frowned.

"Hey you made me think that way." You poked her cheek back as she giggled.

"Okay okay, back on track. Tomorrow since I have to think about what to say before popping the question." You nodded.

"Right...okay then...I can't believe it..."

"I know..." Dahyun smiled before releasing you and looking right at you. "And (YN)?"

"Hmm?"

She smiled.

"I love you...and if this does happen, I know you'll make Tzuyu's world happy...I just know it. That's how I feel every second with you." Dahyun smiled at you with that most gorgeous smile you love seeing each day.

You cheekily smiled back.

"Love you too Dahyun. Forever and ever." She smiled and leaned up to give you a heartwarming kiss.

.

.

.

.

.

"Morn-oh..."

Dahyun jumped off as you both looked to see Tzuyu coming in the room with a blanket over her.

Her eyes looking surprised.

"Sorry...I wouldn't have walked in if-"

"No that's our fault..." You muttered as Dahyun nodded, both blushing a bit. "Slept well?"

Tzuyu came over as she nodded heading towards the seat near you.

"Yeah...very well." She said looking at you while trying to forget the scene she witnessed.

"Good." You said as you looked towards Dahyun, urging for help with your eyes.

"Hey Tzu, your coffee is by the pot." Dahyun pointed with her spatula. "I'm making pancakes. You like chocolate chips right?" Dahyun explained to Tzuyu was now fully awake.

"Ahh, I think I'm going to stay forever, you cook way too well for me to ever try to feed myself." Tzuyu states happily as she picks up her mug and moves back to take the seat next to you.

"I thought you only knew how to burn a pizza?" You tease, getting a laugh from Dahyun and a small glare from Tzuyu.

"Ha-ha, I'll have you know I make great mac and cheese." Tzuyu pointed upwards as she gave you a lesson.

"Oh and cookies too." Dahyun spoke up as Tzuyu pointed at her.

"Thank you, Dahyun." Tzuyu said looking at you as you rolled your eyes and laughed, your laughter caused the three to laugh as well.

"Hey Tzu, you aren't the only one to burn food either. Right (YN)~" Dahyun spoke up as you shook your head.

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Oh...so Mr. Perfect isn't so perfect after all." Tzuyu teased as she poked you in the arm.

'Mr. Perfect...' You thought as Dahyun hummed at Tzuyu.

"Well before you tell his faults "hey"...first are you guys working today?" Tzuyu asked you both.

You looked to Dahyun and both shook their heads.

"No, why?" You responded.

"Well, I was wondering if you guys wanted to come to the mall with me."

You both looked and nodded as you both smiled, she was starting to come out.

"Yeah." "Sounds great."

Tzuyu smiled as she nodded.

"Thank you...I also want to repay you guys with lunch, my treat." Tzuyu offered as you and Dahyun chuckled.

"You don't need to repay us Tzu, but yeah we'd love to join you." Dahyun gave a nod of agreement at your words, a day at the mall sounded like fun.

"No I do, really. You two have been...so helpful to me. Even before all this trouble, you two have been the best friends I could ask for. I know I've been...off, but you two didn't care and just brought me in. I know I'm just a distraction to your lives and-"

"Hey Tzu, don't you ever think that." You cut her off as she looked up to you. "Stop it right there okay. No more of that negativity about you."

"Yeah Tzuyu, we would never think of you like that. You're our best friend too and we'd let you live here forever if it's a must. And we don't care if you're 'off' Tzu, with what you've been through, everyone understands."

"Yeah Tzu, you're going through a tough time and Dahyun and I are glad to be helping you through this, we don't care about you in the way of our day or night...we don't. And we're-" You stopped talking as Tzuyu started to blink uncontrollably as her eyes became glassy as she looked down.

"Y-you two...are the b-best..." She muttered as you and Dahyun smiled as you went over and hugged her from the front as Tzuyu hugged back and into your chest.

"It's okay Tzu...it's okay." You muttered as Tzuyu started to thank you both as Dahyun came and hugged the two as Tzuyu felt the warmth and comfort.

And she loved it...

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

THE NEXT DAY

The next day after Dahyun and Tzuyu leaves for a spa treatment Dahyun hooked up for her and Tzuyu and you start getting the apartment ready for dinner...and the big question.

You clean everything.

Once everything is pristine and to your liking, you start on dinner.

You want to keep things simple, but delicious, so you decide to make everything for grilled beef and stir fry.

Just as you set the portable grill on the table, you get a text from Dahyun.

We're on our way! Are you ready?

Yep, just getting dinner set up! See you soon!

You put your phone down and grab all of your ingredients out of the fridge, slicing up the vegetables and lettuce before laying them all out on the table buffet style.

You're just sparking the grill when you hear the front door open and the two girls walk in.

"Oh (YN)~" Dahyun states. "We're here." Dahyun speed walks towards you.

"Hey beautiful." You call back. You hear their footsteps approach and the shuffle of bags as your stomach flutters in anticipation.

"Hey," Dahyun says as she walks into the small kitchen and gives you a kiss on the lips.

"Hey Tzu." You said to her as Tzu waved her free hand with the other with three bags as you went to help her with them, "How was it?"

"Great." She simply said as she showed off her nails. "Pretty great." You smiled as she showed off her nails and she went closer to the stove. "What you making?"

"Beef and stir fry. Is it too much?" You asked as both girls shook their heads.

"Not at all." Dahyun assures you with a smile. "It looks great." Tzuyu added as you nodded and placed her bags on the couch.

"Great. Well, have a seat you two. It's about a couple of minutes in and then we'll feast." You smile at them both. Tzuyu walks over to join you both by the table before taking a seat next to Dahyun. "Dahyun, do you want sake?"

"Yes please!" Dahyun answers.

"Can I get you anything to drink Tzuyu?"

"Um, sake sounds good."

"Perfect." You grab a bottle from the fridge before joining the girls at the table and pour them each a glass before pouring one for yourself.

"Thank you for dinner (YN)." Tzuyu said, bowing her head a bit in thanks.

"Oh, don't mention it, Tzu." You smile brightly at her. "Who wants to run the grill?"

"I do!" Dahyun claims, grabbing the tongs off the table.

The three of you eat happily, munching on your chow mien and exchanging small talk as you sip your sake.

Tzuyu seems to enjoy her meal, as she nibbled on her food and even went for seconds.

As the meal winds down, you find your full stomach twisting in knots, suddenly nervous.

What if Tzuyu says no...

What if she thinks you and Dahyun are insane...

What if she never talks to you or Dahyun again...

What if she moves...

It would be both of your faults.

You mentally shook your head to clear the thoughts from your mind and finish off the last of your sake, thankful for the liquid courage.

"Ah (YN), that was delicious." Dahyun states, leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach.

"Thanks." You smile before flashing her a glace and nodding your head at her, signaling for Dahyun to start the conversation as Dahyun nodded.

You both looked to Tzu who was eating slowly.

"Tzu?" She looked up to you.

"Hmm?"

"Can we talk about something?" Dahyun asks as Tzuyu eyes you both suspiciously as she gulps her content in her mouth.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes everything is fine Tzu." You told her as Tzuyu nodded and leaned back as Dahyun continues. "So, (YN) and I have been talking and...well we have something to ask of you."

"Okay."

You looked to Dahyun and she nodded and looked to Tzuyu.

"Tzu yesterday's talk...(YN) and I meant every word about you staying."

Tzuyu looked at her funny.

"And...we really do like you here."

Tzuyu had a small smile on her.

"In fact (YN) and I want you to stay from now on." That smile dropped as Tzuyu's jaw dropped with it. "But we want something more." Dahyun told her.

Tzuyu looked as confused as ever.

"More? Like rent money?" You chuckled as Dahyun shook her head.

"No, uhm...I'm just gonna say it, we both want you Tzuyu. And we want you to join our relationship." Dahyun uprightly said.

.

.

.

Tzuyu's eyes widened as you swore you saw her hands trembling.

"W-w-what?!" Tzuyu looked to you and her like a maniac. "...in the r-relationship?"

You both nodded.

"I know it's a big question and...we-"

"Y-you...you want me...t-to be w-ith-" She pointed at you two as you nodded.

"Yeah...we do."

.

.

"...D-don't joke-"

"We're not Tzuyu, we swear. Honest to god we want you to stay here and be more than friends with us." Dahyun reasoned as Tzuyu took breaths in and out.

"...S-so...does that mean that...y-you both-" You both nodded as Tzuyu gasped. "E-even you Dahyun?"

"Well...I...I do have some kind of attraction to you Tzu..." Dahyun admitted as Tzuyu looked at you.

"She told me...and I'm okay with it." You explained as Tzuyu looked between the two of you.

"Do you like us?" Dahyun asked. "And it's okay if you don't in that way." You said softly and calmly. "You can tell us. We won't judge or say anything or kick you out."

Tzuyu bites her lip in hesitation before dropping her gaze to her lap. "I...y-yeah...I do like (YN)...a lot...and y-you too Dahyun." She mumbles.

Dahyun smiled at the girl as she confessed.

"Since I got here, you two have been nothing but kind and loving and the best friends that I ever had...you've helped in everything and anything that I had issues with and...and over time I just started to have these feelings...and I wanted to hang with you two more often."

"But you two had each other...and what I suppose to say or do, but leave you be...and it hurt..."

Both you and Dahyun frowned...you didn't know about that seem Dahyun was right.

"We're really sorry for making you feel like that Tzuyu. For not seeing how you felt about us sooner...but we want to change that." Dahyun apologized as you nodded as Tzuyu shook her head.

"So if you want...and only if you want...and we're both 100% on board Tzuyu. We both want you in our relationship." Dahyun decided to speak up now.

The room goes silent for a minute as you both wait patiently for Tzuyu's answer.

.

.

.

"We'll be with each other equally?"

You both nodded.

"Yes. One won't get more attention than the other. We promise." Dahyun explained as you nodded.

You both didn't mind one bit.

.

.

.

"A-and...if I decline?"

"Then we'll forget about this...it'll take a bit, but we'll act like nothing happened." You spoke up as Tzuyu nodded. "We'll just have dinner and move on."

Tzuyu nodded.

.

.

.

"...Okay."

"Okay?" "Really?"

Tzuyu nods. "Yeah, I want to give this a try. I really like you (YN) and Dahyun..." She gave a look to Dahyun who had a look of gratitude. "I'm glad to have people like you two in my life. People who want to visit me and talk with me and laugh with me and take care of me and protect me. That's why...if it's no trouble, I'd like to this...I want to this..." Tzuyu had lionized her tone as you both nodded.

"Of course." "We promise we won't leave you out Tzu." Both you and Dahyun spoke up as Tzuyu smiled and even had her eyes glistening.

"Alright… let’s do it. I'm in."

"Yay!" Dahyun claps her hands together as she stood up and ran to Tzuyu as she vice gripped the poor girl with her arms.

"C-can't b-breathe." Tzuyu muttered out as you chuckled.

"Well, you better get used to that Tzu." You spoke up as you stood and went to the two and overlapped Dahyun's arms and gave a softer hug.

"This is going to be weird isn't it?" Tzuyu said as you shrugged into the hug.

"It'll take a bit of getting used to, but I know we'll make it work." You said as Dahyun nodded.

"Easy for you to say. You got the better deal." Tzuyu joked as you smiled.

"Yeah, two amazing girls." You said as Tzuyu flushed her cheeks.

You then leaned closer as you peck her on the cheek. Dahyun just smiled at your action as Tzuyu felt lost.

Tzuyu's whole world lit up as her smile graced her face and her eyes sparkled with happiness.

"Whoa..." Tzuyu muttered as she felt her cheek with her hand. It was just a peck, but it felt a lot to her.

"Okay. Now I really think this will work out." Tzuyu voiced and turned to Dahyun.

"And what about us?"

Dahyun shrugged

"Well, if you don't mind."

She shook her head as Dahyun smiled and she leaned closer to the girl, but rather than the cheek, Dahyun pressed her lips to Tzuyu's lips.

Causing you and Tzuyu to have their brain fried.

Dahyun kept there for only two seconds before pulling away as Tzuyu remained frozen.

"Interesting...cherrry?" Dahyun asked as she licked her lips.

"Y-yeah..." She muttered.

"I liked it." Dahyun held her hands together and smiled.

"...M-me too." Tzuyu responded as Dahyun smiled larger.

"And I'm sure (YN) loved it." They both looked at you as you looked away.

"Well…yeah~" You muttered as Dahyun laughed causing Tzu to chuckle as well.

"S-so...we're really doing this." Tzuyu muttered as you both nodded.

"Yeah." "Yup."

"But we'll go at your pace Tzu. We won't do anything that you're uncomfortable with." Dahyun stuck her tongue out as Tzuyu nodded.

"Hehe, okay...so...what do we do now? Celebrate?" She asked.

"I wouldn't mind,"

"Yeah and you can decide on what we should do Tzu." You said as Dahyun nodded.

Tzuyu looked at the table then she looked between the two of you.

"Uhm, can we watch a movie?" She asked as you both nodded.

"Sure." "Okay."

You three then headed to the couch as Tzuyu got in the middle, you on the right of her and Dahyun on the left of Tzuyu.

"So what movie should we watch?" Tzuyu asked as you handed her the remote.

"You pick." You offered, giving Tzuyu's arm a squeeze.

"Sure." Tzuyu agrees, handing the older girl the remote.

You and Tzuyu exchange excited smiles as Tzuyu begins scrolling through Netflix.

When she finally decides on a movie, the three of you settle back into the couch (after moving her bags), relaxing as you three watch the film.

Tzuyu was placed in the middle after you and Dahyun took the ends of the couch, causing Tzuyu to shake her head as she sat down, prepared for being crushed by the two of you.

Surprisingly, it doesn't take long for things to feel comfortable, and it's only a few seconds before Tzuyu grabs your hand in hers, stroking the back of it lightly with her thumb as leans her head on your shoulder.

Dahyun scooted closer and lean herself against Tzuyu, taking her hand and reaching it over to Tzuyu's vacant hand where Dahyun immediately adds her hand to the mix, entwining her hand with both of hers and Tzuyu's.

Tzuyu's perfume is like a symphony for your nose, instantly relaxing you as you both snuggled up to her.

The three of you remain cuddled together throughout the movie, talking and goofing off about the film too.

It felt natural.

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

As the credits roll, you sit up and stretch, letting loose a large yawn as you do. The other two were in a sleeping mood as well, as you stood up.

"Alright, I'm beat. You girls?" They both nodded as they stood up as well.

You lead both girls down the hall and into your bedroom where you immediately walk over to your dresser to pull out some pajamas as Dahyun did to her side.

Tzuyu, taking her PJs, went walking over to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her to change...she may have been here for a bit, but she still wasn't comfortable stripping to you two...not yet anyway...

You quickly strip out of your clothes and into your sleepwear before pulling back the covers and hopping up onto the bed.

Dahyun slips out of her own clothes and repeats the motion, giving you a quick kiss and a smile as you both wait for Tzuyu to return.

Tzuyu comes back after a minute or so and stands at the side of the bed, looking at you both. Her PJs were baggy on her as she loved the feeling of it, and it makes her look adorable and you can't help but smile when you see her.

"Alright, who's sleeping in the middle?" Dahyun inquires.

"I will." Tzuyu states. "If that's okay." You and Dahyun both nod and you scoot back enough so that Tzuyu can crawl onto the bed between you and Dahyun. You pull the covers back up over you and turn to face Tzuyu.

"Is it okay if I...?" She looks up to you and you nodded.

"Sure."

She smiles at you before snuggling up to your side, wrapping her arms around your waist, and resting her head on the pillow next to you.

You can feel Dahyun getting comfortable on the other side and then her arm is stretched across Tzuyu's torso to lightly rub your side.

You sigh contentedly as you also wrapped an arm around Tzuyu and Dahyun's arm as Dahyun scooted closer.

It isn't long before you hear their breathing even out and you sit up a bit, smiling to yourself as you scan over both of their blissfully sleeping faces.

Dahyun is snuggled up flush against Tzuyu's back, so close that Tzuyu's hair moves a bit every time Dahyun exhales.

Tzuyu somehow manages to look even cuter when she's asleep; her hair falling across her face, her pouty lips just barely parted as she breathes softly.

You settle back down against your pillow, smiling happily as you finally drift off.

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

THREE WEEKS LATER (Last one I swear!)

The next few weeks continue in the same sort of fashion; you all go to work, you come home first, fix dinner, the girls come home, you all eat, and then cuddle on the couch while watching TV.

Tzuyu becomes more comfortable as time progresses; even going so far as to kiss you on the cheek when she got home after seeing Dahyun do the same; making an unexpected blush spread through your cheeks.

It doesn't take long for the three of you to quickly find your favorite cuddling position, well, cuddling sandwich.

With Dahyun leaning up against the arm of the couch, Dahyun sitting between your legs, her back pressed to your chest, and Tzuyu laying on top of your right side, her arms wrapped around your right arm as your left was in front of Dahyun as she hugged it too; it just feels right.

About three weeks after your first night, it was you and Tzuyu in the living room playing a board game as Dahyun was out getting groceries as she drew the short straw of the three.

"Come on...please be lucky."

"Can you roll?" Tzuyu muttered as you leered at her.

You then rolled the die as you both stared at the die...and you groaned as Tzuyu...

"...and that's $1000 please~" Tzuyu pressed her hand up as you frowned at her...she laughed at your misery as you proceeded to sell your houses to pay the girl.

"You're going to make me live on the street Tzu..."

"Sorry (YN)."

"Are you?" You looked at her as she flashed a smile you both laughed at her action.

"Aright...here you go...and now I'm homeless...hmm." You muttered as she picked up the dice. "Come on...I need you to land at my hotels."

.

.

.

You looked up to see Tzuyu staring at you.

"It's your turn Tzu."

.

.

.

"(YN)..." she played with her fake money.

"Yeah?"

.

.

.

"...I love you."

Your brain stopped for a second.

"I-I know we've only been together for three weeks now, but...to me it felt so good...and everything we been doing the past two years, I couldn't help but think otherwise."

"Tzu..."

"You're an amazing guy and Dahyun is incredible too and...it makes me happy that I'm part of this."

"..."

"Before I could only just imagine what it would have been like to have a tiny bit of what you and Dahyun have...and now I'm here enjoying my life with not one but two incredible people. Sleeping, watching, eating, waking up to them each day and night. It feels like a dream come true."

Tzuyu then looked at you with a smile, but no tears.

"And...I love you (YN) for making that happen. You and Dahyun."

Rather than being stunned again, your heart beated swiftly as you stood up and went around the table. You got near Tzuyu and placed your hands on her face gently as you leaned forward and gave her a kiss.

Their first kiss.

A kiss that meant the world to Tzuyu as she gave into your lips and touch.

You pulled away after a moment and you looked straight into her eyes.

"And I love you Tzuyu, you and Dahyun...and you're also an incredible girl Tzu."

Tzuyu brightly smiled as you smiled back.

"I know that Dahyun was together longer Tzu, but I'll make our moments and our time together as happy as and loving as I can make them. You deserve it."

Tzuyu couldn't feel more heavenly than she is right now.

"Oh...(YN)..." Tzuyu couldn't take it and pushed herself against you as she kissed you once more.

You smiled into the kiss and you returned the action.

It wasn't however heartwarming...more sloppy actually as Tzuyu seemed to try to devour you and your tongue in the process. You didn't mind whatsoever.

In fact...it was getting heated up that you grabbed her by the waist and picked her up as she lunged at your face as you placed her butt on the table next to the monopoly game you both continued to kiss and make out.

She then placed her hands on your chest as she pushed you a bit.

You both stared at each other's pools of (colored eyes).

"You and Dahyun. How do you start?" She asked you as you knew what she was referring to.

"We just go for it.

Then Tzuyu leaned towards you as her eyes and lips were millimeters away, her hot breath on your lips.

"Then let's go for it." She spoke up as your body was getting on a high.

============================SMUT START===========================

You couldn't say no to that.

She got you cornered.

You took a deep breath and closed the gap towards her.

She was expecting that and did the same.

Our lips met in a long intense passionate kiss.

The feeling of kissing Tzuyu, felt the same as Dahyun, with her mouth wetting and caressing yours.

Gently and slowly at first, but she was building up the speed during what felt like an eternity until it became almost a wilderness.

Your heart was beating really fast, and hers probably too.

Her fingers touched your cheeks and after a few seconds you put more pressure and she responded in kind. Your hands which were on her waist till now started stroking her spine as you both moved in unison to each other's lips in session.

You nudged forward with your tongue and her mouth opened accepting me eagerly.

You brushed her teeth once with your tongue and then met her tongue.

She moaned into your mouth and gripped me even more tightly as if wanting to ensure that there wasn't a separation of even a few millimeters between us. Now you both were mashing your lips together.

The passion in those moments was immense.

When she stopped and finally let go of you, she leaned back about an inch as you felt her hot breath invade your mouth and chin...she closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying this feeling inside her.

Then she opened them and looked at you with eyes of lust.

"Touch me..." She said in a both caring and dirty voice.

You slowly lowered your hands and touched her waist as you felt her skin that wasn't covered as Tzuyu hummed at your touch.

First only with the tips of your fingers, but slowly palming her sides as you further towards her breasts underneath her shirt.

All the while, Tzuyu brought you into another frenzied kiss as you both just made out as you processed to do her bidding.

As you reached the middle of her waist, you started moving your hands around very slowly, enjoying the feel of her skin touching yours.

You started slowly moving your hands upwards.

Tzuyu concentrated on the kiss and was breathing slowly yet quite heavily. She almost looked as if she didn't care, but you knew what she was doing; concentrating, enjoying every single drop of the joyful feeling.

And you were too because this feeling was driving you wild.

You could say it was like when a child waits till it can open its Christmas presents and have given yourself to that feeling completely. Only until you were brought back as your left hand touched something.

A wave of a strange bliss spread through you and you covered one of her breasts with your palm. Both of them as you pushed her bra up to release them. She was still wearing a shirt, but you felt them.

At first, you were only moving your fingers around, getting to know every millimeter of her breasts, like a person who dips her feet into the pool first, before jumping into the water. She started breathing a little shaky and her lips turned into a mild smile.

As you started moving your hands around and gently massaging her, she opened her mouth, and let out a nice excited sigh.

Your fingers reached her hard nipples and run over them.

Tzuyu released herself from your kiss as she let out another hot sigh and moved her hands over your waist and downwards, teasing you by gently scratching your skin with her nails.

Then, suddenly conflicted, she wrenched your hands away from her boobs and her face contorted with uncertainty as she tried to shake the fog of desire from her brain.

"Tzu?"

She looked at you as her eyes were bewildered.

"I'm just—I just don't know why I'm shaking so much. Is that normal? Why am I shaking?" She didn't move her eyes from you.

"Y-you okay?"

"I just feel so...amazing—you're amazing (YN)..."

Tzuyu stopped talking mid-sentence and threw herself at you, kissing you so suddenly and so hungrily you couldn't hope to keep up.

Her small, bare breasts clapped against your chest, red-hot to the touch.

Her body was shaking and you could hear soft moans from her throat. You moved both your hands to her thighs and started gently rubbing them again.

Her breathing was harder and faster now.

Your fingers slowed down their work, but also buried deeper and moved even more energetic now. Then she froze for a short moment and then slowed down, opened her eyes, and slowly took her hands up.

Ever so slowly, the shirt went up and thrown somewhere...there you saw her breasts as the bra was pushed up slightly...then not a moment too soon, her white laced bra around her went down, revealing Tzuyu's soft, small chest to you.

Her breathing intensified, and the flush in her cheeks again traveled down her collar to the tops of those pale breasts as you moved your hands to the space between her tits, caressing them from the inside out.

Your thumbs sought out her thick, gumdrop-shaped nipples, delicately swirling around them.

That got her motor running.

No longer at peace, more like an animal in heat, Tzuyu kissed you back passionately, frenching you with wild passion. She grabbed your hands and crushed them to her tits, her whole body shaking with desire.

But instead, you lifted her up from her butt as you grabbed her nicely shaped rear and carried her towards the bedroom.

Tzuyu wrapped her arms and legs around you as she kissed you vigorously.

Your body bumped the door opened and you laid down with Tzuyu underneath you as you pressed your body against her, lowering the mattress to your weight as you both attacked each other with intense hunger and lust for one another.

We kept playing like this for a little longer before you moved your right hand to her left breast while slowly moving the left one in a spiral down towards the other beautiful parts of her hot body.

At first, you were just touching the inner side of her thigh.

Then you started fondling around her pussy in circles.

Tzuyu broke the kiss as she moaned in pleasure as you kept on rubbing through her PJ shorts.

Then Tzuyu grabbed your hand as you stopped to see her red face and breathing hard.

"...I...need you (YN)..." She hotly breathed as you nodded.

You then took your shirt off as Tzuyu began to work on her bottoms.

Just as you were working on your shorts...you marveled at Tzuyu's now nude body.

Not once did your eyes leave her completely naked form as you fully took her beauty in.

Her small, yet beautiful breasts with hardened pink nipples.

Her glistening pussy where a small patch of dark hair sat nestled above a bundle of pink flesh.

Her soft, smooth skin was like clear of any negatives and pure.

You drank it all in.

Tzuyu squirmed somewhat beneath his gaze. "Hey...don't stare so much..." she muttered softly, her embarrassment robbing her of a voice.

"Sorry, I can't help it," you replied as your fingers inched towards Tzuyu's exposed pussy lips. "You're just so beautiful."

Then you placed your finger on her lower lips.

She sighed a bit louder than before and you started teasing her by running your finger right on the edge of her hole up and down.

Your hands touched her thighs this time and she started rubbing them while you were making out with her and stimulating her pussy.

You slowly slipped your finger inside her, just a little at first, and when she gave you an approving sigh you continued further.

Deeper into her.

Then again.

And again.

She started moving up and down in the rhythm, brushing your fingers further in.

You started shaking a little, but continued and buried your finger deep into her, bent it, and started moving it inside.

Her butt-rubbing on you intensified copying her hand's energic wave-like movements.

You then released her mouth as she panted at your work downstairs.

You stared hungrily at her breasts and the twin pink peaks atop the mounds. You continued your actions from before, squeezing with your other hand and playing with her soft breast one by one.

Tzuyu didn't even care, she was too focused on your warm and strong hands invading her body as she submitted to your touch.

You pushed her onto her back once again and leaned down to kiss her lips. You planted kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

Once you reached her collarbone, you gave it a playful nip that caused her to whine before moving down to the valley of her breasts.

You felt her hands move to your head and comb through your hair as you licked your way slowly up her right breast to the very top. You paused to admire her hardened nipple and then gave it a long, slow lick with your tongue.

Tzuyu's breathing began to pick up and become erratic as her heart began to race. Your tongue was incredibly hot and it sent intense shivers throughout her body. She could feel a familiar warmth building in the pit of her stomach.

It was a sensation she recognized but had always dealt with herself and she found herself excited to have you satisfy her in such a way.

You swirled your tongue around the nipple before taking it into your mouth, sucking and licking it while your hand massaged the other breast.

Tzuyu was a writhing mess underneath you, arching her back even further and pressed your head deeper into her breast.

Her breathing had become short pants and her toes curled as she could feel the coil in her stomach tightening.

You switched to her left breast, taking the nipple into your mouth while you massaged the now-vacated right breast.

You could hear Tzuyu's moans and it was stirring something inside of you. You weren’t sure what, but you did know that you were becoming very aroused, more so than you were when they started.

Tzuyu was panting heavily. 'I don't believe this. He's too good at this. All he's done is play with my breasts and I'm already so close to-hmm~.' She fidgeted underneath you. "More~" she breathed.

You stopped and lifted your head up to look at Tzuyu, whose eyes were half-lidded, you leaned downwards to her neck as you nibbled and sucked her neck as Tzuyu squirmed under your wet tongue.

"Tell me what you want."You whispered in her ear as Tzuyu couldn't feel more alive at what you were making her do...she needed you.

She moved her hands to your shoulders and gently pushed on you, trying to encourage you to pay attention to where she needed it most. "Please, (YN). Go down."

Without confirmation, you held her sides as prepped butterfly kissed down her body.

Her neck.

Her nipples.

Her belly button.

And then you reached your destination.

She was clearly excited for this as you saw liquid seeping out...just begging to be lick-

"Wow~" You both stopped your movements.

Tzuyu leaned her head and you moved your body to see Dahyun grinning at the scene as she shut the door.

"Well, this is quick, not that I'm complaining~"

You both were frozen.

"So Tzu~ How is he treating you~ Heavenly right~?" Dahyun sultry asked as Tzuyu nodded bashfully. "Good...you won't mind if I join right?"

