#be stressed about something as trivial as how i look but i look bad bitch and its fucking me up

[pcktknife]

it might b getting to the point if I stay up past 11 I start getting a teeny tiny itty bitty passively suicidal. nothing crazy but it is like mildly annoying

[liv-does-stuff]

“Happy Birtday Dumbass”

Hasan Piker X Reader

Warning:cussing but that’s it

A/n: I’m so sorry for whatever this bullshit is I’m high asf right now and I proof read this as best as I could.

————////———-////———-////———-

You and Hasan rarely fought. Yes you argued over trivial things sometimes, but you could count on your fingers the amount of times you actually had a bad fight and boy was this a bad fight. It all started Monday, you had spent the whole summer so far trying to help your best friend move down to North Carolina, God knows why, with you being away for the a few months you had seen Hasan only a few times through June and July , but you made sure you would be there for his birthday. Now you may be wondering where the fighting came in and here’s the answer. One night you had been on the phone with your boyfriend, trying to find a cheap flight, but they were all pricey.

“Y/n don’t worry if it’s that big of a deal I’ll just buy the ticket.” Hasan said tired of your complaining. You were quick to shoot that down by saying, “Oh absolutely not It’s supposed to be your birthday party and I would feel bad if you bought the ticket.” He sighed, “Y/n, could just stop complaining then, I’m trying to be nice, but you’ve literally just bitched this whole call.” Normally Hasan wouldn’t have said something like this to 𝘺𝘰𝘶, but today had stressed him out, his stream was glitching and Austin was late to the podcast and it threw everything off. He never meant to bring his anger out on you, but he had and you weren’t about to take that, “Excuse me”, you said taken aback by his change in tone, “I’m so sorry that I was trying to do something nice for your fuckin birthday and yea what if I started complaining? These Flights aren’t cheap and it’s frustrating !” He sighed into the phone, “Then don’t come”, he said lowly. “What are you even saying?” You said quietly. “If it’s such an inconvenience the don’t show up.” He stated. You hadn’t meant to say it, but you did, “Fine”, you hung up the phone with a sigh.

2 days had past and Hasan hadn’t reached out. Too be fair you hadn’t either, but even so you still planned on making it to his party, which is why you were up at 3 am trying to book a flight for tomorrow and finally you got a good deal. Hasan was having a dinner around 7 with his friends and your flight landed at 5:30 so you decided to make a call.

“Hey Austin I need your help.” You said after he picked up on the 4th ring.

“Y/n what the fuck I was asleep!?” He said groggily trying to make sense of why you were calling.

“So yea can you pick me up and take me with you tomorrow?” You asked after explaining everything that had happened.

“Of course y/n/n, but seriously if you wake me up like this one more time I’ll beat you ass.” You snorted as he said that. After a few more minutes of talking you said bye and hung up.

After your plane landed you went to look for Austin and once you made eye contact you ran up and hugged him. “Oh my god I missed you so much bitch!” You both laughed. He broke the hug and led you to the car. You were nervous to say the least, you didn’t know if Hasan would still be pissed or if he would be happy to see you. You really didn’t want to ruin his birthday for him. Austin seemed to notice your worrying because he looked at you and said, “Don’t worry y/n he misses you he just wants to give you space.” You nodded and soon the conversation drifted off into how Austin’s love life was going which made the drive go by quicker, and soon you were parked at Hasans house. God you missed this place. Austin ran up the door, knocked and shouted, “Hasan it’s Austin I brought you an amazing present.” The door began to open, “Austin why the fuck are you thirty minutes la- y/n?” Hasan locked eyes with you, you wanted to hug him and run your hands through his curls right there, but you resisted. Austin walked into the house and winked at you. Hasan shut the door and you immediately fell into him not caring if he was mad or not you just needed him, he wrapped his arms around you. “Y/n I thought you weren’t gonna come.” He sighed. You looked up at him, “Hasan I’m so sorr-“, he cut you off, “No I am you didn’t do anything I was just being a dick.” You laughed, “Yea you kinda were.” He smiled and you got on your tip toes to kiss him. You giggled into the kiss and he whispered, “I love you”

“Happy birthday dumbass.”

[btssaysstudy]

Cheer || jjk.

Pairing: Jungkook x reader Genre: fluff, cheerleader!yn x athlete!jk (requested by anon) Warning(s): minor swearing, alcohol, drinking games mentioned, college after game parties, reader is a cheer athlete, jungkook plays rugby, stress from expectations WC: ~9.9k (this is the longest I've ever written I hope it doesn't flop!!) Summary: You felt that your cheer team was under-appreciated by certain people — specifically the rugby team that your cheer team supports during their matches. How is it that their star player, Jeon Jungkook, manages to find his way into your life despite having a bad impression of the rugby players? Update (6/8): Made an edit

You always loved being in a team. That would explain why you were where you were. Standing on the mat in the indoor gym with your cheer team on a Friday night. Cheer was beyond exhausting, but you still loved doing it, especially with the team that you got in college. Your coach - a perfectionist - always drilled you guys over the minute details. That would also explain why you were still practicing for something so ��trivial’ - your opinion, not your coach’s.

Your team was practicing the routine for the rugby team’s qualifying match on Monday. It was a simple routine - as always. Your team didn’t do championship level routines during such events, you were all just there as moral support and being the hype people for the team. All you had to do was cheer with your pom poms, throw in a couple of stunts and the crowd would go wild.

But every event was a chance to get better, to get closer to perfect, according to your coach. And you did not disagree. You just never looked forward to cheering for the rugby team even after all the events. Despite your team always cheering for the football club, you could say you disliked most of them. It always felt as though they didn’t appreciate the moral support and took you guys for granted.

“Might want to look happy, yn.” You heard a playful remark from behind. Jimin, your most trusted base.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Just don’t drop me.”

There was no way you could pull off your stunts if you didn’t have trust in your teammates. And you could say you trusted Jimin with your life - literally. Accidents and mistakes were bound to happen but there was no doubt that you’d be down to try for anything if Jimin was your base.

Not only was Jimin a trustworthy base, but he was also an amazing stunter. His physique was perfect to be an in between, he could pull off both roles. That almost guaranteed him a spot on the mat every time. He was extremely hardworking as well and you’ll always be proud of your best friend making mat. Of course, you wanted to make mat just as badly as the next person.

Last season, you did not make mat and it crushed you. Jimin was there to get you out of your rut and encouraged you to bounce back stronger. Thanks to him, you managed to pick yourself up and train harder for the upcoming nationals. You had never been more determined to make mat.

“Point your toes, I want my flyers looking really perfect.” Your coach yelled over the music. Your coach was a beast, but an effective one, nonetheless. Your team won nationals last season and ready to bag this season as well.

“Alright, that’s all for today. Clean the place up and you guys can go home. Thanks everybody!” Your coach clapped their hands and the team followed suit as everyone got up from the mat and started tidying the place.

“Need a lift?”

“Yes please, you’re the best!” You pulled Jimin in for a tight hug, “Okay, you do this then!” Jimin handed you the empty bottles that he picked up from the ground as he headed off the change first.

You grumbled but took his place in defeat.

—

Big smiles were plastered on your faces as you congratulated the winning team - your college. You best friend nudged you while you waved the team goodbye as they passed by. “Coming to the after party?”

“Wouldn’t miss the free drinks and snacks.”

Jimin snorted, “Obviously.”

Though you did say that it felt like the cheer team was under appreciated, you were always invited to the after parties. Most of you went, mainly for the free drinks and snacks.

You flashed two thumbs up with Jimin as Yoongi passed by. A small smile on his face as he slightly bowed his heads in your direction, acknowledging your cheers.

Through all the after parties, you have been acquainted with one of their star players - Min Yoongi. He was one of the few who hung out in the kitchen to avoid all the party games and the crowd in the general. He disliked the unnecessary glamour and attention that came along with joining the rugby club. You admired his passion for rugby and along with Jimin, the three of you became the trio who hid away from the crowd during the parties.

After the debrief with our coach, your team dispersed to your own places to freshen up for the after party. It was a Friday night, and a good night of drinking was warranted after a tiring week.

You were all lucky your coach was not strict regarding such parties, as long as everyone turned up ready for the following practice.

“Glad to see faces I actually like.” Yoongi commented, handing you two drinks he had already prepared. “You make it sound like you hate everyone on your team.”

“I would say a good majority. I’m actually jealous that your cheer team is so close knit.”

Jimin nudged you after you downed your shot, “Without trust, our stunts won’t fly.”

You nodded your head in agreement, “Probably should get my team to watch your practices to learn a thing about team spirit.” Yoongi scoffed, mostly to himself, knowing that realistically, it would never happen.

The three of you turned your attention to the living room, watching Yoongi’s teammates either play beer pong or trying to find their fling for the night.

“They’re skilled, no doubt. But most of them are here for the popularity. It’s rare to find someone who genuinely likes football too.” Yoongi ranted as you poured himself another shot.

“Is there not a single soul?” Jimin asked, feeling a tinge of pity for his friend who was not experiencing the same level of love for his team as Jimin did for the cheer team.

Yoongi’s eyes scanned across the room, slowly shaking his head before his eyes landed on someone. “Actually, there is— Jungkook!” He raised his hand, shouting over the loud music as he tried to get someone’s attention.

You turned your head to see Jungkook approaching your group. “Jungkook? Really?” You questioned Yoongi. Jungkook was one of the star players as well. It was impossible not to know Jungkook. You could walk down any corridor in campus, and you would hear someone mention his name at least once.

“Hey,” Jungkook greeted Yoongi before his eyes shifted to yours and Jimin’s. “What’s going on?”

Yoongi shrugged his shoulders, “Just wanted to introduce you to some of the members from cheer.”

“From cheer, huh?” The corner of his lips tugged upwards as his eyes went back to you.

“I figured you won’t recognise us, even though we’ve been at your parties since, well… Basically here every party.” You didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but it just came out from you. You heard Jimin chuckle from beside you as he draped his arms over you.

“Sorry bud, yn here doesn’t have a good impression of you guys.”

“It’s not like you have a better one.” You bit back at Jimin who just stuck out his tongue at you. “That is true,” He pulled away as he took a drink, “We were actually just bitching about you guys with Yoongi.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened in bewilderment, yet he felt amused enough to stay and find out more. “Is that so, Yoongi?”

His teammate nodded his head nonchalantly, “Just sharing the truth. About how most of them are here to be popular. I called you because I know you’re one of the few who actually joined for rugby.”

Jungkook huffed out an amused hum, “Interesting. What are your names again?”

“Yn and Jimin.” Jimin instantly replied, knowing you were probably going to reply with a snarky comment. “Part of the cheer team, like Yoongi said. She’s mainly a flyer and I’m a base and tumbler.”

You watched as his eyes furrowed in confusion, “S-Sorry I don’t know cheer terms.”

“Not surprised.” You let the words slip as you took a sip from your cup. Jungkook’s eyes looked at you, a hint of challenge and interest on his expression.

“If you have something against me, let’s hear it.”

“Don’t take it personally, Jungkook.” You reached out to give a light pat on his right chest. “I had a bad impression on Yoongi as well.”

With that, Yoongi sighed, nodding his head in the back. “It’s a miracle she likes me now.”

“Well, why don’t you give me a chance to change that impression then?” The left corner of his lip rose a playful look on his face as he challenged you.

It could be the alcohol or could be the loud music that made you disoriented. Nonetheless, you reached out your hand for a handshake, “You’ve got one chance.”

Jimin and Yoongi left the kitchen to enjoy their own time together. You had an inkling that something was stirring between them, but you decided to let them be as you were left alone with Jungkook in the kitchen.

“So, yn,” Jungkook shifted in the high stool, leaning on his right elbow, his attention focused on you. “Care to explain why you seem to hate my team so badly?”

“Buckle your seatbelts, Jeon.” You teased as you reached out for your drink. You watched his attention eyes fixated on yours as he waited for your answer. “I dislike your team because it feels we don’t get the appreciation I feel we rightfully deserve. We’re always there for your plays, even for your friendlies. The support just feels one sided and to me it sucks when we put in a lot for our routines as well.”

You watched him slowly nod his head in understanding, his body leaning backwards as he internalised your words. “I have to admit. I never really paused to think about your cheer team. I mean your outfits and pom poms are cute and all— “

Pointing your finger at him, you interrupted, “Exactly, we’re not just cute outfits and pom poms. We only use the cheesy pom poms for your matches to make the crowd all hyped up. Do you even know we have our own competition as well?”

Jungkook shrugged his shoulders, “Of course I do. Just never watched one.”

You let out a short, dry laugh, “It’s okay. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

Jungkook frowned, noting the dejected tone laced in your laugh and words as you tried to dismiss it. As an athlete himself, he knew how dejecting it must feel that support was one sided or lacking.

“Hey,” He placed the cup on the counter, “Why don’t you educate me? I’d like to know more.”

You smiled, “You’re pretty good at changing your first impression. You’re working really hard.”

He laughed, shaking his head, “No no, I mean it. It’s not just about changing your opinion of me. Tell me about cheer.”

You paused momentarily, recognising the sincerity in his voice as his gaze stayed on you. You knew he was serious about wanting to know more. It was as though the wall you placed between the two seemed to falter, a very minuscule crack forming on the wall.

“Jungkook!” A random college student hollered for his attention, “Come play beer pong with us!” You watched in amusement as you read their body language. They were clearly flirting with Jungkook and calling for his attention.

“Duty calls?”

Jungkook shook his head, “I’ll pass!”

“We can save this talk for another time, you can go— “

“Just to clear things up,” Jungkook turned back to you, “I’m not a fuckboy.”

You choked on air from his sudden defence statement, “I-I didn’t s-say you were— “

“Didn’t have to,” He said with a light smile on his face, “But I expected it too. Comes with the popularity I guess.” “So, you don’t…?” You trailed off and he shook his head, as if he was completely appalled by the sheer thought of being a fuckboy. “No, no. I don’t see the point in flings. Like Yoongi said, I’m here for rugby. Not to find dates.”

It felt as if another crack in the wall was formed after learning that fact. Like how Yoongi managed to break down the wall between you and him a few games ago.

Maybe not all jocks were bad.

“Anyway,” Jungkook pulled you back from your thoughts, “Educate me.”

You began sharing how was practice like, the different roles people were and how strict your coach was. You explained how you were always at the gym on the days you didn’t have training. You always got passionate when you talked about cheer and Jungkook experienced it first-hand. He watched how your face immediately lit up when he asked you to share about the sport. He was sure that even a person with zero interest with cheer would be completely drawn to hear you share about it with how enthusiastic you were.

“We currently have training three times a week since nationals are coming. We practice from late afternoon to almost midnight sometimes.” You paused, a sheepish grin creeping on your face as you realised you had been rambling on about your sport. “I-I’m sorry, I must’ve bored you to death.”

“No, no!” He immediately shook his head, hands out in front shaking as well in protest, “I wasn’t bored. I was really interested. I can tell how much you love cheer though.”

“Y-Yea I really do. Always good to find something to distract you especially during college.”

He nodded his head, “Can’t argue with that.” He raised his plastic cup in his hand, “Cheers to distractions.”

“Cheers,” You laughed, raising your cup towards his.

-

You could say you clicked well with Jungkook that night. In fact, you guys shared a lot about each other’s sport that you didn’t exchange numbers or any form of communication afterwards. It didn’t bug you so much since you figured it was a one-off conversation with him.

To be frank, you almost forgot that you talked with Jungkook that party. Jimin was the one who reminded you, asking about how he was and if you still hated jocks.

“He’s not bad, actually.”

“Of course, that’s why Yoongi actually likes him.” You raised an eyebrow suspiciously, leaning towards Jimin, “Speaking of Yoongi, how are things between you two?”

Your friend snorted, dismissing you with his hand, “What are you talking about? There’s nothing going on. We’re just friendly.”

“For now?”

Jimin shrugged, “We’ll see how it goes.” He gives you a wink before getting up, extending his hand out as an offer to pull you up. “Back on the mat.”

Training went on until 11pm, it was full of drills as soon your coach would be picking who will make mat for nationals. Everyone had to give it their all during practice as you were all constantly being scrutinised by your coach, your attitude, skills, and stamina. You had been training your stunts with Jimin after he managed to pull you back up from your sulking phase. Everything was important.

You separated from Jimin after practice as you made your way to the bus stop to head home. “Yn? Is that you?”

A very familiar honey-like voice.

Jungkook slowly made his way to the bus stop, “What are you doing here at campus so late?” You asked.

“I was studying. Just ended practice?”

“Yea.”

Jungkook glanced at his watch, “Wanna grab a midnight snack?”

You smiled, “Sure.”

“How does ice cream sound?”

“I’m down.”

There was a small ice cream store near campus and luckily, you managed to catch the last order. The both of you enjoyed your slow late night stroll back to the bus stop as you strikes up a conversation with him.

“I realised I was the only one talking about my sport that night. How about you share about rugby? I actually don’t know much about it.”

“You sure?” Jungkook asked, slightly shocked that you had brought up his sport. “Because I can get carried away when I talk about it—“

You laughed, “I’m sure Jungkook. Fire away.”

Jungkook started sharing the rules and positions of rugby - “I’m number 11, one of the wings” You looked at him, already confused with the terms. With a short chuckle, he explained, “I’m one of the backs. We do the running and scoring. Sometimes, we have to knock people down in our way.”

He continued sharing his training schedule as well - how his team similarly had gym sessions on non-training days just like cheer. The only difference was that the rugby team had a gym off campus.

“Sounds fancy.”

“It’s pretty fancy.” He nodded his head letting out an airy laugh.

“Rubgy doesn’t sound too bad now that I know how it works.”

“You could watch one of our matches or practices when you guys aren’t cheering for us.”

“Why not.”

—

“Guess who I see?” Jimin whispered, nudging you out of your focus. You looked up, placing your dumbbells down, “Where are you looking at?”

“6 o’clock.” He muttered as he sneakily stole your dumbbells to do his set while you turned around to spot Jungkook who had just entered the gym.

You were surprised to see Jungkook and his teammates at the gym. Yoongi was the first one who spotted you. He sent a small smile, raising his hand for a short wave in your direction.

“Hey thief,” You nudged Jimin back, “Yoongi is here too.”

“I know, that’s why I stole your dumbbells.” You chuckled, smacking his toned arms upon learning his tactic.

You watched Yoongi talk to Jungkook, seemingly informing him that you were there as Jungkook turned his body around, his eyes meeting yours. You smiled, sending a hello with your hand to which he returned.

Seeing that you were unoccupied, since Jimin stole your dumbbells, Jungkook made his way to you. “What happened to your almighty external gym?”

He shrugged with a bright smile, “After hearing you hype up the campus gym so much the other night, I thought, why not give it a shot?”

You shook your head with a chuckle, clearly not believing his words. “If that’s the case, enjoy the campus gym!” You reached out to pat his broad shoulders before turning back to resume your gym session.

“Are you done with your set yet?” You questioned Jimin who stood right back up with a grin, “Was he watching me?”

Taking the dumbbells from his hands, you shrugged, “Doubt it.”

“Yea right.” Jimin scoffed, stepping aside to give you more space.

Your gym session lasted an hour as usual, ensuring that you don’t over-work your body as well since your coach was going to be choosing the final 20 soon.

Whenever you weren’t studying or training, you were stressing over whether you’ll make mat. And it was evident on your face. You heard a sigh coming from Jimin, “Don’t stress over it too much. You’ve been working extra hard this season, I’m confident you’ll make it.”

You responded with a weak smile, “Thanks Jimin, I really hope so.”

“Me too, but what you need is to stop thinking about it right now. Go get a distraction for tonight. Tomorrow’s training is going to be torturous.”

“When isn’t it?” You joked, “Touché.”

You packed your gym bag with Jimin, ready to leave and wind down for the day. Jimin was right, you needed a distraction - maybe a Netflix movie, or do some yoga to de-stress, or do a sheet mask —

“Jimin, yn!” You heard Yoongi holler out your names as you walked away from the campus gym.

“Yoongi, what’s up?”

Yoongi walked up to the both of you, accompanied by Jungkook.

“We just ended our session, was thinking if you wanted to grab dinner together?”

“Sure! Yn here,” Jimin laces his arm around yours as he pulled you closer to him, “needs a distraction ASAP.”

“A distraction?” Jungkook asked, looking at you for a response.

“From worrying about making mat.”

Yoongi chuckled, “Jungkook doesn’t know cheer lingo— “

“Oh no,” He shook his head, “I know what that means.”

“You do?!” Yoongi and Jimin asked incredulously.

“I gave him a lecture about cheer during that after party.” You answered and Jimin laughed, “Right! I forgot about your granny lecture.”

You scoffed defensively, “I-I mean he could’ve stopped be any time he was bored— “

“Because I wasn’t. It’s refreshing seeing people be so passionate about something, especially during college.” You returned the smile, the more you interacted with Jungkook, the more you could see why Yoongi kept Jungkook in his small circle of friends.

If there was anything the four of you had in common, it was your passion for your sport.

“I know a great place we can eat at.” Yoongi suggested. The four of you headed over to Yoongi’s go-to restaurants after his workout sessions. As the food started to come to your table, Yoongi and Jimin were caught up with some music competition show that you did not keep up with.

“So how has cheer been?” Jungkook’s voice pulled your attention towards him. “Fun but tiring as usual. Our coach is selecting who will make it to the final 20 for the nationals.” You sighed, anxiousness clearly evident in your tone and on your face.

“Hey, from an athlete to another, I know you’ve trained very hard, and I’ll be rooting for you to make it to the final 20.”

You weren’t sure why, but it felt comforting to hear those words from Jungkook. It felt different than when Jimin would cheer you up. You quickly decided that it was because you were praised by one of the star players of the rugby team. It felt great being acknowledged by someone out of the cheer world.

So, you decided to go with that explanation.

“Thanks, Jungkook, I hope I do. But you technically don’t know whether I’ve trained hard since you’ve never seen me practice.”

“That is true.” He simply grinned at you, “But I just know.”

“You have so much faith in me, Jungkook.” You teased.

He placed his forearms on the table, leaning on them to bring himself slightly close to you, “I have lots of faith in you.”

—

You weren’t stupid and you weren’t blind either. You and Jimin have been spotting Jungkook and Yoongi loitering around the indoor gym lately.

“Did you see them?” Jimin tossed you your newly refilled bottle, “I haven’t left the gym. They’re here again? It’s like 10pm.”

Jimin shrugged his shoulders, “Yoongi was napping on the table though. Looks like Jungkook was the only one actually studying.”

Jungkook never mentioned to you that he stayed back in campus to revise. Though, you barely talked to him since you never exchanged numbers. Every time you had a conversation with him, you both would get too swept up in the conversation that it never occurred to either of you that it was the 21st century and you could talk with your phones.

Training ended an hour later, and you did not expect them to still be outside ‘studying’.

“You guys are still studying?” Jimin called out as you both approached them, Jungkook’s head shot up almost instantly, his eyes finding yours, a bright smile on his face despite his tired eyes from revision. “What a coincidence seeing you here.”

You raised your eyebrows questioningly, “Here,” You looked around with your hands gesturing to the area, “Right outside the indoor gym, with no fan or AC.”

“Yes, here.” He insisted.

Yoongi sighed, finally waking up from his nap. “What’s with the commotion— Oh, you guys are finally done with practice.” He got up and grabbed his bags, “Jimin, need a lift?”

“Yes please!” Jimin nodded his head, giving you a quick goodbye hug before heading off with Yoongi, leaving you alone with Jungkook.

“Guess I can’t judge your preference for a study location.” You made your way to him as he packed up his belongings. “I kinda feel bad for you that Yoongi ditched you.”

Jungkook shook his head with a smile, “He was meant to ditch me anyway. I was waiting to see you.”

You felt yourself momentarily pause; an inhale stuck halfway as you processed his words. He waited to see me. You thought, your brain trying to find an explanation for that.

“I realised we haven’t exchanged numbers even after all this time.” He continued when he didn’t get a response.

“O-Oh right, here,” You reached for your phone in your bag, handing it to Jungkook. “I’ll drop you message.”

Jungkook didn’t take your phone immediately, his eyes locked on your face, as if he was shocked that you didn’t mind exchanging numbers, his hand reached for your phone, gently brushing against your fingers, sending a fluttery feeling in your way.

Once he added his contact, he returned your phone, “It’s 11pm, do you have a ride home?”

“I usually just take the bus.”

“I have a car. Let me take you home.”

“Oh no,” You shook your head, “You don’t have to really, I’m used to taking the bus— “

“But I’m already here anyway, come on, do you not trust my driving skills?” He joked and you let out an airy laugh, “Alright fine. I owe you one.”

“Nah, you already gave me your number.” He winked at you, throwing his bag over his shoulder, leading the way to the carpark with you slightly stunned from his flirtatious remarks.

The care ride with Jungkook was comfortable, slightly tense on your end at the start. Jungkook gave you the cable to play whatever music you wanted which made you slightly more comfortable. “I don’t know if we have the same music taste— “

“It’s alright, just play whatever you want.”

“O-Okay…”

Surprisingly, you and Jungkook didn’t have that much of a difference in differing taste, there were some songs that he didn’t know but found himself liking it. He himself was shocked to learn that you had similar taste in music.

Jungkook didn’t know why he felt so nervous having you in his car and driving you home. It was not like you were getting married. But why did he feel so nervous? Jungkook rarely flirted or showed interest in someone. His love was rugby - his sport - his life. He poured his heart and soul into the sport. But with you, he found that he couldn’t help flirting with you. It felt natural - It felt right.

Ironically, or maybe not, as he drove you home that night, Jungkook knew deep down, he was in it for the long ride.

—

Jimin held your hands tightly as you kept your eyelids shut. You could feel that your heart was about to jump out of your chest as you sat on the mat with Jimin, waiting for your coach to call out all the 20 names. It almost felt like you could feel your heartbeat in your head, the suspense and dragging was killing you.

