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inawickedlittletown · 3 months ago

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From Loaves to Love -BuckTommy (one-shot)

Summary: Set during 8x07, Eddie sends Tommy a picture of Buck's baked good filled fridge. Fix-it fic. A continuation for the snippet I posted this morning. Words: 2.9k Read on Ao3

Tommy receives a picture of a fridge full of baked goods. Mostly, from what he can tell, loaves. The picture comes from Eddie without a caption. It takes a while for him to realize that the fridge is familiar because it belongs to Evan.

Eddie texts him a few minutes later:

Every time he thinks about calling you, he bakes something instead.

Tommy has a little bit of a breakdown about that because maybe in his mind he'd thought that Evan would already be over it, over them. He'd been not hoping for it, but expecting it, even while he knew that he would probably have a few more cries about it and that any reminder of Evan was enough to make his heart hurt.

The thing is that Evan isn’t really a baker. Or at least, he hadn’t been in the six months that they were dating. He’d been busy from the looks of it. He’s still looking at the picture when Lucy plops down next to him.

“What’s happening there?”

Baked every time he thought about calling Tommy. He doesn’t even fight when Lucy grabs the phone out of his hand and scrolls back on his texts with Eddie.

It’s been the only form of communication he’s had with anyone from the 118. He was thankful for Eddie and for the way that he’d reached out the day after the break up not to demand anything of Tommy, but to ask how he was doing.

Tommy had texted him back after some consideration. In all their back and forth, they hadn’t discussed it or Evan. Tommy hadn’t allowed himself to ask, not sure if he wanted an answer.

“What are you going to do?” Lucy asked.

“What do you mean?”

Lucy fixed him with a look. “Tommy, you’ve been moping for days. Clearly he is too. Neither of you wants this.”

“It’s for the best,” Tommy said and he didn’t even know if he believed that anymore.

He’d believed it in the moment, had been so absolutely sure that it was the right move for both of their sakes and yet…

“You’re running,” Lucy said. “I know…I know you’ve been hurt before, but this time you’re not just hurting yourself. You’re hurting Buck too.”

“He’ll get over it. I’ll…I’ll get over it.”

Her eyes bore into him even as she handed him his phone back. “Thomas, you’re in love with him.”

—

Buck had bought all the baking supplies when he’d decided he’d take a stab at making Tommy a birthday cake. That had been before his heart was wrenched out of his chest and given a few stomps for good measure. That was before Buck decided to Buck things up by pushing for more too quickly and before Tommy decided that it was better if they ended things before Buck could end it in the future.

He didn’t bake a birthday cake.

Instead, he baked a banana bread with the bananas that were going spotty. He discovered that being busy and having to pay attention to something like the recipe kept his mind off Tommy. Except that Tommy came rushing back into his head afterwards.

Buck almost called him. Wanted to. Wished he could hear his voice and his laugh and that they could fix it.

Fear stopped him. Fear that Tommy had blocked his number. Fear that he wouldn’t pick up. Fear that he would and that he’d tell Buck not to call. Fear that he would call him Buck again instead of Evan. Fear that Buck would be sent to voicemail and that he would say something he couldn’t take back.

So, he didn’t call.

Instead, Buck baked a pumpkin loaf. Then an apple loaf. Then a walnut and date loaf. That was when he realized he was out of flour and also that hand mixing was not ideal.

He called Eddie.

It had taken him hours before he told Eddie what happened. Eddie hadn’t said much, but he’d offered Buck the couch and then went out and got them breakfast the next morning. Eddie was the one to tell the rest of the 118 and when Buck begged for Eddie to check on Tommy, Eddie just hit his shoulder.

“I already did,” he’d said.

Buck didn’t talk about Tommy again.

“What’s going on, Buck?” Eddie asked over the phone.

“I need you to come to Costco with me.”

“Costco?” Eddie asked and after a pause. “Yeah. Alright. I’ll even drive.”

Eddie didn’t say anything when Buck bought the twenty-five pound bag of flour or the bottle of vanilla extract, or the sugar, or the bags of nuts. He did raise his eyebrow when Buck picked up a Kitchen-Aid mixer.

“What is all this, Buck?”

“I just…I need to do something.”

“So you’re starting your own bakery?”

After they got everything up to his apartment, Buck sent Eddie home with all the bread he’d made the night before. Eddie didn’t say a word, but he did look like he wanted to say something. A few days later, Buck thought that he’d gotten quite good at making different types of loaves. He’d even branched out and found more interesting and complicated recipes.

He did have to take a second trip to Costco to get more eggs when he got it in his head that he should attempt a baked alaska.

Buck did think he saw Eddie take a picture of the contents of his fridge the night he came over to play video games.

Maddie and Chim both didn’t seem to get it. When she said the universe would give him someone special, did she not realize that it had already happened? That Buck had somehow still managed to blow it and that Tommy wasn’t leaving his heart anytime soon? That not calling him was Buck trying not to push where he wasn’t wanted? That not calling was Buck letting Tommy have what he wanted.

And yeah, Buck had been thinking about what Tommy said after Buck not being his last and how he needed to explore. It was bullshit, but if that was what it took…if he could prove to Tommy he’d tried to find whatever it was he was supposed to find with other people then…

The logic was dumb.

After they left, making him promise he’d cut back on the baking, Buck went back to baking. He made brownies and took them right into work the next day alongside a banana bread, a walnut loaf, a zucchini bread, and a pumpkin spice loaf.

—

The knock on his door was in a quick rhythm and Tommy almost didn’t answer. He’d been wallowing a bit because they’d had plans for tonight. Plans to celebrate his birthday, no less.

Tommy hadn’t celebrated many birthdays in his adulthood. There had never been much of a point, but Evan had wanted to plan out a date for them and now…now Tommy was all alone in his house wallowing. Moping. Rethinking his whole life.

“Coming,” he called out when the knocking started again.

He was not expecting Hen and Karen. No kiddos in sight to see the state of him at least. Tommy was a mess. He’d changed into sweats and a tank the moment he got home. His hair was a mess. His eyes probably looked red rimmed and exhausted.

“Hi,” he said. “What are you—”

“Happy Birthday,” Karen said.

“Oh? Uh, come in.”

Tommy didn’t even realize they had a small box with them until Hen plopped it on his kitchen counter.

“What is that?”

“You broke it, and suddenly we’re all on the verge of becoming diabetics and it was just Halloween so we’ve all had more than enough sugar. But it’s your birthday and we figured you should get a taste of what you’re created.”

“What?”

Out of the box came bread loaves. Muffins. Cookies. Brownies. Hand pies. Were those meringues? No cake, though.

“He bought a Kitchen Aid. He’s becoming some sort of baking machine,” Hen said. “All because he can’t bear to think about you.”

That went right to his chest. Lucy wasn’t wrong. Tommy did love him. Tommy was in love with him.

Looking at Karen and Hen, he wondered if they would understand where he was coming from.

“I was his first boyfriend,” he said.

“We’re aware,” Karen said.

“So, then…then you know what that means. He’s been out for…for six months and he doesn’t have any other experience except for with me. How is that fair to him? To me? One day he’ll realize and then that’ll be that.”

“You’re a dumbass for thinking that,” Karen said.

“My wife is usually right about things,” Hen said.

Tommy groaned. “He put me on a pedestal. He doesn’t know it, but he sees me as his gay mentor and he’s confusing that with…with, I don’t even know. I just — I had to put a stop to it before—”

“Before you got hurt,” Hen finished for him.

“Looks like you didn’t avoid that,” Karen offered. “Did you talk to him about any of this? You guys were together for six months, what was the point if you were always going to just leave in the end?”

Tommy hadn’t even realized he was crying, but he was. “It’s not like I planned it. It was…it surprised me too. He asked me to move in with him and he was talking getting engaged and married and—”

“Wait…wait, he asked you to move in? How do you go from that to breaking up?”

Tommy couldn’t explain about the Abby thing and he couldn’t explain about how he wasn’t the guy that got forever and how he wasn’t the guy that deserved someone like Evan. He couldn’t explain about how much it freaked him out to think that Evan could jump right to moving in together before they had even said that they loved each other as if Tommy were just some kind of place holder until Evan found someone else. Someone better. Explaining that would make him be seen and Tommy…he didn’t know that he wanted to be seen even if Hen and Karen could understand where he was coming from.

“Look, talk to him. Please,” Hen said.

“This is just a bump in the road. The two of you, you’d never looked happier than you have in the last six months,” Karen added.

“I…I don’t know.”

—

Buck ran out of sugar.

Jee was partially to blame because she’d spilled some the night he had her as a helper. It was 3am and Buck supposed that there was probably somewhere open that he could get some sugar, but he was down to just his underwear and the plaid shirt Tommy had left behind that didn’t even smell like Tommy anymore and wasn’t that just unfair. Plus, his oven was on and Buck didn’t want to leave it on while he went out to get sugar. It would be just his luck that he’d be back and his apartment was one fire.

Eddie probably had sugar. Buck didn’t want to bother him.

Chim and Maddie would judge.

Bobby might bring some over or he might just tell Buck to go to sleep.

He couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t stop thinking about Tommy. Missed him. Wanted him.

Buck grabbed his phone and he went right to messages and typed:

Ran out of sugar. Do you have any?

Sent it to Eddie.

No response.

He wandered over to his couch and…Tommy had slept there just a few weeks ago because he didn’t want to leave Buck on his own. No one had ever done that for him before, cared enough to stay and cared enough to give a damn. Buck wiped at his eyes. It wasn’t fair.

When he broke up with Natalia he had felt free. When he broke up with Taylor he’d felt like he was finally choosing himself. Ali leaving had been clouded with so much else that Buck had hardly been able to think about the break up because his leg was in a cast and his future was in question. Abby…well that had been devastating and yet this…this was worse. So much worse.

His phone pinged.

He fished it out of his pocket and oh no…he…the text hadn’t been sent to Eddie. He’d sent it to Tommy.

Yes.

Oh no. And he was typing. And not typing. Typing. Then…nothing. No message. No more typing. No call. Tommy was bubbling him again.

Buck dropped onto the couch with a groan. At least Hen and Eddie weren’t there to try and steal his phone again. This time, Buck didn’t even want to call.

After all the times he stopped himself from reaching out, that was what he sent? A text asking for sugar?

When the knock came at his door, he went to open the door, reluctantly. A part of him almost didn’t even expect it to be Tommy but of course…of course it was Tommy standing there in his pajamas with just one of his flannels open over it all, in each hand a container of sugar. Brown and white.

“You didn’t have to,” Buck began.

“It sounded desperate,” Tommy said. “Hi, Evan.”

“Come in,” Buck said.

Tommy stepped inside and Buck closed the door, trying to gather himself. In the light of his kitchen, he could see that Tommy looked if nothing else tired. The skin under his eyes was dark, like he hadn’t been able to sleep. Buck could relate. Tommy was taking him in too and that made him feel the tiniest bit self conscious about his lack of pants.

“So, you’ve taken up baking.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not a normal response to a break up.”

Buck laughed. He laughed because he might cry if he didn’t.

“Do you want me to be like you, then? All unbothered at the end of the best six months of my life? Is that it? Oh, wait…no, you want me to go find myself or something? Sleep around and what, go back to being the himbo that Abby dated after you left her? Except I guess now I can sleep with men and women, somehow I don’t think it will go any differently.”

“Evan,” Tommy said and his voice was gentle and sad and there were tears in his eyes.

“I can’t do that,” Buck said and his voice broke. “I can’t. I can’t. I miss you. I want you. I wanted to bake you a birthday cake and since I couldn’t do that I baked everything else and it still isn’t enough.”

“Oh, Evan,” Tommy said and he set down the sugar and opened his arms, giving Buck the option.

—

Evan rushed into his arms, burying his head in Tommy’s shoulder, tears and all. His arms clutched at him and Tommy didn’t think that Evan was likely to let him go any time soon. It didn’t matter, because Tommy wanted to hold onto him too.

“I’m sorry,” Tommy said. “I’m so sorry. I did this to us.”

Evan nodded against him. “I didn’t help,” he muttered.

“When you texted me tonight…the thought of you up at this hour baking, I got worried and I’ve been literally doing anything possible to stop myself from driving over since that night. I had to come. I had to see you.” He took a breath and couldn’t hold it in any more. “I love you, Evan.”

“You love me,” Evan said back, pulling back, staring at him with that amazed look in his eyes like he couldn’t quite believe it.

His hands reached for Tommy’s face. “I guess it’s a good thing I love you too. And I am never letting you go, again.”

Their kiss was reminiscent of the first. It was even happening near where that kiss had happened. It was gentle, soft, full of so much wonderment and feeling. Neither of them willing to push it into more because this was what they needed. There was so much to talk about and so much to consider and work on and yet, Tommy wasn’t afraid of that as much as he was afraid of giving up on this. On them. On Evan.

He’d lived a little over a week without Evan and even that was too much.

“I’m still not moving in with you,” Tommy informed Evan after a few more shared kisses.

“Oh. Yeah, I jumped the shark on that a little.”

“You also forgot to consider that I own my house and you rent,” Tommy said.

“So, how about this, nothing changes and we communicate more. You decide when you want us to move in together because we will. One day. You may be the first dude I’ve ever dated, but I think you can be the last too.”

He kissed Evan again and Evan moaned into the kiss. They were interrupted when the oven timer went off.

“I thought you ran out of sugar?” Tommy asked.

“I was going to make apple pie,” Evan said. “That’s cupcakes.”

He let Evan go take them out of the oven and out of curiosity began to look around. Opened the fridge. He couldn’t even begin to count how much Evan had managed to bake.

“What are you planning on doing with all of this?”

“I have no idea,” Evan said. “Donate it?”

Tommy just laughed. “Yeah, Evan, I’m sure someone will appreciate it. Those cupcakes are mine, though.”

“Yeah,” Evan said. “Happy birthday, by the way,”

Tommy ate the first cupcake before it had cooled and without any frosting. “Hmmm. Delicious.”

#bucktommy #tevan #tommy kinard #evan buckley #911 abc #911 fic #spoilers #911 spoilers

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bitchimasnake-sss · 1 year ago

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"my girlfriend's a nerd" ft. the monster trio!

self explanatory self-indulgent drabbles to soothe my book!loving ass

ft. luffy, zoro and sanji x fem! reader set-up: you like books, he likes you that's it warnings: none lmao this is very sfw. one might call it wholesome even. m.list

luffy:

thats my baby ^^

— im not even sure if this mf can read 😭😭

— honestly 9/10 chance he can't but when has that ever stopped him from being our most supportive himbo king

— go king give us everything!!

— he doesn't get why you read books when instead you can be like sleeping or eating or looking at the sea but well, he doesn't question it

— he just thinks it's a weird hobby you have (i don't think he's aware of how freakishly illiterate he is)

— but just cause he thinks it's weird that doesn't mean he wouldn't hug you half-asleep when he hears you sobbing into the dead of the night or he wouldn't listen with keen interest when you explain the plot of your favourite book as he wraps his arms around you and hums into your hair

— will 100% offer to fight the author/ tear up the book everytime he sees you having a breakdown over a particular scene/character

"who should I kill?!" the deadpan seriousness in his voice is what terrifies you

"nobody! I'm okay–"

— after you explain to him that hurting somebody is not necessary and you're fine, he will try to coddle you with extended hugs and food (lots and lots and lots of food).

"yn you should eat something! should I get you something to eat??" you can hear the panic in this poor boys voice 😭😭

"no luffy, its okay. im fine!" you say through sniffs and snorts, eyes bloodshot from crying over ink on paper

"brb" and he gets you dinner enough for 5 people because that's how he knows to comfort you (willingly took sanjis kicks and namis punches to accomplish this mission)

— since he's a clingy little child, he will hold onto you some way or the other when you're reading

— you're reading in your room while he's fast asleep? his arm is draped across your waist lazily. you're on the other side of the deck, sunbathing and reading? his hand is stretched out from where he's sitting and on your thigh (ussop tripped thrice over his hand, rip god ussop 🙏) . you're reading during breakfast cause the book just got so good? his toe is rubbing your calf up and down periodically (he won't stop no matter how many weird looks you give him)

— conclusion: he doesn't at all get it what it is, but if it makes you happy he will spend all the berries in the world to buy you those books (plz know if you actually ask him to jokingly off an author for killing your favourite character, he will do it. please don't ask him that.)