Dahyun then took her sweater off and pretty much swiped her shirt off, leaving her in a sky blue bra. "Good...because I need some relieving and (YN), you're the one who needs to fix it."

You looked to Dahyun...who had a smile on her as she smiled at you.

"Then get over here." You demanded as Dahyun unclipped her bra, now having her breasts out and about, and removed her jeans, revealing her matching blue underwear.

Tzuyu looked at Dahyun's swaying breasts as she walked over to them, they were hypnotizing to her.

"Move over (YN)." Your eyes widened, as did Tzuyu's. "What? I'm going to enjoy my time too...starting with you."She pointed at Tzuyu who gulped.

“You’re that horny Dahyun?” You asked as Dahyun nodded, “well Tzu,” Tzuyu turned to you, “you’re gonna see a new side of Dahyun. She’s…different during this.”

Tzuyu took a look at Dahyun’s grin and was excited about it.

Dahyun moved to the bed as you moved away from Tzuyu and Dahyun and spread her legs wide that revealing a wet and gleaming slit that was eager and ready for someone to feast on.

Looking at her bare pussy made your mouth water and a bit envious of what Dahyun was about to do, but seeing two hot girls do this...well it is so worth it.

"Oh now this looks nice enough to devour~" Dahyun spoke up as she patted Tzuyu's lower lips as Tzuyu had a jolt. "First time Tzu?" Dahyun asked as Tzuyu nodded. "Well don't worry, (YN) and I will take care of you. Starting with this~"

Tzuyu smiled and arched her back for Dahyun, just wiggling a little, waiting in desperate need as Dahyun used her hands to just pull her legs apart for her, then Tzuyu gave a deep, uncontrollable gasp as Dahyun suddenly pressed her face deep and pulled her tongue swiftly all the way from her clit, up over her soft labia and then over her asshole.

"Oh fuck," she gasped as a shudder of pleasure spread through her, feeling the tingle from both her holes, followed by another tingle as Dahyun did it again.

Her fingers dug into the bed somewhat as she spread her legs further to give Dahyun full access, something your first girlfriend seemed to be having no problem with anyway as she buried her face once more and let her tongue slide out to attack her clit, the sensations too intense for her as Dahyun's tongue initially made contact, inhaling sharply and pulling away from a little.

So Dahyun immediately altered to a softly, flatter touch through her touch to be more soothing, something Tzuyu found fantastic as she cooed her pleasure at it.

It was obvious that both girls were enjoying themselves and you were sure enjoying the show.

Dahyun was on her knees on the carpeted floor and you had an idea.

You then sat behind Dahyun and you pulled her underwear down, revealing her own exposed sex that looked so inviting that you positioned yourself as you leaned down and gave one huge lick.

Dahyun moaned into the younger girl's slit made her open her legs even more to you as you pulled the underwear down Dahyun brought one leg up as you removed one side of the panties, but left it on the other leg.

You then laid downwards, facing up as you looked at Dahyun's pussy, trimmed to perfection, just how you loved it. You then pulled her legs downward slightly and Dahyun got the hint as she looked back and saw your legs behind her.

She then managed to squat her lower half lower as she sat on your face all the while eating out Tzuyu still.

With a few seconds of that, you moved to attack Dahyun's pussy more generally, easily separating her soft, puffy labia with her tongue to taste her sweet, abundant juices, finding her ready and waiting as you slid your tongue deep into her hot, clenching pussy, feeling the muscles grip down around you as you pushed inside.

"Don't stop," Tzuyu breathed as Dahyun's tongue started to pump in and out of her silky tunnel, relishing every muscular movement, squeezing her pussy lightly around Dahyun as she penetrated her.

Tzuyu had never had anyone else done this except her own fingers, and she was hugely turned on at the sight of Dahyun helping her, something new to excite her senses.

Dahyun tongue-fucked her for just a few seconds and then licked her pussy lips from the bottom to the top, licking her clit at the end.

This caused her to gasp and moan.

Seeing that she was able to stand direct stimulation on her clit, Dahyun quickly circled her tongue around and around the edge of her clit, making her moan and start to buck.

She placed her lips around her clit and sucked as she flicked her tongue across her clit; this drove her wild.

She was gasping, bucking into Dahyun’s face, and holding her hips up in the air for a few seconds with each buck.

Without breaking his mouth contact, you slipped a finger into Dahyun’s pussy and rubbed her G-spot.

That threw Dahyun over the edge, grunting, turning her head from side to side, bucking her hips, and screaming in between the grunts.

Your hands remained confidently on Dahyun's hips, keeping her in position for you to work still, not that Dahyun would have wanted to move anywhere else.

Pulling out, your tongue smoothly lashed up and down the whole length of Dahyun's pussy, buzzing her clit again to just make her twitch a bit before you drew your tongue intently all the way up her juicy lips and even straight over her asshole, making her gasp softly again and pull down a little.

You three were in erotic heaven as Dahyun and Tzuyu both moved closer and closer to the edge.

"Oh fuck!" Tzuyu was fondling her breasts and squeezing her hard nipples and practically panting. Dahyun was moving her tongue all over Tzuyu's clit like she was fucking it.

It took all your might to not jack off at the sounds.

"OHHH GOD Dahyun- AAA!!!" Tzuyu moaned out loud as Dahyun kept her work cut out...but then she was met with a gush of liquid hitting her directly into her face.

Dahyun closed her eyes as the impact was sudden and she moved a bit away, causing Tzuyu's liquid to squirt onto the bed itself.

Then Dahyun moaned into Tzuyu's thigh without warning you, she also blew into your face you couldn't do anything, but take the shower of Dahyun's cum.

Of course, that was your favorite after snack to Dahyun's pussy as you lapsed up what you could, but making it difficult for the liquid dripping down your sides.

It took several moments for the girls to recover as you got up from underneath Dahyun.

You saw Dahyun's face dripped with Tzuyu's essence and you saw Tzuyu's face with pure bliss and happiness.

Dahyun gave one look to you as she gave Tzuyu's pussy one last kiss and said, "Your turn (YN)...sit down." She asked of you as you nodded and sat on the bed.

Dahyun scooted over towards you and she kneels in front of you as she started to remove your shorts and briefs that you kept while gazing at Tzuyu.

Soon your cock was released from its cell as Dahyun hungrily licked her lips.

Tzuyu, on the other hand, saw your friend as she took a longing look at it. She's only ever seen those in her private time alone so seeing one in real life well she was quite excited for you to take her.

"Woah..."

"Woah indeed Tzu. And just for both of us~"

Dahyun looked up at you and with a smile, & licked lightly from the base to the crown and you shuddered.

Dahyun repeated this a couple of times and then took the head of your cock in her mouth and sucked powerfully.

"Oh fuck, goddamn," you gasped, losing track of yourself as you reveled in the sensations of Dahyun's incredible blowjob.

Her hot mouth slid back along your shaft, Dahyun applying the perfect suction to you as she resumed her expert motion, rocking back and forth along with your cock as she continued sucking just right and applied her tongue again, quite rapidly taking over half your cock into her mouth as the tip of her exquisite muscle curled to apply an ideal pressure to the underside of you.

The sensations passing through you are impossible to be described in words as sparks were shooting through your body.

Dahyun then broke free, looked at you relax, and then took as much of you as she could in her mouth, while her hand went to your balls scratching them lightly. And then she started bobbing her head up and down.

It was more focused and intense now, making you almost pull away from Dahyun at the almost overwhelming sensation, hand tightening in her hair again momentarily before you got used to it, taking a couple of deep breaths to calm yourself as she worked, thrusting herself forward more vigorously now, set on her work.

The waves of pleasure shooting through you were incredible. You both had amounts of time like this but in none of those had you ever come anywhere close to being this pleasurable...maybe because of a guest in the mix.

You looked to Tzuyu who had her mouth wide open as she stared at Dahyun sucking your cock.

Her eyes were glued to Dahyun's lips going up and down your meaty rod.

Then she placed a hand on yours and in between her thighs and over her pussy as you sensually began to rub Tzuyu, as she needed more pleasure.

“Tzu~,” Tzuyu looked towards Dahyun, “his tongue is way better than his fingers~ trust me~ why don’t you get a feel from him this time~”

Tzuyu got the idea of what she suggested, once you placed an extra pillow beneath your head to keep you elevated.

Crawling on the bed on her knees, Tzuyu was able to place her legs between your head, allowing you to use your mouth on her like Dahyun.

She loved it and wasn't going to say no when he proposed the idea.

After being assured that your hands were able to keep her steady and still, your left hand grabbed her thigh. Her moist pussy was revealed to you, making you grin at how aroused she already was.

The whole time Tzuyu sat on your face, she faced away from you and was able to see Dahyun work all her magic on you.

She was so skilled and magical with it, that Tzuyu felt jealous at first, but now felt a bit motivated to try harder to have an equal set of skills to Dahyun.

“Ohh~!”

Her fantasies of being a better lover were dashed once she felt your mouth prod at her pussy, making her squirm a bit when she felt the contact.

She felt all her composure melt away once your tongue slithered its way inside, licking about and exploring her walls.

Dahyun looked up at her and almost laughed, she had personal experience to vouch for your oral skills, and he was a master with your tongue.

But her tongue was just as skilled, as she took you in all the way to the base with no problem, her tongue darted out to also lick your scrotum as well.

She knew you absolutely loved it when she did that, and she hoped to playfully mess with your performance with Tzuyu.

All it did, however, was make Tzuyu whine from your next move.

You had moaned from the increased pleasure from Dahyun's action, causing your mouth to vibrate against Tzuyu's nether lips when you were suckling them.

She almost collapsed and had to place her hands on your chest for support, bringing her closer to Dahyun.

She had a much better view, being able to now hear the sounds of Dahyun's throat gagging on your cock as she gave you a pretty sloppy suck-off.

“Ah god! (YN)! I-I’m gonna-”

She continued to watch her girlfriend at work before her body contorted out of pleasure and excitement, all from the effects of your eating-out abilities.

“Ahh! (YN)~”

Her thighs had clamped tightly around your head and she found her body spasming before going limp on you, clinging to your torso.

Her love nectar sprayed your face, which you happily swallowed.

As her body writhed against you, Dahyun was still going to town on your cock like it was a competition.

Deepthroating every second she could, before going back to just bobbing her head up and down and stroking you off in the meantime.

She ignored any and all drool that may have rolled down her chin and chest to her cleavage, she tended to value his pleasure the most, even if it got a bit messy.

Just as you thought you'd got yourself under control once more, wanting to enjoy Dahyun's ministrations for as long as possible, her fingernails suddenly dug into you a little more and she pulled herself down deep on your cock, just as perfect and effortless as before, her skill in doing it only adding to the arousal that sent you to the brink, tipping you over the edge.

Gurgle

Slurp

Gurgle

Slurp

Dahyun brought her hand on your shaft and started jerking you off still keeping the tip of your cock in her mouth looking up at you with those gorgeous brown eyes and smiling with your cock still stretching her mouth wide.

Her moves proved effective when she felt you begin to buck your hips, even with the weight of Tzuyu on your body you managed to signal his release.

Dahyun understood and used her hand to jerk you off as fast as she could.

"Hmm~" You cried as spasms of the strongest orgasm of your life went through you as spurts of your cum invaded Dahyun's throat.

Your cock began throbbing and before she knew it, you unleashed your load into her mouth and filled her cheeks.

Normally she'd throat you down to swallow, but she had some special plans for Tzuyu.

Once you were done cumming into her mouth, Dahyun got up and lifted Tzuyu's head up by her chin.

She was confused as to why her orgasm afterglow was interrupted, but her answer came in the form of Dahyun smashing her lips against hers and opening her mouth to share the yummy semen.

It took Tzuyu a while to register it all, but once she tasted the delicious flavor of you, she kissed back and made sure to collect as much of the white ooze as she could.

Their tongues swirled and their lips mashed, the kiss was also half as pleasing as the taste of your cum on their tongues, as the two girlfriends made out as their lives depended on it.

You couldn’t see anything but Tzuyu’s glistening pussy, but you could hear the moans of both girls and understood what they were doing as you felt yourself go hard.

They had been blushing the whole time with how new this was to them, but it was all fun to do all the same. Only when there wasn't a trace left did they separate, both looking into each other's eyes as they panted.

"W-wow..." That was all Tzuyu said, not sure what else to do as Dahyun just smiled and pecked her lips.

"You're learning pretty fast Tzu, you might just be a natural~" Dahyun grabbed your cock again and held it upright, the only thing between her face and Tzuyu’s.

"Now...he’s ready to go again, and I think it's finally time for you to lose it to him~" She said as she slowly stroked you, making you hum in agreement from underneath Tzuyu’s pussy.

Leaning in, Dahyun placed her face so close to Tzuyu that their noses were just grazing.

"Don't keep him waiting Tzu, he needs your pussy~" She whispered in her seductive tone, wanting to use it on another girl for once.

She got what she expected, a flustered and blushing Tzuyu as she lifted herself off of you and sat on your side.

"Please go easy..." She whispered and laid as you sat on the bed, nodding at her.

You went towards the dresser as you fished out a condom in the top left drawer and ripped it open, placing it over your cock as you turned around and saw the invitation of Tzuyu spreading her legs for you.

Your cock was still hard and ready as you went closer and Dahyun aided it against Tzuyu's love hole. She closed her eyes and smiled as you inserted just the head.

You paused to let her get used to you as she just squirmed a bit. She opened her eyes and with a smile said, "I'm going to enjoy this."

You smiled back and replied, "I think we both will."

"Me three." Dahyun echoed.

She was wet, but that didn't help the entering of her as you slowly work your way in, savoring every inch and after a few moments, your balls were feeling the wetness of her tight area.

What a glorious sensation.

"Ugh~ This feels wonderful~" Tzuyu said breathlessly.

You began slowly, taking short strokes, and smiled at the pleasure on Tzuyu's face. As she began to relax more as you lengthen your thrusting.

Your tempo increased slightly with her breathing. You could feel her body reacting to the stimulation and moving closer to an orgasm.

You glanced over at Dahyun and she was licking her fingers and rubbing her clit.

Watching her is a big turn-on for you and she gave you a big knowing smile.

You suddenly found yourself fucking Tzuyu with the same tempo as Dahyun's fingers on her clit, slow and steady though as Tzuyu moaned at taking your cock.

Your strokes were getting longer and harder as your balls started to make contact against her wet cunt.

Suddenly she arched her back and let out a muffled cry.

Her body went rigid as your cock went all the way in her.

"OHH~" You stopped as she felt you filled her lower region to the brim. "OHH~"

"Hehe, oh we're going to have so much fun with her (YN)." Dahyun pointed out as you grinned.

"Alright then Tzu, just relax and enjoy."

Tzuyu nodded as she grasped you with her knees and hands to accentuate it.

You just paused to let it sink in, flexing your penis inside her, met by a squeeze of her muscles in response, and then just pulled back to resume a rhythm on her, leaning over her as you work your hips fluidly into her body, still using your whole length on her as you slid effortlessly in and out of her silky pussy.

You could feel her enjoying it as her knees pressed to him, trying to hold him a little deeper in her, like she was worried you would suddenly pull out of her, her hands moving to stroke and massage slightly at your sides.

You were simply leaning over her now, looking down at her beautiful face and damp hair as you did; she raised her head and opened her eyes again to gaze straight into yours, a little smile on her lips.

You didn't move to kiss her again, and sensing you wouldn't, she pushed up from the bed to do so, only to have you pull away from a little, focusing on screwing her slowly and wanting to make her wait as you knew you'd go into a fury if you did.

Instead, she kissed under your chin, softly planting her lips, letting her tongue dab at your skin, feeling your stubble as she worked over your neck and down onto the top of your chest.

Kissing back up to your chin, she could still see your resistance and gave a smile.

"Well?" Dahyun asked with a big smile.

"Amazing...I want to feel you more (YN)...c-can I be on top?"

Dahyun grinned as you flipped on your back and Tzuyu nestled into your lap cowgirl style as she dropped her weight and sheathed you into her completely in one move.

Dahyun took the chance to press herself against Tzuyu’s back as a means of support and sensuality as well, her squishy breasts pressed against the smaller girl's back.

Meanwhile, you were still back and allowed Tzuyu to take all the time she needed.

You remembered Dahyun’s first time and knew how it wasn't the most comfortable experience in the world, so you held onto Tzuyu’s hips to help coax her into the moment.

"Mmmmm... AHHH!" Tzuyu cried out as she began to grind her hips back and forth in your lap, making you moan a bit.

As you looked up into the young girl's eyes, all you could see was pure love and lust that had filled her gaze, she looked both enamored with you and the pleasure you were giving her.

While she ground herself in your lap, Tzuyu felt a pair of lips on her neck from behind as Dahyun began to kiss and suck her sensitive skin.

Seeing this only excited you more, never failing to get aroused by some nice lesbian love.

Tzuyu didn't need much persuading as she kissed Dahyun back, hungrily, lustily, working her tongue quickly into her mouth as she wrapped her tongue around Dahyun’s, hungry and passionate about it as Dahyun drove her hands through Tzuyu’s hair, drawing her in close.

Their energy came back to it as they fought for control, biting at lips, and working tongues.

As your two girls were having their fun, Tzuyu hadn't noticed she had already begun bouncing on your cock, riding you gently as you held her hips to help her bounce.

With every sway of her hips, Tzuyu's petite breasts would jiggle so close and yet so far away from your mouth as you felt it water at the thought of sucking them once more.

However, they were soon covered by Dahyun's hands as she went to fondling Tzuyu’s titties, getting more excited than she thought once she and Tzuyu started making out.

At this point, everything happening was more or less an interactive show for you, watching your girlfriends make out nude while being able to fuck one of them.

It was heaven.

However, you felt your cock twitch within her incredibly tight pussy gripped you so tightly.

Her speed only seemed to go higher until it felt a bit unsafe with how fast she was going, almost like she wanted you to cum as quick as possible.

That may have actually been the case since Tzuyu's riding was frantic and out of rhythm for she herself was about to cum as well. A simultaneous orgasm, it made you grin.

"Getting...Ngh, getting close Tzu." You struggled to say, more from the way your body shook with your lover's bouncing instead of the pleasure you felt.

Tzuyu broke the kiss and Dahyun watched your eyes clenched as your hands grabbed Tzuyu’s hips and pounded into her, both hollering at how good it was.

Dahyun pressed a hand and inserted fingers into her pussy, she craved for this.

“Ah (YN)!” Tzuyu groaned as she felt her third orgasm rush into her.

When you reached the point of no return you rammed your cock in hard and shot your load.

“Ah fuck…”

It was your turn to feel the waves of a climax as loads of creamy cum pulsed through your condom.

You weren't in any hurry to withdraw and Tzuyu crossed her legs behind you to hold you in tight.

"My god...(YN)~" She looked over at Dahyun and said, "You're so lucky Dahyun..."

"I know~, but now he's yours too Tzu~ you could do this every day~"

"Every...wow…" Tzuyu treasured this moment of pure bliss and heat as she looked at you, a smile on her face signaled you a job well done.

When Tzuyu rolled off you, Dahyun was quickly in front of your cock, removing the condom from you and started to lick your cock clean and milking it to the last drop.

“Jesus Dahyun…” You leaned back as Dahyun’s tongue worked her magic once more, but it wasn’t long as it was quick swipes.

Once she was satisfied with her efforts…

"This is great," Dahyun exclaimed. "Now it's my turn (YN)~ I wanna ride you too~" Dahyun smirked...who were you to deny such a beautiful devil.

You then had to go get another condom as you prepped yourself up and went towards the bed.

You laid down as Tzuyu was found with her eyes closed as you smiled at her, then you looked to Dahyun fingering you to get to her.

You laid on the bed and Dahyun already placed a leg over your chest as she held your cock and placed it into her pussy.

"Hmmmm~" "God..." You both moaned at the sensation of each other for the whatever many times you two have done it...and it never was tiring or boring.

Dahyun lustfully smiled down at you as she rolled her hips to grind your cock inside of her while she kept her hands on your chest for balance.

Her breasts started to bob and you moaned with your girlfriend.

She rolled her hips forward and your hands shot up to squeeze her mounds once again as you began pounding into her warmth once more.

The blush on her face hadn't left as she felt the power of your erection thrashing inside of her warmth and her rear landed on your lap.

You grinned as Dahyun worked her hips forward and you toyed with the jiggling orbs of flesh.

"Geez (YN)...fuck~"Dahyun moaned out as you groaned at the pressure.

Her eyes closed tightly as you jerked your crotch upright and send your manhood crashing into her tightness.

You smothered her breasts together and you planted your thumbs on her tits as you circled them on her hardened nipples.

Your erection rubbed on Dahyun's inner walls and she kept her hands on your chest to balance herself.

You and Dahyun moaned as their lower parts clashed and their hips worked in sync.

Her breasts heaved as she rode your cock and you instantly sat up to begin licking her collarbone.

Dahyun blushed as she wrapped her arms around you and you trailed your tongue on her collarbone before beginning to nibble her neck.

Dahyun whimpered as your canines grazed her neck and you gnawed her carefully.

"Hmmm~ HmmOHH~"Dahyun hummed then felt a boost in her pleasure lustfully as she felt your length rapidly flying up into Dahyun's womanhood as she ground it in return and the moment you were done gnawing her elegant neck, you began licking it.

Your first girlfriend moaned from this while your swift thrusts made your manhood strike against her warm walls of flesh and her breasts pressed on your chest.

"OH OH AH AH OH GOD OH HA (YN) (YN) (YN)!"Dahyun didn't know what to moan out as your lust-powered erection jetted upright into Dahyun's pussy and left a bright red hickey on her neck.

Then, you held onto Dahyun's ass as she wrapped her legs around you and placed her head over your shoulder as you really went to pound her.

"OHHHHHHHHH!!!! I'M-I'M (YN)!!!!!!" Dahyun cried out as you kept your mouth shut and focused on pleasuring your girl.

Her eyes closed as you tenderly bit into her bobbing breast and you sank your teeth into the mound. After much thrusting, your cock imploded inside of your condom and you kept your mouth on her breast.

Both moaned at their initial release before you fell back and took Dahyun with you.

You and Dahyun lie as she lay on top of you as you kept sliding your cock out of her slowly until you came to a complete stop.

==============================SMUT END============================

"Heh...heh...woah..."

Dahyun looked towards Tzuyu as she saw the girl seem to be looking up. Dahyun needed strength to arch her arms up as she saw you looking up as well.

"This (YN)...was the best session we had yet, and we didn't even go for long," Dahyun spoke up as you nodded. "Hmm...well...we made her happy that's for sure." She spoke up as you looked at her.

"Yeah...guess you were right."

"Always." Dahyun giggled as you laughed as well. "But really (YN)...thank you for accepting this."

"Sorry if I was negative about it."

"Nah don't worry about. I understand why you were." She leaned down to peck you on the lips. "But now...I think our lives just got better." She looked at Tzuyu. "Tzu...Tzu?"

"Hmm..." You both heard her grumble as you both smiled. She then rolled over to you two as she smiled as well.

"Well?"

"Fantastic..." Tzuyu cooed as you both smiled, "thanks you two..."

"Don't mention it." "Not at all Tzu."

Tzuyu then crawled towards you both to be on your right as she scooted closer to your body.

She then pressed her lips on yours and then to Dahyun, both eagerly accepted.

"...I love you two." She said softly as Dahyun gasped softly as you smiled.

"Tzu...I love you too." "Me too Tzu."

Tzuyu gave a bright smile as she crooked her head into your neck as used your shoulder as a pillow.

"Next time...we're going longer..." She muttered as she closed her eyes as you both smiled at her.

"Yeah, we definitely will...hope you can keep up (YN)~" You chuckled at Dahyun's remark.

"Oh don't worry, I will."

And with that, the three of them went to close their eyes as their soreness made them so.

The three huddled together as their thoughts were only on each other and the fact that the three will be sticking together forever.

==========================================================

AND THAT'S THAT.

THANKS FOR TAKING A PAUSE IN YOUR LIFE TO READING THIS. VOTE/COMMENT AND THANKS AGAIN.

[loving-all-for-loki]

i really love your writing sm. could I maybe request something with Loki and reader being slow to realize that the feeling is mutual? if you dont mind <3

A/N: Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoy my writing, that makes me very happy to hear. I tried my best with this, I wasn’t really sure how to go about it, but I think I did a fun little twist to it. The italics are flashbacks. ALSO, you don’t need to know the song “Stuck In The Middle” to read this, but it will make this fic a little bit cuter if you do, so go stream it! It’s by Tai Verdes (actually just go listen to his whole album TV). I hope you enjoy this, nonnie.

Stuck In The Middle

Loki x reader

Word count: 2255

Warnings: fluff, maybe swearing I don't remember lol

Tony decided to throw another one of his giant parties, but no one is really sure why. There’s no holiday, no accomplishment to celebrate. All you know is that the tower is filled to the brim with high named people and well rounded faces. Music is blaring as people lounge around drinking or casually dancing. The Avengers are all around, scattered among the faces.

You on the other hand are leaning against a wall drinking some pop and trying to ignore the creepy men that hit on you. Parties are fine, you don’t mind them, but you don't go around gloating about your business or accomplishments. You watch Tony walk around getting praised by millionaires and celebrities with a smirk on your face. Shaking your head, you look down and give your glass of water more attention than the people.

“You really should get out there.”

Steve stands next to you with his little suit on that makes you laugh. You’re not used to seeing him all dressed up.

“I’m not a boaster. I’ll dance here and there, but conversation isn’t my forte.”

“You're having a conversation with me, so what does that say?” He laughs.

“I don’t need your technicalities, Cap,” you laugh as well.

“You don’t even have to talk to people you don’t know. We’re all here.”

“Fair enough.”

“Do you want me to stay here with you?”

“No, Steve. Go have fun.”

He smiles at you before returning to his seat at the bar by Bucky and Sam. You smile at the three of them. You do truly love your friends, even if they bother you during alone time.

“Why would you enjoy them if they bother you?”

“Loki, stop reading my mind.”

“I can’t. You’re quite loud,” he jokes.

You roll your eyes as you take another sip of your water.

“Do you not like these grand parties?” He asks.

“Eh, I don’t mind them. Just not a bragger.”

“Ah, yes. One night dedicated to gloating about your own accomplishments while putting down others.”

“No, that’s the Oscars,” you joke.

“Who is Oscar?”

“Never mind. Why you go out and dance? I bet you have some moves.”

“Not without a partner. I’m more of a partner dancer.”

“Well, there’s plenty of pretty girls around you to ask to dance.”

“Why dance with a pretty girl when I have the most beautiful one right here leaning against a wall and ignoring everyone? That’s more my style.”

“Loki, I’m flatter,” you laugh, “is this your way of asking me to dance?”

“Possibly. Thor has been bugging me to ‘get out there’ and I don’t like anyone here beside you.”

“Such a gentleman.”

Loki rolls his eyes as he takes your hand in his and leads you to the dance floor. The song changes into a fun chill song you recognize as “Stuck In The Middle”. You and Loki dance together as the two of you laugh. At some point, he pulls you into him, holding him at your chest.

“Remember when we first met?” He asks.

“Yeah, I do. You were arguing with Tony and Thor.”

“I want to return to Asgard and I will no matter what you say.”

“You’re a war criminal serving time here for your attacks. If you even attempted to go back, the American army would shoot you down.”

“And good luck to them.”

“My brother is a god, Man of Iron, do not forget.”

“Shut it, point break. You can try to leave if you want to die.”

Loki scoffs at Tony’s threat. As he goes to open his mouth, he sees a girl wander into the living area and scour the kitchen. The three watch her in silent and she opens every cabinet. Loki is curious by the girl with her long black hair and sweats on, clearing not caring about the argument happening. She finally turns around with her mouth filled with pretzels from shoving them in. She looks at the two gods and Tony with a wide eyed look, clearly asking “what” in her face and shrugging.

“Am I interrupting something?” She asks after swallowing.

Tony laughs and shakes his head, walking over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re fine, sweetheart. We’re just having a disagreement. Go enjoy your pretzels,” Tony chuckles.

Loki watches the way she submits to Tony and follows his lead, wondering who she is and why she listens to Tony without hesitation.

“I was so intrigued by you, this small little thing who looked so full of life. What happened to her?”

You laugh hard, “You got to know me, that’s what.”

Loki hadn’t seen the innocent girl in two weeks, wondering if she was even real. There had been some kind of glow to her so had he known better, he’d say she’s an angel.

Loki decided to coop himself up in the library while he was stuck on Midgard. Since he was stuck here, he thought he’d at least spend time doing something enjoyable. He’d spend hours in there until he had read every book and started to reread them. Then, as if the universe had heard him, the innocent girl had returned, putting a book away and getting a new one. She immediately walked out of the room and down to the tower’s elevator. Without hesitation, Loki got up and followed her at a quick pace, wanting to get in the elevator at the same time. As he walked in, they stood in silence next to each other and Loki realized he had no plan.