Your hands clammy in Jimin’s but you did not have a single care as all you wanted in that moment was to make it to nationals.

“Jimin.”

You gasped, pulling Jimin in for a tight hug as he yelled in excitement. You were proud of your best friend; you knew that he would make mat and he deserved it.

Names were called and there were only 5 names left to be called, you grip on Jimin’s hands slackened as you started to accept that you won’t make it—

“Yn.”

You ears rang and you thought you were about to go deaf. Jimin’s loud but happy scream stunned you as you were pulled in for a suffocating hug this time.

The last 4 names were called and the final 20 had been made (subject to change).

Tears welled up in your eyes as memories of your gruelling training flashed through your mind. All the tiring practices and extra trainings with Jimin, the hardships and discipline all paid off.

Training went swimmingly, your coach running through sections of the choreography until it was time to wrap up. “Didn’t have the time to properly congratulate you.” Jimin said with a bright proud grin on his face as you left the gym.

“Thanks, Jimin! Hopefully we can stay on the 20 and compete together.”

“I’m confident we will.”

His eyes shifted away from you, and you followed his gaze to see Jungkook outside, once again, studying, alone this time. “Where’s Yoongi?” You asked as you both approached him.

“He gave up studying with me. Probably went home to crash after our practice today.”

Jimin eyed Jungkook’s facial expression suspiciously, eyes darting between you and Jungkook before he spoke, “I’m going book a ride and head home first yea? Text me when you’re home.” Jimin gives your shoulder a good squeeze before saying bye to you and Jungkook.

“What’s with the big smile on your face?” Jungkook questioned as he started packing his belongings. Your smile was contagious and Jungkook couldn’t help but smile as well as soon as he saw your bright expression.

“I got into the top 20!”

You squared like a little girl, once again excited from the thought of making it this season.

Jungkook abruptly stopped gathering his stuff, stepping away from the table, “Really? Congrats, yn!” He pulled you in for a hug which made your muscles stiffen but your arms automatically wrapped around him.

“I’m so proud of you!”

“Thanks, Jungkook.” You chuckled as you pulled away from the embrace. Your mind was clouded, filled with a mixture of thoughts of making it to the Top 20 and how warm that hug felt. How it felt so ‘right’.

Over the past few weeks, it had become a routine, to have Jungkook studying outside the indoor gym and drive you home after practice. You always told him he didn’t need to send you home, but he never listened.

“Our qualifying match is next Friday, if we win, there’ll be an after party, are you free to come?”

“For the after party?”

“Yea, I mean, technically your whole cheer team usually come but since your nationals are coming, I’m assuming you would be too busy to come.”

“No no, I’ll come.”

“You will?” Jungkook’s face lit up and a bubbling feeling grew in your chest as you tried to ignore it. “Yea I will.”

—

Since Jungkook had his qualifying match around the corner, you stopped seeing him late at night outside the gym. You wouldn’t admit it out loud, but you missed seeing him after your practice.

Nonetheless, you would still spend the night texting him right before bed. It felt so easy to converse with him and you always looked forward to hear stories about his rugby practice and it felt nice to share about your cheer practice to him.

Friday quickly arrived and you decided to watch his match since the game was on your campus grounds. You took a seat somewhere in the middle of the bleachers and your eyes scanned the field to find Jungkook.

You recalled him explaining the positions of the backs and you found his number - 11. A smile crept unto your face as your eyes fixated on Jungkook. Your facial expression always scrunched up into a wince whenever you see them tackle each other during the game. You would let out a hiss as if you were the one sliding against the grass as Jungkook scored a point.

Nonetheless, it was fascinating to actually watch the game. Not surprisingly, after you understood the rules of the game, it was exciting to root for your college’s team. Maybe it was because you were rooting for a particular player, but you wouldn’t admit that to yourself just yet.

During half-time, your college’s team made their way back to the benches which was in front of where you sat. You didn’t bother shouting for his attention since you knew it was important to stay in the zone.

You sat at your spot, watching him, and you almost felt like a stalker. He was drenched in sweat, definitely going to have bruises or scratches from the game, you could see his chest move up and down as he took deep breaths to relax.

You felt your breath get caught in your throat when he had looked up and found your eyes amongst the crowd. Jungkook had been casually looking around the crowd to see if you really did come to watch his game.

He had texted you the night before about how he hoped you could come see his game now that you know how it actually worked. You told him no promises but had made sure you were free the afternoon to attend his game. Of course, you didn’t tell him that.

In an instant, his serious gaze broke into an inviting smile as he mouthed the words “hey” at your direction. You smiled back, returning the greeting while you hoped no one caught that moment between the two of you.

His coach called for their attention to remind them of their game plan but Jungkook was having a battle in his mind. The image of you smiling at the bleachers stayed as he tried to listen to his coach’s words. He knew the game plan, he was always on top the game. But seeing you watching him from the bleachers made him feel giddy but at least he also motivated him to do extra well. He wanted to look good in front of you.

And that’s exactly what he did.

He sent you text to wait for him to freshen up and you sat at your spot, enjoying the breeze as you waited for him to come back from his shower.

“You actually came.”

You looked up from your phone to see a wet-haired Jungkook approaching you with a lopsided grin. “Wanted to give support especially after all the times you sent me home after practice.”

Your phone vibrated as Jimin spammed you with messages when you stopped replying. Jimin had been asking about your whereabouts and you told him you were at the rugby game. He was upset since he would have tagged along to watch Yoongi if he knew you were going.

“Where’s Yoongi?”

Jungkook gestured with his thumb behind him, “Still showering. Is Jimin here?”

You chuckled, shaking your head, “He didn’t know I was coming to watch. I think he’ll attack me later at the party.”

“Sounds like a fun match to see.” He joked and you scoffed, “I’ll beat Jimin easily.”

“I’m sure, I’ll always be rooting for you.”

It sounded like another tease but his words caused nervous knots in your stomach. You deliberately ignored the feeling as you walked down the bleachers to his side, “Shall we get Yoongi and Jimin?”

“Yep, text me his address. We’ll pick him up once Yoongi is ready to go.”

Get ready, Jungkook’s picking you up - yn

I already look good, always ready - Jimin

Yoongi didn’t take long to come out of the showers and the three of you made your way in Jungkook’s car to pick Jimin up, all ready for the after party.

“I haven’t had dinner so I am ready for all the food.” Jimin groaned, clutching his stomach as he hopped off the car.

The four of you made your way up the driveway to see that the after party had started even earlier. “Looks like everyone couldn’t wait to party.” Yoongi commented as you entered through the main door, the loud typical party music blasting through the house.

It wasn’t a very packed party, lesser than the usual after parties but still plenty of people nonetheless.

There were already different groups engaging in different activities - gossiping, flirting, beer pong, truth or dare, Mario Kart and many more.

“Yn, you hungry? I heard Woohyun baked pasta for tonight.” Yoongi gestured to the kitchen. Before you could reply, Jungkook added on, “Someone’s barbecuing in the backyard though.”

“Barbecue?” You repeated, “Sounds delicious.” You turned your head back to Yoongi, “I’ll follow you guys after!”

Yoongi and Jimin made their way to the kitchen while you and Jungkook headed over to start your night with barbecue.

At the backyard, there was a swimming pool with a small lawn where the barbecue was. The two of you made your way to the table with the cooked food, helping yourself to dinner.

“This tastes amazing.” You moaned in delight after the first bite.

Jungkook laughed, “Come on,” He took an empty plate and grabbed a handful of barbecue sticks and kebabs, leading the way to the other side of the pool with one empty lounge chair.

You shared the plastic lounge chair, sitting beside Jungkook as you shared the plate. “So, how was my game?”

“To be honest,” You cleared your throat, “More interesting now that I know the game.”

He grinned like a happy high school boy, “That’s great to hear! Maybe you can watch more of my games or practices when you have the time.”

“We’ll see about that.” You teased, grabbing another stick to feed yourself.

“So, how’s your prep for nationals?”

“Tiring, one of our flyers got a concussion after a bad fall last night so she’s temporarily replaced. Our pyramid’s a mess.”

Jungkook lightly nudged your shoulders, “I’m sure it’ll turn out well. You guys are the defending champions.”

“I hope we can defend it this season.”

“Gotta think positively.” He winked at you and you returned a small smile. Silence fell upon you two as you noticed the lack of personal space between the both of you. It felt comfortable yet nerve-racking to be so close to him.

Was he uncomfortable with the closeness? Should you move away?

Just as you were about to scoot away, he spoke. “I’m really glad you came to my match tonight. It felt different.” He admitted rather shyly as his gaze dropped to the half empty plate.

“Different?”

Jungkook nodded his head, “Felt nice knowing there’s someone out there rooting for me.”

“There were lots of people rooting out for you.”

“Yea but, someone out there that I really want to impress.”

You didn’t have a reply, you weren’t sure how to reply. You decided to opt for a small encouraging pat on his shoulder before retracting your hand.

It didn’t seem much from an outsider’s perspective, but his words held a lot of weight. For the both of you. Almost as if you were about to cross a line - some line that you weren’t sure if you’re both ready to cross.

“Well,” He cleared his throat, standing up, “Shall we go find the two?”

“S-Sure.”

The two of you entered through the back door and was immediately blocked by his fellow team player, handing both of you a bottle of soju. “Gotta help us finish these, Jeon. Someone,” his eyes darted to another team player, “Accidentally ordered twice our usual order.”

“Damn.” Jungkook laughed in disbelief, “I’ll pull my weight then.”

“Great! You know what’s a perfect game for that? Spin the Bottle! You guys wanna play?”

Jungkook’s gaze darted to yours as you hesitated to reply.

“Come on Jeon, you always reject our games. Just this once, yea?”

He sighed, “A-Alright sure. Yn?”

You shook your head, “I’ll pass. Go have fun.” You patted his back as you excused yourself to the kitchen. There was a sour feeling knowing that Jungkook agreed to play Spin the Bottle, you avoided looking at the circle at the living area as you went to find Yoongi and Jimin guarding the snacks.

“Where’s Jungkook?”

“Spin the Bottle.” You plopped yourself down beside Jimin, chugging the soju bottle in your hand.

“Someone sounds affected.” Jimin teased, handing you a plate of pasta.

“No one’s affected.” You defended yourself as you grabbed a fork to eat the pasta, ignoring the feeling in your chest.

You had almost completely forgotten about Spin the Bottle as the three of you went on to talk about other things. You were laughing and enjoying your night with the two until you heard the familiar voice that made your muscles freeze.

“Any pasta left for me?”

You turned to look at Jungkook, “Enjoyed the game?”

“Pretty interesting,” He started and you immediately wanted to shut his voice out, “But would’ve been fun if you were in the game.” He winked at you before he took a plate for himself, acting as if he hadn’t said those words. You saw the empty soju bottle that he placed on the counter top and figured it was the alcohol talking so you decided to brush it off. It was probably the alcohol making him say such a brave statement in front of your friends.

Would something have happened if you agreed to play the game?

—

You realised that maybe he did decide to be more brave.

He started sitting in the gymnasium to watch your practices. Jimin would always inform you when he spotted Jungkook, insisting that he was here to watch you. Though you constantly denied, because you knew he knew a few of you guys from all the parties.

Somehow, you always felt his eyes were locked on you - his attention never leaving you no matter how chaotic the mat got. Every fall, every success, every break. You just knew he was looking at you.

The first practice you realised he was there, you approached him after practice ended.

“Hey Jungkook!”

“Why are you here?”

“Am I that unwanted? Looks like only Jimin is glad to see me here.”

“N-No,” You were caught off-guard, “I was just wondering—“

“I know, I’m kidding.” Jungkook chuckled, getting up from the bench, hopping down to stand right in front of you. “You came to my game, and I want to come see your practices. I haven’t actually seen how serious cheer can be.”

You hummed, “Alright then.” You tossed your damp towel over your shoulder. Jungkook reached out, “Let me take your bag. I saw how tiring practice was.”

“Jungkook it’s fine—“

“And you fell from that pyramid a couple of times. You better ice that bruise.” He pointed to the bruise on your shin. You had gotten the bruise when you knocked it against one of your teammate’s foot when you had fallen off the pyramid.

He had successfully snatched your duffel bag when you were distracted by the bruise on your shin. “Jungkook—“

“Come on, let the guy be a gentleman.” Jimin nudged your sides and you shot a light glare his way. “I already booked a ride and it’s here so I’ll head home first. Text me when you’re home, yea?” Jimin patted your shoulder before jogging off.

During the ride home, Jungkook shared how in awe he was during your practice. “I felt that same way watching your game too.” You admitted.

“I’m definitely watching nationals with Yoongi.”

“You don’t have to—“

“But I want to! I’m coming.”

Over the weeks, you learned even more about Jungkook.

Firstly, Jungkook was a really thoughtful individual.

He also loved going the extra mile. You knew his rugby training schedule since he shared it before. So you knew he was watching your late night sessions after his tiring ones on some days, yet still sat through all the way.

He didn’t attend all practices, but he didn’t have to. You always appreciated the times he came to watch and you made it a point to watch his trainings as well when you had nothing on.

Secondly, Jungkook was one of the most hardworking and disciplined individuals that you have met.

Every footwork drill, punishment or endurance runs, he took it seriously. He always gave it his 110%. Even when you knew he was near his limit, he never slacked.

Thirdly, Jungkook was cute when he was in the zone.

His eyebrows always scrunched together, sometimes he would bite his lip for extra concentration. He would whisper to himself after his attempts or runs, possibly correcting himself or encouraging himself.

You knew he was his harshest critic. You could see it in his training etiquette.

From an athlete to another, Jungkook was a very respectable athlete - in both fitness and character.

Eventually, this became routine between the both of you. You would watch each other’s practices whenever you had the time. Jimin and Yoongi had gotten used to the scene as well.

Both would tease the both of you separately, “Look who’s here.”

“Shut up.” You both would say to them, trying to fight the smile that wanted to break through.

“You know, people will start thinking that we’re dating.”

“That wouldn’t be a bad thing, now would it?” Jungkook tilted his head, a cheeky grin on his face as he tossed you a cold unopened bottle of water. His reply sent your heart fluttering. He knew his way with words.

“It’ll kill your popularity with the public. Everyone will lose hope and stop pining after you.” You said dramatically after taking a big gulp of the refreshing water.

“Still don’t see how that’s a bad thing.”

“You know, you’re a real flirt Jeon Jungkook.”

He grinned cheekily, “Only when I want to.”

He definitely knew his way with words, and possibly, his way to your heart.

��

Jungkook started asking you out for lunch and dinner over the weeks, including the weekends. It was refreshing seeing you two not dripping in sweat from training. And he cleaned up well.

Although the rugby finals and cheer nationals were just around the corner, you both tried to find spare time to hang out. It felt like a stress-reliever. You both needed it. Jungkook knew he needed and wanted it. He always wanted to see you.

You were both at an open field, lying next to each other, bodies facing up as you enjoyed the night sky. Silence engulfed the both of you as you relished the tranquility of the night.

With hectic schedules, you appreciated times like this when you didn’t have to think about something so serious like competitions and expectations.

You were grateful that you made it to the Final 20 but it was still stressful knowing that there are high expectations for your team to defend your title.

It was the same for Jungkook.

“This feels great, doesn’t it?” He was the first to break the silence.

You turned just your head to admire his side profile as his eyes remained glue to the starry night.

“It does.”

Jungkook paused before continuing the conversation, “You know, I didn’t actually play Spin the Bottle that night. I just drank every time it was me, just wanted to please Woohyun.”

Confused, you weren’t sure why Jungkook had brought that up out of the blue. “Why are you—”

“I just wanted you to know. Felt like you had to know.” He shrugged his shoulders, pressing his lips into a tight line. “Didn’t want to send mix signals.”

“Mix signals?” You turned around, lying on top of your stomach as you got up on your forearms. You had a hunch of where this conversation was heading, but you didn’t like to be one making assumptions. Jungkook turned his head to face you, “I’m into you. I always like being with you and I hope you feel the same way.”

Nothing came out of your mouth. You were stunned by his sudden confession. Your eyes remained on his face as he kept a soft smile, with not a single ounce of regret on his face.

“I… I like being with you too.” You replied shyly, shuffling back down to lie down on your back next to him, not daring to make eye contact.

Next to you, Jungkook let out a short chuckle. He decided not to push it for that night. But it was enough to know that things were going right between the two of you.

“I never shared this with anyone but, sometimes, I do feel like quitting rugby.”

You were taken aback by his sudden change in topic but didn't to roll with it

“Why?”

He took a while to respond, formulating his thoughts into sentences. “The expectations get too much sometimes, especially as one of the labelled star players.” He scoffed, as if he was laughing at the term, or himself.

“I’m sure as the Final 20 in cheer you feel that expectation as well.”

You didn’t give a verbal reply, only nodding your head as you turned your head back to face up to the sky.

Jungkook didn’t need a verbal reply, he knew you felt the same.

“It’s suffocating. But right now, I feel like I can take a deep long breath, and not worry about making a mistake or slowing down.”

Just as he said that, he took a deep inhale, letting out his breath through is mouth.

“That felt good to let out. I never wanted to share this with others because I’m afraid they’ll think that I’m taking my position and skills for granted.”

“Yea I get what you’re saying.” You assured him and he smiled, turning his head to face you. You heard the shuffling sounds and you decided to face him as well, momentarily freezing when your eyes finally met his.

“But it feels like I can talk to you about anything. It feels nice to talk to you, yn.”

You were once again lost for words, feeling your cheeks grow hot as your eyes remained locked in his gaze.

“I feel safe with you.”

—

It was the final championship match for rugby. Your cheer team was once again there, to root for your college - you and Jimin were specifically rooting for Yoongi and Jungkook.

The whole venue was excruciatingly loud and tense. Both colleges with great support backing them. The match was very close and you could tell how they seemed more tired than other games. The nerves and the physical demand was getting to them.

Your coach yelled, calling their hands to get your attention. “Come on guys, time to boost their morale”

With your pom poms in your hands, your cheer team gathered, facing your side of the bleachers, enthusiastically cheering the campus cheers and getting the crowd to join in.

It was followed by simply stunts and routines to get the atmosphere more lively and ready for the game to resume.

As the players passed by your team, you all wished them good luck.

“Good luck, Yoongi!”

“Good luck, Jungkook!” You exclaimed encouragingly, shaking both your pom poms his way as he turned around to see you. He winked at you, mouthing the words ‘thank you’ before they made their way to the field.

“You’re drooling.”

Jimin’s voice taunted you from the side, You elbowed his side, “You’re doing the same.”

“Touche.”

As the timer reaches the end, your side erupted in the loudest of cheers, you happily screaming along with the crowd. This win felt different from all the different times your cheer team supported them. Your college managed to defend their title, winning the championship for the season.

When the players returned to the benches and huddled for a group photo together, Jimin whispered, “Why don’t you go up and congratulate him?”

“Hush, Jimin, not in front of everyone.”

“Come on, don’t be shy. I know you like him.”

“We’re just close friends.”

Jimin scoffed, his index finger pointing to you and himself, “You and I are close friends. You and Jungkook however, are idiots who don’t want to admit that you guys like each other.”

“Shut it!” You sighed, lightly hitting him with your pom poms. When you turned around, Jungkook had already made his way to you. “You were cheering really hard back there.”

“Just for you.”

Just for me?” He raised his eyebrows, a smug look on his face as he stepped closer, “Yoongi’s gonna be devastated knowing that—“

“Actually my cheers were for Yoongi but I didn’t want you to feel upset or forgotten.”

Jungkook frowned and you really wished you had the guts to just kiss him right there, your eyes flickering to his pink soft lips.

“I’m kidding, don’t cry, not when you just became a champion.”

Jungkook laughed heartily before leaning towards your ear, “I’m already a champion having you on my side to cheer me on.”

—

Attention immediately shifted to your team for the upcoming nationals which was just a week after Jungkook’s finals.

You guys had constant past few runs leading up to the final day and everything felt like it would go well. The biggest obstacle was controlling your mental state during the day itself.

The night before, Jungkook had sent you a lengthy good luck message as he reminded you that he would be there.

You slept peacefully that night and woke up to read his message in the morning once again. You had your own cheerleader this time.

Everything seemed to go by quickly, the warm ups and runs backstage while waiting for your team’s turn. You had not met Jungkook or Yoongi since you were preparing backstage with your team, focused on getting into the right mental state.

Your heart almost jumped out of your chest when it was finally your team’s turn to perform.

The sun was scorching hot and there were many spectators. You stood in formation with your teammates as you waited for the song to play.

It felt way different than last season. Even though you were there last season to support the performing team, it truly felt different to be the one about to perform on the mat. With all eyes on you, carefully watching for any mistakes or mishaps. The heat already making you sweat when you stepped onto the stage.

But once the music played, that was all you could focus on.

Bright smiles plastered on all your faces as you went through the routine. A silent celebration in your head every time your team successfully pulled off a stunt.

Quick gazes made on the mat as you constantly changed formation. Encouraging looks and the sounds of the encouragement on the mat from your teammates to get you through the routine.

And just like that - it was your ending pose. Heavy pants surrounding you as your gaze locked on the audience. You all broke character afterwards, squealing and hugging each other for not screwing up the pyramid and the routine.

It felt good.

In fact, it felt amazing.

Jimin yelled your name, pulling you in for a tight hug, “We did it!”

“I know!”

Once all the teams had finished, the top 2 teams were announced and your college name was called out.

In front of the entire crowd, you hold intertwined your hands, head hung low and eyes shut right as you awaited for the results. The cheerleader holding the 2nd prize trophy walked back and forth between the two college teams as the announcer evilly drags on the result.

Your heartbeat was pounding loudly and you could feel it in your head, all your hands clasped together were clammy from nervous sweat.

Jungkook’s hopefully eyes stayed locked on your figure as he waited for announcements from the crowd.

The other college was called and your entre team’s knees went weak, buckling as some immediately fell to the ground.

Deafening screams erupted as you were pulled into a big group hug, you guys had just defended your title.

Your team was the reigning national champion once again.

Tears were falling as everyone congratuler each other. Your coach and assistant coach ran up to mat to join the group hug as your team proudly accepted the winning trophy.

You had made your way off the stag to reunite with the other cheer members as the public slowly started to approach you for a team photo.

With tears all over your faces, you posed for the group photos as thanked all your teammates with a big hug.

“Yn!”

You heard his voice amongst the chaos.

You felt yourself immediately searching for the familiar pair of eyes in the crowd. The moment your eyes landed on him, you rushed up towards him, his arms wide open ready to accept you.

Jungkook pulled you in for tight embrace, repeatedly saying “congrats, you did it, I know you guys would win”. Tears flowed down your face once again still not believing what had just happened.

It felt so surreal and yet being in Jungkook’s embrace felt even more surreal. It was as if you were in a dream.

“Congrats yn!” You heard Yoongi’s voice from behind Jungkook.

You pulled away to see not only Yoongi but the entire rugby team with him. They were cheering proudly, chanting your college’s name with pride. Your eyes immediately farted back to Jungkook who had kept his arms around you.

“Did you…?”

“Yes, I convinced everyone to come. They’d be missing on such a stellar performance.”

As if your grin couldn’t get any bigger, your broke into a euphoric laugh, “You’re amazing.”

“You’re calling me amazing? After what your team had just displayed back there? You must be blind—“

Maybe it was the adrenaline rush, the high influx of dopamine from winning the competition and from being in his embrace. It didn’t matter, when your lips met his, you knew that was all that mattered at that moment.

You felt Jungkook lean into the kiss, his arms pulling you closer to his body. Both of you could hear your cheer team behind you and Jungkook’s rugby team behind him, both cheering your names.

You guys laughed into the kiss when you heard Yoongi and Jimin loudly expressed their thoughts. “It’s about time.”

“I swear I thought they’ll never get to this stage.”

—

His bright and welcoming smile never failed to make your day, no matter how tired you were. You never thought that you’d love going for rugby practices and matches. It was the complete opposite scenario from the beginning of the year.

But now, it never got boring to watch your boyfriend get into his sport. You would always tell him that he looked attractive when he was serious. You enjoyed doing that because it always made him fluster and fumble over his words.

“I-I don’t… Nah… I don’t look cute when I’m serious.” He would adjust the neckline of his shirt, trying to maintain a nonchalant expression on his face.

“You’re finally done.” You made your way down the bleachers, “I’ve been thinking about dessert the past 30 minutes.”

Jungkook nodded his head, extending his arms out to pull you into a sweaty hug. He placed a light kiss on your forehead, pulling back slightly to get a better view of your face.

“Ice cream?”

Deja Vu.

You remembered the first night you hung out with Jungkook after meeting him at the after party. When you were at the bus stop ready to go home.

WIth a grin, you leaned in to kiss his soft lips lightly, “I’m down.”

[finelinevogue]

Can we get some more brother!harry?

I really enjoyed your piece where he caught her smoking ❤️

of course you can!! (rip if your name is natalia) hope this is what you wanted;

Natalia.

Beautiful name to juxtapose a horrible excuse of a human being.

Harry was never that great when it came to choosing his girlfriends, but this one was by far the worst. Bekka had been bad, because she had been cheating on Harry with her best friends dad. India was just so toxic, to the point where she’d ask Harry why he wasn’t mad with her over the most trivial things as if she wanted him to be mad. Daya was ok, but she wanted different things to what Harry wanted and so they ended up in a massive argument and ending things quicker than they started. Natalia though, wow. She was something else and that wasn’t a compliment.

You don’t know whether it was just because she targeted you especially, but she was just a downright cruel person. You could easily tell her intentions with your brother were not good. She was a plain ol’ gold digger, evident from the credit card that Harry leant her and she spent so much on it the bank had to call Harry to ask him to authorise that he was aware of the amount of money being spent. She bought a car with his card. A fucking car. Harry was too blinded by her beauty and her experience that he was oblivious to her witchy behaviour towards you. It wasn’t like you hadn’t tried to tell him either, it was more that he didn’t care enough.

