#btw the next fic chapter is close to being ready now

[millenianthemums]

i think Bill would love hugs, he’d just sooner die than ask for one. so Mabel has to strike when he most needs it and least expects it.

(don’t tag as shipping)

[justagalwhowrites]

New in Town - Ch. 8: First Thanksgiving

Sarah comes to town for the holidays. A continuation of New in Town chapters 1-7 found on Tumblr here.

Pairing: Best Friend's Dad!Joel Miller x Female Reader

CW: No use of Y/N. Age gap (reader is 35 Joel is 47, not a focus of the fic). Minors DNI, 18+ only

Length: 6.7k

AO3 | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

“You’re sure?” Joel asked, his thumb brushing over your cheek as he held you close. 

“I’m sure,” you smiled a little and he sighed, pressing a kiss to your forehead. 

“Not lookin’ forward to not seeing you for a few days,” he said, his skin warm and soft on yours. 

“I’ll be around all the time,” you laughed a little. “I’m coming over for dinner and for the Christmas stuff Sarah has planned…” 

“Not the same,” he replied. “Can’t just touch you whenever I want, kiss you whenever I want… You sure you want to wait to tell her until after the holidays?”

Joel’s face was drawn and concerned and, if it didn’t make him look so sad it would have made you laugh. It was just a few days. A few days of not being together all the time, a few days of sleeping apart, a few days where the tangle your separate lives had knotted themselves into had to untwist and exist independent of each other. 

Joel was, apparently, not a fan. 

In his defense, neither were you. Though you were taking it better than Joel. But you didn’t want to change how things had been going any more than he did. In the few weeks since the football game, you’d practically been living together. It just wasn’t at any house in particular. Joel had a drawer and a razor at your place, you had a dedicated corner of the closet and a whole separate set of skin care products and makeup at his. You’d started doing everything together, not able to really get enough of each other, the only time you were really apart when the two of you were at work. 

The last hurdle your relationship had was talking to Sarah, something Joel was far more ready to do than you were. 

You’d had one good scare right after the football game while snuggling with Joel the next morning. You were reading the news on your phone and sipping coffee he’d been nice enough to get out of bed to make after fucking you silly. You hadn’t even put underwear back on, considering asking for round two by just sucking him off when you got a text from Sarah. 

“Have fun at the Longhorns game?” She wrote. 

“Oh shit!” You yelped, sitting bolt upright so fast your coffee sloshed out of your mug and onto your comforter. 

“You alright?” Joel frowned as you set your mug on your bedside table with a little too much force.

“Sarah knows,” you looked at him, eyes wide, turning the phone so he could see the text. “She knows, Joel. She knows and she found out from someone who isn’t us, oh my GOD…” 

He took the phone, his hand in the middle of your back as you quietly panicked. 

“She just knows you were at the game,” Joel said, handing you your phone and kissing your bare shoulder. “She could have just texted Tommy and maybe he mentioned you.” 

You took the phone back and read the message two more times. 

“Right,” you said, your heart still racing. “Right, OK…” 

You texted back. 

“It was a blast! How’d you know I was there? Haven’t talked to you in a few days. How’s Tinder boy btw?” 

You gnawed on your lower lip while you waited for the text back, your stomach in knots. 

“Saw you on TV!” She replied. “Or my friend from HS did because she recognized my dad. She got excited and texted to tell me with photo evidence that he was famous now lol” 

You suddenly remembered the kiss cam. Your stomach sank.

“Can I see the pic?” You sent back. “Gotta see me as a TV star!” 

It took a minute but she texted you a picture of a zoomed in crowd shot. You were looking intently up at Joel as he gestured to something down at the field with a serious look on his face. It was probably while he was explaining the game to you, before you’d blurted out that you were in love with him. It would be perfectly platonic if you didn’t read into the look on your face. 

“Oh thank fuck,” you flopped back down in the bed, leaning against Joel. “It’s just this, sounds like she didn’t watch the game. We’re safe.” 

That had been the big push behind figuring out how to tell Sarah. You both agreed it had to happen and sooner rather than later. You loved Joel too much to give him up and he seemed to feel the same about you. 

It had been Joel who proposed telling her over Thanksgiving. She was coming to town and he wanted to talk with her in person. Get her on board and then have you over as his girlfriend for the holiday. 

You’d vetoed that. 

Not that you didn’t want to tell Sarah. Or want Sarah to know, at least. She was your best friend and you weren’t good at all the sneaking around this relationship apparently required. You wanted her to know and be happy and excited for you and to be able to tell her how fucking happy you were. 

But you’d always envied Sarah’s relationship with her father and she’d told you just how important the holidays had been for the two of them. 

“My dad always really tried,” she’d told you once, when Christmas decor had started going up around Seattle and she was feeling nostalgic. “He made it all magic, you know? Now that I’m all grown up and shit, I know money was tight but he always made sure I had the perfect Christmas. He learned to cook a turkey so we’d have actual Thanksgiving, he always watched the parade with me and made those cinnamon rolls that came in a can and we always decorated for Christmas the day after then watched a bunch of Christmas movies. I hate to think of what he had to give up to make sure I got what I wanted under the tree but I know he must have.” 

It was the kind of relationship you’d dreamed of having with your parents when you were a girl. Not even the part where they scrimped and saved to give you whatever toy you were clamoring for at the time, just the part where they cared enough to make the world seem like there was magic in it. Things like ornaments and cinnamon rolls and watching Christmas movies with purpose instead just because they were on TV and your aunt was bored with channel scrolling. Now that you were an adult, you thought it was probably because your mom couldn’t afford anything that she just pretended Christmas wasn’t happening. The fact that there were no gifts was less noticeable when there was no sign they should be there at all. 

But regardless of the reason, it left a hollow place in you where you felt like some sort of fond memory - some echo of the childish notion that the world was soft and good - should be. 

You didn’t want to disrupt that for Sarah and Joel. 

If you waited until after the new year to tell her, you figured that would give her some time to move past it before it would be too disruptive to their lives. Because of course she would need to move past it. 

Sarah had every reason to be upset about this. Regardless of the fact that you were in love with Joel and he with you, that you made each other happy, that you were starting to hope that you’d get to love him forever, you’d still gone behind her back and fucked her dad. The person she loved most and was closest to. It was a betrayal of trust you weren’t sure she could move past. You wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. 

Your biggest concern with it all was how she would feel toward Joel after she found out. The fact that he wasn’t all that much older than you - just 12 years, about the age you tended to seek out, anyway - you didn’t think that was going to matter much to Sarah. She was your friend and he was her father and you were terrified that she might think less of him for going after a woman who was her peer. 

If your relationship caused a rift between Sarah and Joel, you weren’t sure you’d ever forgive yourself for that. Of course you wanted to keep Sarah in your life, too. You didn’t have many friends, losing most of them when you moved because adult life wasn’t exactly conducive to maintaining dozens of long distances friendships and you stayed off social media to dodge your father. But Sarah was different. You’d spent more time with her when you were in Seattle than you had with other friends in other places. You’d kept in touch more since you left. She’d become interwoven into the fabric of your life in ways other people never really had and you treasured that. 

But if she hated your relationship with Joel so much that she needed to cut one of you out, you’d let her and Joel go before she even needed to make the call. There was no way you’d let yourself be the thing that ruined the father-daughter relationship you’d wished you had your entire life. 

No, it was worth spending the holidays on your own if it meant preserving Sarah and Joel’s relationship and giving them both a chance to have another year of the traditions that meant so much to them both. 

While you thought just avoiding Joel while Sarah was in town was the smart thing to do - you’d gotten too in the habit of touching him and kissing him all the time - Sarah hadn’t left you much choice. She’d all but begged you to come to Thanksgiving on your most recent FaceTime, her eyes looking almost suspiciously wide when she did. 

“I know you don’t have plans,” she said when you’d tried to say no. 

“Maybe I already have dinner reservations,” you said. “Maybe I have a boyfriend I’m going to go with.” 

She scoffed. 

“I know you,” she rolled her eyes. “If you had one of those you’d have gushed to me about his dick already.” 

You almost choked on your coffee at that. The only reason you weren’t with your boyfriend that second was because you were going to his place that night and he was still at work. And you certainly weren’t about to talk about his dick with Sarah. 

“I just don’t want to crash in on family time,” you said once you stopped coughing and had wiped your phone screen clean of the splatter. “I know you’ve got your traditions and shit, I don’t want to get in the way of that.” 

“It’s just my dad and Tommy and Maria,” she rolled her eyes. “Not like it’s tea with the queen. And you’ve hung out with them already. Come on! I want to see you! And you should have a nice Thanksgiving, too! Don’t make me beg, I’m really obnoxious when I beg.” 

“Fine,” you sighed, flopping back against the couch a little harder than you should. “I’ll come to Thanksgiving…” 

“Yes!” She punched the air in victory. “Believe it or not, my dad makes a good turkey. And you’re going to love the Christmas movie marathon, we always eat popcorn mixed with the holiday chocolate…” 

You frowned. 

“I said I was coming for Thanksgiving,” you said. “Not the whole weekend.” 

“Black Friday is part of Thanksgiving,” she waved you off. “You eat leftovers all day, it’s basically the same thing. And you already said yes so you’re coming. I can’t wait!” 

Sarah’s plane was landing in two hours. Well, just under. One hour and 57 minutes but who was counting. You were soaking up the last of your time with Joel before the holiday started. You’d fully intended on doing something besides fuck him but that had quickly fallen through, the two of you ending up in bed before you could even fully discuss where to possibly get food.

“I know you’re worried,” he said softly and you sighed. 

“She has every reason to be upset about this,” you said. “And I’d rather the issues come up when there’s time and space to work on them, not during the holidays where she might feel like she has to get over stuff too soon and ends up resenting it.” 

And there was, of course, the things you weren’t saying to Joel. What if she didn’t get over it? What if she gave Joel an ultimatum: you or her? 

Of course he would choose her. He wouldn’t even hesitate to choose her. And he should choose her, you wouldn’t even try to fight him on it. If he called and told you it was over because of Sarah, you’d be heartbroken but you’d understand it and then you’d be without them both. 

What if it didn’t come to that but things got so rocky between the two of them that he made the call that it had to end? Joel was nothing if not an amazing father, he would always do whatever he could to do right by his daughter and that would include cutting you out of his life. 

You weren’t ready to face that possibility. You wanted a chance to brace yourself for it first, have some more time with Joel first. Something you could hang on to if you were stuck starting from scratch and had to download the stupid dating apps again. 

“She’s going to be happy for us,” he brushed your hair back, his large hand warm and comforting against you. “She might be freaked out at first but she’ll be happy that we’re happy.” 

“And you know this because the large sample size of ex girlfriends you’ve introduced to her?” You asked, brows raised. He glared at you. You knew he’d never had anyone he’d even considered introducing to Sarah before. “Yeah. Exactly.” 

“It’s going to be OK,” he said, kissing you again. “Promise it is. But we’ll wait if that’s really what you want to do. This is about us, not gonna do anything without you.” 

You walked Joel to his truck when he had to leave for the airport, wrapping your arms around his waist and breathing him in as he held onto you. 

“See you in a day and a half,” he said, kissing your forehead. “Miss you already.” 

“Miss you too,” you said, separating from him reluctantly. You stood in front of your building, watching his truck drive away until he was out of sight. 

***

The turkey was in the oven, Maria had volunteered pies and sweet potatoes, you were bringing rolls and green bean casserole, there were a few hours before potatoes needed to go on the stove. Joel was pretty sure he had things under control. 

He poured himself a cup of coffee and added the Bailey’s Sarah had insisted on picking up the day before before putting a few cinnamon rolls on a plate and joining her in the living room. 

“Remember how much SpongeBob annoyed you when I was a kid?” She asked, holding up the other side of the blanket she was curled up under for Joel to join her. 

“Hard to forget,” Joel smiled a little, sitting beside her. She draped the blanket over his legs before getting her spiked coffee off the side table. “God, that voice was so annoying.” 

“He’s been a balloon in the parade almost 20 years now apparently,” she said, smiling a little smugly as she nodded toward the giant yellow sponge on TV. “Looks like you’re the odd man out.” 

He smiled broader. 

“Used to that,” he replied. 

Joel loved having Sarah home, especially this time of year. It felt right, like the two of them were always supposed to be together. They didn’t need to even be doing anything special, just sitting at home and watching TV or having dinner. It seemed like they were meant to live their lives side by side, sharing in all the highs and lows. 

But, for the first time around the holidays, it felt like something was missing. Joel just kept picturing you there, where you were supposed to be. He reached over and searched for your soft warmth when he woke up, disoriented when he didn’t find you. He almost made you a cup of coffee this morning on autopilot, some part of him knowing that you were supposed to be there, too. You were supposed to be there the night before when he and Sarah made the annual pre-Thanksgiving fridge clean out meal, finding a way to eat through anything that might disrupt the placement of feast leftovers the next day as the turkey finished defrosting in the sink. You were supposed to be there laughing at the stand up comedy Sarah put on while they cut up carrots and celery and onions for stuffing before going to bed. You were definitely supposed to be there watching the parade, tucked against his side and drinking coffee while the balloons and the floats went by. 

He loved you so much he wanted you in every part of his life. You were supposed to be there, making all of it better. 

“Everything OK?” Sarah frowned as the parade went to commercial. 

“Course,” Joel said, putting his arm over the back of the couch so she could lean against him. She’d know soon. Then you’d be here, too. “You’re here.” 

You came over a little early. Sarah was in her room getting ready when the doorbell rang and Joel all but raced to answer it. Your hands were full and he took a dish from you before pulling you in for a hug and a kiss, your eyes wide as he did. 

“Sarah’s getting dressed,” he said quickly before giving you another kiss. “Gettin’ it in while I can.” 

“Oh, well in that case,” you smiled against him, kissing him deeply before stepping back. “I do need to use the oven. Or at least the toaster oven. Which is why I came by early.” 

“Oh, is that why?” He teased, leading you inside and closing the door behind you. 

“Yes,” you said, following him to the kitchen. “No ulterior motives at all. Just wanted to make sure things could work logistically, I’m nice like that. Very weird ringing the doorbell, by the way. Don’t think I like it.” 

“Know I don’t,” he said, putting the dish on the counter. You set the other one next to it. “Gave you a key for a reason. Like you just comin’ in like you live here.” 

“Oh yeah?” You bit your lip and backed into the counter before you took a handful of Joel’s button down shirt and tugged him against you. Your eyes were practically shining and you looked so fucking pretty, your hair all done up, a soft velvet dress that hugged your curves that Joel desperately wanted to shove up around your waist so he could fuck you deep. “Like me in your house?” 

“My house,” he kissed you and pressed himself against you. “My bed.” He kissed you again. “My whole damn life.” 

“Was that the door bell?” Sarah yelled from her room and you practically shoved Joel back from you. He leaned in and gave you a final kiss to the temple. 

“Just me!” You yelled back. “The best friend you insisted on having around, don’t rush on my account!” 

Joel smiled a little. Everything was going to work out. One day, you’d be living here and Sarah would come over and he’d smile while the the two of you talked like the old friends you were. It was all going to be OK. He could feel it. 

Sarah shrieked as she hurtled into the kitchen, sliding on the tile and slamming into you as you laughed, hugging her. 

“It’s so good to see you! Want a drink?” She stepped back before checking her watch. “I’m still on Irish coffee but it’s not too early to move on to wine. Oh! Or! I found this Thanksgiving cocktail recipe online the other day, I’ve got enough to make a few pitchers and there’s no reason we can’t start that right now.” 

“Coffee sounds great,” you smiled. “And then we can talk about the cocktails because I want to see this recipe of yours.” 

“It’s not a Miller Family Thanksgiving without plenty of booze,” Sarah laughed as she poured you a mug of coffee and got the Bailey’s out. “But in a fun way, not a dysfunctional way.” She handed you the mug and you took a sip. She smiled. “There. You’re officially a Miller now. Give me like two minutes, I’m only half way done with my hair, be right back.” 

She went back to her room and you raised your brows at Joel over your mug. 

“Hear that?” You teased. “I’m a Miller now.” 

Joel’s heart soared at that thought. You with his name, you in his house, you living your life alongside his. 

“We should be so lucky.” 

You, Sarah and Joel laughed and drank and finished making dinner until the doorbell rang again and Joel went to answer it, leaving you and Sarah alone at the kitchen table. 

“Hey hey!” Tommy said, a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a pie in the other when Joel opened the door. “Smells good in here!” 

“Sure hope so,” Joel laughed, taking a casserole dish and a pie from Maria. She turned to her husband as she took off her coat. 

“Tommy, do not mention anything about Joel and…” 

“I know,” he smiled but sounded exasperated. “You’ve drilled this into me. Lips are sealed. Course seems like a moot point because we all know he’s gonna fuck her in the bathroom before dessert…” 

“Tommy!” Maria hissed at him. Joel glared. 

“What!” He laughed. “Just sayin’, don’t think they’re gonna keep their hands off each other, it’s gonna come out…” 

“If it comes out because of you, I’ll deck you,” Joel said. “Mean it.” 

“Fine, fine,” he waved him off. “Told you, your secret’s safe with me. Just don’t think it’s all that safe with you.” 

Joel ground his teeth a little at that but he had to acknowledge that Tommy had a point. You were here, so close and he couldn’t touch you. All he wanted was to touch you. When Sarah had gotten up to use the bathroom, the second the door clicked shut you grabbed Joel’s shirt again and pulled him in for a deep and desperate kiss. You licked into his mouth and he tried to hold back the needy moan that slipped from his mouth to yours. 

“Sorry,” you panted after a second, close enough that he could feel your hot breath on his skin. “Just… needed that.” 

“Never apologize for kissin’ me,” he said, a little breathless himself. “Always want you kissing me.” 

At dinner, you sat next to Sarah and Joel sat across from her so at least he’d have some distance. He hoped it would make things easier. Instead, it meant that he was just stuck looking at you all through dinner, wishing you weren’t going back to your place after it was done. 

“Seemed like y’all picked a great game to go to by the way,” Sarah said as everyone ate. “Texas is having a good season this year, they’re definitely getting a bowl game.”

“Oh, definitely. Always fun to watch those. Would the two of you wanna come over for it?” Tommy asked, looking between you and Joel. 

You froze mid chew and your eyes darted to Joel. He looked quickly to Tommy, whose eyes went wide. 

“That’s right!” Sarah laughed, not noticing the small meltdown happening around her at the table. “You’re a Longhorns fan now!” 

You coughed a little and cleared your throat. 

“Yup, basically a college football expert,” you said. “I definitely know what a down is now, for sure.” 

Tommy mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ at Joel once Sarah was focused on something else and Joel tried to keep calm. He should have just talked you into telling her now. This felt like a ticking time bomb and Joel was already tired of acting like you were something he should hide. 

“Told you you’d have fun!” Sarah said, giving you a hug as she and Joel saw you to the door. “It’ll be even more fun tomorrow. I’m getting roped into going out with a friend from high school for a late lunch but I’ll be home right after and then the movie marathon can begin!” 

“Can’t wait,” you gave her a squeeze and gave Joel a smile over her shoulder. 

Joel went to hug you goodbye, too. It wouldn’t be that strange, right? Sarah knew you hung out at least occasionally, after all. 

“Come by early,” he whispered in your ear before stepping back and speaking at a normal volume. “Good to see you again. Thanks for comin’.” 

“Thanks for having me,” you smiled, looking at him with those shining eyes of yours. Fuck, he loved you. 

Which is why he wanted you to come over early. 

He and Sarah got up at damn near the crack of dawn and hauled the Christmas decorations down from the attic, setting up the nativity scene that was as old as Sarah was, putting out the pictures of her with Santa, the little North Pole village made out of cardboard with paper glued to the side that he and Sarah had colored in when she was nine. She held the ladder still while he strung up the lights outside and they went together to get bagels and coffee and pick out the tree. 

Joel remembered getting the tree with Sarah when she was little. He steered her toward the imperfect trees, talking about how much character they had, how the gaps in the branches were perfect for ornaments. He could usually talk the guy in the tree lot down in price because of it and Sarah was excited to have a perfectly imperfect, one of a kind tree. 

She still gravitated toward the imperfect trees. Looking for the evergreens with patches and brown spots and finding the tree that looked least like the others on the lot before taking it home and lovingly covering it in tinsel and ornaments until it looked like the most beautiful tree you could find anywhere. 

He wanted to share this with you, too. When Sarah had called to tell him that she wanted to invite you for Thanksgiving and for Christmas movies, she’d told him things he didn’t know about you. Things he could have guessed, especially now that he knew about your family, but things that hadn’t occurred to him until she said it. 

“She never really did the whole Christmas thing, I don’t think,” she said. “When I asked her about it she just shrugged and said they didn’t celebrate it and I asked if they had some other holiday and she said no, they just didn’t. Isn’t that sad?” 

“Some people just don’t enjoy the holidays, baby girl,” he said, even though his heart hurt for you. 

“I don’t think that’s what it is, though,” she said. “Come on, we have to invite her for Christmas stuff. She should get to do the fun shit at least once!” 

Of course he said yes. He’d want you there anyway but especially now. Even if it was hard with Sarah, he’d want you there. 

But Sarah going out for a bit with her friends made it easier. He was usually very selfish with her days at home, having to consciously avoid guilting her for spending time with anyone who wasn’t him. Now, he was thankful for the chance to see you for a little bit without the watchful eye of his daughter there. 

Because Sarah was right. You did deserve to have the fun stuff, at least once. 

You knocked when you got there while Sarah was gone and smiled when Joel answered the door. 

“Hey,” you said, looking at him like just him being there made your entire day. 

“Hey,” he said back before grabbing you and kissing you, his fingers knotting in your hair, holding you close to him. He pulled back from you a bit, just to look at you. “Damn. I’ve missed doing that.” 

You laughed. 

“Me too.” 

You went inside and gasped at the living room, your hands covering your mouth. 

“What?” He asked. 

“It’s gorgeous!” Your eyes were wide. “It’s like the North Pole in here!” You walked slowly around the room, stopping at the little Christmas village and bending over to look at it closer. “Did you make these?” 

“Yeah,” Joel smiled, going to stand next to you. “Sarah saw one of these little village things at a friend’s house and wanted one but those damn houses were like 80 bucks a pop. But she really wanted a village, so I brought some empty boxes home from work and got some printer paper and drew out some Christmas house looking patterns on it and we colored it in and glued it all together. I gotta do the annual patch up yet, there’s some peeling paper on the corners…” 

You stood up and turned to him, wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him, all gentle at first but then needier, harder. 

“Don’t think we have much time,” you said, your voice think with want. “Should probably take your clothes off.” 

“As much as I’d love to fuck you,” Joel said, kissing you once more before pulling back from you just a bit, close enough that his nose still brushed yours. “That’s not why I asked you to come over.” 

You frowned. 

“It’s not?” 

“Got something for you,” he kissed you again before separating from you entirely, going to a cabinet against the wall. Inside was a plain white box, tied with a bow. He handed it to you and you smiled a little, taking it. 

You untied the ribbon and he watched it float to the floor for a second as you carefully opened the box and you gasped, looking inside it for a moment before looking up at him. 

“Joel,” you whispered, tears in your eyes. 

He smiled a little. 

“I’ll hold the box,” he said, taking it from you so you could use both hands. “Sarah said you didn’t do Christmas as a kid. Thought you might want to here. So you needed a few things…” 

You pulled the first piece out of the box, a little ornament of the Chicago flag. 

“For where you went to college,” he said. You laughed wetly and set it aside, pulling out the little blown glass bottle of Tabasco sauce next. “Because you love your spicy foods.” You laughed harder at that, actually crying now, and turned the delicate bottle over in your fingers before setting it aside, too. Next was a little metal Space Needle and you laughed, holding it up and watching it glint in the light. “That’s for obvious reasons.” 

“Clearly,” you laughed again, drying your eyes with the ornament still in your hands. “Joel…” 

“Should be a few more in there,” he said, smiling. You gave him a look and went back into the box. There was a little Texas ornament with a heart over Austin and you held it up, turning it back and forth in the light. “Figured the lone star state needed representation…” 

“Of course,” you laughed, setting that ornament next to the others and pulling out the last one. “Oh, Joel…” 

It was a little couple with the words “Our First Christmas” written on a ribbon over their heads. Joel’s name was painted on the scarf of one, yours on the other. 

“Since I was kinda hoping you’d be around next Christmas, too, thought we could start a collection,” he said. “And now you’ve got a few ornaments of your own.” 

“This is…” you said running your thumb over the little people in your palm. “I don’t even have a tree!” 

“Sure you do,” he said, nodding to the one in the corner. “You heard Sarah. You’re a Miller now. One more thing in there, Beautiful.” 

You frowned, setting the ornament down and nudging aside tissue paper until you got to the bottom. You gasped again and Joel smiled at the sound as you pulled a stocking out of the box. It was simple, red velvet with a forest green trim and a white fur top, your name embroidered across the top of it. 

“Not Christmas without a stocking,” he smiled. 

You held it in your hands, your fingers running over the soft fur at the top, tracing the gold thread of your name. He set the box aside and put his hands in his back pockets. 

“No one’s ever…” your voice was thick and wet and you looked up at him. “This is incredible, Joel. I don’t even know what to say…” 

“Just say you’ll spend Christmas with me,” he said. “At least this Christmas. Hopefully a lot more, too, but we’ll start with this one.” 

You laughed. 

“Good luck getting me to spend time anywhere else now,” you kissed him, your arms around his neck, pressing your front tightly to his. He held you close, his arms going around you, fingers gripping your ribs and hip tight and he kissed you back, kissed you like he never wanted to stop kissing you. Because he didn’t want to stop kissing you. Not now, not ever. 

Not even when the two of you realized Sarah was standing in the entry way. 

***

“What the fuck?” 

The sound of Sarah’s voice made you jump. You all but leapt away from Joel, your eyes wide and wet, the stocking still in your hand. 

Joel’s gift had been so damn thoughtful and kind and perfect you’d completely forgotten that Sarah was in town and due home eventually. Even though she arrived a bit earlier than you or apparently Joel had expected. 

The gift really had floored you. No one had ever done anything like that for you, had found things just for you, put something together for you so you could be a part of something like a holiday. The only time you’d ever been gone to things like this it had been on the fringes, tacked on as an extra. Which was fine, you understood that. But feeling welcomed into the middle of it all was something else entirely and you were so in love with Joel at that moment it felt like your heart might burst with it. 

And then Sarah was there. 

“Sarah…” your voice cracked. “I… This…” 

“Have you two seriously been fucking this whole time?” She gaped at you. 

Your eyes darted to Joel who looked back at you, eyes wide. He clearly wasn’t ready for this conversation right now either. 

“I should go,” you said quickly, all but running for the door. “Let you two talk…”

“No, wait!” Joel called after you but you ignored him, ducking around Sarah and out into the yard. 

It had gotten dark since you’d come to Joel’s and the Christmas lights on the neighboring houses had turned on, the red and green and white twinkling in the dark as you fought to not sob on your boyfriend’s lawn. 

“Shit,” you swore when you realized you’d left your purse inside the house and had no way to get into your damn car to drive yourself home. 

Your phone was in your back pocket at least. You pulled it out and went into Uber to order a ride. You could come back later to pick up your car. And your purse. And you had some credit cards loaded on your phone and the corner store down the street from your apartment accepted that at least so you wouldn’t be totally screwed if you needed something before Sarah left town….

The Christmas lights on Joel’s house flipped on and the brightness of it made you flinch. 

“Hey,” Joel called and you turned without thinking, wiping your tears on the backs of your sleeve. He was barefoot, his breath rising on the air in front of him.

“I’m leaving,” you managed, holding up your phone. “Go back in, talk to Sarah…” 

“Don’t go,” he cut you off, hands up as he cautiously reached for you. “Come back inside, we can all talk and…” 

“I’m not going to ruin your relationship with your daughter, Joel,” you sniffed, looking down at the stocking that was still in your hand. “I love you both too much for that…” 

“You love him?” Sarah was in the doorway, pulling the door closed behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist as she jogged over to you both. “Ugh, it’s cold out here!” 