“I’m Loki. I don’t think we properly met.”

“Y/N.”

Loki feels his heart pound as she speaks to him with her heavenly tone. She sounds exactly like he thought she’d sound. It fits her so perfectly and he wants nothing more than to listen to her talk all day.

“I apologize for anything you heard the other day. Stark and I don’t see eye to eye.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she laughs, “He can strike a nerve sometimes.”

“That is an understatement,” Loki says, losing himself in his anger towards the billionaire.

You laugh at his comment which eases his anger. Loki is filled with joy knowing you find humor in his words, learning you’re not as stuck up as the other Midgardians.

“You read?”

“Yes, I love to.”

“What’s your favorite book?”

“Sense and Sensibility.”

“I don’t think I know that one.”

“It’s a Midgardian classic,” you say with some snark.

“I’ll have to read it. May I ask what you are doing for the rest of the day?”

The elevator opens and the two of you walk off, Loki still following you with awe.

“I’m going to spar with Steve for a little bit. You can join if you want.”

“I will not participate, but will not refuse to be of company.”

You smile at him as you walk towards the training room. Steve stands there getting ready and is surprised to see the stoic god behind you.

“Is he joining?”

“Just to watch.”

Loki sits down on the bench and leaves you to get changed and stretch. He can’t comprehend how something as sweet as you can be so willing to fight one of the super soldiers. He can’t even lie that he’s scared for you, but he’s soon proven wrong in seconds as you knock Steve down to the ground in a sweet kick. You and the super soldier go at it and you prove to be a worthy match for Steve. Loki is shocked by your swiftness and strength, clearly underestimating you.

“Well, I’m impressed.”

“I didn’t expect you to be as tough as you are.” “Wow, you underestimated me. I’m hurt, Loki,” you tease.

“I’ve learned to expect the unexpected with you.”

“How so?”

“I think we all remember your silly holiday ‘April fools’.”

April fools is one of your favorite holidays and now that the trickster god is living with you, all of the avengers are on high alert all day. No one realized he didn’t know about the special day, so Loki wondered why everyone seemed to ignore him more than usual. He walked into the living space to see you sitting on the couch with another book.

“Did I do something?” He asks.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m aware I’m not well liked, but it seems that I haven’t seen anyone all day except for you right now.”

“It’s because its’ April fools and they’re scared of you.”

A little ping of pride hits Loki.

“They’re scared of me? And what is April fools?”

“It’s a dumb holiday here where you prank people and they’re worried you’re going to pull something. After all, you are you.”

“You have a whole day dedicated to messing with people?”

“Yeah, usually it’s something simple like telling people you’re pregnant when you’re not or tying the spray nozzle on the sink together so everyone gets wet when they use it. Other people go big which is what they expected from you.”

“That doesn’t shock me,” he laughs.

“Yeah, I wanted to prank them, but I think they’ve left the building entirely.”

“You say we have the tower to the two of us?” Loki can think of a couple ways he’d spend alone time with you, but the idea of messing with the Avengers with your help is too tempting. He’ll have to put his other ideas to the side for the moment. “We can still do something.”

“Like what?”

“I’m not sure, but you could think of something, I’m sure.”

“We could glue everything down so you can use anything?”

“Like stick the together?”

“Exactly, but we could use your magic so we could reverse it later.”

“I like how you think.”

About two hours later, the Avengers return from wherever they had been throughout the day and run to their rooms to avoid Loki. As soon as they noticed the two of you relaxing on the couch, they tensed up and sprinted. You pretended to not have told Loki about anything and watched them get nervous, trying to hide your amusement.

It’s only minutes later when they all run back in yelling at you about how they can’t pick anything up or open drawers. Loki looks over to you among the chaos and smiles, seeing the wide proud smile across your face.

“That was a lot of fun. You surprised me in the past though, too.”

“Whatever do you mean?” He laughs.

You had gotten hurt on a mission and found yourself with a broken arm. Every day activities became 10x harder because you have to do it with your non-dominant hand and it’s started to get annoying. You’ve been attempting to make yourself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for about 25 minutes now. Loki walked in to see you struggling with peanut butter all over your hand and a glob on the bread. There’s a giant tear in the middle of the piece you’re spreading it on and a frown on your face.

“You look like you’re struggling.”

“Thank you, captain obvious!” You exclaim in an angry tone, glaring daggers at the god.

“Do you need some help?”

“I would love some because clearly, I’m having some difficulty.”

Loki comes over and helps you finish making your sandwich. You sit down to eat but because of your bad mood, you don’t even want it now. Loki notices your distress and shakes it head, waving his hand by.

“You’re healed, now eat your sandwich.”

You look at him in confusion until you realize your arm doesn’t hurt as much when you move it. You rip off your cast and feel around to feel how your arm is completely healed.

“Thank you!”

“You can be very sweet sometimes.”

“Don’t let Stark hear that, he’ll think I have mind controlled you.”

The Avengers all sit around the bar and watch you and Loki dance. They have a big smile on their face as they see you two have fun, laughing and talking. Thor has never seen his brother look so relaxed and joyful before, it’s refreshing to see him happy. Steve and Tony don’t miss the way you look at Loki, it’s filled with more love than any friends would look at each with.

“You think there’s more there?” Thor asks.

Steve and Tony turn to look at him with confused yet amused faces. “Thor, you really are an idiot,” Tony laughs.

The song comes up to the last chorus and you and Loki have stopped talking. He swings you around and holds his body next to yours. The music get’s both of your attention.

Cause we’re stuck in the middle of lover and friends

And we’re losing every part of the benefits

You’ve hurt me more than I ever knew

But it’s shitty because I’m doing the same to you

As the lyrics set in, you remember all the things Loki has done for you. Making your PB&J, recommending books, keeping you company when the Avengers are away, dancing with you at New Years parties, giving you a hug when you return from missions, and not leaving your side when you’re hurt. Loki thinks of all the things that made you bearable. Your sense of humor, the smile on your face when you see him, the way you’ll reread books you love, the way you make fun of others with him, and how you defend him when they make fun of him.

“I think I like you,” you both say.

[allyreactions]

My Everything | GOT7 Scenario { Im Jaebum }

- MASTERLIST ( fully updated ) REQUESTS : OPEN

! please read my guidelines before requesting !

boyfriend headcanons are CLOSED

____________________________

♡ pairings ;  husband! Jaebum x fem! reader 

♡ genre ; fluffy fluff, lightly suggestive, some body worship, sick reader, non-idol au

♡ word count ; 1.1k+

____________________________

║ A/N : tbh I’m in my JB feels now 

                                  ~ Admin Ally

You closed the door and immediately dumped your belongings onto the floor. After kicking off your heels, you flopped onto couch and smooshed a pillow on your face. As if that was gonna help.

Waking up with a headache was no shock to you, as it happened often, so you assumed that you would be able to bear the dull ache. However, as your workday progressed, so did your migraine. That dull ache turned into full on pounding, making it difficult to focus on your tasks. Not to mention that the pain caused some nausea that made it nearly impossible to eat your lunch. Since you had only a couple hours left, you decided to push through.

“Babe, are you okay?” Jaebum said as he knelt down next to you on the couch. “You don’t look so good.”

You groaned in response. Your husband gently rubbed your shoulder in attempts to comfort you.

“Y/N, tell me what’s wrong. What can I do for you?” he was clearly concerned.

Jaebum was always the sweetest, even when you weren’t married. He was always by your side, always there to comfort you when you needed it most. Jaebum’s been your rock for as long as you could remember.

“My head is feels like it’s gonna explode.” The pillow muffled the sound of your voice.

 By now the pain in your head was making it difficult to think straight. It was hard to distract your mind when all you could think about was your pulsating brain and how badly you wished this agony would end.

You heard your husband sigh as he stood up and walked away. Based on the sound of his footsteps, it seemed like he was walking towards the kitchen. But you couldn’t see of course, so this was just a guess. The sound of pills rattling around in a bottle could be heard echoing from the kitchen, followed by running water from the sink.

“Here,”

Jaebum removed the pillow that was resting on your face. The sudden bright light that was streaming in from the curtains burned your dilated pupils. You squinted your eyes and peered up at your husband holding out a glass of water for you.

“Take some medicine, it’ll make you feel better.” Jaebum said as he poured a couple pills from the bottle into your hand.

You did as you were told and took the medicine along with some sips of water. Then Jaebum took your hand and helped you stand up, which in theory shouldn’t hurt, but for some reason it made your head throb. You clutched the side of your head and leaned into your husband for balance as the ache grew heavier.

“Let’s get you a hot shower, hm?” Jaebum said.

You nodded in agreement.

He always hated seeing you in pain. What husband wouldn’t? Over the years, he had figured out a method to help relax you and at least lessen the pain from your headaches. It began with some medicine, followed by a hot shower, and finally a nap. This wasn’t full proof, but at least he knew how to assist you when you were miserable.

With his arm wrapped around your waist, holding you steady. Together you walked slowly, careful not to cause anymore intense throbbing. Once you reached the bathroom at the end of the hall, Jaebum turned the nozzle to warm up the water before gently undressing you.

The hot water was soothing as you let it run down your back, relaxing your muscles. Jaebum was right there next to you, doing all the work. He lathered up a loofah with some lavender bath wash and washed your body. He dropped down and gently rubbed the loofah up and down your legs. Which thank god he did, because you would probably pass out from the throbbing pain if you bent over to wash your legs. Though you still couldn’t shake the excruciating pain in your head, you couldn’t deny how good it felt to have Jaebum’s soapy hands stroking your thighs.  