“No Harry. No.” You argued with him, standing in the middle of the kitchen as he was busy washing the rest of the dishes in the sink. It was just the two of you home at the moment, because Gemma and Anne were spending the weekend at an exclusive spa in Cheshire, so you didn’t understand how there were so many dishes.

“Y/N, it’s not an option. You’re not staying at home by yourself.” Harry spoke sternly back to you, letting out his frustration by vigorously scrubbing the dishes.

“I’m literally 17 - 18 in like 3 weeks. I’m more than capable of staying home.” You stomped your foot to the ground like a child.

“And I don’t care. You’re coming to lunch whether you want to or not.” Harry finished the last plate and dries his hands on the towel next to the sink, before throwing it over to you.

“But she’ll be there.”

“She’s my girlfriend, so you’ll nice to her.”

“If she’s nice to me, then yeah.” You rolled your eyes and walked over to the sink to start drying the dishes that Harry just cleaned.

“ Y/N, I swear to God.” Harry groaned in frustration, tugging a stressful hand through his hair. “Can you at least pretend to be happy for me for once?”

“Gee Harry, i’m just so happy to be going out to lunch with you and your girlfriend!” You put on the biggest grin as your sarcasm practically dripped from your tongue.

“Stop being a spoilt little shit and finish those dishes. We’re leaving in 20.” Harry spoke harshly, before leaving the room with a heavy strop to his step. It left you to blink back the tears that you couldn’t help that Natalia was ruining your whole relationship with your brother.

You and Harry used to be so tight nit, now it would be a miracle if he spent a day with you per month. Natalia had come along 5 months ago and she had completely turned Harry’s life around for the worst, only Harry was too ignorant to see that. Anne had come home multiple times to find you crying because Harry had cancelled on you, again, or Natalia had said something that had really hurt. Normally you were okay with taking hate, but Natalia made it somehow worse than that. Even if Anne or Gemma tried to talk Harry about the damage all this was causing you it would always be the same response;

“She just wants attention.”

The restaurant was very pretty.

It was one that you and Harry used to go to all the time, when there was no girlfriend around. It sold the best pastries and life-changing eggs on toast. The food was always delicious and the staff were so completely lovely. You were glad to be coming here, making you feel more comfortable than you would if you went to a expensive fancy restaurant instead. This little restaurant, named ‘Lemon Puffs’ after their infamous lemon, cream and pastry puffs, made you feel safe and happy.

“Remember to just be nice.” Harry spoke as you both approached the table that Natalia was already sat at. She was too busy on her phone to realise you were even here.

“If she plays nice then yeah.” You bit back.

“Y/N just stop being petty, y’pissing me off now.” Harry argued. “Whine like a bitch later. I don’t need it today.”

You stopped talking after that, not having anything else to say to him. He’d made it very clear that you were only here because he didn’t trust you at home by yourself, but by the same token wanted you quiet because he didn’t trust you enough to speak nicely. Harry hugged and kissed Natalia like he hadn’t just seen her last night and then sat down opposite to her, leaving you to sit next to Harry because you sure as hell weren’t sitting next to her. Natalia didn’t even make the effort to hug you or shake hands, in fact you barely got a simple hello.

“You alright, baby?” Natalia asked, twirling her hand into Harry’s from across the table. Disgusting.

“Yeah i’m good. This one’s a pain in my arse, as always.” Even with his joking tone, you knew he was being somewhat serious and that really messed with you.

“Typical.” Natalia rolled her eyes and tutted her tongue, not hesitating to use the opportunity to be mean to you. Harry thought she was merely playing along with his words, but you new otherwise.

“You know what you want yet?” Harry asked as he pulled his own attention towards the menu. You didn’t need to look at the menu, as being here so many times has allowed you to discover the perfect order.

“I think i’m just going to get the salad, but without the chicken, cheese or cucumber.” She answered, sipping on the water she must’ve already ordered whilst waiting for you both.

“So just lettuce?” You asked, not meaning for it to be a condescending question and yet she took it that way anyways.

“Is there something wrong with that, Y/N?” She asked, being really harsh in the way she spoke your name - as if the syllables actually caused her pain to speak.

“N-no I was just—”

“Didn’t think so.” She snapped and turned away from you to look back towards Harry, with her shit-eating grin that didn’t fool you. Harry kicked you leg under the table too, not appreciating the way you were speaking to Natalia. He didn’t even think about the way his girlfriend was speaking to you though. As usual.

“I’ll probably get the salad too.” Harry nodded his head and you shook your head as he spoke. Harry would never normally get a salad. Like, that’s so Kardashian of him. Harry, whenever he came here with you, always ordered a cheese and pickle panini, with extra crunchy pickles, a portion of chips and some halloumi fries too. Oh and then a cake for pudding. He wouldn’t have gone for a boring salad. Fucking Natalia was ruining him and you hated to have a front row seat of it.

“Not the usual then?” You tried to joke with him, but he was clearly still pissed off with you for being… you.

“Why, are you?” He asked quizzically.

“Obviously.” You smiled, which made Harry smile for a split second before Natalia pulled him away from you. Your smile disappeared and a frown settled in, knowing it would stay there for a long time.

“Babe, I am here too you know?” Natalia joked, bur you could see the anger and jealousy behind her eyes. If looked could kill you’d be ten feet under, twenty times over by now.

“Sorry, yeah.” Harry cleared his throat and paid closer attention to her.

Lunch went by slowly.

Natalia scoffed when she heard your order; poached eggs on toast with three pieces of crispy bacon on the side, a portion of chips and a mint iced tea. Oh and a cake for pudding, but you’d come to that later. Natalia ate her lettuce as Harry eat his salad as you ate your eggs on toast with bacon and chips. You loved the food, hated the company and couldn’t make up your mind whether you loved or hated being here. Natalia and Harry talked throughout lunch, leaving you out of all their conversations. The only time Harry spoke to you was when he asked whether your food was okay, eyeing it up as if he wanted to make love to it and send his salad to the nearest dumpster.

“Was everything alright for you?” Paul, the owner of the business and dude in charge of the eggs asked you when all your plates were empty as Harry’s growling stomach.

“Lovely, thank you.” Harry responded gratefully.

“Perfect.” You smiled as you handed your dirty plate to Paul.

“It was a bit plain.” Natalia moved her plate away from her in disgust and Paul put on his best customer smile, apologising for that before leaving to go and ring up the bill.

“Okay i’m just going to go for a quick wee before I pay.” Harry announced, getting up from the table to go to the loo.

“Okay babe. Don’t be too long.” She called out and then it was left just you and her.

“Well this was nice.” You tried to be nice, as Harry told you to, and start a meant conversation with your arch enemy. Kill ‘em with kindness - that was Harry’s slogan wasn’t it?

“If you hadn’t have been here then yeah.” She turned her nose up at you.

“Look,” you began, wanting her to understand something, “whatever i’ve done to upset you and make you hate me, i’m sorry. Just, I don’t want you to dislike me and I know that Harry really likes you so I want us to be able to get along.”

“Listen, Y/N,” there it was again - your name spoken with dripping venom, “I don’t want to get along with you. You make me sick. You are such a baby to Harry and you’re needy, which means I don’t get to spend time with my boyfriend—”

“Don’t get to spend time with him?” You had to laugh at that. Apart from today, you’d seen Harry maybe a total of 2 hours this whole week and it was Saturday. “You’re practically attached at the hip.”

“Not enough. Harry needs to keep away from you, you only bring him trouble.”

“I’m his fucking sister.” You shouted quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace for the rest of the customers.

“Not an excuse. Look Y/N, I understand that you are quite lonely and don’t have many friends? Maybe you should consider that’s for a very good reason?” She rhetorically asked you and that made you sit back a bit. She was pulling apart your insecurities now and exposing them to find the most painful parts, so she could watch you suffer with only the curse of her words.

“It’s not like that.” You tried to convince yourself more than her, tears in your eyes over something so hurtful to you.

“No? ‘Cause I think that you aren’t the kind of person anyone wants around, including Harry.” She stood up dusted herself off as he noticed Harry walk back over to the table, smiling as if she hadn’t just shot his sister in the heart.

Her words stung more than a scorpions tale, and yes unfortunately you knew what that felt like. Natalia was right. You were alone, friendless and just trouble. There was a reason that you were all of this and Natalia had hit the nail right on the head with the reason why. You thought of your friends, his they always disappeared and left you and now you sit in the canteen alone or hang out only with yourself on the weekends. You think to Gemma and Anne going away for the weekend, not inviting you because it was age restrictive but you still couldn’t help but think there was a more pressing reason than that. Then you think of Harry and how he was fed up of you. He couldn’t be more resentful of you if he tried. You wanted to be a good friend, a good daughter and most importantly a good sister, but it was so blindingly obvious that you weren’t. You were never going to be.

You stood up from the table too, quickly wiping away a tear from your face before anyone could notice but you didn’t care to see if anyone was actually watching. Harry kissed Natalia and then walked over to the cashier to pay the bill. You noticed Paul and Harry talking and so you walked out of the restaurant and towards the car, still tears in your eyes. You needed to be strong for yourself though, especially because nobody else was going to be.

You stood with you handle to the door of the car waited for Harry to come and unlock it. You heard high heels before the car was unlocked, unfortunately.

“Excuse me, but I ride front.” Natalia spat at you, removing your hand from the door and chivvying you to the back of the car instead.

“You’re coming with us?” You asked, your heart aching that little bit more. You didn’t want to spend another minute in her presence and yet she would now probably spend the rest of the week until your mum and sister came back.

“Ye—”

“No she’s not.” Harry walked out of the restaurant and over to the car, standing in between the both of you but a little more towards you.

“Babe? What do you mean?” Natalia asked, a little bit shocked at his tone with her.

“Firstly dont babe me. Secondly, get your hand off my car. Thirdly, don’t ever come near me or my sister ever again.” Harry ordered angrily. You’d never seen him this angry before. You stood behind him, afraid of what was about to go down.

“What has she said to you, because—”

“She’s my sister and she’s got a name. Y/N didn’t tell me anything. Lemon Puffs, however, has eyes and ears everywhere and it’s amazing the stories you hear when you’re stood at the cashier or next to someone at the urinals.” Harry accused Natalia and she went hot red in the face, embarrassed that this conversation was actually happening.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No? Maybe this will jog your memory. ‘I think you aren’t the kind of person anyone wants around, including Harry.’” Harry raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest confrontationally. Guarding and protecting you. You felt safe.

“Wha— You think I would say that?” Natalia asked, pretending to be offended by the accusation.

“I don’t know, let’s ask Y/N shall we? Y/N, did Natalia say that to you?” Harry asked, turning to look at you with hope in his eyes, but also sorriness for everything that’s happened. You could see it all behind his eyes and you wanted to squeeze him tight to accept his apology, because you loved him and you needed him.

“Y-yes.” You answered, looking down so you didn’t have to make eye contact with Natalia.

“Harry you can’t possibly believe her.” Natalia laughed, but there was heavy insecurity in her tone.

“I trust her more than anyone. More than you. I trust Y/N with my life.” Harry back answered, taking no more bullshit from his ex-girlfriend. “We’re done Natalia. Okay? I don’t want to see you ever again. What you’ve said and done to my sister is unforgivable and I don’t want someone like you in my life.”

“You were a dick too.” You added quietly behind him and he just turned round to smile and wink at you.

“So what? That’s it?” Natalia asked, dumbfounded.

“Bye Natalia.” Harry walked around to the drivers seat and you to the passenger side. He stopped before opening the door though, wanting to say one last thing. “The bill was split in half by the way. Paul’s just inside waiting for you to pay.”

With that, you both got in the car, laughing at Natalia’s reaction and just everything. Apologises were made and promises of no relationships until you two had built back up yours were sworn. It would take time, but Harry was willing to prove that he was a good brother and you were always going to be someone he wanted around.

[mde1011]

when i got into the dsmp i started a note and wrote down any quotes or moments i thought were funny, and im bored at 3 am so enjoy some of them

how is being arrested real? just walk away!!!”

⁃ “once an american always an american. go...go protests masks...or something”

⁃ “...yEAH BUT DID YOU HAVE WAP” “what’s...whats wap?” “...WORSHIP AND PRAYER”

⁃ “HOW DO YOU LIKE POLITICS MOTHERFUCKER”

⁃ “i’m naked” “...no you’re not” “i can be...”

⁃ “uhhhh i’m in a high stress situation....i deal with these poorly”

⁃ “i should go first i’m naked”

⁃ “yEAHHHH WE KILLED AN OLD MAN WITH HEART PROBLEMS”

⁃ “what are you going to do?” “i...have no idea i think i’m gonna start out by punching a tree”

⁃ “tOmmy...did i just hear you say shit ass looking mofo?”

⁃ “i aM gOinG to gEt nAkeD to iNtiMidAtE HiM”

- “...i want freedom !” “you want BALLS.”

⁃ “...down the line. yeah that’s where we discover the art of cannibalism” “oh it’s an art?” “it’s an art”

⁃ “oh there’s some logs here. wonder what they’re saying to me. uh huh. uh huh. oh yeah that’s very racist” “tommy you gotta burn those logs.” “burn ‘em before they spread their racism to other logs”

⁃ “are you pooing?” “*whisper* i’m charging up-““ “he’s ejaculating on the tent.” “he’s WHAT?”

⁃ “he’s sPEEDING. LOOK HOW FAST HES GOING” “i’ve taken so many drugs. someone tell badboyhalo”

⁃ “we should make a pact. and that pact is, uh, we make a book...and in that book...we declare that saying ‘muffin’ is a, is a slur”

⁃ “i was thinking what if one day your bladder just,,,,stopped working.....AGGGFFFFF i was tHINKING ABOUT THAT THE OTHER DAY IVE GOT TO PREPARE IVE GOT YO PREPARE thisiswhydiapersaintthatbad”

⁃ <sapnap> i think i was ordered to um

<tommyinnit> boobed

<sapnap> kill you

<tommyinnit> boobs

<sapnap> if this happens

<tommyinnit> think about boobs man

<sapnap> tsk tsk tommy

<tommyinnit> iM DISGRUNTLED

⁃ “why is this deadman so good at making drugs”

⁃ “i just learnt that a girl hero is called a heroine and it freaked me out”

⁃ “memento memento me-“ “that’s actually the worst word i know so you can’t keep saying that” “oh, really.....? have you ever heard the term ‘racist’?”

⁃ “the person who invented the phrase ‘be yourself’ hadn’t met you!”

⁃ “you seem like the type of guy whose dad would throw him overboard as a joke but he would just drown”

⁃ “shout out to dream for twerking!”

⁃ “let’s talk......let’s talk about sex” “wonderful. what do you think about sex, lazarbeam?” “i ain’t saying SHIT in front of a sixteen year old”

⁃ “what the- i think i’m seeing things” “....tommy i told you not to drink the sea water” “well i DID drink the sea water because it TOLD ME TO”

⁃ “it’s like the movie when that guy gets stranded on an island and has sex with a coconut” “whAT?? dream- dream, you vastly misinterpreted this” “it one hundred percent does”

⁃ “oh mastICATE.....isn’t that when a fish turns inside out?”

⁃ “what are some bad words YOU know, clay?” “i don’t-“ “what about ‘terrorist’?”

⁃ “my mind has to be on the same frequency as jesus when he walked on water”

⁃ “you wanna know why i was late?” “no i really do-“ “i was having a MASSIVE poo. really just a HUGE poo”

⁃ “jUST CUZ YOU TALK ABOUT POO ONCE AND THEN YOU SEE A BIG GREEN BASTARD AMD YOUR LIFE IS FLASHING BEFORE YOUR EYES AND THEN YOU CANT REMEMBER- YOU CANT REMEMBER IF IT WAS YESTERDAY OR TOMORROW YOU HURT THAT WOMAN”

⁃ “i love america. mmmmm patriotism

⁃ “LIFE IS NOT A HAPPY SONG KERMIT THE FROG”

⁃ “please stop taking the cock”

⁃ “two four six eight who do we appreciate? not the government let’s gooooooo”

⁃ “oooo look at the dogs😍” “wHAAAAAT. WHAT. THERES ACTUALLY LIKE. A MILLION DOGS HERE. WHAT THE HELL.”

⁃ “yeahhhhh bitch i stab- i don’t stab women-“ “woooooooah tommy you stab women?” “heyyyy sapnap”

⁃ “do you know what happens whne you reach the top of the ladder? there’s only one place to go.” “.....side to side😨” “down.” “...i really thought you were gonna say side to side🥺”

⁃ “one last time.” “just like in hamilton😓”

⁃ “you don’t know how many times i’ve mistaken trees for hot women”

⁃ “ i don’t feel better i just destroyed penis”

⁃ “i’ve never seen a snail with bad morals”

⁃ “awwwwwwww😢 i’m doin’ drugs🤧 just like the good ol’ days😓” “.....define the ‘good old days’” “back when i did drugs”

⁃ “have you ever fought a baby? i have and it was trivially easy to defeat, phil.”

⁃ “the only other i egg i know about was the one i learnt about in school....not allowed to say which one....”

⁃ “did you know one of my new years resolutions is to be more like 2010 justin bieber?”

⁃ “apparently cats don’t lay eggs”

⁃ “thinking about trees- if i saw a tree with a beard mmmmmm...holy shit id hit it”

⁃ “we’re in hell dude. science doesn’t matter here”

⁃ “i cant die i cant die i’m GOD”

⁃ “hey pig your letter is the same as pussy, hmm?”

⁃ “are we cool are we COOL guys? CRYSTAL COOL like CRYSTAL METH”

⁃ “he- he’s crying because - because i killed his mother isn’t that right? mother dearest mother deadest mother gonest”

⁃ “bro ive been drinking since i was six and let me tell you...it’s not good to be drinking that young. led to some poor life decisions when i was 8” “what did you do” “i cant say” “...who did you hurt” “....only myself”

⁃ “je suis” “ay i know what that mean you prick” “what does it mean” “it means you’re racist dickhead”

⁃ “i’d never poo in the presence of a women- which is why i’m scared to get a girlfriend i think i’d just explode”

⁃ “biff tannen is one of my idols”

⁃ “black widow died and i thought ‘wow it should’ve been the man’ because he’s a man”

⁃ “there’s a character called captain america and i think he’s stupid”

⁃ “i’m a GOOD LAD i’ve got GOOD MORALS and if i’ve DONE SOMETHING WRONG it WASNT MY FAULT I JUST GOT A LITTLE EXCITED”

⁃ “sam....what’s the longest you’ve ever wiped your arse? for me it’s 48 minutes”

⁃ “why are you standing in the shitter?” “....that’s a SINK” “uhhh welllll” “hAVE YOU SHAT IN THE SINK?????”

⁃ “you’re like a living ghost” “...i think that’s called a human, tubbo”

⁃ “maybe i accidentally kill ranboo and we just never see him again *laughs* ay? and then i go ‘april foooools!!!’ and then i kill their child. i kill him”

⁃ “you built a penis” “it’s a PENIS OF SAFETY”

⁃ “i saw the penis of safety and i pressed mouse button four my friend”

⁃ “the penis on the other side of the river is larger” “ive heard that before....”

⁃ “you’ve turned the penis into a wall” “a wall of safety is better than a penis of safety” “i think the penis was better”

⁃ “if you wanna make a penis i know where we can make a penis and i know how big we can make it”

⁃ “i don’t conceptualize death but i think i just saw it!”

⁃ “yeah i- yeah i know i’m- my first impression on eret was making him read a shrek fan fiction so- i’m not one for first impressions”

⁃ “i-i’m scared for him- i’m scared OF him. yknow the first thing he did when he saw me was imMEDIATELY strip down then jump off then immediately die?”

⁃ “where are you?” “getting stabbed, one second”

⁃ “you’ve seen the joker?” “yea-“ “i resonate a lot with that man” “...oH. oh. that’s- that’s not-“

⁃ “he bURNT DOWN MY HOUSE” “out of LOVE”

⁃ “ohhhh my god stop making me play with the neighbor kid” “o-okay if you don’t go play with him i’m kicking you out of the house-“ “wHAT THE FUCK???”

⁃ “there’s a STRIP CLUB” “oh yeah for wood!” “are you into strippers?” “i mean all it does is make the wood look different so....yeah it doesn’t really do much”

⁃ “no no we have categories, we have the poo-saster- you might have to take a shower after-“ “no, no i’m gonna stop you right there”

⁃ “as i was saying you can have a 1-to-3 wiper, that’s an A-tier poo, my friend”

⁃ “i want you to eat your sock”

⁃ “you know i’m a child- i’m a minor” “sO AM I DICKHEAD”

⁃ “everyone is calling you dresus” “yeah i am”

⁃ “ayyyy ayyyy los DROGAS LOS DROGAS” “no no big q- she’s thirteen- how does this happen with every 13 year old girl you meet?”

⁃ “my poo has muscles like i do”

⁃ “i cant hear the words among us without crying they’ll say there are aliens among us and in the back youll just hear me *choking noises*”

⁃ “tubbo...tubbo is like...tubbo is like mary” “.....did you just call me the Virgin Mary?”

⁃ “i’m just saying, have you ever seen me and jesus in the same room?”

⁃ “do you smoke sam” “all the time”

⁃ “i thought you were talking about the- the speeeeed drug”

⁃ “have you ever sold drugs to kids sam?” “......no”

⁃ “we can’t let the girlboss rule because she will gatekeepe my feelings” “that would not be good”

⁃ “THEY DIDNT INVITE ME TO KILL ME???? NOW I HAVE FOMO”

⁃ “you have obviously taken part in scientology-“ “i have not-“ “you’ve donated to tom cruises cult shit”

⁃ “....am i worse than david dobrik?” “are- are we worse than david dobrik?” “oh- oh god”

⁃ “he has broke one of the rules of the hit best seller ‘the bible’- this kind of looks like a cock”

⁃ “well i’ve moved now, KING”

⁃ “what is an angsty teen and am i one? because when i USED to hang out with my friends they use the word angst a lot”

⁃ “yeah yeah yeah i bench”

⁃ “sam i think i’m angsty i think i’m an angsty tik tok teen looking for a community to help me out”

⁃ “i don’t think you’ve followed the train of logic all the way-“ “there’s a TRAIN INVOLVED????????”

⁃ “i’m like the orange fucker from that animated rom com”

⁃ “i’m under the influence of big cock”

⁃ “it’s meeee big cock man”

⁃ “i cant look away” “sam please use your twitter alt for this” “he’s horny on maaaainnnnn” “and what’s wrong with that?” “.......”

⁃ “you’re a FUCKING IDIOT” “IM NOT A FUCKING IDIOT, BIG COCK”

⁃ “i’m gonna call you ‘cockity’ big cock” “sHUT THE FUCK UP SHUT THE FUCK UP-“

⁃ “STOP LOOKING AT IT” “ITS SO VIBRANT”

⁃ “at least this guy doesn’t have a cock-“ “itS NOT A COCK” “horny on main jesus-“

⁃ “is that a cock” “SHUT THE FUCK UP”

⁃ “.....i wanna see the inside of it again do a split”

⁃ “okay sam-“ “tommy that guy wants your cock-“ “no- no he doesn’t sam”

⁃ “sam, sam and i need you to hear this....dont. act. up.” “i don’t act up-“ “you were acting up-“ “i-“ “you were caught in 8k.” “but- but we both agree it’s not a tie-“

⁃ “please don’t tell me to kill cockity i am overwhelmed”

⁃ “why is there an anus in my tie?”

⁃ “what are the legal implications of this?” “...i mean besides hell you’re good”

⁃ “whatre the legal implications?” “i mean usually that’s a no-no but today, today it’s fine” “yeahhh lets go murder his family”

⁃ “i’d be an antivax landlord”

⁃ “jesus never does drugs” “well- well you turned water into wine king and wine is alcohol”

⁃ “can you put on pants i can’t- i cant stop looking at it- sorry tommy i know you said-“ “yeah sam i know you tried-“

⁃ “you know i fuck with satan”

⁃ “i’m sorry jesus lucifer is just such a good man-“ “oh you- hold me BACK FROM THIS FUCKER HOLD ME BACK ILL SEND HIM TO HELL YOU LIKE HELL-“

⁃ “are you jesus or just a man who grew a beard and put on a suit?”