— he's just so supportive and nice 😭😭

"my girlfriends a nerd, I love her" (ussop explained to him what a nerd was and now he's introducing you like this to everybody)

zoro:

the shades tho 😎

— I'm convinced this mf can't read either

— even he can there's like literally no evidence to prove it and the entire crew has come to the conclusion that he gets lost even with clear directions because he just can't read please 😌👌

— at the start, he actually thinks it's dead stupid to invest so much time reading books when you can do other stuff like getting stronger, sleeping, literally doing anything else (luffy backs up his opinion with full enthusiasm)

— i mean like he's seen you sob at 7 in the morning over breakfast cause your fav character died and now he's confused as to why are you spending money and buying books if they make you cry so hard (he doesn't understand the concept of angst im afraid)

— but over time he just accepts it as something you enjoy and well, if it makes you happy then who is he to question it?

— acts like he doesn't care/isn't listening when you're rambling about the plot and how thE MAIN CHARACTER IS IN LOVE WITH HIS ENEMY AND VICE VERSA SKEJFHSJKSN but is actually fully listening

— he's actually invested at one point

"but they are enemies? why does he wanna be with him?"

"you don't get it! thats the appeal!!"

"the appeal is forcing a knife on somebody's throat?" he's laughing, "as if you'd enjoy it if i threatened you with my swords"

"... i would actually enjoy that"

he is now asking nami for loan to send you to a therapist (nami has seen you nosebleed over fictional characters and is considering giving money away to zoro for free. you really do need help.)

— as I said, he's invested now (although he does question your taste every now and then) but he'd force you to either summarize the plot to him as he trains or read out loud so he can hear the story as it goes.

— so naturally you're now sitting on his back, reading out loud as he does push-ups

— this beloved himbo has now formed strong opinions about characters and will battle you with headcanons because "there's no fucking way the hero would ever go back to the villain after that! that's ridiculous! if he does I'll sell my swords off."

— will remember the stuff you told him, no matter how trivial, so if you get off an island and he spots a keychain from your fav book series he's spending whatever money he has left to buy you it

"oh excellent choice! who are you buying it for?" the shopkeeper lady questions aloud

"oh, my girlfriend." he's smiling, "my girlfriends a nerd."

— actually looks forward to you telling him all the plot details and jokes at this point (one might call him a part of the fandom now)

— when you're a crying, sobbing mess because a character died, he's genuinely comforting you (no matter how bad he is at it)

"yn it's okay, you want some sake?" he is hugging you, patting your head like you're a child

"no 😭😭" you sob harder into his chest

"well... that's the best i can offer"

he tried. it's not his fault you don't wanna drink your feelings away.

— conclusion: he started off thinking its stupid and now he's an honorary nerd. would never admit it though. stubborn asshole.

sanji:

he's actually so pretty tho ^^

— he actually liked reading books before you even joined the crew although his tbr consists of cookbooks and auto-biographies about the people he has some interest in

— he started reading so that he could impress zeff with his knowledge on cooking and other miscellaneous stuff (imagine kid!sanji reading a book till late night under a lamp cause he wants to impress his old man that's so cute 😭😭)

— respects your hobbies when he finds out you like reading

— and then he sees your book collection. whY ARE THERE LIKE 5000 BOOKS HERE?! NOW HES SCARED FOR YOUR SANITY CAUSE GIRL WTF

— he hears you recommend a book to robin/nami once and now he's running to the nearest bookstore on the next island you guys land on to buy it

— he obviously did it to impress you and win you over but goddamn that book was actually pretty nice. so, the next time he asks you for recommendations he's actually a bit sincere

— now you're both in a book club of your own (which makes luffy mad cause why are you leaving him out of conversations :/)

— like zoro, he often asks for updates on the book you're currently reading while he cooks everyone food. he loves hearing you talk about the things you like.

— when he sees you crying over books, he is making you sweet stuff to soothe you, holding you and rubbing your back supportingly, peppering kisses to make you feel better

— he's so fine 😫😫

— anyways, also def the kind of person to ask you to roleplay things in real life

"yn-saaaan" his voice is bubbly, "can i ask you something?"

"mhm?"

"the last book you read–" his face is going a little bit red, "you think we can maybe... do that irl?"

now it's your turn to go red

— but no fr, he's so so supportive of your little hobby like yes baby! read those books and have fun imagining people in your head

— 100% matches your vibe when you crush on fictional characters cause "you're right. he is actually very attractive" (a bi king we love)

— once zoro made fun of you for reading and this was his response: "you can't even read, mosshead. the next time you speak shit I'll kick your ass."

"who said I CANT READ? AND AS IF ILL LET YOU KICK MY ASS!"

"I TOTALLY WILL KICK YOUR ASS"

now they are fighting while ussop, luffy and chopper laugh in the background

— but yes he loves staying up late, reading with you before you both cuddle and fall asleep

— you once read about a specific sort of dish in a book and mentioned that it sounds delicious so now obviously he has to go make that dish. it doesn't matter if it's 1 am at night.

— when nami asks him what he's cooking, he just smiles and shrugs, "i dunno either, im just trying to make yn happy. she's such a nerd"

— conclusion: an enabler, an enthusiast. this man is ready to buy you books and then read them if it makes you happy. only the finest for his favourite lady <3

a/n: enjoy my wayward thoughts about these fine men! m.list

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kiame-sama · 1 month ago

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Humans Are Extinct (Yandere!TWST x Fem!Reader) Monster AU pt 26

(Rollo is part of a subsection of Fire Nymphs known as Inferno Fire Nymphs. Most Fire Nymphs cannot burn themselves out as a result of their own fire, but typically have a more muted flame core as a result. Inferno Fire Nymphs can burn themselves out with extreme emotion which can lead to the Nymph passing away suddenly, but they are much stronger as a result. Rollo has a particular hatred for his flames to the point he suppresses his own core which makes his flesh appear ashen instead of a warm pink-red which is much more common for most Fire Nymphs.)