“Sarah…” you tried to find the words. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t… It’s not like… I know you’re upset…” 

“What?” She gaped at you and laughed a little. “Babes, I’m not mad!” 

You sniffed and dried your eyes with your sleeve again. 

“You’re not?” 

“No!” She laughed. “I mean I guess I’m a little ticked that you both hid this from me but I’m just glad I’m not insane!”

“What do you mean?” You shook your head. “I don’t…” 

“Bestie!” She came and grabbed your shoulders and met your eyes. “It was a set up! I’ve thought you two would be a great couple for fucking years but I knew you’d freak out if I actually told you that. I kind of hoped things would get there on their own and that you two would hit it off and be friends, why do you think I was so let down when you said you weren’t `hanging out?” 

“You…” you frowned, the tears finally slowing. “You were trying to set us up?” 

“Yes!” She laughed. “I mean, yeah, it might be a little weird - and please don’t talk to me about my dad the way you have past boyfriends because ew - but you two are my favorite people! You have so much in common and you both deserve something good and I know you’ll be good to each other. I just felt like I was insane for thinking you two would want to hang out once you met and then you didn’t. But I was right!” 

“You’re such a dick!” You laughed and she laughed too. “I’ve been freaking out for like two months!” 

“Well that’s what you get for not telling me everything,” she smiled. “Except you’ll need to find someone else to talk to about sex now. I might be weird enough to set my best friend up with my dad but even I have my limits. Also, I’m not going to call you mom.” 

You laughed and Joel draped an arm around Sarah’s shoulders, kissing the top of her head. 

“Shouldn’t be so sneaky, baby girl,” he said, but he was smiling. 

“Well you never listen any other way,” she said. “Now I’m still cold and there’s hot cocoa and snacks waiting inside…” 

“Oh!” You said. “I forgot, I have something in the car…” 

You ran back inside and grabbed your keys and pulled some covered dishes out of the back seat. Sarah frowned, her arms still around her waist. 

“It might be dumb, but…” You held up the containers. “I made a bunch of gingerbread and frosting and got candy and stuff…” 

“You brought stuff to make gingerbread houses?” Sarah practically squealed. “Knew you’d make a great Miller!” 

You laughed and Joel took the dishes from you as the three of you turned to head back inside. You stopped for a second and looked up at the house, the whole thing trimmed in colorful lights, a family of light up reindeer in the front yard. You smiled at it, looking like the home you always wished you had as a girl. 

“You really made something amazing here, Joel,” you said. 

“Did my best,” he shrugged. “But now that you and Sarah are here? It’s perfect.” 

You smiled at him and your best friend before going inside to hang your stocking up next to theirs where it belonged. 

Next Chapter

A/N: AHHHHHH Sarah finally knows and YES, for those playing along at home, it was indeed a set up from the start. She's sneaky, that one!

Also, in case you're wondering, the ornament Joel gets Beautiful for the two of them? A variation on something like this. Isn't it the fucking cutest thing???

I hope you've loved this fic because I've loved writing it. Just one chapter left to put a bow on everything! Thank you so much for reading and for being here. Love you!!

Taglist: @fanficismydrug

[mid0khan]

Last Line Tag Game

I've been tagged by @samsalami66 and I'll take advantage of it to post a snippet of the Dream/Denial fic I have been working on for half a year now (already !). Thanks for the tag btw ^^

I hesitated to post a piece of the ninth chapter, because I'm really proud of it, but the game say last line, and I have started writing chapter 10, so have what I've done for it so far !

Hob looked up from the printing press, offering an apologetic smile to the nun who had interrupted his work. “I am sory, Suster, we ne sellen the Twilight bokes her, oonly the Bible!” He wiped his ink-stained hands on his richly embroidered coat as the nun berated him for the unfaithful books he was making when a familiar presence made him shiver. “Morpheus?” he called, looking around for his friend. But the lordly being was nowhere to be found. Hob shrugged, apologising to the irate Sister who was now sermonising at him about respecting his elders. He would have been really surprised if Morpheus had visited him here. … But where was here, exactly? The weirdness of the situation suddenly dawned on him. He looked around, noting all the incoherences of the place. He was working on one of Billy Caxton first printing presses, dressed in a mockery of the coat he had worn to Robin’s christening. The shop was a mix of his room when he had lived in Paris in the 1920s and his current office at the university he was teaching at, with the unfinished paintings on the walls and a bi flag in his “best teacher” mug on a desk. The place was filled to the brim with shelves sagging under the weight of thousands of copies of the Bible with a wonky Jesus drawn on the cover. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I?” he asked the nun, who stopped moving like an automaton running out of battery. The whole scenery started dissolving as Hob ran around the shop, desperately calling for Morpheus even though he knew the Endless was already gone. He couldn’t feel the tell-tale buzz of his presence anymore. The dream disappeared, revealing the closed doors of the Dreaming’s castle. Hob groaned in frustration and disappointment. He looked up to greet the griffin and startled when three pair of eyes met his. “Welcome back, Dreamer!” the griffin saluted him enthusiastically. “As you can see, my companions in duty came back since we last met.” “Hi guys,” Hob waved awkwardly. The hippogriff and the wyvern resting next to the griffin nodded in acknowledgement. “Am I still banned from the castle or can I go in this time?” “I am afraid you are still banned from entering, Robert Gadling,” the hippogriff neighed. “But the Royal Librarian expressed the desire to be informed of your next visit.” With its long, whip-like tail, the wyvern gave a heavy crystal ball to Hob, who looked at it quizzically. "To talk with someone, call their name,” the reptile explained. “The crystal will do the rest.” Hob stared into the iridescent reflections of the sphere with a newfound interest. If he called for Morpheus, could he talk to him? Could he really reach him so easily? His tongue itched with his friend’s name, but Hob forced himself to swallow it back. It would only scare Morpheus further, and rightfully so. It would be intrusive and a terrible breach of trust. No. No matter how much Hob craved to talk to his friend and make things right, he couldn’t force it. He had to let Morpheus come to him when he was ready. He could wait. Hob was good at waiting. He cleared his throat. “Loosh, are you there?” he asked the crystal ball.

Tagging @the-apocrypha , @embroiderling and @avelera , no pressure to participate of course !

[mirandasidefics]

Btw is there anything abt y/n's backstory in home is nowhere fanfic?

Hello!

Reader does have some set background information from her life in her world, but there are places where the fine details are still left up for the audience to picture themselves in her place. And while I do have a specific image of Reader in my head as I write, I try my best to not provide any details that are specific to physical features. As I've been writing more of her personality has also started to come out, so there is a much more detailed background in my mind, but I know that if I include that information or specifiy it she then turns into an OC and I'm not exactly wanting to do that. (Though once I finish I may go through with making her an OC and posting to FanFiction.net).

Now, get ready for a deep dive into what I do have specified for Reader's background (because I can't seem to control myself when it comes to talking about this story!)

Reader's specific background information is: She is afab and identifies with her birth assigned gender. She is plus size and will remain throughout the fic a bit fuller than all the females that make an appearance in this story. She is self-conscious about her body but will learn to accept that others find her attractive and worthy of love. This slowly allows her to start to accept herself. Not just in a physical way, but as a whole.

She has at least one sibling of each gender. (Her brother's age will be specified in the next chapter). She has only one nephew, who was about 7-8 years old when she left her world. She was close to her nephew, who looks very similar to Nyx (darker skin tone and black hair).

She had an office job where she traveled a lot. She was working on getting her PhD in Musicology (fancy term for Music Historian). She enjoys singing and we will see more of music's role/meaning in Reader's personal life in the next chapter. She enjoys learning about various mythologies. She has a stronger inclination to Greek, Norse, and Celtic pantheons (which will play a role in this fic), but she does have bits of knowledge from other major cultures (Hindu, Mesoamerican, and Egyptian). She identifies as pagan/polytheistic which is the spiritual practice of her maternal relatives (This has been hinted at in previous chapters and again will play a role in the fic).

Reader's age right now is unknown, but it will be specified later in the story (this is relevant to the plot otherwise I wouldn't specify it at all.)

She has some past trauma regarding past romantic/sexual relationships, which we will start to see more of in the next chapter. There were some hints already regarding this topic when she was in the Day Court with Lucien.

Reader's dreams are also not exactly what she believes them to be and this information will play a role and be revealed in later chapters (I don't want to spoil it as I think it's a pretty cool revelation to WHY she was brought to Prythian). Her relation to Rhys, Bryce, and Ruhn will also be revealed in later chapters.

Reader's favorite season is Autumn, her favorite holiday is Winter Solstice (though that will change with later events), and her favorite gemstone is Garnet.

Readers unspecified traits: Reader's physical features (apart from body type) are all left up to the audience as this is meant to be more of a self-insert. I do my best to be mindful of describing anything that could be interpreted as being specific to any one skin-tone (blush color when embarrassed, lip color, effects of sunburn, etc). I also try to refrain from adding any descriptors that could be traits typical of any one specific ethnic group. The order of her birth in comparison to her siblings (oldest, middle, youngest) will also be unspecified. Reader's other personal interests such as favorites (food, color, flower, etc) will not be mentioned (at least of yet). Her exact birthday will also not be mentioned, nor will it be set at any specific time of year.

I am slowly working on the requests that were submitted. I typically write them in the order they were received and the one I've been working on is highly emotional and taping into some personal stuff in my IRL life. So, it is taking a bit longer to complete as I have to write it in smaller bits.

Please continue to send in any asks or comments you have about either this story or any of the ones I have posted.

[hwaightme]

ok sorry to be coming a day late but i was star struck after the concert and i was mingi brainrot all day yesterday it was ridiculous. (legit spent all day watching my concert videos and went on a great quest on all the socials to find more clips of the concerts also my in laws came to visit)

BUT enough about me!

about family for hire! i loved chapter 2 so much!

spoilers under the cut

again i loved yunho's and mc's friendship in it. he's such a great friend and a cutie. he peptalked her to infinity we love to see it.

but in term of cuteness he doesn't come close to the man of the hour the one and only park seonghwa. he was adorableeee like my heart was just aching the whole time (plus i was reading this while standing in line and gosh i was just gushing).

and when yunho said "hot daddy" i felt that.

and seonghwa just babbling about nari!!!! i could see the hearts in his eyes as he browsed throught the numerous pictures on his phone. and when he opened up to mc about their past and the unresolved shit they still had it was so genuine i wanted to hug him so badddd. like sometimes the dads need a hug too :(

and mc!!! what a business woman (maybe im falling for her a lil bit too lolz). i loved how she took advantage of the moment by dropping the plan to seonghwa. and at the same time i feel like between the lines this was just an escape for her. maybe the memory of that night hurts too much and she pushed her pain deep down to forget about it and she wasnt ready to open the wound back up again. so she jumped to known and reassuring territory meaning business, work. idk.

but seonghwa on the other hand i feel like paternity forced him to become somebody that is in touch with his feelings to be able to understand his daughter's. if u want to connect to anybody you have to open up and i feel mc is struggling with that maybe seonghwa can show her that showing vulnerability isn't being weak... quite the opposite. (i struggle with that all the time)

its beautiful cause they have a lot to learn form each other and i cant wait to see what you have in stock for this fic.

but i loved it like everything you dooo~~ you are so talented it's insane like gorllll leave some for the rest of us.

ps: also cant wait to read long exposure!!!

Hiiii omg it is completely fine!!! I am so so so happy that you had such a wonderful time at the concert and literally the day after being dedicated to brainrotting is basically a necessity, let's be real (also btw how are you after that Mingi Instagram video of him dancing to CUFF IT? xD)

Aaaaaaaah this warms my heart so much omg!!! ;~; thank you thank you~~ Really glad that you are enjoying the best friend Yunho energy (and his comments about Seonghwa ahah)!!! MY HEART IS MELTING RIGHT NOW OH MY ;~;

Becoming a father has definitely changed Seonghwa, and as you say, it has actually made him more open to the idea of love (and more open in general); he is very much of the opinion even his dark times should be a learning ground for him to know how to raise Nari well, and give her as safe and as happy home as possible :) (and yes let's give him a big hug ;~;)

Mc definitely has... some things she really needs to work through, but with these kinds of things only time will really tell, and how her venture into what she calls 'business' will turn to influence her and her relationships.

again from the bottom of my heart I thank you so much!!!!!!! <3 wink wink I am actually in the process of writing the next chapter and hopefully it will be up soon (ahah trying my best, thank you for your patience ;~;)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA COMING FROM YOU EXCUSE ME YOU ANGEL!?!?!? YOU TALENTED HOOMAN!?!? LEMME GIVE YOU A HUGE HUG RN THIS IS NOT A REQUEST THIS IS A LOVING THREAT <3<3<3

Much love <3

ps: omgomgomgomgomog thank you ;~;

[sunnydayzed]

Working on a fic and i keep wanting to post an excerpt

Some characters working through some feelings together.

I wanna eventually start posting the fic to ao3, but i wanna get together the first five chapters together and beta read.

btw, Alastor is my self insert

"Look, I- I just…" Alastor paused, rubbing his shoulder in a self soothing gesture, looking away from Leo. "I don't know what you want. To gloat? I've been trying to make it clear I've given up. Why come back if all you're interested in is hurting me?"

Leo froze at that, looking down at the man in front of him. Alastor flattened his ears, balling his fists and staring at the ground as the silence dragged on.

"You know, I tried for a really, really long time to figure out what I did that made you hate me. Was it something I said? Something of my past that reminded you of her? Was I not good enough?"

He laughed, though it was high pitched, nervous energy bleeding into empty giggles as Alastor hid his face in his hands. "It took me a really long time to accept I'd probably never be good enough for you." Alastor continued, mirth gone as he frowned, going silent. The words hung between them for several seconds, heavy with meaning, Alastors breathing becoming more shaky as he waited.

Finally, Leo spoke up, his tongue heavy in his mouth with the unfamiliar and uncomfortable words. "I… apologize."

"Oh." Alastor seemed surprised by Leo's statement, stuttering for a few seconds. "...I don't know why you're apologizing." Alastor shifted his weight, his shoulders tensing like he was preparing to fight, but wasn't ready to try attacking Leo just yet.

Leo couldn't help wondering how often this had played through Alastor's head over the years. But as he considered his next words, Leo came to a realization. It felt like someone had just pulled a layer of cloth away from his eyes, leaving details of the scene in stark clarity. Alastor's pose wasn't hostile, it was scared. Defensive, even.

Suddenly the headache, the anxiety, his hands shaking even after Leo had crossed his arms to try and steady himself. It all made a horrid amount of sense. It wasn't his feelings, after all. It was so easy to just forget Alastor could radiate his feelings onto others, like how Lukas could project his thoughts and opinions to anyone nearby, should he choose to.

But it also meant that Alastor was currently terrified of him, and it sent Leo's non-existent stomach turning in knots, feeling like he was back in an all too familiar situation, although this time, on the opposite side he once took up. It took him a few moments to find the words to use, inhaling needlessly to ground himself before speaking them out loud.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He offered, not knowing what else to say, and instead reached out, intending to cradle Alastor's head in his hands, only to freeze as the dragon hybrid flinched away, as if expecting Leo to hit him. Leo froze, that feeling returning swiftly and while he understood why, Alastor's reaction had hurt.

"...Do you want me to leave?" Leo asked after a pause, his voice unusually quiet over Alastor's ragged breathing. There was a moment when neither one of them spoke, Leo watching his every reaction, sure that if he still needed to breathe, he would have suffocated at this point.

"...No." Came Alastor's soft, breathy response, the dragon hybrid's eyes flickering from left to right, darting around wildly. His wings shifted slightly in agitation – they were still tucked closely against his sides, his tail tucked between his legs, though he was starting to stand back up. "...I don't think I can be alone right now."

"How about this…" Leo paused, an idea running through his head, despite Lukas's warning of it being a bad idea. "Just for a little bit… You can do anything to me you want." Leo hesitated, holding out his arms in invitation as he forced down his near overwhelming anxiety to speak again "No consequences."

Alastor paused, staring at him now, his expression wary, and boarding on what Leo could only assume is hurt. "...No consequences?" Alastor asked, after a moment, slowly straightening up fully, his tail swishing against the marble floor, catching on the sitting area rug.

"No consequences." Leo repeated, assuring him, and internally preparing himself as Alastor approached him, looking unsure about himself as he reached out, pushing Leo into the sitting couch behind the god of night.

He was glad he didn't have to breathe, or else the wind would have been knocked out of him with the poor way he handled the fall. By the time he'd recovered, Alastor had crawled onto the couch next to him, and seemed to be judging his reaction before...

Curling up on Leo's chest, white wings wrapping around the ghost's torso like a larger, softer hug as his mind reeled for a moment- He hadn't expected this. If anything, he'd expected rage, hatred, a fight. But instead the dragon hybrid seemed to instead take the chance for physical affection, his face buried in the god of night's mane.

Leo lay there, for a long moment, before finally raising a hand, placing it on top of Alastor's head, and feeling the smaller male flinch with his full body, but not pull away. Feeling like he could continue to press ahead, Leo gently began to pet Alastor's head, slowly feeling him relax with the affection.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do this." Alastor finally spoke up, his voice muffled by Leo's mane. "And part of me is mad because of it. Mostly because..." Alastor hesitated for a moment before he pulled back, and looked up at Leo with large golden eyes, a small frown pulling down one side of his mouth as he shook his head. "Like… Imagine if your bonded denied you any connection with them. Treated you as if you were nothing more than an insect that'd stain their shoe. Compared you to their abuser. All on assumptions they'd made about you."

Alastor stopped, taking several breaths as he tried to calm down, finally continuing once he'd blinked back the tears threatening to form. "And then they only start to care about you when it's revealed you have some kind of connection with them. Not when you were fighting for your life. Not when you were suffering. No, they only care about you when you have value to them. When their reputation is at stake with you. It's just..."

Alastor took another shaky breath, seeming to curl even tighter into Leo's chest. "The fact that they are bound to you doesn't seem to bother them much as much as what other people think about them, you know?"

Leo shifted, moving from half flopped across the couch to laying down properly, giving Alastor a more steady surface to curl up on his chest. "Is that how you feel we've treated you?" He asked, as Alastor's ears pinned back, the hybrid going silent. "Do you feel that we've belittled you? Do you think it's true that my bondmates haven't thought about you enough, and that the fact that you don't receive their care isn't an issue for them?"

For a moment, Alastor remained silent. Then he nodded hesitantly, and wrapped his tail tight around Leo's waist, nuzzling into the space where Leo's neck would be beneath his mane. He didn't say anything, so Leo decided to keep talking. "...How about I promise never to treat you like that anymore?" He said softly, as Alastor nodded again. "Okay? And that's a promise."

Alastor didn't respond immediately, so Leo gave him some time to collect himself. "...Alright." Alastor eventually responded, sounding reluctant, and he looked up at Leo, eyes bright with gratitude, "Thank you."

[multi-writer]

The Broken Hearts Club - Eddie Munson

Friends Ending

Lovers Ending

Summary: After being best friends for years you finally decided to tell Eddie about your feelings. But what happens when an unexpected person comes along to ruin your plans?

A/N: Guess who´s back? and with a 5.3k words (or 12 pages) angst about Eddie? Hell yeah. This is a bit based on @/bloomsbury art. She´s amazing, all her works are *Chef kisses* and I needed to write this lol. I´m thinking this will have two endings - Lovers ending and Friends ending. (BTW I'm also working on another Steve fic, another Eddie one shot and the next chapter of Love in the Past) Thanks for all your support and I hope you like this fic too!

Warnings: curses, angst, nothing about the upside down happened,.

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

The words became landscapes, people, emotions. Your eyes passed line after line, taking in all the ideas and creations that the author had put into his work. The noises around you dissipated the moment you stepped into the book, even the boys next to you had become invisible to the characters and their actions that enveloped your mind. Or so you thought until a knock next to you brought you out of your world.

“Ready for the new adventure coming?" asked Eddie Munson happily as he sat down at his place at the table. Gareth, Dustin, Mike and Jeff shouted a -Yeah!- excited about Eddie's new plan to get them into his D&D world. The boy smiled and then turned his gaze to you causing you to close your book and place it on the table, your elbow landed next to it to cup your cheek with your hand and look at it expectantly.

"Ink!" shouted Eddie with one of the many nicknames he had given you for your taste in books "Any plans or suggestions to make the new world more entertaining?". You just shrugged.

"I still don't know what you have planned Munson, I must read it to give my opinion. Now if you will allow me to go back to my book" You said as you picked it up again and opened it to the page where you had left off.

"After school come to the van and I'll show you what I have" Eddie said to get a thumbs up from you agreeing to his plan. The rest of the guys continued to talk about how excited they were about the new plan Eddie was going to create for them to play with. You, from time to time, looked up to admire the long haired boy talking enthusiastically to his buddies making you smile.

You and Eddie had met years ago at the town library when you were both looking for something new to read. The boy was fighting with a local helper while you were behind him waiting to check out more books. Hearing that the 15 year old boy couldn't find anything like LOTR -and that the assistant didn't know how to help him- you decided to recommend him 'Salem's lot' book by a new writer who was dedicated to horror, a very different reading from LOTR but that you had liked a lot. The boy accepted the book in surprise and decided to take it to him instead of continuing to fight. Seeing him go, you just smiled and signed the borrowing list for 'The Shining' book by the same author. When you came out you found Eddie sitting on the stairs waiting for you as he started to read the book, when he saw you he quickly stood up and introduced himself by extending a hand to you. Since then, the two of you were inseparable, even when he was two years older than you, you would always go out to play or talk forming a crush for the boy. Now, just out of high school, you were ready to confess your feelings to him.

"Eddie? Did Chrissy throw you a smile? And you smiled back?!" Your friend's exclamations brought you out of your literary bubble to look at Eddie, then turn to see the cheerleader leaving the cafeteria and return your gaze to Eddie who was still looking at the girl.

"What...what's going on?" you asked in a shaky voice fearing the worst. Eddie just shrugged his shoulders and stood up on the table to make dramatic talk.

"As you know it's my senior year" he held out his arms as Jeff let out a groan interrupting his friend.

"Dude, you've been saying that for two years" The boy put his face in his hand in boredom. Eddie just held up his finger as he smiled at him.

"Well being my senior year, I finally got up the nerve to talk to Chrissy and I'm going to try to ask her to go out with me" he put his hands on his chest. "And not only will I walk out of here with a diploma in hand flippin Higgins the bird, but I'll walk out of here with the queen of Hawkins in my arms."

For every comment Eddie made your face was dropping, as if the life had gone out of it. Gareth discreetly put his hand on your leg making you jump a little in surprise and turn to look at him. The boy looked at you with sad eyes for what was happening.  Gareth had discovered your crush on Eddie a year ago when he inadvertently overheard you talking to Robin about your love for your best friend.

"Besides, it would be perfect! She and I have known each other since we were kids!" exclaimed Eddie as he jumped down from the table startling some girls. Hearing the bell Eddie grabbed his things quickly. "I'll go talk to her before she goes into class. This is finally going to be my year!" he yelled as he walked out of the cafeteria causing several students to let out a laugh.

The rest of the guys started to get up from the table to grab their stuff and go to their classes, leaving you alone with a broken heart and in shock at what had just happened.

"But... we knew each other when we were kids too" You said quietly as you watched the door where Eddie had left.

-.-

"I'm telling you, of all those losers you could have fallen in love with you decided to do it with Eddie Munson" Robin commented as you both walked to your lockers after a day of classes. "There's even dingus! If you like you can come with me to work and who knows, maybe something will happen" Said your girl best friend as she put her books in her locker, you were leaning on yours as you thought about what you were going to do.

"It's not that simple Robin, it's not that Steve isn't cute, but there's something about Eddie that's different, plus the way I feel about Eddie has been since I was a kid." you commented as Robin let out a sigh and closed her locker to grab you by the shoulders.

"Hun, I know it's hard, but I don't want you to end up with a broken heart just before you finish high school. Tell me, did you get the letters from the colleges yet?" Robin tried to change the subject making you smile.

"I already got two, but Columbia´s still missing," you commented. The girl let out a small 'Yes!' as she punched the air with her fist.

“You better tell me when you get your answer, then you will leave this place to start living and become the best writer in the world. Who knows, maybe you'll become so famous you'll meet Tom Cruise and get married and have lots of babies. I mean, have you see him in ‘Top Gun’?" She said as she raised both eyebrows making you let out a laugh. Robin managed to distract your mind for a moment until Gareth and Jeff approached.

"Hey, have you seen Eddie? It's almost time for D&D" commented Jeff as he rubbed both hands together excitedly. You grabbed your backpack and started walking to the school exit along with the two boys and Robin.

"No, I'll go to his van to check that everything is well planned and that this new game goes well" you commented smiling, the boys watched you happily and then said goodbye to go to the drama room where they would get ready to play.

"Want a ride? Nance will pick me up to take me to work" commented Robin as she stopped in front of the school doors. You just shook your head.

"I'm fine, thanks. I'll go check out that D&D thing" you told her as you pointed to Eddie's van.

"Perfect, if anything happens call us" Robin started to walk away when she saw Nancy in her car waiting for her. "And remember!" she yelled. "Tom Cruise is a thousand times better, and that's a lot coming from me!"

You just shook your head as you smiled and started walking towards Eddie's car, from which music was blaring, giving you to understand that the boy was inside. As you approached you held your backpack tightly with one of your hands to open the door with the other.

When you opened the car door you were confronted with a scene you hadn't expected to see yet. Chrissy was on Eddie's lap as they both quickly separated to see who had interrupted them. You let out a little scream and then slammed the door shut to leave them alone. Heat ran down your cheeks from the embarrassment you felt as a lump quickly formed in your throat. Inside the car you could hear noises from both teenagers for a moment until the door slammed open again.

"Hey, sorry you had to see that" Eddie commented with a relaxed smile as he held his notes in his hand. "Here's what I was thinking of doing for D&D, anything or suggestions let me know, okay?" he asked as Chrissy's voice could be heard inside the Van calling for him. The boy smiled even wider and handed you his notes to start getting into his car. "Oh, and tell the rest that I'll be there in a few moments" he commented one last time and then closed the door in your face without giving you a chance to say anything else.

You saw his notes in your hands for a few moments and then saw the car door, the music was still playing and this time it was accompanied by Eddie and Chrissy's laughter. You just turned around and started walking towards the school as small tears fell from your eyes and you bit your lip to keep from sobbing on the spot, your cheeks still red with embarrassment. You quickly made your way to the school entrance to go to the Drama room and drop off Eddie's notes.

You weren't planning to check them out.

As you walked in you could hear the voices of the boys excited about their new game. Gareth was the first to turn around, who, upon seeing you, quickly got up from his seat to walk over to you and hug you.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly as you held his shirt tightly for support.

"Eddie and Chrissy" you commented between breaths, however Gareth understood. The boy directed you out of the room so you could have more privacy in the empty hall.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gareth said as he continued to hug you. You just pulled away and denied as you wiped your tears with the palm of your hand.

"No... just take this, the notes. Give them to him when he gets here, yes?" you asked as you handed him the notes and then rubbed your hands on your arms comforting yourself. Gareth just looked at the notes and nodded.

You mumbled a small 'thank you' and started walking towards the school exit to go straight home. You weren't planning on staying to watch them play after what had happened. The walk home wasn't long, so when you arrived you were still crying about what had happened earlier that day.

How had Chrissy gotten in a few days what you had waited more than five years for?

Life was truly unfair.

As you entered your house you could hear your mother in the kitchen listening to the radio to make the place feel so lonely. You left your backpack in the living room and then went to the bathroom. In the mirror you could see that your eyes were crystal clear while the rest of your face was red from crying, you took your time trying to recover and wet your face. When you came out you went straight to your room.

"(Y/n) Is that you?" your mom asked from the kitchen as you lay down on your bed.