After Jaebum rinsed the suds from your body, he tenderly massaged your shoulders to release the tension in your shoulders. You head instinctually fell back out of pleasure and enjoyed the touch of your husband. Jaebum laughed and a small smirk spread across his face as he watched you relish the sensation.

~~~~

Jaebum shut off the water and grabbed the two towels he had laid out for the both of you. He wrapped his towel around his waist before drying you off. Which again, if anything could help ease your pain, it was the touch of your husband. And Jaebum knew that. He softly patted the towel over every inch of your body until you were completely dry.

“Do you feel any better, baby? Cause you sure looked like you did in the shower.” Jaebum chuckled.

The man just washed and dried your naked body, and this comment is what made you blush. It didn’t matter how many years you’ve been together; Jaebum’s flirtatious comments still get you flustered.

“Yeah, I feel a little better.” You replied as you walked over to the counter and applied some moisturizer to your face.

You gently rubbed your temples, relaxing your facial muscles. You took deep breaths and tried to release any built-up tension in your eyebrows. Just then, Jaebum snaked his arms around you and placed a few tender kisses on your collarbone. His bare chest up against your back sent waves of pleasure down your spine.

“How about we climb into bed for a nap? You need to get some rest, baby.” Jaebum cooed.

You agreed and he took your hand, leading you into the bedroom. As you sorted through your drawer for a pair of comfortable panties; Jaebum pulled out one his hoodies that you would constantly steal, along with a tshirt and some boxers for himself.

“Let’s put this on,” Jaebum said as he gestured you to raise your arms. “You must be freezing.”

And you were, which was evident by your hard nipples.

Jaebum helped you put on the oversized hoodie and pulled up the hood over your still damp hair. Before dressing himself, he softly kissed your forehead.

“I don’t deserve him.” You thought to yourself as you slipped on your underwear.

You laid down in bed while Jaebum drew the curtains before joining you in bed. He pulled the covers up, tucking the both of you in. The fuzziness of the blanket felt warm and cozy against your bare legs. Jaebum wrapped his arms around you for what felt like the millionth time that day. You snuggled up to your husband, resting your head on his chest. The pounding in your head seemed to match the pounding of his heart.

This man is your everything, and he is yours. 

[miss-eucatastrophe]

Main Pairing: Levi x Erwin x Mike x Thick!Reader/PlusSize!Reader

Summary: When you purchased your first home you’d anticipated it being a turning point in your life. You just didn’t anticipate that turn to give you whiplash.

A new home throws you into a new lifestyle you would have never thought you’d find yourself in-- with three men you’d never expected to be with.

Rated: Explicit [18+]

Main Tags: Polyamory/Polyamorous relationship, BDSM, Attack on Titain Modern AU, Slow Burn, Porn with Plot, Thick!reader, PlusSize!Reader, Chubby!Reader

A/N: I was gonna wait, but I guess I have no self control. 

Chapter 2

A groan left your lips. You were so sore. Who knew that gardening could make someone so sore? Your legs and forearms ached from digging, weeding, and kneeling in the dirt. But the payoff had been near instantaneous. Your little front yard garden was so cute. Time would tell if it would thrive. For now, it was just what you wanted. It was welcoming, and warm; evidence that a new person lived in the house.

“Just gotta keep my flower children from dying.” You mumbled out loud against your pillow. It took great effort to turn your head and face the light shining through your blinds. It was early again. It was shocking you hadn’t been sleeping in late given how busy you were. It was safe to assume it was the excited jitters that came with being a new homeowner. Each day brought a new project. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath through your nose, willing yourself to settle your thoughts before they started to list all the things you wanted to do to your house. For now, you settled on nurturing your flower children.

Good ‘ol Google had informed you that you should water your plants every day when you first put them in the ground to get them used to their new home. After that you could settle on a watering routine.

You pushed one foot out of bed, testing the air with your toes like you would a pool, and then groaned, pulling your foot back under the warm safety of the blanket. For a moment you contemplated going back to sleep, but vanquished the idea when the morning sun assaulted your eyes again.

With a determined huff, you threw the covers from your body, taking the plunge into the day. It took you a moment of stretching to drag yourself over to your dresser and throw some clothes on the bed. Something comfortable. You weren’t planning to go out anywhere today, just outside for as long as it took to water your front yard, then you would likely retreat to the comfort of your home. You had a few more boxes to unpack anyway.

After you slipped your clothes on, you made your way down the stairs to your kitchen, petite—but still bigger than your previous. It was the perfect size for a single occupant. In spite of not being hungry in the morning, you forced yourself to make breakfast, hoping the smell of scrambled eggs would coax you into eating by the time it was done. You often skipped out on meals, which was a problem. Perhaps it was one of the reasons for your thickness. Skipping meals could be just as bad as overeating, forcing your body to unhealthily accommodate for the bad habits. It could also be a trigger for overeating later in the day. One of your goals of a new home was to adopt a routine, which included eating regularly.

You spooned your meal onto your plate, adding some toast to it as you made your way to the window of the living room that overlooked your front yard. You yanked open the blinds, eyeing your garden as you lifted toast to your mouth and took a bite. Thankfully, the new plants hadn’t spontaneously combusted in the night. Something you assumed happened if you didn’t have a green thumb.

Noticing movement from the corner of your eye, you turned your head, seeing your neighbor getting into a clean, and rather new looking, truck in an army green color. Mike must have been going to work. You smiled, resisting the urge to wave. He probably wouldn’t have seen you anyway. Moving back to the kitchen table, you sat down to eat your breakfast before placing your dishes in the sink, opting to scrub them later. For now, you’d let them soak. Did they need to soak? No. But letting them soak gave you an excuse to avoid doing them for a few hours until they stared you down later.

Slipping on your shoes, you walked outside and unwrapped the hose from its coil, turning on the spray and providing your plants with much needed sustenance. You started with your potted plants, being reserved with the amount of water you gave your succulents before making your way down the stretch of dirt to the north of your lawn that your new shrubs and flowers called home. You watered your shrubs generously, pausing as you reach your pansies. You glared down at them, some of the flowers had actually had the audacity to wilt slightly. Giving a huff, you changed the function of your hose nozzle, making the flow far gentler as you crouched to examine them more closely.

“If you could not do that, that would be great.” You mumbled at the ungrateful cluster of flowers, eyeing a particularly sad looking petal.

“Flowers being disobedient?” You flinched at the smooth voice and stood right up, turning around quickly. If you hose had been on a higher function you would have sprayed the source. Opting not to take any chances, you quickly moved to stop the flow of water with the switch on the attachment.

You weren’t adequately prepared for what greeted you when you leveled your gaze on the source of the voice. Though after yesterday, maybe you really shouldn’t have been all that surprised. This man was nearly as tall, though not as brawny as your new acquaintance Mike. He had golden hair the color of wheat, and eyes that put oceans to shame under a pair of thick brows. You swallowed, taking note of his jawline and the expanse of his fit torso which was snuggly clad in a white button down. You didn’t realize you could hold contempt for a shirt—but with the sleeves rolled up a pair of strong forearms, it was clear the shirt was hiding impressive goods.

Damn every man in this neighborhood must have been a stud. You weren’t particularly religious, but you felt the urge to praise god for the blessing.

Though he’d probably just strike your down for the unholy thoughts going through your head.  

The clearing of a throat brought your eyes back up to the blond man’s face where a smile sat, not the smirk you’d expected from your obvious ogling. “I’m Erwin Smith. I’m your neighbor.”

“Ah, sorry!” you said quickly, setting the hose down by your tennis shoe clad feet. You wiped your palm as discreetly as you could over your thigh to clear it of moisture from the hose and extended it to him. “Nice to meet you, I’m [y/n].” This hand was soft, but all consuming as Mike’s had been.

Mike.

You suddenly remembered, stopping your handshake abruptly to point to what you assumed was the man’s house. “You’re Mike’s boyfriend?” You probably shouldn’t have blurted that; in case you were wrong. After all, Della had made assumptions about you and Sasha the day you’d moved in. But the stranger, Erwin, only tilted his head and chuckled. “Did he mention me? All good things I hope.” His tone was deceptively casual.

“Uh, no,” you mumbled in embarrassment, clearing your own throat this time as a blush rose to your cheeks. “Della told me there was a couple next door.”

Erwin hummed, a deep and satisfying sound, and nodded his head, though in the next breath he’d seamlessly dodged the question. “Della is such a kind woman. Did she bake for you?”

You smiled brightly, remembering the cookies, and not noticing his lack of confirmation. You’d already drawn your conclusions. “Yeah, the cookies were amazing. I’ve got a theory that she’s a witch.” Oops, word vomit. You were worried that male wouldn’t understand you were joking, but he laughed—to your relief.

“When we moved in, she made a cake.” He leaned in closer to you, his voice just above a whisper, “She might be looking to fatten us up and eat us, so be on guard.”

This pulled a giggle from you, and oh what a pleasant sound to Erwin’s ears, “If Hansel and Gretel could handle it, I think we’ll be okay.” The scent of Erwin’s cologne filled your nose, musk and mahogany flooding your senses and the hint of something else too. Ink maybe.

“I sure hope so,” Erwin leaned back, out of your space, “I would hate to lose our new neighbor so soon.”

Biting your lower lip, you took in air that wasn’t saturated with the blonde’s heady scent.

“Yeah, who would care for my flower children if I died so soon?” You teased, gesturing behind you to the new plants which for the most part looked healthy in spite of the stubborn pansies which seemed hell bent on making your life a little more difficult. The last thing you needed to worry about where flowers. Though your anxiety was probably delighted to have yet another thing to obsess over.

You compared your anxiety to a super villain—someone lingering in the shadows and waiting for the smallest display of weakness through your progress—poised to strike.

Erwin’s blue eyes slid over the greenery before looking up at you. “We’d adopt them for you. No need to worry.” You looked over to Erwin’s home where the lovely magnolia tree grew. Their garden didn’t have as many plants with flowers, but what plants were there were clearly well taken care of. It was mostly green, though the magnolia tree added the perfect little pop of color to an otherwise verdant front yard. “At least I know they’d be going to a good home.”

The male chuckled, a sound that hummed from deep in that fit chest. “Can’t take all the credit. Mike takes care of the yard occasionally, but we leave most of it to the gardener.”

Of course, they would have a gardener. Their house was large and immaculate, and in addition to Mike’s well-maintained truck, it was hard to miss the Mercedes currently parked in the driveway. Clearly Mike and Erwin had well-paying jobs. “A plant nanny.” You deadpanned, earning another chuckle from Erwin who’s smile turned fond.

“We’d love to have you over for dinner. We’d like to properly welcome you to the neighborhood.”

You were taken aback for a moment, anxiety flooding your stomach on instinct. The thoughts were instantaneous. ‘What if I make a fool of myself?’, ‘What if I spill a drink?’, ‘What if I eat too much in front of them?’, ‘What if I say something wrong?’, ‘What if—’

A deep breath through your nose.

A subtle exhale from your mouth.

The thoughts were quieted.

Another deep breath through your nose.

Another subtle exhale from your mouth.

Your heart rate significantly lowered.

“I’d like that very much.” You answered before your thoughts could creep in again and dispel your nerve.

You weren’t going to let your anxiety keep you from experiences, especially making friends with your neighbors. You knew if you stopped to think on it deeply you would psych yourself out with overthinking the kind offer and ultimately decline. Best not to let your anxiety or self-consciousness rule your decisions. Therapy had taught you that.

Erwin looked pleased with your answer, his smile touching his blue eyes.

“Wonderful,” he purred, reaching into the pocket of his black slacks to hand you his phone, “Put your number in, if you wouldn’t mind,” he added the last bit to make it less of a command and more of a suggestion, “I’ll text you a date.” You smiled and tapped your name and number into the contacts of his phone, adding a flower emoji just as a playful wink to your conversation before handing the cellphone back to his waiting hand. “Sounds good.”

The male’s smile didn’t fade as he slipped the phone back in his pocket. “I’ll text you later.” He promised, making you return his smile. Though that should have triggered a bit more nervousness, anticipating a text, instead it just put little butterflies in your stomach. Yeah, he was gay—and taken, you reminded yourself again—but you could have attractive friends that were nice to look at. You were allowed to get excited over a little dinner date, no matter how platonic.

As Erwin moved in the direction of his Mercedes, he looked over his shoulder at you. “Don’t be too hard on your flowers,” he fished out his key fob, clicking the button to unlock his car, “It can be hard adapting to a new home.”

Smiling, you leaned down and picked up the hose, clicking the water back on and misting it gently over the pansies once again for good measure, hoping to perk up the wilting petals. “It helps to have someone to pamper you though.” You mumbled absentmindedly, earning a little glance from Erwin before the blond got into his car and sped off down the road.

-

You thought you had made yourself perfectly clear to yourself that the backyard was not a priority. But after unpacking a few more boxes of miscellaneous objects late into the afternoon, it just seemed to call to you.

You stood at your sink in your kitchen, looking out into the yard from the window as you nibbled on a bite of your lazily made sandwich. Your small kitchen table had already been set up so it’s not like you had to stand to eat any of your meals, but it seemed even when eating you had to pace. You blamed the new environment. It would take time to get comfortable, just like Erwin had said about your flowers. Even though you were excited and loved your new home, it was taking your time to adjust.

Your eyes narrowed as you looked over the yard, as though you were trying to imagine it looking differently than it currently did. You had a rather vivid imagination, you read quite a bit after all, but when it came to mental landscaping you were coming up short. The only reason you were able to spruce up your front yard without much deep consideration was because there was a plot of dirt already prime for flowers. It just lacked anything in it. Picking some things to fill the void hadn’t required a great deal of mental fortitude. The backyard was different.

It wasn’t exactly a mess, but it wasn’t a marvel either. It was a blank canvas of untapped potential—and weeds. A slightly overgrown lawn, lack of any interesting plant life, and boarder of dirt that was begging for flowers much as the front yard had. But you weren’t ready for the amount of plant life the backyard could hold. Being a new plant mother, you needed time to hone your skills. The front yard was plenty for now.

Even so, you couldn’t keep yourself from glaring at the backyard. Maybe it was because it glared back at you from every window. You wanted to look outside and see something pleasing to the eye. Why did hyper fixation always go hand-in-hand with anxiety? You tapped your foot against the floor and chewed your food, willing the nervous energy to dispel.

Fuck it.

You could pluck the weeds.

That might help until you could really bring yourself to get into the project that it would someday be. Besides, you should really keep up on the yard even before fixing it so that it wasn’t more of a hassle in the long run. Weeding it would be a good start, and it might make looking through your windows a bit less bothersome.

You placed your crumb covered plate into the sink and made your way through the sliding glass door to the backyard, taking a little detour to drag the green’s can from the side yard so you would have somewhere to put the weeds after you ripped their stubborn carcasses from the ground.

The poor bastards had no idea what was coming.

Taking a look around you, you once again crinkled your nose in contemplation. At least the lawn was mostly green. It didn’t look as though the previous owner had used the yard for storage or trash. It really didn’t look like the previous owner had used it for much of anything. They clearly couldn’t have been bothered to do much more than turn on the sprinklers, just like the front yard. You narrowed your eyes and scanned the environment, once again trying to channel your creative side. All you could think about were plants for the most part. You weren’t even all that plant crazy until recently. It was just the first thing that came to mind when you thought of the outdoors. You huffed through your nose. Maybe a deck at some point? That would cost money. You sure as hell were not going to build one yourself. IKEA furniture was the extent of your carpentry skills. At least the fence looked pretty good, spare for a hole like crack in one of the planks on the left side of the wall. That should be easy enough to fix. Surely it wouldn’t require the establishment of a whole new fence so at least you’d save some money there.

You gave up your attempt at visualization to pull your gardening gloves onto your hands. You’d take to some online forums for backyard ideas when the time was right. You had to remind yourself that right now you were just focusing on battling the weeds.

You tried to go at it methodically, you really did. You were going to start at one end of the yard and make your way to the other. But each time you bent down to pluck one weed you’d see a huge one from the corner of your eye at the other end of the yard that would distract you. You’d pluck that one, then there would be another at the side of the yard you’d just came from so you’d have to go back again. Pretty soon you were just hopping from whatever weed assaulted your eyes to the next, which mainly consisted of the big ones that had no right existing in the first place.

You were going to kick yourself later when you had to revert back to your original method of going from one end of the yard to the other when it came time to sift through the smaller weeds—but for now the satisfaction that came from yanking the big suckers out of the earth gave you too much momentary euphoria to care. That would be a problem for your future self.

For now, your newest target was spotted. A huge weed growing along the fence line. The number of squats you were inadvertently doing in your quest to de-weed the yard was going to hurt you tomorrow. It was kind of hurting you now. Turning your legs to Jell-O. But you were determined to vanquish every form of unsavory vegetation before sunset. You’d use tomorrow as a day of rest if it came to that.

It was probably going to come to that. Gardening was proving to be a workout in itself.

Pulling yourself to standing, you walked over to the weed by the fence and crouched down, gripping it and giving a firm tug around the stock. But the titan weed hardly budged. You arched a brow and wrapped your other hand around it, tugging once more. You swore the weed pulled back as you rocked on your heels. Frustrated, you sat yourself on your knees and leaned back, trying to use your body weight to get the massive bulb from the earth with a grunt.

At least, you thought you grunted.

Wait that wasn’t you.

You paused; your hands still wrapped around the weed as you stayed frozen in mid tug.

There was another grunt in a masculine tone— which most certainly did not come from you.

“Goddamn it…” The voice was deep, dripping with a sort of smooth roughness that was a complete contradiction that only made sense from hearing it firsthand. It was the sort of tone that held an edge in any words that came from it. In spite of it coming from the direction of your neighbor’s yard, it was not a voice you’d heard before. You were sure you would have remembered it.

“Erwin—fuck!” There it was again.

“Shh…” That second voice you thought you recognized. Finally, your head darted up from your place on your knees out of instinct. You were eye level with the rough hole in the plank you’d noticed earlier that exposed your neighbor’s yard.

And much more than that.

From your viewpoint you could see the edge of a pool, lush plants, a deck further back—but the lovely yard wasn’t what pulled your attention. What pulled your attention was two people on a lounge chair, one propped up by the lifted back, the other straddling across strong hips.

The person sitting back on the lounge was obviously Erwin, naked as the day he was born in the late afternoon sun. Your assumption had been right about his torso. It was in fact sculpted by the hands of god, all firm muscle and definition. You could vaguely make out light traces of hair on it from your distance, what little there was must have been as blond as he was.

However, this isn’t what struck you the most about what you were seeing. Though it was a sight to behold. What struck you the most was that the person in his lap—

Was not Mike.

Your lips parted in a silent gasp, lashes fluttering as if you could wash the other figure away and replace it with Mike. But the person on Erwin’s lap couldn’t be more different and there was no way in hell to confuse the two even with the most vivid of imaginations.  

He was smaller, clearly shorter, with a body that was muscular on its own but far more lithe than the bulkier form of Mike. It was hard to see his face at the angle you were given. The lounge was not exactly parallel to the break in the fence, giving an angle that displayed a view of the sinewy back of the stranger, as well as their stark black hair, but no hint to their face in the slightest. But you could see Erwin’s, twisted in pleasure, and even at a distance it was obvious what was taking place.

Swallowing thickly, your eyes drifted down the stranger’s back to a pert round ass currently stuffed with Erwin—which from what little you could see not buried inside, was not an easy adjustment.

“Fuck me harder.” Came that deep voice once again, a commanding growl for more as his hips rolled down on the intruding length.

Erwin grunted, his fingers digging into the man’s waist in a white-knuckle grip as he bucked himself up, thrusting himself into the ravenette. “Beg for it then.” He bit back in a grunt, it seemed to be taking a great deal of effort to keep from fulfilling the request, if his clenching palms and strained voice were anything to go by.

The man on top of Erwin scoffed, lifting his body and sitting himself right back down on his lap, forcing the cock deep inside him before rocking his hips forward and back, pulling a moan from Erwin. “When have I ever begged?” His tone was deceptively even for what he was doing— as if taking that massive length was the easiest thing in the world. Perhaps something he did regularly.

You weren’t so sure you would be able to keep an even tone had you been in the raven’s place even if it had been the hundredth time.

A smirk played on the blonde’s lips, “First time for everything.” You thought you heard, but the voice was quiet, perhaps suddenly conscious that they were outside.

Pale fingers slid up the plains of Erwin’s chest to coil around his neck. “I’ll take it myself.” The black-haired male growled, steadying himself on his knees before he started to bounce on the cock inside him. He pulled himself up, nearly taking the shaft out of his hole before slamming himself back down, muted moans pulling from him each time he forced himself down on the lap with a lewd slapping of skin.

It was at that moment that the weed in your hand snapped, sending you backwards with a yelp. You’d lost your balance, your butt making contact with the soles of your shoes as you plopped down completely on your knees from your previously raised position on them. Ditching the weed, you crawled away from the hole in a panic and covered your mouth with your hand as though you could turn back time and capture the yelp that was already in the air.

It wasn’t until you were a good seven feet from the fence that you allowed yourself to listen for any sound. There was silence for a long while other than your rapidly thumping heart under your palm while you attempted to keep it in your chest. It was only when you heard the faint and distant sound of skin on skin, a sound you’d only hear if you’d known to listen for it, that you allowed yourself to breath. You pulled your mouth shut, not realizing how long it’d been hanging open. You’d probably swallowed a bug or two in your stupor. You couldn’t be sure.

Feeling your pulse throb between your legs, you whined softly, squeezing your thighs together and biting your bottom lip as guilt washed over you. The guilt was rather misdirected, at least it should have been. But you’d felt it for a variety of reasons. The hallow yet heavy sensation sat deep in your chest. You’d peeped on your neighbor, accident or not, a total invasion of privacy. What made it worse was the wetness steadily forming at your core. You’d peeped like a horny teenager and gotten turned on by it.

If the guild from that wasn’t enough—you’d gotten turned on, meanwhile Mike was being cheated on.

That last part stung the most.

Erwin was cheating on Mike.

-

You paced back and forth in your living room, the tip of your thumb in your lips so you could bite at your nail—a habit you’d thought you’d long since kicked.

How on how on earth were you going to tell Mike that he was being cheated on? Should you tell him at all? Was it really your place?

These where the questions stirring in your mind as you paced. If you continued to traverse one end of your living room to the other, you would likely ware a rut in your flooring.

Plucking your thumb from your mouth, you stilled your feet and pulled your phone from the pocket of your leggings, tapping away on the technological rectangle to bring up Sasha’s number. It was times like this where you needed to get out of your head. So, in these moments you often talked out your thoughts with Sasha. It was the only way to get out of the infinite circle your pondering often became.

‘If you were being cheated on, would you want someone to tell you?’

It wasn’t ten seconds after you sent the text than those little ellipsis came on the screen to indicate your friend was already typing out a reply.

 ‘What do you know?’

You brought up the keyboard of your phone to explain, but another message quickly followed.

‘Is Connie cheating on me?’

‘I’m gonna serve him in the burgers.’

‘I’m Sweeney Todd-ing this bitch.’

You had to type faster to cut her off. Maybe starting the message like that hadn’t been your wisest move.

‘No!’

‘No!’

You sent the message twice when you saw the ellipsis raise on your screen again, being sure she saw your reply so you could clearly explain.

‘Not you or Connie! I’m talking about my neighbors.’

‘Oh’.

She wrote back, a momentary pause before adding,

‘Don’t tell Connie about me making him into burgers.’

This pulled a smile from you and curbed your anxiety, allowing your heart to still. Leave it to Sasha to calm your nerves with her naturally comedic personality.

‘Anyway, what happened?’

Well that calm was short lived. You remained standing in case you had to get the nervous energy out by pacing again.

‘I met the neighbors. The ones Della told us about when we were moving me in, remember?’

It only took a second for Sasha to text back—she was fast with her fingers even though she had had the same shitty phone for close to 3 years. Only shitty because of the cracked screen that she had more than enough money to fix, but always complained if she got a new one, she would just drop it anyway. You were fairly sure the phone also had a little dent in it, she said it added character.

‘Yeah.’

‘They hot?’

‘Ridiculously.’

‘Niiice.’

You typed hastily to try and stay on topic.

‘Their names are Mike and Erwin.’

‘And they’re hot.’

You snorted but continued typing, trying not to let your thoughts linger on how attractive both the men were. That wasn’t was the discussion was about. You cut to the chase.

‘I accidentally saw Erwin having sex with someone that was NOT Mike.’

The reply actually took a full minute, though it wasn’t long, an indicator that Sasha had probably typed a few different replies but deleted them until settling on what it was she did send.

‘How did you ACCIDENTALLY see that?’

You could hear the accusatory tone through the little blue bubble that held her words.

‘I was in the backyard and I heard a sound and I ACCIDENTALLY looked through a hole in the fence.’

Reading that back—it really did sound like you were some kind of voyeur.  

‘It really was an accident. I was weeding.’

These excuses were completely pitiful, and you were the one writing them.

‘So did you accidentally get a good look at who he was screwing?’

‘I only saw his back.’

It was only half a lie. You saw his strong back, his black hair, and an amazing ass.

‘Was he hot?’

Maybe texting Sasha wasn’t as productive as you originally thought.

‘It was a very nice back.’

An understatement if there ever was one. You hastily added to the message.

‘But that’s not the point. It wasn’t Mike. Now I don’t know if I should tell Mike or if I should just mind my business.’

On the one hand, you wanted to have a good relationship with your neighbors, and who they were and were not sleeping with was not something you should be concerning yourself with. Injecting yourself into their love life was something you didn’t feel you had the right to do, especially because you hardly knew the two of them.

On the other hand, you thought about how much it hurt to be cheated on. You imagined Mike, blissfully unaware that the love of his life was sleeping with someone else in their own home and it made your heart sink into the pit of your stomach. You ached for him

‘Are you 100% sure that you saw what you think you saw?’

Taking a moment to recall the memory, a blush creeped up your neck and right up to your face. You shook you head to will the images away, once again ashamed of the heat it stirred between your legs.

‘Yeah. It was clear.’

There was no way to mistake what you saw. They weren’t nude sunbathing, they weren’t naked cuddling, and there was no way the other guy just fell on Erwin’s dick.

This time it took Sasha more than two minutes to answer. She must have been thinking. Maybe even asking Connie what he thought. You hopped not. Connie and Sasha may not have known your neighbors, but you also didn’t want to gossip about them. You honestly just needed your friend’s advice on a difficult situation. One that you’d put your own damn self in. 

‘That’s hard. I mean you don’t really know them well enough to say anything, ya know?’

That was something you wrestled with. It would be different if this were a friend who you were close with. It wouldn’t even be a debate if it were someone you knew well, like Sasha. You would tell them in a heartbeat because not telling them would likely have greater consequences. But when it came to Mike and Erwin, you didn’t know them. Again, you reminded yourself that it wasn’t your place.

But if you did form a friendship with them, would you be more obligated to tell Mike? You imagined having a friendship with the men and all the while harboring this dark secret.

There you went again, 100 miles ahead of present.

You chewed your thumb nail again, not noticing that you had once again began to pace.

You must have been taking too long to respond, because another text from Sasha lit up your phone.

‘Who do you think he was banging?’

‘Dunno. They do have a gardener.’

Your reply was meant to be sarcastic. How were you supposed to know? You didn’t know a thing about the guys next door other than they were both attractive and that one was a cheater.

Actually, you were relatively certain that Erwin wasn’t banging the gardener. That man on top of Erwin was too pale to see the sun on a regular basis.

A vibration in your hand made you lift your phone again, expecting another text from Sasha, only to see a message from an unknown number. Your brows knitted together as your finger pressed against the notification, pulling up the text.

‘Hello, [y/n]. It’s Erwin. If you’re available, we’d like to have you over for dinner tomorrow night.’

These guys didn’t waste any time. You’d be thankful about not having to cook if you weren’t harboring a secret about your inviter. You stared at the message, kicking yourself for opening it because Erwin would likely have an alert on his end that said the text had been read. He’d be expecting a reply.

It wasn’t as though you could lie and tell him you wouldn’t be home. That avoidance strategy wouldn’t work with someone who could just peek outside and see if your car were in the driveway. Hiding your car in the garage wouldn’t work when it was still a mess of packed and unpacked boxes you had yet to either toss or organize. Honestly, you weren’t about to be up all night clearing it just to avoid your neighbors. You answered before you had more time to mull it over.

‘That sounds great, I look forward to seeing you.’

Was that too formal? You added the number as a new contact before you could hyper analyze your own words. It was tempting to place the number under the name ‘adulterer’, but you thought better of it. You were just being petty about a matter that you shouldn’t be so invested in. You were going to have dinner with your neighbors and completely forget about what you saw—for your own sanity. You weren’t about to let self-imposed guilt eat you up inside. Though this wouldn’t be the first time.

“Not my circus, not my monkeys.” You muttered to yourself, a little mantra you used to say when reminding yourself that something, often some sort of drama, wasn’t your business to involve yourself in or to be dragged into.

Instead, you opted for continuing your conversation with Sasha, steering it toward any other subject possible. By the grace of god, she started asking you about your move and how you were enjoying your new house. Your friend always knew how to distract you. Maybe she felt your nerves through the phone.

She’d known you early in your journey through therapy and knew when you needed to talk and when you needed to be distracted. Sometimes she knew it before you did.

Counting and colors could only go so far. Sometimes a friend was the best grounding tool.

To bad you couldn’t bring her to dinner tomorrow. 

You’d be on your own for that.

[jobean12-blog]

Catch Me If You Can!

Pairing: Bucky x reader

Word Count: 1,078

Summary: Playing pranks on Bucky is fun and you especially loves the way he reacts...

Author’s Note: This is for the HBC’s @the-ss-horniest-book-club​ continuation of drunk drabbles and the super fun prompt below sent in by the loveliest @bugsbucky​ This was fun to write and I hope you enjoy it! Thank you all for reading! Love you all! ❤❤❤

Warnings: fun fluff, teasing, flirting, pranks, cursing, Bucky in a wet tee shirt...

The first time you pranked Bucky you were sure it would have been your last. Bucky was sitting on the common room couch reading his book when you asked him to help you reach something from the cabinet. He quickly got up and came to your rescue, easily grabbing the glass. While his back was turned you took his wallet off the coffee table and hid it.

“Thanks Buck! So much easier when I don’t have to climb or get the stool!” You gave him a hug which he happily returned and then ran off to your room. A few minutes later there was a knock at your door. “Come in!” The door opened revealing a confused looking Bucky. “Hey doll, have you seen my wallet? I thought I left it on the coffee table, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere.”

“Hmmm, that’s weird right, did you check your room?” He shrugs his shoulders and smiles, “I’m gonna go do that now, let me know if you see it.” “Of course, no problem,” you say, hoping you don’t look guilty. When you hear the door to his room open you peek out of yours and check that he’s out of sight. You make a mad dash to the common room and retrieve his wallet from your hiding spot and put it right back where it originally was.

Lightly tapping on Bucky’s door, you ask, “any luck?” He lets out a frustrated sigh, “nope and it’s making me crazy because I could have sworn, I saw it there when I got up to get your glass. What did it get up and walk away?” Blowing out a raspberry you give him an apologetic look and ask, “want some help?” The two of you search his room with no luck. Finally, you throw your hands up and say, “why don’t we check the living room one more time, maybe it fell in the couch cushions or something.”

Bucky’s jaw is clenched but he agrees, following you out to the common room. “What the fuck,” he bellows, spotting his wallet sitting right where he left it. “I don’t get it?!?” He turns to you, looking exasperated. “At least you found it!” you say cheerfully. Pinning you with a look he stalks off with a growl.