Warnings; Yandere, yandere behavior, obsessive about behavior, multiple yanderes take an increased interest, Ovulation, platonic yanderes vs romantic yanderes, explaining Human things to non-Human creatures, hellcat, vampire bat, Raiju, Cervitaur, dragon, harpies, Sphinx, Selkie,

~~~~~~~~

You awoke later in the morning than usual, Grim curled up and tucked safely in your arms as you tried to somewhat shake the cobwebs of sleep. Despite the rather cathartic release of emotions and the more than supportive cuddling from everyone, you found yourself still weighed down from the events the day prior. Naturally, you figured you would struggle with what happened and what seemed to be constantly happening around you because of what you couldn't control.

Talking with the kindly Human Ghost had been eye opening, but the realization that you were both the source of the problem and the solution weighed heavily on your mind. It explained so much of the varying behaviors exhibited towards you and yet left you feeling more hopeless than you had been before. If they were truly addicted to you, there was no way these monsters would let you go without a fight. You shuddered at the thought of an Overblotted Malleus.

Said Dragon was laying by your side with his wings wrapped around you and his tail wound around one of your legs. He had stubbornly remained by your side and ensured you ate the food Sam had kindly cooked up for you despite your disinterest. The rest of the Hoard and even most of those you knew among the student body had been keen to comfort you following you emotional breakdown the day prior. From Leona, to Vil, to Lilia, even Jack, all had tried to soothe you as the full gravity of the situation crashed down on you.

Malleus had been sleeping with his nose buried in the crook of your neck, his body laying behind yours. From what you knew already of the Dragon, he was not going to be keen to release you any time soon due to what had happened. You hoped that calling upon him in your time of need actually helped calm him despite what had happened to lead up to calling him.

It was while you were thinking that another thought angled for your attention; who was going to guard you this week?

You doubted the Crow remembered to do another raffle so it was likely going to be up to you again. That also meant it was likely that every prospective guard would be present. Despite your willingness to be openly emotional following your attempted kidnapping, you really didn't look forward to the idea of having to have any kind of further emotional outbursts in front of such a large group. At least, not if you could help it.

Laying with his face pressed into your stomach was Lilia, his wings resting over your hips and legs. You had allowed the Bat to snuggle your stomach after further emphasizing you didn't see stomachs as inherently sexual like they believed and he jumped at the opportunity. The Bat's ears even wiggled slightly as he had made himself comfortable against your warm stomach and seemed almost keen to cuddle your tired form.

You vaguely wondered if it was past breakfast time when your phone buzzed angrily nearby. Luckily, it was well within reach and you didn't have to disturb any of your nestmates to grab it.

"Hello?"

"(Y/n), my darling little chick, where are you?"

"... Sleeping in my dorm?"

"We need to decide on your next guards! I believe I sent a message to Mr. Draconia late last evening about today's meeting, but I have gotten no response."

"... Because we are sleeping."

"Everyone except for Diasomnia and yourself are already present."

"So, I'm going to guess there is no time for breakfast?"

"... It's almost midday."

You glanced at the clock on your phone and sure enough, most of the morning had already gone by. Odds are the events of yesterday really took your energy out of you and as a result you slept through the morning. Of course, the others in the Hoard did the same as they were either nocturnal Fae or lived with Nocturnal Fae species, so sleeping during the day was more natural to them anyway.

"I guess I can wake them up and we can all get there soon. I won't promise anyone is going to be in a good mood though."

"See you soon, my sweet and adorable-"

You hung up before Crowley could continue to coo over you. Honestly, you had half a mind to just go back to sleep and let them figure things out themselves. The heavy sigh you huffed out was enough to rouse Lilia from his sleep, the Bat yawning with his pink tongue stretching out.

"Good morning."

Lilia hummed, sounding almost like he was purring as he smiled at you affectionately. You returned the lazy smile and moved your hand to pet the Bat gently. He was quick to lean into your touch and the little fur on his wings fluffed up with his joy, his fuzzy wings fluttering slightly.

"It's almost midday. Headmage Crowley called to see about my next round of guards, apparently he told Tsuno about it last night, but I've never seen Tsuno use a cellphone."

"Malleus often breaks most electronics, especially delicate things like phones."

The sound of his name began to rouse the Dragon from his slumber, his wings and tail tightening their hold ever so slightly before he opened his eyes. A low hum escaped the beast as he let out a gentle purring noise and nuzzled your shoulder once more. He didn't seem keen to wake or really rouse beyond the purring hum, so you decided to try and wake the Dragon.

"We gotta get up, Tsuno."

There was a long pause as Malleus moved his mouth, the faint feel of two light touches from between his lips made you frown in confusion. You would assume whatever it was was his tongue- it was forked, after all- but your understanding was that was how reptiles "smelled" things, as he had done it before while you cooked. What confused you was why he was doing it to your shoulder.

"I don't think so."

"... We have to go see who my next guards are."

"No."

"But I-"

"No, (Y/n). We are not going."

You were genuinely stunned at the sudden and almost curt words of the Dragon who was normally agreeable and indulgent of you. It seemed like he was almost angry, as if you had asked him to do something detestable and infuriating. None of them had ever really flat out refused you before, Crowley being the only one to come close when he let you go mushrooming with Jade.

Lilia also seemed thrown off for a moment, his brows furrowed in confusion at the Dragon. You noticed the way his tongue flashed across his pink heart-shaped nose and he took several sniffs, all while watching the Dragon closely. It took a moment of sniffing before his eyes suddenly widened and flashed down to stare at you.

"... Lilia?"

He held his fingers to his lips, non-verbally indicating he wasn't going to speak. Malleus' eyes must have still been closed as the Bat gestured to your phone, holding out his hand for it. You decided it was in your best interest to follow Lilia's lead and handed him your unlocked phone.

The Bat kept an eye on the Dragon that had settled back down, tapping away quietly at your phone. When he finished, he handed your phone back to you and continued to stare at Malleus.

Displayed on the screen was a text that had not been sent to Lilia's phone and you quickly tried to read over it. You barely saw the first few words before Lilia pressed the button on the side and darkened the screen.

Malleus was stirring behind you and let out a deep almost happy hum.

The difference between how worried Lilia had become versus Malleus' almost pleasant behavior was confusing and stressing you. Apparently your heart gave away your increased panic as Malleus went deathly still behind you, a gentle growl escaping him. His low almost gravely voice hummed against your shoulder as the Dragon spoke softly to you.

"What's wrong, (Y/n)?"

"Why won't you let me get up?"

"We can get up, but you will not be going to any of those other dorms. You are staying here, safe and secure."

"Mal-"

"Tsuno."

His voice was almost a warning despite the still relaxed way he held your figure.

"I prefer you call me Tsuno. I am quite partial to the name you have gifted to me. It means a lot to me."

"Okay. Unless you tell me otherwise, I'll call you Tsuno."

"Good. I'm sure you are hungry, rouse little Grim and we can sort out something to eat."

Malleus relaxed considerably and his tail slowly unwound from your leg, raising his wing to let you get up. He seemed to be acting a bit more pushy and you wondered what it was that had set Malleus off, but he didn't seem particularly angry about anything other than any suggestion of leaving. What was it Lilia had smelled that had caused such a change in his behavior?

You gently pet Grim and he lifted his head with a squeak. The little cat beast smiled up at you and you were happy to see he seemed to be recovered from Erikír's magic. He stretched and pointed his little paws as Lilia roused Silver and Sebek, both of the retainers coming around to consciousness quickly.

Silver yawned but paused midway through rather suddenly, his nostrils flaring slightly as he turned his head to you curiously. While Silver looked to Lilia for guidance, Sebek was quick to shake out his fur. The spiky thin scales were sticking up and giving him an electrified look like he had too much of a static charge.

"Looks like we have to get you brushed again, Sebek."

You smiled at the Raiju as he shook off the sleep, taking a deep breath while stretching before he too paused. Four of five was far too many, and it tipped you off that something was amiss. As you gathered clothes and ducked into the bathroom to change, you finally got the chance to look at what Lilia had said.

'Your scent tells me you will be at peak fertility soon, I don't remember if Humans have a heat like other species. The others will know by your scent and Malleus already knows it most acutely. It is in your best interest to contact the teachers as guards for the week and try to keep from setting off Malleus' hoarding or mating instincts until they arrive.'

You felt your mouth go dry as you read over the words, quickly following Lilia's advice and contacting the staff members and Crowley. Doing quick mental math, you vaguely realized you were going to be ovulating if you weren't already and that was likely what these monsters could smell on you. The message you sent to the professors and Crowley had the vaguest of explanations as to what was happening and why, just enough to convince them of the severity of the matter.

All you hoped was that these beasts would have enough self control to keep themselves from jumping you.

~•§•~

The many dorm members seemed almost bored as they had been waiting for what felt like far too long. Surely (Y/n) and those Diasomnia guards wouldn't take this long to reach them? Vil was first to voice his complaints, as he would rather be performing other tasks and befriending the lovely little Human instead of sitting around waiting for them.

"Headmage, when will (Y/n) be arriving? It has already been-"

"She won't be. None of the dorms will be guarding her this week, the staff will be doing so instead."

This caused a murmur to sweep through the students present, many exchanging worried glances. The Housewardens and Vice-Housewardens had been present for the rather deserved emotional breakdown, so they worried something else had happened. None would enjoy letting the Human be hurt or having to withdraw from them.

"Why?"

"Mr. Schoenheit, this is as matter only for the professors and I to deal with-"

"This is a matter of (Y/n), and as her rotating guards, we deserve the right to know what has happened and what changed!"

Vil's tone was almost frantic, which unsettled many sitting there as they knew Vil to be much more composed than this. His increased stress was infectious and it was clear everyone else was becoming unsettled as well. Crowley didn't want to tell any of these ruffians a single thing about the situation at hand, but he had to in order to keep the peace.

"(Y/n) is in the peak fertility part of her monthly cycle, and apparently Mr. Draconia is going to have to be gently separated from her for her own safety."

There was a moment of contemplative silence before it seemed like all hell broke loose. From objections shouted across the room, to several standing with weapons in hand, it was clear there was outcry from all the students present. The outcry wasn't all focused on Malleus being near the Human, but some was also about keeping them away from the Human during this cycle.

No one was happy.

"Enough! I will consider allowing all of you to aid in gently convincing Mr. Draconia to keep his distance but I will not jeopardize (Y/n)'s safety in this matter! You all are young adults attending this school for an education, not a free chance to try and mate my little chick, act like it!"

Silence fell quickly as it was unusual for Crowley to ever show any level of anger beyond parental annoyance with any student. This was a firm command and even firmer mandate that none of them could ignore or oppose. There was a reason Crowley was the Headmage of Night Raven College and sometimes it was all too easy to forget.

"Mr. Shroud!"

"Eep!"

"If dear (Y/n) is going into the peak of her own cycle, she cannot attend classes with others until it has passed, which she assures me will not take long. She will need one of your tablets to virtual attend."

"I was gonna give her a tablet later for the holidays, but I guess it makes sense to do it now..."

"Good! Now, I will only allow a few of you to come with me for this, so which of you will be joining me in this endeavor?"

~•§•~

You moved around the kitchen, making a kind of brunch for your group. Vaguely, you wondered how long it would take the professors to reach you and how they planned to remove Malleus. It at least seemed Lilia was more on your side as he had warned you instead of leaving you in the dark.

Truth be told, you didn't know exactly how to avoid upsetting Malleus or triggering any of his instincts as he was hovering almost obsessively around you. From standing behind you to laying his chin on your shoulder, it seemed like a kind of haze had overcome the Dragon and he was quite keen to spend time around you. He had yet to show any particular violence or aggression, but you hadn't tried to leave yet nor had any outside 'threats' come to disrupt his protective behavior.

Sebek and Silver both seemed to take an equally great interest in you but gave the Dragon room to cuddle and nuzzle you as he pleased. Lilia was the only one who seemed unaffected by his own instincts but he didn't try to stop Malleus in his affectionate cuddling of your body even though the Dragon was impeding your ability to cook.

"Tsuno."

"Hm."

"Tsuno, I need to move to cook."

"Then move."

"I can't when you are holding me like a stuffed animal."

He hummed and nuzzled your neck again, his arms wrapped around you securely. It was obvious Malleus wasn't really listening to what you were saying.

"Hm."

"Tsuno, let go!"

"No."

"For the love of- Tsuno, I need to eat to survive. Do you want me dying?"

"No."

"Then let me cook!"

Malleus was visibly pouting and you had half a mind to bite him when a noise at the entrance of the kitchen drew your attention. Similarly, it drew Malleus' attention as well though he snarled deeply towards the door like anyone outside of the Hoard was somehow not permitted near you. It was clear the Dragon was not pleased with anyone visiting as he growled angrily towards the interlopers.

To your surprise, it was professor Divus and professor Trein standing there. Neither looked overly pleased as they stared at Malleus with equally angry expressions. Sebek stood to try and intervene or stop the teachers, but one quick glare from Divus made him back down with his ears folded flat against his skull.

"You four need to get out. Now."

Malleus clearly didn't like the idea as he began to snarl a deep and percussive sound in his throat. His tone was flat and he seemed less than intimidated despite Malleus being far stronger than both professors combined. It was during this stare-down that more footsteps alerted you to the presence of others arriving.

"Mr. Draconia," Crowley started as he rounded the corner with a few students at his heels, frowning at Malleus, "the staff will be taking over guarding (Y/n) this week. There will be no taking advantage of her state by anyone."

"I can guard my own Hoard."

"Can you guard her from yourself?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Can you keep yourself from trying to mate her while she is this fertile?"

"..."

"My point exactly! Now, she will be safe and protected with us, but you will have to leave, especially if you know you can't stop yourself."

"..."

There was a certain anger burning in Malleus' eyes that you hadn't seen before, and it was clear he was becoming rather upset as his wings rose up. You decided it was a good time to duck out of his arms, the Dragon letting out a loud snorting growl in complaint as he tried to catch you in his embrace once more. Thankfully, Divus and Trein were acutely aware of your escape from the Dragon and used their magic to move you behind them protectively.

"You dare take my Hoard-?"

"Stop it!"

The much harsher tone you had taken made everyone present flinch, looking at you in surprise as you stood up against the Dragon with a deep frown. Even Malleus seemed taken aback from your less than pleasant attitude towards him as he stared in confusion and discontent.

"That is enough! I don't know what happened that makes you think I need a mate, let alone want one when I am still barely surviving in this world as is, but you need to knock it off. I am not a pet! I am not a hunk of meat to fight over! If all you see me as is some fuck-toy then I don't think I want to be part of your Hoard."

Your words hung heavily in the air and you almost regretted them the moment they fell from your lips as Malleus' expression changed over an array of emotions in moments. First was unbridled rage, darkening his typically patient smile with a kind of bloodlust you had never seen from him before. Next was bone-chilling fear that made him look even more pallid than he already was. Finally a deep sorrow seemed to settle over him as ice slowly formed around his body and across the floor towards you.

If you were going to keep one of the strongest allies you had on your side, you would have to make him see the situation as you see it.

"... You don't want to be in my Hoard..?"

"I do want to be in the Hoard, but not if you are going to treat me like some pet or toy. I have my own wants and desires, Tsuno. I don't think anyone has the right to take that away from me. I don't want a mate right now."

"But... Your heat-"

"Humans don't have heats. I'm ovulating, not going into heat. It makes me more interested in finding a mate, but I don't need to mate. It isn't something that will hurt me if I don't, it just means I'm more... fertile... than normal. I don't want to be treated as a toy, for mating or otherwise. It isn't right that anyone treats me like a toy, not even you."

"I didn't mean to..."

"So I gather. But that still doesn't make it right, Tsuno."

That crushing look of despair took over his entire face as the temperature of the room dropped further and you could see your breath. If lightning meant he was angry, then surely this frost meant he was sorrowful. He had grossly misread the circumstances and was quite hurt by your scolding.

You faintly remembered Lilia telling you that Malleus was an adult, but was very young by Dragon standards and would continue to be considered young until he reached 1,000 years. He didn't have many- if any- true friends growing up other than Lilia and it was clear he didn't often bring others into his Hoard unless he truly wanted them to be a part of it. Malleus was acting like an outcast among outcasts and it made your heart hurt for him to recall his unfortunate reality. How he had to keep others at arms length despite how much he truly wanted friends and camaraderie.

Despite the ice and cold, you approached him unflinchingly and noticed how he avoided your gaze. It almost seemed little crystalline tears were forming in his eyes as you looked at the Dragon's shadowed face. He refused to glance at you before you wrapped your arms around the Dragon, holding him in a warming hug that thawed the forming frost and pushed back the cold.

It was a long moment of holding him before he reciprocated the embrace, hesitantly allowing his tail to wrap around your leg and his wings to fold around you. His shoulders shook somewhat as if in small hitching sobs as he buried his face in your shoulder. It was as if his entire body was focused on keeping you close and holding you to his chest.

"Please don't leave me. I'm so tired of being left alone. Please..."

"I won't leave you, Tsuno. But you need to understand that I will choose what makes me happy and gives me comfort. I want to be part of the Hoard and I want to be your friend, but you aren't allowed to just make decisions for me without even talking with me first. I agree with Headmage Crowley that the staff should be my guards this week, at least until my ovulation period is over."

"I'll miss you..."

"It won't be long, but it will keep me safe."

"I want to be the one to keep you safe."

"And you will have plenty more chances, but for now, this is for the best. That way no one else gets confused about this situation. Okay?"

"... Okay."

You nodded and let Malleus continue to hold you as he calmed himself down. As his breathing soothed to a steady rhythm with no more hitching you knew he was back in the proper state to listen and make rational decisions.

"Will you tell me when I can come back? When it's over..?"

"I will tell you the very second it happens, okay?"

"Okay... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

"I know you didn't. But we have plenty of time to catch up again after this. Are you going to make it storm or snow if I walk away?"

"... No."

You chuckled softly at the almost childish and pouting response, smiling at the dour Dragon that had saved you from those Fae and had done what he could to protect you. Not wanting to confuse him, you pulled away instead of leaning into the continued embrace. He let you go but still seemed withdrawn and downtrodden. The only harm it could do was comfort him, so you paused to plant a soft kiss on his forehead and a small wry smile pulled at his lips.

"The moment this 'ovulation' cycle is over, okay?"

"Of course."

"Lilia, Silver, Sebek, we need to leave for now, but we will be back soon. Until then, (Y/n)... I will wait for your call."

#kiame-sama #yandere #x reader #yandere x reader #reader insert #tw yandere #humans are extinct twst au

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thedensworld · 5 months ago

Text

Logical Project | C.Sc

Genre: fluff, humour, backstreet au

Summary: Illogical project dismissed! Now, Seungcheol had to face a new problem, Jiyeon and Jeonghan.

Read the first part here

Tomorrow is my first day working at a new place! Wish me luck (and won't get any treatment like Y/n)

“That’s it?” Seungcheol’s voice cut through the silence, snapping you out of the whirlwind of thoughts spinning in your head. You blinked up at him, taken aback by the question. That’s it? What else was there to say when someone just confessed their feelings out of nowhere?

Do a cartwheel?

Definitely not.

“Do you… want to come inside?” The words slipped out before you could stop yourself.

Wait, what? Panic flared in your chest. You mentally slapped yourself. Why did you say that? You glanced back at your apartment, suddenly remembering the chaotic mess you’d left behind. The dishes were still piled up in the sink, and cooking equipment was strewn across the kitchen counter from your failed attempt to make breakfast earlier. The last thing Seungcheol needed to see after baring his soul was the state of your post-breakdown kitchen.