"Yes! I'm going to sleep for a while!" You shouted to her as you hugged one of your pillows, hearing no answer you closed your eyes and thought of something other than Eddie. You stayed like that until you fell asleep.

Hours later you felt a hand on your shoulder trying to wake you up while at the same time you felt a gust of wind coming through the window.

"Eddie...?" you asked as you tried to wake up.

"No honey, it's mom. You got mail" Your mother said in a soft voice so as not to upset you, you kept trying to regain consciousness until your brain caught what your mother had said.

You got mail.

You quickly got out of bed to run downstairs. In the kitchen you saw that your mother had put the other two letters next to the new one. You had only applied to three colleges, so your heart was pounding with nerves. Your mom came up behind you to pull up a chair so you could sit down.

The first letter was from Northwestern University, your third choice, which you quickly opened and ran your eyes down the lines hoping to find one you liked.

"I'm in!" you smiled at your mom who hugged you tightly. You pushed aside her response to then open the next letter and second choice. Sadly University of Pittsburgh had left you on the waiting list.

Nervously you looked at your first choice. Columbia. That was your dream since you knew you wanted to write, so you slowly reached out your hand and took the letter. You opened it with all the patience you had at the time, running your eyes over the lines of the letter and taking in all the information you could gather. When you found your answer you let out a gasp and ran out of your house with letter in hand.

You had never run as fast as you did that night, when you arrived at Eddie's trailer you knocked loudly on his door until someone opened the door. Wayne was looking at you while carrying a cup in his hand.

"Hey kiddo, what's up?" The man asked tenderly, after all he saw you as a daughter watching you grow up along with his nephew. You, between breaths, showed him the letter from Columbia. The man read the letter slowly and then let out a sigh of relief and hugged you tightly. "I knew you would make it, you are a pride for all of us," he said between tears. "Eddie's not here, he's out with that girl and I don't know when he'll be back. Do you want me to tell him the good news?" you just shook your head.

"No, I'd like to tell him myself Wayne" you commented as you hugged the letter containing your future. You didn't think to tell him that the fact that Eddie was with Chrissy hurt you - However, Wayne knew about your feelings for his nephew - the man just nodded and then gave you another hug to congratulate you - or maybe comfort you.

Behind Wayne you could see the clock and noticed that Robin was not yet off work, so you said goodbye to Eddie's uncle and started walking straight to the video store. Images of Eddie with Chrissy flashed through your mind and then changed to Columbia. Finally good things were happening.

When you arrived you noticed Robin and Steve arranging several movies, the sign at the entrance said that the store was already closed, but you didn't care and walked through the door making the little bell ring.

"Can't you read? We're closed" Steve said without looking at you as he continued doing his work. Not hearing you leave, the boy turned to look at you. "you doesn't listen either? What already..." you interrupted him by lifting the letter in your hands causing Robin to let out a scream and run to hug you pushing Steve on his way causing the boy to let out a small 'hey'.

"You got in! You got in didn't you? Because if you didn't this would be really awkward" Robin started rambling while holding your shoulders, you just nodded with a huge smile and then hugged again. As you pulled apart you could see Steve looking at you with a smile as he came over to hug you.

"Congratulations" he whispered in your ear causing you to thank him equally whispering.

"Now if you'll have a chance to make a name for yourself, meet Tom Cruise and finally forget about Eddie" Robin commented without thinking causing Steve to pull away from you abruptly to grab your shoulders.

"Eddie? Like Eddie Munson" The boy looked at you quizzically as you nodded shyly, Robin just kept quiet as she watched you, noticing that no one was talking, the girl continued.

"But it doesn't matter, you will leave this place and live the life you deserved and wanted for a long time" She commented as she lifted her shoulders.

"Besides Eddie is with Chrissy" you commented looking at her causing her to stop dead in her tracks and turn to look at you in surprise.

"What? What do you mean?" Robin walked over as you explained to her what had happened outside the school after she had already left. When you finished Robin gave you a hug to comfort you as Steve shifted his gaze from you to Robin.

"What the fuck is going on? I come out of school and the freak is dating the prettiest cheerleader. Nothing makes sense" Steve commented quietly only to get a smack from Robin to shut the guy up. "But it doesn't matter! What matters is that someone from this town will fulfill their dreams at one of the top colleges in the country!" Steve tried to fix what he had said by making you laugh. You won´t let anyone take away your happiness.

However, the next few days and weeks were more complicated. You saw them every day showing some affection causing your jealousy to grow even more. But it all went downhill a few weeks before graduation. At lunch time you were the first to arrive at the table so you decided to take out one of your favorite Stephen King books - you didn't feel like reading something romantic and remember that didn't exist in your life - and distract yourself while the rest of the group arrived. One by one they began to arrive and talk about what they had done the night before.

"(y/n) why haven't you come these days?" asked Dustin as he looked at you with his sparkling eyes and a small smile making you smile. Gareth was just silent as he looked at you worriedly.

"I wasn't feeling well, I wanted to go home to rest before the big day" you commented as you continued your reading. "Hope you didn't miss me too much" you finished jokingly.

"Don't worry, Chrissy made sure there wasn't a girl missing from the game" Mike commented nonchalantly as he began to eat. You looked up so fast you thought you had hurt your neck.

"What?" you asked as you forgot what you were reading, your breathing became faster and faster and instead of sadness, anger began to fill your body. Mike continued talking without seeing that everything he was saying was affecting you.

"Yes, she has come with Eddie and seeing that you haven't been with us she took your place so no players were missing so -OW!" Mike shouted while holding his leg, Gareth -who had hit him- ran a hand across his neck signaling Mike to shut up. Before the boy could say anything else, Eddie arrived along with Chrissy, who sat her on his lap. The cheerleader just let out a small giggle as she blushed at the show of affection.

"Wow, Stephen King! I heard he´s al about horror" Chrissy, cute as ever, tried to draw you out while giving you an honest smile. It was impossible to be mad at her. You just smiled forcedly and nodded.

"He's one of my favorite writers. He's still relatively new to the world of literature but his stories are amazing" you commented as you closed your book then brought your hands under the table and scratched your palms in anxiety. Eddie let out a small laugh causing you both to turn to look at him.

"It's entertaining but kind of slow, personally they're not my thing" he commented as he gave Chrissy a small kiss on the cheek. His comment hurt thanks to the fact that Stephen King books were the reason the two had started their friendship. Chrissy, seeing that the comment had affected you tried to fix the situation.

"But they sound very interesting! Someday I'd like to read them" Chrissy turned to you with a smile as you looked angrily at Eddie.

"You're not going to like them, they're kind of boring" continued Eddie oblivious that you were getting annoyed.

"Eddie..." continued Chrissy. "I don't think-" you interrupted the girl.

"No Chrissy, let him continue. Tell me Eddie, what else is boring you" You said as anger began to take hold of you. Eddie took it as a sign to tease you a little.

"The people who read them. There's something about them that, I don't know, I don't like them" Eddie continued with a smile thinking they were playing games, however you finally snapped, so you got up to quickly grab your stuff and leave. His comment hurt a lot more than he could believe.

"See you guys later" you commented as you left the cafeteria, eyes filling with tears from frustration. Robin, seeing you leave, turned to Eddie to give him the finger and go after you. The entire hellfire club -and Chrissy- were silent, shocked at what had just happened. Eddie was speechless at your reaction, not expecting you to be so upset.

Robin met you in front of your locker as you threw your books down hard and wiped your tears with your hand, frustrating you even more. You, noticing Robin, started saying everything you had been holding in your chest.

"How dare he say such stupid things" you said to her as you slammed your locker shut. "He's an idiot!" you yelled as you kicked your locker trying to get all the anger out, your actions surprised Robin, who had never seen you like this before. Apparently years of holding in a feeling can take a serious toll on a person, especially when you saw them happy with another person.

"Besides, look at them! They're the perfect couple!" You continued in a mocking tone. "She's a walking rainbow, always positive and kind and the perfect popular girl while he's dark shades and metal and what everyone would fear. They complement each other perfectly! God I've been in love with him for years! What an idiot to think I had a single damn chance!" you put your hands over your face so your scream of frustration wouldn't be so loud.

When you took your hands away from your face you found not only Robin -who was leaning on the lockers while looking at the floor and biting her lip- but also Eddie who looked at you surprised by what he had heard.

The three of them were silent not knowing what to say, it was as if your voice had disappeared and his mind had gone blank. Eddie was the first to react by slowly approaching you as if he was afraid you were going to hurt him.

"Hey... I think we need to talk about this" You only shook your head, the boy finally had his desired girl in his arms, besides this was not the way you wanted him to find out about your feelings. You slowly turned around and started to walk away from him, but Eddie had other plans. The boy ran in front of you to grab you by the shoulders. "Look, if this was about the book I'm sorry, it was just a joke dude."

Dude

It was the first time he called you that and the worst time.

You looked at him angrily, eyes red and crystalline. You were already tired of everything that was happening and you didn't think you could take it anymore.

"Don't talk to me, don't come near me, let alone don't think I want to keep putting up with this. Goodbye Eddie." You forcefully removed his hands from your shoulders and then walked towards the school exit. You didn't plan on being there another minute.

Eddie stood looking at where you had gone, trying to think about what had just happened and what he had done wrong to have lost you. His thoughts were interrupted by Robin, who nudged him with her shoulder to go after you.

"If you thought this was all about a stupid book then you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were" Robin commented as she walked off to find you and not leave you alone. After all what you needed most at that moment was a shoulder to cry on and a friend to hug.

-.-

The next few weeks passed quickly, between classes and packing what you were taking to Columbia kept you busy and Eddie out of your mind. Since that sad day you hadn't gone near the table where you used to sit, nor had you talked to any of the club. You just went to sit with Robin and the school band to read. Before you knew it your room was almost empty and graduation day had arrived. You proudly received your diploma as your parents, Wayne, Steve, Robin and Gareth shouted with happiness for you.

Tears were falling and smiles were adorning the place, after a long time you were finally free and you were leaving the place. In the distance you heard screams and saw that the Hellfire club was screaming with excitement because their friend had finally graduated, Eddie looked happy for what had happened, causing you to smile a little, after all you still loved him. Your smile turned nostalgic as you watched him take pictures with Chrissy as they hugged and kissed. Your heart ached not only to see the two of them together, but because you would not see Eddie again for a long time.

Losing your best friend since childhood hurts more than losing a lover. 

Robin, dressed in her graduation gown, seeing you looking at Eddie, draped her arm over your shoulders to regain your attention back to your parents and friends.

"We need to go celebrate, after all you are almost leaving and I don't want your last day at Hawkins to be thinking about an idiot" she commented with a smile making you smile as she broke away to take one of your arms. Steve took your other arm to lead you towards the exit of the school you would never set foot in again.

It was time to celebrate.

Eddie looked for you among his friends, Chrissy and the crowd of people so he could hug you, after all you had managed to survive high school too. As he watched you leave with your friends and family -without turning to look at him- he let out a sad sigh and then turned his attention to Chrissy and smile. He had finally graduated and had the queen of Hawkins on his arm.

But why did he feel incomplete?

All afternoon Eddie thought about you, about what had happened, about how he wanted to go with you to celebrate together, to hold you, to be with you. The club had each gone home to enjoy the vacations, Chrissy was with the rest of her cheerleading friends who had graduated and Eddie was lying on his bed in his trailer. Wayne slowly approached with a small cake he had bought Eddie to celebrate his achievement. It wasn't much but it was special to both of them. As he saw his boy lying in his bed he realized how much he was hurting.

"Do you miss her?" Wayne asked as he walked over to Eddie with the small dessert in his hands making the boy smile.

"Chrissy? I'm going to see her tomorrow" he commented as he took the small treat in his hands. Wayne just shook his head.

"I didn't mean the cheerleader" Wayne's comment caused Eddie to duck his head knowing who they were referring to. Of course he missed you, there was no doubt about that, after all one day it was the two of you against the world and the next day it was the two of you against each other while the world watched. "You know, I didn't think you were going out with her" Wayne continued as he noticed the silence in his nephew.

"What do you mean old man?" asked Eddie with a small smile causing Wayne to give him a little shove for the nickname.

"You two were always together, you were inseparable, (y/n) I mean. After all you always liked her" Eddie lifted his shoulders. "And she'd give anything for you. But you still dated the cheerleader"

Eddie stood for a few seconds thinking until he came up with the answer.

"I was afraid" he said as he set the cake down on the small table next to his bed. "(y/n) is this special girl, she loved to dream and live big, there was no stopping her, wherever she was she lit up the room. And I'm...me."

"That's what she loved most about you, that it was just you" Wayne commented.

"I think I'd rather have her next to me as my friend than lose her forever as my girlfriend" Eddie continued as he lay back down, bringing his hands to his face trying to hide the small tears that were falling from his eyes. "And yet I still lost her."

"You should talk to her as soon as possible. Take it as an advice from this old man" Wayne replied as he patted his nephew's leg then got up to leave for work.

Eddie spent the whole night thinking about everything he experienced with you, his past and his future, in every memory you were with him, he also thought about what Wayne had said.

It wasn't until the next day that Eddie finally made his mind, he got up to change his clothes and get ready, it took him a few minutes to find the keys to his van and run out of the house.

When he arrived at your house he noticed that one of your parents' car was missing, but he didn't minde, maybe one of them was already working. Noticing that it was still early, he decided to go to your bedroom window instead of ringing the doorbell and, among several plans, he managed to figure out how to climb the tree to reach your room. When he was well secured so as not to fall he began to lightly touch your window with one of his rings causing a high-pitched sound. After waiting 5 minutes and knocking 3 times he decided to try to open the window, which gave way easily.

As he entered he began to talk, but stopped when he noticed something different in your room. Several things were missing from your place, the white walls looked at him as they were not caught up with the posters you had and most of your books were missing from your bookshelf. Eddie watched your room some more as his breathing began to quicken at not finding you in your room.

You had already left Hawkins.

[atlabeth]

let it snow - john b routledge x fem!reader

summary: a handsome stranger makes your time stuck at the airport a whole lot less miserable.

a/n: this idea has been in my head for a while and my boy jb always needs more appreciation so here u go. i did this instead of my gov chapter. things are not canon here btw as its implied that both jb's parents are alive and together and there's no mention of obx plot. just a fun lil christmas fic

also don't worry about why john b is in new york. we'll just say he goes to one of the cuny's idk

warning(s): none!

wc: 2.7k 

“Attention, all passengers for flight 375 to Norfolk — we regret to inform you that due to inclement weather, the flight has been delayed an additional 90 minutes, until 7:30 PM. If you have any questions, please see the front desk at your gate. We apologize, and thank you for your patience.”

You heaved a sigh and let your head fall back against the airport seat that became increasingly uncomfortable with every hour that passed. As you closed your eyes, you were ready to resign yourself to the fate of being stuck in LaGuardia for the rest of your life. Not even the Starbucks that you had decided to treat yourself with was helping, as like the rest of New York (and probably the United States), it had gone cold.

“With a reaction that bad, you’ve got me thinking our flight’s been delayed again.”

You hardly bothered to move your head as you opened your eyes, nodding solemnly to the stranger who was unfortunate enough to be in the same boat as you. “If you’re on 375 going to Norfolk, then yeah. For the fourth time.”

The stranger grimaced and checked his phone. “Ouch. Guess this is what we get for trying to fly in December, huh?”

You chuckled and finally adjusted your sitting position back to normal, trying not to let your eyes linger on the surprisingly attractive boy that was definitely around your age striking up conversation with you. “Yeah. My parents are gonna be so pissed — I can’t wait for all the ‘I told you to fly home earlier!’ and ‘you should’ve just stayed home for all of winter break!’”

He laughed. “Good luck with that.” He shrugged his backpack off so it hung over one shoulder and gestured at the seat next to you with his head. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” you said with a flourish of your hand towards it. “If I’m gonna be stuck here for another hour and a half, I’d prefer someone like you over my midterm essay.”

He smiled and settled in next to you, placing his bag on the floor and extending a hand for you to shake. “I’m John B, by the way. Figured you should know the name of the guy you’re gonna be stuck with for the next while.”

You shook his hand and said your name as well, though a slight crease formed in your brows. “John B, huh? What’s the B for?”

John B cracked a grin. “Booker. It’s my middle name — my dad’s John too, so it’s a way to tell us apart. I’m from a pretty small place, so it’s just stuck.”

You sat back as you nodded thoughtfully. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, John Booker. What’s got you stuck in LaGuardia on December 24th?”

He shrugged. “Goin’ home for winter break, just like any other college kid. It’s just that I ended up spending a lot of time with my college friends, which means that my OBX friends are gonna be even more annoyed that I’m coming home so late.”

You grinned. “No way.”

John B raised his eyebrows, his mouth raising in that cute little half smile that he seemed to be fond of. “What?”

“What are the odds?” you asked with a small laugh. “I’m headed to the Outer Banks too.”

This time, he let out one of his own. “Wow. Small world, huh?” But then he frowned, pulling one of his legs up to his chest in the chair. “But like I said, the OBX is a pretty small place. I know basically everyone there, but I’ve never seen you before. What’s up with that?”

“I’m not from there,” you explained. “I’m a New York native, actually — just south of Rochester. My dad goes all over for business, and recently it landed him in the Outer Banks. That’s where home is for now, so it’s where I’m going too.”

John B nodded again, turning his grin on you. “That makes sense, because I definitely would’ve remembered seeing you around.”

You laughed, averting your eyes as you felt a rush of heat to your cheeks. “Smooth.”

“I try.” His eyes twinkled a bit and he nodded at your laptop. “What’s your paper about?”

“Oh, god,” you muttered, attention trailing back to what should’ve actually been important as you tapped the touchpad a few times to turn your laptop back on. “It’s a very long, very boring writeup of the lab I did for the first part of my midterm. Trust me, you don’t want to hear about it. I’m trying not to think about it, honestly.”

John B let out another bright laugh as he dropped his leg back down to the ground, then leaned his elbows on his knees to get a better look at your computer screen. After about thirty seconds of his lips moving soundlessly and an increasingly confused expression blooming on his face, he sat back. “Yeah. I uh, I understand about zero percent of that. More of a history guy myself.”

You blew out a loose sigh and shook your head. “Don’t even talk to me about history. There’s a reason I’m a chem major.

He scoffed and pulled back. “God, don’t talk to me about chem. It’s a miracle I ever passed that class in high school.”

You chuckled, and though you were about to continue the quips, you instead looked him in the eyes with a slightly wondrous smile. “Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever shared this much about myself with a random stranger.”

“Probably a combination of airport madness and my effortless charm,” he said with a wink.

As he got another laugh out of you, you closed your laptop and leaned over to zip it back into your bag. At this rate, with this guy, you were never going to get anything else done. “It’s a shame that we only met because the weather fucked us over. I’m having a really great time with you.”

“Hey,” John B shrugged. “If another delay means I get to keep hanging out with you, then I say let it snow.”

Another round of heat rushed to your cheeks as you sat up, the grin on your lips becoming an apparent staple of conversation with John B. “Let it snow indeed.”

~~~~~~~~

The remaining delay passed by a lot quicker than the others with the company of John B, the two of you talking and trading stories the entire time. When they announced that they were finally boarding, you were almost disappointed. Part of you hoped that your seats would be next to each other, but you had already checked. Unfortunately, they weren’t.

While it might’ve been tragic for you, it was most definitely the better outcome for your chemistry paper. Without a handsome stranger distracting you, you were able to finish the rest of your writeup in an hour, leaving enough time for you to proofread, jot down some friends to send it to to get their opinion once you had WiFi again, and pray to the gods that this would get you a good grade.

The second you stepped off the plane, you were met with an onslaught of text messages and missed calls from both of your parents. You lingered long enough in the gate trying to decide how to respond to them when you heard your name being called, and when you looked up you could already feel the beginnings of a smile forming.

“I’m surprised you waited for me,” John B said as he came to a stop next to you. “You seem like a woman on a mission.”

You grinned and turned your phone off. Those texts could wait. “I am. It just so happens that you’ve become a part of that mission.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

You nodded. “The baggage claim. Very hard to conquer.”

Thankfully, he caught your drift and he mirrored your serious expression. “Oh, one hundred percent. You’re lucky that we get to go together, otherwise we might not make it out of here.”

“I’m forever indebted to you.” You started walking and he joined you, a comfortable but steady pace setting in. “So, how was your flight? Have you gotten any shit from your friends yet?”

John B laughed. “The flight was boring, and yes. From my friends and my parents, about ‘where the hell are you you’re gonna ruin Christmas bro.” He turned his phone off and put it back in his pocket once he finished reading one and chuckled. “Word for word from JJ.”

“Well, you can tell JJ that he can blame the weather for ruining Christmas. You’ve already made my Christmas better.” If you hadn’t chosen to look down at your phone at that moment, you would’ve seen the intense blush blooming on his face. “Wow. Apparently they sent my brother to pick me up — can’t tell if they’re that annoyed at me or if they just don’t want to have to drive two hours at night.”

“Probably both.” His eyes flicked up to the sign pointing in the direction of the baggage claim and he casted a glance at you. “Might wanna let him know you’re gonna be a while. The bags haven’t even started coming yet.”

You sighed and rubbed a hand against your forehead. “Great. Looks like the true danger of the baggage claim is the boredom from waiting thirty minutes. Got any brilliant ideas to follow through with our plan of conquering?”

John B made a show out of his thought process, staring off into the distance with wistful eyes before turning them on you again. “We could always just talk more about ourselves. 20 Questions?”

You tutted and nodded slowly, as if you were considering it. “I do love to talk about myself. But I don’t think that’s how 20 Questions works. More of a yes/no thing.”

He shrugged. “Then we just ask each other 20 questions. Or talk until our bags come. Whichever one comes first.”

“Sounds like a plan,” you said. You turned a scrutinizing gaze on him, looking him up and down in mock contemplation. “Alright, I got my first question. Why have you told so much of your life to some random girl you met in an airport?”

A slight smile tugged at his lips and he thought about it for a second. “I dunno. You just happened to be there when I was coming back over from charging my phone, and once we started talking there was just something about you that made me trust you.” As John B met your eyes again with that half smile of his, they almost twinkled. “It’s already paid off.”

You smiled shyly as you played with one of the rings on your finger, and he continued. “I guess that’s my question too, then. Why have you told so much of your life to some random guy you met in an airport?”

“It’s pretty simple,” you said. “I had already been stuck in the airport for like, the entire day, I was trying to work on my lab writeup and it was boring me out of my mind, and then the flight got delayed again. I think it’s safe to say that talking to you has been the most interesting thing to happen to me today.”

John B pressed a hand to his chest, and for the first time you noticed the freckles dotted around his face. “I’m honored.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t hold back your amusement. “You should be. Next question: What should I expect for my first time in the Outer Banks?”

He raised his eyebrows. “You’ve never been?”

“Nope,” you said, popping the ‘p’. “My dad struck the deal right when my freshman year of college started — there was so much going on at NYU that he told me not to worry about the move. We’ve spent all the holidays until now with family in other places, so this Christmas is my first time calling the OBX home.”

John B grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Oh, you are going to love it. I mean, technically you’re a kook, but from what I know about you so far I know that you’d fit in with me and my crew way more.”

You frowned. “The hell’s a kook?”

“Sometimes I forget people don’t know about it,” he chuckled. “The island’s divided into these groups, pogues and kooks. You said that your dad’s there for business, and— I mean, you go to NYU. I’m gonna assume you’re pretty loaded.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t say that we’re loaded—”

“Anyone who says that is loaded,” he joked. “But it’s not a huge deal. At least not right now, because you’re actually a decent person. My friends would love you, I can already tell.”

You laughed and adjusted your bag, then gestured towards the conveyor belt that now had bags on it. “Save your psychoanalysis for later, Freud. I see my bag.”

Once you lugged your suitcase off the conveyor belt and walked back over to John B, he sighed. “Damn. And we only got through three questions.”

You shrugged as you took out your phone, shooting a text out to your brother to ask him where he was, then looked back at him. “I guess we’ll have to get stuck in another airport next Christmas to finish the other 37.”

“We will see each other again, y’know. We don’t have to wait for another delay.” John B stuck his hands in his pockets and smiled. “Besides, if you’re that worried about finishing our game, you can always give me your number.”

You laughed, and this time the heat rushing to your cheeks was expected. “Smooth.”

“Smooth enough to work?”

“...yeah.”

~~~~~~~~

The two of you waited at the claim until John B got his own suitcase, and then the two of you set off for the final half of your journey. Unfortunately, a select text from your brother in response to the one you sent earlier wasn’t really what you wanted to hear.

You groaned, coming to a reluctant stop just before an escalator that was now going to take you in the completely wrong direction.

“What is it?” John B asked as he came to a stop next to you.

You shook your head, letting go of your suitcase to rapidly tap out an annoyed response. “My brother’s not even waiting inside, apparently. He’s out somewhere in the middle of the parking garage, and I’ve spent the last ten minutes going the wrong way.”

“That sucks.” He checked his watch and shook his head. “9:30. Looks like we’re gonna make it home on Christmas day.”

You sighed, not even wanting to think about the ride home as you gave him sad eyes. “It also looks like this is where we part ways, John B.”

“It was a pleasure to be by your side, my lady.” He gave an extra flourish of his hand and stepped out in a mockery of a bow, and you laughed.

“There was no one I would’ve rather traveled with on this treacherous journey,” you responded in kind as you started to walk backwards. “Merry Christmas, John B. Have a good night, drive safe!”

“Merry Christmas — you too.”

You opened your mouth to say something else, but you didn’t know quite what to say. Maybe you wanted to keep up the vibe the two of you had created over the span of the day, or make a move, or just anything to make this moment last a little longer, but… you didn’t. For whatever reason, you closed your mouth and nodded, then turned around.

You’re a second away from the doors leading back into the main terminal when you hear your name being called again. When you turn around, John B is staring right at you with an almost desperate look in his eyes.

“When you’re done celebrating with your folks—” he ran a hand through his hair with a small smile, eyes flicking down in a split second of uncertainty because meeting yours again, “—make sure you shoot me a text. I’d love to show you around.”

You grinned at him and gave him a mock salute with your free hand. “Sounds like a plan, John Booker.”

-

perm tags: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77 @simonsbluee

[meltwonu]

| 🍒 CH-CH-CHERRY BOMB! 🍒 |     [CHAPTER 20] FINAL

pairing; dom!seungcheol x camgirl!reader

this chapter’s notes; camshow, sex toys, shibari, dom!seungcheol, dirty talk, overstimulation/forced orgasms, squirting, degradation, name calling, daddy!kink, gags! 😍💕 ✨HAPPY NEW YEAR!!✨ Here’s to more fun fics in 2021! I can’t believe this is our last chapter though omg 😭 It’s been suuuuch a journey and a privilege to write this little series out! I’ve honestly thought about a camgirl/boy series for like, over a year now, and I’m glad I finally did it! I completed one of my goals! 🥺💕 2020 was definitely a wild one, but I want to thank you all so fuckin’ much for supporting me and stickin’ it out with me all year! Here’s to more in the coming year!💕 Also I was proofreading this at the dining table last night thinking my roommate wouldn’t come out of their room but they did(while I was making dinner and my hands were dirty so I couldnt close my laptop ☠️) and they walked past my laptop and now I’m convinced they saw my fucking smut fic right in the open so yes my little mini-break next week is MUCH needed cause I am ✨embarrassed✨ 🤣 I’ll still do my inbox roundup tomorrow and probably answer a bunch of small thirst posts ‘n stuff throughout the week but there won’t be any drabbles! For now, enjoy chapter 20 🥺, have a safe weekend, and remember that I love you~ ❤️🍒💕

chapters; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 COMPLETE

Seungcheol wakes up much earlier than you do the next morning; pressing a kiss to your forehead as you groan and snuggle deeper into your pillow.

“Baby, I need to go run some errands for a little bit, okay? Just keep sleeping, you don’t need to get up yet. But, I made breakfast and put it in the microwave for you when you decide to get up later.”