⁃ “even the guy with his cock out is telling you to stop-“ “oh jesus, and i mean jesus-“ “shUT THE FUCK UP MAN”

⁃ “the best best way to slander him is to stop his offspring; we need to kick him the balls.....no? not a good....? alright us four each take a ball-“

⁃ “......why did jesus give him four scrotums man🙁🙁”

[hyucksong]

nct dream as roommates

a/n: *romantically calls you bro* 

lee mark 

the roommate that walked in on you taking a shower on the first night you moved in and avoided you for a week afterward

he even went as far as browsing different apartments to live in because baby boy was too afraid to face you

sometimes wakes up before you and he always prepares your coffee or tea and sets it by your bed for you when you wake up…sometimes sits on the edge of your bed to watch you

asks you to do his laundry because he doesn’t know how to separate the colors

you’re fine with doing them because he tries his absolute bestest with everything else, and it’s so cute

the first time he did the laundry you were sick…and you got a whole new wardrobe of pink clothing the next day

always does the dishes and you do the laundry…he’ll clean the living room and kitchen if you clean the bathrooms…he’ll go grocery shopping…only if you go with him

asks you to do his hair when he meets up with his friends, and if you say no he says “okay” and then pouts until you agree

you really like photography but hiring models is expensive so you always ask mark to model for you

and he always agrees, blushing while doing so

make-up artists are expensive too, so you also get him dressed up and add whatever you want to his face

(once you did a fairy photoshoot and he had freckles and pink cheeks and your heart did the thing) 

this time you need him to sit still for hours because it's supposedly a big photoshoot with a few other photographers coming too, so there’s a lot of looks to get through 

you do the first look before you get to the photo site to save time

he thinks nothing of you curling his hair until he looks up at you and time slows as his heart stops…

because you smell like vanilla and your nose is scrunched in concentration…because your breathing is heavy as you run to the bathroom to get more things before you’re late…

because you’re biting your lip while looking at him, admiring your own work, proud of the way the make-up came out, but a little disheartened because it looked like you put a little too much blush (even though you only put a little) 

and mark thinks,,, oh no

fuck

huang renjun

your best friend since you were a child

you’re used to ‘living with him’ because you practically lived with him as a kid; you were always at his house spending the night or vice versa 

he wakes you up an hour after he gets up because ‘he needs his peaceful time’

claims that ‘you’re the worst person to live with’ but refuses to look for another apartment because ‘no one else can handle you but me’

(in reality, he knows that there will never be anyone else he’ss comfortable with as you) 

he wakes you up by throwing a pillow in your face and or flopping on your bed next to you and bouncing a few times

once got really scared because you weren’t waking up no matter what he did, and when he started to tear up you opened your eyes and pushed him off the bed 

you just didn’t want to be woken up that day and tried to ignore him, but apparently, you ignored him for too long because he genuinely freaking out on the inside

he’s watched ‘what’s eating gilbert grape’ okay he was SCARED

he didn’t talk to you for three days after that....only started to wake you up again because you made the effort to wake up before him and make him breakfast in bed with hot tea

he expected you to leave his room after you gave it to him, but you just looked at him for a minute before sitting on the bed next to him, getting under the covers with him 

he focused on the fact you were taking up all the space instead of the now-familiar thrum of his heartbreak against his ribcage

(he’s felt it for the past fewyears, he’s gotten used to drowning it out) 

“y/nnnnnnn what are you doingggggg”

“shut up i made the breakfast, can’t i at least sit next to my favorite boy?”

...he’s your favorite boy?...okaythatwasreallycutebuthe’llneveradmitit

“o...kay...”

blushes when you lay your head on his shoulder in bed, watching whatever he’s doing on his phone, because your cheek is warm against his shirt and its bleeding through onto his skin and weiowioegfhowieh

but also yells at you when you take a bite of his toast and bolt out of the room, giggling

“yAH y/N”

lee jeno

the roommate that was awkward for the first month because he didn’t really want to room with a girl because then he can’t spend saturday with the boys 

then he brought them home one day without telling you and was expected to get his ass Whopped but you were drinking vodka and crying while watching Cars so

yeah you were the perfect roommate for him

you drink together

saturday may be for the boys but sunday is for drinking your problems away with your roommate 

can’t cook but will make BOMB desserts for you both every friday...also fridays are pizza nights and you both order a large cheese pizza with ranch on the side and a pint of dr.pepper

yall have the same diet but he has a six-pack and you don’t so you call bullshit on health and everything it is

both of you fall asleep on the couch all the time, TV still playing the game soundtrack with the controllers on the floor, blinking from low battery

jeno alwayswakes up before you, and he doesn’t admit it, but he loves to watch you sleep

you just look so...ethereal 

even with the drool

ANYWAY

you are one of the bros...he’s even taken a shit when you took a shower before -- that’s how close you are 

then one day you get dressed up real pretty and he’s making fun of you, laughing “you never look this nice who’s holding you at gunpoint”

“i’m going on a date jeno hop off my DICK”

“,,,what”

immediately felt defensive and was questioing who could like you and why you were going on a saturday night when it was busy on the streets and also please call the guy and cancel the date because he wants to watch toy story with you and eat pasta why are you going out with someone has he met him why haven’t you told jeno about this guy you know what you should just not go

and it’s when you walk out the door rolling your eyes, promising to be back home before 9pm with a cute shirt on and nice perfume on when jeno realizes 

that damn he hates to see you leave,,,but he loves to watch you go

(and he might have the teeniest, weeniest crush on you) 

lee donghyuck

the type to never clean the dishes and always makes you do them even if he cooks because he hates the feeling of wet food

then one day he sees you v e r y stressed over school work and he just...cleans the whole house

you come back from the library and you’re like,,,the fuck where’s haechan and what have you done with him

in turn, you buy him a headset that he’s been wanting for the past year...and you think he’s about to propose to you after you give them to him

but in all reality he’s just so happy that you even remembered something so trivial...like he talking about them once (1) and you remembered?

...cute bitch

he’s a big prankster, but in an endearing way, so whenever he goes too far you never really stay mad because he’s just a little unaware of the anger his pranks cause

plus you always get back at him 

always :)

you both are basically the same people; you’re passionate about your studies and he’s passionate about gaming and dancing

yall are the bad bitches that no one messes with 

BET that yall wear matching fits whenever you two go out together

you get together to watch his favorite youtubers do let’s plays of popular games

one day yall sit down to watch some outlast 2

and boy

did you underestimate the scare factor

so now you’re three episodes deep into the let’s play and your head is buried in haechans stomach because you’re laying down facing away from the TV, clinging to the poor boy

he doesn’t know if his heart is beating so fast because of the jumpscare or because of the way you look up at him when you ask if the scary part is over yet

he doesn’t like seeing you scared with tears in your eyes...but the way you’re clinging to him makes him want to watch a thousand more scary episodes...

...if it means you’ll cuddle with him

na jaemin

the best roommate you could ever ask for

he loves to clean and cook, not to mention he’s an absolute sweetheart!!!!!!!

you started to live with him because you had posted an ad on a website for a roommate and he sent back a reply

but the texts used so many of (=｀ω´=) these emojis you just assumed it was a girl

he was not

every night before you go to bed, he’ll walk into your room and whisper “good night, sleep well” to you before petting you head and walking out

people always wonder if you’re dating, but you always reply that it’s just the way he is

until one night you invite your (asshole) project partner to your apartment and she flirts with him endLESSLY,,, not doing her work or anything, just talking with jaems

like it’s pissing you off, and you think it’s pissing him off, and you’re about to send her home when you notice the storm outside and you realize,,,, you’re too good of a person to do that

so she sleeps on the couch, and you do the same, just so you can keep an eye on her and so that she isn’t left alone with jaemin at any point (poor boy looked like he’s about to combust if she tries to talk to him again) 

and jaemin does his usual routine even with the extra company, stroking your head and even going as far as to place a kiss on your forehead

“what about me, do I get a kiss” the girl annoyingly asked

“no, you’re not yn” and hE WALKS AWAY AND CLOSES THE DOOR TO HIS ROOM 

there’s silence in your head as you process his words, a little shocked and confused as to what he means, but most of all, your thoughts consist of;

oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit

you might have just fallen for him (let’s face it, you’ve been in love with him (just not as long as he’d been in love with you)) 

zhong chenle

not going to lie, you two did NOT get along in the beginning

you were each other’s first roommates, and you knew he was extroverted, but you underestimated the differences between your personalities

like,,, no please don’t invite the dreamies over again for the eighth time this week I can’t focus on homework with all the screaming

but even with all the head-butting, the chores are split evenly because he’s practicing to ‘be marriage material for his future wife’

you don’t care as long as he just does what he’s supposed to, and you two aren’t exactly the closest

but there are times when you connect, like on lazy Sunday afternoons where you both just relax on the couch...anywaY

and he always rolls his eyes, telling you that ‘you need to stop being a hermit and make some friends’

‘get some confidence’

‘why don’t you put any effort into how you dress’

it hurts a little...you know you’re not the prettiest and you don’t really try anyway

but to have it pointed out to you just...stings

and after a guy rejects you (after you built up courage for a whole years to confess to him) your confidence is at an all-time low (he said no because ‘you were too bland’ like wtf fUCk you)

and you’re just crying and eating spaghetti o’s, telling chenle as oon as you walk into the door that you’re ‘too sensitive for his bullshit today’ 

to which chenle doesn’t care... then he sees your puffy eyes and asks wha happens

you tell him, and he just gets...angry

(and jealous?)

he goes on a tangent, mocking the guy, saying that ‘you’re the most doen-to-earth natural beauty’ he’s ever seen and that ‘any guy who doesn’t fall in love with your cute sarcastic personality’ is dumber than a rock

he grumbles for the rest of the night, sitting and watching movies with you; it makes your heart swell that he’s getting so mad for you

and at the end of the mini-movie night, and he strokes your hair saying  that you’re ‘his little introvert’,

you decide that ‘opposite attract’ is 100% true

(and chenle notices that you have very pretty lips)

park jisung

you two are dorm roommates at a dance school, and y’all are so cute all the teachers LOVE you

like you both just spend so much time together it’s ridiculous

yall walk to class together, then from class to class together, eat lunch together, after school activities, walk back to the dorms, meet each other’s friends, go out on the weekends together...everything

it feels weird to not be with him

(the teachers have a bet that you’ll be dating before your senior year)

the dorm is just a studio apartment with two bedrooms (your parents both pay a lot for space) 

so chores aren’t too hard, in fact, you both usually spend the last few hours of daylight on Sunday nights straightening up your apartment from the hectic week before, to start off completely fresh and new

nothing big ever happens on Sundays around the home, but one day jisung (who went to hang out with chenle (he invited you but you pouted and said you had too much hmwk)) found a little puppy on the side of the road

and then proceeded to sneak into the dorms with it, hiding it under his shirt

when he showed you what he found, you couldn’t be mad...it was just so cute (both jisung’s little smile and the puppy) 

but you noticed it was shivering, and you whined, ‘jisung you didn’t even notice it was cold oH My GoD, go get it some water and food’ while you set up a nest of blankets for the little guy

hours later when the puppy had eaten and subsequently fallen asleep in your lap, you turned to jisung

‘let’s name it mousie’

‘what that’s dumb’

‘it’s not dumb! i wanna name it that because it looks like you whenever you sleep! it's so cute hehehe’

you thought jisung was WHAT when he slept

jisung didn’t talk for a whole minute, drinking in your words and thinking about them over and over again, in the meantime you were just smiling down at the puppy

your cheeks were red with happiness and your nose was a little red from sneezing (because the puppy was covered in pollen from being outside) and your gaze was filled with such love that jisung shivered

you let out a sigh and plopped your head on his shoulder, and all his feelings he’d ever had for you exploded in his chest, and he tensed (though if you noticed, you didn’t day anything)

you just kept and petting the dog

and damn did jisung want to be that dog

[doctorgerth]

My request is Part II of Make Me, please!!!! THANK YOU!!!

It’s FINALLY here! This was surely a beast to tackle and Hawkins is a bitch to write for, but I hope I wrote this to your liking. I can’t apologize enough for you having to wait so long, all I can hope is that it was worth the wait! Thanks for requesting a part 2. It was my first time continuing something I’ve already written and though I might have beaten my head against the wall a few times, I really did enjoy it. ☺️

description: The tension between Hawkins and a certain kunoichi breaks. They fuck. That’s the plot. (female reader)

warnings: 18+ content / spoilers (kinda?) / explicit sexual content / explicit language / switch!Hawkins / restraints / choking / glove kink (if you squint) / foreplay / unprotected sex / rough sex / possibly ooc Hawkins

Part One 

Make Me pt. II (Basil Hawkins)

(look at Eru’s amazing gif!!!!! Ahh, I love it so much!)

Word Count: 3.7k

“Tell me your plans, or else.”

Even amidst the suffocating suspense, she wouldn’t dare let him take control just yet. With a roll of her hips, she ground her sex against his, eliciting a delicious moan from deep within him. If she played her cards right, she’d have him writhing underneath her in no time, forgetting all about this petty interrogation and even his own name.

“Do your worst.”

   Hawkins didn’t need the cards to tell him that he was going to fuck her right there in the interrogation room.

   Truthfully, he had consulted the cards earlier that morning for his daily reading, and when The Lovers card revealed itself, he had wondered if maybe he had gotten rusty in his tarot reading since arriving at Wano. Hawkins had been far too occupied with headliner duties, after all. That paired with his naturally withdrawn nature, he avoided any kind of romantic interactions (or rather, all interactions that didn’t involve work) with any denizen of Wano. That certainly included the countless courtesans Orochi had insisted on offering to both Hawkins and Drake as new headliners. Knowing these things, he simply disregarded the card entirely.

   Perhaps taking up such offers from any of those courtesans would have actually proved beneficial in the long run. Because in this moment, even if the probability of (Name) escaping freely afterwards was unmistakably high, he was utterly bewitched by her. All that occupied Hawkins’ thoughts were the temptations of her clothed cunt rubbing lecherously against him. Never had he felt more pathetic, giving in to such trivial desires he had otherwise easily suppressed in the past. Yet, he didn’t dare fight it. He couldn’t. Not when it was her.

   “You’re so hard for me already, Basil.” She cooed in confidence, eyes closed blissfully as she focused on grinding against his growing bulge.

   “Don’t talk.” He hissed through gritted teeth as his fingers dug helplessly into the meat of her thighs, moving her manually. He leaned back against the chair, mind hazy with a ravenous desire he hadn’t felt in quite some time; if ever. Maybe a quick release would help get his head back on straight and he’d finally get some valuable information out of her. If he’d have any ounce of willpower after this exchange, that is.

   She hummed in delight and could feel her panties begin to dampen the more he controlled her movements with newfound desperation. His breathing became ragged as he basked in her intoxicating heat. Low groans escaped from the back of his throat into the open air as she met his movements with a teasingly slow roll of her hips, greedy for more of his erotic gasps.

   They continued like this for some time, exchanging breathy pants of pleasure as they moved in time, simply grinding their bodies against one another. The two were conscious of their delirious repressions. Stress, frustration, the looming danger that was polluting the Wano atmosphere; all of it could be felt in the way they moved against each other. Desperate for each other’s touch. Yearning for release.

   “Your subordinates could come in any minute-”

   His hand flew to the back of her neck, pulling her down until their foreheads collided with a soft thud, noses touching, “I said, don’t talk.” He growled as he drew her in, at last claiming the lips he had dreamed of all these years.

   Their lips moved together in haste, attracting each other like magnets. It didn’t take long before they had to pull away for air, only to return with increased fervor, the kiss intensifying with each passing second. His lips felt so soft, just like she had remembered. Soft and supple, with a hint of maple. An effect of his straw abilities, she had assumed. Either way, it was deliciously tantalizing and she knew she’d end the night drunk off his taste. A warm and inviting buzz was already numbing her to the core.

   His back found its way against the chair as she pushed against him, trapping him between the chair and herself. She pulled away, her lips red and puffy from the sweet abuse.

   (Name) smirked down at him, “I can’t exactly strip with my hands bound like this, ya know.”

   He inhaled deeply through his nose, and slowly exhaled through his mouth, as if attempting to regain his composure. She rather enjoyed, perhaps more than she’d care to admit, witnessing the enigmatic blonde in such a disheveled state. It was gratifying to know that she had such a titillating effect on him.

   “I suppose I could help you. Give me any trouble and you’ll be sure to face the consequences.”

   “Though I do like the sound of that... I’ll be a good girl, I swear.” She leaned down to his ear, “Unless you want me to be bad?”

   “As if I’d let you.” A sudden ripping sound brought her attention downwards and she gasped as she observed his straw powers tearing away at her clothes, discarding them haphazardly into piles on the floor. The feeling of the straw on her skin once again was strangely arousing, especially as it crept along her more private areas in teasing manners.

   He sighed in, what sounded to (Name) like, disappointment, thus bringing her attention back to him. Stiffening underneath her, his eyes flickered from her to the deep purple lingerie that she sported. He looked almost dejected, but she could never be sure with him.

   “Is this for someone else?”

   She stifled a laugh, amused by his chagrin, “Just laundry day. Don’t worry, it’s all for you to enjoy.”

   She noticed the tiniest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips and as she tried to savor it, just as she blinked, it quickly faded to his default bored, pouty lip. Hawkins seemed to be in deep thought as his hands reached up hesitantly to observe the fabric. It looked incredibly soft and intricate, he was actually impressed by the design, but more so overwhelmed by how stunning she looked in it. Hawkins was always an enthusiast of lingerie aesthetics, it truly felt as if fate was mocking him.

   “May I?”

   She yanked at his hands and settled them along her chest with urgency. He held back a contented sigh as he gently felt along the fabric, squeezing and grasping at her breasts, appreciating the look and feel of them in the seductive attire. Light mewls escaped her lips as his hands felt electrifying against her skin. Such simple touches left her frenzied with desire, and she failed to recall a time she was ever left so sensitive to anyone’s touch.

   The bra was low cut, just barely covering her pert nipples that were already peeking above the lace, begging to be released of their confines. He pulled the fabric down to just below her breasts, letting them spill out. He took his gloved hand to her nipple, intrigued to observe her reactions. Two fingers pinched at the hardened bud, rolling it between his gloved fingertips. She inhaled sharply, head lolling backwards as she encouraged him on. His hold on her nipple tightened and he pinched harder, twisting and tweaking at it with ardor.

   Captivated by the smooth skin of her stretched neck, Hawkins leaned forward to trail sharp kisses along it, undoubtedly leaving bruises in their wake. He trailed down her throat, clavicle, and finally made home at her breast as he latched on, taking the bud softly between his teeth. A loud moan escaped her now and he eyed up at her, observing how her mouth hung open and she continued to lean backwards, a silent request for him to continue his ministrations. His free hand flew to her back, supporting her and holding her in place as she opened her chest up to him.

   “Basil…” She whispered pleasurably into the air.

   He hummed in response, enamored with the way his name dripped off her lips like nectar. Hawkins wanted to keep her like this forever; her body fitting wonderfully in his arms, her skin littered in goosebumps, her siren call of his name. He took his time, making sure to capture each look she offered, each sound she made in order to store these memories into the depths of his mind.

   “Please, more.” She cried out, lifting her head up and staring at him below her. With long lashes peeking from behind blonde curtains, he looked absolutely stunning as he held her, both in his arms and between his teeth. Her cunt fluttered at the sight.

   He studied her face, the way her eyes stared down at him with pure lust. Giving her breast one last squeeze, he trailed his gloved hand down the lacey fabric, reaching behind and curving along the swell of her ass until his fingers reached her dripping core. He rubbed at her eagerly, trailing and prodding two fingers along the damp cloth. Her hips bucked, another silent plea for more. Easily sliding her panties to the side, he traced around her warm entrance before slipping a slender digit inside, taking his time in entering her knuckle-deep.

   “Mm!” She whined as her body jolted at his entry. His long finger explored her cavern as it slipped between her walls, curling ever so slightly with its exit.

   “So tight…” He whispered dreamily to himself against her skin. Resting his forehead against her chest, he slid in and out of her at an agonizing pace, simply enjoying the way she squeezed around his finger with each entry.

   “I’m tired of you hiding from me, Basil.” Her voice grew shaky as he did not hesitate to add another digit inside, “It’s no fun being naked alone.”

   It was a bit tasking as her hands were still bound, but she managed to rip his shirt in similar fashion to his ripping of hers earlier. The tattered shirt hung loosely on him, revealing smooth, pale skin that she was more than excited to get her claws on. He looked up at her, a hint of anger in those crimson eyes that only made her clamp around those fingers in wanton.

   Reaching down to his pants now, she struggled with removing the sash until Hawkins grabbed her hands roughly, “Stand up.” 

   She was surprisingly quick to comply as she rose to her feet, watching him remove his shirt swiftly, and taking mental snapshots of the dents and divots of his beautifully sculpted torso. His skin looked like marble. Hawkins was smooth and lean, yet there was still an undeniable strength evident in the curves of his muscles. He could have easily passed as a statue before her, and she marveled at him as such.

   “Turn around.” This time, she was a bit hesitant to follow orders as she wanted to spectate his removing of his pants, but she knew it’d be best to listen to him if she wanted to get her way.

   The sound of various clothing falling to the floor made her ears perk up and it took everything within her not to turn around to catch a peek. She remained obedient, however, waiting for his next orders. When the binds around her wrists disappeared, her interest piqued.

   “Turn around and remove the rest. Slowly.”

   As she obeyed, a warm heat danced in her body as she admired how nearly god-like he looked sitting in the chair, stark naked. She licked her lips at his hardened cock making itself known between his thighs. He was thicker than she’d expect for such a lean man, and the length was definitely something to boast about. Not that a man like Hawkins ever would, which, in turn, only made him all the more desirable. As if reading her thoughts, he smirked, “Don’t make me wait any longer.”

   Gathering herself, she did as he commanded and made a point to take her time in stripping for him. Unclasping the bra in the back, she allowed the straps to fall down her shoulders before swiftly discarding it to the floor. It was hard to not be distracted by the way he touched himself, intently watching her every move and giving his dick a few slow pumps. Nevertheless, her fingers hooked underneath the band of her panties and she maintained eye contact as she pulled them agonizingly slow down her thighs, then kicked them off with her feet.

   He was amused at her brazen nature. How she never shied away from him, especially now as she stood entirely bare in front of him. Instead, she allowed him to ogle her body, towering confidently as his eyes meticulously traced her every curve. Hawkins had half a mind to continue the show, observe her as he ordered her to touch herself. Though at this point, he was far too eager to do it himself.

   “Sit.”

   “My, you move fast, Basil. I don’t think I’m ready.” She had hoped he didn’t hear the nervous quake in her voice.

   “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you are well prepared.” As she approached, he swiftly flipped her around and settled her bare ass in his lap, just in front of his twitching cock. She could feel it throbbing against her backside and her entire body burned red hot in consequence.

   Gently, he grabbed her arms to lock them behind his head. He nuzzled his face into her neck, taking in her sweet scent and placing a tender kiss along a mark that had just begun to bloom from his ministrations earlier, “You feel amazing. I think I’ll keep you just like this.”

   He promptly used his powers to bound her wrists once more, locking her arms in place. (Name) gasped as the stretch was a bit uncomfortable, but she came to enjoy the warm fire that burned in her belly. He then hooked her legs over his knees, driving them outwards in order to spread her open completely. He took advantage of his abilities yet again in order to secure her ankles around his calves, ultimately granting him easy access to explore every inch of her body. His gloved fingers immediately traveled south to toy with her sensitive button, while his right hand crept up to fondle her breasts.

   High-pitched whines escaped her as she struggled against the restraints. With her hands bound behind her and Hawkins keeping her legs spread widely apart, she felt utterly vulnerable to his affections and on the verge of overstimulation. She didn’t, couldn’t keep back her cries of his name while he rubbed vigorous circles onto her clit. Her pussy throbbed, clamping down onto nothing over and over as his hand crept further up to caress her throat, squeezing just tight enough to strangle her cries yet grant her enough air to breathe.

   His damp forehead fell against her cheek and she shivered as she felt his incredibly warm breath on her skin. He plunged two fingers inside her, while using his thumb to keep special attention on her clit, “Fuck! Basil, I-I’m gonna-”  

   He squeezed tighter around her throat, restricting her airflow for only a second or two, all the while increasing the intensity of her impending orgasm, “Let go.”

   As if releasing her from a spell, she did exactly that. Coming undone on his fingers with what would have been a loud cry if he hadn’t held such a firm grip. As he loosened his hold, she focused on her breathing, whining as his fingers exited from her abused and soaked cunt. He freed her from her restraints for the second time, but she hardly had the strength to move as she fell slack against his body, still working on catching her breath.

   He couldn’t help but chuckle, “Don’t tell me you’ve given up? I’m hardly done with you.”

   After a moment, she smirked and stretched her body, turning to face him, “I say it’s time to get you prepared.”

   He peered up at her, intrigued by her statement. She licked her lips, wasting no time in taking his dick in her hands to give it a few encouraging pumps. He hissed loudly at the contact, an electric wave of pleasure shocking his entire body. She dropped to her knees, leaning down to take his cock into her mouth.

   “You don’t have to-” He choked on his words as she abruptly took him inside her mouth, enthusiastically coating his dick with her saliva. She took him in as much as possible and he gripped at her hair as he focused on not coming on the spot. Damn, how long had it been since his last release?

   She could probably tell he was close already since she only sucked him off for a few seconds more. As she arose, she made quick movements to settle herself on top of him, grabbing at his soaked cock to place it at her entrance. His gaze followed her, challenging her. It was far too late to turn back, they both were well aware. There was a brief moment of hesitancy, but as his cock twitched shamelessly in her hand, they knew they were far from throwing in the towel.

   (Name) slid down onto his member, the both of them moaning out in unified bliss at the feeling of at last being connected. They remained still as they gathered their breaths, taking a moment to adjust, and reveled in the intimate feeling of each other. She was inconceivably warm and tight. Hawkins had to mentally remind himself to breathe.

   As she regained her composure, she began a steady rhythm of bouncing in his lap, eliciting the most delicious moans she’d heard from him yet. His eyes closed tight in intense pleasure and she was confident she now had him fully under her control.

   “Still worried about my, mmm, affiliation with the Straw Hats?” She panted with a smirk, “Who knew you had a thing for sleeping with the enemy~”

   He scoffed breathlessly, securing his strong arms around her to pull her in close. (Name) couldn’t help but gasp as his soft lips ghosted over her own, seeking her out in the midst of their tangled passions. He traveled along her skin with gentle strokes of his lips and tongue, “Only you.”

   A violent shiver coursed through her as those two words echoed loudly in her brain. Had she heard him right? Just what did that mean? Her mind was now a dizzying storm of questions. Her movements had slacked in consequence, and as she realized, she forced him back against the chair in order to pick up the pace.

   Slender fingers wrapped around his throat and squeezed gently. She shivered once more as his ruby eyes offered her sweet submission and his lips curved upward into a teasing grin, “Tighter.”

   She bit her lip to suppress her whimper, all the while she gripped his throat tighter as per his request until his eyes fluttered close; a look of utmost bliss painted along his face. (Name) rode him with intensity, her lips spilling out shameless praises and calls of his name as she angled herself in order for him to hit all the right spots. Her grip remained firm, and the vibrations of his strangled moans drove her closer to the precipice.