“I—I mean,” you stammered, desperate to recover from your blunder. “We could go to a nearby café instead… Or—if you’re more comfortable—we can talk in my… living room?” You cringed inwardly, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks as you realized you’d just invited him inside again. Twice. As if you were trying to send some sort of signal.

Get it together, Y/N.

“Sure,” Seungcheol replied with a casual nod, as if you hadn’t just awkwardly fumbled your way through an invitation to your personal space. He didn’t look the least bit phased by your internal meltdown.

“Uh—great!” You cleared your throat, feeling your face flush. What kind of person invites their boss—well, former boss—into their messy apartment right after he drops a confession like that?

You spun around and led the way back into the building, too afraid to turn around and see the expression on his face. You could only imagine what he must be thinking. Maybe he was silently judging the disarray of your life, or worse—contemplating running for the hills before he got dragged into your chaos.

Is this really okay? you wondered as you fumbled with your keys, forcing yourself to unlock the door to your apartment. When the door swung open, you hesitated, peering into the living room as if expecting to find an even bigger mess than you remembered.

“So… I didn’t exactly get around to cleaning up,” you mumbled as a way of apology. Seungcheol stepped in beside you, taking in the sight of scattered notebooks and the remnants of an unfinished dinner on the coffee table.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his tone light, as if you’d just invited him into a pristine penthouse suite instead of an apartment that looked like a mild hurricane had swept through. “It’s not as bad as you think.”

You scoffed softly, shaking your head. “Are you sure? Because I’m pretty sure even the couch is giving me a look of judgment right now.”

He chuckled—a deep, genuine sound that took you by surprise. “Well, if the couch starts talking, then I’ll be worried.”

A snort escaped you before you could stop it, and you quickly clamped a hand over your mouth. This entire situation was surreal. Here you were, standing in your barely-presentable living room with the Choi Seungcheol, exchanging banter like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Let’s just… sit,” you suggested weakly, gesturing to the slightly cluttered couch.

You both settled down, the cushions sinking under the weight of unspoken words. Seungcheol leaned back, glancing around your place before his gaze landed on you.

“So… what now?” he asked softly, his eyes never leaving your face.

You swallowed, suddenly aware of the intensity in his gaze. “I don’t know,” you murmured honestly. “I didn’t really… expect any of this.”

Seungcheol smiled slightly, a hint of uncertainty flickering in his expression. “Me neither.”

You both lapsed into silence, each of you lost in your own thoughts. The awkwardness from earlier hadn’t entirely disappeared, but now there was something else—something tentative and hopeful—hovering between you.

No, maybe inviting him in wasn't a good idea after all.

Your clothes were neatly pressed, your hair smelled faintly of some overpriced conditioner that probably didn’t work any better than regular shampoo, and your smile? Absolutely radiant. You practically glowed as you approached the front entrance of the towering office building.

This was it. You were back in the workforce, and nothing—absolutely nothing—was going to ruin your mood today.

You swiped your shiny new ID card through the scanner and watched the security gate slide open with a satisfying click. Ah, that sound.

You flashed the security guard a broad smile, even though he looked slightly alarmed by your level of enthusiasm so early in the morning. With a cheerful nod, you made your way to the elevator and squeezed inside with the rush-hour crowd.

As more people piled in, you found yourself gradually nudged to the back of the elevator, squished up against the corner like a sardine in a tin can. You stood there, beaming, as someone’s elbow jabbed into your side, and another person’s backpack thumped against your shoulder.

It doesn’t matter, you told yourself. I’m working again! I have a job! I have an income!

The elevator finally reached your floor, and you stepped out with a polite nod to everyone else crammed in the space. Walking into the office with your head held high, you approached the reception area and introduced yourself.

“Everyone, please meet Ji Y/N,” Mr. Kim, your supervisor, motioning toward you with a grand flourish that felt a bit too theatrical. “She’ll be joining us as the new staff.”

You turned to the team, offering them your best smile and a small wave. A few people returned the gesture, while others exchanged knowing looks.

“It’s nice to meet you all. I’m excited to work with everyone,” you said brightly, trying not to sound too eager. But for some reason, the room was oddly quiet.

Just then, Mr. Kim cleared his throat and continued, “Oh, and, uh, a quick note: I think it’s fair to mention that Ms. Ji is… well, she’s related to our CEO.”

A murmur of recognition rippled through the group, and you suddenly found yourself at the center of what felt like a mini gossip fest.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, you chanted internally, feeling your earlier excitement waver. You blinked at Mr. Kim, a polite, confused smile plastered on your face as you struggled to process what he’d just said.

“Related?” someone whispered. “Isn’t that a bit of an understatement?”

“She’s the CEO’s sister,” another voice added helpfully.

Well, that’s one way to let the cat out of the bag.

You forced a laugh, though it sounded more like a strangled cough. “Yes, well… It’s not really—”

But the damage was done. The team’s expressions shifted from curious to knowing, and a few eyebrows arched in interest.

“So, you’re our boss’s little sister, huh?” one of them asked, his tone light but laced with something else you couldn’t quite place.

“Must be nice to have connections,” someone else muttered, though it was low enough that you could pretend not to hear it.

You opened your mouth to respond but couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t sound defensive or self-deprecating.

“Um, yeah,” you managed awkwardly, shooting a glance at Mr. Kim, who looked like he was one second away from shrinking into the carpet. “I just… I’m really looking forward to contributing and learning, and—”

“—and working for your brother?” another voice teased, and you nearly groaned out loud.

You swallowed hard, keeping that tight smile in place as you nodded. “Exactly! Working… like, all of you. Just… like you all are.”

Mr. Kim let out a nervous chuckle. “Alright, everyone. Let’s welcome Ms. Ji and give her some space to settle in. I’m sure she’s eager to get started.”

As you turned to follow Mr. Kim to your desk, you tried to shake off the lingering embarrassment. You took a deep breath, pasting your earlier smile back on. So what if they know? It doesn’t matter! You’re here to work, and that’s what matters!

You stepped out of the office building with a small sigh of relief. It had been a long day—no, scratch that—an agonizingly long day of trying to prove yourself to people who were convinced you were only there because of your brother.

Your gaze landed on the sleek black car parked discreetly at the end of the street. The sight of it made you smile, if only for a moment, before you quickened your pace and slipped into the passenger seat.

As soon as the door closed, you sank back into the leather seat, letting out a dramatic sigh. Seungcheol glanced over from the driver’s seat, his expression a mix of amusement and concern as he watched you pout.

“You look absolutely exhausted,” he remarked softly. His eyes traced your features—the drooping eyelids, the slight frown, the way your lips were pressed into a tight line. All in stark contrast to the cheerful, lively voice note you’d sent him that morning, declaring how excited you were for your first official day on the job.

“Drive before my brother sees your car.” Your voice came out grumbly, the weariness apparent as you glanced around.

Seungcheol chuckled softly. “Alright, princess,” he murmured, a small, affectionate smile playing on his lips as he turned the ignition.

You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye as he pulled out into the street, the soft hum of the car filling the silence between you.

“Bad day?” he asked gently, not pushing, just offering you a chance to vent if you needed to.

You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest like a sulking child. “More like an ‘everybody’s-still-staring-at-me-like-I’m-a-spoiled-brat-who-got-hired-because-of-my-brother’ day.”

Seungcheol raised an eyebrow,“I’m sure you did great,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “You always do.”

You gave him a sideways glance, your lips twitching slightly. “That’s easy for you to say, Mr. CEO. You don’t have to deal with your brother’s employees eyeing you like you’re about to break into a spoiled tantrum every time you say something.”

He let out a low laugh, the sound wrapping around you like a comforting blanket. “True, but I do know how hard you work, Y/N. You don’t need to prove yourself to them. They’ll see it eventually.”

His confidence in you was touching, but it only made you sigh. “Yeah, well, it’d be a lot easier if a certain someone hadn’t barged into the office, grinning like a Cheshire cat and announcing to everyone that I was his precious little sister.”

Seungcheol’s grin widened as he glanced at you again. “Jeonghan really said that?”

“Basically, yes,” you muttered, the memory of your brother’s teasing smile flashing through your mind. “He might as well have held up a giant banner saying, ‘She’s here because of me, everyone!’”

Seungcheol snickered, shaking his head slightly. “Your brother does have a flair for the dramatic.”

“Understatement of the century,” you grumbled, but there was a small smile tugging at your lips now.

Silence settled between you, a comfortable one this time. The kind that only came when you were with someone who knew you well enough not to fill the quiet with meaningless chatter.

It had been like this between you and Seungcheol ever since he’d shown up at your apartment that night and confessed—awkward and unexpected, but somehow, so undeniably right. From there, things had developed naturally. Texts became calls, calls became late-night coffee runs, and soon, he was sneaking you out for lunches and dinners, or showing up at your place just to talk.

But your brother? He still had no idea. And considering how protective Jeonghan was, he’d probably lock you in a tower if he knew you were dating his best friend.

“What are you thinking about?” Seungcheol’s voice broke through your thoughts, his eyes glancing at you with that familiar, gentle look that always made your heart flutter.

“Just… us,” you admitted quietly, resting your head against the seat as you looked at him. “I like this. Being with you like this. Even if we have to keep it a secret.”

Seungcheol’s gaze softened, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel as he turned down a quieter road, away from the main streets. “I like it too. More than I thought I would, actually.”

You raised an eyebrow. “You mean you didn’t expect to like sneaking around with me?”

“Not exactly what I meant,” he replied with a laugh. “But I didn’t expect to feel this… happy. With you.”

The sincerity in his tone made your heart skip a beat. You looked at him for a long moment, taking in the way his hair fell softly over his forehead, the way his jaw tightened slightly whenever he was thinking hard about something.

“Cheol…” you began, but the words died in your throat. What were you supposed to say? That you were falling for him? That you’d fallen long before he’d confessed? That the thought of him made everything else bearable?

Before you could find the right words, Seungcheol slowed the car to a stop. You glanced outside and realized he’d pulled over to a small, quiet park. There was no one else around—just the two of you.

“Y/N,” he said softly, his eyes locking onto yours with an intensity that made your breath hitch. “I know it’s not easy, keeping this from Jeonghan. But I promise, when the time’s right, we’ll tell him.”

You swallowed, your fingers tightening around your bag. “And what if he doesn’t accept it?”

Seungcheol’s gaze didn’t waver. “Then I’ll keep fighting for us until he does.”

His words hung in the air between you, the weight of them sinking into your heart and settling there.

You smiled then, a real smile this time, and leaned over, pressing a light kiss to his cheek. “Alright, Mr. Choi. Let’s see how long we can keep this up before my brother catches on.”

Seungcheol chuckled, his hand reaching over to take yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Challenge accepted, princess.”

Seungcheol looked up from his computer screen when his office door swung open without warning. He leaned back in his chair, watching as Jiyeon stormed inside, her steps frantic, shoulders tense. It wasn’t hard to guess who had set her off like this. With a subtle sigh, he shifted his attention fully to her.

“Jiyeon,” he greeted her, his voice calm in contrast to the energy she was emitting. “You look... restless.”

“Restless?” she snapped, stopping right in front of his desk. “More like infuriated!”

Seungcheol raised an eyebrow, not looking particularly surprised. “I’m guessing this has something to do with Jeonghan?”

Jiyeon’s mouth opened and closed, a mixture of frustration and disbelief flashing across her face. “He just canceled our lunch date—again. No warning, no apology, just a brief message saying he’s busy.” She took a deep breath, and for a moment, Seungcheol thought she might scream. “He’s always busy, Seungcheol.”

Seungcheol leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk, the corners of his lips lifting into an amused smile. “What did you expect? It’s Jeonghan we’re talking about.”

“Not this!” Jiyeon exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. “It’s been two years, Seungcheol. Two years since we got engaged, and not once has he shown even a shred of genuine interest in me. "

Seungcheol listened to Jiyeon ranting on and on about Jeonghan, but he couldn’t help his mind from drifting elsewhere. He kept nodding at the right moments, offering occasional comments when she paused for breath, but a part of him was completely distracted.

“I thought things would change after the accident, you know?” Jiyeon’s voice was strained, on the verge of breaking.

Seungcheol blinked, his gaze refocusing on her face. “Jeonghan… he’s always been good at playing his part, hasn’t he?”

Jiyeon stared at him, her lips tightening. “You’re making it sound like a game, Seungcheol.”

“It’s not a game,” he said softly. “But you know how Jeonghan is. He compartmentalizes things. This engagement was always about business for him, nothing more.”

She let out a humorless laugh. “Business… Everything in our lives seems to come back to that, doesn’t it?”

Seungcheol didn’t answer. He watched her, a faint furrow forming between his brows. He could see how much the engagement weighed on her, the toll it had taken over the past two years.

Part of him wanted to offer her some comfort, to give her some sort of answer that could make this all easier. But another part—the one that had become more prominent ever since he confessed to you—kept whispering something else. Something selfish.

If Jiyeon and Jeonghan finally called it quits… It would benefit him, wouldn’t it?

It would give Seungcheol the space to focus on his relationship with you without constantly looking over his shoulder.

Because if anyone found out about you and him… Well, the repercussions wouldn’t be small. He knew that better than anyone.

“Why do you keep putting yourself through this?” he asked, his voice softer now, a touch of genuine concern in it. “If it’s hurting you this much, why not just call off the engagement?”

Jiyeon’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Seungcheol knew she was scrutinizing him, searching for any ulterior motives. He kept his expression open, neutral, but inside, his thoughts were spinning.

Did this make him a terrible person? Maybe. But then, wasn’t it Jeonghan’s fault for treating Jiyeon like a mere business obligation in the first place? And wasn’t it Jiyeon’s fault for allowing herself to be strung along like this?

And wasn’t it his right to be a little selfish, after everything?

“Call it off?” Jiyeon echoed, her voice small and disbelieving. “You’ve never been this supportive of me calling it off before. Why the sudden change of heart?”

Seungcheol watched her, feeling the weight of the question. He should have expected this; Jiyeon was sharp—sharper than people often gave her credit for.

He took a deep breath and offered her a small, wry smile. “People change. Perspectives change. You’re my cousin, Jiyeon, and if this engagement is making you miserable, I don’t see the point of dragging it out.”

Jiyeon’s gaze narrowed further, suspicion glimmering in her eyes. “You’ve never cared this much about my happiness before, Seungcheol.”

Ouch. He had to give it to her—she didn’t hold back when she sensed something was off. But Seungcheol didn’t flinch. Instead, he shrugged lightly.

“Maybe I’ve just gotten soft.” He tilted his head slightly, letting a hint of a smile touch his lips. “Or maybe I’ve started to realize how pointless it is to force people to stay in places they don’t belong.”

Jiyeon continued to stare at him, her gaze calculating. “Are you… seeing someone?”

The question hit him harder than he expected, but he managed to keep his face composed.

“Jiyeon, my personal life isn’t what’s important right now.”

“Oh, it is important if you’re seeing someone, and that’s why you’re pushing me to call off my engagement,” she pressed, voice lower now, more intense. “If this is about someone else, then I deserve to know.”

Seungcheol sighed, shaking his head slowly. “It’s not about me,” he murmured. “It’s about you. And what you want, Jiyeon. Jeonghan’s my friend, but you’re also my family. I don’t want you stuck in something that’s not going anywhere, no matter what’s happening in my life.”

There was a flicker of something in Jiyeon’s eyes—hesitation, maybe. Uncertainty. She held his gaze for a long, tense moment, then finally exhaled, shoulders slumping slightly.

“Fine,” she muttered, rubbing her temples as if trying to soothe a headache. “But I’m not done with this conversation.”

Seungcheol’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “I didn’t expect you to be.”

You sat across from Jeonghan at the bustling barbecue joint, poking at the sizzling meat on the grill with a pout. This wasn’t exactly what you had in mind when he texted you about dinner. You’d envisioned fine dining, A5 Wagyu steak, and maybe a glass of an expensive, aged wine. It would have been a perfect way to celebrate one month of officially working at your brother’s company.

Instead, here you were, in a casual barbecue restaurant with loud chatter all around, the smell of grilled meat clinging to your clothes. Though, you had to admit—maybe reluctantly—the food did look good. And Jeonghan had been thoughtful enough to order all your favorites.

“Eat up,” he said, flipping a piece of pork belly onto your plate. “You’ve lost weight.”

You shrugged, choosing to ignore his comment. Of course, you had. You’d been strict about your diet lately. You didn’t want to show up in front of Seungcheol looking like a stuffed dumpling on a random day. But that didn’t mean you were going to deny yourself a good meal tonight. If nothing else, you’d at least get something out of this dinner.

Jeonghan glanced at you, probably noticing your half-hearted expression. “I heard you’ve been doing well at work,” he said, his tone light but watchful.

You raised an eyebrow, giving him a look. “You’ve been keeping tabs on me?”

He smiled, unbothered. “Of course. I had to make sure my little sister wasn’t causing trouble for the marketing team.”

Rolling your eyes, you took a bite of the pork belly. Despite your initial annoyance, you couldn’t help but appreciate his support.

“Everything good with you and Jiyeon?” you asked suddenly, steering the conversation away from yourself. It had been months since you last saw Jiyeon ever since the car accident.

Jeonghan’s shoulders tensed slightly, but he nodded. “Yeah… we’re good.”

His words were casual, but you noticed the way his gaze dropped to the grill, avoiding yours. You tilted your head, watching him intently. “The feelings still the same?” you pressed gently, knowing you were treading on delicate ground.

Jeonghan took a deep breath, lifting his eyes slowly. His lips twitched, a shadow of his usual confident smirk appearing and then disappearing just as quickly.

He looked up, meeting your gaze squarely. “Jiyeon’s… pretty,” he said, almost to himself. “She’s smart, driven. She’d make a great partner for anyone.”

A bitter laugh escaped him. He glanced down at his hands, shaking his head slightly. “It’s just… there’s something inside me that stops me from falling for her. And I can’t put it into words.”

The frustration in his voice was palpable. It made your chest ache for him, this man who’d always been so sure of himself, now struggling to grasp his own emotions.

“It’s alright, Jeonghan,” you murmured, your voice soft, comforting. “You don’t have to force yourself to feel something that isn’t there.”

Jeonghan didn’t respond, his eyes drifting away as if searching for answers in the smoke curling up from the grill. The silence between you was heavy, filled with words unspoken and pain unaddressed. He’d been there for Jiyeon, done everything a good fiancé would do. But that was the problem, wasn’t it? He was only playing the role of a fiancé—not really living it.

And as you sat there, you couldn’t help but think back to Seungcheol’s words from earlier that day.

“If Jeonghan and Jiyeon finally decide to call it off… it wouldn’t be the end of the world, you know?”

You hadn’t understood what he meant at the time. But now, looking at Jeonghan’s weary expression, the way he forced himself to be the person Jiyeon needed, you began to see it.

Maybe, just maybe, calling it off would be the best thing—for everyone involved. Including Seungcheol, who’d seemed a little too relieved at the thought of the engagement ending.

You shook your head, trying to push away the unsettling thought. No, it wasn’t about that. It wasn’t about what Seungcheol and you might gain. It was about your brother’s happiness.

You sighed, turning your attention back to the grill. The meat was starting to char at the edges, and you quickly flipped it over, frowning at the burnt bits.

Maybe Seungcheol was right. Maybe some things weren’t meant to be fixed, but to be set free.

And maybe, just maybe, it was time for Jeonghan to let go of the life he thought he was supposed to live… and find one where he could finally be happy.

Jeonghan removed his engagement ring and placed it on the table in front of Jiyeon’s parents. The sound of the metal touching the wooden surface seemed to echo in the otherwise silent room. Jiyeon’s parents stared at the ring, disbelief etched across their faces as they looked back and forth between their daughter and Jeonghan. Jiyeon remained silent beside him, her gaze fixed on the table as if she could avoid the weight of the moment entirely.

Before her parents could voice their outrage, Jiyeon took off her own ring and set it beside his, an unspoken affirmation that this decision had been made together. The rings, once symbols of a future they were supposed to build, now lay side by side, abandoned.