His voice is muffled and you can barely understand what he’s saying but you nod; a soft sigh on your lips when you drift back into dreamland. He takes his time getting ready, checking his phone notifications as he gets dressed and places a note on the nightstand knowing that you didn’t catch a single word he said.

‘Hey, did you get everything I asked for?’

Jimin🧍🏻: of course, who do you think I am? Jeongguk?

Jimin🧍🏻: and btw, i’m just giving you a crash course okay? We don’t really have a ton of time

Jimin🧍🏻: did you watch those tutorial videos I sent you?

‘Yeah, I did some practice on my breaks, but I guess you can tell me if I’m doing anything wrong.’

Jimin🧍🏻: okee, i’ll be waiting. Don’t get here too late!

‘I’ll be otw soon. Thanks again, Jimin.’

“Ow--damn, okay, you don’t need to tug on it so much!”

“Sorry, I’ll be careful! And why are we practicing on you anyway?! Couldn’t you just have shown me pictures or something?”

“How else will you learn if not on an actual body? It doesn’t work the same way, Seungcheol.” Jimin pauses, checking himself in the mirror. “Also, keep in mind she does have boobs so just… go slow, okay? It’s not gonna sit like this on her.”

Seungcheol blushes a crimson red; biting the inside of his cheek at how amateur he was at this.

“Okay…”

Seungcheol is gone for a lot longer than you anticipate and although he replies quickly to your texts, you can’t help but be curious about where he’d gone and what he was doing.

Especially knowing that the two of you had to film tonight and knowing that everything was up to Seungcheol.

A shiver rolls down your body at the thought and you quickly try to shake off the nerves that seem to slowly invade your body when your mind starts to wander.

“It’ll be fine, I’m sure…”

“I’m home!”

“Where have you--oh, that’s… a b-big box? Um, should I be concerned...”

Seungcheol grins, shrugging as he sets it onto the kitchen counter. “Just some supplies for tonight. I had to go pick them up from a friend but I had to make sure everything was right.” He notices the way you can’t seem to take your eyes off of the box; eyes twinkling when he makes his way towards you.

He tilts your head up to meet his in a searing kiss, lips easing into a smile when you wrap your arms around his neck and melt under his touch. You moan against his lips just before he pulls away; staring dreamily at him while his hands start to roam over your clothed body.

“We have a long night ahead of us, sweetheart. Let’s pamper you a little before then, hmm?”

j__min: ??? where’s the loverboy

j__min has donated $200

angelhan has donated $75

therealchan99 has donated $50

xcaliburDK has donated $75

xcaliburDK: is that the sybian? Haven’t seen that in a looong while

You bite your lip and nod, somewhat shy as you sit alone in front of the camera. “Seungcheol’s still… setting up but he told me to start! I’m a little nervous, to be honest…” Your eyes flit to Seungcheol who rummages through the box in the kitchen and from the angle you’re sat in, you can’t see a single thing he takes out.

Earlier, he’d cooked you your favorite meal and even took the time to give you a full body massage before the two of you cuddled on the sofa and watched a movie. To you, it seemed a little too suspiciously tame and you only found yourself more nervous when he made you drink two glasses of water and ever so quietly announced it was time to start getting ready for the camshow.

“He’s being so suspicious! He was even gone for a few hours earlier today…” You mumble; brows furrowed at the camera before checking the comments.

It still amazed you every time with how much money you and Seungcheol made from the camshows and videos and it made you feel even better knowing that everyone loved the chemistry the two of you had together. There were a lot of video requests and ideas mixed in with the comments at any given time and you were definitely ready to pitch some to Seungcheol now that you’d rebranded your channel to be a couple’s channel instead.

“Almost done, sweetheart!”

gc__koo: he told me to watch cuz he was being suspicious with me too 

gc__koo has donated $50

alphagyu97: what is he even plotting

alphagyu97: i am excited to see the sybian again tho ngl

artist8hao: pretty baby gonna squirt for us again?

universe_WZ: hell fuckin yea let us see how fuckin wrecked you get on that machine

You feel your pussy clench around emptiness at their comments; already feeling yourself getting wetter and wetter with the anticipation.

Movement out of the corner of your eye catches your attention and Seungcheol walks towards the bed with a wide smile and the same box in hand. “Ready?” You can only nod back slowly, watching as he dumps the contents of the box right next to your body.

gc__koo: oy

chwenon: oh shit

sleepy_wonu: oh baby, you’re in for it now

sleepy_wonu has donated $100

Your entire body fills with warmth as you look over the various objects; unsure of where to really look first. “I, um--”

A stack of red ropes sits next to a small bullet vibrator that sits next to a ball gag that sits next to a pair of EMT shears and your eyes immediately flit up to Seungcheol who only smirks back at your shocked expression. “I had some other toys I wanted to use but I figured I should go easy on you, y’know? Since you showed me some mercy last night.”

Nodding, you reach out towards the ropes, touching them shyly. “Why red?”

“Thought they’d be on theme for you, babygirl.”

Seungcheol takes his time; remembering Jimin’s words when he tugs the ropes around your wrists.

“Colour, babygirl?”

“G-green… daddy…”

He nods, sitting up on his knees behind you as you sit on the sybian and face the camera. You bite your lip, somewhat embarrassed that you were already soaking the toy underneath you as Seungcheol worked to bind your arms behind you.

“D--daddy, where did you l-learn this?” You whisper, somewhat curious if this had anything to do with why he was gone for so long earlier in the day.

“Mm, daddy’s friend Jimin was kind enough to help me get the tools and teach me a few tricks to make sure I kept my babygirl safe. Wasn’t that kind of him?” You nod gently, gulping when you shift atop the machine slightly in hopes of relieving some of the growing sexual tension in your body. “Why don’t you thank him properly, sweetheart?”

Your hazy eyes make eye contact with the camera, head tilted slightly. “T-thank you, J-Jimin… for--for helping daddy…”

j__min: omg a shoutout ive made it

kitty_junjun: we never thought we’d see the day

tangerine_kwan: and here we all thought you were gonna be the bad guy huh

hoshi_tiger_xx: like when u only see previews of the book online but the rest of it is different ykwim

Seungcheol makes sure your arms are bound snug enough but not too tight; leaning away slightly to admire his rope work. “Feeling okay so far, babygirl?”

Nodding, you whine back slightly. “Y-yes, daddy… But… my--my pussy wants s-something…” He laughs in return, readjusting so that he’s sitting on your side this time to give himself easier access to start the rest of the bindings.

“Is that so? You’re gonna have to be a little more patient this time ‘cause daddy’s not done yet.” He starts working on the rest of the harness; going slow and checking in with you often to make sure none of the ropes were digging into your skin or making you uncomfortable. “You’ll have to forgive me a little though, I’m admittedly a ‘lil inexperienced so our pretty babygirl is only going to be tied up in this pretty harness for tonight.”

gentleman_josh95: the fact u even took the time to learn just for her

gentleman_josh95 has donated $100

artist8hao: seriously, the dedication

kitty_junjun: we stan a man who knows safety and etiquette 

Comments of reassurance and donations flood in at Seungcheol’s small apology and although the two of you are in your own world; you can tell from just the amount of pings coming from your laptop that they all seemed to be encouraging him.

The two of you fall into a comfortable silence as Seungcheol continues to move around you on the bed to finish the harness and a smile graces his lips when he starts to secure the last knots in the back. He can’t help but mentally pat himself on the back at how neatly he’d done it for his first time.

“There. All done, baby.”

Your eyes flit to the laptop’s screen to see yourself; cheeks hot when you see how fucked out you already look and he hadn’t even touched you properly or turned on the machine.

The star harness Seungcheol had tied looks pretty with red ropes and you can’t hide your smile at how good it looks on you too either. “Ah, daddy made it really p-pretty… Thank you.”

This time, Seungcheol nods, letting you admire yourself as he silently reaches for the small remote for the sybian, switching it on.

Your entire body lurches forward as soon as the vibrations attack your clit and you immediately find yourself moaning and grinding down onto the machine as he gives you some relief.  

“You’re welcome, babygirl. Now let’s really have some fun, huh?”

You need to cum.

Badly.

“Awww, is my pretty baby drooling? Does it feel that good on your sensitive ‘lil clit?” He teases, smoothing down your hair as you cry around the ball gag in your mouth; drool seeping out from the side of your lips when he raises the vibrations a setting higher.

You don’t know how many times he’d played with the settings and edged you by now, but all you do know is that the urge to cum only grows stronger as you grind against the machine, soaking it with your wetness as you chase the pleasure building up in your body again.  

Surely cumming was okay, right? He never said you couldn’t.

You whimper around the ball gag, eyes fluttering shut when the tension in your body snaps in the blink of an eye and your thighs clamp down onto the sides of the machine. Throwing your head back, you moan against the gag and ride out your high as Seungcheol watches you from the side.

“Mm, bet that felt good, huh? But I know you want something in that greedy ‘lil cunt of yours, don’t you? You want daddy’s cock slamming into your tight ‘lil hole ‘til it’s full of my cum, right, sweetheart?” He licks his lips, turning off the sybian as you slump forward.

universe_WZ: shit shes so sensitive

chwenon: especially with her arms bound like that i bet she’s on cloud nine rn

gentleman_josh95: her cute lil head is probably all fuzzy already from all the sensations

therealchan99 has donated $100

gc__koo has donated $75

j__min has donated $150

All you can do is whimper and nod; teary eyes blinking back at Seungcheol as he smirks and leans in towards you.

“Mmm, you’ll get what you want eventually. But for now, you’re gonna cum again.”

He turns the sybian back on, licking his lips when he sees your body tensing again. It was always easier to get you to cum a second time and his point is proven when you mewl around the ball gag a few minutes later; chest heaving in stuttered breaths as you try to shy away from the toy still vibrating against your overly sensitive clit when you’re quickly thrown into another orgasm.

“You always cum for daddy so easily, don’t you, babygirl?”

Your head feels fuzzy after already cumming twice in such a short span of time but you nod, head lolling to the side as Seungcheol finally turns the sybian off for good.

Seungcheol gives you a second to catch your breath before he’s scooting in and fiddling with the clasps at the back of your head to take the ball gag off.

A thread of saliva connects your lips to the gag and you whimper at how good it feels to be able to actually speak again. “D-daddy…” Drool drips from your mouth as your lead lolls forward and Seungcheol is quick to bring a hand up to keep your head up as he looks into your lust filled eyes.

“Colour, sweetheart?”

“Still g-green…” He nods back, checking to make sure none of the ropes had shifted. “Would you like some water before we continue, baby?”

“Yes, daddy…”

He fetches you a glass of water, tilting it against your lips as you down the entire glass and you find yourself a little surprised at how needed it was. “Thank you, d-daddy…”

“You’re welcome, babygirl. Ready to keep going?”

You nod, a little bit more energized. “I hope everyone, mmh, l-likes the show so f-far~” Your teary vision prevents you from reading the comments and before you can even make an effort to, Seungcheol is already helping you off of the machine and helping you sit on the bed across from him.

alphagyu97: ugh she looks so fucking good in that harness

angelhan: right? That shade of red looks so good against her skin too

angelhan: so fuckin pretty

tangerine_kwan: pics for the private room later? Plz i beg

Seungcheol takes this time to take off his boxer briefs, cock curving up against his abdomen when he’s fully naked across from you. He wraps a hand around his cock, moaning and spreading the precum down his shaft as you watch. “D’you want this, baby?”

Your lips fall open in a silent moan as you watch Seungcheol jerk himself off and you can’t help but squirm. “Y-yes…”

“Tell me exactly what you want then. Let them hear what a filthy little slut you are for me.” You can’t help but feel miserably empty watching him and despite having already cum twice, you want his cock fucking you open and making you cum again.

“I--I--”

“Yes, babygirl?”

“I, ngh, I want d-daddy’s cock… Please? Ah, I--I wanna feel you fucking my--my pussy into the, mmh, s-shape of your c-cock… And I w-want you to c-cum inside my--my slutty little h-hole…”

Seungcheol scoffs, hips shallowly thrusting up into his enclosed fist. “That’s right. You’re just my slutty ‘lil babygirl that lets me use all her tight holes how I please, right? You like it when I cum down your throat and in your pretty ‘lil ass. But we all know you like it best when I cum in your hot ‘lil cunt. Makes you feel all warm and full, doesn’t it? You like it when my cum is dripping out of your spent cunt and sliding down your shaky thighs.” This time you nod furiously as you whine back in response.

“P-please… Can’t wait any--anymore!”

This time, the impatience takes over as you slightly tug on the ropes; whining when they don’t give. “Daddy!”

And this time, he gives in quicker than he anticipates, growling as he reaches for the EMT shears to cut you from the harness. “Don’t let your arms down, no matter how much you want to. You’re going to strain your arms if you move too fast so let me handle it, okay, sweetheart?”

The sudden gentleness in his voice has a giddy warmth pouring over you as you nod and sit still while he cuts at various points of the harness to make the ropes fall loose around your arms and chest. You keep your arms in the same position like he requested and you soon feel his hands roaming your skin and massaging your arms to get the blood flowing again.

“You’re so good for me, baby.” He whispers against your hair, leaning down to kiss your shoulder before he slowly easing your arms down from being folded behind your back.

He continues to massage your arms for a few more minutes before it’s you that’s getting impatient. “Daddy… Can you fuck me now?” Whispering, you slightly turn your body to the side to meet his gentle stare.

Seungcheol laughs under his breath, nodding. “Lay on your back for me, legs spread.”

You follow his orders as you quickly scramble to get into position; legs spread wide for him to situate himself between.

“Mm, your pussy is still so fuckin’ wet. I wanna taste you on my tongue, baby.” Whines spill from your lips as you shake your head ‘no.’

“No! My p-pussy feels empty, I need y-your cock, daddy… ‘n I’m so wet, you can probably, ah, just s-slide your cock in…”

He wraps a hand around his cock just as you wrap your legs around his waist and he guides himself until the head of his cock is right at your entrance.

Neither of you say a word as he slowly starts to sink his cock in; guttural moans on his lips when he meets no resistance and bottoms out in a singular thrust. “Holy fuck, your cunt is so fuckin’ wet. Shit, and so t-tight!” You clench around him, already feeling good with his cock inside of you as you beg him to fuck you hard and fast.

“Ngh, p-please fuck me like--like I’m your, hah, c-cocksleeve… I want it f-fast, daddy!”

He grits his teeth at your words; drawing his hips back before snapping them into you just how you wanted. “Fast, hmm? All you think about in that pretty head of yours is my cock pounding you open, huh? Slamming into you so fuckin’ good, it makes your toes curl when you cum.”

Seungcheol starts a quick pace, already feeling the pleasure building up for himself when you’re reduced to garbled noises and broken cries of his name. The heels of your feet dig into the small of his back as you try to press him in closer and he’s quick to reach for the small bullet vibrator left on the bed next to your body.

“Your body is so fuckin’ sensitive, I can already feel how tight you’re getting around me. So fuckin’ greedy to cum too. Already came twice and you still want more. You’re not satisfied until your whole body is shaking underneath me, huh, sweetheart?” He turns the small toy on, pressing it to your clit as you yelp and let out choked sobs.

“Ah, ngh, d-daddy, my--my clit’s t-too sen--sensitive! I--I can’t--!” Squirming, you feel the pressure building up obscenely quick; bottom lip quivering when he takes one of your free hands and makes you hold the toy to your swollen clit.

“Just a little more, sweetheart. Don’t you wanna cum?”

He angles his thrusts to graze against your g-spot and loud cries of his name leave your lips in a hurried, jumbled mess when he only doubles his pace.

The sound of donations and comments pour in like water and get lost within the ringing in your ears; unable to even warn Seungcheol that you’re about to cum when you feel your entire body starting to lock up underneath him.

Your lips part in a silent scream and your back bows off of the bed, thighs shaking uncontrollably as you cum for the third time. Seungcheol growls, fucking you through it as you squirt all over his lower half.  He finds it harder and harder to thrust into you as you cum, but he feels himself quickly following suit with your warm walls fluttering around his cock.

“Fuck, baby, that’s right. Squirt for me, get me fuckin’ soaked while you cum.” He uses a free hand to make sure you keep the toy pressed to your clit, growling when he starts to unload his cum inside of you. “Mmh, gonna fill your cunt up with what you want, baby.”

A shaky moan leaves your lips as you feel him throbbing inside your pussy; walls clamped down onto him in a vice grip as you ride out the remnants of your orgasm.

“Ah, d-daddy’s cumming suh--so much inside of my p-pussy…”

Whining, you feel Seungcheol’s grip on your hand give way as he rides out his pleasure and you take the opportunity to turn off the small bullet vibrator while he doesn’t notice.

You watch his face contort in pleasure, hips still shallowly thrusting into you as his entire body shivers above you.

“D-daddy’s so h-handsome...” You mumble, cheeks hot when he cracks a smile through the pleasure wracking his body and chuckles under his breath. 

“Thank you, babygirl.” 

After you end the show, Seungcheol makes sure to cuddle with you on the bed for a little while longer.

“One more glass of water, baby.” You whine in response, pouting up at him before he gets up from the soaked sheets. 

“But I already had a glass! If you have a piss kink just say so, ‘Cheol!”

He lets out a boisterous laugh at your comment, trudging back to the bed from the kitchen with another glass of water for you. “You need to be hydrated, sweetheart. You came three times and we played a little more rough today. I just wanna make sure you’re okay.” 

“Fine, but you didn’t deny my comment.” You snarkily reply, taking the glass from him as you down the water. 

“Don’t make me have to punish you again! I’ll have you know I still need to get you all washed up and change the bed--”

A faint pinging has the two of you turning to the laptop; still on your camming homepage from where you’d checked the revenues from tonight’s show. 

A small [1] sits above your inbox and Seungcheol is quick to turn to you with an eyebrow raised. “I thought you turned off the messaging system on your profile?” 

You tilt your head in confusion, handing him the emptied glass. “I did. The only messages I should get are from, like, the actual system admins or other creator accounts which, I haven’t received any ‘til... now, I guess?”

Seungcheol sets the glass down onto the nightstand before he takes a seat next to you, dragging the laptop closer as you go to check the notification. 

“’Love&Letter Films’? Aren’t they one of the biggest adult film companies?” Mumbling, you click on the message, giving yourself and Seungcheol a second to process the message that stares back at you; a shocked smile on your lips.

‘Hello!

I hope this message finds Cherry and Seungcheol well. 

We, at ‘Love&Letter Films’, have really enjoyed the shows and videos from your channel throughout the years and we really have enjoyed watching the growth of your channel and the addition of Seungcheol to it. The dynamics between the two of you are rare in this industry and we’ve yet to see anyone like the two of you in this market. 

The shows from the last two nights have proven that the two of you have the right kind of chemistry to film together for bigger productions and we would love to hire you for a few film productions we have planned in the upcoming weeks as a feeler. Of course, all expenses paid by us if you would kindly take our offer. 

We love the various scenes and roles that the two of you take on with ease and we would love to help propel your careers forward, should you pursue a career in the adult entertainment industry. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me as I’ve listed my contact information below. I’m excited to hear from the two of you and hope to work with you in the future on many projects.

Respectfully, 

Kwon Soonyoung, L&L FILMS CEO’

[mostlywritersblock]

Arcane FF

Author’s note. This is not a Silco/Powder but more of a trauma induced father-daughter relationship. That being said feel free to read it however you like. Hoping to post on AO3 here soon. I try to update every Monday and Wednesday. 

This takes place between Ep 3 and 4

Trigger warnings: trauma, gore, depictions of child death, panic attacks, slight suggestion of suicide. 

(I am in no way a medical professional so I apologize if my depictions of medical care are incorrect. Thank you!)

PS. This one has dark themes. Please see the warnings above. If that isn’t your cup of tea please feel free to skip, I promise we’ll get back to the hurt/comfort soon. 

Also this chapter is a little longer because I will be visiting family next week, so I’ll only be posting one chapter then instead of two.  

Thank you to all who read these btw, I feel like my pre-story notes keep getting longer and longer, sorry! 

Part 8.

Part 7. Part 6. Part 5. Part 4. Part 3. Part 2. Part 1.

New series: Aftermath (Silco centered fix-it fic) post every Friday.   

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

Powder stared at the toy outstretched toward her. 

“…Where did you get that?” 

“Does it matter.” ‘Other Powder’ frowned, sitting down beside her. “Now.” She set the toy between them.

 “Let’s talk about Vi.”

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

The moment he opened his eyes, Silco knew he was dreaming. He was back in the cannery, daylight streaming through. Somehow he felt different. Blinking up and around him he slowly touched his face. 

And gasped. He didn’t need to see his reflection to know the scarring was gone. 

Stunned he slowly began walking towards the exit leading outside. 

Shielding his gaze from the bright light with a hand, he stopped at the entry. 

Fresh air greeted him. 

“Silco?”

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

“Powder?” ‘Other Powder’ prodded her gently. “Do you wanna go first, or should I?” 

She stayed silent, staring down at the toy. The other version of her blew a raspberry. 

“Okay, I’ll go first.” She pulled the tory toward her. “Vi was holding us back.”

“What?” Powder frowned glancing at her, “no, why would-“

“Ah, ah! I said I’d go first, you can have your say in a minute.” 

She frowned but stayed quiet. 

“She didn’t believe in us. Even when she said she did, she didn’t mean it. She never gave us a chance to prove her wrong either.”

‘Other Powder’ slowly pushed the toy back in-between them. “Your turn.” 

Powder blinked, gently she pulled the stuffed animal into her arms. 

“She did give us a chance to prove her wrong, lots of them. Like the inventor…we just -kept messing up.” Powder squeezed the toy close. “Like we always do.”

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

Silco spun around, but there was no one behind him. Glancing wildly about for signs of another person he stepped further outside. 

After a moment of looking, he narrowed his eyes, paranoia creeping up inside him. 

“Show yourself!” He growled out, body becoming tense. 

Silence. 

Quickly becoming frustrated, he marched back inside the cannery -

“Where are you going?” A voice called. 

- and stopped. Clenching his fist he stalked back outside, realizing the sun was swiftly setting. 

“I said show yourself!” He yelled, anger rising. 

A shadow suddenly ran past him. 

Momentarily startled, Silco gave chase. 

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

 ‘Other Powder’ pulled at the animals ears as she held the toy. “What happened wasn’t our fault remember. The inventor shouldn’t have even made those things, I mean who does that?” She gave a hard yank, “But Vi blamed us for what happened, and Mylo blamed us for losing the stuff we’d found. But none of that was our fault.” 

Powder couldn’t say she necessarily disagreed. 

“And that whole speech on the roof, she made it sound like everyone makes mistakes. So why is it that when we do something wrong it’s suddenly; ‘Powder isn’t ready’ and ‘Powder should stay behind.’ Silco is right, if Vi had just taken us with her in the first place, none of this would have happened!” 

There was a small ‘rip’ as ‘Other Powder’ gave a particularly hard tug on an ear. 

“Oops, uh heh, sorry.” She placed the toy back down. 

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

Silco followed the shadow toward the back of the building, night having suddenly fallen. A chill seemed to pick up around him. Feeling uneasy about the entire situation he slowed his pace as the figure dashed down the same alley/tunnel they’d taken the previous night. 

What was happening?? 

“Silco.” The voice eerily beckoned from within the darkness. 

He hesitated. Some part of him instinctively telling him not to go any closer. Against his better judgement however, he called out. 

“Who are you? Show yourself!” 

Suddenly the chill was replaced with an intense heat as an explosion went off behind him, the force of it knocking him forward onto his knees. Whipping his head around he watched as the cannery became alight, fire licking up from the bottom, windows blown open. 

Coughing heavily from the fumes, he stumbled back to his feet. Shocked, he watched as the building began to crumble inward on itself, the entire top floor collapsing. 

That hadn’t happened 

A scream ripped through the air. Silco’s eyes widened, the familiarity of it hitting him full force. 

Jinx! 

Taking off at a full sprint toward the burning building -

- Silco was painfully yanked back. Struggling against the grip, he moved to shove whoever was holding him away. Only to stop cold. 

“Where are you going?” Vander hissed, gripping him tightly. 

Stunned, Silco stared back, “Vander?” 

“I said where are you going?” The large man growled. 

Fumbling for words, Silco glanced at the building as another scream rang out. “Jinx, she needs help.” 

Vander frowned, his grip tightening even more if it were possible. “You can’t go in there.”

A weird righteous anger was rising in him as he tried to pull his arm free. “Let go!”

“You’re too late.” Vander spat out. It felt like a slap to the face. 

“No! Can’t you hear her, she needs help!” Wrenching his arm finally free he stepped back, but Vander made to grab him again. 

“You’ll only make things worse!” Vander yelled. Silco ignored him, choosing instead to race toward the building. 

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

“Vi was trying to protect us.” Powder mumbled out, fingers playing with the ripped stitching, the ear hanging on by a thread. “That’s why she told us to stay. But…I wanted to help. I wanted to prove I could be just as good as everyone else. That I could be smart like Mylo, or tough like Claggor and…brave like Vi. That I could be someone Vander would be proud of…” 

Wearily, she held the toy out to ‘Other Powder’. 

Instead of taking it, she simply put a hand on the stuffed animal’s head. “They’re dead, Powder, we can’t be like them because we aren’t them. And we can’t make someone who isn’t here anymore proud, so why try. Why keep holding onto something that will only bring us pain.”

“The past can’t be changed, why waste time with ‘what ifs’ when it does more harm than good. The sooner you understand that, the better.” 

Powder blinked. “What did you say?” 

“I said I think it’s time we move on.”

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

Silco hesitated as he reached the building, eyes scanning the area for any signs of movement. 

“Jinx!” He yelled. The smoke making it difficult to see anything. 

A scream came again, but not near the flames; further away this time. Confused he stepped back, following the sound once more to the side of the building. 

“Help me!” She screeched. 

Silco rounded the corner, Jinx coming into sight as he did so. 

Just like the night before. 

Only this time she wasn’t alone. There was another figure standing next to her. 

Swiftly moving toward the child he felt himself stumble as his eyes grew wide. It wasn’t some figure; it was him. 

Silco watched himself crouch down, Jinx sobbing a mere foot away. Time seemed to slow. It was surreal, seeing himself from afar like this. 

He waited. 

Waited for the child to fling herself at him, for him to drop the knife in surprise. To decide to take her with him. 

But as the seconds dragged on, the chill from before returned. 

“Please!” Jinx cried, “help me!” 

Silco took a hesitant step forward.

Why wasn’t it playing out like it had the night before? Why was-

The Silco near Jinx pulled out the knife. 

Jinx didn’t notice him though; instead she glanced over his shoulder, right at Him. 

Silco felt his stomach drop. 

“Help me!” She screamed. 

He ran. Fully prepared to knock into the other version of himself -

-the version of himself that was bringing the knife down on the child. 

“NO!” 

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

“I can’t just…move on.” Powder grumbled out, “they’re my family.”

“Correction. Were, they were your family.” ‘Other Powder’ scooted closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Look, I’m not saying we should forget them, I’m just saying maybe we stop dwelling on the past? If Vi really cares, she’ll come back, right? So why don’t we just enjoy our time until then.” 

Powder scrunched up her face, “enjoy our time?” 

“Yeah, I mean have you even thought about the possibilities now that we don’t have Vander telling us what to do and where to go? Or Vi breathing down our necks every time we want to explore the city. We’re free Powder. We can do whatever we want now!” She stood excitedly. “We can say whatever we want, eat whatever we want, take whatever -“

“Yeah, but, what about Silco?”

“…What about him?” 

Powder fiddled with the stuffed animal. “Don’t you think he’ll have rules too?” 

“Sure, all adults do.”

“Then…we’re not really free are we?” Powder frowned deeply. 

‘Other Powder’ folded her arms. “He’s different though.”

“How do you mean?” 

“He made us a sandwich and let us eat those muffins. You think Vander would have let us do that?” 

Powder was about to say ‘yes, yes he would’ but was cut off. 