   His grip around her suddenly tightened and his breathing became staccato, a sure sign that he was close as well. Her legs were aching, and just as they were about to give in, Hawkins adjusted his hips so he could thrust up and into her from below. The pair moaned loudly, nearly in sync as he fucked her relentlessly. She was first to fall over the edge, Hawkins made sure of that. As her tight cunt squeezed around his cock, he followed suit merely seconds afterward, pulling out to paint her abdomen white.

   (Name) fell against his chest in utter exhaustion and Hawkins held her against him. Her fingers mindlessly threaded through his hair as the pair basked in the afterglow. His thumb brushed over her lip, pulling her up to him for one last searing kiss. She smiled against his lips, savoring one last drop of him for the night. She was inebriated beyond comprehension; a little unsure if she could walk home properly. His demeanor returned to neutrality and looking at him, it was almost hard to believe she had him a moaning mess just moments before.

   “Am I free to go, Mr. Headliner?”

   He sighed, deep in concentration. Keeping her still in his lap, he reached over to gather his loose articles, or rather, what was left of them. Not much remained of her worn clothing and though his own left little to be desired, it’d be enough to cover her until she could retrieve new clothes.

   “That depends. Do you plan to return these most treasured clothes of mine? I could have you thrown in jail for collusion and thievery.” His eyes gleamed with mischief as he cleaned her off and helped her get dressed, trying his absolute hardest not to ravish her all over again from the alluring sight of her draped in his clothing. She’d surely be the death of him.

   (Name) scoffed with an amused smile, “Think you could possibly capture me again, Basil?”

   He guided her towards the exit, “I believe the probability that I’d let you escape me twice is lower than you think.”

She leaned in, tracing along the prominent red lines she had etched onto his chest. In a low, sultry voice, she whispered, “And what’s the probability that you’ll interrogate me again?”

Hawkins went ramrod stiff. His eyes were easily drawn to her lips and any second longer in that heated tension, he would have taken her right there, all over again. Thankfully, her sweet laughter suppressed the carnal desire that was threatening to consume him once more. She was somehow life and death, simultaneously.

   “Well, let’s leave all the probabilities for your cards to decide. You might like what they have to show you.” She winked before swiftly escaping through the window.

   After her departure, Hawkins closed the window quickly, placing his forehead against the cool glass. He stood like that for some time, replaying every detail of their session over and over until he became overwhelmed. How Hawkins, a dignified man dedicated to his duties, could let such a paramount criminal escape so easily was baffling. Even still, despite all consequences of his careless actions, all he could think about was seeing her again. She lingered on his skin. The touch, smell, and taste of her would not be so easily washed away. Not that he wished her to be.

   He retrieved his discarded cloak to wrap around his bare body, and as he opened the door to some rather bashful subordinates who could hardly look him in the eye, he paid no mind, barking out orders to cut through the awkward tension.

   “Fetch me some new clothes and my deck of cards. I wish to be alone for the rest of the evening.”

[crockettmarcel]

“ ikea really knows how to make building a crib stressful… ” + tiny love parents

From the beginning, getting the nursery set up had been a difficult task. Keeping Sarah out of the room until it was finished while trying to involve her in all the decisions was harder than Crockett had expected it to be, and she was constantly begging him or Ethan to let her inside. She’d seen all the paint samples, had given her input on the carpet and drapes (there was not going to be any grey in her daughters’ nursery, contrary to what Crockett wanted), but she had yet to see the finished product.

The main reason for that, of course, was that it wasn’t finished.

Almost everything was done, but Crockett and Ethan had yet to build the cribs, which, as Ava kept pointing out, were the most important part. Sarah wasn’t due for a couple of months, but her OB had hinted that the girls might end up making their appearance before then, and Ava was insistent that they’d have somewhere nice to sleep when they eventually did.

So now, while Sarah was out getting ice cream with Lolly, Crockett was locked away in the nursery, trying to figure out how to put a crib together.

Even from downstairs, Ava and Ethan could hear him cursing at it, and she struggled to keep it together at the thought of what was going on up there. He’d been insistent that the nursery was his (and Ethan’s) project, a sort of gift to Sarah, but it didn’t sound like he was having as good a time with it as he’d planned. Every so often, the sound of something crashing to the floor would ring through the house, and if Ava didn’t know any better, she’d have guessed he was destroying everything and throwing it onto a pile in the middle of the room.

She wouldn’t blame him.

“Do you want to go check on him?”

Ethan stared straight ahead at the TV, seemingly more focused on changing channels than whatever his boyfriend was doing upstairs.

“I’m sure he’s okay.”

That was that, and the two of them sat back to watch some old war film Ethan had seen a hundred times before. Ava wasn’t sure if it was legal for a network to show something so boring almost on a loop, but she’d take it over Crockett’s football games any day.

They made it to the first ad break with no incidents from upstairs, but then, halfway through some middle-aged man’s speech about a revolutionary new erectile dysfunction pill, there was one final crash, more swearing, and then footsteps on the stairs. Whatever had happened was bad enough to send Crockett down to ask for help, and Ava couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

“Ikea really knows how to make building a crib stressful, don’t they? Or are you just incapable of reading the instructions?”

All Crockett could offer in response to Ava was a mumbled “It’s not from Ikea,” before slumping into one of the armchairs and staring blankly at the TV, completely oblivious to the looks Ava and Ethan were giving each other.

Ask him what’s wrong, Ava’s wide eyes and raised eyebrows screamed at Ethan.

Do it yourself, Ethan frowned back, and she huffed. There was no way in hell she was getting involved - she liked watching the drama unfold from the sidelines, not getting caught up in the middle of it. Besides, it wasn’t her project. Ethan should be the one to sort it out.

The glare she fixed him with told him exactly that (she’d had plenty of opportunities to perfect it whenever Connor was around), and with a sigh, Ethan turned to Crockett and asked him what was wrong.

“I broke the crib,” Crockett said, quietly enough that Ava and Ethan weren’t sure if they’d heard him properly.

“You- what?”

“I broke the crib,” he repeated, louder this time, and Ava had to hold back a laugh. Images of what he could have done to break the crib were running through her mind, each one funnier than the last, and she wished she’d been up there to watch it happen.

Ethan, though, was more sympathetic. He was full of kind words, reassurances, telling Crockett that it would be okay, that they still had time to go out and buy a replacement and that their daughters would have somewhere to sleep.

Crockett nodded along in agreement until he felt better, and only when a hint of a smile appeared on his face did Ava allow herself to laugh. He obviously felt bad about it, and she wasn’t that mean that she’d kick him when he was down, but god did she need to know how he’d broken the crib.

It took a bit of persuasion, but eventually he opened up and told Ethan and Ava, in the most overdramatic way possible, how the crib had met its end. They were sure most of it was an over-exaggeration, as were the majority of his stories, but it was entertaining, and the three of them were in fits of laughter when he finished, too distracted to notice the front door opening.

And then suddenly Sarah was standing in the doorway, head tilted to the side and a quizzical look on her face, and one by one, they realised they had to break the news to her.

“You’re back early,” Ava remarked, and Sarah just sighed.

“It was too loud for Lolly and she said she wanted to come home. Can’t say these two were very happy about it though,” she replied, resting both hands on her bump. At this point, it felt like they were working in shifts so that she always had someone kicking (or maybe punching?) her ribs, and all she wanted to do was sit down.

There was enough space on the sofa next to Ava, and she quickly relaxed into her fiancée, resting her head on her shoulder so that Ava could play with her hair.

“Is Lolly okay?”

Sarah nodded. “She made it very clear that she didn’t want anyone near her when we got home. I think it’s best to just leave her in her room for a bit, keep an ear out to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Oh, like Ethan and I did while you were out?”

Her comment was met with a frown, and Crockett was quick to jump in and explain.

“I started building the crib after you left.”

“And then he broke it.”

Someone needed to be open with Sarah, and as much as Ethan could tell that Ava wanted to do it, she didn’t seem to have the most noble of reasons, and he felt that Sarah was owed at least some seriousness right now, instead of having the whole thing turned into something to laugh about.

The whole room went silent after Ethan spoke. Sarah didn’t say anything, just looked between the three of them to try and work out if he was joking, but it quickly became obvious that he wasn’t.

“I, uh- I need to lie down.”

She could already feel herself choking back tears, and she didn’t want to cry in front of her family over something as trivial as this. The crib could be replaced, she knew that, but at the same time, it felt like the world was ending in front of her.

Hormones were a bitch.

Ava helped her stand up — it was so much more difficult this time than when she was pregnant with Lolly — but she refused anything more than that. She was capable of walking upstairs by herself, and quite frankly, she didn’t want anyone hovering over her and making sure she was okay.

(Maybe this was where Lolly got it from.)

No one said anything for a few minutes after Sarah left, until Ethan, sick of the awkward silence, reminded Crockett that they needed a replacement for the crib.

“I’ll help you build it this time,” he offered, and Crockett simply nodded.

There was no way he was doing that alone again.

[hs-devote]

 4. M A R C E L

Moodboard // Content // Masterlist

Disclaimer:

All characters and situation in this story are fictitious. Resemblance to any person living or dead is only God knows.

Previous chapter :

Harry's finger still wandering around her face, thumbs caressing her lips slowly. The air started to feel getting more intense, while Y/N began to be allured by Harry's soft touch. He slowly leaned in, pulling her chin until his lips touch hers. Y/N froze, eyes blinking. His hand cupped her jaw while the other still on her chin. She slowly closed her eyes, kissing him back, trusting him. It was getting way too intense while her arms grabbed his neck, deepening the kiss.

Harry bit her lips with hand rubbing her exposed thigh wildly. Y/N let out a soft moan when Harry was stroking her inner thigh, another hand caressing her bare back.

4. MARCEL

“You scared her, Marcel.”

“Did I ?”

Harry sat on the edge of his bed, hands locked to each other. It was 1 o'clock in the middle of the night, yet he did not feel sleepy at all. His bedroom was pitch dark, the only light was from floor lamps and reflections from building lights from outside. The curtains were wide open. He didn't like the darkness.

Harry's eyes staring deep at the person in front of him. He's too tired to argue with him. Harry never knew why he loved to meet him in the dark night. Always. Only one time he met him when the sky was bright. Blinding lights was not the thing he likes, he didn't like the crowd too much either.

“It's almost two weeks. Every time I talk to her, she always has that look in her eyes.”

“Well, it's your fault then.”

“How come it was my fault? How can it be my fault if you were the one who did it?”

“Harry..” He chuckled mockingly, “You meet her every day, do you? Just use your charm and she will be fine. If your smart enough, you can take advantage of her. How long have you been since got laid?”

“I don't like you talking like that to her. She's my employee, Marcel.”

“But you like her, do you? You have to thank me, Harry. You will never know if I didn't start it. Sadly, you messed it up.” He smirked, “I had almost forgotten what it felt like to taste a woman.”

“Fucking hell, Marcel!” Harry growled, “I am grateful I was able to arrive at the right time. God knows what you would do that night.”

Marcel was laughing, a laugh that Harry hate. A sinister laugh. “Don't bring God in this situation, Harry. He won't listen to you.” He stood up, with a look of pity, smiling devilishly. “Did you know, she saw you killed that person?”

“You were the one who strangled him, Marcel. Not me. What even were you doing there? Don't you know that's her apartment complex?” Harry asked lowly, still glaring at him.

“But, what she knows.. it was you.” He grinned, “I was curious about her. When she was walking out of the building, that son of a bitch was following her. He knew I was behind him, and he didn't like that so... he thought he could rob me but the poor man didn't know what was coming to him.”

“And you killed him, Marcel. I can't believe you.”

“He already saw my face, I couldn't let a single witness roaming around with free, could I? I don't want you to go to prison, Harry.”

Harry could feel the burden on his shoulders, he was tired of this problem. A trivial matter for Marcel, but not for him. “Where did you throw the body?” He sighed, rubbing his face.

“Don't worry too much. Just calm down. No one will find it. Trust me.”

“Trust you?!” Harry screamed, “How could I trust you if every time you do something, I always take care of that? Just stop it, Marcel. You always did that but never think of the consequences!”

“Don't be loud, your housemaids is sleeping. Well, I don't know why you let Suzanne stay the night.” He snickered, “That's why I have you, Harry. Use your connection, Harry. Use your brain, your power.”

Right now, Harry really wanted to throw things but he couldn’t do that. Poor Suzanne was exhausted and Harry had let her stay overnight. After all, she would be home alone because her son didn't come home tonight.

“One question.” His eyes sharp, looking at Marcel's dark one. For a moment, he could see the reflection of his face. “If I didn't lose the count, you came a lot lately. 4 of them when I was with Y/N. Why?”

“We both know what triggered you, Harry. Sometimes I think, why you can be a weak person? You're weak, Harry. Not like me. Yes, you are powerful, rich, handsome. But I am too. What if, I'm there? You can rest, until whenever you want.” He laughed, not caring the look of Harry's disgust, “I swear to God, Marcel..”

But Marcel keep laughing like he just had been told the funniest joke in the world. Harry couldn't contain it anymore, he grabbed the floor lamp and throwing it to the full-length mirror. Shattered glass falling to pieces on the floor along with a loud bang. He couldn’t see Marcel any more, yet his sinister laugh still haunted him.

Every time Harry tried to get rid of Marcel, he couldn't. Every time he saw his reflection in the mirror, he saw those eyes, eyes that resemblance him, but darker then ever, that was when Marcel came suddenly with the same figure as him. He was aware, Marcel was living with him, and he couldn't just get rid of Marcel.

. . . .

“Mr. Styles?” Y/N ask slowly when she pushed his door open. Her hands gripping some bundles tightly. Her feet step inside very carefully, like afraid of something.

That night moment in the car, made her couldn't sleep all night. Her feelings were crumbling. On the one hand, she couldn't lie with her feelings. She had crush on Harry, from the first day she laid her eyes on him. On the other hand, she felt unprofessional. Yes, she knew they did that outside work area, Harry's still her boss.

“Yes, can I help you with something?” Harry asked, watching her pulling a chair in front of him. A couple of weeks working in here, Harry saw significant progress in the way she handles her tasks. To be honest, she was the assistant he liked the most from the people before. Not only because of work, but she also had nice character, and extraordinarily smart for women her age.

“Err, I have bad news. Polygram calling off the contract unilaterally and withdraw all funds from Erskine.”

Harry couldn't digest every word that came out of her mouth, like her voice slowly fade away. He just stared at her dumbfounded. Y/N not sure either if Harry really listening to her. “Legal counsel is on discussing right as we talk now, looking for cause if Erskine can sue them.”

“Harry?” Y/N called him when Harry didn't budge. Slowly, she waved her hand in front of his face. He jumped instantly, “Yeah, yeah? I'm sorry.”

“Did you hear me, sir? You were spacing out.”

“How much funds did Polygram provide during the contract?”

“$900,000 equivalent £730,000. They withdrew almost full funds even though the contract had been running for six months out of the year.”

“Not too much, but still.. it’s breach of contract.”

“But, from the news I heard, their affiliated company will most likely do the same with thing to Erskine. A total of four companies are under Polygram, with worth $3,000,000”

Harry felt like something was suffocating him. One of their biggest clients walking away from his company. He didn’t understand what happened. Everything was all right before.

“Do you know what is the reason? Maybe we can persuade them? I don't want to lose a client. I don't want to let go of them with prejudice, if something isn't right, we can talk about it.”

“I will arrange the meeting immediately, sir.” Y/N nodded. She felt sorry for Harry now, he looked stressed, clearly visible from the look of his face. “Do you need anything, sir?”

In fact, Y/N was waiting for Harry to talk about what happened that night. After they kissed, Harry never brought it up.

To this day.

Y/N didn't know what Harry was thinking at the time, and right now. Whether he did it because he just wanted to kiss her, or because of his emotion, or because he indeed like her.

“No, thank you Y/N.” Harry forced a smile. Y/N could only sigh softly with disappointment. If she could be honest, she had a lot of hope of him. She just didn’t want to be disappointed before it's too late. She excused herself, going back to her office.

Plopping herself into her chair, Y/N opened her email. Quickly typing away a meeting invitation to Polygram, hope they would cancel their intentions. She knew how mad Harry would be if that really happens.

Her phone ringing loudly, making her slightly jump in her seat. Sliding the screen up, she brought her cellphone to her ear, “Hello?”

“Don't sound too happy, what's wrong Y/N?”

“Hi to you too,  Abbie.” She shrieked, “I'm sorry, I just.. well kinda busy at the moment. How are you?”

“Oh, do I bother you? I can hang up and call you in another hour maybe?”

“Nah, I'm fine.” Her other hand lifted from the keyboard, “Now, I'm free for the next ten minutes, I guess.”

“Well, I just wanna check up my best friend. How's Erskine, anyway? Everything good?”

“Worth the benefits, obviously. I'm sorry we rarely hang out together even on weekends. It's been a long time since I've seen you. For God's sake, we are in the same city!”

“Don't worry about that. I could just pay a visit, you know?”

Abbie or Abigail, was a friend from high school. When they were in college, they went to London together but with different universities. She settled in London after that, while Y/N coming back to her home town.

“Any romance involved in the office?”

Y/N giggled, not really know what to answer. “No.. not really. Not yet.”

“Whoa, so.. there's someone? Who's that?!”

“Abbie, please.” She sighed, “I don't know really, it's difficult with.. the situation.” Y/N muttered, toying her pen. “I don't know if he likes me.”

“Okay then if you don't wanna talk about it. I will ask for the progress  next week.” She laughed, “Can we talk about your hot as fuck boss? How's him in the office?”

Y/N shifted awkwardly in her seat, her mind went to their kisses memory. “Oh, Harry? He's nice. Very nice person. Unlike most bosses –stern, creepy. Not at all.”

“Does he have a girlfriend? What is his girlfriend like?”

“No, he's very very single. A fit bachelor. Why?”

“I just curious. I mean.. he's a fucking CEO at THAT age. Fucking handsome like a Greek god. Tell me I'm freak but I love to search him on Google. Did you know that Erskine is one of the top companies with the biggest revenue? Who doesn't want him? He could easily spoil her girlfriend with buckets of diamonds. There's nothing he can do.”

“All I know is Harry works his ass off every day.”

“Hold on.. Did I just hear you call him Harry? So, we are in the first name basis, huh?

“Shut up.” Y/N chuckled, her eyes raking her email.

Polygram agreed to a meeting, but today.

“Can I call you back later? I have a meeting to do.”

“Right then, talk later!”

After she hung up the call, Y/N read the Polygram email carefully. They would love to hold a meeting this afternoon. She dialled Harry's extension right away, he picked up on the second ring.

“Mr. Styles? Polygram agree to a meeting, today at 2.00pm in Erskine. Do you have time? I already check on your schedule , you have no meetings today.”

“It's fine. Please take care of it.”

“Will do.”

Polygram team arrive exactly at 2 o'clock, while Y/N have waited ten minutes ago. She immediately called Harry while the participants were enjoying some snacks offered. Harry's arrival was greeted with handshakes and short small talks.

“I'm aware of this purpose meeting, Mr. Styles. We apologise for contract withdrawal but that was all orders from the council.”

“What is the reason if I may ask, Mr. Roberts? We have never committed violations, haven't we?”

“Yes yes, we are very aware, Mr. Styles. The reason is...” Mr. Roberts glanced at his colleagues, like he was hesitant to say it. “The council doesn't want to work with companies led by.. arrogant young people, they said.”

“Pardon?” Both Y/N and Harry stared at them dumbfounded. Really didn’t get what he meant.

“Our council got the news that you attacked one of our loyal colleagues at an event, and they are not pleased with it.”

Harry? Attacking someone?

Y/N rolled her memories to a few days back, remember that it was true that Harry attacked someone that night. But he was the one who started it, not Harry. It was Dale.

Dale...

Loyal colleagues...

Of course, Machtig.

“Where did they get it from? There's no news about it.” Y/N asked slowly.

“We don't know exactly, we just know that one of the councils' members really close with Machtig.”

“They don't know what really happened.” Harry muttered

“But the news about you, Mr. Styles, punching a man in public areas spread very fast.” This time, a lady with her black short hair opened her mouth after a long time silence. “They only question your performance if you like beating people up. Sure the council wants to keep their image.”

“Do you guys know you're breaking the law? We could sue Polygram but certainly, we don't want to if you cancel the withdrawal.” Y/N exclaimed, trying to speak for Harry. Because from the corner of her eyes, Harry began to look pissed. Everyone sunk into silence, as if just understood the consequences. Y/N was even more infuriated when no one spoke. “Isn't it unprofessional to bring together between work and personal matters? If Mr. Styles here wants to do something outside his office, it becomes his privacy. I mean, he didn't commit a crime.”

“The council also wondering why the police had not been involved in the incident.”

“Denise..” Mr. Roberts hissed at his co-worker, ask her to stop it immediately. Y/N wondered why this woman named Denise really coming at Harry.

Police...

Then Y/N realised, when Harry threw his fist to the robber, they had approached by the police. But after that, they were never been called. Did the police really forget them? Her or Harry could have been designated as witnesses if they wanted to proceed to court. There's no way the police just let him go.

“I understand your worries, Mr. Styles, Ms. Y/L/N. We'll try to talk to the council, especially with the charges if we break the contract.” Mr. Robert spoke, while collecting up his stuff.

“We're waiting for the good news in a week, tops.” Y/N stressed her words, waiting for a definite answer. Harry – who was sitting next to her, was completely indifferent. His chest rose up and down, ready to explode soon.

“I'll try my best.”

“Thank you, Mr. Roberts.”

After bidding them goodbye, Y/N was going to go back to her office when Harry's hand gripped her wrist. She let him speak first, didn’t know what he wanted to talk about, but she hoped Harry could control his anger right now.

“Thank you for that.” He said lowly, hand still gripping her wrist. She just smiled while her other hand rubbing his knuckles, “For what?”

“You speak more than me, thank you for defending me. I appreciate that, really.”

“I think it's an employee's obligation to defend their company. Plus their boss is being cornered like that.” She shrugged, “I don't like that Denise lady, but I appreciate Mr. Roberts.”

“Fun fact, Denise used to work here. I fired her because she was caught having sex with one of the employees in the office bathroom.”

Harry was laughing when he found Y/N scrunched her face, “That's.. disgusting.”

“Mhm, no wonder she was bitter towards me.”

“Mr. Styles?”

“It's Harry.”

Y/N bit her lips, well that's new. They still in the office but Harry let her call him his first name. Then she looked down her hand, swinging them back and forth with Harry's, like kids holding hands.

“Come get something cold and sweet. This time is on me. Where do you want to eat ice cream?”

“Ice cream, really?” Harry chuckled, hand still swinging with hers. “Pretty sure your head now is about to explode, ice cream will cold it down, definitely.”

“All right,” Harry stood up, gathering his laptop. “Pack your bag, we'll go to Soho.”

. . . .

“Hi, can I get Tiramisu Sundae and..” Y/N looked at Harry, who still looking at the menu. “Harry?”

“Oh, I will go with... Sticky Toffee? Thank you.” Harry smiled.

Y/N swore that the cashier lady was swooning over him, she bit her lip when punching the cash register.

“That would be £15.” Y/N handed her cash, after saying thanks, her and Harry step aside while waiting for their order. Less than five minutes, they walk to a vacant booth with ice creams in their hands.

“This is delicious.” Y/N moan softly, licking her spoon. Harry quietly watched Y/N enjoying her dessert, her face looked adorable while concentrating on her ice cream. He let five minutes pass without conversation. He just wanted to enjoy a moment of time, being someone who's carefree for a second.

“I want to apologies.”

His words made Y/N lift her head, wrinkles visible on her forehead. “For what?”

“The moment in the car a few nights before. I’m sorry if I was freaking you out.”

“Oh.” Well, she never thought Harry would apologise. Did he feel any guilt? For kissing her?

“Erm, I.. I think it's... it's okay, Harry.” She mumbled, looking down her cup which now looked more interesting. No. She just feels intimidated by Harry. She didn’t know why.

“No, it's not okay Y/N. It's not... it's not like I feel guilty. It's just that I feel like using you in that situation.” Harry fumbled his finger, panic began to fill his body.

“Did you enjoy it?” Y/N averted her gaze to Harry, she could see Harry's nervous too. “Because I did, Harry.”

“Glad to know that.” He smiled softly, “At least I'm not the only one felt it.”

“Let's just say this is a date. I'll take you on another date.”

“A date?” Now, Y/N could feel her heart rumbling. This wasn’t something she expected. Her mixed feelings made her dizzy. A date? Harry was asking her out, again? She didn't listen to it in the wrong way, did she?

“I really... really like you, Y/N. And I'll look forward to getting to know you better than ever.” His blinding smile made her knees weak, her bones turn into jelly. Harry Styles asked her for another date? Her inner goddess slacking her jaw.

“I'll wait then.” She returned his smiled, feeling shy because Harry kept smiling at her with his prominent dimples.

Soho that night was the same as usual nights. When Londoners prefer to spend time in club or bars, the tourists with their cameras engrossed in capturing every corner of the area – to share with their loved ones. Or maybe just shop for souvenirs to take home. Or couples who wants to watch a show at the local Soho theatre.

Walking down the street, Y/N really enjoyed London – again. Since she moved from Swansea, she had never been back to Soho. Soho and its atmosphere, not much had changed. She chuckled when passed a gay couple who had just exited from one of the bars, stumbling in drunk while pointing their sex toys to one another.

Spending the afternoon on feet in Soho, Harry drove Y/N home when his watch showed 10.00 pm. He felt more human and normal when he could spend his little time outside without having worries over work. Harry totally turned off his cellphone, didn't want to be disturbed for a moment –didn’t care if an urgent call comes in. What he cared about was how he could have quality time with Y/N.