“I realized that I’m not ready to settle,” Jeonghan said, his voice steady but soft. He looked directly at Jiyeon’s father. “My priority right now is my sister. I don’t want to keep hurting Jiyeon by holding on to something I can’t fully commit to.”

Jiyeon’s father, a man usually composed and measured, narrowed his eyes. “And you’re prepared for the consequences of this?” he asked, voice low with an edge of warning.

Jeonghan met his gaze unflinchingly. “Yes, I’ve thought it through. I’m aware of what this means for both our families, and I’m sorry for how this will affect our businesses. But it’s the right thing to do.”

A heavy silence settled in the room. Jiyeon’s mother let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh, while her father’s stern expression remained unchanged. They knew what Jeonghan was referring to—the contracts and collaborations between the two families that would likely dissolve now that the engagement was off. But none of it mattered anymore. Not when Jiyeon’s empty gaze mirrored Jeonghan’s.

Jeonghan’s lips twitched, offering a small, remorseful smile. “I apologize once again,” he murmured, bowing his head. It was a gesture not just of respect, but of finality.

The drive home felt like a blur. The city lights outside the car window blended into a sea of color as he navigated through Seoul’s busy streets. He should’ve felt lighter, relieved even. But all he felt was a hollow emptiness, a void where expectations and duty used to reside.

When he finally stepped into the house, he was greeted by the quiet stillness that came with being alone. The maid offered a polite smile and a nod before retreating, leaving him in the large, empty living room. His eyes wandered to the framed family photo on the wall—the one taken two days before everything changed.

A little you, perched on your father’s lap, smiling brightly at the camera. His younger self stood beside your mother, his expression carefree, with no trace of the weight he’d eventually carry. That picture captured a moment frozen in time—before the car accident that took your parents, before the responsibilities of the family business fell on his shoulders.

He’d been so young, barely an adult himself. He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t prepared for the endless days and sleepless nights that followed, learning how to run a business while grieving. But he had to be ready. For you, for the legacy left behind. He pushed himself harder than anyone could imagine, hoping that if he tried hard enough, he’d find happiness at the end of it all.

But it never came. He never found it.

Until you came back to Seoul after graduation.

You’d breezed into his life like a whirlwind, bringing color and laughter back into a world that had been gray for too long. Your presence reminded him of what it felt like to be happy again. He cherished seeing you smile, watching you rediscover life with the kind of enthusiasm he’d long since buried.

Then he saw you, smiling at Seungcheol at the Heidos Group Anniversary. It was the first time he noticed that familiar spark in your eyes. The same one you’d had back in college, when he’d shown you a photo of his roommate and you’d teased him with a mischievous grin.

“Wow, you have a handsome friend. Why don’t you introduce us?” you’d joked.

He remembered the look on his face back then—the way he’d sworn he’d never let you two meet. Your crush on Seungcheol was a topic he never took lightly, though he’d played it off as an overprotective brother act. He hated it, seeing that giddy, admiring look on your face, even if he’d never said a word.

And then, he watched you grow up, choosing paths that always seemed to lead back to Seungcheol—whether it was working at Heidos Food or insisting on attending the same events. When you’d finally landed a job at Heidos Food, the excitement in your voice had made his chest tighten with something close to fear.

“The time has come,” he’d thought bitterly.

Jeonghan knew he couldn’t stop you. He couldn’t stand in the way of fate, no matter how much he wanted to. Because if there was anyone who could give you the kind of love and happiness he couldn’t, it was Seungcheol.

The day when he saw Seungcheol’s car parked in front of your house, he realized he’d been right all along. He’d sensed that whatever it was between you and Seungcheol was finally unfolding, blooming into something he couldn’t control.

And now, as he stood in the dimly lit hallway of his house, staring at that old family photo, he felt a strange sense of peace. Letting go of Jiyeon, refusing to force himself into a life he didn’t want, had been the right decision.

Because he couldn’t stand to see you unhappy. And if Seungcheol could bring you joy, then everything—letting go of his engagement, enduring the aftermath—would be worth it.

Jeonghan turned away from the photo, his gaze lingering on the empty, silent house. Yes, he thought, his heart aching but resolute. Letting go was never easy, but some things needed to be set free so that something new could begin.

And maybe, just maybe, it was time for him to start letting go of the life he thought he should lead… and find one where he could finally just be.

The early morning light peeked through the sheer curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. Seungcheol shifted slightly, careful not to wake you as he looked down at the sight that had become his favorite—your peaceful face resting against his chest, hair slightly mussed from sleep.

You’d stayed the night, and now, as he watched the rise and fall of your breathing, he couldn’t help but smile. This moment, the quiet intimacy of waking up with you in his arms, felt almost too perfect to be real. He’d often catch himself wondering how he got lucky enough to have you here, tangled up with him in sheets that were no longer cold and empty.

Slowly, as if sensing his gaze, your eyes fluttered open. You blinked, squinting against the morning light before looking up at him, a small pout forming on your lips.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” he murmured, his voice still thick with sleep.

You shifted, stretching slightly but not moving away from his hold. “Morning… I should probably get going, though,” you mumbled, glancing around as if remembering where you were. “I don’t have any clothes here.”

Seungcheol raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at his lips. “You don’t need to rush off so soon. The lady who cleans the house brought over a bunch of women’s clothes the other day. Said she thought they might come in handy.”

Your eyes widened a fraction. “Wait, seriously? Why would she do that?”

He chuckled, the sound low and warm in the quiet room. “I might have mentioned something about a ‘guest’ staying over occasionally. Ever since then, she’s been pampering me with questions and insisting on stocking up on things.”

You groaned softly, burying your face back into his chest. “Seungcheol…”

“What?” He pretended to look offended, though his grin only widened. “I didn’t exactly ask her to do it, but I have to say, she’s been very thoughtful.”

“Still… it’s embarrassing,” you muttered.

He let out a low hum, running his fingers gently through your hair. “I like it,” he admitted softly. “I like having you around. Everything just… feels better when you’re here.”

You lifted your head slightly, meeting his gaze. There was something in his eyes, a softness and sincerity that made your heart skip a beat. He was serious. Everything was better with you.

Reluctantly, you nodded. “Alright. I’ll stay for breakfast, but I’m going home after that.”

“Deal,” he agreed easily, pressing a light kiss to your forehead before you finally untangled yourself from his arms.

A little while later, you were sitting across from Seungcheol at his kitchen table, the two of you sharing a simple breakfast. Despite the everyday setting, something about it felt special. The clink of utensils against plates, the smell of coffee filling the air—it was a scene you could get used to.

Seungcheol watched you from over his cup, unable to stop the smile that crept onto his face. Eating breakfast alone was something he’d grown accustomed to, but with you here, everything was different. The eggs tasted richer, the toast more buttery, and even the morning sunlight seemed warmer.

“I could get used to this,” he mused aloud, his voice light but with a hint of something deeper.

You glanced up, eyebrows raised. “Breakfast?”

“Breakfast. Mornings. Everything,” he said, leaning back slightly as he took in the sight of you. “When you’re here, the food tastes better, the air feels fresher… even the cold water in the shower isn’t as bad.”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Such a sweet talker, Seungcheol.”

“I’m serious,” he murmured, reaching over to brush a strand of hair away from your face. “You make everything better.”

Your cheeks warmed at the intensity of his gaze, but before you could respond, he was already standing up and gathering the empty dishes. You moved to help, but he waved you off.

“Stay. I’ll do the dishes,” he said firmly.

“You cooked,” you protested. “It’s only fair I help.”

He hesitated, then sighed, relenting. “Alright, fine. But I’m drying.”

The two of you fell into a comfortable rhythm at the sink. You washed, and he dried, his presence close enough that you could feel the heat radiating from his body. Every so often, his arm would brush against yours, sending tiny sparks up your skin.

It was just the two of you, sharing a simple, quiet moment in his kitchen. Or at least, it was supposed to be.

Seungcheol’s arms suddenly wrapped around your waist, pulling you back against his chest. You squealed softly in surprise, your soapy hands hovering awkwardly over the sink as you turned your head to look at him.

“Seungcheol, what are you doing?” you asked, your voice a mix of exasperation and amusement.

“I just… needed to hold you for a second,” he murmured, resting his chin on your shoulder. His hands splayed across your stomach, holding you close as if he couldn’t bear to let go. “You’re always so busy, and I just wanted a bit more of you before you go.”

Your heart melted at his words. He sounded almost childlike, his usual confident demeanor slipping away to reveal the vulnerability underneath.

You turned slightly, reaching up to cup his cheek. “You know I’m not going anywhere, right?”

His gaze softened, and before you knew it, his lips were on yours. The kiss was slow, lingering, as if he was savoring every second. You sighed against his mouth, your hands reaching up to wind around his neck.

One kiss turned into another, then another, each one deeper than the last. The dishes were forgotten, the only sound in the room the soft hum of the fridge and the ragged breaths you both shared.

“Seungcheol…” you breathed out as his mouth trailed down your jaw, leaving a hot path of kisses along your neck. His hands gripped the edge of the counter, trapping you in place as he pulled you closer.

But before things could go any further, the front door swung open.

You both froze, heads snapping toward the sound. Footsteps echoed through the hallway, drawing closer. Panic seized you, your heart racing as you looked up at Seungcheol with wide eyes.

“Who could that be?” you whispered frantically.

“I—I don’t know,” he stammered, releasing you and stepping back hastily.

The footsteps stopped, and a familiar figure appeared at the entrance to the kitchen.

“Jiyeon?” Seungcheol blurted out, his voice a mixture of shock and confusion.

Jiyeon’s eyes widened as she took in the scene—your flushed face, Seungcheol’s disheveled hair, the obvious tension lingering in the air.

For a moment, no one spoke.

“Uh… hi?” you offered weakly, your voice sounding embarrassingly small.

Jiyeon raised an eyebrow, looking between the two of you with a knowing smirk. “Did I… interrupt something?”

Seungcheol cleared his throat, scrambling to regain his composure. “What are you doing here?”

Jiyeon shrugged casually. “I came to talk. But it seems like you’re… busy.”

Her eyes twinkled mischievously, and you could see the teasing smile threatening to break through.

Seungcheol let out a long, exasperated sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Right. Let’s… talk.”

You shifted awkwardly, glancing at Seungcheol. “I should probably—”

“No,” Seungcheol interrupted firmly, taking your hand. “Stay. Whatever she has to say, she can say it in front of you.”

Jiyeon’s smirk widened. “Well, this should be interesting,” she murmured, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe, clearly enjoying the situation a bit too much.

As Seungcheol’s grip on your hand tightened, you couldn’t help but feel that whatever was coming, you’d face it together.

The brunch spot you’d chosen was a cozy little café downtown, known for its long queues on weekends. You glanced around nervously, feeling a bit guilty for dragging Seungcheol out here on a Sunday morning. He’d already spent the night taking care of you, and now he was stuck in line with you, waiting for pastries and coffee.

“I’m sorry for making you wait around like this,” you murmured, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. “I know you probably had better things to do than—”

Seungcheol raised an eyebrow, cutting you off with a gentle nudge. “Stop apologizing. I’m happy to be here. Besides,” he leaned in closer, his breath tickling your ear, “I’d rather spend a few hours queuing with you than not see you at all.”

You felt a blush creep up your cheeks, and you looked away, pretending to be overly interested in the menu board. “Still… I feel bad that I’ve been so busy. It’s like everyone at work just dumped all their projects on me.”

“Maybe you should start messing with their work,” he suggested with a cheeky grin.

You laughed softly, shaking your head. “As tempting as that sounds, Jeonghan would not be happy about it.”

Seungcheol’s smile faltered a little at the mention of your brother. “Your brother needs to cut you some slack,” he muttered. “You’re doing more than enough for that company.”

“Speaking of which…” You glanced up at the counter where the bakery display was set up. “I think I should get more almond croissants. Just in case Jeonghan decides to visit my place.”

Seungcheol’s frown deepened. “He should stop visiting your place so often. Doesn’t he have anything else to do?”

You tried to stifle a laugh. “No, he only has me.”

“Ugh,” Seungcheol groaned, rubbing his temples dramatically. “Right, I forgot. Your brother’s territorial complex. I don’t think he’s ready to share you yet.”

“Not at all,” you teased lightly. “Which is why you’re right—we should probably wait until our second anniversary to tell him, not the first.”

He sighed, a smile tugging at his lips despite his grumbling. “You’re going to make me wait even longer, huh?”

“Just a little bit,” you hummed, flashing him a playful smile.

It didn’t take much longer for the line to move forward, and soon enough, you were walking out with a bag full of fresh pastries and two cups of coffee. Seungcheol insisted on carrying everything, his hand lightly brushing yours every so often as you walked back to his car.

The ride back to your place was filled with easy chatter and laughter. Seungcheol had this way of making even the most mundane moments feel special, his presence so warm and comforting that you found yourself wishing you could stay with him all day. But you knew you couldn’t; there was still a mountain of work waiting for you at home.

When you finally reached your building, Seungcheol parked the car and turned to you, a small, reluctant smile on his face. “I’ll walk you up.”

“You don’t have to,” you protested lightly, though you secretly loved that he was always so considerate.

“I want to,” he insisted. He carried the pastry bag and followed you to your door, his hand finding its way to your lower back as you fished for your keys.

The second you unlocked the door, Seungcheol pulled you into a gentle hug, his chin resting on the top of your head. “Promise me you’ll take breaks while working,” he murmured softly.

You closed your eyes, savoring the warmth of his embrace. “I will,” you whispered, your arms tightening around him.

“And text me when you’re done, alright?” he added, tilting your face up so he could press a lingering kiss to your lips. “I want to know when I can steal you away again.”

You nodded, smiling against his mouth. “Okay, I’ll text you.”

But before you could say anything else, the door behind you swung open, startling both of you. You turned around, eyes widening in shock as you found yourself face-to-face with Jeonghan.

His gaze shifting between you and Seungcheol. His eyes narrowed, and you could almost see the gears turning in his head as he processed what he was seeing—his little sister standing on the doorstep with Seungcheol, lips a bit too swollen and hair a bit too messy to be innocent.

“What’s this?” Jeonghan demanded, his tone icy as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Care to explain?”

You opened your mouth to answer, but Seungcheol beat you to it. He took a step forward, positioning himself slightly in front of you, as if shielding you from Jeonghan’s cold glare.

“I can explain,” Seungcheol said calmly. “I know this looks… unexpected, but I can assure you that everything is fine. We’re fine.”

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Fine?” he repeated, his voice laced with skepticism. “You’re standing outside my sister’s apartment looking like you’ve been making out for hours, and you’re telling me everything is fine?”

You winced, but Seungcheol remained unflinching. “Yes, because that’s exactly what happened.”

Your eyes widened at Seungcheol’s boldness. He shot you a quick, reassuring glance before turning back to face Jeonghan, his shoulders squared confidently.

“I like her,” Seungcheol stated firmly, his voice unwavering. “I’ve liked her for a long time. And I’d like to keep liking her—with your permission, of course.”

Jeonghan blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Seungcheol’s directness. He glanced at you, his gaze softening slightly before he looked back at Seungcheol.

“You like her?” he echoed, as if testing the words on his tongue. “Since when?”

Seungcheol hesitated, his jaw clenching slightly. “Since… well, since before I knew I wasn’t supposed to.”

Jeonghan’s eyes narrowed, but there was no malice in his gaze, only a protective wariness. “And you,” he turned to you, his voice softer now. “Is this what you want?”

You swallowed, meeting Jeonghan’s gaze squarely. “Yes. I want this,” you said quietly but firmly. “I want to be with him.”

For a moment, silence hung heavy in the air, the tension almost palpable. Then, slowly, Jeonghan let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing just a fraction.

“Well… I guess I can’t really stop you,” he muttered, his lips quirking up in a reluctant smile. “But I swear, if you hurt her—”

“I won’t,” Seungcheol interrupted, his voice filled with quiet determination. “I promise, I won’t.”

Jeonghan eyed him for a long moment, then nodded, a small sigh escaping him. “Alright. But don’t think I’m going to make it easy for you.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Seungcheol replied with a grin.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, but you could see the corners of his mouth twitching up. He turned to you, his expression softening. “And you—don’t think this gets you out of our lunch plans tomorrow.”

You laughed softly, relief flooding through you. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Jeonghan shook his head, muttering something under his breath about troublesome siblings before stepping back inside. “Just… behave yourselves, okay?”

You nodded, smiling as you watched him retreat into the apartment.

Once the door clicked shut, Seungcheol let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He turned to you, his eyes shining with a mix of relief and amusement.

“Well, that went better than expected,” he murmured, pulling you into his arms again.

“Yeah,” you agreed, leaning into his embrace. “Way better.”

“Now,” he whispered against your hair, “let’s finish that kiss properly, hmm?”

You laughed, tilting your head up to meet his lips again, this time with no interruptions, no worries—just the sweet, undeniable feeling of being exactly where you belonged.

It was well past midnight, and your living room was dimly lit by the soft glow of your laptop screen. Papers were strewn across the coffee table, along with empty coffee cups and a half-eaten sandwich you’d forgotten about hours ago. You sat hunched over your work, typing furiously, as if sheer speed could somehow help you finish everything your colleagues had dumped on you.

Seungcheol sat quietly beside you on the couch, his presence a steadying comfort. He had come over a few hours ago after seeing your “busy” message and the growing bags under your eyes during your video call. You didn’t ask him to stay, but you didn’t have to—Seungcheol knew you too well to leave you alone on a night like this.

He glanced at you, his brows furrowing slightly in concern as you groaned softly and ran a hand through your hair, tugging at the strands in frustration.

“I swear, I won’t work there anymore—even in my next life,” you muttered under your breath, your eyes glued to the screen.

Seungcheol’s lips curled up into a small smile. He shifted closer, one arm wrapping around your waist as the other began to gently rub circles on your back. His touch was warm and soothing, slowly melting away some of the tension that had built up in your shoulders.

“You’ve been saying that for months, you know?” he teased softly, his hand moving up to trace comforting patterns across your tummy. “Yet here you are, still working your ass off.”

You sighed, leaning back against him slightly, grateful for his quiet support. “This is why I hate nepotism. It never works fairly! It’s either you become the evil one, or you get eviled.”

Seungcheol pressed a kiss to your temple, his lips lingering for a moment. “It’s unfair,” he agreed softly. “And I hate that you have to go through this. But you’re strong—you’ll get through it, like you always do.”

“Only because you’re here,” you murmured, turning your head to look at him. “You know, I could’ve accepted your offer to go back to Heidos, but…” You trailed off, shaking your head. “But I chose this. I chose to stay with my brother’s company. Maybe this is my karma—maybe I deserve all this headache and exhaustion for turning down your offer.”

Seungcheol’s expression softened, his gaze filled with nothing but love and understanding. He shifted slightly, cupping your cheek with one hand as he leaned in closer. “Hey, none of this is your fault,” he murmured gently. “You don’t deserve any of this stress. And just because you chose to help your brother doesn’t mean you have to keep suffering like this.”

Before you could respond, Seungcheol kissed you softly, his lips brushing against yours with a tenderness that made your heart ache in the best way. He pulled back just enough to speak, his forehead resting against yours.

“I can make you feel better, though,” he whispered, his voice low and soothing as his thumb caressed your cheek. Then, without waiting for your answer, he kissed you again—deeper this time, slow and lingering, like he was trying to pour all his love and support into that one kiss.

You sighed into the kiss, your shoulders relaxing for the first time that night as you melted against him. All the stress, the exhaustion, and the frustration seemed to fade away, replaced by the warm comfort of being in Seungcheol’s arms.

“Thank you,” you whispered against his lips when you finally pulled away, your eyes meeting his in the dim light. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Seungcheol smiled, his hand sliding up to tangle gently in your hair. “You don’t have to worry about that, because I’m not going anywhere,” he murmured. “I’ll always be here—for every late night, for every breakdown, for everything. I’m with you, always.”