“Besides…he gets us.” Then softer, “he gets me.” 

Powder looked at herself in confusion. “You? But we’re the same?” 

‘Other Powder’ looked down. There was something - off - about her gaze. “I told you. I’m better than you.” 

Powder felt the floor give a small shake, distracting her from the ‘Other Powder’s’ implication. Oh no! I’m doing it again! She quickly covered her face. Despair creeping in around her. 

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

Warning. Graphic depictions of gore and child death, skip to next line break.

No matter how hard he tried. He couldn’t reach her. Some unseen force was holding him back. Helpless he watched. 

He watched as a version of himself repeatedly brought the knife down, easily tearing through the child. Her screams still echoing in his ears. 

She was dead by the third strike. Silco had seen the light leave her eyes; that odd shade of blue and violet and face wet from her tears, frozen in time. 

There was blood. Everywhere, and as sick as the sight made him he couldn’t rip his gaze away. For some reason he felt as though he needed to see this, needed witness what might have happened. Too see just how monstrous he could have been. 

And in not saving her, he owed her. He owed her to see it through. 

Hands stained red, he watched himself shakily stand. 

“I told you.” 

Both Silcos turned around. 

“You’ll only make things worse.” Vander walked up beside him. 

Silco was unable to respond, instead he looked back at the child. 

“You know.” The other Silco spoke up, looking at Vander. “I couldn’t just let her walk away. I need The Lanes support, how would it look if word got out that I’d killed you?” 

“You’re not my only enemy Silco. Remember that.” Vander growled back. “There may not be any war, but the battle for Zaun has only just begun. Are you ready for that kind of responsibility.” 

The other Silco snarled. “I’ve been ready for years! You were the one who was never ready!”

“I did what I thought was right!”

“As did I!” 

Vaguely Silco realized the two had continued to yell insults at each other, ignoring both, he slowly made his way over to the child. 

The fire was beginning to spread, it’s blaze casting long shadows on her face. Eerily, it gave the appearance she was still breathing. 

Kneeling heavily beside her, he gently reached out, hands shaking. 

She was still warm. Silco felt bile rise up, turning away from her he emptied his stomach. 

How. 

How could he have considered killing her. 

A child. 

Shame, horror, anger, he didn’t know what to feel. He was disgusting. A true monster. 

Guilt. 

…her siblings had been children too, not nearly so young, but he hadn’t given them a second thought the moment they’d came for Vander.

He felt guilty. 

He’d wanted Vander to understand. To make him realize; to see that all he’d wanted was for the Underground to be as great as he knew it to be. What was so terrible about that? 

But Vander didn’t see, and so he’d set out to make him understand and in doing so, he’d destroyed this girl’s family. In doing so he’d broken her. 

Just like him. 

A broken.

Twisted. 

Vile. 

Monster. 

He felt the disfigurement return to his face. 

Slowly he turned back to her. 

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

“Whoa! Did you feel that!” ‘Other Powder’ exclaimed, when the floor finally stopped shaking. 

“How do I stop this, I don’t what to make another hole.” Powder worried aloud, standing as well. 

“Actually - that one wasn’t you.” 

Powder looked at her in confusion. “What? I thought you said I made the hole, that I’m controlling this dream, or whatever.” She folded her arms, face becoming pensive.  

“Right, yeah, and you did. But just now…that might have been me.” ‘Other Powder’ said sheepishly. 

“So you’re controlling my dream now?”

“Our dream. And sure, but only because you’re letting me.” 

Powder was quickly becoming frustrated. “What do you mean? You keep changing what you’re saying.”

“Yeah, because you keep changing the rules!”

Powder froze. “What rules?” 

‘Other Powder’ let out her own frustrated sigh. “Whatever you want, usually we just follow whatever someone else tells us. But these last few days, we’ve been following less and less, and it’s been great! We’re leaders Powder, not followers! Why should we have to listen to anyone else!”

Powder glanced around the room, had it always been this dark? “Look, I don’t - I don’t really understand any of this -“

“Of course you don’t!” ‘Other Powder’ hissed, mood instantly turning sour. “You’ve been too busy trying be someone you're not that you’ve never even noticed me!” 

“But you are me!” She yelled, anger and a small bit of fear lacing her words. 

The room suddenly felt like it was closing in around them. 

What was happening??

‘Other Powder’ glared at her.

“For the last time. I’m not you, I’m -“

“Better, yeah, I heard you the first time!” Powder snarked but still moving away, “how can you though, if this is my dream, how are you better than me.” She snatched the stuffed animal off the floor. “And - and if I’m in control then I should get to decide what happens next.” 

‘Other Powder’ looked confused. “What?” 

“You’re scaring me.” Powder stated, holding the toy close. “I don’t want to be here anymore. I want to wake up.” 

Taking a step closer, ‘Other Powder’ reached out, “wait, don’t go, we still have so much more to talk about.” 

Powder looked down at the pit from earlier. “I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

‘Other Powder’ flinched back, actually looking hurt. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do.” 

“Powder, please-“

“No.” Fearfully she looked between the hole and her other self. 

‘Other Powder’ narrowed her eyes. “You can’t leave, not yet.”

“I’m sorry.”

‘Other Powder’ frowned. “Why are you-“

Powder rushed her, and in one giant push, she shoved the other version of herself back  toward the hole. 

“What are you doing!” ‘Other Powder’ screeched, nails digging into her.

“I’m sorry!” She cried out again, eyes watering. 

‘Other Powder’ looked over her own shoulder, just as her heels dropped over the edge of the pit. She began to fall backwards. Reaching out she latched onto the stuffed toy. 

They stood for a moment. ‘Other Powder’ balancing on the tips of her toes and hanging by the ears of the toy. Powder standing firm as she stared into the eyes of her other self. 

“Don’t do this.” ‘Other Powder’ breathed out. “You need me. You won’t survive without me.” 

“You’re wrong.”

“I’m not, Powder listen to me-“

“No. Not about that. About Vi. You said she was holding us back. You’re wrong.” 

The stuffed animals’s ear gave another small rip, the tether breaking, ’Other Powder immediately tipping back. 

Powder snatcher her hand at the last second. 

“I - I knew you wouldn’t let me fa-“

“You’re holding me back.” Powder stated.

 Then let go. 

‘Other Powder’ stared back in momentary shock, before letting out a chilling scream as she fell. 

Powder watched as the pit consumed her. 

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

Silco held her close. The heat from the fire getting awfully near now. 

He didn’t feel it though. And if he did, he didn’t care. 

He couldn’t - put into words - couldn’t describe everything he was feeling in that moment. How could a dream be so reveling of one’s emotions? 

And yet.

Here he was. Unable to move, unable to detach himself from her small body. 

He didn’t cry, didn’t scream in anger. But he felt it. Felt how much this child had changed him in the span of a day. Imagine what she could do in a week, a month, a year? 

He heard soft footsteps approach. 

“If you don’t move soon, you’ll both go up with the flames.” Vander said, strangely emotionless. 

Silco wanted to shout at him, wanted to ask him how he could just stand there. Did he not care? Wasn’t she like a daughter to him? 

This was a dream. 

Calming slightly he tried to rationalize the situation, but there was no point. Perhaps if he let the fire get them he’d wake up. 

Maybe he wouldn’t.

Maybe he wouldn’t wake ever again. 

Something about that thought settled and unsettled him. 

It was getting hotter. 

“Silco.” Vander warned. 

She, was getting hotter 

What the hell?

“Silco, get out of there!” 

He looked up, surprised to hear the fear in Vander’s voice, but he was gone.

“Sir, wake up!”

What?

His hands and arms were burning, the child was burning; still he didn’t let go.

“Silco!” 

.

.

.

Silco’s eye shot open, Sevika’s worried gaze hovering nearby. Immediately he bean to sit up, but was hindered by a weight on his chest. Looking down he found the child clinging to him. 

Alive. 

She was alive. 

The relief he felt in the moment was once again - embarrassing. He needed to get a grip, and fast. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his tired brain trying to play catch-up. 

“I think we should get her back into the tub.” Sevika was already heading toward the tap. 

Silco looked back down at the child, quickly realizing that the heat hadn’t been from the fire in his dream; she was burning up again. Sweat was covering the child’s face, her hair matted down. She was paler than before. 

He carefully slid them out of the bed and kneeled beside the tub. Gently he placed her inside. She was still sleeping it seemed, but the jerky movements she made showed just how restless she was. 

Sevika stood, looking between the two of them. “I’ll get the doctor, keep her in the tub until we get back.” 

Silco nodded, eyes not leaving Jinx. 

He heard the door shut behind her. 

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

.

.

.

There was a stillness. A deafening silence as Powder stood above the pit. For a moment she felt good, like an unknown weight had lifted. 

Then she saw it. 

A small, trickling of sand. 

It dusted onto her head. Glancing up she watched as small amounts seeped in through cracks in the ceiling.

Strange. 

Then she felt it.

A pain so sharp it brought her to her knees. It tightened around her chest, strangling, squeezing. She couldn’t breath. All at once she was too hot and too cold. 

The pit grew wider. 

Fearfully she scrambled back, but the pit only continued to grow, the sand quickly filling up what space was left within the room.

“No, no, no” She whispered, too afraid to break the strange silence. 

There was nowhere to go. The window she’d come through earlier, gone. Horrified she watched as the pit grew ever closer, sand now falling in as well. 

She was going to die. 

Or fall into an endless darkness. 

She wasn’t sure which was worse. 

“Wake up, wake up!” She tried pinching herself. “Come on!” Letting out a frustrated scream, she tossed herself against the nearest wall, “wake up!”

She tried again, and again, and again. Her shoulder beginning to ache. The pain in her chest not letting up. 

“Wake up, please, wake up!” 

She was running out air, out of time. 

“I’m supposed to be in control, then. Wake. Up!” Shakily she slapped herself. Feet slipping in the sand, she got on her knees. She pressed herself as close to the wall as she could get, the pit only a foot or so away now. 

“Please,” she begged. “Please, wake up, stop this, please.” 

The pit didn’t listen and in the next moment she felt her legs drop out from under her; she didn’t even have a chance to let out a scream before sand and darkness consumed her.

distantly someone was laughing. 

[jojoboisimagines]

Alucard x Fem! Reader NSFW - Rougher [Part 1/2]

A/n: back with another alucard fic! This is a modern au btw. this is just the buildup chapter, the spiciness will be in the next

.::.

"Pffft planning. Who needs planning when you could just go at it?"

"Absolutely not. We are planning everything about this." Alucard rebutted, sorting out the gear.

You weren’t sure how, but you finally got him to agree to be rougher with you in the bedroom after months of pleading. The only thing to do now was to actually do it instead of talking about it.

There were ropes, handcuffs and even a gag you had ordered online that had arrived yesterday, and your boyfriend was finally checking out what you got. Examining them as they were spread out across one of  the lengthy beds in the castle. He didn’t know you were staring, but you could easily tell he was drawn towards the rope more than anything else.

“Hmm.” You hear the dhampir hum, picking up the handcuffs. You scooted a little closer to him, looking over his shoulder (if you even can), curiously.

“So you gonna explain why we need a plan?”

Alucard sighs, turning his head towards you. “I’ve reiterated this time and time again, I am half vampire.”

“Yes?” You raise an eyebrow. “I know this.”

“Therefore I cannot use my full strength in bed. I fear that it will hurt you.” He closes his eyes, trying not to imagine the thought.

“Its just sex, I won’t die. Besides, you can’t deny me this! What’s the point of having a vampire boyfriend if you can’t have awesome vampire sex?”

Alucard lets out a breathy chuckle before rolling his golden eyes. “You and your vampire intercourse myths again. Is that really all I’m good for?”

“Of course not.” You wave off. “You’re great to cook with.”

A louder laugh emitted from him this time, placing the rope back down onto the sheets. He brought his thumb up under his chin, starting to think again.

“That aside, we also need to consider other things. Such as a safeword, how long do you intend to go for, that sort of thing.”

“I can go for as long as you can, buddy.” You pat his shoulder and give a knowing grin. Your boyfriend shakes his head. It was almost too easy the way you could make him smile.

“Also I already thought of a safeword.”

Alucard raises an eyebrow, ready to hear it.

“Dhampir.”

“....Are you being serious right now?”

“What? Its not weird, and its certainly better than what my first thought was.”

The man grimaces, raising up a hand for you to cease before you blurt it out. “I’m sure I don't want to hear what it was.”

“Aaaannywho, we should learn how to use these things safely too. I already looked up a few tutorials and I’ll show them to you.” You handed him your phone, which he gingerly took. “We can use the handcuffs first since they’re the easiest. Oh, and I also bought lube.” You got up from the bed and exited the room to go obtain the bottle.

Alucard’s eyes watched you as you went out.

“What am I going to do with them…”

[kimburgess-ruzek]

Shattered

chapter one: purgatory

summary: Intelligence had been through the worst of the worst trying to get one of their own back alive. Each member has been to their own personal hell. Will everyone make it back, or will the cracks in Intelligence be big enough for the entire team to shatter?

a/n: about that s9 speculation, yeah i’m going to make a fic out of it. if you want to beat around the bush and read the plot of the fic, it’s here. definitely new to writing so we’ll see how this goes! also, don’t know how to work a tag list, but if you want to be tagged, let me know!

t/w: mentions of trauma, gunshot wounds, assault, surgical procedures (which btw i made up, i’m not a medical expert)

read on ao3.

.

purgatory

“I think we should get married.”

six words. six of the most important words. Jay had the breath knocked out of him. He can’t understand what he was just asked. I think we should get married. Just a few months ago, Hailey wouldn’t even look into his eyes, much less say “I love you.” And a marriage proposal, that seemed pretty much impossible.

Jay looked into Hailey’s eyes. He saw past the tears and looked deeper. He saw sadness and fear, emotions not usually associated with an engagement. No, he saw something different. Hailey was different.

Jay cleared his throat, clearly stunned. “I—.” He tried to find words, find anything to respond. But he couldn’t. He cleared his throat and tried again to say something, anything, but nothing came out. Hailey noticed the hesitation and suddenly changed her demeanor. She tried to dry her tears as quickly as possible, wiping her eyes and running her hair through her hands. She then stopped Jay, interrupting whatever he was trying to express.

“You know what, never mind. Never mind. I— We need to go. We need to get to the hospital. See how Kim’s doing.”

Jay saw the sudden change and tried to reason with Hailey. He quickly found his words. “Wait, wait, wait. Hails. Is everything okay?” He asked while putting his hands on Hailey’s arms, stopping her from turning towards the door. He gently rubbed them, trying to soothe Hailey. However, it was to no avail; Hailey gently pushed herself away.

“No. No, we need to go. We need to see Kim. I need to see her. Let me go change and then we’ll leave, okay?” Hailey reassured Jay, nodding her head. Before Jay could respond, Hailey kissed Jay on the cheek and briskly walked to the room. She felt like she was suffocating in her clothes. She had worn them for almost two straight days, and she had been to hell and back in them. She needed to get out of them.

“Okay—“ Jay half yelled, wanting to make sure she heard him. He updated Will on his whereabouts and he let the rest of the team know he and Hailey were on their way to the hospital. Kevin replied that Kim was still in surgery. The doctor hasn’t given any updates but hopefully will soon. After about five minutes, Hailey walked out in a new pair of jeans and a different top. She quietly grabbed three granola bars, one for her to eat on the way and the others probably for Kevin and Trudy. Jay loved how thoughtful she was. She had her keys, purse, and jacket in hand and was heading for the door.

“Ready?”

“Yep.” Jay got up from the couch and followed Hailey out the door, turning off the lights on the way out.

The walk to the car and the drive to Med was really quiet. There was definitely tension in the vehicle; there wasn’t the comfortable silence that Jay and Hailey were used to. Hailey was focused on the road while Jay was focused on Hailey. She never looked back at Jay though, her eyes only on the road.

“Do you want to talk about what just happened—“ Jay started but Hailey quickly interrupted him.

“No.”

Jay took a breath and mumbled “okay.”

For the rest of the ride, you could’ve heard a pin drop in the car. No one talked and no one made any extra movement. Once Hailey found a parking spot in the parking garage, she turned the car off and took a long, hard breath, trying to gather her words. Jay was opening the door when Hailey grabbed his hand, stopping him.

“Look, Jay. I... Look I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to be short with you.”

It’s okay,” Jay replied, trying to reassure her.

“No, it's more than that. I didn’t mean what I said earlier. At the apartment. I mean I love you, I do. I love you. And I think you’re decent. But not the other stuff. I just... It was just today. We almost lost our team member. We almost lost our friend, Jay. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we lost Kim. And I can’t think about it. If we did lose her. Because I don’t know if I could’ve forgiven myself. I don’t know if I could live with myself, thinking I could’ve done more. And at the apartment, I just saw someone that helped save my friend and I don’t want to lose you either, ever. And the emotions and no sleep and everything just got to me and I.. I. I don’t know. I don’t know. But.. Just don’t think about that question I asked earlier. Okay, Jay? Okay? It’s all good, I promise.”

Jay could clearly see Hailey was rambling. She was tired, no, she was exhausted, and she was backtracking. He was scared. He was scared that Hailey would retreat back to before, turned off from love. He hoped this experience didn’t make Hailey go back to being afraid of love. Of loving Jay. Because he loved Hailey. He loved everything about Hailey, from her seriousness when working a case to her humming along to the music she was playing in her earphones while pouring her coffee in the mornings. But there was also something else. Something that Jay couldn’t explain. Hailey was different, and not different because of what she explained. No, this was more than fear, more than desperation. This was a plea, almost a cry for help. And Jay didn’t know why. But he knew that something changed in her. Something happened when Voight split them up. And Jay knew he had to get to the bottom of it. Not for his sake, but for Hailey’s.

As much as Jay wanted to tell her he enjoyed the proposal, he knew she didn’t mean it. At least, he knew she didn’t want it for pure love. This wasn’t genuine. The love was, but the proposal wasn’t. This was a reaction to something. And as much as Jay would love to be engaged to Hailey Upton, he knew she wasn’t ready for it. And he knew she would regret it if the proposal went down like this. But he knew that he loved Hailey with all of his heart, and he was going to show that. As much as he wanted to say "yes," he was afraid of saying anything would just break her. So he went along with Hailey at the moment, and he decided he was going to try again later.

Jay put his free hand to Hailey’s cheek, wiping a stray tear. “Hailey, I love you. I love you so much. And that’s not going to change. Ever. I will do whatever you want to do and are comfortable doing. Now, let’s go check on Kim. Does that sound good?”

Hailey relaxed into Jay’s hand and closed her eyes. This was the first time she had relaxed in hours. After a pause, she nodded and left Jay’s hold. She opened the car door, and they walked towards the hospital entrance to hear the fate of their friend’s life. They walked into the unknown.

.

Med was covered in blues. Police of all ranks and districts filled the waiting room. It was so packed, Kim would be embarrassed. She wouldn’t want to be the center of attention. But she needed the love. She needed the support, and when one of their own has fallen, everyone’s going to be there to help pick them back up.

Hailey and Jay quickly spotted Kevin and Trudy in their blackout gear. Kevin had his bloody vest lying on the floor next to him. His bloody vest that was Kim’s blood from where he held her so tight, trying to stop any bleeding if it would do any good. Trudy was sitting in a chair and Kevin was standing next to her, his hand on her shoulder and his phone to his ear. He wasn’t talking, but his phone was still to his ear.

Trudy wasn’t speaking either. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t find any reason to have small talk. Or deep talk. She just couldn’t find anything to say. All she could do was just think, and run her mind to the ground worrying about Kim.

Kim held a very special place in Trudy’s heart. She was different from any other officer that Trudy has had. Kim has this pluckiness to her. She had a different attitude when it came to policing. And as much as Trudy berated her in front of the 21st, as much as Trudy picked on Kim and made her work overtime and made her run the extra mile, she loved Kim. She loved that green rookie with big brown eyes that walked in on the first day with a smile and a donut. She loved the woman who stayed in the district despite her failed relationship. She loved the woman who kept fighting when she kept getting knocked down. Kim had to have the biggest heart Trudy had ever known a police officer to have. Whether that be because of all of the hardship she has dealt with in the police academy or the lack thereof while growing up Trudy didn’t know. And to be quite frank, she didn’t care. All she knew was that she wanted to protect that big heart of Kim’s. She had to because Kim was the reason why a city like Chicago has hope. Kim brought light to a city of darkness. She brought ambition to a city of despair. No matter what the case was, Kim put all of her knowledge and energy into that case. She not only did that, but she cared for the people in the case. Hell, she even cared for some of the suspects, damn it. That’s how big Kim’s heart was. That's how big Kim's heart is. And now, that big, gullible, genuine heart has to fight for its life. It had to put itself in a position to be saved and it has to endure hours upon hours of surgery. So no, Trudy could not find any words to say.

Hailey and Jay walked up to Kevin and Trudy and gave solemn grins. Trudy found the strength to stand up and hug both Hailey and Jay. She held onto Jay a little longer, whispering ever so quietly “Thank you.” Jay patted Trudy’s back as a welcome, trying not to cry from the images of Kim handcuffed in that Buick resurfacing. After what seemed like a century, Trudy let go and sat back down. Hailey hugged Kevin and she and Jay stood with them.

Hailey then dug into her bag and pulled out a portable phone charger and handed it to Kevin.

“I thought you might need this.”

“Thanks, Hailey. Ruz would appreciate it.” Kev kindly took the charger and plugged it into his phone. He was glad because his phone was surely dying but he wanted to give Adam all of the updates as that were coming in.

“How’s Makayla?” Jay asked, crossing his arms.

“Uh, she’s good. She’s good. Adam told her that Kim had to work late, so she’s good. She remembered Adam and wasn’t scared. She fell asleep on the couch but Adam moved her to her bedroom.” Kevin tried to find any facts to answer Jay's question. He replied before listening to Adam say something over the phone.

“Yeah, Hailey and Jay are here... No, no updates yet... Yeah, man... The docs said the surgery would be pretty long.” Kevin answered over the phone.

“I spoke to the Commander. Intelligence isn’t getting any new cases until Kim pulls through.” Trudy stated, looking up at Jay and Hailey who nodded. They both thought it was rather respectful of the commander.

Trudy turned her attention towards Hailey, asking, “Did you or Hank find anything about Roy?”

With that question, Kevin looked at Hailey too. He chimed in, “Yeah did you catch any leads? Do you know where Voight is? Trudy has tried calling, but it goes straight to voicemail.”

All eyes were on Hailey, who quickly became flustered and at a loss for words. Does she tell the truth? Hell no. Not right now at least. Not until she gets to the bottom of what Voight did with the body. What does she tell them? She hung her mouth open, not knowing what to say. Jay noticed Hailey’s nerves and tried to calm her by putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. This made Hailey refocus, and she mustered up an answer.

“I, uh. No. No. And I don’t know where Voight is.” Hailey could barely get her Sergeant’s name out of her mouth. She tried her best to sound casual and honest, and it must’ve worked. Either that or everyone was so exhausted and stressed that they didn’t press any further.

Will Halstead pushed his way through the waiting room and joined the team.

“Hey, no word yet. I just talked to one of the nurses. Just said they’re still in surgery.” Will said. He tried to press for news. Anything, but he was shot down. Hopefully, this was just because they were in a rush and not because they had bad news, which is what Will does but didn't want to believe was the situation now. When Jay told him of Kim's injuries, Will, as a doctor, was shocked she even had a pulse. Her injuries were severe and traumatic, and she spent almost 24 hours bleeding. But Will dare not say his thoughts to Intelligence. No. He didn't want to break any of their hope. And Kim was going to need all of the hope she could get if she was going to pull through.

The team just nodded and settled in. Not one of them was going to leave until they received news about their member. So they waited.

.

It was 8:03 am. The sun was peaking through the blinds covering the windows. It has been 10 hours. 10 long hours. Some of the police officers left for their shift. Most stayed, camping out in their chairs. Some slept on the floor. Some were called to a scene where they handled it and immediately came back to the hospital. Hailey, Jay, Kevin, and Trudy rotated between two seats, allowing each person to catch a little bit of sleep. But in reality, none of them could get more than a few minutes of rest before the memories of the previous 36 hours crept into their minds, jolting them alert and awake. But they all stayed in that waiting room. In purgatory. No matter how scared, how sad they were, they all remained brave. Trudy and Jay tried calling Voight a couple of times only to realize he wasn't coming. They passed it off to be overwhelming. They thought Hank couldn't fathom hearing any bad news about Kim in person. Either that or he was somewhere, swallowing down liquor like he did when Al passed. But they didn't leave. They couldn't leave. They just had to hope the Sergeant wasn't doing anything he shouldn't be doing. 

Kevin stayed on the phone until about 3 am before Adam told him he was going to try to sleep so he could take Makayla to school the next day. Adam woke up at 6 but got the same luck as the rest of his team. He didn’t really get much of actual rest. But he woke up, got ready, fixed breakfast, woke Makayla up, got her ready, drove her to school while singing her favorite songs, and was back on the phone with Kev and heading to Med before 7:45.

Will kept coming in and out of the waiting room. He would periodically try to get information but was shut down every time. Nevertheless, he kept trying. He kept pushing for Intelligence. For Kim.

Suddenly, a doctor scrubbed and dressed in surgical gear stepped foot into the waiting room and everyone immediately woke each other up and sprang to their feet. Kevin told Adam the surgeon was here and put his phone on speaker. The surgeon walked straight to Intelligence and the other officers turned towards the team, waiting for the news. No one moved. No one blinked. Everyone studied the surgeon, trying to pick up on any cues before he spoke. Everyone held their breath. Everyone waited for the update.

After a long breath, the surgeon started pouring words.

“Officer Kim Burgess experienced severe head trauma, assault, shoulder strain, and two shots to the abdominal region. It was clear she lost a lot of blood, and when we got into surgery, it was much worse. She had a dislocated right knee, so we set it in place. The through-and-through shot didn’t do any internal damage so we patched it right up. The other one that never exited was lodged two inches to the right of her left kidney. If it were to hit it, she would have experienced kidney failure and gone into shock shortly after getting hit. Luckily, that didn’t happen. We were able to extract the bullet with as minimal damage as could be done. She had some pieces of glass lodged in her arms and we were able to get them out. She experienced head trauma. We checked, and she was bleeding internally in the brain. Left untreated, it could have lead to developmental setbacks, blood clotting, or death. However, it must’ve started only a little before she arrived here. This was likely due to her staying calm under pressure and subconsciously keeping her head in the correct position. She lost a lot of blood and had a low BP. She lost a pulse after we tried to stop the bleeding, but she was resuscitated after the first try. We did everything we could, and we did a lot. She made it out of surgery. She’s critical, but she’s stable.”

With that, everyone let out the breath that they were holding and erupted with such emotion. Some celebrated, hugging and shaking hands with each other. Some clapped and yelled in happiness. Some stood there in awe, in shock, in disbelief. Hailey dropped her head in her hands and started sobbing. Kim’s alive. She’s alive. Jay let out an excited expression and high-fived Will before engulfing a shaky Hailey in a huge hug. Trudy just let out a loud, deep sigh of relief. She immediately pulled the surgeon in for a hug. She knew Kim would pull through. Kim’s a fighter. She was going to push through. Kevin had big tears in his eyes. He couldn’t believe it. As much as he tried to be optimistic, he saw Kim with his own two eyes. He saw her and could only imagine what kind of torturous hell she went through. He knew Kim was strong, but this. This situation looked bleak. And as much as he tried not to believe that he held on to Kim during her dying breaths, he just didn’t know if Kim could pull through. He didn’t know if anyone could have pulled through with those injuries. But she did. Kim’s alive. After Kevin caught his breath he put his phone to his ear and checked on Adam.

“You heard that, brother?”

All he heard back were deep breaths and sobs.

“She’s okay. She’s gonna be okay. She’s gonna be okay.” Kev heard Adam whispering in between his cries. He didn’t hear a direct answer from Adam but he knew he heard the surgeon. Kev followed suit and replied, “She’s gonna be okay. She's gonna be okay, bro.”