Harry didn't realise that Y/N had fallen asleep during the trip back home, it seemed like the music from a radio he played made her sleepy. He was silent for ten minutes after arriving in her building, couldn't bear to wake Y/N up –she looked tired. He just stared at her, doing nothing.

Her closed eyelids to mouth slightly open. The small things like that made him smile . She stirred slightly in her sleep, before her eyes flutter open. The first thing she saw was his eyes, not the desk clock that usually woke her up every morning.

“Hi.” She murmured softly, hesitate to move from her comfy position.

“You were asleep.” Harry whispered with his fingers straighten her hair.

“Looks like. ” she yawned, “'m sorry.”

“Don't be. It's okay.”

Y/N straightened her upper body, fist rubbing her eyes. “I have to go inside, it's already late. Have to work tomorrow.”

“Mhm.”

“Thank you for today, Harry. I really really enjoyed it.” She said before opening the car door, her sleepy eyes made Harry shake his head. She looked adorable. “I should be the one thanking you for the ice cream treat.”

“It's nothing, really.” Y/N smiled, leaning in and give his cheek a small peck. “Drive safe, Harry. Good night.”

“Have a good rest, love.”

Harry was smiling like idiots when his door slam shut softly, leaving him alone. He sighed, It's been a long time since he felt like this.

. . . .

Full name: Styles, Harry Edward Mr Age: 25 Date of birth: Sparkhill – Birmingham, February 1st 1994 Occupation: Confidential Address: Chelsea Waterfront, Waterfront Dr, Fulham, London SW10 0QD, United Kingdom Diagnosis: Confidential Medical complaints: Excessive anger, Loss of self-control

Health professional: Horan, Niall Mr Specialities: General Psychiatry Treatment action: TBA.

“What's wrong now, Harry?” Niall put his glasses down the table. Hands locked, while staring at his friend. His index fingers tapping at Harry's portfolio.

“I attacked people.. a few.”

“And?” Niall raised an eyebrow, waiting for Harry to finish what he said.

“In public..”

“Something must be triggering you.”

Harry paused, choosing the right words before leaving his mouth, “One of them killed.”

“Jesus Christ, Harry..” Niall looks at his friend in disbelief, hand massaging his forehead. “I understand you attacked someone, but.. killed them?”

“I just found out days after that, the body was drowned in Gallion Reach. I don't know how but the body hasn't been found around there yet.”

Niall let out big exhale, “Fucking mental.” His hands taking notes and pen from his desk, “How often have you attack people in the past couple weeks?”

“Five times.”

“It doesn't all end with a loss of life, right?”

Harry shook his head, feel ashamed of his behaviour. But at least he could calm down because the doctor was his own best friend. Niall wouldn't judge him carelessly.

“Now, tell me. I'm all ears.”

“Well, he appears more often. I don't know why. I still take medicines, sometimes forgotten because I'm busy with my work. But before that.. it was no problem. He has become more aggressive since I'm being close to Y/N. He even appeared when Y/N's first day of work with me, without doing anything. Only creeping at her within a few centimetres.”

“Did.. he do something brutal to her?”

“Just.. snapping at her while she trying to help with my wounds.” Of course Harry didn't want to tell him about he kissed her that night after he punched Dale.

“I read the news about you assaulted a robber in Canada Square, and.. rumours about you broke someone's nose from Machtig at that gala night, is it true?”

Harry just nodded, looking at Niall who was writing something in his notes. “You fixed it, right?”

“I think Mario is tired of helping me. He always said.. this is the last time, Harry. But every time I come to ask for help, he also said  if you weren't my friend and battling with yourself Harry, I wouldn't want to help you.”

“Good things that he's a member of NCA's council. At least your name will be safe from the records.”

“Are you trying to insult me, Niall?”

Niall fell silent, seemed he pressed the wrong button. Harry's facial expression become hard. But, he was indeed serious. “Am I talking to Marcel now? Or Harry?”

“No, but I can feel he's watching you right now.”

He gave Harry a small smile, folding his arms together while looking at his friend carefully. Right now, the man sitting in front of him, something was different on him, Niall felt that. Bright green eyes, soft yet firm expression.. well, this was Harry. Marcel had darker eyes, he had something strange with him.  If Marcel was in front of him right now, he wouldn't be able to speak so quietly and slowly.

“When you said Marcel was more aggressive when you were with Y/N, I wondered if he had.. a certain motive?”

“He had never hurt her.”

“The keyword: had never. If that happens, what would you do? I guess you haven't told her, have you?” Niall asked curiously with teasing smile.

“If I do, she will definitely decline the date. One day I'll be honest with her. I can't lie for too long.”

“So, is there the date you didn't tell me huh?” He wiggled his eyebrow, making Harry laugh. One that Harry liked when he came to visit Niall, he would never treat him like a regular patient. They would talk like usual friends who were chatting in the pub. Niall would always spend more time on him.

“Well, you know how the cure works, Harry. I can only give you a prescription to help you reduce your stress level and blood pressure. If you think Marcel is ready to take over, try to think something makes you happy.”

. . . .

Going home to an empty house was not a pleasant thing for Harry, even though he had lived alone for a few years. When he was still living in Manchester with his family, whenever he opened the front door, his mother's voice would the first thing he heard.

His mum, Anne, would like to keep her eyes open and make sure her son arrived home okay, rather than going to bed and finding him not in good condition in the morning. Young Harry was the same as other teenagers, he could be stubborn whenever he wants or being spoiled whenever he has the chances.

Sometimes he thought, his penthouse way bigger than he needs. He lived alone, his home would be empty when he was working even though his million pounds home would be occupied for a short time when Suzanne did her work. He wouldn't risk his safety and privacy if he moved to another place.

As usual, Harry unlocked his door. If normally the hall was pitch dark, not this time. A few lights were turned on, created a dim atmosphere. It was strange. Did Suzanne forget to switch the lamps off?

“Why the confused face, Harry? Never see the lights on?”

. .

[jungkooks-left-tiddie]

I hope you get run by a fucking aeroplane ❤️

Warnings:  Mild cursing, Old men being assholes.

Word Count: 2.8k words

Kavya

August 27th, 2020; 6:30pm

New Delhi, India. 

"Is the editing for the new manuscript done?" Kavya leaned down to assess the work that was being done. 

"It's coming along well, ma'am. Just cleaning up the text." The intern gave her a nervous smile.

 "That's good to hear." She said, going through the progress that the editing department had made. "Be sure to crosscheck after you're done editing." 

"Yes, ma'am!" Just then, Kavya's secretary came rushing in.

"Ma'am you have a meeting with the Illustration Team in a few minutes," Kavya glanced at her watch and frowned upon realising that she didn't have much time to make it across the building to the main conference room. 

"Thank you, Mitra. Just hand me my iPad and I'll be off." Kavya briskly walked to the room where the meeting was meant to be held, greeting the workers passing by. 

"Ma'am, the cover design team is ready with their designs," Rachel, the head of the cover design department dressed Kavya.

"Wonderful! I'll ask Mitra to schedule a meeting when I'm free," Kavya paused, glancing at her schedule, "Actually, could you please e-mail it to me?" Rachel smiled gently.

"Of course we can, I'll make sure you get the updated presentation with the notes and all of the other requirements as well." 

"Thank you so much; you honestly have no idea how much you've helped me today." Kavya shook her hand and hugged her for a moment. 

"Of course. I understand how much stress you're under, the least I could do is help you out!" Rachel smiled yet again. 

"Rachel, you're a life-saver and I would love to stay and chat, but I've got to get going to the Illustration Team's meeting," 

"Of course," Rachel made shooing motions with her hands, "Off you go!" Kavya laughed and ran towards the direction of the main conference room. 

"Ma'am you're here!" The head of the illustration team, a man in his mid-40's named Mohammad Aamir smiled and shook her hand. 

"Thank you very much Mr Mohammad. I'm truly excited to see what you have planned for today." 

"Oh I assure you, Ms Agarwal, you will not regret trusting Mr Mohammad's department this time," Two of the workers in the marketing department took their seats as Aamir gestured one of his workers to begin the presentation.

Kavya took out her iPad and started noting down the small changes and corrections that needed to be made. This launch was going to be one of the biggest events in the history of her company and she needed to make sure that everything was immaculate, including the character drawings that would be included in this particular book. 

"We initially had a bit of a dilemma deciding what features this character should have; but we managed to get through all of it and decided upon 5 main options," The character designs were on display, impressing Kavya as these were much better than she expected. 

"We have also included 5 sub-designs, for a more variety of options," The worker turned to face the board members in the meeting room, 

"It's also worth mentioning that we have designed a variety of expressions, postures, and costume; keeping in mind the aesthetic impact and its significance to the storyline,"

"We have constructed the design for the costumes in the locations after carefully studying the different kinds of clothing worn by the locals and also not forgetting the cultural significance of the clothes and accessories," He flipped to the next slide. Kavya was thoroughly impressed until now, but of course, all good things come to an end.

"So as you can see here, the inspiration for the design of the diving gear was inspired by the modern-day swimsuits, focusing especially on the plunging necklines—"

"Pardon my interruption, but why does the diving gear look like a swimsuit? I thought I put special emphasis on the fact that the scene consisted of the characters going scuba diving?" The person presenting the PowerPoint looked uncomfortable under Kavya's piercing gaze. 

"Yes, but isn't this what women wear for swimming?" 

"They do, but this is what women wear when we're talking about beaches and swimming pools; not when they're going 140 feet underwater. Do you not know what scuba diving is?" 

"Yes, ma'am; but actually—"

"Ms Agarwal, are you not overreacting? It's a great marketing point. I mean swimwear is swimwear, am I right?" Gopal Das, a pesky man on the marketing team snickered, clearly proud of his seemingly intelligent statement. 

"Mr Das, It seems that your age has dwindled down your common sense. I'm sure all of you present here know that scuba divers have to wear protective gear to make sure they survive the pressure that the water exerts at that deep of a level. I'd like to see you dive in the Bay of Bengal with nothing but your underwear. Should be easy, right?" That seemed to shut the man up, but of course, sexist fuckers are everywhere. 

"I agree with Gopal sir, this-" The man said, pointing towards the pathetic excuse for a scuba diving suit, "Is a great attention point. People want this."  He crossed his pudgy hands. 

"I have said it before and I will say it again," Kavya took a deep breath and looked at them angrily. "I'm not going to compromise knowledge over what you claim are marketing points. I have made it clear time and time again on why design accuracies are important; and I stand by my statements." Kavya tried to convey her point in the most diplomatic way possible, but these two dumbasses were really testing her patience. 

"Well, we will not compromise sales to something as trivial as a mere swimsuit," 

"I agree with Mr. Roberts. It seems to me that you are letting your personal experiences get in the way of what could've been a successful launch!" If Kavya was mad before, she was absolutely furious now. 

"Mr Das, Mr Roberts, that's enough." The stern voice of Aamir snapped her out of her rage. 

"Let me make one thing crystal clear. So as long as you are in this company, you will not promote objectification. It's not that hard to think from the brain and not your genitalia." She glared at the two men. 

"To answer your previous statement Mr Das; yes. My experiences are getting in the way. So are the millions of people who constantly face the same issues." 

"Do you want to know what I think Mr Das?I think you and Mr Roberts are letting your personal fetishes come in the way of what otherwise was a great illustration. It's honestly not that hard to keep your perverted tendencies to yourself. And if you refuse to follow basic human decency; we'd be extremely glad to find a replacement." She had enough of their boomer heterosexual bullshit. 

"Now if you'd excuse me," She gathered her things and exited the room in fury. To think that she had hoped men would change; but as always, they continued to disappoint her (Like they do in bed). 

"Ma'am, wait!" The person presenting the PowerPoint came up to her. "I'm sorry for the disappointing design of the diving gear today. I wanted to use a complete different idea, and a much more humane and accurate one, but Gopal sir insisted that I use that for better marketing," He apologised, bowing his head slightly. 

"It's ok, uhhhh..." 

"Pavan, ma'am."

"Right. It's ok Pavan. I'm glad you are one of the few people in the illustration team with basic human decency. I understand your position, and I'm glad that you approached me. I also first-handedly know how much of a douchebag Gopal is," Kavya smiled slightly, hoping to ease some of his nerves. 

"Thank you so much Ma'am! I promise I won't disappoint you next time!" He bowed. 

"You better not. I have seen your skills, and you're far too creative and talented to let a person like Gopal boss you around." She patted his shoulder, smiling when he thanked her repeatedly. 

"Yes, Ms Agarwal," Aamir walked up to the both of you, looking extremely down, "I apologise for the way Mr Das and Mr Roberts spoke this meeting. It was completely out of line and disrespectful of them. I assure you, if I had known of this issue--"

"Mr Mohammad you don't have to apologise," Kavya smiled at him. "It wasn't your fault, so you must stop blaming yourself. I know those two men disturbed the flow of the meeting, but I stand by my previous comment. Pavan here," She looked at the employee, who was a little flustered, "Had amazing designs up his sleeves and the presentation overall was not bad."

"I think we can definitely improve some of them, but the inspiration, cultural and locational significances were completely accurate," Aamir looked a little bit happier after that statement. "I have noted down the changes that need to be made, and if you could e-mail this presentation to me, I would gladly note them down in the respective areas so you and your team could correct it." Pavan nodded enthusiastically. 

"I will send it to you very shortly ma'am."

"Excellent! I'm afraid I must go now," Kavya frowned a little.

 "Of course Ma'am. It was an honour talking to you,"

Kavya couldn't be more happier that  she that she could finally go home. Those last 30 minutes in the conference room were the most exhausting 30 minutes in the entire month. And suffice to say, she was ready to flop down on her bed and take a much-deserved nap.  Of course she knew that she had a shit ton of work to finish before sleeping, but the thought of doing it in the comforts of her home gave her something to look forward to. 

"Tired?" Maya Patel, her friend and CEO of Patel Publications, leaned against the doorframe.

"You have no fucking idea," Kavya started packing her stuff, getting ready to leave. 

"How was the meeting?"

"The most irritating meeting I've ever been to. Two hours of amazing illustrations and all of that had to come to an end because of two old men's perverted tendencies. 30 minutes of continuous sexism and objectification does things to one's brain." 

Maya looked like she'd smelled something nasty. "It was that bitch, Gopal; wasn't it"

"Yes, but this time he had a little minion. It's that other guy you hate, Kevin Roberts."

"Ugh," Maya made a puking face- "I hate them both so much, I always wanted to kick their pathetic asses out. And now my dream is finally coming true!" They laughed. 

"But seriously. I am going to fire them. There have been way too many complaints about them in general and I finally have the proof I need."

"Oh when you do fire them, please invite me so I can record that shit in full HD," Kavya walked inside the elevator, Maya following shortly behind. 

"No, because you will go on a vacation. That I asked you to go to." Maya crossed her arms. 

"More like forced me to go on one," Kavya snorted, but stopped once she noticed the stern expression on Maya's face.

"Ok look, I'll take a vacation when I want to," Kavya made her way to the parking lot where her Kia K5 was parked. 

"Besides, you need the new manuscript, right?" She smiled at Maya, who shook her head and smiled lightly. 

"I do, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to take a short break. It's concerning how much stress you take up. I just want you to relax" 

"Ok, I'll think about it. For now, I just want to go home and take a long nap," Kavya switched on the radio and set out on the road, noticing how most streets were suspiciously empty.

'That's weird,' She thought, 'The streets in Delhi are never empty.' She brushed it off and flipped through the radio stations to find the ones that played old songs, her personal favourite. 

The peaceful melodies of the retro songs calmed her on her drive back home. They were the kind of songs that put you in such a trance that you don't know where the time flew by. And of course, very shortly, she parked her car in her buildings allotted parking space. 

She greeted the security guard who was on patrol and entered the elevator. After entering the passcode to her apartment, she directly went to the fridge to get some cool water.  

Kavya then tossed her blazer and purse aside, ran to the bedroom, flopped on the bed and groaned loudly. Paying no mind that her lipstick would most likely stain the towel she had lain on the bed.

"I better freshen up," She sighed and went to complete her nighttime routine, which just consisted of taking a long hot shower and doing her 7-step skincare routine. After which she folded her clothes and tossed some of them in the washing machine. 

A late-night snack was well due, as Kavya did not have her dinner yet; and of course, Red Wine is a must!

"11pm chicken sandwiches are the best," She munched on her sandwich as she scrolled through her twitter to see what her friends shitposted today. 

She doubled in laughter over Maggie's posts, nearly choking on lettuce. Eventually she calmed down and filled herself in the news and gossip she's missed out on. 

"This is the best time of the day," She told herself as she read the texts she'd received today. 

The conversation seemed like it had no end to it, so Kavya skimmed it until she saw herself tagged. 

To say that she thought about it would be an understatement. Kavya had no clue for how long she sat there thinking about the road trip before the notification of the email brought her back. She slapped her face a few times to prepare herself for all the work she had to finish.

The entirety of the next 4 hours was spent in Kavya carefully noting down every single detail and making the necessary changes. And soon enough it was 3 am and she was finally done with both the cover design and the character designs. Throughout these 4 hours, however, the only thing on her mind was that road trip idea her friends were talking about.

So she made up her mind. Kavya quickly emailed the corrections she'd made in both the documents. And dialled Maya's number.

"Heyy, Maya? Remember that vacation you were talking about? I'm going to take it."

[sethrine-writes]

I Will Fight This War For You (Hold On), Ch. 3

Pairing:  Connor x  Female Reader

Words:  4387

Chapter Warning:  Crime Scene, Minor Character Death, Minor Character Injury, Mild Angst

Story Summary: “Our choices define us. Don’t let them tear you in two.”

Your investigation into the string of deaths of both humans and androids takes a drastic turn when a victim is purposely left alive. The killer’s intent is the same, to prove a point you have yet to figure out. The change, however, is the power of choice.

Stress and exhaustion lead you astray as you and Connor are both thrust into a war between the mind and the heart. You can only hope everyone involved makes it out alive.

IMPORTANT A/N:   This is a repost of a DBH fic I started over a year ago in response to a challenge a friend of mine posted up, at the time. I’ve also gone through and edited/cleaned up each chapter for a better reading experience! I’ll be posting a chapter or two every day until I’ve posted all current chapters, and then I’ll be updating with a brand new chapter for the first time in nearly a year!

Inspired by the song Torn In Two by Breaking Benjamin.

------

Chapter 3 - Embrace the Life of Tragedy

Connor had insisted he drive to the scene with the promise of stopping once more by your favorite coffee shop for actual coffee. He wasn’t surprised that you had taken the offer; you would have let him drive, regardless, but a little extra incentive only ensured any bullheadedness on your part wouldn’t dissuade you.

He was even less surprised to find that you had promptly fallen asleep as soon as you had gotten comfortable, head leaned against the seat belt holding you in place and hands limply folded in your lap as you snored lightly.

A deep frown etched its way across his face with each worried glance he took.

He couldn’t help but fret over your clear exhaustion and how it was affecting you. You had been avoiding the issue for some time, roughly a week, and each day without proper rest only left you drained, slow, and even harder to reason with. Stubbornness was a natural trait, but your complete lack of self-care and any attempts at others helping you being met with full-force resistance was becoming a problem that was difficult to work around.

The investigation was eating away at you, consuming you so completely that it was taking away your sleep, stressing you to the max. At the rate you were going, if Connor couldn’t figure out a way to get you to at least take a full day of rest, it was only a matter of time before your body shut itself down.

Whether you realized it or not, you were on the fast track of killing yourself in a slow, agonizing way.

His grip tightened against the wheel, jaw clenching as he willed the thought away. It was too distracting, too extreme of a notion for him to brood about on top of everything else going on. There was no time for what-ifs, especially when there was a crime scene awaiting their presence, a full-on investigation waiting for them to solve.

Connor sighed, if only to feel the motion and release the tension in his shoulders.

In truth, thinking that way made him feel something he couldn’t describe completely, only knowing that it was an ache that almost felt physical, crushing and deep. The longer he thought about it, the more it made a sense of panic rise within him, a restless fear making itself known and becoming stronger the longer his mind reeled.

To lose you to something so trivial, to something that could easily be prevented-

To lose you-

Flashing lights pulled him out of his thoughts, the multiple police cars coming into view a sign that he had arrived at the correct destination without even realizing it. He parked near the curb just ahead of the other vehicles, hand reaching for the key and hesitating.

He looked over to your sleeping form, watched as your chest slowly lifted and fell with your deep, even breaths. In total, the car ride hadn’t been any longer than fifteen minutes, not nearly enough time for you to even enter a steady REM sleep. If anything, waking you would do nothing but progress your stress level, of which was much, much too high, already. Had you not been the resilient sort, you would have surely already crumbled. It was a wonder how you kept yourself going.

Leaving you in the car wasn’t an option, unfortunately, not one that would end well, should you miss out on key details with your own eyes. Though he would much rather you be mad at him for letting you sleep, he knew how important this whole thing was to you, could see just how tirelessly you were working to ensure no detail was missed, neglecting your own health in favor of upturning every stone for any sliver of information that would help solve the investigation.

It almost pained him to completely turn off the car and reach for you, shaking you gently by the shoulder. There was barely a moment of contact before you were breathing in suddenly and popping up, eyes blearily looking around before you reached up to aggressively rub at them to clear your sight. Anxious, even in sleep, enough that any slight touch easily pulled you back to the waking world.

“We here?” you asked, words slightly raspy from your short slumber.

“Yes, we just arrived,” he answered softly, earning a sleepy grin. He returned the gesture, but if his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes, you couldn’t seem to tell.

“Thanks for driving, Connor. Not sure if I would’ve been able to focus completely. My eyes have been so weird, lately.”

“Of course, it was no trouble,” he answered.

“Let's get this over with, shall we?”

Connor watched as you unbuckled and reached for the door handle before stepping out, frowning once more at your resilient, stubborn nature.

The coffee he had promised you, or lack thereof, hadn’t been mentioned, and Connor wasn’t sure if he was more relieved or concerned at the realization.

---

“Hey, Stella,” you greeted the officer standing by with a strained grin, tired eyes taking in the outside of the building you were called to.

It was a rundown complex, most likely having been in the works to become apartments, but it was apparent construction had ceased a long time ago, and what had already been built was left behind in favor of bigger projects in much more sustainable, profitable areas. It was definitely the perfect place to commit a murder; secluded, empty, and easily ignored by everyday travelers.

Stella greeted you both politely, giving a nod as incentive to move through the yellow holographic police line that barred the public, should there be any, from crossing into the scene of a crime. She was a sweet girl, kind almost to a fault, a bit stiff with her speech, but still one hell of a policewoman. After the revolution, she had been one of the first androids, outside of Connor, to be hired on at the DPD. It had taken several months of absolute garbage paperwork, but you, as well as a good percentage of the precinct, were happy to have her on board.

“He couldn’t have picked a better place to torture his victims,” you muttered, gaze roaming back to Stella. “Any recent details come up?”

“Only one victim has been found and identified as Braxton Hughes, age thirty-two, discovered by a squatter, who frequents the building, approximately one hour and forty-six minutes ago. I’ve heard nothing more regarding the scene.”

“Has Lieutenant Anderson arrived yet?” Connor asked, earning somewhat of a frown from Stella. That was never a good sign, especially from her, and it had you instantly anxious.

“Unfortunately, Lieutenant Anderson was on another call and has yet to arrive.”

“Are we the first detectives on the scene, then?” you questioned next, feeling your stomach twist unpleasantly at the hesitant shake of Stella's head.

“I’m afraid an attempt to contact you was…dismissed briefly by Captain Fowler in favor of allowing another able detective to take charge. I…I may have contacted Connor, regardless.”

At least you could count on Stella to keep you in the loop. But the way she was avoiding telling you who exactly was on the scene filled you with dread. You already knew, it was incredibly obvious, but you wanted to be sure. You wanted to be wrong.

“Who's in there, Stella?”

She hesitated again, lips parting, but voice unheard. She looked to you, then Connor, then looked straight ahead to avoid your intense stare.

“I believe he sent Detective Reed-"

“Son of a bitch,” you groused under your breath, rushing into the building as the feeling of dread and anger built within you. Connor muttered a curse behind you, his steps quick as he followed you down the long hallway toward the scene of the crime.

“Wait!”

He reached out and tried to slow you down, restrain you with a grip on your arm, but you pulled away quickly and stepped beyond the second to last entrance on the left where yet another officer was on stand-by. Connor made no other move to stop you this time, but remained close, knowing that there was a possibility things could go bad.

Your eyes roamed over the scene, picking up bits and pieces that had a very similar look to the previous case that Anthony was involved in. Your focus, however, directed itself to the crouched detective in front of the dead victim bound to a chair. Your anger simmered to the surface as you stomped toward your target.

“Gavin!”

You were inwardly pleased to see the mouthy detective jump up from his crouch, looking momentarily bewildered. That was before his expression smoothly transitioned into a smirk, gloved hands folding across his chest. You hated that such a simple look had you practically seething.

“Well, well, well, look who showed up! I gotta say, I thought you had more exciting things on your agenda, since you weren’t here, and all.”

He was baiting you, as he always did. It was as if Gavin never fully enjoyed himself unless he was pissing off others in some way. You ignored his half-assed attempt of riling you up for the time being in favor of getting straight to the point.

“What the hell are you doing here, Reed? This isn’t your investigation, last time I checked, and you damn well know it.”

“Calm down,” he drawled, unfazed by your outburst, “I was the only one available when the call came in. Can’t get pissy if no one else on your team was around to do the job.”

“How did anyone know I wasn’t available if I never got the call, huh? Connor didn’t even get a call, not until your trigger-happy ass was already on scene, apparently.”

“Last I heard, you and your boy toy were supposed to be running around with plastic dignitaries all day,” Gavin mocked, eyes narrowed in distaste. You glared right back with equal disgust at his words, forgetting you were supposed to be taking the high road. It wasn’t professional in the least, fighting over the corpse of a man who, most likely, didn’t deserve to die, but you couldn't…wouldn't…back down, not when you had done so every time before.