And in that quiet, intimate moment, you knew—no matter how tough things got, no matter how much work was thrown your way, as long as you had Seungcheol by your side, you could get through anything.

The night stretched on, but with Seungcheol’s arms around you and his comforting presence beside you, the workload didn’t seem so daunting. You could finish it, you would finish it. And when you finally shut your laptop hours later, you curled up against Seungcheol’s chest, his steady heartbeat lulling you to sleep.

The last thing you heard before drifting off was his soft whisper in your ear.

“I love you.”

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boop-le-snoot · 5 months ago

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kinktober #4

Light My Fire

kinktober day four | temperature play & monsterfucking (?) | cw: 18+, self-explanatory. Good!Loki is a Jötun and Avenger!You have fire powers. Rather fluffy, just two dorks in love goofin' | word count 2k | click here for full list of planned fics | author's note under the cut |

“Darling, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“You are occasionally a little over 8 feet tall and very cold and blue. I am average tall but set myself on fire regularly without repercussions. I think we passed these sorts of questions a good while ago.” You pointedly bit into your toast, watching Loki watching you over the rim of his teacup.

Why did he insist on having tea from one specific antique tea set - and having to refill the cup at least five times in the process - instead of getting a mug like a normal person, you did not know.

Slumped over your breakfast in your Garfield pajamas, you eyed your boyfriend pat the corner of his mouth with his monogrammed kerchief before he vanished it away and stood up. His green button-up clung to his chest deliciously.

“Such a way with words.” Loki chuckled and patted over to place a soft kiss on your forehead. “But I see your point. We could either seriously harm each other or end up having a wonderful, one-of-a-kind experience.” He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. You nodded. He stole a piece of toast and pointed it at your nose, tapping the appendage gently with the hard crust. “And Tony would never forgive us if we at least did not try.”

“Since when do you care about what Tony thinks?”

Loki gave you an impish look. “He's not all terrible. Remember the time he 3-D printed an exact replica of Mjolnir and I haunted Thor the entire day with it?”

“Thor had a mental breakdown.” You replied dryly even as your mouth involuntarily curled into a smirk.

Loki, however, gave a wide smile. “Uh-uh. Tony filmed the entire thing start to finish.”

A chuckle broke out of you before you could stop it. You liked Thor, you ready did, but that had been just a single instance of mischief in the multiple-century long prank war between the brothers. The blonde had gotten you several times in the process of getting back at Loki and you would be lying if you didn't feel vindicated for all those times you had found glitter in odd places and worse...

Not that you yourself lacked your fair share of questionable life decisions. Having fiery super-powers, being an Avenger, being Loki's girlfriend, challenging Natasha to a knife throwing competition... The list goes on. So what if you wanted your icy boyfriend to be icy in bed? So what if he wanted your fiery self be fiery in bed? They do say opposites attract and yada-yada-yada...

“Makes me wonder what the fire giants look like,” you said absent-mindedly later that night while the two of you lounged in your oversized tub. You rolled a small fireball in your palm as Loki sipped his wine.

“Like demons,” he snorted. “Nothing attractive about them.”

“Some would say demons are attractive,” you shrugged. “I think Jötuns are attractive.” Using your free hand, you squeezed a slender, muscular thigh. Loki flexed it and you ran your knuckles over the hard muscle. “Although you're the only one I've seen. Might have to tell Tony to ban any more from Earth least they come to steal all the women away, being this handsome.”

Loki's cool hand reached up over your stomach to idly toy with your breast. “Is that so? Is my Asgardian form not as stimulating?” He mused.

You pushed into the touch, purring. “There's just more of you to love, babe.”

His unmistakable laugh filled up the bathroom, genuine amusement as he flicked at your nipple and leaned down to kiss your neck. “I do not think that is anatomically possible.”

“Pfft,” you scoffed. “Ye of little faith! Have you been on the internet? Anything is possible, provided there is an adequate amount of lube and some leverage.”

The internet - surprise, surprise - was wrong. Loki expressed an unfair amount of amusement at this, and you daredsay, even gloated a little bit. Shutting him up in this form was harder than when he was regular Loki, but not doable. It was, as you both had agreed, a learning curve.

He was cold to touch. Not as a metal pole at a ski resort as you had previously thought, but enough to cause a pleasant, clean chill to settle in the back of your skull as you took the tip of his hard, blue cock intro your mouth. That was about as much as you could fit without going full Chelsea Smile around it. Your hands, kept warm by your powers, slid down his shaft, tender fingertips tracing the textured ridges covering every inch of his skin.

They were truly everywhere, and they were sensitive. Splayed on the various animal skins in front of the fireplace, Loki was a sight to behold: all cerulean blue and raven-haired, red eyes lidded with desire as they observed your exploration with mirrored curiosity. As you warm hands curled around him, a low hiss left his lips.

Attempting to say, “did that hurt?” with your mouth so full was a disaster. Loki chuckled anyway, and brought a large, cool palm to rest atop your head.

“No, darling,” his voice, in this form little more than a low growl, did something indecent to your insides. “Feels incredible.” A sigh as you swirled your tongue around the sensitive head. “I surely wish you'd let me at least keep my Asgardian measurements...”

Yes, but no. It would have been more practical, sure, but it wasn't the full Jötun experience you were seeking. With a wet pop, you dislodged your mouth from his cock to delight in his full-body shiver. To remedy the lack of your mouth, heat began to radiate from your palms; roughly the same temperature as the inside of your mouth.

“Not unless you are on board with me keeping the fire lukewarm,” you teased gently, watching his red eyes darken to a lovely burgundy. Slowly, you slid your hands over his lubricated flesh.

Loki was generous with his microexpressions in this form, with him being larger allowing for easier observation. Lust, love, yearning, a dash of insecurity and concern. He was your Loki through and through, simply blue.

“I fear I may have less allocated space for patience in this form,” he mused.

Captivating. His reclined position and the fire dancing over his skin, the horns growing tall and strong above his forehead - the helmet imitation did them no justice - Loki was a vision to behold. You wanted to eat him like the world's most exotic ice lolly and ride that fanged mouth until you forgot your own name and knew only his.

“Fuck,” you eloquently summarised your train of thought just as your hands stroked him to full mast. Loki merely tilted his head. Knowing that look well, you batted your eyelashes and gave him the final stroke before shamelessly climbing up onto his lap.

You wore nothing but a thigh-length slip of fine Asgardian silk, just like you knew he liked. Your hot, glistening cunt connected with the shaft of his cock as you settled above it, eliciting a sigh of wanton relief. Loki felt like a bag of frozen goods. You wanted to press him against everything sore.

His large, cold palm stroked the side of your face.

“Mmm,” you leaned into it, unconsciously shifting your hips to press closer to the textured hardness of his cock. It twitched as your wetness joined the spit you'd previously covered it in. Some adjusting was to be had - Loki waited patiently as you found your spot, and used his other hand to make you sit down just right. With that first, slow, slick grind, both of you were gone.

It came naturally. Loki's hands on your hips, on your face, sliding your slick cunt over the tip of his own leaking cock. His abs flexed with each measured movement; you kept your palms in closed fists, knowing better than to open them when you were this riled up.

Hurting each other was both of yours' biggest fears and it showed in the way you'd swallowed some of your moans upon feeling the beginnings of a spark crackle on your tongue. Loki refused to take his darkening eyes off your face for he would definitely lose himself in the moment and do... Something.

The intensity of your coupling grew. Your cunt provided ample lubrication on the account of your clitoris receiving all that extra stimulation from the ridges and valleys covering his cock. On harder thrusts, the very tip of his cock snagged the edge of your entrance, causing him to growl and you to whine when your hungry hole was forced to relent and clench around nothing.

It was exhilarating torture. Your cries of pleasure, as usual, only spurred the Jötun prince on.

As you arched your back and moaned loudly and brokenly up to the ceiling at a particularly hard thrust, Loki's deep growling added to the delightful cacophony of sex. He firmly held your hips, sharp nails digging into the meat of your ass, and pushed you down on his cock, missing your hole by sheer luck.

“Come for me, darling,” he rasped in that icy-sharp, husky voice. “I can feel your little quim begging for me. I may not be able to resist fucking you if you cry for me so sweetly.”

Never being the one to disobey reasonable orders, you and your abused pussy gushed your agreements as heat burst from your lower stomach and spread into your body and limbs. Loki's drawn-out hiss had you weakly trying to scramble, to get away from him least your elevated temperature burn the Jötun, but he held steadfast.

Eyes so deeply red they were almost black, Loki looked you directly in the face before his cock twitched for the last time.amd coated his chest and your front with an abundance of silver seed. His body shook with restraint even when his mouth had fallen lax and eyes lidded low; he let you rock forward to rest a hand on his hard chest as both of you caught your breath.

Giving into your body's demands, you fell ahead, uncaring of the mess. Immediately, a cold arm draped itself over you. A moment of silence was had. You licked your dry lips, sputtering somewhat as sticky - but not unpleasant - seed made way into your mouth.

“Are you alright?” Loki drawled, still breathless.

You briefly contemplated the phrasing of what you were about to say, but in the end decided to be completely honest as you two had sworn to be to each other.

“Your come tastes like snow. Literal snow.”

You heard Loki's heart skip a beat and then his chest shook, the chuckle as incredulous as your discovery.

“Noted.” Pause. “Yours feels like lava.”

Despite everything, you simply shook your head and laughed. “That's what were writing down in our science report for Tony?”

“Yes.” Loki nodded seriously. With a careless swipe of his hand, the mess disappeared, and you promptly found yourself staring at the ceiling. “Experiment number two. I am going to find out whether it also tastes like lava,” he said impishly.

Your tummy clenched in anticipation, but then you heard the proverbial sound of brakes skidding in your head. “Wait. How do you know what lava tastes like?”

“I be in situations,” ever the dutiful boyfriend, Loki mumbled his reply into the fat above your cunt on his way down to make you see stars once again. You were not complaining at all.

a/n: I'm personally very impartial to Loki being a little over 8 feet tall in his Jötun form. For, you know, reasons. My nature's pocket can fit a lot of fun things in it, but I don't know about yours so... I left the fine details to your imagination. See how I don't describe the size of his appendage? Very demure, very mindful. ✨

Additionally, I don't think Asgard has a book on erogenous zones of peoples they conquered and genocided. I'd like to think that they're both clueless here and Loki is getting to know his Jötun body in a sexual setting. But that's just me.

#loki x reader #jotun loki x reader #loki x you #jotun loki x you #female reader #jotun loki smut #loki smut #they goooooofinn'

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themultifanshipper · 10 months ago

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Lando was up on the top step of the podium, lifting the 1st place trophy for the first time.

You were fuming.

My brain though of it, my fingers typed it,

Had a breakdown

Bon appétit

Warnings: this unhinged, like seriously unhinged, Lando is feral, smut, don't wanna spoil it too much but... spit, lots of spit, also cum, sort of public sex

Part 1 of The way to a man's heart

Not that you weren't happy for him. You were basically joined at the hip, sometimes quite literally.

So when he won, you watched Max and Charles almost waterboard him on the podium, and the first thing you felt was unsurmountable pride and... joy... and-

Neither of you wanted a relationship, too much of a hassle especially between two drivers, and that was fine.

The friendship was as strong as ever and the sex was great! Who could ask for more?

and then the dread set in.

Which was fine.

See, a couple of weeks before, at a party, Lando had made an offhand comment about him obviously winning a gp before you.

He was just teasing but it still made your blood boil. So you made a bet to settle it.

You genuinely didn't think Lando would be winning anything in 2024 so you bet that whoever won a race first, the other would get a tattoo in their honour.

Except needles reaaally weren't your thing. You'd always wanted a few tattoos but never had the guts to go through with it.

Except it was a tattoo of your friend/rival/fuckbuddy/coworker.

Except now you didn't have a choice.

The reality of it started to set in at the club that night with Lando and Oscar. He hadn't mentioned the bet so far so you assumed he'd forgotten, but a bet is a bet, and out of principle you always honour your word.

So at the end of the night, when you were all well on your way to alcohol poisonning, you all said goodbye and went your seperate ways. But instead of going to bed you decided to look up tattoo parlours.

Turns out they are not hard to find in Miami.

So you did it, the alcohol dimming the pain as a small 'LN4' sat just next to your hip bone.

You forgot about it the next morning, barely remembering anything from last night at all. It's only when you had a shower and passed naked in front of the mirror, that you froze and stared at it for like 20 minutes.

Oh god. You were pretty sure when you made the bet the tattoo was supposed to be like, on your arm or something, not... not that close to your private bits. Oh well.

But it went unmentioned for the whole week after Miami.

Lando, as it turns out, had not stopped thinking about it. He didn't want to bring it up because he knew you were scared of needles and didn't want to pressure you.

But ever since that bet he couldn't stop imagining you with his name inked into your skin and he was determined to see it happen. And well, as luck would have it he won the week after the bet, in Miami. It was fate.

Two weeks after Miami, the week leading up to Imola, a few drivers (mainly the Monaco dwellers) decided to have a day at the beach. So you rang Lando to see if he wanted to have a sleepover, but weirdy he didn't seem to be in the mood, so you stuck to your own appartment for the night, only going the next day to pick him up.

As you ate breakfast in his kitchen you almost called out for Lando to tell him about it, but he was in the shower. So you just waited for him to get ready, before swinging by Max's appartment so you could all go down together.

You almost forgot that you hadn't told Lando about the tattoo until you were putting your bikini on.

Incidentally it was bright orange. After all, orange is a great colour! It compliments every single skin tone. No wonder all the Mclaren employees look good.

The others were already down there playing a probably unlawful version of volleyball and you really couldn't be bothered. So as Lando and Max joined them, you looked for the inevitable pile of bags and stuff, which was next to an empty lounge chair. Perfect. You put your towel on it, took you clothes off, and lay down in the sun.

Oscar arrived a little while later and put his bag next to yours, getting a water bottle out to drink from it. You were too comfortable to get up to hug him so you held out your fist for a fist bump.

"You know it's really not subtle." He said, eyeing your body as he drank. "I mean the orange looks fucking good, don't get me wrong but it- "

He stopped dead, wide eyes looking straight at your hip.

"But it what, Osc?"

He squinted at you "Is that what I think it is?"

"I don't know" you said coyly "why don't you take a closer look and check"

He leaned closer to you, mouth agape, hand gently going to hold your hip, thumb underling the tattoo.

He looked at you "Does he know? Has he seen it?"

"Nope" You smirked "Not yet"

He pulled back and stood up again, eyebrows dissappearing up his hairline. "Well, he's gonna lose his shit"

You only laughed in response as he turned and ran off to greet the others. Oh I know.

So you gave up for the time being and decided to go back to your chair to get some more sun. Then it hit you.

You both spent hours waiting. And I mean literal hours. You even went to join the boys splashing about in the water when they started climbing on each other's shoulders and pushing each other off like children.

You were on Max's shoulders, trying and failing to push Charles off his perch and Lando was just watching. And he still hadn't noticed. He was either too oblivious or too respectful to look at your body.

You and Oscar kept sending each other exasperated looks. Which he obviously didn't pick up on either.

You sat down, getting a container and your sunglasses out of your bag, and yelled towards the man "Lando! Come help me put my lotion on!"

He ran over immediately. So predictable. This had to work.

You were lying on your front so you asked him to start with your back and the back of your legs, his hands going a little higher than necessary, slowly squeezing your butt and smacking it gently to watch it wobble.

You could help but laugh at his antics.

"You're such a child! Okay let me turn over so you can do my front"

You felt his hands go lower and lower until they suddenly froze, quiet gasp falling from his lips.

You turned and he sat down between your legs, your thighs draped over his on each side of the lounger.

He squirted some cream on his hands and rubbed them together as he looked at your covered breasts and slipped his hands under the flimsy fabric, humming softly to himself. You closed your eyes and sighed, his large hands feeling incredible, massaging your skin.

He didn't answer. The silence streched on. And on. Until you started to get a bit unsure of yourself so you opened your eyes.

You struggled to keep a straight face, keeping your eyes closed behind your sunglasses.

"What's wrong Lan?" You asked innocently.

"Lando..." Your voice came out shaky "Are you okay? Do you-" You gulped "Do you like it?" You tried for a smile but it was unconvincing.

The look on his face was indescribable. His mouth was agape, not unlike Oscar earlier, but all you saw on Lando from this angle was shock. He just stared, you could see the gears turning.

It's only a few seconds later, when he finally looked up at you that you also saw the hunger in his eyes. You almost moaned from the look alone. In the years of knowing him, and the short time you'd been fucking him, you'd never seen him look so intense. Like he actually wanted to eat you.

Eyes back on the tattoo, he slowly opened his mouth to say something but nothing would come out. You'd rendered Lando Norris completely speechless.

He leaned back a bit, taking more of your body in as his right hand came to rest over your pubic bone. His thumb stroked gently over the fabric that only barely covered you. You were already on fire and the barely there pressure on your clit was torture.

"Lando, please say something" your voice was shaking.

His eyes went back to yours for a second before going back to the tattoo and he increased the pressure on your clit.

You had a sudden thought. Oscar.

You gasped and glanced around, the beach had become deserted as the sun was making it's way down the horizon, and the drivers seemed to have been swept further down the beach and were sitting around chatting.

That was odd, why were they so far away? They should have come back by n-

Thank fuck for Oscar Piastri.

The feeling of Lando's fingers sliding into you brought you back to the present and the searing heat between your legs. His right hand was still settled on you, applying a bit of pressure and thumb still rubbing your now exposed clit while the other hand pumped in and out of you, bikini lazily pushed to the side. He'd gone straight from one finger to three, not letting you adjust, and the stretch was delicious.

You couldn't help but notice he was still staring intently at his initials on your hip.

Just as you felt like you were going to start unraveling, he withrew his fingers and untied his shorts to pull his cock out. He was already leaking heavily, and he was panting as he finally got a hand around himself and started rubbing his tip along your folds. Still staring at the tattoo.

A second later he pushed inside without warning and you both moaned loud.

Thank god for Oscar Piastri, you though again as Lando started fucking into you at a brutal pace, hips and thighs slapping against yours. You were on cloud nine as his hand slithered up to hold your throat, not pressing for once, just holding you down, making sure you couldn't move as he had his way with you, as he took exactly what he wanted. You looked at him and he was still staring at that damn tattoo.

What had you done? You'd created a fucking monster.

He was railing you in public, while his friends were like 100 meters away. Fuck, the thought of that shouldn't have been as hot as it was.

As you were about to attempt speech again (which would probably have been futile anyway) he opened his mouth, and instead of finally breaking the silence, he let a line of spit land on your clit, dripping down onto his dick making the slide all the more pleasurable and the sight of it sending you into a delirious state.

You moaned and clenched around him, already impossibly close. He finally spoke for the first time when he growled out, voice raspy from disuse,

Fuck, he'd never done that before.

He then, the absolute madman, spat again, right on the tattoo.

"Come on my fucking cock, now "

Your vision blacked out as you came harder than you ever had in your life. Clenching hard around him, but he wasn't deterred in the slightest as he just kept going, still refusing to look at you. You had barely recovered before another orgasm came creeping up on you. And the determined look on his face is what made you come for the second time, legs shaking around him.

You whimpered, oversensitive, when he carried on, undeterred by your orgasms, thumb spreading his spit over his initials, gazing at them longingly.

You had a feeling you knew where this was going.

He finally pulled out, hand working furiously over his cock as he finally came in spurts over your pussy, your stomach, covered your tattoo, and let out an uncharacteristically high pitched moan.