The surgeon cleared his throat and the waiting room quieted down, listening to what else he had to say.

“They’re wrapping up on Officer Burgess now. She will have a brace on her knee to keep it in place. She’s cut and bruised, and she’ll likely have a concussion. We’re giving her blood and we’ll continue for the next few days along with antibiotics to treat any infections from the warehouse. She’s sedated. We’re going to try to ease her awake but she’s a fighter. So she’ll probably wake up by tonight. She’ll be transferred to a private ICU after she’s out of surgery. She’s been to hell and back, and she has a hell of a recovery to go, but she’s alive.”

The waiting room erupted again in relief and celebration. The surgeon hugged and shook hands with all of the officers, including Intelligence. He then left the room to allow the policemen to celebrate.

Intelligence just looked at each other. They didn’t jump up and down or screamed to the rooftops. No, they were too tired for that. But also it was a different kind of energy. 48 hours ago, they were at each other’s throats. Each one of them had a different idea on how to solve this case. On how to get Kim back. Each one of them had hit their breaking point. Each one of them had been to their own hell. And some of them hadn’t made it back yet. And while Kim was fighting back from her hell, while she was fighting for her life, the team came together. They rallied together for their team member, for their friend. They had to come together in order to give Kim that energy. That strength in order for her to make it out on the other side. But that was temporary, and the team knew that. Now, after Kim has made it, the team doesn't know how to feel. They didn’t know what to do. And just because they got what they wanted — they got Kim back and they got her back alive — it doesn’t mean everything that just happened is dropped. It doesn’t mean everything, every word can just be forgotten. No, it just means things get taken off pause.

Intelligence had a lot of work to do. It had a long road ahead of them. The question is: will everyone make it out unscathed? Or will someone crack, leading Intelligence to be shattered?

[retrievablememories]

trust me | kai (m)

title: trust me pairing: kai x black!reader genre: smut, slight angst request: “hello, can i request a kai imagine where he’s a sub and his girlfriend is a domme and he gets jealous about his girlfriend running into one of her exes (could be another idol) lol and she kindly brushes his jealousy off so kai decides to switch roles and dom her you’re a great writer btw 💕” word count: 2.8k warnings: mentions of jealousy, one mention of drinking alcohol, dom!male, sub!female -- role reversal of usual positions, dirty talk, unprotected sex, use of restraints, oral sex (female receiving), orgasm denial a/n: when you like reading your own fic more than you like writing it, but you have to write it in order for it to exist 💀 <<<<<<

When you walk through the apartment door, Kai is already waiting for your arrival after getting home before you. You had to run a couple errands after work, which made it take a bit longer to return than usual. You both were more than ready to see each other again after that time apart, even though it wasn’t long.

“I’m home!” you announce after you get inside. Kai comes to greet you with a kiss, taking your things so you remove your coat. 

“Dinner’s gonna be ready soon,” Kai says. “I already ran a bath for you, so go wash up so we can eat, okay?”

“Thanks, baby.” You touch his face and give him another kiss before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. By the time you get out, the apartment is filled with the smell of good food.

After you’ve both finished the meal and cleaned everything up, you head to the living room with plans to watch some TV. You hope you can find something decent to watch; you flip through the channels, trying to find a good movie that hasn’t already played halfway through.

Kai is still moving around in the kitchen while you’re in the living room, though he’s not far behind you. When he’s done, he comes over to where you’re sitting on the couch and lays his tall body across it, resting his head in your lap. You smile and stroke his hair.

“What did you do today?” Kai asks, taking your hand in his. He strokes his thumb over your knuckles as he waits for your response.

“Oh, it’s kinda funny. When I went to the store today—guess who I ran into?”

Kai raises his eyebrow. “Who?”

“It was Jungkook.”

Kai is silent for a moment, though he can’t ignore the flair of jealousy in his chest. He knows he probably shouldn’t feel this way, because you and the younger man broke up a long time ago and that relationship is just a memory now. Still, he knows that despite your personalities being incompatible, Jungkook still very much loved you back then. He also knows that Jungkook still has lingering feelings for you even now.

“What did he want?” You notice the change in his tone of voice and laugh a little.

“He didn’t want anything, we just happened to be in the same place. He was nice, we talked for a little bit. He has a new girlfriend now, sounds like they’ve been dating for a while. He was out getting some groceries for her.”

“...And that’s it?”

“It wasn’t a grand reunion or anything, he was busy doing his thing and I was doing mine. I just thought it was kinda ironic to see him there.”

“Because he used to do the same for you? Buying all your groceries and running errands for you?”

You take Kai’s face in your hands. “He used to. That’s a closed chapter, remember? It doesn’t matter anymore.”

His expression tells you he isn’t reassured by your words. “Maybe it doesn’t matter anymore to you, but do you even realize that Jungkook still loves you?”

“What are you talking about? I doubt that…” you say, pulling your hands away from Kai. “It’s been almost 2 years since we broke up. You don’t think he’s moved on in that time?”

Kai sighs. “Jimin told me Jungkook got really drunk one night and confessed that he regretted ever breaking up with you. He was really upset about it, too. That happened only 5 months ago. You still think he’s moved on? Just because he’s distracting himself with another girl doesn’t mean anything.”

You’re a little taken aback at that new knowledge, but you’re also irritated that Kai is so unsettled about it. In your eyes, your relationship is secure; worrying about outside parties, regardless of what feelings they do or don’t have, isn’t a thought in your mind. “But—even so, I’m with you now. I’m not interested in any man but you. Why are you so bothered by this? All we did was talk in the store.”

Kai shakes his head and gets up from your lap, and you know he must be genuinely hurt. You wouldn’t have mentioned Jungkook at all if you knew this is how it would turn out. 

Before you can say or do anything to rectify the situation, Kai scoops you off the couch in one movement and throws you over his shoulder. “What the—?!” Everything is upside down, but you can see that he’s taking you down the hall, most likely to your bedroom. “Jongin, what the hell are you doing?”

He doesn’t answer as he enters the room and deposits you on the bed less-than-gently, which is a contrast to how he usually is with you. You sit up in surprise, looking at him for some sort of explanation.

“You’re not taking me seriously,” he says, his voice low as he stands in front of you.

“Not taking you seriously? That’s all I’ve ever done. You know I care about you, I just don’t get why you’re so upset about this!”

“Maybe if you listen to me for once, you’ll get why.” You’re confused over his words until you see the look in his eyes. You realize he’s not referring to your relationship itself, but the fact that you’re the one who always has the upperhand in the bedroom.

“Really? Who do you think you are?” you say laughingly, though your voice has some edge to it too. Kai steps closer, and you have to tilt your head to look up at him from this vantage point. 

“Your boyfriend, your lover. The one who makes you weak. Not him.”

You sigh. “Please, Jongin. He’s not you. He’s never going to be.”

“I know. Because he can’t do for you what I can.” Kai climbs onto the bed with you, pushing you backwards and hovering over your prone form. Your body heats up when he settles himself over you, and though you are not intimidated by him—yet?—you do feel a thrill, an anticipation of what will happen next.

Kai doesn’t kiss your lips immediately, which you would’ve expected in any other situation. Kissing is one of his favorite things about sex, or even just nonsexual affection. Instead, his lips venture to your neck, his mouth opening slightly so he can slide his tongue against the skin. His teeth scrape across your neck; not firm enough to hurt, but more like a warning. Still, it reminds you of a predator mouthing at the jugular of its prey.

You want to say more, but you also want to wait and see what he’ll do. He’s always been your sub, and you’ve never seen a domineering side of him during your sexual activities. Is he just playing around to work you up, or does he really mean what he’s doing right now?

Kai’s hands creep up your sweatshirt, tracing a path across your bare skin. He pulls your sweater up as he does so, exposing your form to him. All the while, he keeps kissing your neck, making your breaths come a little heavier.

A quiet gasp comes from you when he reaches your breasts, thumbing at your nipples and teasing them to hardness. He pulls your sweater further up so he can take one of your nipples into his mouth, which causes you to moan out loud. He circles his tongue around it and does the same for the other, nuzzling his face into your chest.

You bring your hand up to touch Kai’s hair, but he grabs your wrist tightly and holds it away from him. You stare at him, your mouth open slightly. When you try to pull away, his grip doesn’t yield.

Kai raises his head to look at you. “Why don’t we play a game?”

“What kind of game?” you ask, trying to steady your breathing.

“Keep your hands to yourself. I get to touch you, but you can’t touch me. If you do, I’ll cuff you to the bed.”

You pause for a moment, staring into Kai’s shimmering brown eyes. Then you nod, a smirk playing on your lips. “Okay.” You think pretty highly of your self control, so you have confidence you’ll win this game.

After you agree, Kai pulls away from you to strip his shirt off. And, yeah, okay. A little of your confidence wavers when you see his tanned body in front of you like that, but you’re still going to try to keep your word.

He pulls his pants and underwear off, too, and returns to you so he can fully remove your sweater. He picks you up again and moves your body so you’re leaning up against the pillows, and you let him do so without making a move to touch him. Surprisingly, you like the experience of being handled like this—of having to rely on him to move your body how he wants it instead of doing it yourself like you usually would.

Your fingernails draw across the blanket as Kai finally puts his lips on yours. He kisses you deeply, his nose nudging yours. You’re glad to finally feel his lips, and you kiss him back eagerly. 

When he draws away from you, your lips follow his but you’re powerless to stop him from separating from you. He chuckles at that, but he doesn’t appease your desire. Instead he moves further down your body, his mouth ghosting over your stomach and waist. Heat floods between your legs as he pulls your sweatpants off, his eyes locked between your legs as he unveils your lower half.

He dips his head down so he can kiss your pubic mound, and you think he’s going to lick you next, but he travels to your inner thighs. He leaves marks on them with his teeth. He is leisurely about it, stretching the sensation out to get you more aroused for him, but you also feel yourself growing impatient and wanting him to touch you more. He’s so close to where you want him to be, but still too far away.

Finally, he comes back around to slide your panties off, leaving you bare. His thumb presses into your clit, and a shiver goes through your body at the contact on this sensitive part of you. Kai presses forward to kiss you there, then slides his tongue lower to taste the wet that’s dripping out of you.

You try to maintain your cool and grasp the pillows near you, though it is getting a little hard to push back the urge to touch him when he places his mouth over your clit like this. All you can focus on is the wet warmth of his mouth on you, and the way his fingers curve into you. There’s still an element of tenderness to it all, despite him being mad at you, despite him taking the lead this time, which lets you know he really does love you.

Your back arches when Kai slips his tongue inside you to accompany his fingers, his nose nudging your clit, and before you can think about what you’re doing, your hands fly to his hair. 

“No, shit—wait,” you say breathlessly, snatching your hands away as soon as you realize your mistake. Kai ignores your plea and goes to the nightstand, pulling a box out of the drawer. You know that’s the box you use to store your handcuffs in. You watch nervously as Kai takes them out.

The cold ring of metal slips around your wrist, and the next thing you know, your right hand has been cuffed to one of the bedposts.

“Really?!”

“You broke the one rule I set.” Kai slips his fingers under your chin and tilts your head up. “You’re the perfect domme, but you couldn’t follow one little rule?” The corner of his mouth quirks up in a grin. You’re embarrassed about being caught slipping, but there’s nothing you can do about it now. 

His hand leaves your face and goes to your waist. He situates himself between your legs, nudging them a bit wider to accommodate him. “You’ve got one free hand left. Remember what I said, or that one’s getting cuffed too.”

You can only nod, too wound up to speak as his tip pushes against your entrance, slipping inside slightly. You think he’s going to go slowly just like that, but he doesn’t hesitate with thrusting the rest of himself into you.

The way Kai pushes into you makes you gasp and shudder. He seems intent on pulling more sounds out of you as he pulls back out and thrusts in harder, gripping your hips tightly and tugging your lower half as close as possible to his. You can’t even thrust back with how he holds your lower half, essentially fucking you onto his dick. The way he controls your body, leaving you vulnerable to his hard thrusts, causes you to grow wetter underneath him.

He leans closer to you, with his sweat dripping onto your body and his lips almost near enough to kiss, but he’s still a little too distant to reach. “I’m yours, but are you mine?”

“O-of course I am, Jongin.”

“Tell me, then.”

“I…” You go breathless at a perfectly-timed thrust that hits your g-spot, and all that initially comes out is a choked groan. Jongin lets go of one of your hips to slap your thigh in response.

“Say it.” He keeps pushing into your sweet spot, knowing his actions are making it harder for you to respond. He’s taken a liking to teasing you in this way, giving you commands that he knows you can’t quite follow.

“I-I’m yours.” Satisfied with your answer, he grins.

“You need me,” he says, running his hand up your body. He almost doesn’t know where to go next, wanting to touch every part of you but only able to reach so much with one hand. “You need me, and you need my dick. You need the pleasure I give you. Say it.”

You, in contrast to Jongin’s own self-revelation about torturing you, are catching onto the fact that Kai’s praise kink still lives strong even when he’s domming you. “I-I need you, I need everything you give me.” Your thighs shake a little as you edge nearer to your orgasm.

He mouths at your neck again, then shifts his face upward, his breaths puffing against the shell of your ear. He whispers, “You love me.”

Your toes curl as you get ever closer to that peak. Your right arm’s getting tired from being in one position, but you can’t focus on it too much at the moment. “I love y-you.”

“I love you too.” He murmurs this against your lips as he reaches between you to stroke your clit. This move is enough to unravel the tension that’s holding you together, and a full-body shiver runs through you as you meet your climax.

Kai’s groan is low in your ear as he thrusts into you a few more times, searching for his own orgasm. It only takes him another minute or two to find it, and he soon pulls out of you to come on your stomach. He grips his shaft and keeps stroking himself until he’s emptied of everything he has to offer.

The first thing he does afterwards is release your hand from the bedpost. You almost immediately touch his face and neck and shoulders, indulging in everything you were formerly deprived of. His cum is still drying on your stomach, and it feels a bit uncomfortable, but you’re not concerned with that as you brush your thumb over Kai’s plump lips. He watches you all the while, feeling much more relaxed after relieving his distress.

After cleaning you up, Kai curls himself into you, his lips in your hair as you rest your head on your satin pillow. His demeanor is apologetic now as he strokes your back.

“I’m sorry I got so upset,” he says quietly, his voice slightly muffled by your hair. “I just...knowing he still loves you…” His words trail off. Maybe not for lack of things to say, but because he doesn’t want to reopen the wound again.

“Hmm…” You tuck your head further into Kai’s neck, feeling his pulse beating against your lips as you speak. “It’s not a crime to be jealous, but you’ve got to know I’d never let anything jeopardize our relationship.”

He nods and shifts slightly to kiss your forehead. “Never.” He lets the word roll around on his tongue, whispering it a couple more times. “You’re right.”

After a few more beats of silence, you ask, “Do you trust me?” You want to be assured of his answer before either of you goes to sleep tonight.

Kai squeezes you tighter in his arms. “Always.”

[vasoula]

The Peepshow (chapter three)

Summary: Two months after his redemption journey, Sasuke is back to Konoha and  Sakura couldn’t be more happy about them spending a lot of time  together. However, things take a hard turn when Sakura is assigned a  special mission and she has to hide it from the rest of Team 7. Everything comes spiraling down when Sasuke finds out exactly what she has to do.

Tags: hard rated m, blank period, kinda AU-ish

You can also read it on ffnet and Ao3.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Author's notes: The grand finale of my three way saga ends here with a bang! Beware this chapter is hard M, lots of naughty things happening here ;) This monster is almost 10k on its own XD BTW this is the only chapter my friend strawberrycreampiefluff has not read, even though this is a collab between us and the story was her inspo, so this is a surprise for her also. I hope everybody enjoys this fic, comment your thoughts. Ah, I didn't know which way to end it because this is quite self indulgent and the main theme of the fic was teasing so the ending is similar. One day, maybe, I will write a continuation. Thank you everyone for your love and support!

“Act three: Jealousy will drive you mad”

With two powerful stomps and a determined expression on her face, Sakura reaches for the doorknob and pulls.

Sasuke does indeed greet her in the doorway. It is obvious from the casual attire he has put on that he was also about to go to bed; his toned physique is adorned with gray sweatpants and a light blue shirt.

The pink haired woman has no clue what riles her up the most. Is the way those simple clothes cling onto him like second skin emphasizing his fit body or is it the way he is staring her with those bewitching mismatched eyes of his? She cannot wait to find out.

"Sakura," he says in the usual lethargic timbre he uses to pronounce her name.

She blinks her eyes at him fast in response to make sure she is seeing right.

"What are you doing here, Sasuke-kun?", Sakura asks, "It's late."

She casually points out it is time for sleep and not time for late night conversations in her room the two of them alone, together. It does the trick because Sasuke seems to realize a few things about their current situation. His eyes lose focus and start their slow descend, carefully scrutinizing what she is wearing.

His gaze stops his inspection the moment it reaches her chest, zeroing on her breathing pattern and the way some parts of her body stand out thanks to the chilly weather. Sasuke's impassive face instantly changes, his cheeks and ears coloring in a nice red hue.

Then, without much thought, his observation continues and he bites his lip at the display of her bare legs so up close.

For the life of her, Sakura cannot fathom that Sasuke Uchiha is blatantly checking her out.

Feeling self conscious, she hugs herself and steps sideways to allow the man to come into the room. Her blush matches his in response.

Sasuke finally – finally moves from his position and steps into her territory.

Putting a few loose pink strands behind her ear, Sakura closes the door quietly and props her body on it, hands coming to rest between her backside and the wood.

She lets the silence hang on for a few minutes allowing Sasuke to take his time to make up his mind.

"I came here to apologize," he speaks after a while, "I am sorry."

Sasuke peers at her from his spot in the middle of room, shuffling his feet unconsciously.

He looks down, "I shouldn't have interfered with your mission," and spins around to face her bed instead. "It was brash and uncharacteristic of me."

His apology sounds genuine enough, but that still does not excuse the fact he acted out of the ordinary for no reason.

Sakura has had it with this man. Even though she feels beyond furious with him, the girl prefers not to argue with him.

"Apology accepted." She announces curtly. "Still doesn't explain the reason you decided to interfere, Sasuke."

The lack of honorific translates to failure in Sasuke's book of apologies. He tries to take another route. Although he came inside her room prepared and resolute to be honest with her, it seems his pride and ego are still in the way.

"Sakura, you know I am not good at this," He deflates in frustration, "I am not good -"

Sasuke pauses abruptly, not capable of continuing his next sentence. Why is it so hard for him to confess his feelings? How does Sakura do it? Why can he not be more like her when it comes to matters like these?

The lone Uchiha knows how he feels about her, his heart hammering in his chest is that much of a clue. Since he was a young boy- he has always known -what he felt towards her. There is a special connection, even the most logical part of his brain cannot grasp it enough to explain it. It should not make sense how strongly he feels about her without him even comprehending it when growing up.

It has been building up since the start, those emotions have been lying dormant for years, slowly but surely pestering inside his heart. His mind always conjuring up images of her lovely smiles and her healing words. Her confessions and trials towards him whispering hotly in his ears and driveling his mind mad into oblivion.

For such a foolish little game she was playing, her opinion is sure important and sufficient to have him questioning his moralities; her words festering inside his heart and poisoning his mind with good prospects in life like love and family. Who is he to deny her anything when at times he was ready to sacrifice everything he thrived for just to keep her safe? He can try but ignoring his feelings like he used to do in the past is no solution anymore.

Sasuke recalls everything about her until now and comes to one realization.

Sakura was, is and will always be precious to him.

"What?" The woman, plaguing his thoughts, asks defeated. She pushes herself off the wooden door and takes a big step forward.

Thinking what he can possibly do to make things better, he comes up with an idea.

Following along, Sasuke moves closer to her, leaning the right side of his body to a pillar next to him. He is right across her now.

"I am more of a man of action-", he starts trying to redeem himself with his compensatory qualities.

"Then do something -", she explodes, interrupting him mid sentence.

Sakura puts her foot down hard, literally stumping it to the ground. With her fists balled to her sides and a snarl on her face, she feels her patience running out.

The woman looks at him expectantly, waiting for him to do something – anything.

Sasuke's ears are roaring, his pulse skyrocketing. He is breathing hard now, his gaze penetrating as he surveys every aspect of Sakura's face. From her rosy cheeks, to her heated eyes and at last to her luscious, red lips.

She hears him before she sees him react. A hard punch to the pillar he has been leaning on signals he too has reached his limit.

With two fast strides, in speed only Sasuke is capable of, he pushes her against the door with his body. His right hand comes up and he tangles his fingers in her hair, cradling her upper half in urgency.

His stump meets her waist halfway in an attempt to hold her.

"I am losing my mind here, Sakura," He confesses unabashedly, looking at her straight in the eye.

The girl in question glances up at him, his sudden embrace unexpected, but welcome nevertheless. Both of her hands are at his torso, her clenched fists clasping his shirt tightly and crumpling it in the process. Thanks to the position of her grip, she feels his heart beating fast inside his chest – a sign that rings true to his earlier statement.

Searching his eyes for any sign of discomfort and finding none, she makes it easier for both of them and inches closer; her mouth a breath away from his lips.

Sasuke's eyes open and close languidly in response, her glittering irises and pampered freckles on her nose the last thing he sees before he leans in to kiss her.

Sakura spots stars behind her closed eyelids the moment their lips finally touch. It is nothing more than their mouths caressing each other in slow strokes, but the implications of that innocent kiss are more than enough for the two of them.

Feeling brave, the pink haired woman wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer to her. Her heart is about to jump off her chest, aware of his hard yet lean body flash against her. They do not have any prior experience to this, but with their instincts leading them on, they are matching each other just right.

Sasuke feels something inside his head clicking into place, like a puzzle being completed; the repressed emotions inside of him exploding into a thousand pieces. The way he loves and displays it might be crooked, but when he has the woman he adores in his arms, he knows, he can conquer any emotional disadvantage he may encounter.

It seems everything that happens next plays out like it is in slow motion.

Grabbing her by the hip, Sasuke begins to move. Sakura arches into him, their kiss turning deeper. With the tall man leading them on, the couple turns around, mirroring their previous position, but with Sakura on top this time.

"Lift your legs," Sasuke quietly orders with his back against the door. Sakura obliges wordlessly and jumps slightly. Putting pressure on his shoulders, Sakura breaks their kiss for a split second and wraps her thighs around his waist, locking them tightly.

Sasuke's lone arm comes and finds its position snugly under her backside, palm open on her butt cheeks. Without so much a strain, years of physical exertion being put into work, Sasuke lifts her off the ground easily.

Sakura, still preoccupied with Sasuke's soft lips, does not realize their compromising position. Gently coursing her hands through his hair, she caresses his scalp while kissing him tenderly.

With his limbs busy and his vision limited, Sasuke takes a few cautious steps forward. With the bed as final destination, he carefully maneuvers them through the room. A few centimeters away, the mattress lies warm and inviting.

Their kiss stops abruptly when Sasuke's foot comes in contact with outpost of the bed. Lips breaking apart and breaths mingling, they stare silently into one another.

Realizing where the course of their situation is taking them, both of them pause.

Sakura searches his eyes and sees the lust mirrored in them similar to her own. With a determined expression, she grabs the collar of his shirt and drags him down with her the moment she lets herself fall back into the mattress.

Trying to stop his body from crushing her, Sasuke's arm goes forward and he places his hand next to her head. He lets out a disgruntled sound and lets his face fall into the soft cushions of her breasts.

"Sakura," he mumbles incoherently. In response, the girl in question lets out a sigh of pleasure and relief.

She knows the implications and relishes in them. No dream or fantasy could counter that moment in her mind.

Sasuke hesitantly looks up, face heating up slowly. Then, feeling suddenly nervous, he glances sideways, a scowl forming.

Being on top of Sakura, her body body pliant underneath him and her lips bruised from their intense kissing had him feeling some type of way. But, god, her face is what made him look away. Nothing prepared him for this.

Sakura makes a sound in the back of her throat, her teeth biting hard her plump bottom lip. She bats her eyes at him, light pink eyelashes fanning against her rosy cheeks prettily. Sasuke pretends to ignore her, even though he keeps stealing glances at her.

Sakura cannot believe there would come a day where the great Sasuke Uchiha, the infamous avenger, would be shy with her.

Hot stares and naughty smirks are more his thing than awkward and fleeting looks.

Sasuke is nervous, no one taught him how to handle situations like these.

Love is a new, unknown part in his life, and he is quite unprepared.

Wordlessly, she lifts her hand and touches the right side of his face.

He looks gorgeous like this, all strong bone structure and pale white skin. His aristocratic nose scrunching up in distaste, because he dislikes the fact he has no control.

"What?" The Uchiha finally looks at her and asks. He purses his lips and drags his body forward a little bit.

Sasuke is snugly on top of her now, their chests pressed together closely.

Sakura starts caressing his cheek, staring lovingly into his eyes.

"I thought I couldn't love you more than I do," she takes a shuddering breath, her eyes watering slightly. "But, I do."

Sasuke takes the whispered confession in, his throat bobbing. He feels so emotional right now, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He clutches at her words, her proclamation consuming him like it did in the past.

The inner turmoil inside him makes his eyes burn. He struggles to find the words to express what he feels for her. The capacity to love and care endless, unlimited for her. A never ending waterfall of emotions washing his wrongdoings away.

The power coursing through his veins is nothing in comparison to the power she has over him. She could bend him all she wants, mold his being all the way to nothingness and put his pieces right back to their rightful place. No darkness inside of him is strong enough to overcome him as long as she loves him. Her light nourishing him and making him feel alive again.

So many thoughts plaguing his mind, but no words are enough to describe his admiration for her. He wants to convey though, he has to try. For her, going forward in life, he has to try.

"You make me feel alive," he shares with her, "I need you close to me,"

Sasuke utters in a mere whisper, but with each syllable his drive to confess grows tenfold. "I love you," he breaks, voice cracking in the end.

He closes his eyes to get his bearings for a second and hears Sakura's breath hitch.

Sakura feels her soul quivering in her chest; she went to heaven and back.

Before anymore tears could escape her eyes however, she quickly shuts them close. This is no reason for her to cry, for this is a happy moment. She sniffles and opens her jade orbs again. The sight that greets her makes her feel like her entire being is being consumed by hot molten lava. The man of her dreams is staring at her, his eyes intense – an endless inferno of feelings exposed for her to cherish.

Her throat bobs in anticipation at the prospect of him acting out what his eyes are conveying.

"Sakura," he says and nudges her chin with his nose.

Sasuke senses her shiver underneath him even though the temperature of the room is far from low. No matter, he is starting to sweat so he decides to undress. Knowing where this is leading them, he pushes himself up and straddles her, knees on either side of her body. Using his lone hand he grabs the outer part of his cotton shirt from behind and lifts it forward over his head.

Sakura gasps beneath him, eyeing him up and down in appreciation. That escalated way better than what she had in mind. Years of need, aching deep within her.

Her hands twitch and she tries to think clearly despite the situation.

"W-what are you doing Sasuke-kun?", she mumbles worriedly.

After finishing his task, the man in question looks down at her. The left side of mouth lifts in haughty grin before he can stop himself. Now, now what a nice view, he thinks.

Sakura's hair has created a beautiful pink halo around her head, matching her flaming, flushed cheeks. Those unique eyes of her sparkle in the dark, passion shining through clearly in them. Her lips part sensually in silent plea for him to claim her.

She wants this as much he does.

"Hot," he answers. The sensation of her, needy, under him or the room temperature are either correct interpretations.

He knows she likes what she sees. His athletic, lean body is no secret, but for him to display it so proudly to her strokes his ego in all the right places. No woman can appreciate him the way she does. Her pure devotion fascinates him, her hungry stares excite him. Only she has that effect on him. She may be the one to yearn for him since the beginning, but he is the one that has been suffering in silence for so long.