The next time you go for something a bit sneakier. You were watching a movie with Sam, Wanda and Nat and Bucky fell asleep. When the movie ends everyone says goodnight and you tell them you’re just gonna throw a blanket over Bucky and head to bed. Instead, you go and get your collection of fake but very real looking spiders and carefully place them all over the couch and floor around Bucky. You manage to set them up without bursting into a fit of giggles and run off to bed.

The next morning you wake up to the loud shouts and curses of Bucky, spiders flying everywhere as he freaks out and flings them across the room. “What happened, Buck, OMG! You scared the shit out of me!” He doesn’t answer, just throws a handful of the spiders at you, causing you to yelp. “Someone is in big trouble,” he growls and storms off.

Your body involuntarily reacts, a shiver running down your spine at hearing him growl like that again. Chewing on your bottom lip your mind races with thoughts on how to get that sound out of him once more. With a snicker your last prank takes shape and you skip back to your room.

The next morning you get up early and head to the kitchen, knowing Bucky will be upstairs shortly to make his post work out shake. You check to make sure no one is around and place the tape under the faucet, securing it as best you can. Knowing you need to leave now if you want to disappear before he comes up you grab your phone off the counter and spin around. “Ooof!”

Strong arms wrap around your waist and steady you as Bucky’s scent surrounds you. “You ok, doll,” he asks, “you look like you’re in a real hurry?” You look up, Bucky’s smirk suspicious as he holds you to his chest. “No. No hurry, I just wasn’t paying attention is all.” He slowly releases you and moves to the sink, turning the cold on all the way.

“Yowwwwww,” he yells, jumping back as the cold water soaks his shirt and arms. “What the hell!” His chest rumbles with a low growl and you can’t help but stare, watching as he forcefully pulls the tape from the nozzle. He turns to you, his wet tee shirt clinging to his skin tightly enough that you can see the outline of his abs.

“Your shirt is soaked,” you deadpan, swallowing heavily as you watch the rise and fall of his chest. His devious smirk is back as he walks toward you, his finger pointed at your chest. “I know it was you. The wallet, the spiders and now this.” No words come out but you’re shaking your head “no,” as your back hits the wall.

“Don’t try to deny it, y/n. I could hear how fast your heart was beating when we were looking for my wallet and I do you really think I’m that light of a sleeper?” Your eyes search his and you blurt out, “then how do you know this was me?” His smile grows into something far more devilish, “I heard your breath hitch and heart rate pick up when I stormed out after the spiders. You’re enjoying making me mad, aren’t you?”

Your mouth opens and closes like a fish but you’re at a loss for words. By now he has you pressed against the wall, the coldness of his wet tee shirt making you gasp. Bucky looks down then back up to you, his eyes gleaming. “Sorry,” he says before stepping back and lifting his shirt over his head. “Better?” he asks, before coming closer.

The “yes” that leaves your lips is so quiet only he can hear it as he dips his head. “What was that doll? I couldn’t hear you.” Your lips part with a small smirk of your own, this time the words coming out loud and clear, “yes, much better actually.” The familiar rumble of Bucky’s low growl fills the room before his lips press to yours, giving you what you want in more ways than one.

@aesthetical-bucky​ @book-dragon-13​ @buckys-broody-muffin​ @bugsbucky​ @devynsdiary​ @eurynome827​ @hiddles-rose​ @hawksmagnolia​ @hailmary-yramliah​ @itsunclebucky​ @jhangelface0523​ @jewelofwinter​ @jewels2876​ @loricameback​ @littledarlinhavefaithinme​ @littleredstarfish​ @metal-armed-cuddly-dork​ @mushyjellybeans​ @marvelandotherfandomimagines​ @marvelgirl7​ @nano--raptor​ @randomfandompenguin​ @sallycanwait68​ @softpeachbarnes​ @scarletsoldierrr​ @the-wayward-robot​ @when-the-hell-is-bucky​

[ruthoakenshield]

Very Good Friends (Chapter 10)

Catch up here: [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8]  [Chapter 9]

Reader x Henry Cavill, Reader x co-star named Dan

Warning: This tale is for 18+ readers ONLY!!!  Mentions of flashbacks: (rape, anal sex, non-con sex, abuse), severe bruising and injury, mentions of suicidal thoughts, depression, humiliation, and some fluff to make us feel better. Smut comes later on  in the story… Several chapters down the road… I promise!!!

If ANY  of the warnings upset you or make you uncomfortable, DO NOT read below  the cut! go find something else to read in this case.

If you are okay with reading those things then enjoy the tale below the cut.

Feedback and reblogs are appreciated. I do not own Henry nor do I have any personal knowledge of him besides what is common knowledge amongst the Cavillary. Any mistakes and typos are mine, story is not beta-tested. GIF I got from the tumbler search thingy.

**********

Henry takes the bacon out of the oven and shuts it off. Placing it on a couple of potholders on the counter to cool. Henry then goes to the stereo and turns the volume down so he can hear you calling if you need him for any help. He goes back to the kitchen and looks up a pancake batter recipe. He checks to make sure he has all the ingredients and then goes about mixing it up.

Once he has the pancake batter mixed he pours it into an empty squeeze bottle with a nozzle and then mixes up the eggs, milk and cheese for the omelets he pours it into the hot skillet and then puts crumbled bacon and the peppers, onion and garlic mix into it as well. He adds more cheese and then flips it closed.

Henry makes two delicious smelling and yummy looking fluffy omelets. He puts them on the plates with foil over the top to keep them warm. Then he makes the slider pancakes. He quickly has a dozen for each of you and figures that’s enough. Putting the cap on the bottle, he puts it in the fridge and then covers the two plates with foil and shuts the burners off.

Henry goes to check on you and finds you sobbing in the bathroom as you sit on the toilet. Henry’s smile fades when he sees you sobbing, and he rushes to you. “Kitten? Honey, what’s the matter?” he asks as he holds your face. “It hurts! It hurts so bad to pee!” you cry. He pulls you into his chest and he holds you. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I’m sure that area was inflamed by his activities too. Do you want me to call the Doctor and see what he wants us to do?” he asks you. You nod.

“Honey, are you able to pee at all?” he asks. “Yeah, it just really, really burns and hurts.” You tell him. “Okay, Sweetheart. You gonna be able to finish getting ready?” he asks. You nod. “I’ll try.” You tell him, tears still trickling down your cheeks. He wipes them away with his thumbs. “I wish I could take all this pain away from you, Honey. I know it hurts a lot. Don’t give up, though, okay? You give up, he wins.” Henry says, looking into your pale blue looking eyes. “I’ll call the Doctor.” He tells you. You nod.

Henry heads for the kitchen and grabs the pill bottle with the antibiotic in it. He looks for the phone number for the Doctor and calls it. The nurse answers and Henry explains who he is and why he is calling. “She is in a LOT of pain this morning and says it hurts and burns really, really bad when she pees.” He says.

She tells him to hang on and she will get the doctor. He gets on the phone and talks with Henry. He asks Henry to bring you back in right away, and they will check for a bladder infection. “If it’s hurting that bad and she has been taking the antibiotics as prescribed, she may need a stronger one if the bladder got irritated or infected. Sometimes it happens when there’s prolonged sex going on and bacteria gets into the urethra and makes their way to the bladder. Or the walls can become inflamed just from the constant friction, which can cause pain and burning sensations.

When you get here, have the nurse get me right away and I’ll check her and get tests run.” He tells Henry. Henry thanks him and hangs up. Luckily, he made sure you were taking your meds as prescribed, so he is pretty sure you’re gonna need a stronger antibiotic.

He goes back to check on you and you’re hunched over the sink trying to wash your face, grimacing from the pain. Henry sees you and comes to help you. “Here, Sweetheart, let me help.” He says. You nod and sit back down on the toilet, so it hurts less. He washes your face for you and brushes your hair. You sigh and thank him.

“Do you think you can walk, Kitten?” Henry asks. You shake your head. He comes over and gently picks you up and carries you over to the dinette. He gently sets you on the chair and then goes to get your breakfast. He places it in front of you with butter and syrup, water and your meds. He grabs his plate, and some OJ and sits across from you.

“Doc says to bring you back in as soon as we can. He thinks you probably have a bladder infection from Dan fucking you for so long. Said it probably irritated the walls of your bladder and such. Said he’ll run some tests and will probably give you some stronger antibiotics.” He tells you. You nod and eat your food.

“Thank you, Bear, for letting me stay here and for taking care of me.” You whisper. Henry remembers your throat is still sore and he gets up and kisses your cheek. ‘That’s what friends do, Sweetheart. They take care of each other.” He tells you as he pulls a travel mug from the cabinet. He heats up some water in the electric kettle and then puts a honey and lemon tea bag into the travel mug and pours the hot water into it. Henry lets it steep for a few minutes then pulls the tea bag out and tosses it in the garbage. He snaps the lid on the mug and hands it to you.

“Kitten, how did you sleep last night? I noticed you crawled in with me in your little burrito again. Did you have another nightmare?” he asked. You shook your head. “I just didn’t feel as safe laying on the couch by myself. So I came and curled up next to you. For once, I didn’t have any nightmares.” You whisper.

Henry gives you a warm smile. “Well, I’m glad you feel safe enough with me to do that with me, Kitten.” He tells you. You nod and stuff another piece of omelet in your mouth.

After a few moments, Henry asks you, “Kitten, would you like to try a self-defense class or drawing to help you cope with what you’ve been through?” You shrug. “I’m not much of an artist. I suppose we could go watch the two classes she recommended. I don’t know.” You mumble and look down.” “Honey, if you don’t want to do it, that’s okay. I just thought it would be good for you to see what some of your options are. Who knows, maybe something will spark an interest.” He tells you.” You shrug.

“I’ll call and see if we can come observe. A few of the classes for each. If you don’t want to try it, that’s fine. At least you had a look to see if it was something you might like.” He says. “Okay.” You tell him then take your meds with the water.

You shiver a bit and Henry asks if you’re cold. You nod. “It’s chilly in here this morning.” You tell him quietly. He nods. “Yeah. I’ll have maintenance come turn on the furnace today while we’re gone.” He tells you and grabs his phone.

Henry makes a few calls while the two of you eat, and Maintenance says they’ll be over in an hour to check the furnace and get it going for you. He thanks them then calls the two martial art studios the counselor recommended. They agree to come let the two of you observe a couple of classes to see if its something you’d like to try and tell Henry to just come when the two of you have free time. No appointment needed. He thanks them both as well.

Henry looks over at you while you are finishing eating. You look exhausted. Your skin is paler than usual, and your cheeks are slightly flushed. The bruising on your neck and chest is dark but is starting to turn green and yellow around the edges. He reaches across and puts a hand on your forehead. It feels a little warmer than usual and he suspects you have a low-grade fever.

Henry caresses your face, and you sigh and lean into his hand for a moment and close your eyes enjoying his touch. “We’ll get you through this, Kitten. I know you aren’t feeling well right now. Hopefully the Doc can figure out why you’re hurting so bad and get you something to make you feel better.” He tells you quietly. You nod, and he lets go of your face. “Come on, now, finish up and we’ll go get you dressed and head out.” He encourages.

More chapters to come…

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[goldenspecter]

Wash and Go

summary: wash and go (or wash 'n go) - a method of cleaning and styling hair without the use of heat, protective styling or any other manipulation techniques and a staple in the natural hair community.

Valerie hadn't expected to style a ghost kid's hair, especially one as powerful as Clockwork, but she believes that everyone should have a good hair experience. She just didn't think it would be the start of something new.

Word Count: 6,970

Archive of Our Own FFN

This fic takes place early season 1, like maybe a week or so after "Parental Bonding".

-I headcanon Clockwork to be black and queer/nonbinary and express that through all my fics that I've written. Maybe not as explicit as calling out skin tones but through little things like AAVE(African-American Vernacular) and their hair type. So at the very least, they were coded to be read as black whenever I write them. Valerie uses AAVE terms so if there are words that pop out at you that you don't instantly recognize/aren't sure of, that's AAVE and it's used in its correct context. This fic serves as a reclamation of blackness/black culture for CW, Valerie and Tucker, for more on that, it’s included on the AO3/FFN versions but not this one since I didn’t want to clutter it any further with notes.

-Music in this phic: Green Eggs and Ham by Princess Nokia and VRY BLK by Jamila Woods ft Noname

---

It’s quiet in her room and the young, small, blue ghost that she mysteriously acquired is laying in her bed, watching a video on their prized console. They-Clockwork, is quiet, curling in on themselves, as if to make themselves smaller than what they truly are and it rubs Valerie the wrong way. She’s not quite sure how, but she knows that something is off. As an attempt to ease the small child, Valerie moves in to run her fingers through their hair in an attempt to comfort them when her fingers are stuck in thick silver curls and Clockwork hisses in pain, but doesn’t make any move to pull away or pry her fingers out of their hair. 

“Chile, do you not comb your hair? When was the last time you ran a comb through that?” Valerie asks, gentle maneuvering her fingers out of the thick, nappy hair. 

“You’re supposed to comb it?” asks Clockwork, voice tinged with confusion. 

“Yes, you’re supposed to comb it!” Valerie almost shrieks, because what parent doesn’t teach their own child to comb their hair or style it for them? Hair was such an important thing for children. It spoke volumes about people, the luscious curls, vibrant blacks and deep browns that stand proudly on top of your head, and she knows each and every hairstyle she rocks is breathtaking and commands attention to her personhood. She can’t imagine a child not being taught to take pride in their hair and the fact that this child hasn’t been taught to be prideful of their hair both saddens and enrages her. She notices the subtle flinch before she softens her voice,  “Sorry about that but do your parents really not comb your hair?”

Clockwork is silent before shaking their head, “They said it’s too much trouble,” they say, voice soft. “So they cut it short when it grew out too much. Saved everyone time.” 

Valerie’s eyes darken in rage and she has to take cartoonishly deep breaths before she can speak. What kind of parent does that shit? To give up on their child, not bothering to take care of their needs and all but giving up on them? She takes another deep breath and speaks in a low voice,  “Well, we’re gonna change that.”

Clockwork furrows an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“I’m going to do your hair,” she says, “That is, if you’re okay with it.”

“No one wants to do my hair,” Clockwork says quickly, “It’s a pain to do and I’m too much of a baby for anyone to do it. I always cry and scream too much when my guardians try.”

It takes every fiber in Valerie’s body to hold back a venomous retort about how shitty Clockwork’s parents sound, because at the very least, she knows that her anger at their parents will be misconstrued and that Clockwork will grow to be afraid of her. Instead, she puts a hand under their chin and gently turns their head to make them look at her. 

“Getting your hair combed sounds scary, I get it,” Valerie starts, “However, it's not healthy to keep avoiding it like this. You gotta do it at some point, and if you decide that after this you wanna get your haircut and keep it short, that’s fine. But at the very least, you deserve to have a good experience when it comes to your hair and I would like to be the one to provide that for you if you like.”

Clockwork falls silent, before nodding hesitantly. 

Valerie is surprised that they agreed to something like this so quickly, that they trust her with something so intimate, but she does nothing to convey her surprise. Instead, she stands up and puts her hands on her hips. “Alright, first step is to wash your hair.”

Fifteen minutes later, Valerie gathers two combs, shampoo and conditioner sets them down on the counter of the kitchen sink as she finishes cleaning off the counter. It doesn’t take her long to do so, and when she finishes, she gently motions for Clockwork to come over. Clockwork obediently comes over, tightly holding the dry towel to their chest, their grip tightening when they eye the combs laying on the counter. 

“Will it hurt?” they ask, looking down at the ground.. It’s not how a child typically asks when parents have to disinfect cuts and scrapes, but from a child who knows and has been through some serious pain. Valerie’s heart aches for this child she barely knows. She’d love to meet their parents because she has a lot of questions to ask, most of which involve a lead pipe. 

“Yea, it will,” she says honestly, not wanting to lie to Clockwork. “Especially since you’ve never had your hair combed but I promise you I will do my best to not make it hurt anymore than it has to.” 

“You promise?” Clockwork asks.

Valerie nods. “Come on up here squirt. Let’s get started.” She helps Clockwork onto the counter, moving one hand on their back while the other rests on their chest and she slowly but gently guides their head to hover above the sink. Once Valerie thinks that Clockwork is steady, she slowly removes her hands and moves to turn one of the sink knobs. She slides her hand under the water, slowly waiting for it to get hot enough before she touches the knob for cold water. Valerie puts her hand under the water again, deems it warm enough before she pulls out the spray head and starts to wet Clockwork’s hair. 

“Is this too hot?” she asks. 

Clockwork squirms a little, pulling their head back from the water. Valerie holds their head still but moves the nozzle away from them and turns the cold water on just a little bit more. She puts the nozzle back at their hair, “How about now?”

“Yes, thank you.” they say. 

“No problem. I promised you would have a good experience and this is an important part.” Valerie says, moving the nozzle around to thoroughly wet Clockwork’s hair. 

Valerie occasionally fluffs their hair as she wets it. Once she determines that it's fully drenched, she places the spray head back into its socket, grabs the shampoo and opens it with a loud click. 

She squeezes a nice dollop of it in her hand to start out and begins to massage the shampoo into Clockwork’s hair. “I wasn’t sure what scent you’d like best so I picked out lavender to start with. We can shop for more if you want to keep this up.”

“I like lavender.” they say, then a moment later, “If I want to keep this up?”

“Yea, if you like how this turns out, then we can keep this up. We can try out different hairstyles, do whatever you want. I can ask dad to buy more hair stuff from the store.” Valerie answers, adding more shampoo to Clockwork’s hair and deeply massaging it in with the soapy suds coating her hands. 

“You want to keep doing my hair?” asks Clockwork and Valerie knows that they’re asking much more than that. You want to keep trying? You aren’t ready to give up hope on me? You don’t want to quit?

“Yes, if you let me.” Valerie says, because she loves doing hair. She loves styling it. Taking something that’s so beautiful in its raw form, magnifying its beauty with braids, twisting, heat is a magic all on its own and she’s so glad that she’s able to take part in that magic. 

Clockwork lets out a tiny ‘ok’ so softly that Valerie has to really strain her ears to hear them. She can tell that she’s made them uncomfortable so she quickly dries her hands, opens Spotify on her phone and plays some music. Her voice and body falls into the trap that the music lays out for her and so soon, she swings her hips as she sings proudly while still continuing to wash Clockwork’s hair. 

“Love my inner child, Kool-Aid smile

I been like this for a while

Going into town, gonna find a crowd

Right by the kids in the park with the style”

Her joy is contagious, as Clockwork begins to tap their hand against their chest with the beat. Valerie’s nails scratch against their scalp, causing Clockwork to let out a groan. 

“Something wrong?”

Clockwork immediately shakes their head, “No. Just- that felt good. Can-can you keep doing that?”

“Of course,” Valerie says as she presses her fingers into their scalp, massaging the skin with varying pressures to both distribute the foamy substance and pamper the neglected area." “Is it too much pressure or good enough?”

“Uhh...good enough?” Clockwork answers, and Valerie can tell that she’s hit the sweet spot. “I like the pressure, I don’t know why.”

“It’s okay not to know why,” Valerie reassures them, pulling the nozzle and rinsing out the shampoo before adding more into the child’s hair. “But to be honest? It just feels good to have someone massage your hair and that’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm. When my dad used to wash my hair, I loved it when he massaged my hair.” Valerie says, continuing to massage their hair. Her music is still playing, hiding a smile when she hears Clockwork softly humming to her music. 

Her hands pull at several strands of silver hair at the nape of Clockwork’s nape. “Do you hear any squeaking?” 

“A little? What does it mean if it’s squeaking?”

“Your hair’s clean. Hold your ears closed, I don't want water to get in them. Swimmer’s ear is hell.” says Valerie, thoroughly rinsing out the soap and suds before she adds more. “I’ll wash it again just to make sure. I want it completely free of any build up of dirt or dandruff before I style it.”

Valerie washes Clockwork’s hair a third time, this time making sure that she completely scrubs out all of the dirt and dandruff that might have built up before she rinses out the soap and suds for the last time. She gets the bottle of conditioner, begins to squeeze it out, and rubs into Clockwork’s hair.

Once there’s an ample amount of condition in Clockwork’s hair, Valerie reaches across the sink to grab one of her combs, a golden wide tooth comb and readies it in her hand. Clockwork eyes the comb with great suspicion, instinctively scooting away from the menacing comb. 

Valerie notices and rests her hand on their chest to stop them in their tracks. “Look, I know, I know. It’s scary, it’s going to hurt a lot, especially since you haven’t had a lot of experience with this.” Valerie begins, voice soft. “If you need to scream, cry, whatever, then go ahead and do it. I’m not going to stop you. Okay?”

“Okay.” Clockwork whispers, bracing themselves to feel the teeth of the comb dig into their hair. 

Valerie places the comb at Clockwork’s edges, pulls the comb through the hair to form a part, occasionally having to pull the tangled strands apart by hands. During this Clockwork hisses, kicking the side of the island in pain. She does this two more times, effectively parting the soaking wet hair into three sections. Valerie fully sinks the teeth of the comb into their hair, starting at the scalp and begins to pull the comb through, collecting dead hair as it goes through stopping at the ends. Valerie focuses on the ends, where its the most tangled, combing it through multiple times to get it to that silky smoothness. 

She retracts the comb from their hair, pulls the dead hair piling in between the teeth of the comb and puts it in the strainer at the bottom of the sink to be collected when she finishes. Valerie combs through the first section one last time and nods in satisfaction at how easily she can run the comb through their hair. 

Sticking the comb in Clockwork's hair, she does a quick check in. “How are we feeling?” she asks. 

Clockwork quickly wipes away any tears pooling at the corners of their eyes before they turn their head to look at her. “It hurts, but I think I’ll be okay.” they say.

Valerie quirks an eyebrow. Getting hair combed hurts like hell, even when combed often. They have to be in some serious pain for how tenderheaded they were. “You sure?” she presses, “I can stop for a few minutes if you like. It’s not a big deal, Clockwork.”

The small child shakes their head, “No,” they say, a soft sob itching to be let loose but they manage to suppress it. “You can keep going.”

“Okay,” Valerie says quietly, pulling the comb out of Clockwork’s hair and resumes by starting to comb out the next section. Clockwork continues to hiss in pain, but doesn’t do anything to stop her. 

Dead hair continues to gather at the bottom of the sink as she combs through the sections. 

“What’s this song? I like it.” Clockwork asks, Valerie muses that they’re trying to focus on something other than the pain.   

“VRY BLK by Jamila Woods and Noname. It’s one of my favorites.” She pulls the hair from the teeth of the comb before returning the comb through their hair. “Would you like me to turn it up?”

They nod, “Yes please.” 

Valerie dries her hands on her shirt, grabs her phone to turn the volume up and starts the song over. A soft steady percussion starts up and slowly takes over the kitchen.

“Black is like the magic, the magic's like a spell

My brothers went to heaven, the police going to, yeah, they're going to

Hello operator, emergency hotline

If I say that I can't breathe, will I become a chalk line

Up to see the movie, line up to see the act”

Valerie takes pride in her voice, as she continues to sing as she finishes combing out Clockwork’s hair, and smiles as she can hear them sing along to the chorus very softly. They aren’t flinching from the pain as much and she considers that to be a monumental improvement. She runs the comb through several more times to make sure that their hair was fully combed out before she rinses out the conditioner in their hair. 

When the conditioner is completely rinsed out, she turns the water off, gathers the clumps of hair sitting in the strainer and dumps them in the trash can. She returns to the sink, helps Clockwork sit up, pulls the towel away from them, and drapes the towel around their neck. Valerie holds out a hand for Clockwork to hold onto and pulls them off the counter.

“How was it?”

Clockwork runs a hand through their hair, eyes widening in surprise that it’s free from kinks. “It’s...good. It felt good.”

Valerie beams, “Good.” She grabs the combs, her phone, and a chair that’s in front of the kitchen island and takes with her into the downstairs bathroom. “Come along Clockwork!”

Clockwork follows after her, droplets of water forming a trail behind them.  They’re standing outside the bathroom when she wordlessly gestures for them to sit in the chair in front of the mirror. Clockwork struggles to get in the chair since it’s the chair is a bit higher than them but they manage to hop in. when they finally hop on the chair, they are entranced by their reflection staring back at them in the mirror. They pull at a few strands of silver hair, looking on in curiosity as it unravels and coils back once they let go. 

This was what their hair looked like when it was combed, washed and treated with care? Impossible. It looks.. too good. Healthy. It’s on their head, so it has to be their hair. Maybe they shouldn't get too attached because Valerie says she would be willing to keep this up, but what if she grows tired of doing it and ends up cutting it like the Observants.

“Looks great doesn’t it?” Valerie says, cutting them out of their thoughts. 

Clockwork nods, “I can’t believe that this is what my hair looks like.” they say in awe, because holy shit this is what their hair actually looks like. Their vision blurs and before they can wipe their tears away, Valerie’s hands are already there, whipping away the tears that spilled over. 

“If you think this looks good now, just wait until I’m finished.” Valerie says, excitement bleeding in her voice. She takes the towel off their neck and drapes it across the chair. Grabbing the comb, Valerie quickly combs through their hair and sections it into four big plaits.

Valerie takes down one of the braids in the back, pulls out a jar of curl defining creme, opens it up and scoops some out with her fingers. She then slabs the cream on top of their hair before she takes time to really work it through, pulling her fingers through the hair to define the curls. Her hands dive back into the jar to scoop out some more and continue massaging it through Clockwork’s hair, saturating the hair with the cream. 

Clockwork is quiet throughout the process, casually stimming as Valerie did their hair and they honestly couldn’t believe how easy it was so far? Why couldn’t the Observants do something like this?

“It’s so smooth,” Clockwork says. 

“Yea, glad I combed your hair out right?” Valerie jokes with a smile.

She gets a fervent nod as her answer. "Me too. Otherwise, it would be a helluva lot harder to do this." 

The music still plays in the background as Valerie finishes one section, takes down another braid and continues the process. It takes about an hour to do, and that hour goes by quickly. 

When Valerie finally finishes, she proudly puts her hands on her hips, "What's the verdict so far?" she waits for Clockwork's reaction. 

Clockwork leans forward in the chair to get a closer look at their hair. This is actually, really their hair. Fingers slowly pull at some of the defined curls hanging in front of their face and coming away with a build up of the cream between their fingers. 

“It’s so pretty.” Clockwork says in awe, and as much they don’t want to, they can’t help but be prideful of their hair. They look at Valerie. “What now?”

“We let it dry.” says Valerie. “It takes a few hours to do.”

“I’m a Time Master!” Clockwork answers, gesturing to the clock in their chest. “I can speed time up, and you won’t even notice!”

“Oh we don’t have to wait that long.” Clockwork says simply.

“How so?” Valerie answers, “Unless you’re talking about a hairdryer, I don’t know what you’re on about.”

“You? A Time Master?” Valerie asks, seeing Clockwork nod enthusiastically, quirks an eyebrow. “You’re so young.”

She doesn’t give herself time to think about how she literally just did a Time Master’s hair. Because holy shit, if this child is so powerful, then how powerful were their parents?

Clockwork frowns, “That’s what everyone says. The Observants think so too, but here I am!” They force themselves to smile and Valerie thinks there’s so much more to that bright and cheery optimism that Clockwork is exuding. 

“Yea, you are. But I think using your powers to dry up your hair is cheating.” Valerie says gently. “If you want to truly experience this, then you gotta wait like the rest of us mere mortals.”

“How long does it take?”

“Four hours. Give or take.” says Valerie, “Sometimes I use a blow dryer to speed it up a little bit if I’m not in the mood to wait that long. I can use a blow dryer if you want?”

“Yes please.”

“Okay.” Valerie goes into the bathroom closet, rummaging through the piles of towels, hair products, and bed sheets until she comes across the blow dryer. She gets, heads back to the sink, reaches over Clockwork to plug it in the wall, and drapes the tower over their neck. “It’ll get a bit hot, just let me know if it’s too much.”

“I know it’ll get hot, that’s what they’re supposed to do. I’m not a baby.” Clockwork says smartly and Valerie can’t help glaring at the small child. 

“You and I, we finna fight.” She says with a smile. “But seriously, tell me if it’s too hot, okay?”

“I don’t see the point, but okay I guess.” Uneasiness grows in Valerie’s stomach, what the hell has this child been through for them to not take their own limitations seriously? What the hell have these Observants done?

Valerie is seriously starting to question that she needs a lead pipe when she finally does talk to these Observants.

Valerie turns the blow dryer on, keeping it several inches away from Clockwork’s hair, moves it around their head, the heat of the blow dryer slowly but surely drying it a bit. She occasionally wraps her hand around the curls, to feel how wet their hair is and to make sure that she doesn’t dry it too much. 

“How’s the heat?” She asks.

“Hot.”

“That’s what blowdryers are supposed do.” She mimics from earlier, laughing when Clockwork glares at her. “Is it too much?”

A firm shake of the head, “No? I don’t think so? It feels kinda nice.”

“Cool, cool. I’m only doing this for another minute or two since I don’t wanna dry it out too much.” Valerie blow dries it for another 5 or so minutes before she cuts the blow dryer off, unplugs it, wraps the cord around it and stuffs it back in the closet. 

Clockwork slides off the chair, shuffles towards Valerie, who presses a hand against the top of their hair. 

“Hmm, it’s still somewhat wet. It shouldn’t take more than two hours for it to fully dry out.” Valerie guesses. 

The child fumbles with their gloved fingers. “What do you normally do while you wait?”

Valerie rests a hand under her chin. “I watch tv, play a game or two, read a book if I don’t have homework to do.” Eying Clockwork, she continues. “Homework isn’t that important though, what would you like to do?”

“I dunno?” Clockwork says shyly, pointedly looking at the ground. 

She doesn’t say it out loud because she’s certain it would embarrass them, but the way Clockwork acts is oh so similar to the little kids that she babysits for some quick and easy money and that in and of itself is so damn adorable. 

“What do you normally do then?”

“I mainly watch the timestreams! Or I train on my powers! Sometimes I have to attend some meetings or handle some crisis that the timelines are going through at times.” 

‘Does this child do nothing but work?’ Valere thinks to herself. “Do you do anything for fun?”

“I don’t have time for fun. Not when there’s important work to be done.” Clockwork says with a derisive snort, sounding so much older than the seven/eight year old they are. “Humanity’s a little bit more important than me having fun.”

“I’m sorry but what the fuck is wrong with your parents?” Valerie snaps.

Clockwork flinches and Valerie immediately regrets it.“There’s nothing wrong with the Observants. They’re doing just fine.”

Valerie growls, pressing her hands to her temples, trying and failing to suppress the frustration that she’s experiencing right now. “Yes there is. My dad doesn’t make me work all the time, your parents shouldn’t either.”

“But that’s different!” Clockwork shouts.

“How the fuck is it different?”

“You’re a human child! You wouldn’t understand!”

“You’re a child too!” Valerie shouts. “You are a literal child! You’re younger than me!”

Clockwork sputters at that, trying and failing to come up with a response. “But I’m a Time Master-”

Valerie clasps a hand on one of their shoulders, “You might be a Time Master, but you are a child first and foremost. That’s the most important thing for you to be and the Observants are wrong to teach you otherwise.”

The teen pulls Clockwork into a tight hug, “How about we play a game or something? We can do whatever you want.”

Clockwork’s muffled voice mumbles out, “Really?”

“Really.”

“Can I show you my tower?” Clockwork asks excitedly, pulling away from her and she can visibly see the way Clockworks eyes light up.  “It’s really cool, there’s a lot of rooms, hallways and books-”

Valerie presses a finger against Clockwork’s lips, “Why talk about it when you can show me it?”

"I'm not really the best at teleporting. I have accidents sometimes," Clockwork admits softly. "I don't think I'd be any good teleporting two people."

She shrugs, "Maybe you aren't. Perhaps there's other ways to get there." 

"There are but natural portals take forever to form and there aren't any in Amity Park." Clockwork says, "Guess we'll have to teleport there."

Valerie raises an eyebrow, looking down at the young Time Master. "I thought you weren't any good at it." She says suspiciously.

Clockwork doesn't say anything as they run towards Valerie. "We'll have to find out won't we?" They say, jumping up, diving into Valerie, wrapping their arms around her. A portal formed behind the two children, both of them falling through the portal and Valerie landed on her bottom as they came from the other side with Clockwork buried into their chest. Clockwork sits up, looks down at Valerie and tilts their head. 

"Did I do good?" Clockwork asks. 

Valerie pulls herself up, uses her elbows to keep herself propped up, and looks around. The simple bathroom that her and Clockwork was in is gone, the house, everything that she knew is nowhere to be found and was replaced with scrying portals twice her size and clock gears of various sizes. Valerie questions why there are so many gears here, since it seems like it would be dangerous for a young kid like Clockwork to be around no matter how smart or cautious they seem. But she doesn't say it out loud, instead, saving it for whenever she finally meets these Observants.  She looks to her left and her right, the seeing the hallways that Clockwork mentioned from earlier, but the more she stares down the hall, the more they grow in size and loom over her, the discomfort that started off small growing until she can actually feel it gnaw at her. 