And during normal sex, you would have laughed at it, had it not been for the sight in front of you. Lando's spent cock sitting in a pool of his seed on top of his inked out initials. Panting hard. You looked at him and realised with a start that he was finally looking at you.

You both stared at each other for a moment, while he tried to catch his breath.

"Who do you belong to?"

You didn't even think before answering "You, Lando."

"Fuck, yeah, okay" he moaned, and hesitated as he glanced down, seemingly having only just noticed your orange bikini.

Once you were both out of breath, he rested his forehead against yours and you stared at each other like that for a bit. Just existing comfortably in each other's space, breathing each other's air and sharing the first of many intimate moments.

He took a gamble, eyes darting rapidly from your face to the fabric and back again, then rushed out an "I love you" before crashing your lips together.

He didn't want to let go, scared of your answer, so you just put your arms around him and squeezed as hard as you could, to convey that the feeling was mutual.

After a while he laughed quietly before blurting out "Now that that's out of the way, do you have a pack of tissues, my love?"

#my thots #lando thots #lando norris #lando norris smut #lando norris x reader #ln4 #ln4 smut #ln4 x reader #f1 #formula 1

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lecsainz · 1 year ago

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MISS HIM

parings: travis kelce x wife!reader

summary: you and travis are married and have a two-year-old daughter, but you feel tired and like you're not one of travis's priorities.

authors note: taylor wearing a friendship bracelet with travis number was the reason for my breakdown.

✩. . . masterlist !

You and Travis are happily married, raising your two-year-old daughter, Poppy, in the bustling city of Kansas. Travis, the star player for the Chiefs, leads a busy life, constantly under the spotlight. As much as you love him, you sometimes feel like you've taken a back seat in his priorities.

One evening, as you sit on the couch with Poppy, watching her favorite cartoon, you can't help but feel a pang of loneliness. Travis has been gone for a while, caught up in his training and media obligations. Your daughter looks up at you with her big, innocent eyes and says, "Where's Daddy, Mommy?"

A sigh escapes your lips, "Daddy's working, sweetheart. But he'll be back soon."

"Mommy sad?" Poppy asks, her little brows furrowed.

You manage a smile, ruffling her hair, "No, baby, Mommy's not sad."

But the truth is, you are. The weight of holding everything together has become heavier, and you long for the days when Travis's attention was solely on you and your little family. You know he loves you, but it's easy to feel neglected amidst his demanding career.

That night, as Travis returns home, you can't bring yourself to share your feelings. He's exhausted, and you don't want to burden him further. Instead, you put on a brave face and serve him his favorite dinner.

Poppy can't contain her excitement as she bounces in her high chair, giggling and clapping her hands. Travis can't help but be charmed by her infectious laughter.

"Daddy, up! Up!" Poppy reaches out towards Travis, her tiny fingers desperately wanting to be held by her father.

Travis's face lights up as he scoops her up into his strong arms. "You want Daddy to hold you, sweetheart?"

Poppy nods vigorously, her laughter filling the room as Travis raises her high in the air and then brings her down in a gentle swoop, earning more squeals of delight from their little one.

You watch the heartwarming scene, and despite your own worries, you can't help but smile at the beautiful bond between father and daughter.

He looks at you, grateful, and says, "Thanks, babe. You're amazing, you know that?"

You smile, "It's my pleasure. How was your day?"

As he talks about the game plan and the intense training session, you listen intently, even though your own worries weigh heavily on your heart.

He says, "Baby, is something wrong?"

You looked at your husband and gave a soft smile. "Nothing, just a little tired, no need to worry, my love."

Travis leans in to kiss your forehead, then your lips, and suddenly, everything seems a little bit better.

In the morning, as you watch Travis play with Poppy in the backyard while preparing breakfast for the family, you couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness. You had a deep yearning for more of his attention and presence. It was a feeling that had been growing inside you for a while, and you couldn't keep it to yourself any longer.

You decided to confide in your closest friend, who was on the other end of the call, feeling a need to unburden your heart.

"Y/N, you should talk to Travis about how you're feeling," your friend suggested.

You sighed, a heavy weight on your shoulders. "I just don't want to add more stress to his life. He's already so busy with football, and I'm afraid of being a burden."

But as the days went by, the feeling of being a second priority in your own marriage continued to gnaw at you.

Days turn into weeks, and you continue to silently bear the weight of your emotions, never wanting to be the one who distracts Travis from his career. But one evening, as you're getting Poppy ready for bed, she asks, "Why doesn't Daddy play with us anymore, Mommy?"

It's as if her innocent question tears through the walls you've built around your feelings. You hug her tight and whisper, "He loves us, baby. He's just busy with his job."

Your daughter looks at you with those same innocent eyes, "But I miss him."

You nod, blinking back tears, "I miss him too, sweetheart."

Later that night, after putting your daughter to sleep, you finally decide it's time to talk to Travis. You find him in the living room, going through plays for the upcoming game.

Travis noticed the serious look on your face as you sat down on the couch together. "Is everything okay, babe?"

You took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Travis, I love you, and I love our life together, but lately, I've been feeling like we're drifting apart. You're so dedicated to your career, and I'm proud of all your achievements, but I miss us. I miss you."

Travis's expression softened as he listened to your words. "I'm so sorry, Y/N. I never wanted you to feel that way. Football has been demanding, but you and Pops are my top priorities, and I'll do whatever it takes to make this right."

Tears welled up in your eyes as you felt the weight of your unspoken worries finally lift. "I didn't want to burden you with my feelings, but I need you to be there for us, for our family."

Travis took your hand and squeezed it gently. "I promise, I'll make more time for you and Pops. We'll find a balance that works for both of us, because you're my world, Y/N."

#travis kelce x reader #travis kelce #travis kelce fic #travis kelce x you #travis kelse x oc #travis kelce one shot #travis kelce oneshot #travis kelce imagine #travis kelce fanfic #nfl fic #nfl imagine #nfl fluff #nfl fanfic #american football fic #american football imagine #🏈. — american football works ⋆ ࣪.*

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darlingi-loveyou · 4 months ago

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more percy jackson headcanons

- there’s a small communal kitchen in the big house. it’s usually used for cabin dinners as a bonding activity, but percy and annabeth like to use it when they visit so they can cook and catch up with their friends

- percy loves to cook and he’s really good at it. sally started teaching him in montauk and now he does it whenever he’s stressed. now he’s teaching annabeth so they can do it together. she’s not as good as him, but she’s a fast learner

- nico and hazel like to watch gravity falls together

- reyna is like a sleeper agent when it comes to makeup. she learned a lot on circe’s island, though she doesn’t wear it a lot herself anymore, now that she’s a hunter. it’s not uncommon to find her and some of the aphrodite girls giving each other makeovers whenever she visits camp

- will and piper are both totally obsessed with short & sweet; his favorites are “slim pickins” (unsurprisingly) and “don’t smile,” and hers are “bed chem” and “please please please”

- will keeps trying to convince nico to dress as sabrina and jenna for halloween with him

- almost everyone who interacts with percy at new rome university ends up falling head-over-heels for him. he has no idea until they tell him, and he kindly has to explain that he has a girlfriend. he’s very flustered and confused every time it happens and immediately iris messages annabeth if she’s not with him. she thinks it’s hilarious every time

- annabeth and her roommate manage to hide a stray dog that annabeth found on the street in their college dorm for a week. annabeth cries when her ra finds and confiscates him, until it turns out that his owners have been putting up missing dog signs around new rome and she just kidnapped some poor family’s dog by accident

- piper dyes her hair cherry-cola-red and makes nico, will, annabeth, and percy help her/hang out in the big house bathroom for hours with her. chiron tries to come in and finds five teenagers sitting around a bathroom that literally looks like a murder scene, piper’s hands and neck and nico’s hands and arms splattered with red dye that will’s trying to scrub off, percy sitting on the toilet seat with his legs crossed and clenched because he’s had to pee for the past thirty minutes and no one would let him, and annabeth actually trying to tackle the dye in and around the sink. chiron made an announcement at breakfast the next morning that the big house bathroom was off-limits for hair dye and anything else that stains

- drew is a dress to impress FIEND

- sally watched the waitress proshot when it was in theaters and sobbed

- annabeth and sally carry around emergency spray bottles of water, partly because demigods are always in danger, but mostly because percy is accident-prone and falls off his skateboard or down the stairs on a daily basis

- sally and paul get annabeth a folklore cardigan for christmas and she sobs

- calypso LOVES ethel cain

- frank teaches hazel and ella about wikipedia. no one sees or hears from either of them for the rest of the day

- will is astounded to learn that nico doesn’t wear his seatbelt

- piper has a hat that says “women want me, fish fear me,” percy has one that says “women want me, fish want me too,” and leo has one that says “fish fear me, me fear women”

- percy and hazel like to sit in the stables and gossip with the pegasi whenever hazel visits chb

- meg has a breakdown when she learns that pigeons are considered feral instead of wild because they were domesticated and then abandoned by humans

- when estelle’s old enough to visit montauk, sally and percy take her, annabeth, and paul out there for a week because sally has never taken paul and percy has been saving annabeth’s first trip for when they can take estelle. percy lets estelle bury his legs in the sand and annabeth sculpts him a mermaid tail

pt. 1

pt. 2

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love-of-the-red-star · 6 months ago

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That time I got reincarnated as an Aeon

(Series)

Chapter two: This is not a good day to be a god.

Warnings: Spoilers for Aventurine’s backstory, some canon divergent stuff as I’m taking creative liberties. Reader is kind of biased but also not. People aren’t really having a good time. Good ol Eldritch horror. This chapter is a bit more serious in tone than the last ones.

“Mr. Yang, can we please switch the channel?”

Welt, being the nearest person near the techy T.V you absolutely had no fucking idea how to operate yet had obliged to your request, because you see, the news channel had no problem broadcasting your latest breakdown for everyone to hear.

You could have sworn you saw Pompom almost cry from the sound of your eldritch version and honestly you wouldn’t blame them— if you were them, you were sure you’d cry at the sound of your own voice too because what the fuck was that—

Why you even cried? Well, you accidentally freed a planet.

From existing. By simply accidentally dropping your tears on it because you cried watching a planet from thousands of light years away that you’re pretty sure is Sigonia come to conflict.

How you accidentally did more damage than Nanook and haven’t ended up being assimilated to them is beyond you, but you remembered you still have some agendas, you can’t be eaten yet.

It wasn’t exactly your fault your true form was a little too big that rogue planets who had the unlucky chance to get too near you ended up being quite literally disassembled. You just hoped there were no sentient life forms in it.

Continuing on with breakfast, Himeko drank her weird smelling coffee near you, unperturbed and probably used to hearing the news airing out your dirty laundry. (She’s still a little shaken from hearing the crying, but knowing you personally has made it seem.. less terrifying.)

You munched on your toast, thanking Pompom for making it the way you liked it; being slightly on the burnt side.

Welt had switched the channel to a different network, this time, there’s sports. Everyone seemed content on seeing sweaty men on a soccer field instead of hearing your not so pleasant and probably horrifying sounding distress so it was a win.

Then you randomly remembered Sigonia.

“Hey uh.. Himeko? Do we have data on this specific star cluster here?” You asked as you scribbled on a piece of paper, hoping at least that Akivili had made it there at least once.

Himeko peered through the paper and frowned. “….” She seemed hesitant, which confirmed your suspicion. “We don’t… the rail hasn’t gone that way just yet.”

Well shit. It seemed like you couldn’t take the express with you without you heading there and establishing a space anchor first.

But that would take time. Too much time. And you realized that logically there would be little to no benefit of a space anchor in a harsh desert planet— you cut those thoughts as soon as they came, you weren’t going to think like the IPC.

It’s up to you to establish a connection then. But could you even make it in time?

————————————

Your projection had disappeared after breakfast, leaving the express once again to wander as they pleased as you returned to your original body to peer into Sigonia— specifically Sigonia IV once again.

It’s surprisingly lively for a desolate place. It made sense, people do live there, and it made you smile at the resilience they presented despite their circumstances.

You should bless them, you thought, maybe placing it under the guise of their mother goddess if you’re remembering their belief system correctly. She.. unfortunately does not exist, but you do.

You won’t let them know that though for the sake of their peace.

You just wish the two clans would free themselves from hatred; logically it would be more beneficial to work together in a place like that, and it made you feel bad for the Katicans in a way— to be caged by their own prejudice they can’t see beyond words or envy that they’d choose to simply wipe out another clan out of those feelings. It was just sad, a little pathetic almost.

You didn’t want to be biased, but you do know you have sides to take if you wanted to be free of something. In this situation, you don’t think there was an option to simply have the two of them be on equal terms— not for now at least. Maybe you should consult Xipe? But where even are they?

For the sake of quieting your strangely human conscience, you chose to bless the Avgins in their little festival, in the hope that you’d steer them away from their written fate.

You know it’d be hard to fight, but you’d be damned if you didn’t try.

It had taken you to seeing little Kakavasha for a good while for you to finally crack and get down there yourself.

There was no way you were going to let him suffer a life that you knew was going to happen to him, not if you could do something about it. And lucky for you, you were an Aeon, and you were an Aeon that did whatever they damn wanted.

You had said fuck you to fate that day and took the form of an Avgin woman, not before leaving a message to Boothill that you hope he’d receive considering you’re not delivering it through your phone number— you were delivering your message through sheer will.

————————

Assimilating with the Avgin had come rather easily. It had made you feel bad to deceive them— you had pretended to be injured, no, it was more like you intentionally let your projection appear injured, as you approached their camp.

You had called yourself “Delia”, and they were keen on accepting that. They had taken care of you and kids cooed over the patterns of the skirt that you wore, asking you how you had created it.

Your only saving grace had been a young girl who appeared almost the same physical age as you, shooing away the people who crowded you too much. (Not that there was even many of them, there were three at most, and they were children.)

You had only awkwardly laughed as she shot them a look, something about how the “patient” needed to be left alone.

“Sorry about them, they can be excitable when they see something pretty.” She said to you, squeezing a wet rag before she wiped your face with it. It’s embarrassing to be taken care of like you were a baby, but if it’s what it took to try and free them, then you’re willing to sacrifice your dignity a little more— if you were being honest, you’d take this over hearing the sound of your own crying on the television.

“It’s fine.” You smiled as she put the rag down and checked your “injured” leg.

“A few more days and you’d be good to go. Though…. You’re healing faster than people normally would…..” You could sense the suspicion in her tone, and inwardly you smiled mischievously. “Never mind, I suppose that’s a good thing. The sooner you heal, the sooner you’re out of the bed and can go around and move about.” She nodded to herself in her assessment of you and left the tent.

It was days later that you found that she’s funnily enough, Kakavasha’s sister.

By that time, you were known by the people around you, but you didn’t know them.

Kakavasha had been one of those who knew you in courtesy of his older sister; and now he’s here, shyly peeking over the table as you scribbled away into a sheet of paper.

He’s curious as he peered over your work. “It’s the stars you see on the left side of that mountain.” You told him, hesitantly he brings his pointer finger and holds it over the tear drop shapes.

“What’s this?”

“It’s rain.” You explained, and the little boy that you once knew to be the gambler tilted his head.

“Why is there so many of them?” Ah right, this place didn’t rain much.

“The sky is crying.” You told him and he simply frowned.

“Sister said you have a lot of stories.” He decided to change the topic, probably sensing your awkwardness. How embarrassing for a little kid to know you’re not good at speaking, but you know you’ll eventually learn how to better yourself in doing so.

“Yes I do, wanna hear one of them?” Your smile returned, and little Kakavasha, with his one missing front tooth, reflected your expression.

“I’m taking that as a yes. I’ll tell you the story of a girl who lost everything to the rain…”

————————

Two Sigonian months (you’ve counted the hours, and put them into months to prevent yourself from going insane from saying the numbers) and you’re pretty sure you’ve ran out of tales you’ve parodied from the original you told him and the other children. Kakavasha had brought it upon himself to stick by your side funnily enough, saying something about not caring if you repeat the tales to him again.

His mother had brought you to the side some time ago, thanking you for the diversion you gave to the children from the reality they were in.

You were combing a sleeping Kakavasha’s hair when you had heard it. The dreaded call for aid for the next Kakava festival.

And there was no time for the space anchor you were just starting to make.

Your hands paused, and you gently set the child’s head off your lap and into a pillow before disappearing into the night.

You returned 6 system hours later. Then another 18 system hours went by before you disappeared again and reappeared exactly after six hours. That continued on for days as the festival grew nearer.

——————————

Unbeknownst to you, this was utterly terrifying for the galaxy rangers aside from Boothill to receive messages from a nonexistent number. It had come in the form of a cipher, then actual comprehensive texts, then another cipher again and all of them would increase in frequency— as if the one who was calling for help was making it a point that it was urgent.

All of it had led to the answer of Sigonia IV despite the other strange contents of those messages.

Sometimes it wasn’t even texts at all, sometimes it was calls in the same six system hour time span that they’d receive those messages. They’d receive the call, and they would receive static sounds that formed words— gibberish half the time, but still beckoning them to Sigonia IV.

Some of them had put their phone down sometimes as the calls manifested into sounds that made them shudder all the way to their bones. They couldn’t describe the noise, but it put some sort of primal reaction out of them enough that some of them went 72 system hours without sleep.

As irrational and ridiculous as it sounded, there were very little things that galaxy rangers feared.

Whatever was sending them these things were one of them.

Sometimes it would be their TV, and Boothill had the unfortunate fate of listening to the strange cacophony that if he had been a human he was sure it would have terrified him enough he’d piss himself. There was something wrong about the waves it emitted, it wasn’t a normal glitch or a hack sort of glitch, but rather something else.

SOS, Sigonia IV, SOS, Sigonia IV. The message were a repeat.

In the calls he received, he would have thought he was having a fever dream when he found they didn’t exist in his call logs until his fellow rangers confirmed they received the same message.

He remembered receiving the text once before all this— a strange occurrence, but not exactly a coincidence.

They received the same messages again for this night. Except the ending sequence changed.

Bring people. Avgin. IPC not help. SOS. Sigonia IV. Send HELP.

After the last sequence had indicated the date, the TV short circuited and the lights dimmed.

“Oh fudge me.” Boothill muttered, whoever or whatever was even sending these things were clearly going agitated. “Looks like we’re going to be on a roll boys, I don’t think it’s wise to priss off this cutie pie so best we don’t ignore that signal for any fudging longer than we already had.”

“Say less, and I hope to the aeons I get a good nights sleep when we’re done.”

—————————————

Part I, Part II, Part III [HERE], Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII….

And that’s a wrap for part two! I know it lacks jokes but come on. But yeah we’re going on the more serious territory for a bit before we go back for the jokes. Heavily unedited and written in the middle of the night.

#aeon reader #himeko x reader #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #reader insert #welt yang x reader #yaoshi x reader #honkai star rail #Boothill x reader #aventurine x reader

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yangbbokari · 11 months ago

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Long For You

Pairing: Hwang Hyunjin x gn!reader AU/Trope/Genre: Lovers to still lovers, Angst, fluff(?), hurt/comfort Warnings: regret, crying(?), lovesick, miscommunication, nothing really WC:1K Song rec: Long for you - Hyunjin A.N.:No bc after dropping that how’d he expect us to react(RAGHHHHHHHHHHH PLS IM SORRY ILL TREAT YOU BETTER)