She has been loud, clear, but he has been repressed and tortured with his own fondness right along with her. He wants to toy with her a little more, tease her with some scalding remarks until she is dripping wet with fervor, but alas his patience is running out.

His arm stretches out and his hand reaches her throat, her eyes following along his every movement. His fingertips tenderly graze her pulse point, her skin alight with heat.

Goosebumps rise on her skin, his touch creating thousand fires along her neck. He is stalling, they both know it. But, she continues to stay pliant under him allowing him to continue his ministrations.

His eyes burn in a hankering frenzy, analyzing every little reaction he can get out of her before she turns the tables on him.

She closes her eyes in pleasure, throat stretching out and torso lifting, baring more surface for him to please.

Sakura breaths heavily, legs squeezing shut. She cannot believe this kind of simple form of touch brings forth this much twisted pleasure out of her. This is too light for it to be even considered foreplay, yet...she can get off just to the thought of him even touching her.

"N-no…" she tries to halt the upcoming teasing.

She is weak and needy and she knows he will abuse this knowledge to the fullest. He has always been a person to test her limits. Sasuke loves having the upper hand.

His hand slowly goes down and it reaches her ribcage, right at the center. Her nipples harden in response and she feels Sasuke shift above her.

When something hard grazes her stomach, her insides quiver. She is affecting him even though she is doing nothing to him in return.

Sasuke's movements stop abruptly when he realizes his body has been reacting quite positively to the display. He feels himself confined in his loose pants, the underwear straining against his hard length. Apparently, the object of his desires noticed it too.

This is where he loses the battle it seems.

Sakura opens her eyes slowly, her hands reaching her torso. Both of her palms lay flat on top of his hand – trapping him there. She takes it and starts to move it around her body, showing him just where she would enjoy for him to touch her.

When it reaches her right breast, she lets it loose. Sasuke keeping eye contact with her starts to massage her mound; first tenderly and then more roughly.

Depending on the reactions he gets out of her, his fingers play with her hardened nub, her thin t-shit an extra layer of teasing against her sensitive skin there.

Not knowing what to do with her free arms, she decides to test her power. She splays them flat on top of her lover's chest without so much a thought. His skin is a little cold and damp from sweat, his nervousness slipping through bodily fluids rather than expressions. Going up and down with each hand, she caresses his taught stomach, abs prominent against his skin.

Sasuke hums in response, an appreciative tone somewhere hidden in there.

Sakura makes it her mission to get more reactions out him before he finds out just how wet he has made her down there. His chest is there, pecs hard and her fingers skim over his nipples with a feather like touch.

His eyes clump shut and his body leans forward a little bit. He bites his lip and lets out a small sigh. Sakura smiles triumphantly knowing she is staring to push his buttons. Her hands descend lower, fingers toying with the waistband of his trousers.

Sakura looks from where her hands are, the bulge obvious and near to collision with the inside of her left wrist. She purses her lips and risks glancing up at him. He is breathing harder now, his hair falling like a curtain, his side bang hiding half of his face.

"Don't," comes out the strained response.

His jaw is taught, the angles of it sharp, someone would think he is mad.

He is mad alright, mad with desire.

Sasuke has been thinking a lot about these kind of moments the last few months, his mind conjuring up scenarios and positions – dirty, dirty little longing.

Nothing has prepared him for this sensation. He is powerless against her, needing her to feed his solicitude with ardor. Still though, greedy for her as he is, he struggles to shred his shyness away.

She sees right through him and pauses. "Are you sure?" she asks tentatively.

In an abrupt movement, he grabs her hand, grip strong on her wrist and slams it right back at the bed, near her head. An act of dominance will not hinder Sakura obedient so soon. She fights right back, seeing Sasuke struggle to keep her hand in place.

Sakura huffs and smiles smugly up at him. His face stays impassive, but his eyes glint dangerously.

Thinking she has won this round, the woman prepares a trotting remark. However, Sasuke renders her speechless with his next move. Abandoning his place above her, he straightens up and pushes his knee right between her legs, just below her searing heat. His lone arm reaches out and grips her left thigh roughly, pinning it backwards and spreading her legs apart in an instant.

Sasuke smirks devilishly at her.

The new position and attitude leaves her all hot and bothered.

Then, his hand finds its place just below her belly button. Leaning forward, he grabs one side of her shorts and starts pulling it towards him. Stunned, she allows him to take them off her.

Sakura wants, needs...she craves to see just how much further he can take it.

But despite all the excitement to see Sasuke's walls fall apart in front of her, she cannot help it when she tries to hide her half naked body from him. Only a thin layer of underwear is keep them apart. Feeling shy now is useless, but god these feelings in her heart are so intense and Sasuke acting out all her desires does not help her at all.

Sakura squeezes her legs shut, thighs pressed deliciously together and stomach taught - straining to keep her lower body hidden from his hungry eyes as much as she can.

In a way, Sakura muses, she is teasing him further by denying him access. Sasuke hates disobedience as much as he hates not getting what he wants.

As always impressed by her strength – even in bed – he clasps her knee and tries pushing it apart. "You don't have to ever hide from me." Sasuke says heatedly.

"I-I," Sakura struggles to find the right words, her blushing cheeks a hot flame on her face. "Sasuke-kun, please," she tries to prolong the inevitable.

How can he be so cool about this when they both know how reserved they are? Be that as it may, they both covet each others' touch and they have been doing so since their younger years.

Knowing she can hide herself no more and she is willing to give all of herself to him, all her scars and her invisible wounds, the pink haired beauty spreads her legs apart, baring her womanly figure to him.

It occurs to her that Sasuke is about to say something to her, but decides against it and prefers to speak with his body instead. With more space now free, the man finds himself snugly between her legs.

Before Sakura could realize what is exactly happening and what his next move is going to be, Sasuke surprises her yet again. Rather than mirroring his previous position on top of her, he chooses to cascade down gently with an objective in mind.

Continuing his ministrations, he smoothly lifts her shirt and scrunches it up towards her chest. With that out of the way, Sasuke starts peppering her belly with soft, open-mouthed kisses. It tickles a tiny bit, but the heat pooling between her legs is a tell-tale sign just how much this is affecting her.

When his hot breath fans above her damp underwear, she knows exactly what he is planning on doing to her. Then, Sasuke pauses and looks up at her questioningly as if to confirm if this okay with her.

To answer his unspoken query, Sakura sits up slightly and crosses her arms grabbing her white blouse by each side. She takes it off in one swift movement and quickly lies down, her eyes focused on the ceiling.

Sakura bites her lip, her hands finding themselves near his nape and fondling his shoulders in an attempt to clear any doubts in Sasuke's head that she may not be ready for this. No words need to be exchanged between them, Sasuke could tell even from the way she breathed if this kind of loving was unwanted from her.

She still feels coy, but, Sasuke knows how to handle her. His hand grips one thigh gently, putting slight pressure on it. He bends down and starts pressing delicate kisses right below her belly button and going lower. When his teeth graze the top of her baby pink, lacy panties, she lets out a tiny whimper. He bites the cute bow and pulls down; his eyes are closed and his fingers are digging into her supple skin, a sweet pressure pulling her back to reality.

Her feet trash a little bit, the covers of the bed becoming a mess in her wake.

Sakura unconsciously lifts her butt up when his hand places under her leg. Taking that as his cue, Sasuke grabs the underside of her lingerie and takes it off her.

With that out of the way, her legs spread apart and he leans back to take a good at her. So many thoughts are running through his head, too many things he wants to say to her. Compliment her beauty and ravishing body; even the most hidden parts of herself are pretty to him.

She looks gorgeous like this, all docile and yielding for him. Sasuke wants to worship her body and treat her with fairness; kiss every scar and caress every curve of her. Every little thing he cannot confess to her, he wants to convey it through every action he does just to please her.

The raven haired man wants to clear any doubts she might have in her head. He needs to make her his, claim her and show her how much she means to him. But first, he has to make sure she knows just how much he wishes to satisfy her.

Sasuke bends down once again, his head between her legs and his arm under thigh, his lone hand holding her captive.

Sakura puts her hands over her mouth in an attempt to muffle her upcoming reactions. When his hot breath fans over her wet folds, she loses it.

He hums thoughtfully as if he is pondering something and then his lips are on her most intimate area. First, a gentle kiss on her clit and then his lips part and he is consuming her wholly. Sasuke uses his tongue skillfully, parting her nether folds and lapping at her entrance. The skill he is displaying has the woman questioning her sanity.

He is very meticulous with her, going as far as using the sounds she makes as guidance. His mouth works in wicked ways and she is making embarrassing, loud noises.

When he pauses to take a breather, Sakura whines. The loss of this endless satisfaction turning her bratty.

"So wet, already," Sasuke says with pride.

Sakura wants to punch his face to the next dimension for that snarky comment, but he has her putty in his hands.

Her face is a little damp from sweat and she pushes a few loose pastel strands away from her sticky cheeks and forehead.

"Don't tease me," she pouts and she slaps his arm lightly – a warning.

Sasuke smirks as if expecting that reaction and then his hand leaves her thigh, a slight bruise already forming on her skin where he had been grabbing her.

Sakura's toes curl in anticipation, her hands settling flat at her sides.

At the same time, Sasuke's exploration begins once more, his mouth finding its place on her needy point. Her heart hammers in her chest and she feels her pleasure reach new heights when his fingers join his tongue.

He strokes her dutifully with his tongue while his two long digits spread her wet folds further apart, providing him with more access. Sakura moans in response, her legs unconsciously lifting with her feet landing gently on his shoulder blades.

Her eyes stop staring at ceiling and she watches as the man she desires has his face all up in her pussy, eating her out like she is the most delicious meal.

"A-ah, please," she keens, anything to lead him on.

Suddenly, he is sucking her clit benevolently, his eyes opening slowly when he senses her staring at him.

Sasuke's prowess activates committing this particularly sensual moment to his memory along with many others to come. Her green eyes are shining brightly and her skin glows; the color of her hair matching her skin, splashes of unique shades of pink intensifying her beauty to the next level. She is shaking slightly, trying fruitlessly to suppress her upcoming orgasm from reaching her too soon.

He itches to make her cum more than once, but his main mission for tonight is to make sure she remembers this night forever... just as he will.

Next thing Sakura knows, a finger is added to the mix and now both his tongue and this are hitting different pleasure points inside her.

Too soon, he suddenly stops and sighs against her quivering entrance. "Fuck, Sakura."

Those last few seconds were such a delicious sensation, she never wants him to stop until she is completely spent. Before she could prod him to continue, the woman feels his index entering her.

Sakura trembles when two fingers start going in and out of her in a fast pace, the intrusion welcome and needed. Then, as if this is not enough, his hand curls and his thumb starts teasing her clit simultaneously whenever possible.

Unable to do anything other than shake in his grasp, Sakura courses her hands roughly through his black hair needing to hold on to something. Her waist bends like a feline in heat, her chest heaving up and down and her breaths coming out in quick pants.

Sakura knows she might be hurting him with how much she is pulling on his hair, but she is unable to care at the moment. He deserves it for turning her in to this tiny, needy monster.

"Don't stop," she moans, face contorted in bliss. Her eyes are closed and her brows are furrowed in concentration. Sakura's mouth parts in a silent plea, her red lips shiny with spit.

She is so close, yet so far away.

Sasuke bites his lip, changes his position and moves to rest his forehead on her shoulder. He feels his member leaking precum inside his boxers and he tries to keep it together.

The man is listening intensely to all the beautiful sounds she is making and breathing hard. His pace is relentless and the muscle in his bicep is straining against his skin from the exertion he is putting it through.

Sasuke grits his teeth when Sakura's walls clench around his fingers, signaling she is close – he cannot stop now.

Sakura's arms loop around his neck and she hugs him close, their bodies sticking to each other. The position is not the most comfortable for him, but damn him if he does not love the way she feels around him. A few of her stiletto pointed nails dig into his skin, leaving angry marks on his back, but the pain just adds fuel to the fire.

"S-Sasuke-kun," she sobs into his neck, reaching euphoria finally. Her body spasms around him, his fingers getting coated with her juices.

Sasuke lets out a pleased sound, something akin to a quiet moan and rests his body on her, his hand coming at a stop and pulling out of her.

Sakura lies spent beneath him with her eyes closed and breaths shallow.

The black haired male feels immense pleasure and pride knowing he made her orgasm just with his fingers and his ego swells at her satisfaction. He has been wishing to be the only one to make her a hot mess like this.

Moreover, the discomfort he is experiencing right now because of her is distracting him from teasing her further, even though he truly enjoys watching her blush and squirm under his penetrating gaze and vexing comments.

His cock is solid hard and aching. It is borderline painful not only because he wishes to get his release soon, but also the whole stimulation confined in his pants is a dire situation that needs to be fixed immediately.

When she shifts underneath him, his boner brushes against her hipbone firmly. Sakura pauses, and peaks at him cautiously, her eyes burning with desire once again.

Not wanting her to make her uncomfortable, he tries to untangle himself from her, but the woman in his arms has other plans.

"You are…" Her voice speaks with purpose, however, her tone is light and shy.

Sasuke flushes and stays still as a rigid board, not wishing to discuss his rather big problem down there. He swears if she tries anything, he will lose control fully.

He is like a wild animal caged and untamed, but about to be set free.

The tall man starts to sit up on his knees in order to avoid the impending confrontation, but his member stands proud and obvious to the eyes. His hand, still wet from her peak, lies limply at his side. He swallows hard and blushes, turning to look the other way and avoiding her ignited stare.

Sakura's mouth waters at the sight displaying before her. Her beautiful lover has never looked hotter than this moment. His skin glistens slightly from perspiration, adding a nice glow to his body and accentuating his toned physique. Sasuke's bangs are tinted at the tips, damp from sweat.

His trousers, along with his boxers, hang low past his waistline and his pelvic bones peak out bringing attention to his happy trail and the prominent bulge in his pants. A vein is popping out in his bicep and Sakura catches a glimpse of his arm flexing, probably to ease up the muscle there.

Sasuke tries hard to compose himself in front of her, but his expression gives out and exposes how clearly turned on he is by this – as if his body has not showcased it enough to her.

It is her turn to command him, it seems.

Sakura decides to take the initiative since Sasuke has not moved from his spot. She approaches him cautiously, slowly sitting up on her elbows and regarding him. He murmurs something inaudible and glares at the mattress if it is the source of all his problems. Sakura takes his silence and his stagnant form as her cue and raises completely from the bed, her core still sore from his intense loving.

"Let me,"she whispers to him immediately upon kneeling in front of him. She almost does not recognize her own voice, with how seductive her tone sounds.

The moment the words come out of her mouth, Sasuke gets alert and his eyes widen a fraction. His lips part, ready to say something, probably to stop her, but he does not have the power to do so. She notices his sharingan is deactivated now, but the look he is giving her makes her resolute with her decision.

It incites her motivation to please him and show him how much she appreciates him and all of his efforts towards her. After that amazing orgasm he gave her, the talented man deserves to feel some kind of pleasure too. Besides, she cannot let him handle all that by himself, she thinks cheekily.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura uses the best authoritative voice she can master at a time like this.

He instantly glances up at her, contemplating his options inside his head. Everything points to her with his dick in her mouth. Fuck him and his traitorous body. The most collected part of his brain melts at the thought of her even touching him.

Sakura's hand reaches forward and she palms him roughly through the layers of fabric, face set with a purpose in mind. Sasuke in return short circuits.

He allows himself to be completely overtaken by her.

His senses are overcome by the sheer desire coursing through his veins. Every fantasy, every touch, every word that has to do with her replaying like a broken mantra in his mind. He feels everything tenfold, the emotions consuming him like the black fire he commands to destroy.

Sasuke closes his eyes and takes a deep breath through his nose, his cheeks aflame and his bottom lip trapped between his teeth. His path to redemption has reached its final destination.

To become hers, wholly.

Sakura begins to massage him based on his repressed reactions like a twitch of his lip or the fluttering of his eyelashes. She starts gently, then she adds more pressure as she goes on. When the woman feels like she has had enough, she grabs the hem of his trousers and pulls down. The same process follows gradually for his boxers too. His cock stands proud and thick, complementing his already perfect figure.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, not knowing what to do, tries to minimize his reactions, preferring to stay reserved yet. His introverted nature makes him hesitant when he is the one on the receiving end. Despite that, he knows Sakura, being perceptive when it comes to him, will catch on quickly and she will accommodate herself to get customized to his still reluctant attitude.

Sakura understands why Sasuke acts so averse since he has yet to come to terms with that fact that it is alright to feel emotional. It is okay to express love and feel it consume you. He is afraid that if he lets himself go, he will never be able to stand even the thought of losing her.

When the outer part of her index finger starts to tenderly caress his hipbone, he shallows hard and opens his eyes to look at her.

The look she is giving him makes his heart flutter in his chest. Her expressive light green eyes shine with so much genuine adoration and her smile is sweet and warm; her whole aura feels inviting and secure.

"Sakura, I-" Sasuke begins, the tremor in his voice startling him.

"It's okay," Sakura says kindly and her other hand lifts, her palm laying flat atop of his heart. She soothes him with her next words, "It's okay to feel like this."

Sasuke studies her carefully, appreciating how much she cares for his comfort. She knows him so well and they are not even an item yet. He cannot wait to spend more time with her and learn each others' habits and quirks.

He lets out an affirmative hum and nods at her.

The powerful shinobi observes her as she continues her ministrations. Her left hand joins her right down there. She breathes out heartily, something akin to a laugh and an awkward smile etches across her face. Obviously, she has not done this before.

Then, Sakura purses her lips and with determined expression on her face, her right hand descends smoothly on his rock hard cock. The head is angry, red in color, his shaft one shade darker than the rest of his body. The girl inspects it as discreetly as possible and with two swift motions, her fingers circle around him and she begins to stroke him gently.

Sasuke lets out a hiss, unprepared for the foreign contact. He has touched himself before thinking of her, but nothing compares to this new, real sensation.

Her left hand stays still, clasping firmly his left hipbone to steady her movements. Sakura peers at him from underneath her pastel eyelashes, jade orbs shining innocently just as she bends down and places her bruised, scarlet lips right before his manhood.

Sasuke gulps down the saliva stuck in his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing. Sakura breathes out hotly on it, blinks at him and her tongue comes out to lick him.

The first swipe of her cute tongue against his shaft makes him let out a quiet moan. Unconsciously, his lone hand grabs a fistful of her hair, tangling his fingers in her soft tresses. He tags her forward a little bit, her mouth and nose bumping on his hardness, urging her to take him into her mouth.

Sakura, realizing she needs to step her game up, opens up and pushes his cock inside her mouth. She starts to suck him, creating a steady rhythm in tandem with her right hand. Half of his member is inside her crevice, her jaw stretching and aching pleasantly because of his girth while her hand strokes the other half that she cannot fit in her mouth yet. His size is above average and hard to handle, but it is nothing Sakura cannot learn to master with Sasuke as her teacher.

In time, she swears, Sakura will learn to please him so good, she will have him begging for more.

The woman picks up the pace, and her taste buds feel a salty essence on her tongue. He is starting leak precum already and her suspicions are further confirmed when he commences to panting.

Sasuke is rougher with her now, pushing her forward and making her cheeks hollow out. Her jaw hurts, but the pain is welcome. She gags a little bit, but she does not relent, wishing to deep throat him further.

"F-fuck, Sakura," he curses, his pleasured groans music to her ears. Sasuke sees white behind his closed eyelids, and he grits his teeth trying to hold on longer to the feeling.

The air smells like sex, and the hormones releasing from Sasuke's body makes his manly musk even more intense as Sakura tries to breath through her nose since her mouth is busy.

She moans loudly at a rather harsh tag against her scalp, and the vibrations it creates against his dick cause Sasuke to buckle suddenly. Her fingernails dig into his skin anew and it stimulates him even more, his orgasm approaching at an alarming rate.

Her strokes become uneven, but faster. At that moment, he decides to look down at her, and seeing her like this, on her knees for him doing everything she can in order to satisfy him enhances his experience even further.

"S-Sakura," Sasuke tries to warn her, albeit late. "—I am going to-"

Before he can get any more words out of his mouth, his climax hits him and his hand grips her hair hard, holding on for dear life.

"A-ah," Sasuke lets out a racy moan; a foreign sound when it comes to him. His eyes close in satisfaction and he leans forward slightly, riding out the remnants of his orgasm inside her mouth.

The image that greets him is enough to make him hard again.

Despite being unprepared, Sakura took his cock well, his semen filling her up and quenching her thirst to please him. She shallows everything he has to offer, like its sweet wine pouring down her throat.

He releases her hair finally, and in return she lets out his member fall out of her mouth with a loud pop. At the same time her left arm abandons its place at his hip and steadies herself on the bed instead. Her lips are bruised and swollen, while her hair is wild and untamed, the endeavor clearly leaving her disheveled. Her chin is shiny with spit and some of the excess fluids that must have spilled out.

As if this is not erotic or sensual enough, her fingers come forth and tap on her coated lips and chin to capture any sticky residue that has escaped. She glances up at him from her spot on all fours before him and puts her fingertips in her mouth, savoring every drop of him. Sakura smirks mischievously up at him, putting his infamous sneers to shame.

Sasuke almost gives in, ready to act out all his shameful thoughts away.

Sakura's core still burns deliciously and Sasuke's reactions to her has made her a little wet, in need of attention again, but she does not voice anything out loud and chooses to let this moment pass. They have all the time in the world, after all. The beautiful woman sits on her knees, her palms resting flat on her thick thighs and she lets out a content sigh.

And just like that, their lust infused spell is broken, their awkwardness and shyness returning back, reverting to their usual selves.

The man seems to have a similar thought process, because he relaxes and following her lead, he sits down on the bed.

They exchange a few fleeting glances, unspoken naughty thoughts going back and forth between them; the newly made couple stays put instead.

A few minutes pass, and then Sakura is getting up. She is fully naked, but she is not ashamed anymore, flashing her gorgeous naked body to him.

"We should probably wash up," she comments as casually as possible to alleviate the awkward atmosphere. Unconsciously, the girl scratches her head and puts a few pink locks behind her ears.

In an act of bravery, Sakura adds a proposition.

"Join me?" she asks and extends her hand out.

"Aa." Sasuke nods and gets up from the bed in all his naked glory, leaving his trousers and boxers behind.

Sakura clasps their hands together and leads him to her private bathroom.

Sakura steps inside the shower stall, Sasuke following close behind and joining her, just as she opens the tap. She alters it from faucet to shower head and together they let themselves be washed by the hot steam. His lone hand grabs her by the hip, aligning her thick behind to his still semi hard length. Sakura bends over a little bit, both palms laying flat on the shower wall, probing him further to sensually rub against her. They stay like this for awhile, their aftermath of their hot desire still prominent, influencing their movements.

Sasuke leans in close and hugs her, his hand continuing its journey and draping over her tummy, bringing her adjacent to his chest in an intimate embrace. Then, he kisses her neck and closes his eyes, sighing in contentment. His black hair is fully wet, sticking to his face and obscuring the left side of it completely.

The pink haired beauty, enjoying the warmth provided by her lover, exhales in quick gasps, her lips parting – tasting the water on her tongue, quenching her imaginary thirst. Her pastel locks stick to every part of her face, the hair transforming under the influence of the humidity and turning one shade darker, a close mix of hot pink and coral.

Deciding she has had enough, and this could lead them further into an endless inferno of love and sex, Sakura grabs the nearest bottle of soap and pours some of it into her open palm. Noting the new development, Sasuke lets go of her and allows the woman in his arms to turn around. She starts to wash his hair, standing on her tip toes. To help her out, Sasuke tries to shorten his height by buckling his knees a tiny bit and minimizing the distance between them.

He inclines forward, favoring her gentle touch, her caresses soothing him. The man pulls her into his chest, his arm circling around her waist and hugging her close. Her fingers tend to his scalp, her nails scratching him and creating a pleasurable, fuzzy effect.

Finishing her task, Sakura washes the soap suds off his head with the help of the flowing water, creating bubbles in her wake.

To return the favor to herself, Sakura pours another patch of soap straight atop of her head and turns around. "My turn," she says, giddy.

"Sure, darling." Sasuke says ironically to tease her, smirking lazily. Not counting the implications of such endearment, they both brush it off as a joke for the time being.

He stars to tend to her locks, coursing his fingers through her hair and smothering the soap everywhere, washing her up. Sakura stays still, humming in appreciation at the gentle touch of her menacing warrior, marveling at the fact he is becoming this soft with her.

When his hand descends lower and starts massaging her nape, Sakura lets out a whimper, feeling her knots loosen under his skillful fondling; the stress leaves out of her in a whoosh.

Sakura relaxes under his ministrations, not minding him caressing her body, from her shoulder blades down to her backside. Stopping just above her perky butt, Sasuke halts abruptly, not wanting to be tempted to do more. Paying attention to his struggle, the woman turns around and gives him a chaste peck on the lips.

After that small show of affection, the beauty does not waste anymore time and pours soap all over his body in a rush. He grimaces instantly at the sudden assault, but she does not relent, giggling heartily at his reaction. With the steam volume lowered, she gets her chance to wash his body clean, helping him out and lending a hand wherever it deems necessary.

Busy as he is, Sakura begins her own cleaning process. Using her hands quickly, she gives herself a throughout bath, paying extra attention to her nether regions. Always preppy and careful, Sasuke makes a good use of his lone hand and he washes up nicely, leaving no spot unattended.

They both finish around the same time, and Sakura adjusts the temperature and flow to fit their needs. Splashes of hot water come out strongly, rinsing their foamy bodies fully.

With that out of the way, Sakura grabs the nearest towels she can find; one for her and one for her lover. She lends it to Sasuke who steps out of the stall, giving her more space. The material feels fluffy as she brushes the towel against her body, wiping any excess water.

Sasuke swipes his black locks behind, the purple of his rinnegan glimmering in the low dimmed lights of the bathroom. The mirror is foggy from humidity so his reflection is blurry, a haze of skin in contrast to his glowing eye and dark hair. Sakura's pink halo comes to view, the rose to his black abyss; the contradiction of their permanent colors a poem of its own.

He uses the towel she gave him to wipe away most of the wetness on his skin, tapping gently everywhere. Meanwhile, Sakura struggles to squeeze all the water out of her hair, the towel moving along her scalp to make her strands as dry as possible. Sasuke follows her steps and uses his own towel to dampen his locks just enough so it is not dripping on his shoulders anymore.

After that, they both take a few minutes of their time to finish some extra bathroom businesses respectively and they exit the room. Clean and fresh, the couple lies on the bed; the fact that Sasuke has his own separate room across the hall left unsaid.

Sakura turns to her side to look at him, her body slightly curling to adjust to her favorite sleeping position. Sasuke lies on his stomach, his head turned to his left, staring at her silently. It feels quite domestic like this, Sakura almost muses out loud.

"Good night, Sasuke-kun," she says sweetly, a toothy grin on her face.

She is happy, Sasuke thinks. He blinks slowly, savoring every second he is looking at her.

"Goodnight," the man responds, a tiny smile gracing his lips.

His eyes speak way more volumes than his words are. The night may be small, but their love is forever. Both content, they let the need to sleep overtake them.

Knock, knock, knock.

What an awful background noise for the nice dream she is having; Sakura stirs in her sleep, her brows furrowing as she tries to hang on to the sleepless state. The imaginary images stop and her mind draws a blank.

She feels a little drool on her lips and her hand unconsciously wipes it away.

Sakura-chan!

Ah, yes, Naruto of course, Sakura thinks, exasperated.

Then, the weirdest thing happens. The woman hears mumbling next to her, more specifically grumbling. This person must be quite grumpy in the morning, because next thing she knows, someone curses.

"Oh my god, I can't believe this!" The blond is desperate, his fist banging against the wooden door loudly.

"Wake up Sakura-chan!" Naruto bellows, frustration clear in his voice, "That bastard, Sasuke, had the audacity to leave before us!"

This piques Sakura's interest, because she clearly recalls being the last one to see Sasuke last night. Just when she was enjoying her sleep, her overly excited friend had to come and remind her about her problem.