Clockwork taps her shoulders and she jolts, tensing her shoulders before remembering that it was only just Clockwork as she loosens the tension in her shoulders and lets out a deep breath. 

"Did I do good?" they ask again. 

Valerie looks around one last time, really taking in the scenery of the tower, how everything the tower touches seems to be saturated in green overtones, the overwhelming sense that everything about this place feels so unnatural, disconcerting and wrong and that a simple human like her wasn't meant to be here. Slowly, she nods her head, not wanting Clockwork to pick up on her uneasiness. 

"You did great buddy." she says. "You mind getting off of me?" 

Clockwork beams at the praise, floating off of Valerie and helping her stand up. Once she's up off the ground, they look up at her with wide expectant eyes. "Can I give you that tour now?" They ask, tail flicking behind them excitedly. 

"Yea, sure buddy." Valerie says, yelping when Clockwork takes her hand and begins dragging her through the halls to give her the tour of the citadel. 

As Clockwork gives the tour, she takes note of all the empty rooms that have been repurposed for gardens and apocatheries, libraries brimming with rare books that are worth more than what her father will make in his entire life time, how Clockwork is just so enthused with bringing someone along to show them empty rooms devoid of life and personality and she has to wonder how lonely they have to be. 

She's not sure how long the tour was, but it felt like it was over before it truly started. Green eyes catch a door with a startling amount of locks on it and her curiosity shines through. 

"What's behind that door?" she asks. 

Clockwork tenses, the grip they have on her hand tightening. "It's nothing." they say with a tight voice, pulling Valerie along as the two move away from the door. "Let's go." 

"Is it dangerous?" 

"Tour's over." they say cryptically. 

So it is dangerous. "Why is there something so dangerous in your tower?" She asks, walking behind them. "Why would these Observants leave something like that with a little kid? What if you got hurt?"

Clockwork shrugs, "It's not like I don't heal up, I'm usually fine." 

"Usually? What about when you aren't?"

"I heal. Eventually. and I get over it." Clockwork says, leading Valerie back to the area where they started from. "That's it."

"Don't these Observants help you heal or get better?" 

Clockwork raises an eyebrow and shakes their head in a manner that says 'dont ask stupid questions.' "No? Why would they? I get myself in trouble, I get myself out of it." They say nonchalantly, turning their back to Valerie as they wave a hand to change the image on their scrying portal. "You wanna see something cool?" 

Valerie begins to shake her head to argue about the Observants, but whatever she is going to say dies down in her throat when she sees the hopeful look on Clockwork's face begging her to drop the subject.

Reluctantly, she nods her head, "Sure why not?" 

Clockwork beams at her, grabs her hand and pulls her into the scrying portal. Valerie doesn't have time to think about how she feels like she's wading through jelly as she goes through the portal and how her body goes numb for several seconds after she stumbles through the portal before she finally catches herself awkwardly standing on her tippy toes, body lurching forward and just one misstep away from falling flat on her face 

Time travel, she supposes, isn't really meant for humans. 

"Are you okay?” Clockwork asks, “I’ve never had a human travel with me before.”

Valerie nods, before her throat coats itself in bile, feels it rise and fills her mouth and she immediately shakes her head. The fourteen year old throws herself over the closest ledge, leaning over and throwing up the bile that came out of nowhere. Her legs buckle as she continues throwing up before she finally stops,  resting limply for a few moments. Valerie pushed herself off of the ledge, shakily pulls herself back together, before turning around to face Clockwork. 

“If I wasn’t fine before,” she rasps out. “I’m fine now.” 

Clockwork raises an eyebrow, “Are you sure?”

Nodding her head, “My mouth feels gross but some water should do me some good.”

“Okay.” Clockwork says, slipping their hand into hers and guiding her away from the stone ledge. “There’s a resturant around here somewhere, we can get you some water.”

It finally crosses Valerie’s mind to ask where she is. “Where are we anyways?”

“Rome.” Clockwork says offhandedly.

“Ancient Rome?” Valerie asks.

“Noooo,” Clockwork says with a laugh, looking up at one of the street names before crossing the street. “Present day Rome. Don’t get me wrong, ancient Rome is cool and all, I just didn’t think you would like to see gladiators, deal with the stench-Romans bathe but like, Rome is still gross and all the other nastiness that goes on.”

Oh. She didn’t consider that. She wonders from the way they’re crossing the street, with no one really paying attention to them, if they were really there. “Can they see us?”

“Who?”

With her only free hand, she vaguely gestures to everyone around them. “Them!” 

Finally understanding who Valerie was referring to, Clockwork shakes their head. “No. to them we don’t really exist? I don’t know how to explain it, but whatever we do right now isn’t really going to impact the timeline.”

Valerie doesn’t really get it. Maybe it’s because she’s not a Master of Time and doesn’t really understand the complexities that come with the passage of time and if she was quite honest, she’s grateful that she’s just a human who interacts with time in such a simple and straightforward way. Valerie doesn’t get it, but she trusts this kid that’s pulling her through the streets of Rome. 

The two walk by several clothing shops before finally making it to that restaurant that Clockwork mentioned earlier. Valerie looks up to see the name of the restaurant and is taken aback when she sees the white double arches standing out against the black drapes. 

“McDonald’s?” Valerie asks, a hand on her hip. “Of all the places in Rome and you choose McDonald’s?”

“McDonalds is considered a restaurant, so I technically brought you to one.” Clockwork says arrogantly, curling their fingers around the door handle.  “You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to.”

Clockwork pulls the door open and enters. Valerie grumbles and begrudgingly follows after them, slipping through the open space before the door closes, her potential complaints dying down when she saw the interior of the McDonalds. Black bricks on the floor, with dining booths covered in leather, each one separated by wood and marble. She takes a few steps forward, taking in how...sophisticated this McDonald’s looks. As she marvels at the decor, her eyes move away from the furniture and flooring before they linger and gaze in awe at the sculpture cornered a few steps away from the tables. 

Valerie steps in front of the statue, a beautiful Roman woman with a dress. Her arms were missing, and the dress rests below her chest, each of the folds immaculately sculpted in the marble. Valerie reaches her hand out to touch the detailed folds of the dress, but retracts her hand in fear that if she touches something so beautiful, it’ll break and crumble in her hands. 

“It’s not going to break, you know,” Clockwork says, “It’s not the original sculpture, the original is in a museum if you want to see it.”

She looks down at them, then back at the sculpture. “Do you know who did it?” 

Clockwork shrugs. “I dont know but it’s no Venus de Milo.” They turn away, walking down the steps, and heading into the main area of the restaurant. “You still want that water?”

Remembering how dry and parched her throat is, Valerie nods, stepping down and walking into the main part of McDonald’s and she’s taken aback at how fancy it looks. The Nasty Burger could never look like this, “It’s a fancy McDonald’s, I’ll give it that.”

“I thought all McDonald's look like this?" They ask. 

"Chile no," she scoffs, they walk past the people and stop in front of a self-service kiosk. Valerie taps the screen and orders herself her much needed water. 

"Can you throw in some fries please?" Clockwork asks. "Nuggets too!"

"Aren't you hungry?" She teases, adding the requested items to the cart. "I could go for some fries and a chicken sandwich myself." 

Adding the items to the order, she taps finish, and when the payment page comes up, she turns to Clockwork. "And how do you propose we pay for all of this?" She asks, "I don't have any of my money on me." 

Clockwork bites their lip, before leaning over and tapping the screen, and fiddling with it before it shows that the order was paid for it. The kiosk spits out a receipt, Valerie takes it and eyes Clockwork suspiciously. "What did you do? I thought you said we don't really have an impact on the timeline."

"I just took advantage of a little loophole in the system," they say innocently. Looking up at Valerie, they shy away from her disapproving frown, turning away from her appearant disappointment as they explain themselves. "It's not going to hurt anyone, and we don't really have an impact on the timeline right now."

Valerie notices how they turn away from her, and decides to let up, relaxing the tense muscles on her face. She wasn't happy that they technically stole from the people here, but she won't harp on them too much. They say it won't really have an impact on the people here, so that doesn't make it that terrible right? Shaking her head, Valerie moves away from the kiosk, towards the register and waits for their food to be served. Ten minutes pass by, she hears their order number called out, grabs the food, rolls the top of the bag inward to keep the food hot, and searches for a table that isn't too full to sit at. Clockwork stays close to her, and she offhandedly notices how their hand slips into the crook of their elbow and latch themselves close to her. Something foreign blooms in her chest but she squashes it down before she can put a name to it or fully explore it, blaming it on the weirdness involving Clockworks powers. 

She finally finds them a place to eat, an area that seemed to be a bit secluded and didn't have as many people in the area. Valerie and Clockwork sit down at a semicircle shaped booth several feet behind a case of glass holding cups with plants in. Clockwork slides in the booth first, Valerie slides in next and sets the food on the table. Opening the bag, she pulls out the Clockwork's food along with some ketchup and honey mustard packets and gives it to them.

Clockwork pulls their fries and nuggets close, dips some fries in the ketchup and sticks them in their mouth. "Thank you!" they say happily, swinging their feet as they continue to eat. Valerie doesn't say anything back, opting to open her chicken sandwich and taking a bite out of it.The two children  eat in silence-rather, Clockwork talks about whatever crosses their mind, while Valerie occasionally nods along and asks a question or two of her own. She ignores that little feeling in that chest from earlier as she listens to Clockwork talk, as she's certain that it's just some weird pain in her chest or stomach that'll go away.

Valerie finishes eating about twenty minutes later and puts her trash in the white paper bag. Clockwork notices her, looking up at her, "Did you want to see more of Rome?" they ask, "There's a shopping district a few streets away, if that's what you're into." 

She doesn't say anything as she grabs a napkin, folds it in half and reach out to the little Time Master's face to wipe off the remaining honey mustard and ketchup from the corners of their mouth. With her other hand, she feels Clockwork's hair, gently patting the top and middle parts of their hair, rubbing the curls between her fingers to truly feel it, and pulls her hands away from them with a smile. "I'll take a raincheck for that," she says with a smile, gently tapping their nose,  grabbing their trash and tossing it in the trashcan next to  the table. "But we need to go back home, I have to show you something." 

Clockwork tilts their head before nodding. The seven year old snakes their hand into Valerie's, tightly clasping their hands together, scrunching their eyes close and before Valerie knows it, the two are back in her kitchen. 

"How'd you do that?" she asks, "Last time, you needed a portal."

Clockwork shrugs, "I dunno? You said we had to go home," they say, "This is home."

Oh. Valerie isn't quite sure how to feel about that admission, and she has a lot of feelings about the way Clockwork easily and honestly calls  this house, where she lives, home. So she'll bury them for right now, maybe unpack them later, maybe ask her dad about these emotions. She senses that Clockwork is staring at her, realizing that she spaced out, plasters a wide smile on her face to make up for it. Valerie covers their eyes, shushing their protest when she walks them over to the bathroom and stops in front of the mirror. 

Slowly, she lowers her hands from their eyes, watching with joy as Clockwork stops their protesting to stare at themselves in the mirror. Valerie moves behind them, fluffing their curls up a bit, so they can be at full volume. "Do you like it?" she asks, "Be brutally honest, Clockwork."

Clockwork stands there in shock, a hand reaching up to tug at one of the curls at the edge of their forehead. "It's so pretty," they say in awe, then noticing Valerie standing behind them. "It can't be mine. There's no way this can belong to me." 

"Yea, it is." she says simply, shifting her weight to one side of her body and leaning against the bathroom door. 

For the second or third time that day, Clockwork cries. Valerie bends down a little bit, right until the two were eye level and pulls  Clockwork in for a hug. She feels them trying to hide in her neck but she shakes her head, gently guiding their head to look in the mirror, "Every single strand of hair belongs to you," she says, wiping away their tears. "I know you don't believe me, but your hair is so beautiful. I meant what I said earlier, I'll keep doing your hair as long as you want me to."

"You mean that?"

Valerie nods, "I meant every word I said."

"Can you…?" they begin, but they go quiet, still unable to ask the question. 

"Yea," she answers, pressing a kiss on their forehead. "Come back next week, okay?"

"Okay." Clockwork says. 

[katwriter-1990]

Chapter One-Bailey

Bailey

I woke up to the sound of the birds singing the highest melodies; they were the opera to nature’s scene, followed by the vivid and golden rays of the morning’s sunrise reflecting into the glass against my windows, letting the sun rays glisten and brighten the entire room with colors of gold yellow everywhere. It was morning, time for another day to get ready. I glanced at my watch: 7:15am. I groaned slightly but still managed to gain my energy and sit right up at the edge of my bed. Stretched and yawned, releasing the tension from lying on a flat surface for an extended period of a night.

I got up and walked into the bathroom and looked straight at my reflection. Not a pleasant sight at all. As highlighted and bright, my hair was full of knots, and my ponytail was lopsided and tangled. My face is a little pale, and my eyes with dark circles on the bottom. Really cringing. I yawned one more time, took my hair out, and fixed it into a more organized bun. I turned on the sink, the faucet squeaking, then the water started running, making little splashes against the sink bowl. I took my L’oreal face wash, squeezed a quarter-sized amount in my palms, and then rubbed my hands together, lathering it up. I began to wash my face, rinsed it down, and let the cool water awaken my skin. Suddenly, I felt less fatigued. I began to brush my teeth and rinse my mouth with some mouthwash. Then suddenly, my energy was urging for caffeine. I opened the door and stopped in my tracks. I must walk past him and cannot wake…him. Quietly.

I would be lying if I said I was happy with this stranger in my bed; that stranger is known as my husband. Henry Quinton. The best lawyer in New York, but he wasn’t the best husband in the Quinton Residence; he was all serious and bland, he was bored. I knew he was bored, and he has always been even though we have been together for twenty-seven years. But then, if I point this out and try to ask why aren’t we the same anymore, I am the crazy one; I am overreacting. Or so, he says. What is a woman like me to do other than just shut down and pretend I am happy? Pretend happiness, as I like to call it. He’d create it as a routine, as a scripted show when it came to being at work parties and family gatherings. It was all a show so that no one would talk. No one would gossip. And find out that the “perfect” Quinton couple is actually a toxic joke, and I am the punchline.

If anything, I am the one that’s fucking bored.

I walk downstairs and go straight into my kitchen. The same sun rays that had brightened my room were glimmering through my large windows in the living room and kitchen, making little rectangle shadows against my marble kitchen counter. I pressed the “on” button on my coffee machine, then it started blowing steam, and I began to see a small dark river flow from the nozzle into the glass pot. I grabbed my favorite mug. It had me and my grandma’s picture from our trip to Colombia, followed by “I love you,” written across it. At this time, the coffee is ready, and I pour the dark brown liquid into the mug, grab some cream and sugar, and stir the mixes all together. I look into the cup and see tiny white bubbles spinning in the middle. I blow into the coffee and take a nice sip, and exhale with relief. I opened my porch door and set into beautiful scenery with my yard. All I saw was a big green hill, surrounded by trees and a golden circle above made everything so bright and colorful. The skies are bright blue with funny-shaped fluffy clouds that make you curious how comfy they are. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, and took another sip of coffee. This was my tranquility, inner peace, at least where I felt alive and not looked like a trophy wife. I didn’t have to watch him ignore me and not love me like he tells the world he does. It wouldn’t be long until he wakes up, and then it’s lights, camera, action.

I looked at the clock when I heard the alarm go off upstairs, followed by a loud and harsh cough. It’s the man of the house himself. He has risen. I listened to the bed creaking faintly as he got up, his heavy footsteps creaking along from the bedroom to what it sounded like to the shower. The door shut, and I heard the shower go on. By now, it’s 7:45. He’s getting ready for his big day. Mr. Lawyer. My husband. My boring fucking husband. Most of my girlfriends say I am one lucky woman. Living in a luxurious penthouse, rich lawyer husband, maids, fucking parties were all these high-end folks that have been the heirs to the family’s financial benefits. Oh, yes, according to them, I am the envy of our local country club. Yet, here I am, screaming and suffocating while I woke up every day and hoped he’d hold me and love me like he used to. Now it’s just out-of-town lawyer cases and missed memories.

I made breakfast. His favorite, eggs, and oats with a glass of coconut juice. I’d tell him to go fuck himself if it were up to me. But it’s not worth losing my comfort zone of luxury. I didn’t grow up with this life and never surrounded myself with people who lived like this ether. So, it’s not worth losing it. I’d rather keep my mouth shut and just suck it up. Yes, I know, I am an idiot.

I leave his breakfast plate on the table and then start washing the dishes. I hear his shoes tapping down the stairs. He clears his throat, and I turned around.

“Morning,” I said softly.

“How long ago did you just cook this food?” Henry said, angrily.

Not a good morning back to me, or a good morning kiss. Just that first belligerent question. I then imagined myself throwing the fucking wet frying pan at him, and just watch him fall to the floor, blood, brains splattered and all. But it’d be too risky. I’d end up in jail and then lose everything either way.

“I just finished shortly before you came down,” I said, calmly.

He was silent. Even with my back turned, I knew by now he’s touching the food to test it out to see if I am lying.

“It’s not even hot.” He groans. “Fucking great.” I hear his chair pull out, then being pulled back in. I turn around, hoping that what I am about to ask him will lighten the mood and redirect the hostility. I cleared my throat, and grabbed my cup of coffee, and walked over to him.

“Hey, listen, babe. Maybe we should have a date night? You know, spend some time together? It’s been a while and—”

“Can’t.” He interrupts me. “I am heading to Boston for a case, a big one. Could take days.”

“Wait? Again? You left Boston last week, and you said that the other case was no longer your problem. Do you have another case? In Boston? Again?”

He slams his fork down loudly.

“Damn it, Bailey. What the fuck! You are starting this early. I am a fucking lawyer! I have to travel to work so I can fucking pay for this house! The bills! Your life! You’re in no position to question my job. Just shut the hell up, please! I am trying to eat my breakfast in peace!” He rolls his eyes and gets back to his plate.

I stood there motionless. Hurt. Humiliated. I wanted to smack his face and tell him to respect me, that I am his wife. And to say to him to shut the hell up. But instead, I am silent. I take the word jabs he just threw at me. I clear my throat.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

He doesn’t say anything; he just keeps eating. Doesn’t even look up at me.

I turned around and slowly walked up the stairs. Feeling a sharp pain in my throat and in my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know where I was for a second. But I walked up the stairs, went into my room, and just sat on my balcony. I was numb and in my thoughts. But my thoughts were numb, too. My heart was in slow motion, and I could feel the tears coming out, but somehow I could control them; it’s what you get for being in an unhappy marriage. You learn to control the tears and let them out on command. I heard Henry’s glass plate clash into the kitchen sink downstairs, the chair being pushed back into place at the table. Followed by footsteps pacing back and forth as he gets his suitcase and works stuff together. The keys jingling as he walks to the door.

“I’m leaving.” He calls up. “I’ll call when I can.”

“Okay, babe,” I shout back. I love you. Have a good trip.”

Silence. Then the door slams. I got up from my balcony chair and watched him walk to the parking lot of the car.

“Hey!” I called out. “I said I love you, asshole!”

“Yes, I heard you. Ditto.” Henry says, continuing to walk to the car without looking back.

I shake my head as I watch him start the engine and pull out quickly as if he was trying to leave the premises stat. What did I do wrong this time? Why won’t he love me? What the fuck is wrong with me?

I walked back into the house and looked at my reflection in the mirror again. And stared, studying each part of my body. My boobs got done, my hair color changed even though he didn’t say anything about it. I started to pick at everything about myself and just kept wondering if I’d change, would he notice me then.

I hope he loves me one day.

[goldenraeofsun]

would you have me, would you want me?

Part I

Part II

Cas chokes on his drink. 

Spluttering, he gasps for breath, his face reddening with embarrassment.

“Sorry,” Dean says, his eyes laughing. “I guess this batch is stronger than the last one.” He gently guides Cas away from the punch bowl, towards an unoccupied corner of the kitchen. “Here,” he says, swapping out their cups. “I only got Jack and Coke in mine.”

“Are you sure?”

Dean sniffs the punch skeptically before taking a small sip. “Yeah, my standards are not high. Jesus Christ, they must’ve poured the whole bottle in there.”

Cas hides his own smile behind the rim of Dean’s cup.

“So, Cas,” Dean starts, “What’s up?”

“What’s up?”

“Yeah,” Dean says. “It’s like I hardly see you now we’re done with Cicero.”

Cas takes a large gulp of his drink. “I didn’t realize you noticed.”

“‘Course I did!” Dean says, mock-outraged. He ignores a loud cheer from the crowd around the doorway at the other end of the room. “Tutoring was the best part of Thursdays.”

“You have double-period Latin and Ms. Abbadon back-to-back on Thursdays,” Cas says shrewdly, as he watches Gordon from Calculus brandish two full bottles of vodka. “There wasn’t much competition, as far our tutoring sessions went.”

“How’d you know that?” Dean asks, baffled.

“You complained of both frequently,” Cas says. Before he can stop himself, Cas tacks on, “I always listen when you tell me things, Dean.”

Dean smiles weakly at him before taking a large gulp of punch. “Hey, do you want to go somewhere quieter? I can barely hear myself think.”

Cas nods and lets Dean pull him out of the kitchen.

“So how’re you really doing?” Dean asks as they settle down on the first steps of the forbidden stairs to the second story of Tessa’s house. “Did your old man come through?”

Cas’s expression hardens. “He won’t be able to make it to graduation. I received his response in the mail a few weeks ago.”

Dean studies him, and Cas tries not to fidget under his gaze. “Let me guess, you’ve been skulking in the library ever since, your nose buried in a book.”

Cas bristles. “I do not skulk.”

“Dude, you so do,” Dean says, laughing. “With the face, and the eyes - trust me, you’ve sent freshmen running for the hills and you don’t even know it.”

Cas hunches in on himself. “I haven’t been in… the best of moods lately.”

“No shit,” Dean says as he reaches out and claps Cas on the shoulder. “At least you’ll have Gabriel?”

“Small consolation.”

Dean bumps up against Cas reassuringly. “Come on, he’ll make enough noise for at least four relatives.”

Cas just shakes his head.

“At least you’ll be leaving all this behind,” Dean says, his face darkening. “You’ll be able to start new and shit.”

Cas turns to him, puzzled. “I’m barely going out of state. And it’s only for four years - less, if I can graduate early.”

“Uh huh,” Dean says, not looking convinced in the slightest. He swirls the terrible punch around in its cup before taking a large gulp.

* * *

Castiel swallows nervously.

“It’s good to see you,” he tells Dean.

“Same here,” Dean says. He glances at Charlie. “You know Charlie?”

“Cas teaches Latin and French at Carver Preparatory Academy,” Charlie pipes up. At Dean’s blank look, she explains, “A few years ago, Roman donated a bunch of tech to his alma mater. Yours truly was sent in to coordinate from Roman’s side of things, and Cas here drew the short straw at the high school.”

“I also chair the robotics club,” Castiel clarifies.

“You’re at Carver?” Dean asks, eyes widening. “Teaching those douche nozzles that stole Peppy the Pigeon?”

Castiel makes a face. “Those students were reprimanded and suspended. It was not an… authorized thievery.”

Dean snorts.

“And it’s not like your students’ hands are entirely clean either,” Castiel adds reproachfully. “Didn’t they sneak pot brownies into our bake sale for senior prom?”

“So what if they did?” Dean crosses his arms across his chest. “As far as I’m concerned, they got more bang for their buck. You can’t get a pot brownie for three dollars just anywhere.”

“The faculty bought them too! We were in the middle of midterms!”

Dean smirks. “Extra fun midterms, then.”

Castiel throws his hands in the air. “I don’t know why I even bother,” he says as he spins on his heel. “I need another drink.”

Dean hasn’t changed. Not one bit.

He gets halfway to the makeshift bar before Charlie waylays him. “Dude,” she says, her eyes huge.

“What?” Castiel jerks his arm to throw off her grip and makes as if to step past her.

“That was a disaster.”

“You’re telling me,” Castiel says sourly.

“Why’d you attack him like that?”

“He started it,” Castiel says, eyes flashing.

Charlie throws him a deeply skeptical look. “Are you really incapable of being in the same room for five minutes?”

Castiel sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Most likely.”

“At least nobody threw food,” Charlie says before perking up. “Although that last food fight was epic.”

“He started that one too.”

“You could’ve walked away, literal egg on your face or no,” Charlie says, the corner of her mouth twitching.

Castiel shakes his head. “I’ve never been able to walk away from Dean Winchester. You know that.”

“Sure,” Charlie says easily, “but he doesn’t.”

* * *

Cas swallows nervously. 

“I’ll come back for the holidays,” he offers boldly, the alcohol shoring up his resolve. He isn’t sure Dean would even care, but he needs to say something.

In the beginning, Dean needed help with Latin, so Cas was assigned as his tutor. After a rocky start - Dean kept ditching Cas for reasons unknown - Cas followed him to his car and refused to get left behind again. With Dean in the driver's seat, they picked up Sam at his middle school and drove him to soccer practice.

Cas tutored Dean right there on the bleachers overlooking the scrimmage game.

When it rained, Sam came with them to the library - as happy as a pig in shit, as Dean often said while ruffling Sam’s hair.

To celebrate their last tutoring session a month ago, Dean took Cas to the movies. A film had just opened about two demon hunting brothers. The trailer showed them saying a Latin exorcism, so it totally counted, according to Dean.

Dean and Cas are friends. Probably.

But Dean has a lot of friends. Cas has observed them across the cafeteria, over the pages of too many books to name. They make Dean laugh, far more than he ever has with Cas. They understand his jokes without explanations. Dean doesn’t meet their eyes for only a moment before ducking away.

After a small eternity, Dean speaks. “I’m glad you’re here, Cas.”

Warmth blooms bright in Cas’s chest. “Me too.” He fiddles with his cup before taking a reassuring swallow of liquid courage. “Why did you invite me?”

“I dunno.” Dean stares down at the drink between his hands. “Thought it would be nice.”

“Really?” Cas asks, his voice dripping with skepticism.

Dean screws up his face. “You seemed stuck in this funk, man. And you weren’t getting out of it on your own, so, I guess, I thought it was time to bring in the big guns.”

“A party?”

Dean grins. “Nothing like alcohol and bad decisions to loosen you up.”

Cas chuckles under his breath. “I almost didn’t come.”

“I figured it was a long shot. Why did you?”

Cas swallows down more of his drink. “You asked me to.”

“Yeah, but…” Dean drifts off, brow furrowed.

“You’ve asked me for exactly four things over the past year,” Cas says seriously, ticking them off on his fingers, “One, to let you drive Sam to soccer practice while we were supposed to have tutoring; two, to borrow my flash cards, which I was going to give you anyway; three, to go to the movies with you; and four, to come to Tessa’s house tonight. That’s it.”

Dean knocks back his cup, his eyes dark. “I guess I thought I was more of a drag for you these past few months.”

Cas’s mouth falls open in surprise. “A drag on what, my vibrant social life?”

Dean shrugs, staring out at the empty hallway. “You have this mysterious loner vibe going on. I didn’t think you wanted anyone to mess with that.”

Cas squints at him. “I have a vibe?”

“At first I thought you just thought you were better than the rest of us,” Dean continues as Cas’s heart sinks into the floor. “But I know better now.”

Cas tips back his drink, draining it. He croaks, “You do?”

One corner of Dean’s mouth lifts into a half-smile. “Yeah, I do, Cas.”

* * *

Castiel’s stomach flips at the sound of his name.

Dean catches up with him right outside of the gym, calling again,  “Hey, Cas, wait!”

Castiel turns, dread curling in his gut. But he can’t flee - he still has some pride left. “What?”

“I think we need a do-over,” Dean says seriously.

Castiel bites back the, What gave you that idea? on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he says, as evenly as he can, “I think so.”

Dean rubs the back of his neck, wrongfooted in a way Castiel has never seen on him before. “Look, we’re not our students, obviously.”

“Or else I would know what ‘yeet’ meant,” Castiel says wryly.

“Mood,” Dean deadpans, before his face breaks out into a smile as Castiel squints at him, uncomprehending. “I heard down the grapevine you went into teaching a few years ago. Good for you, putting those tutoring skills to better use.”

“It seemed a logical choice.” He eyes Dean, biting his lip as he tries to convey his next thought without offending him. “But I was surprised to hear you went into teaching too.”

Dean snorts. “You and everybody else.”

“Why did you?”

Dean shrugs. “I had this teacher in community college, Missouri Moseley - she said it would be a good fit for me. She convinced me to transfer to a four-year university and get certified.”

Curious, Castiel asks, “Why did she say it was a good fit?” before he thinks better of it, and adds quickly, “Not that I think she’s wrong.”

“’Course you don’t,” Dean says with a lopsided grin. “She said I would come to the role from a position of empathy. That I would be able to reach the troubled kids who need the most help.” He averts his gaze, muttering, “Fancy words for saying I have a soft spot for the outcasts and loners, I guess.”

“You’ve got to be joking.”

“No?” Dean’s brow furrows as he takes in Castiel’s stony expression. “I told you my dad was never around. Not one teacher noticed,” he says, gesturing around them. “Our guidance counselor was a waste of space. I only went to community college to set a good example for Sammy.”

“Yes, but,” Castiel protests, “you were popular. You weren’t an outcast.”

“But you were,” Dean said, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Castiel grimaces. “I know that.”

“There you go.” Dean crosses his arms across his chest, satisfied.

But, Castiel is far from satisfied. He hasn’t been satisfied for ten years. “I don’t understand you,” Castiel grinds out, frustrated. “You’re saying you went into teaching to help kids like me?”

Dean’s confidence cracks the tiniest fraction. “Yeah?”

Castiel lets out a dark laugh. “I suppose you have changed.”

“I mean, it’s been ten years…” Dean drifts off.

Castiel could use another drink. Or five. He rubs a tired hand down his face.

“Look,” Dean says, “I know I was an ass to you in senior year.”

“Only the last few months,” Castiel says sharply. “For the vast majority of that year, you were my friend.”

* * *

Cas’s stomach flips at the sound of his name.

Cheeks flaming, Cas sneaks a peek at Dean out of the corner of his eye.

Nobody called him ‘Cas’ before Dean. Teachers and classmates always used ‘Castiel.’ His relatives, his mother, all called him by his given name.

But Dean - Dean would sooner spend his valuable lunch money on the cafeteria salad than ever call him ‘Castiel.’ From day one, he claimed ‘Cas’ as his.

“I don’t mean to shut everyone out,” Cas says, the words spilling out of him before he can dwell too deeply on them. “I just don’t know how to let them in.”

“It’s not easy,” Dean says frankly. He tips back his cup of punch.

“You don’t seem to have the same difficulty,” Cas says in a low voice, trying not to sound accusatory.

Dean shrugs, his eyes troubled. “It’s all relative, I guess.”

Cas leans forward, resting one elbow on his knees as his other hand dangles uselessly at his side, clutching his mostly-empty cup. “I probably should have done more.”

“If you’re happy kicking it solo, who am I to tell you how to live your life?” Dean asks, and Cas cranes his neck to see him relaxing back, sprawling out so his arms take up the whole width of the stairs.

“But maybe I could have been happier if I had more friends.”

Dean shakes his head. “No way to know that for sure.”

“Really?”

Dean licks his lips. “I mean, I got a lot of people who like to listen to me run my mouth and make stupid jokes. I don’t have a lot of people who would put up with my idiot little brother for a twenty-minute car ride every week.”

“Sam’s not an idiot,” Cas says automatically.

Dean grins. “There we go.”

“I’m sure you have more than you think,” Cas says quietly.

“Leo would rather strip and sing the Macarena in front of the student body than spend one minute with Sam, and don’t get me started on Bela or Gordon,” Dean says derisively. “Look, ‘m pretty sure I got one dude who’s up for it, and I’m looking at him.”

Cas ducks his head, staring hard at the piece of carpet between his feet.

“You’re a good friend, Cas,” Dean’s voice says to his back. “If you want to fuck off after college and live like a hermit in the Rockies, be my guest. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not your fault nobody else sees how awesome you are.”

Cas rolls his eyes. “I told you, I’ll probably return after college. My family is here.”

“Fat lot of good they’ve been doing for you lately,” Dean snorts.

Cas turns to look at him. “I think I’ve managed fine on my own.”

“Yeah, but you deserve better than ‘fine.’” Dean sits up, his eyes dark and intense. “You deserve the goddamn world, man.”

Cas stares at him, his eyes wide.

“Fuck it,” Dean mutters before pressing their lips together.

Onto Part III

[chanlixformysoul]

Romantic aren't we? [ Chanlix ]

rating: explicit

word count: 1791

chapter: 1

summary:

➥ Chanlix being soft (and kinky)

song recommendation:

estimated reading time: 13.8 minutes

  ｡:°ஐ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ｡:°ஐ

It was a normal winter evening in Seoul, cold air violently traveling throughout the city. Chan and Felix went out shopping, they had to go because they were running out of necessary things like bread, milk and all that stuff. The short trip to the grocery store down the street of their condo building was accompanied by the cutting sharp cold wind.

Shivering, Felix felt his hands clutching the grocery bags through the little pink fluffy mittens. He was wrapped up in at least three layers of clothing, mittens, a big scarf that covered his mouth and nose and wool beanie. Chan was walking besides him holding his left hand. He could feel his freezing hand through his mittens, Felix remembers telling Chan to wear some of his mittens but Chan was quick to deny it saying that his hands were going to deform the cute mittens.

'Chan, aren't you cold?' Felix asked, raising his head, Chan could only see his beautiful eyes and he started smiling at his lover's cuteness.