Gavin had given you more than enough reason in the past to fight against him, and you didn't, finding that you had far better things to do than take the bait he so flauntingly held before you. Your job was more important than petty arguments and one-sided rivalries. This time, however, you were just tired enough to not give a damn; to hell with the consequences!

“So, you suggested to Fowler to let you on site of a case pertaining to my investigation instead of even attempting to contact me, is that it?”

“Well, while you’re out playing around, some of us are actually trying to solve murder cases. You know, saving lives, and all?”

“Like you really care,” you spat, fingers curling against your palm, your insides trembling with the need for action. “You’re only interested in gaining approval through backhanded means! Can’t be bothered with petty crimes, don’t care if you have to undermine others, so long as you’re up Fowler’s ass and getting all the recognition you don’t deserve!”

Gavin scoffed, and rolled his eyes, your fists shaking at your sides. You were hardly aware of the other people in the room, several officers taking cautious interest at your heated exchange, Connor immediately behind you as you stepped closer, all waiting for something more to happen. It had been a long time coming, and your usually squashed down frustration and contempt were beginning to completely override your system.

“That's real rich, coming from you,” Gavin egged on, unaware -possibly uncaring- of the tight rope he was walking. “You think you’re some special snowflake because you had a hand in this android-revolt shit. And now what? You play secretary for a bunch of tin cans, as if what you do even matters! Bet it really bothers you, knowing that you’re only something because a couple of plastic pricks figured out how to use you like the puppet you are-"

You didn’t bother listening to the rest of what Gavin had to say. As it was, you barely had control of your own actions; your fist was already flying through the air before you registered you were even moving, and it wasn’t until the satisfying feeling of your knuckles slamming home into Gavin's face that you realized Connor had called your name in an attempt to stop you.

All at once, people were in a frenzy to quell the confrontation. Connor had immediately wrapped his arms around you as you struggled against him, all practical sense gone in favor of wanting to get at Gavin, to direct your overflowing rage onto him. Several officers had stepped between you and Gavin as he made a ruckus, cursing and holding the side of his face with anger.

“Get her the fuck out of here!”

Connor had already begun backing out of the room, ensuring the officers watching that he would be able to handle you, even as you fought him with flailing limbs and sharp words.

“Let me go, Connor! Let me fucking go!” you shouted, attempting to lunge out of his arms with sharp, thrashing movements. His grip on you was firm, however, and within seconds, he had you halfway back down the hall as you shouted and continued to fight his grasp.

“Calm down! This isn’t like you, at all!”

Connor’s loud, deep voice registered through your haze of infuriation, and almost as quickly as you had lashed out, you were still in his arms. Your breaths were ragged and deep, brows furrowing in mild confusion at your own actions.

What in the world had you done?

“I don't…I don’t know what came over me,” you rasped, legs shaking as the adrenaline from your encounter with Gavin began to dissipate rapidly. You could feel Connor’s hold relax around your body, though his arms remained holding you for the time being, afraid that you might make a run for Gavin, should he let go.

“You lost control, in there,” he said, not meaning for his words to come out in such an admonishing tone. If anything, he was more shocked that you had acted out in such a way, especially since you were easily able to deflect Gavin's usual mocking and snide comments. “What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know…I wasn’t,” you said quietly, voice sounding small, even in your own ringing ears. With the adrenaline having run its course, you could feel the heated sting of your hand where you had punched Gavin, the knuckles swollen and red. There were a lot of things you could feel without the numbing rush of contempt clouding your judgement, such as the prominent burn in your dry, tired eyes, the pounding ache in your skull, the building churn of your stomach climbing higher and higher-

“Connor, let me…I think I’m gonna be sick.”

Connor released you at the first weak pull against his arms, and you immediately rushed toward the exit, only making it as far as the steps leading to the second story before the meager contents of your stomach were suddenly on the floor. You sucked in air sharply, spitting the bile from your mouth as you attempted to keep any dry heaving at bay with careful breaths. The gentle pressure of a hand at your back almost startled you, causing you to tremble and let out a soft noise of distress.

“You're ill,” Connor stated, large brown eyes studying you carefully, analyzing.

“I'm alright,” you assured, spitting one last time and taking in a deep, steadying breath. There was the barest pain in your stomach, and you cursed yourself for jinxing the idea of an ulcer earlier at the park. It was more a probability, ironic as it was, and getting so worked up was only going to exacerbate the issue.

“You are not alright,” Conner countered, eyes narrowing as his voice slowly gained traction. “Your stress level has been at a near-constant ninety-three percent all week, well above average, and definitely above the safe range. You’re not sleeping; you’re actively avoiding sleep, with highly increased intake of caffeine-"

“Connor,” you called out quietly, though he seemed to not have heard you as he continued his rant, voice escalating in volume and his L.E.D. spinning yellow.

“-have you even eaten anything substantial, recently? Have you done anything for yourself that didn’t revolve around this investigation? Your vitals are in a constant state of fluctuation that isn’t remotely healthy for a woman your age-"

“I get it, Connor, I do-"

“No, you don't!” he shouted suddenly, hands coming up to grasp at your upper arms. His grip was tight, almost desperate, and his eyes were alight with panic as he crowded your space.

“You can’t possibly understand that what you're doing is killing you, and I can't allow…I can't….”

Connor's voice wavered until he became quiet, blinking rapidly as he came back to himself. The panic was replaced by concern and guilt, his eyes roving over your trembling form before quickly letting go of you. He took two steps back, giving you space as he looked to his outstretched hands, the guilt becoming more prominent the longer he gazed at his palms.

“I'm sorry, I…I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that,” he murmured, meeting your wide eyes as you continued to stare at him.

It was your turn to be shocked at Connor's outburst. Since knowing him, you had only ever seen him this worked up when trying to deny his deviancy. Since fully accepting the notion, he had eased into understanding his emotions with careful consideration, explored what he was feeling when appropriate and asking questions when able.

For the first time, Connor had lost control, and it was so unbelievably human of him that it left you speechless.

The silence between you was deafening and heavy. You were both conflicted, unable to decide the next course of action.

 “H-hElP….”

Your gaze shifted to the side, head turning at the quiet voice that sounded in your ear, almost too quiet to pick up on, and yet, you still heard it. Maybe…maybe Connor was right to lash out like he had. Maybe you were starting to hallucinate, hearing things in your sleep-deprived state, like weird, static-filled voices calling out for-

 “Help, someone…pl-pLeAsE….”

You turned to look at Connor, who had also turned toward the voice. His gaze fell back on you, expression changing from surprised to serious within seconds.

“Did you-?”

“Get behind me,” he ordered, reaching for the gun he kept holstered and hidden along his torso and aiming it before him. All previous apprehension was forgotten as the situation changed drastically, mind easily slipping into work mode.

You followed behind Connor as he moved forward, reaching for your own gun you kept holstered at your belt…only to curse at realizing you had left the damn thing in the glove compartment of your car, like a novice. You were definitely suffering from your inability to slow down on the case if you were forgetting something as vital as your gun. At least Connor was always prepared.

He led the way into the room straight across from the stairs, the door having long been pulled from the hinges. From what you could initially see in the dark, the area looked absolutely wrecked, the floor above having somewhat collapsed to leave behind piles of debris across the floor. Connor slowly maneuvered through the mess of wood, concrete, and sheetrock without any hindrance from the surrounding darkness, gaze alert for any possible signs of movement as you trailed a bit behind, fumbling into your coat pocket for your cell phone.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” you called out, turning on the flashlight setting to better see in front of you. “We’re with Detroit Police. If you can hear me, please say something.”

There was a moment of tense quiet before a voice, warbling with static interference, spoke once more, sounding off from your right.

“Please…pLeAsE hElP us!”

Connor cursed as you darted toward the voices without hesitation, calling out to you as you ducked under some shifty looking debris that immediately crumbled after you pushed through it. You let out a surprised shout, coughing a bit at the rise of dust and almost blanching as your stomach turned in warning. There was no time for that, not when someone was in need of your help.

“Damnit! Are you alright?” Connor shouted, fear lacing his voice as he attempted to find another route into the room you had inadvertently found yourself in.

“I'm fine, I'm good,” you answered, hoping that it eased him somewhat.

You straightened and steadied your phone before you, sweeping the light shining from it slowly through the area with bated breath. It was as you passed a particularly large mess of material that you noticed the slightest movement. You paused, wiping at your eyes to make sure it wasn’t a trick of the mind, but the movement continued. It was a hand, waving slowly in the air before disappearing behind what looked like a large metal support beam.

“Connor, I found someone,” you shouted abruptly, rushing forward and falling to your knees as you came upon not one, but two people hiding amongst the destruction. There was a woman, unconscious with an unhealthy pallor, who was being held protectively close within the embrace of an android, if the blue blood coming from his nose was any indication. He looked startled, a little beat up, as one of his arms looked busted and limp at his side.

He…he was the same model as Josh. It made your heart lurch within your chest.

“Shit, I need paramedics in here!”

“Stella is alerting them, now. They’ll be in momentarily,” you heard Connor grunt out, the sound of shifting rubble indicating he was ensuring a clear path to your location.

With a steadying breath, you leaned in closer and began to assess the damages carefully, watching as a dark arm trembled around the woman, most likely in fear. You hoped you could at least calm him in some way, placing a soothing hand against his tense forearm while speaking clearly, calmly.

“My name is Detective (Y/n) (L/n); I'm with the Detroit Police Department. Can you tell me your name?”

“WiLl,” was warbled out in answer, his vocal module most likely having been damaged in some way. “Please, h-hElP her.”

“I’ve got paramedics coming in, they're right outside,” you comforted him, already hearing the rushed approach of footsteps as Connor directed them in through the initial entrance.

You reached forward to take hold of the woman's slack arm with careful movements, letting Will know your intent was to check her pulse. You were immediately aware of the heat coming off her skin as well as her strangely slowed heart rate, how she felt clammy to the touch despite the ice cold of winter. You turned her arm in your grasp, noting the dark, prominent map of her veins branching up from her wrist in a macabre display.

Just like the previous victims.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“He…he took us. KiDnApPeD us. Don’t…don’t know why. He poisoned hEr WiTh blue blood. She sUfFeReD. Had to…get her to sAfEtY. Please, she's dying!”

“Help is here, it's here,” you assured, turning as the illumination of flashlights appeared and came closer. You turned back to Will, finding him in utter relief as one of the paramedics came up beside you on the right, gloved hands reaching out toward the unconscious woman while simultaneously attempting to ease any worries the android may have had.

“Please check Detective (L/n) for any sustained injuries,” Connor spoke up suddenly from your left. You looked to him with confusion, halting one of the paramedics who had begun to look you over, as requested.

“Connor, I'm fine,” you emphasized, though the look he was giving you brought you back several minutes ago to the stairwell, how he had acted out without thought because he was scared-

“You…!”

Turning abruptly, your attention was taken by Will’s intense expression. His eyes were wide as he looked up directly at Connor, his arm squeezing tightly around the woman as a blinding rage took hold of him.

“You tried to kiLl HeR! You won't get to her, again! You won't ToUcH her!”

All at once, time seemed to slow right before your eyes as Will lifted the seemingly limp hand at his side, a gun firmly grasped within it.

Had you a moment to think, you would have surely gone about a different way of redirecting his shot. As it was, you were running on autopilot, hands coming up to grab his wrist as you forced yourself between the weapon and his intended target. There was a sharp click, several shouts of surprise, and for two heart-stopping seconds, you were sure you were dead.

“Detective!”

You looked down with impossibly wide eyes, finding Will's finger pulled tight against the trigger. The gun had gone off without a hitch, but there was no bullet to be shot. The clip was apparently completely empty. Will hadn’t anticipated an empty clip, nor had he anticipated you jumping in front of him. He had acted upon instinct, apparently seeing a threat and attempting to protect the woman in his arms.

“I..I didn't mean to-"

“I think I'll take this, now,” you rasped with an outward rush of air, gently pulling at the gun. Will’s grip released immediately as you took hold of the weapon with shaking hands, moving away as both the paramedics and Stella took over the scene.

Your eyes lingered on the gun in your hands, body letting go of a breath you hadn’t realized you'd been holding. You looked up to your left, finding absolutely terrified brown eyes gazing back at you. Realization hit you like a bag of bricks, so sudden and alarming that you nearly felt your heart stutter in your chest.

The investigation had suddenly taken its biggest turn, yet.

“Connor,” you said slowly, voice low and stuttering slightly. “I think…I think we might know who we're looking for.”

[fandom-imagines-stories]

She Was My Hope  Chapter 8

Cassian Andor x OC

Words: 1520

Series Masterlist

Summary: Reina’s new discovery leads her to make a grave mistake. 

Notes: I know, I know, I’m a bad fanfic parent. Picking this story back up has made me so happy and I really hope you guys enjoy it. 

-

The two men took off running but Reina stood her ground. Nira smirked and raised her blaster. 

“Reina!” Cassian cried, turning back. Han grabbed his arm. 

“Wait.” They watched as Reina slowly raised the lightsaber as a confident smile spread across her face. Nira’s men rushed towards her, each struck down faster than the one before. Chewie and K2 rushed off to prepare the ships for escape as Han and Cassian watched Reina in awe. The ship jerked, being pulled into the grasp of an Empire ship and Nira laughed. 

“There’s nowhere to run, rebel scum.” Nira’s eyes shot down to Reina’s shoulder, seeing the brand masked under her tattoo. “Or should I say, slave scum?” Reina felt the rage coursing through her. She raised her hand, picturing Nira flying back into her gang of goons. But nothing happened. She used every bit of anger she had and still, Nira stood with a sneer on her face. 

“Too easy.” She snickered maliciously. Nira smiled cruelly and fired, purposely missing Reina’s head. Reina watched as the blast ripped through Cassian’s shoulder. 

“No!” She cried, watching him fall back, Han grabbing him before he could hit the ground. 

“I think now would be a good time to leave, Reina!” He shouted, dragging the wounded Cassian backward into the hangar. Reina traded her lightsaber for her more trusted blaster and fired wildly into the crowd of Nira’s henchmen, dodging their shots as she ran. 

“Han!” She screamed.” Get K-2 to override the doors!” Even from her distance, she could see the droid hacking into the controls. “Close them! She ordered. 

She was yanked backward by Nira, who landed a punch to her stomach. 

“The Besai’s have a pretty price on your head.” She spat. “It’s time you went back to being Zane’s bitch.” The doors were nearly sealed. Reina was running out of time.

“Never.” She growled, firing her blastor into Nira’s chest and watched her body slump over. She pushed the corpse off of her and slid under the closing door just in time for it to lock. 

“They’ve already started to disassemble your ship, so we’re going to have to take mine,” Han called out. Cassian groaned in pain as he was dragged towards the large metal ship. It wasn’t ideal, but it was all they had. 

“We need to get out of here before-” Cassian winced, unable to speak. Reina took his face in her hands, tears of guilt welling in her eyes. 

“I’m so sorry.” It was her fault. She had gotten cocky and Nira punished him instead. Cassian, seeing the distress in her face, mustered a smile. 

“I’ve had worse.” Reina helped him onto Han’s ship and the door began to close. Chewie yelped as Han flipped switches and slammed buttons in the cockpit. 

“I’m going, I’m going!” The stressed smuggler yelled back.

“Reina!” A new, yet horrifyingly familiar, voice cut through the chaos, silencing everything else to Reina’s mind. 

“No.” She whimpered, turning to the closing ship door. Zane stood at the door of the hangar bay, his eyes red with determined fury. 

“What is it?” Cassian asked pulling himself up just in time to see the man greedily reaching out as the door closed. Han took off, barely able to keep the ship from getting pulled in as well. “Reina?” Cassian’s voice seemed far away, drowned out by the jeers and cruel laughter. 

Her breathing became rapid and her body moved without her. She lifted Cassian, draping his good arm over her shoulder and taking him into the larger room of the ship. A voice that sounded like her own called for Chewie. When the Wookie joined her to help tend to Cassian’s wound, she felt the panic overtake her. She stumbled into the cockpit, choking on the air as she tried to breathe. 

“Hey, do me a favor and don’t throw up on the-” Han turned to look at her and his snarky tone turned to sincere. “Are you okay?” Reina looked back at him with the eyes of a frightened child. 

“He was there.” She finally gasped. Han turned the ship to autopilot and crossed the cockpit as she slunk to the floor. 

“Take it, easy kid.” He knelt and reached out to touch her shoulder, but thought better of it. He’d seen old fighters have attacks like this at some of the bars he frequented. When the memories were too much. “Try and take deep breaths. What happened back there?” Han had been too busy preparing the ship, he didn’t see the eldest Besai son viciously stalking his prey as she escaped. 

Reina calmed herself down enough to catch her breath. She hadn’t had a panic attack like that in years. When she allowed herself to feel happiness with Cassian, she didn’t realize that the other feelings would break out of their numb, suppressed state. 

“Zane.” She spat, the name venom on her tongue. Han nodded in understanding. While conventional comfort was far from his forte, there was one thing he was very familiar with. 

“Do you want a drink?” 

-

Ignoring the advice of his droid and whining Wookie, Cassian stood and walked about the ship until he found Reina sitting with Han in the cockpit. Compared to earlier, Reina’s behavior had changed completely. She was bright and… giggling?

“Cassian!” She exclaimed, tripping on her own feet as she stumbled towards him. He caught her before she could go too far, making a pained moan as her impact hit his shoulder. “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for ages.” Her words were breathy and slurred. Cassian gave Han a furious glare. 

“What did you do to her?” He held her up with one arm, taking in the heavy scent of alcohol on her breath. 

“You know,” She gulped. “I haven’t had Ardees since I broke into Varan’s stores when I was fifteen.” Reina snickered, pushing away from Cassian and leaning against the wall. “He chained me to the courtyard wall for five days. Can you believe that? Five days!” She continued to laugh and Cassian’s expression grew darker. 

“She was upset, so I offered her a drink.” Han shrugged. “She’s been through a lot.” 

“And getting her drunk erases that?” Cassian shouted. 

“No, but it helps to forget,” Reina said somberly, her previous giddiness fading slightly. “At least for a little while.” She lifted the flask, offering it to him. 

“Come on, Andor.” Han chuckled. “We won’t reach the next port for at least a few hours. Sit down and have a drink.” Cassian looked at Reina’s drunken smile and sighed, taking the flask from her. 

Chewie joined them and the four sat in the cockpit as Han told them stories of his smuggling adventures. As much as Cassian hated to admit it, it was actually kind of pleasant. It was almost as if they were a group of old friends, reminiscing about easier days when they had no worries or cares, even if they had. The worries and cares then seemed trivial now. But sitting there, listening to the charismatic- if not somewhat obnoxious- smuggler talk, Cassian took Reina’s hand and felt the first moment of calm since they had left Emre’s home. And he didn’t want to let go.  

-

“It was Zane,” Reina said suddenly as they laid down on old sheets rather than sleep on the cold metal floor. It was her idea that they try to rest before reaching the next port so they could regain their strength. “He was the man on the ship.” Cassian’s face contorted with a strange mixture of rage and concern. 

“How did he find you?” Reina shrugged. 

“Nira must have contacted the Besais when she called the Empire to come for you.” The two sat, Cassian groaning when he accidentally hit his shoulder. The sling on his arm made moving increasingly difficult. Reina felt another wave of guilt. “I should have known I wasn’t enough.” 

“Reina-” Cassian sighed. 

“I’m broken, Cassian.” Her voice was sad, but mostly, it held acceptance. “The Force would ever want me.” He put a hand over her heart, keeping his eyes locked on hers. 

“There’s something in you.” His voice was insistent and sincere. “Something special.” He wrapped his good arm around her waist and they leaned in, their lips moments away from- 

“Perhaps next time ‘Something Special” will be useful in preventing injury.” K2 mocked scornfully. “Like Cassian losing the use of his left arm.” Cassian tried to stand, scrap metal on his mind, but Reina held him back. 

“Leave him.” She placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “You need to rest.” As the two laid together, Cassian took a deep breath. 

“It’s been nearly four months since I found you.” His breath was warm on the back of her neck. 

“Four months of being free.” She added. Four months of Zane and Varan searching. A few more seconds in the hangar and she would be on Zane’s ship on the way back to Tatooine, alive or as a corpse. Perhaps her time of happiness, her time with Cassian, was running out.

Series Tags: @takemepedropascal​; @rae-gar-targaryen​ @lovingtheway​

[tisfan]

Don’t Let Go

Square: B5 - Thriller Contributors: @27dragons and @tisfan Title: Don’t Let Go: Chapter One Warning: kidnapping Rating: teen Characters: Tony Stark, Bucky Barnes, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers Tags: thriller, kidnapping, team fic, torture, hurt/comfort Summary: Bucky does not like this plan. He’s been following Steve Rogers around for the better part of a century, and he knows a bad plan when he sees one. Too bad they don’t have any other plans Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21522799/chapters/51303454 Word Count: 1,263 Posted for @winterironbingo 

“Did you get the codes?”

Natasha gave Clint the mother of all “Bitch, please” looks. “Of course I got the codes. There is, however... a small hiccup.”

“Hiccup,” Steve repeated. “What kind of hiccup?”

She smiled at him winningly, and that was when Tony knew they were fucked. “They’ve moved bases,” she said. “My target did not know the location of the new base.”

“So we’ll just track ‘em down again,” Clint said.

“No, birdbrain,” Tony said. “It took us three weeks to find the first base -- and somehow, we tipped them off, because they moved. There’s no way we’re going to find the new place before the codes expire.”

Natasha nodded. “Three days is all we have,” she said. She cocked her head at Tony. “How long would it take you to create a tracker, undetectable by currently known methods?”

He considered it. “Twenty-four hours. Maybe eighteen, if Bruce is willing to lend a hand.” He scooted closer to Bruce and flipped a workscreen out of his phone, started sketching designs. Bruce leaned in to poke at it, starting a running column of calculations down one side.

“You have a plan?” Steve asked Natasha.

“Perhaps,” she said.

“You got somethin’ that’ll make this go our way for a change,” Bucky put in, “let’s hear it.”

“They are scavengers,” Natasha pointed out. “Stealing and recycling and repurposing others’ tech.”

“Yes,” Thor agreed. “Clever enough to re-engineer, but not quite enough to create their own designs.”

Natasha nodded. “We do have some very... unique tech,” she pointed out, “right here at this table.”

Everything went quiet, and Tony looked up. Half the table was looking straight at him. The other half was staring at Bucky. Natasha was looking down at her hands, spread flat on the table.

The whole team was decked out with technological toys of one sort or another, but these guys wouldn’t be interested in anything so trivial. Or impossible to reverse-engineer, like Steve’s shield or Thor’s hammer. Bucky’s arm, however, was a marvel of engineering. As was Tony’s arc reactor.

“Well,” Tony murmured, “let’s hear it for Team Nonconsensual Body Modifications.”

"I've got this," Bucky said. "We need you available, in case shit goes south. And when don't it?"

Bucky was scowling, giving Nat the full Winter Treatment. It worked about as well as it always did, which was to say not at all. 

She just nodded. “If we had a week to set it up, that would be the best route,” she agreed. “If only because you can live without your arm, if it comes to that. Tony’s lifespan without the arc reactor is... significantly shorter.” She sighed. “But to get them to be careless enough to move before the codes expire...”

“It’s going to have to be both of them,” Clint summarized.

"No, this is a bad plan, Nat," Bucky repeated. "And I know bad plans. I been friends with Steve for over a hundred years, after all."

Steve elbowed Bucky in protest, but it didn’t look like it had much heart behind it.

“This will work,” Natasha said. “We dangle you two as bait and let them kidnap you. Follow the tracker to the new hideout. Clint and I go for the data, and as soon as we’re clear, Steve, Thor, and Hulk can break them out.

“And if they don’t take the bait?” Bruce wondered.

“Then we’re no worse off than we were three weeks ago,” Natasha said.

"Tony," Bucky turned on him, not with the murder stare, but infinitely worse, those wide, pleading eyes. "I don't like this plan."

“It’s not my favorite op we’ve run this year, either, snowflake,” Tony admitted, “but it’ll probably work. Relax. I’ve been kidnapped so many times I could probably sleepwalk through it. It’ll be fine.”

There went the murder scowl. "Not reassuring."

“You have a better idea?” Clint challenged.

The murder scowl only got darker.

“Right,” Tony said. “If I’m going to be trusting our lives to this tracker, I’d better make sure it’s perfect. Bruce? Care to step into my laboratory?”

Bruce agreed, amiable as ever. 

As Tony was leaving the Operations Room, Cap patted Bucky on the shoulder. "It should only be a few hours, pal," he said, bracingly.

Tony prayed that would be true. Whatever tentative... thing had been building between them, the last few weeks, it didn’t need to be rocked off-center by the stress of kidnapping and imprisonment.

He would just have to make sure this tracker worked perfectly.

***

Bucky was beginning to think that they weren’t doing a very good job as bait; that somehow, the scavengers knew something was amiss. Because he and Tony had been left entirely alone for almost a day and a half. If they didn’t jump soon -- and it annoyed Bucky that they didn’t even have a name for the Assholes of the Week -- the Avengers were going to have to start all over again.

Which had the advantage of, at least Tony wouldn’t have to get kidnapped. Again. His blase attitude toward being abducted and probably tortured, possibly killed, was getting on Bucky’s very last nerve.

“You’re looking particularly murder-y,” Tony observed. “Also, stop checking the exits. They are not going to close in if they can see you’re being hypervigilant.”

“This is normal amounts of vigilant,” Bucky complained. “You’ll know, trust me, if I become hyper-anything.”

“Is that a promise?” Tony shot back, more out of reflex than because he was actually feeling flirtatious. “Look, I know, it physically pains me to be acting this stupid, but they need to feel confident. Pretend there’s a message encoded in the print on the table or something.”