But wait a minute…

The culprit came to her room last night.

"Shut up," a male voice mumbles hoarsely, the grouchy tone awfully familiar.

Sakura's eyes widen instantly and the sight that greets her makes her breath hitch.

Sasuke is on his back, his lone arm resting on top of his eyes, trying to prevent the sunlight from peeking through his closed eyelids. His chest is rising up and down, the blanket barely covering his naked torso.

"Open up, already, Sakura, don't keep me waiting!" The blue eyed man shouts desperately. He is ready to barge into Kakashi's room if his friend does not show signs of waking up anytime soon. Sasuke has obviously left the building since his room is empty, no sign of him found anywhere when the blond barged into his room.

His options are limited here, and he thought since Sakura usually wakes up early, she would be the one to keep him company until they meet up with Kakashi.

Sakura is about to have a quarter life crisis here. She cannot believe she woke up to this. First, she felt annoyed at being woken up so abruptly, and now, as she stares at Sasuke's good looking side profile, she feels like someone is trying to torture her.

Then, in flash, her memory floods back and Sakura remembers exactly what went down last night. More specifically, how Sasuke went down on her.

Her loins burn and her core aches in a gratifying sense.

"Oh my god," Sakura whispers, trying to keep her voice down. In any other circumstances, she would be shouting. The woman puts her palms upon her heated cheeks, gaping at her lover who seems to be clueless as to what is going on.

"Okay fine," Naruto announces dejectedly, his voice a tad lower this time. With one last look at the door, the young man finally leaves.

Sakura lets out a breath she did not realize she was holding in. Sasuke seems to be wide awake, although his attitude leaves no room for discussion. He is still quite sleepy, and Naruto's wake up call was not the best to start the day with.

"Finally," The man besides her mutters. Sakura pokes his arm, curious to see his reaction to their predicament.

He looks at her from the corner of his eye, processing everything in. When his stare softens, Sakura greets him breathlessly. "Good morning, Sasuke-kun."

She gazes at him lovingly, remembering how his words left searing marks on her heart, how his lips felt against her skin, making her his.

"Morning," he mumbles and turns to his side, bringing her lithe form close in an intimate hug. Sakura fits herself into his embrace instantly when she realizes what his intentions are.

The couple snuggles silently for a while, their soft exhalations the only sound in the room. The birds are lightly chirping outside, creating a nice cicada in the quiet morning.

"The idiot can be quite a hassle in the morning," Sasuke murmurs suddenly as if commenting about the weather.

He pulls her closer, basking in her scent. His gentle touch, a huge contrast to his past self who was selfish and harsh. She is making him kind again, bringing forth the child like innocence he used to have. The man sighs against her, his heartbeat calm and his mind clear from any insidious thoughts.

The only thing important in his life is in front of him, right in his arms.

Sakura laughs, a beautiful sound and it rings inside him like a bell signaling happiness.

"Yes, always," Sakura responds, a teasing smile on her lips. "But he is our idiot and I wouldn't trade him for the world."

"Sure," Sasuke sneers, mirth somewhere hidden in there.

"Should we..?" Sakura suddenly asks, the implications clear. She gazes up at him seriously, awaiting for his opinion, making sure he is comfortable with all this.

"Let them figure it out on their own," Sasuke says, his eyes sincere. "Besides it will be funnier that way," the black haired man smirks, enjoying immensely the possibility of Kakashi and especially Naruto struggling.

"Hm, fine," Sakura smiles, her eyes glinting evilly. He is becoming a bad influence to her, but she will not lie and pretend that she will not be enjoying torturing those two – their funny comments about her beloved Sasuke-kun had teased her far enough.

Having decided that, the couple gets up and starts preparing for their day. Sasuke collects last night's clothes and wears them again. He bids Sakura a soft kiss goodbye on the forehead and heads to his room to finish up getting ready. Sakura blushes and stares at this retreating back fondly, a huge grin forming on her lips.

When he is out of the room, Sakura punches the bed in excitement, letting out a muffled cry, "Shannaro!".

Half an hour later, all members of Team seven meet up at the hotel lobby. Naruto's reaction is instant, proclaiming how he is going punch Sasuke's lights out for disappearing. The man explains, cool and collected, how it was none of the blond's business where he went. This arises some suspicions and some raised eyebrows as to where Sasuke could have went.

Sakura is trying to be subtle, really, but she is having too much fun. She giggles every now and then, throwing fleeting glances at her lover who is avoiding answering any questions about his whereabouts, probing the curious men even further to try and understand what could have possibly went down between the full of tension – not yet or so they thought – couple.

"I am going to find out what what is going on here and when I do, I will never let you guys leave it down," Naruto swears – an oath he is bound to regret really, really soon...

[edwardslostalchemy]

Hey😊, just wondering but do you know some good tododeku fics? Like, any personal favourites? From the stuff you post and reblog your taste seems to be close to mine so I thought I'd ask. Btw kudos again on the anti Bakugou thing, it's so nice seeing posts against him on my dash😍

Hello!!! I am sorry I took so long to answer this, but I came to deliver the goods. alfkajfalk Hopefully, these are to your liking since we have similar tastes like you mentioned. Also I’m really glad you’re enjoying the posts!!! I love criticizing his character. He’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I will only recommend fics that are T rated and under just because I don’t...feel comfortable sharing M rated fics. I have minors following me and I don’t want to share those things...(dm me if you want recs like that, but they’re adult tododeku, no under age stuff). 

A Plague On Both Your Houses by laquearia (honestly, anything by laq is really good)

sore must be the storm by Pouler (poulerslashes) (THIS ONE IS REALLY GOOD. Pro Hero tododeku and it’s oof suspenseful. Get ready. 10k words of good shit. Pouler also has more pro hero tododeku and a crumb of me actually is probably the fic that inspired Walk the Wire the most even though I read it after I started writing the fic and outlining the story. It’s rated M, though.)

Things Would be Ok by marzip (very soft, cute tododeku by @brightismarstonight !!!)

waterlogged (red blue, green) by lein (soulmates au, it’s so cute!!) 

Hello by imsocreative  (another soulmates au) 

put our heads together by alphonse (5 + 1 fic, real cute)

Capturing Our Love by Wolfkeeper989 is a 6 part fic series that is about Shouto and Izuku having like an instagram and Izuku takes pictures of Shouto and the page becomes really popular. Super cute!

Burn and Breathe by PitViperOfDoom (anything by @pitviperofdoom is REALLY good, so I recommend anything by Pit.)

Witness by PitViperOfDoom (this is not tododeku, it is like...friendship between them, but also Shouto is Izuku’s bodyguard. Regardless of no romantic relationship between the two, this is perhaps my favorite fic because it has like everything I love....an investigation in which Shouto is being the outstanding hero he is meant to be, Shouto as a pro hero, fights between Shouto and villains, Izuku being a fanboy ajflakfaj it’s one of my inspirations for Walk the Wire!!) 

Oh, Calamity! by All_time_low3st (this is by @protect-baby-shouto. It was the very first bnha fic I read and it was like the gateway fic for me into the fandom, so it made me into the hardcore fan I am today YEAH. It’s ongoing and it’s really good!!! 2nd year sports festival with a lot of drama and also dadzawa to boot? BRUH IT’S REALLY GOOD.) 

Success is Counted Sweetest by laquearia (Shouto has a crush on Izuku who hit his growth spurt aflakfjal RIP SHOUTO.) 

It All Started With You by dragonroses (This has an argument between Shouto and endeav*r and it has one of my favorite lines...ever...possibly.)

forever yours, shouto by Mellisah for spacemash (Shouto writes love letters to his fake fiance who turns out to be a real person aflakfja)

for you, anything by unreemarkable (THIS IS ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES AND REE IS ONE OF MY FAVE AUTHORS. THEY HAVE WONDERFUL FICS, PLEASE GO READ THEM.)

hey, did you know? by unreemarkable (part 2 of for you, anything alfkajfkla)

Green-Eyed Jealousy by CrzA (they have really good fics and like 2 or 3 fic collections of just tododeku fics alfkajfl)

Symbol of Love by Indrel (this is by @lovetododeku alfkajfalk it has visually impared Shouto and Izuku alfakjf 1!!!)

We Can Brave Through by marzip (this is also by @brightismarstonight and it’s SUPER CUTE. alkfjalf)

if my heart is a rose (then you are the water) by monoluna (Izuku leaves flowers for his classmates)

i fall to pieces (when i’m with you) by headrush  (pro hero tododeku and izuku comes in and they share an apartment....really good shit, I’m so into it)

hands, hearts, hurts by unreemarkable (I said I love Ree’s stuff YEAH. Shouto doesn’t hold Izuku’s hand for a reason.)

best of men by TMOTC (pro hero married couple tododeku oof that’s the good shit I am STARVING for)

demolition lovers: beginnings by TMOTC for kagsmilkbox (THIS IS ALSO ONE OF MY FAVORITE FICS. It has also greatly inspired Walk the Wire due to the social media aspect of it. It’s SO good!)

Heart Problems at your Nearest Teenage Breakdown by InsominiacArrest  (in a heart beat au in which Shouto is the pining mess alfkaf)

pls respond by Esselle (just....just read it, it’s so cute)

Hero Critiques and Heart Eyes by marzip (by @brightismarstonight aflkajfla Shouto is a good rival)

play ball by Lizxcliff (I never knew I needed a baseball tododeku au, but I really want it now)

Checks and Balances by indirectkissesiniceland (I NEVER KNEW I NEEDED A HOCKEY X CHEERLEADER TODODEKU AU BUT IT’S HERE AND IT’S REALLY REALLY CUTE READ THIS ONE, IT’S ONE OF MY FAVES. IT MAKES ME INCREDIBLY HAPPY AND I KNOW IT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY TOO)

You’re a kind person. by sobakasuai (another soulmate au but it gives us that canon feel and yeah really good)

Warm Milk by ReddRox (by @red-white-n-daddyissues GAH this is super cute alkjafla)

A Question Panel To Remember by SerlinaBlack (Shouto and k*tsuki are in a hero panel and a fan who is trying to enjoy the show is uhh sitting right next to two guys....you’ll see what I mean when you read it. I love these kinds of fics)

i wanna hold you like you're mine by ClementineKitten (another 5 + 1 kind of fic and it’s so cute, Izuku falls asleep on Shouto alkfajfl rip his weak heart)

It’s a Biological Phenomenon and

It’s a Biological Process by darksscience (tododeku college au in which they take a cell biology class together aflkafj 1st one is Shouto pov, 2nd is Izuku pov)

V.I.P. by Esselle for NoWarningSignNoAlibi (Shouto is a Pro hero dating Izuku, a college student and they’re at a hero con and ahhh it’s really good)

Royal by Trenchcoatkitten (this one not only sent Izuku on a trip, but it also sent me along with him and oof it’s really good, really really good)

I don’t mean to self-promo, but I will self-promo. I’m writing 

We'll Take What Comes (a small collection of stories about tododeku just pining) and 

Walk the Wire (an idea that’s too big for my head, but I’m writing, I promise. Izuku disappears and Shouto and co. are investigating and trying to bring him back. Pro Hero married couple tododeku, visually impaired Shouto, platonic shouchako, lots of other things/tropes that I absolutely love...yeah...still editing chapter 2, but we’re getting there!)

 I hope these are to your liking! If you wish to see more, I have bookmarks on my AO3!!

[hobeymakar]

Unapologetically | C. Makar Part 1

Chapter word count: 3,526

A/N: Title from the song Unapologetically by Kelsea Ballerini. This is my first chaptered fic in a long time and my first written on here, so please be kind. This fic is based off a set of very vivid reoccurring dreams I’ve had over the last couple of months that involve Cale and like the true psycho I am, I wrote the big things that happened in those dreams down. Then I decided recently to just turn it to a fic, so this is pretty self-indulgent. Is it possibly narcissistic of me to write a fic about me? Maybe, but I’m gonna write it anyway. This first chapter is gonna be a lil boring and weird because it has a lot of time skips but Chapter 2 will be much more exciting and way better

Shoutouts: @pizzasloot and @hockey-and-wine for being my biggest cheerleaders for writing for this fic in the gc and also shoutout to @grenawitka​ for always keeping the gc lit. I love you girls!

Warnings: explicit language, alcohol use

-

Tatyana “Taty” Marie Ventura or “Ace” as she is now being known as, never thought that when she started a podcast in the comfort of her Rhode Island home, that she would kind of blow up. Taty started the Ace of Hockey podcast because she wanted a career in hockey media and wanted to do it her way, being unapologetically herself. She started the podcast and started messaging hockey players and other athletes in hopes that they would come onto the podcast to talk about diversity and inclusion in the sport.

That’s how she finds herself on an early October evening receiving a message from Cale Makar on how he’s a fan of the podcast. She internally screams because she never thought an actual hockey player would listen to the podcast. She assumed only hockey fans would listen to the podcast and that it would never reach the notoriety of other hockey podcasts.

From: calemakar_

Hey, just wanted to say that I’m a big fan of your podcast. Buddy of mine showed it to me and I think it’s fantastic. It’s helping me learn how to be a better ally

To: calemakar_

Thank you so much, that means a lot honestly!

From: calemakar_

You’re welcome. I’ve been showing it to the team and they think it’s great for them to learn how to be better allies

To: calemakar_

Wow, that means so much! I just want people to know that hockey is great but it would be so much better if it became inclusive to everyone regardless of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, etc. I just want hockey to really be for everyone

From: calemakar_

That's what we all want. We don't want anyone to feel like they can't play or enjoy hockey because of who they are

She doesn't know how to keep the conversation because she's awkward and just lets the dm sit there. She turns her attention to the latest hockey news and figuring out who's gonna be her next guest for the podcast.

A few hours later, she sees a follow request on her personal IG account and not the podcast account. She sees it's from Cale and is confused on why he would want to follow her personal account. She barely posts stuff about the podcast on there and uses it more to keep up with family with the occasional posts promoting the podcast and the guests. She accepts the request and doesn't think anything of it.

A few days later, she notices that he's been liking her posts and viewing her stories. He's been seeing her interact with family and friends and she still doesn't understand why he cares enough to keep up with her personal account. It starts becoming weird when he adds her on snapchat.

She sends him a dm on instagram to make sure it's actually him and not someone pretending to be him.

To: calemakar_

This might sound totally weird but did you just add me on snapchat?

From: calemakar_

Yeah I'm sorry. Josty thought it would be funny to hijack my phone and add you

To: calemakar_

No need to apologize, I just wanted to make sure it was actually you and not someone trying to be you to catfish girls

From: calemakar_

Yeah no, definitely my account

She accepts him as a friend on Snapchat and sends him a message.

To: Cale Makar

Hope it's okay I added you back

From: Cale Makar

Yeah, that's cool. You didn't have to tho. Don't want you to feel like you had to

To: Cale Makar

Trust me I added you back because I wanted to. I don't just accept anybody

She hits send before she can even think twice about it but then she reads it back and wants the ground to swallow her whole. She panics as she watches the delivered turn into a read and the little bubbles show up saying he's typing. It feels like forever before Cale sends a response back.

From: Cale Makar

Well I'm glad you didn't add me back out of pity

She doesn't know how to respond to that right away so she opens up other messages and posts updates on her work on her story. She goes back to the messages and starts typing a response, not wanting to leave him on read forever.

To: Cale Makar

Why would anybody do that?

She exits out of it and hopes that her attempts at extending a conversation aren't met with disappointment.

From: Cale Makar

I admit you got me there

To: Cale Makar

I get people to say that a lot

From: Cale Makar

Never picked you as the type to brag

To: Cale Makar

There's a lot of layers to me and a lot of things you don't know about me

From: Cale Makar

Well I hope I get to know more about you

She blinks multiple times not knowing if the message was actually real. After blinking several times, she realizes the message was real and she lets out a squeal. Is he actually flirting with her? She pinches herself because she must be dreaming. There's no way her favorite hockey player and crush is flirting with her. Shit like that doesn't happen to her! She has zero game and has been on a grand total of zero dates in her life. She has had zero boyfriends and girlfriends in her life, so this is something brand new for her.

Maybe she's reading it wrong? Maybe he's just being polite and isn't actually flirting. She decides it's better not to stress it and just go with the flow. 

That's how she approaches the next couple of weeks with her pumping out content for her podcast, working her actual day job, and working on her social media game for the podcast. She also dms tons of people she sees as potential guests on the podcast. 

Her conversations with Cale become more frequent as she eventually finds herself sending him snaps daily. He actually feels comfortable enough to comment on her posts on her personal IG page now and she honestly doesn't know how this is all even real.

Like before she's not stressing it and is going with the flow. However, on the day of Cale's 22nd birthday, she gets hit with a message that causes her to freak out a little.

From: Cale Makar

Hey, is it cool if I got your number? It's much easier if I can just text you. I like you and want to keep getting to know you more

She hyperventilates because she has never had another human being shoe this much interest in her, her whole life. She pinches herself to make sure it's real and it really is real. Cale Makar actually asked for her number. She doesn't know if she should be jumping for joy or preparing for something to go wrong. This is completely uncharted waters for her and she doesn't know if she should go with her heart or her mind. Her mind is telling her not to do it, but her heart is telling her to do it. After a minute, she decides to go with her heart.

To: Cale Makar

Yeah, that's totally cool! (xxx-xxx-xxxx)

She sees a text from an unknown number a minute later pop up on her phone

From: xxx-xxx-xxxx

Hey, it's Cale

She saves the number under the name "Cale 🥰" and types out a response

To: Cale 🥰

Hey, happy birthday btw! Hope you're having fun!

From: Cale 🥰

Thank you I'm in Calgary rn with my family

To: Cale 🥰

Glad you're having fun with them

From: Cale 🥰

Thank you it's good to be back home

To: Cale 🥰

I can imagine! I'll let you get back to your family

She focuses on getting ready for Halloween, which also happens to be her sister's birthday. Her sister is turning 21 this year and she wants to make the most of it, even in the midst of a pandemic. They plan on going to Salem, Massachusetts with family and throwing a little party at a cousin's house in Brookline, Massachusetts. She sees Cale post pictures and videos on his Snapchat story of him and his family celebrating his birthday. She sees all his teammates wishing him a happy birthday on Instagram and Twitter.

As she’s getting ready to go to bed that night, she gets a video call from Cale.

“Hello?” she asks, not knowing why he would be calling her.

“Ace!” he shouts, causing her to cringe slightly.

“How’s your birthday going?” she asks.

“Great! I’m with my brother and some buddies from back home! We got a bonfire going on right now!” he explains, showing off the fire and his brother and friends.

She wants the ground to swallow her whole because she looks absolutely disgusting with her hair tied up in a bun, and old URI sweatpants and an URI sweatshirt on. She has no makeup on and she’s pretty sure she has some acne on her face.

“Hey Ace! I’m Taylor, Cale’s brother!” Taylor shouts in excitement.

She can clearly tell that he’s buzzed, as well as Cale.

“Hey Taylor,” she smiles, waving at him politely.

His buddies also introduce themselves and she can tell that they’re also slightly buzzed. A part of her hopes that they aren’t driving and are gonna make it back home safely whether tonight or the following day.

“You should come!” one of his friends suggests.

“I’d love to but I live in America and the border is still closed,” she replies, feeling slightly awkward.

“It’s a shame! I know Cale really misses his girl right now!” another friend chimes in, causing her to almost choke on her wine.

“I’m not his-”

“He won’t stop talking about you! He’s got it bad for you!” another friend adds, causing her to blush even more.

If the ground would swallow her up right now, that would be amazing because she can't believe the shit that she’s hearing right now. She doesn’t know if it’s the alcohol that has his friends saying that but a part of her wishes it’s true. God, a part of her wants him to want her because she definitely likes him. She likes everything about him but she’s too much of a loser to put herself out there more. So she just lets him do all the talking and flirting because once again, she has no game.

“Shut up Taylor!” Cale cries out, shoving his brother lightly.

“Well you seem to be having a fun time with your friends,” she says, not wanting to bring up anything that was said about his feelings for her. 

“It would be better if you were here,” he adds, his voice dropping slightly in volume.

“Yeah, well maybe we’ll meet one day,” she adds, not wanting to sound desperate to meet him or anything.

“When I get back to the States, I’ll make that a reality,” he replies, sounding sincere for being slightly intoxicated.

She’s reminded of the saying that drunken words are sober thoughts and gets a warm feeling in her stomach.

“Well I’ll let you keep having fun, birthday boy. I’ll talk to you later,” she smiles.

“Bye Ace,” he smiles back, before ending the call.

She immediately refills her glass of wine because she’s definitely too sober to be thinking about all the feelings Cale manages to give her every time they talk. She eventually falls asleep and if she dreamed about being in Calgary with Cale, she’ll blame it on the alcohol fucking with her dreams.

The next day is a busy one for Taty as she celebrates her sister’s 21st birthday in the best way she can while in the middle of a pandemic. They go to Salem, Massachusetts and have a blast doing many Halloween-related activities and then once it gets late, they head down to their cousin’s place in Brookline, Massachusetts to watch Halloween movies and to have a good time. Her sister decides to get drunk and Taty posts all their adventures on her Snapchat and her Instagram. She also sees that Cale has been posting his Halloween adventures on Snapchat, which aren’t as exciting this year because there’s no Avs Halloween party this year due to it still being the offseason and not everyone on the team is in Denver at the moment.

The next few weeks go by for Taty and it eventually gets to the point that she’s video chatting with Cale every day. They sometimes will stay up until late at night just talking and getting to know each other. Every day she’s becoming more comfortable and it’s on the first day of training camp, where she decides she’s finally gonna grow a pair and let him know how she feels.

He calls her after a long day at training camp and she actually has the time to talk to him as she isn’t working on anything for the podcast or her day job. 

“How was camp?” she asks him, as she locks herself in her room.

The last thing she needs is for her nosy ass sisters to eavesdrop on her conversations with Cale.

“It was tiring but fun. It was great to be out there with the guys again, even though everything is so weird with the virus going on,” he explains.

“Oh I bet, I can’t imagine all the testing and the extra precautions you guys have to take. The whole season is gonna be super weird huh,” she replies.

“Yeah, weird is a bit of an understatement,” he chuckles lightly.

“I really like you,” she blurts out, then immediately wishes the ground would swallow her whole.

She buries her face in her hands and contemplates ending the call to save herself from further embarrassment.

“Oh thank god! I was starting to think you didn’t really feel the same,” he admits, biting his lip.

“No I definitely like you. It’s just I’m new to this. I’ve never dated before or anything. I’m kind of a giant loser if you haven’t already caught on,” she admits, almost rambling at the end.

“Yeah no, you’re not a loser! You’re the coolest, most fun girl I’ve ever talked to and I just want to keep getting to know you because I really like you,” he assures her.

"So are we putting a label on this? Are we dating?" she asks.

"I guess you can say we're long distance dating," he chuckles lightly.

"I did know our video chats were considered dates," she teases.

"I was seeing them as dates and I want our future ones to be considered dates," he confesses.

"Alright so set up our next date," you tease.

"I know you're recording for the podcast tomorrow so what about Wednesday?" he asks.

"I'm off work Wednesday so that would be perfect. What time works for you?" she asks him.

"8pm my time," he answers.

"Yeah that works for me," she smiles.

"So it's a date?" he asks.

"Yeah it's a date," she smiles, getting a warm feeling in her stomach.

She tells him about some funny stories involving her family and he tells her some funny stories from training camp. They chat for hours and before she knows it, it's past midnight and she has to go to work in the morning. 

“I need to go to bed. I have work in the morning. Goodnight Cale,” she yawns, waving at him

“Goodnight love,” he waves back, ending the call. 

If she cheeses a little at the fact he called her love, no one is around to see it. 

December goes by pretty quickly and she feels bad that her calls with Cale become less frequent. December is the busiest month at work because everyone is doing Christmas shopping (being a store manager is hard work) and she finds herself working double the amount of hours she worked before the holiday season. Add doing the podcast three times a week and she’s absolutely gassed. Luckily, Cale doesn’t hold it against her because he starts getting more busy with preseason starting and his parents coming down for the holidays. Taylor is currently in the middle of his final season in the AJHL so he can’t make the trip down to Denver for the holidays. They text each other every day throughout the month however, and she manages to call him on Christmas and on New Year’s Eve, asking him if he’s excited for the new season to start on the 2nd.

2021 starts off worse than 2020 started because of the pandemic but Taty manages to make the best of it. She watches the Winter Classic while on video call with Cale. Luckily, the Avalanche start their season off at home again this year. The following day, she finds herself rushing home from work to be able to catch the Avs first game of the season against the Wild. She makes it home and takes a quick shower before changing into her Cale jersey and joggers. She quickly eats dinner before going into her room. She puts the game on and makes it just in time for the players to come out to the ice. She watches the game and manages to text Cale throughout the game knowing that he won’t see the string of texts until after the game. He finishes the game with one assist and 2 hits, as the Avs win 4-2 to start off the new season on a high note.

As she’s getting ready for bed, she gets a call from Cale.

“Hey, great game,” she smiles, trying not to show how tired she is.

“Oh shit, I just realized how late it is over there,” he sighs, not wanting to keep her up.

“It’s okay. I always stay up past my bedtime to talk to you,” she teases.

“How was work?” he asks.

“Annoying. We’re winding down from the holiday season but we still got a lot of people shopping and returning stuff,” she explains.

“I don’t know how you do it honestly, being so young and running a store, I mean,” he explains.

“Yeah well luckily I’m only an assistant manager,” she replies.

“Still pretty incredible what you do,” he assures her.

“Says the NHL superstar,” she scoffs.

“Hey, I’m not a superstar at all! I’m just another player like everybody else trying to be the best at my position,” he explains.

“Why do you have to be so humble all the time?” she teases.

“It’s just who I am,” he shrugs.

“And I love you for it but like just admit you’re a superstar,” she replies.

“Fine, I’m a superstar. Happy now?” he teases.

“The happiest. When are your parents going back to Calgary?” she asks, switching the subject.

“Tomorrow,” he answers.

“I’m glad you got to have them with you for the holidays, though,” she adds.

“Yeah, it was great seeing them again. I just wish Taylor could’ve been here,” he replies.

“Yeah well you’ll see him once his season ends and on the bright side, he’ll be at UMass next season,” she adds.

“Yeah I just miss him. I always go home for Christmas and this year I couldn’t,” he explains.

“Yeah I can’t imagine what that’s like but it will get better,” she assures him.

“Yeah I know it will,” he nods.

“I wish I could be there to make you feel better,” she sighs.

“Yeah, well we’ll see each other next month,” he smiles, a hopeful tone in his voice.

“February 5th can’t come fast enough. I’m gonna blow you away with the best interview you’ve ever done,” she teases, referring to her interviewing him for the podcast.

“I guess we’ll have to see about that,” he teases back.

“You wound me, Makar!” she fake gasps.

“I’ll make it up to you with a killer real first date,” he smiles.

“I’ll hold you to that. I expect to be really wooed,” she teases.

“It’s gonna be the best date you’ve ever been on,” he almost guarantees.

“It’s gonna be the first date I’ve ever been on,” she informs him.

“I know. That’s why it’s gonna be the best you’ve ever been on,” he jokes, causing her to roll her eyes.

“You’re so funny, Makar,” she deadpans.

“Stop acting like I don’t make you laugh all the time, Ventura,” he teases.

“What happened to humble Cale? I like him better than this smug one I got here,” she teases back.

“Stop acting like you don’t like it,” he replies.

“Yeah, I like every side to you,” she admits.

“Well that’s good because I like every side of you,” he smiles.

She feels her cheeks heat up and that warm fuzzy feeling return to her stomach. Is this what falling in love feels like? She’s never felt this way before and god, she hopes the feeling never fades because it’s amazing. No wonder people love falling in love so much, it’s magical and she hopes she doesn’t fuck it up. She just counts down the days until February 5th praying to god that nothing goes wrong once they finally meet.