'Yea, it's freezing outside, but we're here.' Pulling out the condo keys, scanning the little keycard that allows access to the condo building they finally step inside. Going to the escalator quickly. Felix presses the buttons so they could get as fast as possible in their apartment. Finally hearing that little ding from the escalator, the door opens and they start running down the hall. The sounds of laughter, rushed footsteps and key jiggling alongside with the rustling of their totter bags that hosted the fairly large capacity of the products that they had bought was heard in the large hallway. Chan was fiddling with the keys trying to unlock the door as fast as he can while Felix stopped running, gasping for air. After 5 seconds the door of their apartment was unlocked, warmth trying to escape through the door but Felix and Chan were fast inside closing the door with the keys behind them.

Both of them slid off their shoes, put the bags full of groceries in the kitchen and started to undress. Chan went to the thermostat, setting the heat up with a few degrees higher.

'Channie, can you put away the groceries while I start the bath?' Felix said, as he began to say place the products from the totter bags on the big kitchen island. Chan peeked his head from the laundry room, nodding as he made his way besides Felix.

'Do you want to take a bath?' Chan asked as he opened the cabinets, arranging the products.

'Yeah, it was so cold outside, I was freezing the entire time. You should've worn warmer clothes, Chan.' Felix said sighing and hugging the older. Chan sneaked his hands under Felix's warm sweater, touching his bare back. Felix shivered when Chan's hands made contact but he melted into the older's touch. Sliding his little hands to rest on Chan's abs, the older only gave him a chuckle.

'Want to bathe together, hmm, sweetheart?' Chan asks as he nozzles his nose into Felix's neck slowly pecking it and sucking on it. Felix let out a soft moan as he nodded slowly looking into Chan's eyes.

'Alright, you can go turn on the bath and I place everything then. Go before I can't stop myself.' Slowly nodding and chuckling Felix made his way to their bedroom bathroom. He started to fill up the big bath with really warm water, adding some bubbles and essential oils. After five minutes of waiting, Felix stopped the water and went into the kitchen. Chan was reading something on his phone as always because he was a huge fan of reading, one of his favourite hobbies actually, and that can be seen throughout the big shelfs full of books that were placed all around the house. Felix slowly made his way around the kitchen sneaking behind Chan as he started kissing his neck.

'The bath is ready, come and join me.' He says with a low voice near Chan's ear.

'Romantic aren't we?' Chan said laughing and turning around and picking Felix up by his butt. The younger wrapping his legs around Chan's torso while putting his hands around the older's neck. Walking to their bathroom, giving his lips a few pecks, Chan put down Felix and started undressing the both of them. Clothes were everywhere but on their body.

'After you.' Chan said as he looked at Felix's bare beautiful body. Felix slowly sinks into the warm water and Chan goes right after him. Putting his hands on Felix's shoulders, slowly massaging them, working on the tight knots, kissing down the honeyed skin and sucking small hickeys on it. Moans echoed through the bathroom, fingers tracing each other's skin, Chan dipped his long digits on Felix's collarbone, creating an incoherent pattern, a hand pinching his nipple turning into a burning pink.

'Can I wash your hair, baby?' Chan asked, slowly kissing and nibbling his earlobe.

'Yes, please.' Felix said in a short breath not being able to contain his moans.

Gentle fingers massaged his scalp, bubbles forming as the scent of the shampoo was getting stronger. Chan rinsed Felix's hair and then he leaned in to kiss his cheek.

'You're cute, you know that?' Felix only giggled, bringing a hand on the others cheek to kiss him on the lips. As they both deepened the kiss. They both washed themselves after a heavy make out session. When Felix stepped out of the bathtub to wrap a towel around himself there was suddenly a sound. Chan was quick to step out the bathtub and wrap a towel around his waist. The light in the bathroom went out, leaving the two boys surprised.

'I think there is a power outage, do you want to light up some candles?'

Felix quickly nodded, wrapping his arms around the older and pressing his face in his chest.

Chan just stood there and admired his lover. Dripping water coming from his wet locks, his collarbone so prominent and the younger's honeyed skin looked so inviting, making Chan feel like it's a blank canvas ready to be painted, in this case with marks.

Chan began playing with Felix's wet locks, combing his way through it.

'Where are we placing the candles?' The younger said looking up with such innocent eyes. His freckles had never ever looked so beautiful then they did in that moment, his eyes never shined so brightly, stars could be clearly seen in them.

His whole face was Chan's universe, from the constellation of freckles to the stars in his eyes.

Chan sure was a lucky man.

'Is there something on my face?' Felix said clearly confused, bringing a hand to wipe his cheek.

'Yea, Chan whispered, my universe' he began snickering.

'Oh my god, you're so embarrassing' Felix said through laughter, slowly hitting Chan's chest.

'I'm this sappy for you only' (such a sappy sappy boy, stan Red Velvet) Chan said while smiling down at Felix.

'Let's go change please, I can listen to your pick up lines in the dressing room too.' The younger stayed turning on his heel and heading towards their bedroom. Chan just followed behind like a big puppy.

'Do you think I'll catch a cold if my hair is wet? I don't want to risk it, you know how I get when I'm sick.' Felix said with a sigh.

'I mean I can dry your hair with a towel so it's not that wet, but I'm worried about the temperature in the house too, the heating system works if it's plugged in and there's no electricity so I think it's going to be a cold night in the apartment too.'

'So much for having a peaceful Friday.' Felix looks down as he puts on one of Chan's sweatshirts.

'It's ok, don't worry, I'll dry your hair and then we'll set up the candles. I got some pastries too this morning so we're all good.'

'Thank you, Chan, you know I love you?' Felix said making his way towards his lover.

'I know that, bub, I love you too' putting their foreheads together, Chan lightly pecked Felix's lips, but the younger seemed to seek for more so he kissed Chan this time slipping his tongue in the older's mouth.

'Slow down, Lix, let's get you all dry and after the power is back we can do whatever you want, how does that sound?' Chan leaned closer to kiss Felix's nose and freckled cheeks.

'Okay, whatever you say.' rolling his eyes, Felix made himself smaller and hugged Chan.

The older felt like he could melt whenever Felix hugged him, so he wrapped his arms around his lover and took a deep breath.

'I love you ,Chan, so much'

'I love you too, Lix, you make me so happy you can't imagine.' Receiving another peck, Chan was caught off guard and started blushing.

'Awww is Channie blushing? Let me kiss it away.' Felix began giggling while kissing the older's face.

'Ok ok Felix let's get you dry now' Chan said, while laughing.

'Ok, but after we cuddle, right?' looking sternly at the older with a finger pointed towards him, Felix pouted.

'Yes, sweetheart, now let's get you dry'

After drying both of their hair, the two made their way to the fairly large living room.

Getting a pack of candles from the cupboard, Felix set them down on the counter and the little coffee table and lighted them up.

The scene was breathtaking. The soft flames of the candles illuminating the beige living room alongside the white kitchen, the sound of their record player playing Hold On by The Internet (I love that song so much), the smell of bergamot traveling through the whole apartment. It was a dream come true.

It was their euphoria.

Taking Felix by surprise, Chan slipped his hands on the younger's waist pulling him towards his chest.

'Shall we dance, angel?' Chan said, stating in Felix's eyes. Taken aback by the sudden movement, the younger blushed, keeping his gaze down and then laying his head on Chan's chest mumbling a small 'yes'.

'Is someone flustered?' Chan said while snickering. Felix just pushed himself more into the older's chest giggling. Chan was hugging Felix while swaying from side to side softly singing along the lyrics.

And as long as you're with me

I'm definitely

Yours for the takin'

Don't be mistakin'

And as long as you're wit' it

I'll be committed to you

Stopping for a moment, Chan cupped Felix's face and stared at him before continuing signing.

You got me on a cloud nine, baby

Feels almost like a dream

Finishing up with a kiss the younger just looked at his lover in awe.

  ｡:°ஐ (❁ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈) ｡:°ஐ

my ao3: Mrs_SnowPitch

my wattpad: ChanlixForMySoul

my masterlist: iza’s masterlist

[440mxs-wife]

When Words Fail, Music Speaks

You were working what you thought was a routine hunt to clear out a vampire's nest. The members had been terrorizing the locals, picking them off one by one. This time, though, your intel said they had grabbed a family, parents and their eight-year old daughter. The father was driving down the road, and they were captured when they happened to stray too close to the vamps' nest.

Dean had the accelerator mashed to the floor, trying to get to the family as quickly as possible. When you got to the location, you counted four vampires standing watch outside. You, Sam and Dean did a quick weapons check before going in, making sure your blades were sharp and that you had syringes of dead man's blood on you.

Sam went first, taking out two vamps, one after the other. You engaged the third one, slicing its head clean off. Dean took out the fourth one and you all silently moved downstairs into the main nest area. As you made your way through the building, the metallic smell of blood was almost overpowering.

Your eyes swept left and right, keeping watch for the parents and child you hoped to rescue. In a glance to your left, you saw the father, mother, and eight-year-old girl hanging on a rack. Tubes were coming out of their arms and connected to bags that held their blood. You walked up to the father, checked for his pulse and found none. You moved to the next body, that of his wife, and no luck there either.

You checked their daughter, and found a faint pulse. While you were setting her free, Sam and Dean were clearing the rest of the nest, about six more vampires. They ran to your position after they were done, and you informed them that the daughter was still alive, but barely. Dean scooped her up and started up the stairs back to the Impala.

On your way out, you sent a prayer to Castiel to meet you by the car, that you desperately needed his healing help. As requested, Cas was waiting for you when you all got out. He pressed two fingers to the child's forehead and stretched out with his grace to try and heal her.

Cas bowed his head. "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. This child is already gone," he stated.

"No, try again, Cas. You've got to do something, she's only eight years old, give her a chance!" Dean exclaimed.

"I cannot bring this child back, but I will take care of her from here. I can assure you that her soul has gone to Heaven, as did the souls of her parents," Cas explained.

"Well, that's just peachy, Cas. This child should be worrying about nothing more than getting a skinned knee falling off of her bicycle, not...." Dean trailed off.

You gently laid a hand on Dean's arm to try and comfort him a bit. "Dean, we got here as quickly as we could. You couldn't have driven any faster," you said.

He shook your hand off of his arm. "Yeah? Well, small comfort for this kid who won't get to grow up and do all of the things she's meant to do with her life," Dean retorted. "Let's go."

You knew by the tone of Dean's voice that it was an order to get in the car, not a suggestion. You exchanged a look with Sam before getting into the back seat. You both knew that by the way this hunt ended, things were going to get pretty tense around the bunker. Hopefully, things would turn around before too long.

The ride back to the bunker was a quiet one. Dean didn't put any of his cassettes in and didn't seem interested in speaking to anyone about anything. He made a stop for gas once, and since you weren't sure if he'd stop again, you got out and used the facilities.

Sam was filling up the Impala's gas tank when you came out of the convenience store. You leaned against the Impala and looked up at the younger Winchester. "Sam, I'm worried about Dean. This one seemed to hit him pretty hard," you started.

"Yeah, especially since a kid was involved. Even though there was nothing more he could've done, he's going to keep beating himself up about it," Sam remarked.

"I guess all we can do is be there for him when he is ready to talk about it. Which will probably be around a quarter to never-o'clock," you replied. "I wish there was something I could do to help him," you added.

"If anyone can get through to him, I'd put my money on you," Sam said.

"Really? Why me?" you asked.

"You're persistent without being pushy. I can tell that you care about Dean, I mean, you two are best friends. I think you are coming from a place that's more than friends, though. You love him, don't you?" Sam inquired.

"What? Sam, don't be silly. I....I....Oh, I give up. You're right, I do love him. It tears me up to see him do this to himself. He knows we can't save everyone, and I realize that's a bitter pill to swallow for all of us. Yet he blames himself for everything that went wrong, most of which was out of his control.

"All we can do is make the best effort to save as many as we can. The people we save? Their lives go on to touch other people, who in turn affect others and so on down the line. I think that's our legacy, and that's what I want to help Dean remember," you finished.

"Truer words were never spoken. Like I said, I'm putting my money on you being able to get through to him," Sam smiled and gave you a wink.

By this time, Dean came walking out of the convenience store with his bag of snacks for the road. "Ain't you done yet putting gas in?" he grumbled. Sam gave your shoulder a quick squeeze before you got back into the backseat. He replaced the fuel nozzle on the pump, refastened the gas cap on the Impala and resumed his place in the front seat. Dean started the car and drove the rest of the way back to the bunker, again, in silence.

You woke up when the Impala rolled into its parking space in the bunker garage. Dean abruptly got out of the car and headed for the bunker door. He was halfway down the spiral staircase by the time you had gone through the door. You watched as he briskly walked through the War Room and to his bedroom. You jumped when you heard him slam his bedroom door.

As you slowly walked to your bedroom, you didn't notice that Dean was coming down the hallway at the same time on his way to the showers. Just before you ran into each other, you stopped and moved to the side. Only problem was, Dean moved to the same side, which left you still blocking each other's path. After a couple more attempts to dodge each other, Dean put his hands on your shoulders to keep you in place. He then walked around you and continued on his way to the shower without a word.

Once you got done with your shower, you wandered into the kitchen to fix dinner for the three of you. Meat loaf, mashed potatoes and baked beans were comfort foods for you, so you thought it might help bring Dean at least part of the way back. In your meat loaf mix, you added some onions and bacon bits along with all of the other usual ingredients.

While the meat loaf was baking, you got to work peeling some potatoes. Before you got started, you put your headphones in your ears and opened the music app on your phone. Music had always been a part of your life. When you were younger, your mother told you stories of how your grandpa used to play his guitar and sing for people. Singing had always been your escape. Didn't matter what kind of music, even if it was the jingle for a commercial, singing made you happy.

Dean walked into the kitchen to grab something to drink. When he got to the doorway, he saw you standing at the sink, peeling potatoes. You were singing "Walking After Midnight" by Patsy Cline, and were swaying your hips in time with the music.

For Dean, your voice seemed to bring the song to life, about a young woman searching for her lover under a starry night sky. And oh, what your swaying hips were doing to him. He thought about what it would be like to hold you in his arms and dance with you. He would gaze into your honey-and-green colored eyes and be mesmerized. Your sweet smile would lead him to capture your full pink lips with his own and melt into their softness.

You turned around to grab a pot to put the peeled potato chunks in and gasped in surprise at Dean standing in the doorway. You turned off the music and yanked the earbuds out of position. "Sorry, Dean, I didn't see you standing there. Is there something you need, something I can help with?" you asked.

He came in, yanked open the refrigerator and pulled out a beer. "No, thanks, I don't need anything," he answered gruffly. "How much longer before dinner anyway?" he snapped.

"I think about another 45 minutes, give or take," you answered. "I'm making mashed potatoes and baked beans to go with the meat loaf," you informed him.

"Fine, I'll be in my room," he grumbled as he walked back out of the kitchen. You finished peeling the potatoes and preparing the baked beans in silence. The music could no longer comfort you at the moment.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dean chose not to join you and Sam for dinner that night, but you fixed him a plate he could heat up later. Even after all that work, though, you found that you really didn't have much of an appetite. You were concerned about Dean, with how closed off he was emotionally and isolating himself in his room. You didn't feel much like eating with all that was on your mind.

The next morning, you took out the eggs and bacon to start making breakfast. You noticed the plate that held Dean's dinner from last night was in the sink. Good, you thought. At least he got something to eat last night.

You cracked eggs into a bowl, separating the whites for an omelet for Sam and put the extra yolks in a bowl for Dean's omelet. You added spinach, mushrooms and some onions to Sam's omelet, while you put onions, ham, and green peppers in the one for Dean. You had added cheese to both omelets and were just finishing plating them when the boys walked in. You added a few slices of bacon to each plate, then set them on the counter.

"Wow, this looks great, thank you for making breakfast," Sam smiled in appreciation.

"What's in this?" Dean asked.

"I added onions, green pepper, ham and chee--" you started.

"I never asked for green pepper, when have I ever asked for that in my omelet?" Dean snapped.

"I'm sorry, I've made other things for you with green pepper before, and you never said anything," you replied.

He shoved the plate away from himself and grabbed some bread for toast. "Well, that doesn't mean I want it mucking up my eggs, now does it?" he sneered.

"I'm sorry, Dean. I'll remember that for next time. Excuse me," you said as you left the kitchen.

"Dean! That was uncalled for! She made you a nice breakfast and all you can do is find fault. Now, I know you're probably still stinging from what happened on the last hunt--" Sam started.

"Sam, don't even THINK about going there! It was MY responsibility to get that girl out alive after those vamps got to her. I should've driven faster, left sooner, SOMETHING. She shouldn't have died, Sam!" Dean thundered.

"I know, Dean, she shouldn't have. I know you blame yourself, which you shouldn't. But you're also taking it out on your brother and your best friend. We're the people that love you and care about you the most," Sam froze as he realized at that moment that he may have accidentally let your secret slip out about your feelings for Dean. Fortunately, Dean didn't seem to notice because he stormed off to his room, but not before taking his breakfast with him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After you finished the breakfast dishes, you called out for laundry to be done. Sam took his to the laundry room, but Dean had yet to do so. You knocked on Dean's door and asked him for any clothes that needed to be washed. He told you he would take care of it and to leave him alone. You told him you would give him 10 minutes to gather his dirty clothes or you would come in and do it for him. A few minutes later, he opened the door, shoved a basket full of dirty clothes out, then slammed the door. Sighing, you picked up the basket and headed for the laundry room.

As you stood up, you felt a little lightheaded. You nearly dropped the basket of Dean's clothes, but you closed your eyes and leaned up against the wall until the dizziness subsided. Once you had regained control, you took Dean's clothes to the laundry room to start them in the washer. You put the washing machine on a heavy-duty cycle, because you were certain there were shirts with blood stains on them from some time ago.

You went to your room to get your book, then you changed your mind. You were going to try and talk to Dean and see if he would open up to you about how he was feeling. Sam seemed to have confidence in you, so you decided to give it a try. You walked over to Dean's door and gently knocked. At first he didn't answer the door, so you tried knocking again. As your knuckles were about to connect with the door, Dean yanked it open, glaring at you.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"I'd like to talk to you about something that's been bothering me, if that's all right," you started.

"Why don't you go and talk to Sam about it, I'm kind of in the middle of something," he answered.

"Please? Dean, you're my best friend and I'd really like to talk to you about this," you tried again.

He rolled his eyes, but stood back to let you in the door. You waited for him to find a seat on the bed, then you sat next to him. "So, what is this all-important thing you had to talk to me about and not Sam?" Dean retorted.

"I've already talked with Sam about it. I told him how worried I am about you," you explained.

"Oh, come on! Not you too," Dean grumbled. "I'm fine, I just want to be by myself right now, okay?" he growled.

"No, Dean, it's not 'okay'. You sit in your room all day, you come out for meals maybe, and I'll bet you haven't showered yet today," you huffed.

"So, we're not going anywhere, are we?" he snapped.

"No, but that's not the point!" you exclaimed.

"Then what is the point? Please make it so that you can feel like you've accomplished something and I can get back to communing with myself," he ranted.

"That's it. I've tried to be nice, Winchester, but I'm tired of you pushing me and Sam away. We're the ones who care about you and love you, and we can forgive, but even we have our limits," you retorted. Taking a deep breath and trying again, you said, "Dean, it hurts my heart to see you do this to yourself. You know we can't save everyone, because you've told me this on so many occasions. You also can't blame yourself for everything that went wrong."

On a softer note, you continued, "I wish you would let me in to try and help you, Dean. You don't have to be the strong one all the time. What I told Sam when we were outside of the convenience store is this: All we can do is make the best effort to save as many as we can. The people we save? Their lives go on to touch other people, who in turn affect others and so on down the line. I think that's our legacy," you finished.

Dean sat quietly for a moment before responding. "Look, I appreciate you coming in here and trying to fix whatever you think is wrong with me, but it's not your place. I've got to work through this in my own way. Now, if you'll excuse me," he gestured towards the door.

You got up from the bed and stomped out of Dean's room. As you walked down the hall, you felt a searing pain in your head, but you kept walking. You were passing through the library when you spotted Sam on his laptop. "You were wrong, Sam. I tried, but I couldn't get through to your brother," you said as you winced at the pain in your head.

"Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale," Sam asked.

"I'm fine, Sam," you said as you got that lightheaded feeling back again. You were having trouble keeping your balance so you leaned against the table for support. You took two, maybe three steps towards Sam then you saw the floor rushing up to meet you and your world went black.

Sam raced over to your side, trying to get you to wake up. "Dean!" he called out. "I need your help!"

Dean rounded the corner to see you passed out on the floor and Sam kneeling beside you. "What the hell happened?" he demanded. 

"We were talking, then all of a sudden she passed out. Just before she did, I told her she looked a little pale," Sam explained. "Do you know when the last time was that she ate anything?"

"I didn't see her fix herself an omelet this morning, but didn't she have dinner with you?" Dean asked.

"No, she put stuff on her plate, but just kind of picked at it. She didn't really eat much, if anything last night. I know she didn't have any breakfast either, come to think of it. At least not what we had," Sam mentioned.

Your eyelids fluttered and opened to see a worried Sam and Dean hovering over you. "What happened?" you mumbled.

"You were talking to me, then you passed out. When's the last time you ate much of anything?" Sam asked.

"I had some beef jerky when we stopped for gas, but other than that...." you trailed off, looking around.

Dean took both of your hands in his and looked into your eyes. "Honey, come on. You know you have to take care of yourself, which means eating something on a regular basis," he started.

"Really, Dean?" you retorted as you pulled your hands away. "You? Going to advise me about taking care of myself? You've been holed up in your room since we got back from that hunt. You snap at anyone trying to reach out to you or give you a chance to open up. I care so much about you, and I love you so much that it hurts me to see you do this to yourself. So, do me a favor, Dean. The next time you want to lecture me about taking care of myself? Don't," you snapped. You hastily scrambled to your feet and stumbled towards your room.

Dean stared after you for a few minutes, not knowing quite what to say, but knowing you were right. "Well, that was both barrels. You might as well let me have it too, Sam," he stated.

"I don't think I can improve on that. She summed it all up quite nicely. Although, I think you missed an important part of what she said, though," Sam smirked.

Dean ran back through your speech in his mind. When he got to that one particular part, he jumped to his feet, his eyes landing on Sam's face. "Wait. She loves me?" he asked incredulously.

"It would appear so, Dean. The question is, how do you feel about her, and what are you going to do about it?" Sam posed to Dean.

Dean took a moment to consider his feelings about you. The two of you were best friends, had been for years now. You have always been there to support him and frequently give him a shoulder to lean on. You could almost always make him laugh with your silly voices and lame jokes. You were patient with him and he knew you never have given up on him, and never would. Everything you did was done with your whole heart, there usually was no halfway with you.

Then....seeing you in the kitchen the other day when you were making dinner, he thought a little deeper. When you were listening to your music, you were so into what you were doing, you seemed to forget about the world around you. The way you were swaying your hips to the music made him want to take you in his arms and be your dance partner. Your voice was like an angel, bringing the lyrics to life for him. And those lips....he knew that once he touched his lips to yours that he would be ruined forever for all other women.

Dean got a huge grin on his face. "I know what to do now. Thanks, Sam," he said as he bolted from the room to put his plan into action.

You were sitting on your bed, feeling really stupid and scared, considering what happened earlier in the library. You thought that you probably pushed Dean completely away, driving him further into isolation. Also, any shot you might have had with him was likely gone now, especially after everything you said to him. All of a sudden, you could swear you heard a guitar and singing. You opened your door to find Dean standing there with his guitar, serenading you.

Angel Eyes by The Jeff Healey Band

Girl, you're lookin' fine tonight And every guy has got you in his sights What you're doin' with a clown like me? It's got to be one of life's little mysteries

So tonight I'll ask the stars above How did I ever win your love? What did I do, what did I say To turn your angel eyes my way?

Now I'm the guy who never learned to dance Never even got one second glance Across a crowded room was close enough I could look but I could never touch

So tonight I'll ask the stars above How did I ever win your love? What did I do, what did I say To turn your angel eyes my way?

Don't anyone wake me, if it's just a dream 'Cause she's the best thing ever happened to me All you fellows, you can look all you like But this girl you see, she's leavin' here with me tonight

There's just one more thing that I need to know If this is love, why does it scare me so? Must be somethin' only you can see 'Cause girl, I feel it when you look at me

So tonight I'll ask the stars above How did I ever win your love? What did I do, what did I say To turn your angel eyes my way?

"Hey," Dean said softly with that heart-stopping smile of his.

"Hey, Dean," you returned. "Your guitar playing and singing were beautiful," you remarked shyly.

"May I come in?" he asked. You nodded and after he entered your room, you closed the door behind you, leaning against it.

"Dean, I---" you started.

"Wait, I have something to tell you first. You were right. I wasn't being fair, and you were only trying to help. I just get so focused on what went wrong and blaming myself, that I forget about the huge amount of good that we do. Promise me that you won't ever give up on me? That you'll keep trying to get through to me no matter how much I might push you away?" he implored.

You looked at him with unshed tears shimmering in your eyes. "Never, Dean. I'll never give up on you, as long as you don't give up on yourself," you replied.

Dean gently set his guitar down on the bed and crossed over to where you were still standing by the door. His rough, calloused hands cupped your face as he swiftly and tenderly captured your lips with his. As your mouths moved together, your lips parted just enough to let his tongue slip in to tango with yours. You started to get that lightheaded feeling again, but this time it was from Dean's amazing kisses, not from lack of food.

When the kiss was broken so that you could both catch your breath, Dean looked at you and smiled. "I was right," he said.

Puzzled, you asked, "About what?"

He caressed your face as he explained. "I knew that the moment I kissed you that I would be ruined forever for other women," he said softly.

"Good thing, because I believe you've ruined me forever for other men," you replied huskily.

"Here's to our mutual ruination, then," Dean grinned as he dove back in to claim your mouth as his. "I love you so much," he said between kisses.

"And I love you, Dean," you returned.

[atths--twice]

Birthday Month in the Unremarkable House

Chapter Three 

Skinner and Rachel

Skinner has met his match with Dr. Rachel Clarke, but will he mess it all up when he learns how she knows Mulder and Scully?

Okay... So this chapter will be just a bit different. 

I hope that anyone reading these stories has also read Soulmates and been following along with the Year of Firsts, or this may be just a bit confusing for you. Let me give you a recap, just in case: 

During the breakup, Mulder sees a therapist, Rachel Clarke, and she is just the person he needs. She is... I just love her so much. So very much.

Sooooo anyway... recently at Mulder and Scully’s wedding, Skinner and Rachel seem to hit it off and well.... this is that story... 

I hope you enjoy it. <3

14c/15

Skinner stood beside his car as he listened to the gas pump into his car. Sighing, he shook his head, feeling like an idiot, just as he had for the past couple of weeks.

"God,” he growled, taking the nozzle out of the car and replacing it. He put the gas cap back on and got into the car, closing the door. He sighed again and shook his head. “Such a goddamn idiot,” he mumbled to himself as he drove out of the gas station and turned left toward Mulder and Dana’s, thinking of the past month.

As the wedding dinner began to wind down, and Mulder and Dana had left for their night away, Skinner found himself staying and watching Rachel out of the corner of his eye. She was helping Tampa, despite his insistence that she should go enjoy herself and not worry about anything else. She smiled and finally listened, staying and looking at the pictures on the table.

Taking the opportunity to get closer to her, he walked up and stood by her as he looked at them, smiling at the memories of the past.

“They look happy,” she said softly, causing him to lift his eyes and glance at her. He nodded and saw her pick up the picture of the three of them wearing alien headbands and smiled. “She’s a beautiful little girl. Those blue eyes are going to break some hearts.”

“I said something similar when she was born,” he said quietly, remembering how small she had been when he had held her for the first time.

“Of course, it would be impossible for her to not be beautiful with the two of them as parents," she laughed as she set the picture down.

“That’s the damn truth,” he agreed, and she smiled at him as he cleared his throat. “Are you leaving soon?”

“Am I being kicked out?”

“No, not at all. I… I didn’t mean…” he stumbled and she smiled wider, obviously teasing him. He huffed out a laugh and then looked away, flustered and not sure what to say.

“Are you leaving?” He looked back at her and shook his head.

“Not exactly, but soon,” he replied and she nodded.

“I had-”

“Girl! Are you still cleaning things up?  Oh... no you are not. Hmm, please excuse my very untimely interruption,” Tampa said with a wink at them as he disappeared from the room.

She laughed nervously and tucked her hair behind her ears as Skinner shook his head and clenched his jaw. He glanced at her quickly, feeling sweaty and anxious.

“As I was saying, I had a fun time tonight. You’re a good dancer-” she said, causing him to scoff as she smiled. “You are. I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true.” He stared at her, and his mouth went dry. “I… I don’t know if you would be interested, but maybe we could get dinner sometime?”

Cotton seemed to fill his mouth, and he was unable to speak. She raised her eyebrows at him and he nodded, causing her to smile.

“Great. I’ll give you my number and you can call me when you think of the place you’d like to take me,” she said impishly and he exhaled loudly, immediately embarrassed. She pursed her lips, trying not to laugh. “Did you want to put it into your phone?”

He reached for his phone before he remembered that he had left it in his car, not wanting to have it disturb the evening. “It’s in the car,” he explained, ready to walk out and get it when she put her hand up and stopped him. He watched her walk into the kitchen and waited for her to come back.

Glancing at the picture of Mulder, Dana, and Faith, he could not help but wonder what it would be like to have a child of his own. He shook his head, knowing the time for that had passed long ago.

“Here you go,” Rachel said, pulling him from his thoughts as he turned to look at her. She smiled as she handed him a piece of paper with her name and number written on it. He smiled, not only at her information, but at the personalized name at the top. Margaret Scully was printed in bold fancy calligraphy.

“Where did you find this?” he asked her quietly and she smiled.

“From a pad of paper in the kitchen,” she answered and he nodded with a sigh.

Margaret Scully, a woman he had only met a handful of times, but had seen immediately from where Dana had received her drive and determination. Standing in her house, her picture up in remembrance as though watching over them all, and now a piece of her personal stationary; if he believed in signs, he would have been unable to deny there seemed to be many trying to tell him something.

“So, now you have my number,” she said and he turned, watching her walk across the living room, heading toward the front door. She took her jacket from the coat rack and slipped it on, a smile on her face. “The ball is completely in your court. Goodbye, Walter.” She nodded and walked out the door.

“Mmm hmm…” Skinner heard and turned to his right. “You’re just going to let her leave?” Tampa asked, crossing his arms and clicking his tongue.

“I…”

“Man, you better have at least gotten her number,” Tampa said and walked away shaking his head.

Leaving a few minutes later, Louise spotted him and bid him goodnight. Once in the car, he sat and stared at Rachel’s number. Taking his phone from the glove box, he wanted to text or call her, but after seeing all of the work messages he had missed during the wedding, he knew tonight would not be the night he would call. Sighing, he drove home in silence dreading the unanswered emails that awaited him.

For the next several days, work had engulfed him, but her contact information had not strayed far. It was on the dining room table, but he had not entered it into his contacts yet. Instead, he had stared at it every night as he ate tasteless microwaved meals, knowing he should eat something better, but lacking the time or motivation to do so.

As he stared at her number, he could almost hear Maggie Scully sighing with annoyance at his inaction. Here she had laid the groundwork, provided the paper onto which Rachel’s phone number was written, and he was doing nothing. The little he knew of her, he did know Maggie was a quiet force that would not be ignored.

Until now, it seemed.

He went to bed on Friday night, angry at himself and determined to call Rachel tomorrow and stop being such a goddamn coward.