“You want them to think I ain’t paying attention, that they can get confident?” Bucky demanded, like it was a threat. 

“Yes,” Tony said. “You’re terrifying; they’re not going to grab us unless they think they’ll be able to get away with it.”

Terrifying? Bucky sighed inwardly. It was damn hard to romance a fella with a fifty year age gap, he didn’t need to be scary, on top of that. “Right, great, fantastic,” Bucky muttered. “Right. Uh, don’t struggle.”

“Don’t wha--”

And before Tony could get much more out of his mouth than the beginning of a question, Bucky stuck something in it. Specifically, Bucky’s tongue. He put one hand on the wall behind Tony’s head, grabbed his chin, and laid one on him. 

Kissing was very distracting.

Tony went completely still for a couple of seconds, and then made a soft, hungry sound in the back of his throat and he was kissing Bucky back. One hand was fisted in Bucky’s shirt, the other curled around the nape of Bucky’s neck, fingers working their way up into Bucky’s hair. His mouth went loose and pliant, letting Bucky in, and his tongue teased at Bucky’s, nimble and warm and soft.

It wasn’t quite distracting enough that Bucky didn’t notice the goons -- he felt their footsteps on the floor, heard their breathing, smelled their cheap soap and terrible laundry detergent. Which was probably good, because it let him pull back just a little.

So Tony’s tongue wasn’t still in his mouth when they tasered him.

“Shit!” Tony whipped around, hand coming up defensively, a gauntlet sliding over his palm. But then the little dart sticking out of the side of Tony’s neck did its work. Bucky had a fine view, from where he was twitching helplessly on the floor, of Tony’s eyes rolling back in his head as he fell, limp as a ragdoll. 

[x-silver-x]

Coffee Shop - Seonghwa x Reader x Wooyoung

Seonghwa x Reader x Wooyoung Angst and fluff (?) 1.5K words Y/N - Your name F/C/S - Favourite coffee shop F/T/C - Favourite type of coffee F/K/C - Favourite kind of cake

Masterlist ——————— Y/N was on her way to F/C/S. She went there so often that the baristas knew her order off by heart now, and if there was a ‘Regular of the Month’ award, she would definitely win it each and every month. She loved that place, the peaceful atmosphere, the comfy seats, the scrumptious treats, and of course the exquisite coffee. In her opinion the coffee shop had the best coffee in the entire country. Everyone always flocked to more popular places, like Starbucks or Costa, but to her this place was special. This was also the place where she fell in love. Twice. [One year ago...]

His name was Seonghwa, he was a regular, just like her. He had a charming smile decorated with a black lip piercing, ghost-like skin, piercing icy blue eyes and bleached hair with dark roots barely starting to show.

Usually, when he arrived she was on her way out. They would see each other for a few short moments in the doorway and that was it.

One day when Y/N was on her way to the shop he boss called her and told her that there wasn’t that much work to do so she could have the day off is she wanted. Of course she agreed; it was a day off, who wouldn’t want one?

‘Should I order a slice of cake with my coffee? Hell yeah! I have my first day off in months, this deserves to be celebrated.’

Y/N walked up to the counter and ordered F/T/C and a slice of F/K/C.

“Cake? Y/N you never buy cake. Is it for some kind of occasion? A birthday? Anniversary?” Minseok, a barista that Y/N managed to befriend a while back, questioned.

“Why are you interrogating me?” She laughed, “My boss decided to give me a day off due to lack of work so naturally, I must celebrate.” She smiled slightly tilting her head upwards.

“Ugh luckyyy!” Minseok whined. “If only my boss was like that!” He pouted then nervously looked around to see if his boss heard what he just said.

“I thought that making coffee was your passion?” Y/N raised an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah, but-” The ding of the coffee machine interrupted him. He poured the hot liquid into an elegant black cup and added some cream (ignore if you don’t like cream if your coffee). “Here you go ma’am!” He joked and passed Y/N the steaming cup with a small slice of cake next to it.

“Why thank you, good sir.” Y/N grinned in return.

She sat down at a table next to the window and began mindlessly watching the people go by while taking small sips of her drink every now and then and nibbling on her cake. This was her time to relax, no need to rush or stress about anything trivial. Just relax.

“Excuse me miss, is this seat taken?” A deep voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“Hmm?” She looked up to see the one and only Seonghwa. “I- uh- no. T-The seat’s not taken.” She stuttered out. Y/N never saw someone so beautiful, sure, she saw attractive people before but she never was so affected by someone’s looks before.

“Then it’s alright if I sit here, yeah?” He asked.

“Uh... Yeah, sure.”

From then on, the two would always meet up in the café and then go to the park, or to the movies, or the beach. However, these little dates were happening less and less as time went on and the love was starting to get one-sided.

[Time skip]

When the time came for the couples’ one-year anniversary, Y/N wanted to do something special. She asked Minseok if he could order a cake to the coffee shop with ‘Happy Anniversary’ written on it. When he agreed, she called Seonghwa to meet her in the coffee shop on Saturday 14th at 6pm. She wanted everything to be perfect, maybe, just maybe, this would re-ignite their love, she really loved him and was hoping to spend the rest of her life with him.

[Time skip 2.0]

Saturday 14th rolled around quickly. Y/N put on a beautiful navy dress, curled her hair, and put on some light makeup. She arrived a little earlier to make sure everything was okay.

“Okay, so when do I come in with the cake?” Minseok double-checked.

“Umm... I’ll show you a sign; maybe when I fix my hair?”

“Bad idea. You fix your hair too often. Just like, look over of something?”

“Okay, I’ll give to ‘the look’.” She said staring intensely into his eyes for a brief second before the two burst out laughing.

“I still can’t believe you guys lasted that long! A year is a pretty long time.” Minseok said after calming down a little.

“What is that supposed to say?” Y/N questioned.

“I- uh- nothing! Forget about what I said...” He panicked.

“Minseok-”

The doorbell sounded. Y/N ignored it since she was busy staring Minseok down, hoping he’d elaborate on what he said.

“Y/N... You might want to turn around...”

Reluctantly, she did. Her boyfriend, Seonghwa, the man she loved was guiding an unknown girl to

their

spot in the café, the exact place where they had their first real conversation, and where they later fell in love. They were smiling and laughing, they looked happy and in love. Y/N’s heart was torn apart that very moment. She could not believe her eyes. Seonghwa not only forgot about their anniversary but he also brought another girl to their special spot in the café.

“That stupid son of a bitch!! I will spit into his coffee for the rest of my days! I’ll mess up his orders and no, I will NOT apologise! Even if I get kicked out!” Minseok threatened. “I’ll bring you some cake, okay? You don’t need to pay for your coffee for the rest of the month, it’s on me, alright?” He said to Y/N in a much softer tone.

“Thank you, Minseok” Y/N sniffled, “but you really don’t have to-”

“Hush now, child. This is the least I could do for you.”

Whilst Minseok was away getting the cake and serving new customers, and Y/N was wiping her tears with a napkin, a man who looked like he’s in his early twenties sat down in front of her.

“Hey, I overheard what happened, and that so-called ‘boyfriend’ of your’s really doesn’t deserve you. You know what he does deserve though? His coffee being spat into, just like that barista said.” Y/N chuckled lightly and the man smiled. “He’s the one with the lip piercing, right?” She nodded cautiously. The man stood up.

“Wait, what are you-”

SPLASH!

“DUDE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!” Y/N’s ‘boyfriend’ yelled.

“That’s what you get when you leave your girlfriend on your anniversary and then waltz in with another.”

“Excuse me? You’ve been dating another girl behind my back?!” A shrill voice cut through the now quiet coffee shop.

“Rebecca, it’s not what you think!”

“I won’t hesitate, bitch.” And with that, yet another drink went to waste. The girl stormed out and Seonghwa followed soon after, unable to stand such humiliation. The café went back to its busy self and the man returned to Y/N’s table.

“You really didn’t have to do that, you know...” Y/N looked up at the man, still dumbfounded at what just happened.

“You’re right, I didn’t, but I wanted to. That guy needs to learn that cheating and standing up such beautiful girls such as yourself is not okay. You’re too good for him.” Y/N blushed. Now that she thinks about it, Seonghwa rarely complemented her, if ever.

“Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Wooyoung.” He smiled and extended his hand towards Y/N.

“I’m Y/N.” She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, and thank you for what you did back there.” A genuine smile spread across her face.

“I’m back! Sorry for the wait but I got caught up with the orders, and then my boss scolded me for talking too much and not working enough, and then I heard screams and next think I see Seonghwa is walking out completely drenched.” Minseok rambled.

“Yeah, Wooyoung over here,” Y/N gestured “sacrificed his drink to humiliate Seonghwa and then his new (ex)girlfriend joined in.” She explained.

“You, my friend, are a legend! I’ll be back with a replacement for your drink and an extra slice of cake in just a few moments.” Minseok patted Wooyoung on the back and leaned down to whispers something to him. “Treat her right or else...” Then he departed once again.

“What did he say?” Y/N asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Wooyoung chuckled. “Will you do me the honour of letting me be your new date?”

“Hmm... I’ll think about it,” Wooyoung held his breath. “Of course I will! How could I say no?” He exhaled, relieved.

Y/N and Wooyoung chatted the rest of the night away, discussing a variety of different topics. She realised that she enjoyed Wooyoung’s company much more than Seonghwa’s. This was merely the beginning of a marvellous love story.

———————

Hello, it’s me again! I decided to post another one of my old fanfics from Amino on here. It went through a few changes here and there but is still the same overall. I would like to remind you guys that my requests are open so if you like my writing and would like to request a fanfic/scenario/imagine/other you can just message me and I’ll try to post it as soon as I can :) P.S Did you like the little vine reference I added? I just couldn’t help myself! 

[apathycarestostudy]

Hii awesomeness♡ I'm a med student. And its been a really tough year for me personally. On top of that im nearing my exams and i missed a couple of weeks due to illness and that stresses me outsomuch. Between shitty friends and recovering and now this overwhelming guilt and depression i just cant motivate myself n keep thinking i cant make it now anyway so whats the point. Im really sorry i didnt mean to unload this on you.. i just didn't know where to go im sorry to be a bother i really am:(

Hello sweets. If you wanna talk, I'm down anytime. Feel free to take that suggestion anytime (or not, it's all good).

Life is hard. I've always had a tendency to underestimate how bad it can really get, and when I'd fall flat on my face, I would just brush it off and say to myself: "Yeah, whatever, life hit me. Whoopty doo. Is that all you got life?" Thinking that that was it. I'd survived the fall, and now I could pick up from where I left off. But it's not about just surviving the fall –

It's about dealing with the consequences of a fall.

Here I was thinking since I'd made it, that it was a done deal, but then people would point out my battle scars, that those were clear signs that I can't do what I used to do as well as I used to do it, that I'm better off giving up entirely than wasting my time on fixing what was broken. And that's not even the real test yet. The real test is whether or not you're going to listen.

It doesn't have to be people, it can be your thoughts, society – it's just an ugly voice urging you to give up. Give up. How long can you be strong? That's your test. Will you listen and conform and melt into the crowd telling you how your life is and always will be, or will you take control of your own life and make it how you want it to be. You feel like you're already at the bottom, then there's no way to go but up, as cheesy as that sounds. One step forward is still one step further than you were.

I'm an engineering student, and I understand exactly what you're going through because of not just that, but the fact that my sister is a med student too. I see her ghosting by, trying to be nice to everyone so they'd treat her better, coming home after classes only to curl up on her bed and lie there, claiming she was tired and just needed a quick nap before she got to work, only to fall in and out of sleep, get up a once or twice to drink water and go to the washroom, and then curl back under the blankets again. This would continue all afternoon, all night, everyday. She'd sometimes walk up at three in the morning and give herself a pep talk to do her assignments and she'd get them done, but leave a little just so she could go back to class and have something to bond over (incomplete work, everyone rushing to get the answers) with her friends. When exam week rolled around, she'd cram for a second, get frustrated with how slow her progress was, then give up for a moment, saying exactly what you did: what's the point, I'm so behind. She'd get up after a few hours and try to cram again, but it was never good enough. She'd gone from a diligent, hard working student to a depressed mess trying to scrape by on the notion of passing is good enough. She was really stubborn too, so she'd always refuse my help, until we had a cry session together about life and promised we'd listen to each other more. Here comes what I suggested to her.

Drop your fears. Drop your thoughts. Drop everything that is not going to contribute to your goal, unless it's what fuels it. My anger at my morally rancid classmates looking at me like I'm the scum of the earth, talking about me just because I prefer to be quiet, to not go out and shit, that I'm not reactive at all, trying to sabotage any new friends I'd try to make – it fuels me. So if you're like that, hold onto it, kindle it, and blast it where it needs to be blasted. Now that we've removed or controlled our ugly thoughts, you pull out a piece of paper (or a phone for all you new school people ha) and list the days you have left from your exam. Let's say it's three. Now divide your workload amongst those three days, and do not give yourself more than what you can do. Let that be a guide for you.

What if you've got 1000 slides and two hours before an exam? This is where your judgement comes in. You go through it, ignoring what seems to be trivial information and memorizing the shit out of what seems to be important information. That may sound like a bad tip, but for where we are now, getting one question right in the exam is better that getting nothing right. And that's should be our mentality when we're severely behind.

If you have a guide, or a summary thingy your teacher has made, screw the 1000 slides – that's your saving grace. Memorize the bitch out of that bitch.

Again, I've told her that there's no point in worrying about how behind she was. This kinda goes hand in hand with the leaving your toxic shit at the door, but I thought it would be best to repeat it (since she kept asking). You're already behind. You're already doomed. Worrying and wallowing about it is going to accomplish less than not worrying and wallowing about it. Who do you think is going to soak the information better, someone who's flipping the pages with a concerned look, or a beast with a mission to learn one out of a hundred points? Stick to one thing, and beat it into to your bones. When you feel yourself slipping back to the wallowing, remind yourself that that's a second wasted.

Learn what you can. Do what you can. And after it's all over, do better. Be better. We got up from the fall, we wobbled out with our heads held high, now we need to brandish our faces. Accept your situation. Own your decisions. Stress does nothing for you, so why should you give it a voice?

I have just as much shit as my sister does, I say this because I kinda feel like I might've sounded a bit too righteous, but this Ted talk was getting long and I don't like to talk on situations I don't know fully. I hope this helps (or made you laugh, hopefully it didn't make it worse) or it at least showed you that it's not over yet. You can pm me anytime if you'd like – I made this blog to help myself help people, if that makes sense, so you dropping this in my inbox really made me warm. And then cold, because shit. I feel for you. Thank you for giving me a chance to say something to you, and I hope you not only get better and do better, but be better.

Ask box is open to answer questions and give study and adulting advice. May we all have our ducks in a line.

Posted: 20th Aug 2019

[onyour-right]

Change of Heart

Think Maxine Shaw and Kyle Barker but instead it’s Erik Stevens and Ryan Mosley, friends turned enemies who find themselves living in the same apartment building. Will they get a second chance at friendship or will it be forever lost? Featuring the lovable T’Challa, Ororo and Simone as well as other other characters both made up and canon. 

A/N: This is the first time I’m writing Erik so feel free to let me know how I do, as long as it’s constructive criticism it’s all good. I just wanna shout-out @hoopshoney for allowing me to use her as a sounding board, lmao, I hope it’s not too shabby. Also wanna shout out my sister wife who is on my forever tag list: @oceanscorazon. Please leave a comment if you enjoyed and reblog! (Also, apologies for any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, I’ve tried to go over it as much as I can.)

Word count: 2.3k

By the time Ryan entered the apartment that she shared with her two best-friends, Ororo and Simone, she was beyond frustrated.  As if work hadn’t been stressful enough with the several documents she hadn’t finished reading over and translating and her asshole colleagues who kept on trying her, she’d gotten home to find a moving truck in her parking space which meant she’d had to spend an additional 10 minutes going up and down the street to find somewhere else to park. It also meant that instead of the few minutes it usually took her to get out of her car and carry her heavy ass bags into the building and up to her apartment, she had to struggle with her bags for much longer. Maybe it would seem a trivial thing for her to get upset about when she looked back on it later on, but on bad days every minor inconvenience mattered. Thank goodness it was Friday and she had the whole weekend to do absolutely nothing.

As soon as she shut the door behind her, Ryan dropped her bags onto the wooden floor and slipped off her black work heels that gave her a few more inches – not that she really needed them though, she was tall enough on her own – before moving towards the kitchen to get herself a much needed drink.

She could hear the faint, contrasting voices of conversation coming from the other room and her whole body relaxed at the realisation her girls were already home and they could all bitch and catch up on each other’s day. Perhaps it was her frustration and weariness making her emotional, but she was hit by a sudden surge of warm affection for her two friends. Although Ryan was blessed with a big family which she definitely loved, ever since the death of her eldest brother the relationship between her and her siblings could be quite tense and sometimes left her feeling alone. It was at college that she met Simone and Ororo and slowly but surely they started to heal a part of her that had been left unfulfilled for quite some time. But it was something they all did for each other and a big reason why they all moved in together a year after graduating college. 

“Hey,” Ryan greeted them as she walked into the kitchen, offering both her friends who were seated at the table in the middle of the room a quick smile. They were both still dressed up from work just like she was, which made it obvious to her that they probably hadn’t gotten in any sooner than she had. Simone was dressed in a classy black and grey pants suit, with her black braids pulled back into a simple ponytail and Ororo in an elegant grey sheath dress, with her long, white hair tumbling down passed her shoulders.

“Hey girl” “Hey boo,” they both replied in unison.

“How was work?” Simone asked, but after noticing the poorly concealed irritation on her friend’s face quickly added, “Damn, your face look mad as hell, what happened to you?”

Ryan let out an inelegant snort at her friend’s brutal honesty, heading to the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of wine as she started to recount her day.

 “…. and then I pull up outside and some moving truck is in my space, so I – ” she paused suddenly mid-sentence, her face scrunching up like she’d just came to some kind of internal revelation, “Wait, do y’all know who’s moving in? Because I haven’t heard anythin’.”

Simone’s eyes widened slightly at Ryan’s question and she turned her head away, both her brows raised and her bottom lip twisting into an expression that could only be described as ‘yikes’. Ryan just about caught the brief but meaningful look Simone then exchanged with Ororo.  She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she glanced over at her white-haired friend, who had half her face damn near buried in a mug of something – probably coffee, given how obsessed with it ‘Ro was –  as if hoping there was a way for her to crawl inside.

“What is going on with y’all?” Ryan probed, the bewilderment clear in her voice as her eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. They usually only acted secretive like this for two reasons: either they were trying to surprise her, or they had bad news to deliver and didn’t know how to rip the band aid off.  

Ororo finally pulled her head away from the mug, feigning an expression of deep thought as she hummed and then clicked her tongue. “I have no clue, Ry, you might wanna ask SiSi though.”

Following her friend’s words Ryan turned to Simone expectantly, a hand resting on her hip as she waited. She was aware she probably looked a lot like her late grandma in that moment but she was beginning to lose what little patience she had left. All she wanted to do was have a glass of wine, eat some fast food and crash out on the sofa watching some trashy reality show that didn’t require too much brain cells to follow the story-line.  

“You ain’t shit, ‘Ro,” Simone murmured under her breath, shooting a quick scowl in the other woman’s direction before clearing her throat and turning to her impatient friend. “Okay, listen. Uh, here’s the thing. Promise you ain’t gonna get mad though?”

Ryan rolled her eyes. “I’m not promising shit, come on with it already.”

“Okay, fine. Fine,” Simone placated. “You remember T’Challa talkin’ about how he’s been looking for a roommate for months now and couldn’t find anyone? Well, uh… he’s found someone.”

Ryan blinked, opened her mouth to speak and then quickly shut it again. Was that it? Don’t get her wrong, she absolutely adored T’Challa and he was a great friend to her, but why Ororo and Simone thought she’d be so affected by it that they had to be communicate with secretive looks had her feeling even more confused. If any one of them was going to have a meltdown over someone else sharing T’Challa’s space it would be Ororo; those two were head over heels for each other but were also both completely blind to the other’s infatuation. Ridiculous.

“… Good for him?” Ryan responded uncertainly, her thoughts beginning to race as she went over the whole conversation again.  Maybe she was missing something that was painfully obvious?  

“It’s his cousin Erik,” Ororo suddenly blurted out, throwing her hands up as if she was apparently unable to take the slow progression of the conversation anymore. “T’s cousin Erik is moving in with him today and that’s why there’s a moving truck outside.”  

All Ryan could do was stare. She didn’t want to say she hated Erik Stevens because hate was a very strong word that she didn’t like throwing around, but she definitely couldn’t stand him. It had started when the three women had been freshmen in college and had met Erik, T’Challa and W’Kabi, who were a couple years older and went to a completely different college, at a house party. Initially they’d all been cool and had soon started hanging out after that, but then something went down between herself and Erik that made them incapable of being in the other’s presence without getting into heated arguments and trading hurtful insults. Because of that even though most of them were still cool with each other it had been ages since they last all hung out. A part of Ryan still felt extremely guilty about that.

Wordlessly she moved towards the glass cabinet, picking up one of her extra-large wine glasses she’d bought a few months back in some random sale and pouring herself a generous amount of wine. She would be calm about this.

Ryan turned back to her friends who were watching her reaction carefully, slowly she began to take a sip of her wine. “How long?”

“How long is he staying at T’s place?” Simone asked.

“How long have y’all known and not said shit to me?” Ryan clarified, pinning both her friends down with a glare.

Ororo got up from her seat at the table and moved towards her friend, ready to embrace her. She was very much the affectionate mother of the group; always offering hugs, always making sure the other two women were taken care of, regularly cooking for them not because she had to but because it was just in her nature. “It’s not like that Ry, it’s just…” she trailed off and looked at Simone for some support.

“It’s just that whenever he’s brought up it really seems to fuck with your whole mood.  We didn’t know how you’d react to him moving into the same goddamn building as us.”

Ryan pursed her lips petulantly. She couldn’t come up with a slick answer to retort back with because she knew her friends had a point. She’d be lying to herself if she said her chest hadn’t gotten heavy just at the mention of his name alone, or if knowing that Erik was in such close proximity to her hadn’t got her stomach feeling all unsettled.

But what exactly could she do about it now? It was done and she’d grown up since the last time she’d seen him, there was no reason why she wouldn’t be able to act civilised if she ever ran into him. She found herself shrugging, “It’s cool, I guess.”

“Ryan…” Ororo sighed, both her expression and her tone stating that she didn’t believe a word that came out of her friend’s mouth.

“Ororo…” Ryan replied, mimicking her tone. “I’m over it, it’ll be fine.”

Before anyone could say anything further, a series of heavy knocks on the front door filled the apartment and pulled them away from the semi-serious conversation. Ryan broke out into a small smile and squeezed Ororo’s arm in reassurance before putting her wine glass down. “I’ll go see who that is,” she announced, a little too relieved at the opportunity to leave the conversation.

Maybe it was the goddamn parcel she’d ordered over a week ago that had finally arrived. 

---

It was not. 

Ryan was completely taken aback at the sight that met her when she opened the door. She guessed the saying definitely must be true: ‘speak of the Devil and he will appear’. Erik N’jadaka Stevens stood opposite her, and looking infuriatingly attractive in a simple grey v neck shirt and a pair of jeans. It was weird, she thought, he’d changed so much since the last time she’d seen him and yet he hadn’t changed that much at all. He was still just as tall and well-built as he always had been, still just as beautifully striking with eyes so intense it made people want to squirm under his gaze. The only real changes to him were the keloid markings that covered his arms and his hair that had grown into locs styled in a fresh looking fade.

It seemed like Erik was just as shocked to see Ryan as she was to see him, if the way his mouth parted and his brown eyes roamed over her figure were any indication. After a few minutes of neither of them speaking he cleared his throat, breaking the silence with the deep and enticing voice of his. “I uh, I ain’t expect to see you here.”

Ryan thought she could detect a hint of uncertainty in his voice but she quickly dismissed it, Erik and uncertainty weren’t two things that went together. She tilted her head to one side as she watched him, a brow raising in disbelief at his words. She just knew he wasn’t trying to insinuate that T’Challa hadn’t told him she lived here. Not only that, but /that/ was what he was choosing to open with? After it had been so long since they’d last been face to face?

“You didn’t expect to see me in my own apartment?”

Erik huffed out a sigh, his face scrunching up a little as it dawned on him just how his words might have come across. “Nah, that ain’t what I meant, what I meant was- ” he paused, taking his time as he searched for the right words. “I just thought Ororo or SiSi would answer.”

Clearly those weren’t the right words to say however, because it only served in making Ryan even more confused and agitated. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the shitty day she’d had, maybe it was the combination of both those things, but it meant she couldn’t keep the bite out of her voice when she replied. “Uh huh. So my presence in my own apartment isn’t good enough for you? Thanks, Stevens.”

Ryan could tell Erik was also beginning to get irritated from the way his nostrils flared and his body tensed up, like he was prepping himself up for an attack. “Look, I ain’t come down here to deal with all this attitude from you, I - ”

“/My/ attitude?!” Ryan repeated as she cut him off, a scoff leaving her mouth at the boldness this man had, thinking he could say stupid shit and she wouldn’t check him for it. “Y’know what, I’m way too tired for this, be gone spawn of Satan,” she snapped, slamming the door in his face and preventing him from saying anything else.  She was absolutely seething, who did this negro think he was?!

All the noise brought Ororo and Simone rushing into the living room and looking between the door and their best friend, concern on their faces as they both spoke over the other trying to find out what had just gone on. “Girl who was that?” “What happened?”

Unable to find the appropriate words to express how frustrated she was in the moment, Ryan threw her hands up in the air while letting out a loud, disgruntled grumble. She ignored the looks on her friend’s faces as she marched into the kitchen to finish off the rest of the bottle of wine. 

Perhaps she wasn’t as over the whole Erik situation as she’d thought.  

// end