~~~ You stare at the white tulip. A singular white tulip sent to you this morning from Hyunjin. Another apology letter to accompany it. Something about not being able to come home tonight even when he promised you he would.

That singular white tulip going to wilt and rot away like the rest. Forgotten just like his empty promises.

The feeling of your relationship slowly collapsing hurts your heart to the core. You wish it didn’t but there’s not much you can do. Everyone around you thinks you’re a match made in heaven. But it’s not the way you think this is.

You’re beginning to think that this love is all you and nothing left of him.

~~~ Hyunjin doesn’t return home until the end of the week. He notices your distance from him. He wants to take your hand in his and ask you what could possibly be wrong. But he refrains from it.

Maybe it was better for you to fall out of love with him.

As much as he loves you he knows what your parents think. “He’s no good for you y/n. It’ll only be so long before he leaves you for someone else. Take one look at him and you can tell that he’s a skank. Leave him. He’ll just break your heart.”

He can only think that your parents are right. Not the fact that he'd leave you for somebody else. But that he's no good for you and he'll never be.

It can only be so long before you get sick of his long schedule. No one wants to be stood up on every date and left to wait for the others arrival.

How many nights were you up waiting for him to come home? How many dinners were eaten with your only company being the silence that hung in the air? How many tears have you cried in his absence?

Those are the questions that float around his mind as he watches you peacefully sleep on your side of the bed. He can't help but reach his hand out to caress your face. A soft smile slowly trickled to his lips as he does.

These are the kind of moments he can only have as you sleep. But when you grab his arm he thinks he's almost been caught until you nuzzle your face into his arm. His heart warms at the sight but he knows he can't let his hopes get too high.

He notices the tears stains that line along your face. He doesn't fail to notice that his heart breaks instead.

"Don't go..." He can faintly hear you say. Oh how he wishes that he could stay with you until the next morning but work calls. What can he do. ~~~ When you awaken Hyunjin's side of the bed was empty. You could've sworn he came home last night and that you held on to him. Maybe it was all a dream again. Just as it always had been.

You want to cry but there are no tears left. Your mouth feels dry and your head hurts from the breakdown you had last night. Back before Hyunjin became famous he'd hold you in his arms and automatically made it better. But there were no one left to wrap you in their embrace.

Forcing yourself out of bed you make yourself a quick breakfast. But it only includes a peeled orange and a cup of tea. The same oranges you used to peel for Hyunjin because it was an act of love you wanted to show him. But who were you supposed to do it for now?

You quickly shake those thoughts from your mind. Opting to turn on the tv instead to hopefully drown out the voices in your head. But to no avail. You can barely make out the words the characters are saying as the voices come rushing back in.

He’s tired of you.

He doesn’t love you.

You’re pathetic.

Nothing but a toy.

Too naive for your own good.

He’ll never need you.

Just a nuisance in his life.

Suddenly everything becomes so loud. The voices coming from all over. The buzz of the refrigerator. The dripping of the water from the kitchen faucet. The sound of the vents blowing air. The lights become too bright and your eyes burn. It’s all too much.

You rush around the house. Shutting off the tv. Unplugging the fridge. Turning the faucet all the way down so no more water would drip. Disabling the air ventilation from continuously flowing. Drawing the curtains and switching off all the lights until you finally felt at peace.

After finishing you sat down in the middle of the floor. Knees pulled up to your chest and arms wrapped around them. You dropped your head down and you felt your tears run. It never got this bad. Hyunjin would be able to calm you down in these circumstances. But where was he now. The questions swirled around and made your mind dizzy.

Your sobbing hadn’t ceased until you fell asleep. There on the floor. The cold tiles being your only comfort in the silenced room. ~~~ Being faced with the darkness and silence when returning home wasn’t anything new to Hyunjin. Except that it was the evening on Friday only about 5 p.m.

The curtains were never drawn this early. When the two of you first moved in you made a rule to always open up the curtains to let the sunlight stream in and put the day to a joyful start.

He also noticed how cold it was. He was sure the heater was on to at least 64. Why was it nearly freezing? Winters in Korea are no joke.

Hyunjin stumbled around until he found the light switch and he turned the heat back up. That was when he finally saw you lying on the floor in the middle of the kitchen.

“Y/n!!” He nearly screamed.

You instantly jolted from your slumber trying to force your eyes open but the lights were too bright.

“T-turn off the lights. Please.” Your voice felt hoarse. You felt like you couldn’t breathe and your lungs were rejecting the oxygen.

Hyunjin was quick to do what you requested before stumbling his way back to you. “Are you okay baby? What happened?”

“Water.” You said dryly.

“What was that baby?”

“I need water.”

“O-okay baby. Wait just a minute.” He fumbled around trying to grab a glass and fill it up with water.

You grew worried. His movements were too faint. You bagel to panic. “Hyunnie..?”

“I’m here baby. Right here.” He found his way back to you and knelt down by your side. He reached for your hand and gently wrapped it around the cup. It was cold to the touch contrasting the warmth radiating off of Hyunjin.

After you drank the entire cup, he took it from you and placed it in the sink. He carefully placed his hands on either sides of your body and slowly lifted you up. And you let him.

He carried you all the way to the bedroom and settled you into the sheets. He knew how you got so he went to fix everything else. But before he could leave you grabbed his hand.

“Please stay. Don’t go.” How could he reject that? He slipped under the covers right with you and took you into his arms.

Oh how you missed this feeling. You couldn’t help but cry. Clenching onto his shirt you let your tears flow freely.

“Baby what’s wrong?” He asked the question but he knew the answer. You were in pain because of him. He couldn’t believe he let it get to this point where you had to break down in his hold.

You pulled him in tighter and buried your face into the crook of his neck. “It’s nothing. I just.. I just miss you so much. I missed this so much. I missed us so much.” Everything felt so much better now that he was with you. But you still doubted whether he love you.

“Tell me, Hwang Hyunjin. Do you still love me?” His heart broke. He didn’t believe there would ever be a day you would doubt his love for you. “What? Why would you ever think that? I love you y/nnie. With everything in me. All I’ve ever done is all for you. All I’ve ever accomplished was because of you.”

He pulled you away from your hiding place and cupped your face in his hands. “Don’t ever think for even a second that I don’t love you. You’re my everything. I couldn’t live without you. You mean absolutely the most to me. There’s not a moment that I don’t think of you. Long for you. I know how much you have to wait for me. But I promise it’s all the same for me. I love you so much.”

His forehead was pressed against yours as he leaned in for a kiss. When you didn’t reject it he finally pressed his lips against yours. Finally being able to take in the moment and relish in each other’s company. ~~~ Both of you ended up falling asleep and not wanting to awaken until the sun rose and peeked through the curtains. You woke up first and slowly but surely opened your eyes. You heard Hyunjin’s soft breaths coming from beside you.

A soft smile came to your lips naturally. It’d been forever since you got to wake up with him. You took your pointer finger and softly traced his facial features. It wasn’t until you got to his lips that you realized he was awake when he opened it to bite your finger.

“Ah—”

“What are you doing, hmm?” He nuzzled his nose into your neck causing you to giggle. “You just looked so peaceful and so handsome I couldn’t resist.”

You could feel him smiling against your skin. His cheeks warming at your comment. “Mmm.” He sighed relieved that you were finally okay again.

“I think I should go and plug in the refrigerator before the milk spoils.” Your boyfriend looks up at you with confusion is his eyes. “I unplugged it last night.” You said with a guilty chuckle. ~~~ The two of you spent the rest of the day doing activities you used to do with each other. As you were messing on the bookshelf a photo album dropped from the top shelf. On the front was written, “My love<3”

You chuckled at the sight of your foolish high school writing and called Hyunjin from the kitchen.

“Look what I found. It’s our photos from high school.” Hyunjin groaned at the sight. “Don’t remind me how horrible I looked then.” When he saw you frown he mentally face-palmed himself.

“What do you mean Hwang Hyunjin. You were my little cutie.” You pouted and jutted your bottom lip out. “Never mind. I’ll just put this back.”

“Wait baby. Let’s look at it. It’s been a minute since we’ve looked through them anyway.”

Hyunjin settled on the couch and pulled you into his lap, eliciting a squeal from you. “I’ll just look over your shoulder.” He said after you expressed your concern of him not being able to see it.

Hours passed as you flipped through the pages and remembered the stories behind each one. That was until you got to the one with you standing in the snow and reading a book. You looked at him surprised.

“When did you take this picture?”

“I took it during senior year and you were so worried about your studies and nearly walked out to the road. I took it because you looked so pretty with the snow falling around you and your furrowed brows, so concentrated on the book. You were so beautiful. It was before we began dating and that was the time I longed for your attention the most.”

“Am I not beautiful now?” You asked with a frown.

”You’re the most beautiful no matter what.” He reassured you.

“Do you not long for me anymore? Or is that just for your first love?”

He rested his head on your shoulder, inhaling your scent. White tulip. Your favorite flowers. Then he spoke.

“I’ll always long for you.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks for reading!! I think this will be one of my last fics before I go. Hope you enjoyed it!!

Taglist: @jinnie-ret @kailee08

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