Waiting until a respectable time the next morning, he finally called her and reached her voicemail. Leaving a gruff message, he hung up and felt like shit, fearing she would not call back after hearing the stuttery mess of message he left her.

After calling her, he went for a run, leaving his phone at home. His mind was distracted throughout, wondering if he was missing her call but instead of stopping he shook his head and ran faster, annoyed and angry at himself.

There was no call when he came back. Nor was there one after his shower, lunch, a sparring match at the boxing club, before he went to bed, or after his late breakfast the next day.

Grabbing his keys, he dropped his phone in a bowl by the door as he opened the door to go for another run when the apartment erupted in sound, the phone ringing and vibrating against the bowl.

He startled and then saw her name on the screen. Reaching for the phone, he thought about letting her leave a voicemail, let her see how it was to wait, but then he grabbed it, needing to hear her voice.

“Hello?”

“Hello. I was certain you wouldn’t answer,” she said, and he stood in the doorway, at a loss for words.

“Why wouldn’t I answer? I called you, remember? Yesterday,” he said pointedly, almost rudely, as he closed the door and locked it, angry again, but also elated.

"Oh yes, I do remember. You see, if you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be calling you back as I didn’t have your phone number,” she said with a teasing tone. He paused and let her words sink in and then he smiled, walking toward the couch and flopping down.

"I feel like I need to apologize,” he said. Rachel cleared her throat, but said nothing. Grinning wider, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, I should have called sooner. I could blame it on work, but…”

“You know that’s a shit excuse?” she offered.

“It is,” he agreed. “I should have called. I had… poor excuses and I… I apologize.”

“Accepted.”

He grinned as he leaned back and toed off his shoes, no longer wanting or needing to go on that run. He chuckled and heard her answering quiet laugh.

“I actually was sure I would miss you, not just because of your lack of phoning me sooner, but as it IS the weekend, I figured you would be busy,” she said, and he shook his head. God, he really liked her.

“I’m not busy.”

“Oh.”

“Would… would you like to meet up for coffee? Or lunch?” he asked, suddenly realizing he was holding his breath.

“Oh, I’m sorry I can’t. Um, I have plans-”

“No. It’s fine.” He closed his eyes and sighed.

“My mom and I are going on a trip on Tuesday for two weeks. Today we are going to buy the items we need. New clothes, bathing suits, toiletries. She’s actually on her way now, but… I would have loved to have met you for a coffee,” she finished quietly, and he mentally kicked himself for not calling her sooner. Both of them were quiet and then she sighed.

“I should have called sooner,” he said, surprising himself with expressing his thoughts.

“Hmmm,” she answered in a manner that suggested that she was most definitely agreeing. “I have a busy day tomorrow and we leave super early on Tuesday, but I’d love to get that coffee or dinner when I get back.”

“Yeah, that would be fine,” he sighed, wishing it was sooner.

“Fine?” she teased him again. “Just fine?”

“More than fine,” he answered with a smile.

“Hmm. Well, I have to go. My mother just arrived. I’ll call you when I get back. Most likely a day or so after since I’ll be exhausted and need to sleep,” she laughed, and he nodded.

“A day or two after will be-”

“Fine?”

He laughed and nodded again. “More than fine,” he said quietly.

“Good. I’ll talk to you then, Walter.”

“Goodbye, Rachel.”

He waited until he heard her hang up before removing the phone from his ear. Standing up, he walked to the kitchen, deciding it was not too early for a drink.

Standing by the table, he took a long pull of his beer and spotted the paper with Rachel’s number on it. He smiled as he stared at it, hearing the silent throat clearing of Maggie Scully.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he said gruffly as he imagined the smirk on her face, shaking his head as he took another drink.

_________

The two weeks Rachel was gone passed both quickly and slower than any time he had ever experienced. It was an odd feeling, looking forward to someone’s return. He had not had anyone in his life for a long time. Not that she was in his life, he had to keep telling himself, but…

On the first, he caught himself smiling, trying to stop before anyone noticed. He stopped at the store and bought enough groceries for a week, intent on making actual food from ingredients and not from a previously frozen box.

A steak and a salad was a good start, and he found himself wondering if Rachel ate meat or if she was a vegetarian, not recalling what she had eaten at the wedding. He hoped it was the former, but he would work with whatever she liked.

“Haven’t even had dinner yet and I’m making changes,” he grumbled with a smile on his face. Shaking his head, he cleaned up and went to bed, looking forward to the next day.

__________

“I’m absolutely exhausted,” she yawned when she called the next evening, and he grinned, her voice making him happy.

“You had a good time though?” he asked.

“Mmmm. Yeah, it was fun,” she sighed, and he continued smiling. “Jet lag is the worst though. I would love to not feel like I’m walking through a pool filled with sand and snow.” He laughed, and she groaned.

“You should get some sleep. We can always talk later,” he said kindly, and she sighed loudly.

“I wish I didn’t feel so tired, I really wanted to talk to you today. Tonight? I don’t know anymore,” she sighed again, causing him to chuckle.

“I understand, but right now you need to sleep. We can talk tomorrow,” he said and she was quiet. “Rachel? Rachel?”

“Hmm? Oh, I… I…” she breathed, and he laughed softly.

“Get some sleep. Good night,” he said, and she hummed before he hung up, smiling as he did.

__________________

*Did you figure out the restaurant you will be treating me to yet?*

His phone buzzed with a message, and he smiled, looking around as he typed out his answer.

*I was going to ask last night, but you literally fell asleep on me.*

*Hey, you fly for almost a day and try not to fall asleep when you’re speaking to someone.*  

He smiled and typed back a response.

*And I understand, I do. I have a few places in mind, do you have a preference? Are you vegetarian? Partial to a region?*

He waited, and then a bit longer. Finally he saw her answer and he grinned. She sent a gif of a woman eating a huge steak and underneath she had written:

*Carnivore. And if there is pasta… well…*

*Wonderful. I will get back to you later.*

Another gif of John Candy sharpening his knife and fork over a large slab of meat from a movie he had seen but could not place appeared. Laughing, he left his office to find the next person he needed to speak to, thoughts of the perfect restaurant on his mind.

_____________

Saturday evening, he stood in the bathroom double checking his tie before he left to meet Rachel. Nodding at himself in the mirror, he turned off the lights, left the bathroom, and walked out of the apartment.

He was nervous as he drove to the restaurant, worried now that the night was finally happening. Feeling foolish, he shook it off and continued on, knowing that it would be a good evening.

He walked into the restaurant, The House, and he went to the hostess desk to let her know that he had arrived. He was a few minutes early and still a bit nervous as he waited for Rachel.

Ten excruciating minutes later, she walked in and he stood up, watching as she looked around, smiling as she found him. She walked past the people in front of her, saying ‘excuse me’ as she passed them, but her eyes remained on him the entire time.

“Hello,” she said, her blue eyes lighting up.

“Hi,” he answered, not sure he could say much more at the moment.

Her scent hit him like a wave. It consisted of fresh laundry and something that he could not quite place but wanted to smell forever. She was dressed in a simple navy blue dress, navy flats, and a dark gray cardigan with her dark hair pulled back into a long ponytail. Mixed throughout her dark hair was the aqua blue that had drawn his eye at the wedding.

She looked absolutely stunning.

“Sorry, I’m late,” she said, and he shook his head, looking at his watch.

“You’re right on time. I was a little early,” he said with a smile.

“Ahh, nervous were you?” Her eyes twinkled, and he laughed. She licked her lips and looked around. “I like this place. It was a good choice. Meat and pasta. You did good.” He nodded and smiled again.

“I’ll let them know you’re here and we should be able to be seated right away,” he said, and she nodded.

Walking to the hostess stand, he shook his head, the smile still on his face. The hostess smiled at him and grabbed their menus. He walked back over to Rachel and put his hand on her lower back to lead her to the table. She raised her eyebrows, and he moved his hand.  

“No, it’s okay,” she said quietly. He nodded and put it back as they walked to the table.

He pulled her chair out for her and she sat down before he sat across from her and put his napkin in his lap. The hostess handed them their menus and said their waiter would be with them soon before she walked away.

“Did you see that person on the way in eating fettuccine? I almost grabbed her plate and kept walking,” she said leaning forward. He laughed and she set her menu down and took off her cardigan, laying it on the chair.

“So, you know what you want then?” he teased and she nodded.

“I don’t even need to look, I know… oh wait.” She picked up her menu and he heard her sighing and groaning as she read it. “God… it all looks so good. What’s your sharing policy?” She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows.

“Sharing policy?”

“Yes. For instance, if you ordered mashed potatoes or mmmm… any kind of potatoes, would you have a problem with sharing a few bites or are you a non food sharer?” she asked and he frowned.

“I’ve never really thought about it before,” he said as she looked down at her menu again, her eyebrows still raised. “If you want potatoes, I’ll share a few bites, if you share the fettuccine.”

She made a “yes” motion with her fist, not looking up as she perused the menu. He smiled and looked at his, having already decided he would get the red mashed potatoes as part of his meal.

The waiter walked up and they ordered a drink and she asked for some bread. He left and returned quickly with plates, bread, and a small bowl of butter.

“Please don’t think less of me, but I am very hungry, and I will be eating a large amount of this bread,” she said as she reached for a piece of bread and her knife to add butter to it. “Between the jet lag and playing catch up at work, I’ve missed several meals and I’m starving.”

“I wouldn’t think less of you,” he smiled.

“Not until I stab you for reaching for a piece,” she said, taking a bit of crunchy sourdough and closing her eyes.

“It’s a butter knife, I think I’ll be okay,” he smirked as she opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow. He raised his back and took a piece of bread when she was distracted.

“Brave man,” she said as she slid the butter closer to him, but he waved it away. “Not a bread and butter guy... good to know.” He grinned and took a bite, both of them chewing.

The waiter arrived with their drinks and took their orders: steak and fettuccine for her and steak, red mashed potatoes, and green beans for him. She sighed as he walked away and whispered ‘potatoes’ under her breath, causing him to laugh.

“So, you didn’t say where you went on your trip,” he said, drinking a sip of his scotch.

“Oh, I suppose I didn’t. We went to Australia.”

“Oh. Well. That’s nice. Have you been there before?”

“No,” she said, taking a drink of her red wine. “We try to take an extravagant trip once a year, and this year we chose Australia.”

“That’s great that you do that,” he said with a nod.

“Thank you, I think so too,” she smiled, reaching for more bread.

“What do you do for a living?” he asked, realizing there was a lot he did not know about her.

“I’m a therapist,” she said, adding butter to her bread. “I’ve been doing it for almost ten years now, and I love it. And you?” She looked at him and he smiled, while a feeling began to gnaw at him.

“I used to be an FBI agent, until a couple of years ago, Assistant Director. I work for the VA now. The bureau was no longer a place I wanted to be and a change was needed,” he said, his thoughts churning.

“Is that how you knew Fox and… I can only think of her as Scully, as that’s how I was introduced to her at the wedding dinner,” she asked with a smile. He nodded, as realization began to dawn on him, his stomach feeling uneasy. He stared at her smiling face and he knew how she knew Mulder and Dana, or Mulder at the very least.

“I was their boss, yes. I’ve known them both for a long time. Separately and together,” he said, the question he wanted to ask burning on his tongue, not wanting to ask it, but knowing he must.

“I don’t really know Scully, Dana, except for what I’ve seen with my own eyes. But I met Fox a few years ago.”

“You were his therapist,” he stated, not a question, not even knowing if she could answer that type of question.

She stared at him and then sighed heavily, looking down at the table. “If I was, would that be a problem for you? Would it be a problem for us?”

He stared, not knowing how to answer, thoughts of what Mulder would think or if he would worry there was some conflict of interest. Sighing again, Rachel began to gather her things, her sweater and the keys she had set on the table.

“What-”

“Walter, this is not the first time my job has been a problem, but it still doesn’t make it easier,” she said quietly.

“Rachel…”

“I’m not… I’m not as young as I was when the thought of 'might be okay’ was enough to try in a relationship, only to discover it was more like ‘not okay,’” she said, standing up and taking money from her pocket and placing it on the table, which he tried to stop her from doing. “I like you, I really do, but I… I need to be sure that this won’t be something you brush off, only to use as an excuse later.” She put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him from standing up, her eyes sad. “When you’re sure one way or the other…” And then she walked away, her sentence unfinished, leaving him feeling hollow, foolish, and as though he had lost her forever.

He sat as though frozen in his seat, his stupidity weighing him down. Even if he stopped her now, what would he say? He knew her well enough, without really knowing her at all, to know she would see through an apology, wondering through their meal if it was worth it to stay.

“Such an asshole,” he said quietly through gritted teeth as their food arrived and the thought of eating any of it made his stomach feel sick.

Boxing it up, he left the restaurant and drove to a known area where there were homeless people, giving away his much anticipated meal. The happiness on the faces of those who may not have eaten in days was not enough to lift him from his slump. He left them with all the cash he had, but not Rachel’s; it remained in his jacket pocket as he walked back to his car.

He stewed for a week, his emotions all over the place. He was angry at her for leaving and then sorry for the anger he felt. He yelled at Cara, a soft spoken woman who worked in the office, causing her to leave the room in tears. Before he left, he stood with figurative heart in hand, apologizing to her profusely. She nodded and touched his arm, her eyes seeming to see through him.

He threw out all the food he had purchased earlier in the week, his desire to take the time and cook gone and his stupidity angering him to eat frozen crap all over again.

His fingers dialed her number over fifty times in that week, needing to apologize and make it right and to tell her it was not a problem. But it would be a lie and he could not do that to her, not after the shit he had pulled already.

Knowing what he needed to do, he called Mulder, only to hear they were out of town and would not be available until Monday at the earliest. He could have spoken with him over the phone, but this felt like a face to face conversation.

Work once again pushed all other thoughts and desires to the side until he could no longer take it, calling Mulder to ask if Thursday night would work for him to come over. He heard Faith laughing in the background as he looked around his own silent home, the place bare and rather sterile.

“Thursday is great. Dinner?”

“No, no dinner,” he said quickly, and Mulder hummed an ‘mmm hmmm’ no doubt already profiling him. Old habits die hard.

The plans were made, and he only needed to get through two more days before he headed over. He needed to deal with it and move on, whatever the outcome.

Shaking his head, his annoyance at his own stupidity rising, he saw the turnoff for the odd little house they had decided to call home. It was getting dark sooner, the time due to change in the next few weeks. Turning on his high beams, he continued down the road, turning them down as he pulled up the driveway.

Laughing almost bitterly and shaking his head, he shut off the car as he looked at all the decorations up around the outside of the house. Sighing, he got out of the car and closed the door, walked up the steps, and knocked on the door.

Mulder opened it, smiling as he gestured for him to come inside. Dana walked up, embraced him and smiled as she stepped back.  

“It’s nice to see you. How are you?” she asked, touching his arm. He nodded and looked around.

“Where’s Faith?” he asked, hoping he would see her, maybe make her laugh a little.

“Oh, she’s got a little cold and a slight fever, so she’s had some medicine and went down a little early tonight,” Dana said with a small smile. “We were gone over the weekend, as you know, and I think she may have picked something up while we were away.”

“She’s okay though?” he asked with concern, as he glanced toward the stairs.

“Yeah, her mom’s a doctor, I think she’ll be okay,” she said with a wink and a chuckle as he looked back at her. She held his gaze and he knew she saw something in his eyes by the way she tilted her head. He nodded and stepped back, glancing at Mulder.

He saw him glance at Dana before she nodded and walked into the kitchen. “Would you like a beer? Or something stronger?” she asked, standing by the refrigerator.

“A beer is fine,” he nodded, taking off his coat and hanging it on the stair railing.

“I’ll take one too, since you didn’t ask,” Mulder teased, as he sat on the couch.

“Of course, my sweet darling husband,” she joked, taking two beers out and opening them, handing them to Skinner with an eye roll. He attempted a smile and walked over to hand Mulder his beer.

He stepped back and looked around the room, suddenly nervous and not sure where to start. He could hear the clock ticking as they all sat in silence, and he knew they were waiting for him to speak. Taking a long drink of his beer, he began to tell them about Rachel, starting with their conversation at the wedding dinner.

He paced the room back and forth, not looking at either of them, the whole story pouring out, unable to be held back. When he got to Rachel leaving him at the restaurant, he stood with his back to them, the story coming out quietly as his shoulders slumped forward.

The clock ticked loudly as the room was silent once again. No longer able to stand it, he turned around and looked at them. Mulder was grinning and nodding his head as he sat on the couch.

“So… I have some thoughts, but I believe that my wife is dying to say something first,” Mulder said, looking over at Dana. She was leaning against the counter, her arms crossed.

She smirked and shook her head as she looked back at him. “I told you so.” Mulder laughed and nodded, looking back at Skinner.

“She did, one hundred percent,” he said, still laughing. Skinner huffed and shook his head.

“Is this funny to you?” he barked out, and Mulder stood up, shaking his head and walking over to him.

“Not in the slightest, especially as I can see and hear you’re hurting. How about we go sit outside? It’s not too cold out yet.” He glanced at Dana and she nodded at them both, a smile still on her face. He and Mulder went outside, closing the door behind them and sitting down on the porch.

“You’re lucky Scully was feeling kind tonight and unplugged that witch. It gets me every time, the evil hag.” He turned his head and glared at the witch on the porch. Failing to find the humor of it at the moment, Skinner stared straight ahead and sighed.

“You know, or maybe you didn’t, not entirely,” Mulder said quietly, fiddling with his beer bottle. “Scully and I weren’t together anymore when we started back at the bureau. In fact, we hadn’t seen each other until you contacted her. We texted and emailed… but we were separated, as much as I hate to use that word, especially in regards to us. It was… a rough time, for both of us, but for me…” He shook his head and sighed.

“Mrs. Scully… she stepped in, pulled me up, dusted me off, and helped me in so many ways. But, she couldn’t help with everything and I needed to speak to someone. About the past and the present, especially if I wanted to fix my future.” He smiled at Skinner and laughed softly. “Hell, I should have done it years ago, but I was a stubborn ass and I refused.”

“I met with a couple therapists and I hated them. Maybe I was biased, but honestly they were horrible and I hated their approach.” He shook his head with another sigh. “The third person I met was Rachel and I knew by the time our initial session was over that she was the one I wanted to continue to see. She was unlike anyone I had met.” Skinner scoffed, shaking his head as Mulder chuckled. “She called me out, knocked me on my ass, but was there beside me, her hand out to help me up when I was ready.”

Skinner sighed heavily, feeling more and more like an asshole. He had fucked up greatly and he was not sure even this discussion would be enough.

“Skinner,” Mulder sighed. “Walter, I understand your hesitancy, I do. You are intertwined in our lives, have been for years. Not many people have earned our trust, or stuck around the way you have. Yes, we’ve had our… let’s call them moments…” They both laughed and nodded, setting their bottles down. “But, you have always been there for us. Always.” Skinner nodded and kept his eyes downcast.

“Considering all of that… I understand your feelings, but…” He shook his head and smiled. “If you came here tonight to ask how I feel or if I have any problem with you dating Rachel, or marrying her one day-”

“I didn’t say that, nor would I presume-”

“Just busting your balls,” Mulder laughed. “Although…” He shrugged and smiled.

Skinner shook his head, looking around and sighing. “I know it was a stupid thing to do. I was a goddamn fool, but I just felt blindsided and I…” He stood up and paced the yard. “I… I don’t know. Christ, Mulder…” He stopped and looked up to find Mulder smiling and raising his eyebrows. “She’s younger than me. A lot younger.”

“Who cares?”

“She’s… so different than anyone… anyone I’ve ever known, let alone dated. Dated…” He laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “I haven’t been on a date in years and I fucked it up. Christ.” He scrubbed a hand across his face and paced again.

Mulder was silent for a few minutes as he watched and waited for him to speak again. “She… she just… I don’t know, Mulder. What is it?”

Mulder shook his head and smiled. “I can’t answer that, as I don’t know myself. She’s… she’s Rachel.” He shrugged and Skinner exhaled. “If you like her, which is obviously the case, then nothing else should matter. Her age, her work, or more importantly her work with me. How long have you been on your own? How long have you lived in that new apartment? Did you just move in, or has it been a long time? It’s truly hard to tell.” Mulder stared at him and Skinner nodded. “You deserve happiness, Skinner.”

He began to pace again, his anger at himself propelling him forward and keeping him moving. She had looked so beautiful, so happy, and he had acted like an idiot. Stopping, he put his head back and looked up at the night sky, taking a few breaths.

“Skinner?” He turned and looked at Mulder, his hands clasped between his knees. “You’re a good man. You deserve to be happy, to care about someone. You have always put others first, cared for those who need you, Scully being high on that list. I can’t ever repay you for all you have done for her. She is here because of the sacrifices you made. Nothing I can say or do will ever measure up, but if I can tip the scales a little…” He smiled and nodded. “If you came here looking for my… permission? My support? You have it. One hundred percent.”

Skinner cleared his throat as he nodded at Mulder and then looked around, needing to brush past this feeling. He took in all the decorations again and Mulder sitting on the porch smiling at him.

“Jesus, you come out to the boonies and calm the hell down. Where was this guy years ago?” He shook his head, a small smile on his face.

Mulder laughed and shrugged. “That guy, the old me… he’s like someone I don’t know at times. Full of piss and vinegar. Mad at the world and the way it worked at times, the evil lurking everywhere. It’s still there, you see it everyday, especially now… Jesus Christ. But, you focus on that… you fail to see the good. We can’t ignore the bad, but we can’t dwell within it either,” he said, shaking his head and smiling.

“Those two women inside… it is impossible to stay in the darkness with the light they bring into my life.” Skinner stared at him and nodded. “You need someone, Skinner. You deserve someone like Rachel. Scully saw it and she’s right about most things, but don’t tell her I said so.” They both laughed and Skinner nodded. “Call her. Fix the little things before it becomes something bigger.” Again Skinner nodded, coming back to the porch and sitting beside him. He picked up his beer and finished it, both of them quiet.

The front door creaked open and Dana stepped out, causing them both to turn and look at her. “Everything good?”

Skinner stood up and nodded, bringing his beer bottle with him. “Yeah, it’s good.” He smiled, walking up the stairs, intent on throwing it out on his way inside.

“I can take it,” she said, reaching for it.

“Nah, gotta get my jacket anyway,” he explained and she stepped out of the way, allowing him to enter.

He threw out the bottle, grabbed his jacket, and stepped onto the porch, finding them speaking quietly, arms around one another. Dana laughed softly as she looked up and Mulder shrugged. She shook her head and pulled away from him, looking back at Skinner.

Stepping over, she embraced him, sighing as she did. When she pulled back, he nodded, letting her know he understood what she was silently saying.

“You take care of that little girl. Kid can’t be sick on her birthday,” he said gruffly, and she laughed with a nod. He nodded again and stepped over to Mulder, shaking his hand and clapping him on the back.

“Thank you,” he said quietly and Mulder nodded. Letting go of his hand and starting down the stairs, he turned at the sound of Dana’s voice.

“About that birthday you mentioned, you said you would be here. I expect that to change to we,” she said with an eyebrow raised. He stared and she raised both eyebrows.

Nodding with a smile, he waved to them as he walked to the car. Driving away, he looked in the rear view mirror, he saw them again on the porch, his hands cradling her face, a smile on his as he looked at her.

Shaking his head, he felt better now than he did on his way over, but not completely, and probably would not until he spoke to Rachel and apologized for being such a stupid asshole.

____________

Friday was a short day for him, allowing him to catch up on his work... for that week at least. He left, his mind on Rachel and calling her later, when he had an idea. Stopping at the grocery store, he first called Mulder and then texted Dana.

Grinning at his plan, he got out of the car and went into the store. Grabbing a cart, he began to fill it with items from the list Dana had sent him. As he mentally checked off those he had added, he noticed she had sent another text and he smiled.

Maggie Scully recipes never fail.

Buying the items, he went home and began to prepare the things he would need for the evening. A blanket. A basket filled with utensils, napkins, and bottles of water. Once that was finished, he set about making the meal.

Once it was nearly ready, he took a quick shower, finishing the meal when he was done. Packaging up the food, he grabbed the blanket and basket and walked out the door.

He arrived at Rachel’s office and got out, lifting open the back of the car, and setting down the blanket. He sat and waited, seeing the lights were still on inside the office, hoping he was not making a foolish decision.  

Forty five minutes later, he saw the lights turn off and the door opened. She glanced around, a look of surprise quickly crossing her face as he rose from the car. Sighing, she locked the door and then turned to face him, putting her keys in her pocket and crossing her arms.

“I made a mistake. A huge one,” he said quietly and she nodded. “I’m sorry doesn’t quite cut it, but I truly am.” He stared, waiting, his heart pounding.

She stepped a little closer and sighed. “Walter, I need you to be sure, because… I am. If this is just an apology, quite a few days late I might add, then I accept but I…”

“No, it’s not just an apology, though you’re right that it’s late in coming. I was angry at myself. Angry that I let you leave and that a date I had been very much looking forward to ended the way it did. I was...”

“I told you it wasn’t the first time it’s happened, but in the past I was able to overlook it, to be happy with what I had, for however long I had it. Now,” she sighed and shook her head. “I’m 43. I don’t have the time or energy for good enough. I deserve more and I won’t settle for less than what I want and deserve.” She stared at him and in that moment, he fell in love with her, as crazy as he knew it would sound to anyone.

She was strong and determined and that drew him in immediately, but he also knew she was kind and sensitive. He saw it with Mulder at the wedding and most of all with Faith. He saw her holding her, staring at her as she did. The kindness on her face had pulled him to her, eventually getting up the nerve to ask her to dance. She was everything he wanted and had not known he was looking for.

“I was stupid,” he said quietly and she stared, giving nothing away. “I didn’t know… It won’t be a problem, not for me. I have always pushed my personal life to the side, my work coming first. I didn’t mind, well, not completely.” He gave her a small smile and she sighed. “I don’t want that life anymore. Not since I met you.”

She looked down and shook her head, crossing her arms tighter. When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes. She blinked them away and sniffled, sighing once more.

“I’ve done the same, kept myself away from relationships, and I was okay with it. I don’t want that anymore either, but I need you to be completely sure-”

“I am.”

“Did you… did you speak to him? Is that why?” He nodded and she nodded back.

“He basically told me I was a goddamn idiot if I let anything stand in my way when it came to you.” He huffed and she exhaled a shaky laugh.

“He’s a smart man.”

“He is.”

She stared, and then slowly began to smile as she walked over to him.

“You’re sure?” she whispered.

”I’ve never been more sure of anything,” he answered and she smiled wider, wiping at her eyes. He cleared his throat and sighed. “We didn’t finish our proper date and I know that this will hardly make up for it, but…” He gestured to the car and she raised her eyebrows, stepping closer to it. Seeing the blanket and basket, she looked at him.

“An impromptu picnic? Who knew you were such a romantic.” She set her bag down on the curb, leaning it against a pillar, then turned to him, coming even closer. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he quickly wrapped his around her waist. “Thank you.”

Stepping back, she looked at him and smiled. “Thank you for coming to your senses.” He laughed and nodded, letting her go as she moved back. She slipped off her shoes and sat on the blanket, her legs criss crossed.

He smiled, reaching for the basket and opening it to take out the food he had prepared for them. Handing her the container, he was glad to feel that it was still warm. As she opened it, the mouth watering aroma of garlic made his stomach rumble, even as her eyes softened at the sight of it.

“Fettuccine alfredo,” she said, breathing in as he handed her the utensils. Sitting down beside her with his own serving of fettuccine, he took out his utensils and smiled at her.

Nervously watching her take the first bite, he waited to eat his own before he saw how she enjoyed it. Her eyebrows shot up and she hummed.

“Oh my God,” she exhaled and he smiled. “This is freaking amazing and also definitely not from The House. Where did you get it?” She swirled the noodles around her fork, taking another large bite.

“I… uh … I made it.”

“What?!” she yelled around the bite of pasta.

“I did,” he laughed and she chewed it before taking another bite.

“Oh my God,” she moaned again and he grinned. She rested her head on his shoulder as she chewed and hummed. “Delicious. And you wanted to eat at The House when you can cook food so well?”

“Well, this particular dish I’ve never made before today. But I can cook, I just don’t usually take the time when it’s just me,” he said.

“Well, we’ll have to see what we can do about that,” she said, taking another bite, and sighing happily, his heart racing at the use of we. “This sauce is perfection. But, of course you can’t go wrong with butter, cheese, and garlic. God, I could eat Alfredo sauce with a spoon and be happy. So damn good.” He laughed and nodded his head; it was very good.

They ate in silence, her head never leaving his shoulder. She told him about Australia and her mother getting them lost on the way to Uluru. Skinner laughed at the way she told the story with such animation and enthusiasm.

“I mean it’s a huge rock,”she said, her hand finding his, their food now gone and the containers set aside. She interlocked their fingers as though this was not the first time this had happened. “How do you not know how to find a huge red rock?” She shook her head and he squeezed her hand.

Quiet again, she sighed as she lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. “In case you were wondering, or are taking mental notes… as much as I do enjoy fancy dinners and getting dressed up from time to time, this… this I like even more.”

He nodded with a smile and she smiled back, her eyes searching. He brought his right hand up to her face, the backs of his fingers caressing her cheek. She sighed and closed her eyes, lightly pushing into his hand.

“Can I kiss you?” he whispered and she smiled, her eyes remaining closed.

“That would be fine.”

“Just fine?” he whispered with a smile, leaning in closer.

“More than fine,” she whispered back before he pressed his lips to hers, his hand moving to her neck, holding on lightly.

She tasted of their dinner; delicious. Their kiss deepened slightly, her tongue touching his softly, before she pulled back, out of breath and smiling.

“Way more than fine,” she breathed, and he kissed her again, her arms sliding around his neck as she leaned back against the side of the car, pulling him with her.

It could have been hours or days, his concept of time lost as he kissed her, listening to the sounds she made as he did. He wanted to hear more, know her in every possible way, but also came to the realization that they were currently in the back of his car, in front of her place of business.

Pulling back, both of them breathless, he rested his forehead against hers lightly as he chuckled. She answered with a soft laugh of her own and a hum.

“To think you almost missed out on this,” she said and he lifted his head, looking at her with a smile, her hands moving to the front of his chest.

“What a horrible thing that would have been.”

“Indeed,” she said with a grin and he kissed her once more before sitting up, pulling her along with him.

“So,” she said, bumping his shoulder and he grinned.

“So…”

“I should probably get going.” She smiled, standing up and putting on her shoes. Turning around, she stepped between his legs and bent to kiss him, her arms around his neck again. “Gotta leave you wanting more,” she whispered in his ear as she pulled back and stood up.

“No worry there,” he growled and she grinned, raising her eyebrows.

Stepping back, he stood up as she picked up her bag and turned to him again. Reaching for his hand, he took it and walked her to her car, unable to wipe the smile off of his face.

Unlocking the door, she put her bag inside and shut it, turning around again and grabbing the lapels of his coat, pulling him in for another kiss.

Then she was in the car before he realized she had even opened the door, so dazed was he by her kiss. Rolling down her window as she started the car, she smiled and he leaned in for one last kiss.

“Thank you for dinner,” she said quietly when he stepped back, and he smiled with a nod. “You didn’t bring a dessert, but you will next time, right?” She grinned and he licked his lips, thinking her kiss was dessert enough.

For now.

“Oh, I brought dessert,” he said, smirking as she laughed and nodded her head. She put the car in gear and he stepped back, allowing her to leave.

“Goodbye, Walter,” she said and he nodded, watching her drive away. He waited until she was gone before he punched the air in celebration.

Grinning, he cleaned up their picnic and folded up the blanket. He threw out the water bottles and closed down the back of the car. Smiling as he sat down and turned on the car, he took out his phone and typed out a message.

Change it to WE.

Setting his phone beside him, he turned on the heater, letting the car warm up a bit. His phone beeped and he looked down to find a message from Dana.

Already done. I told you, Maggie Scully recipes never fail.

See you both in a couple of weeks.

He grinned, setting his phone down, and driving home to an apartment that would hopefully not be empty and quiet for much longer.

______________________________________________

I know it was a bit different, but I hope you all enjoyed this little change of cast of characters. I just love them together and goddamn Skinner deserves to have a wonderful woman to love him and not be so alone in that sterile apartment. ❤️