#but he trusted mom’s judgment way too much

[delicatefury]

I got two late Christmas gifts today.

My brother got me a new fidget ring (which I was expecting). It’s very pretty, but has a tendency to stick. I didn’t say anything, he took it and tried it as well and realized it doesn’t move very well.

I actually got two rings, but when I tried on the second, he looked at it for a second, looked it up on his phone, and realized he bought a men’s ring. I like the design, but my hands are so bony that it’s really awkward between my fingers. So he asked where I got my rings and I showed him the site I like.

Turns out mom picked them out and her ability to find just slightly cheaper made versions of things is insane. Like, so close you can’t blame her, but still. The rings cannot be comfortably spun. Which makes them distractions and not fidgets. My brother’s gonna replace the men’s ring with one of the ones I showed him.

The other gift was completely unexpected. My older sister bought me a “Fellowship of the Knits” pattern book. I think my favorite part of that gift (other than the surprise) was seeing my family flip through the book, look at the pattern instructions, and just sorta be baffled that I can read and follow them. I even translated a bunch of the abbreviations for my niece.

[hoshifighting]

— jihoon + roomates to lovers — mrs. lee might think her son is focused on his books, but the truth is, jihoon’s attention is entirely on you.

— synopsis: mrs. lee is a strict, no-nonsense mother determined to keep her son, jihoon, focused on his studies. her only condition for letting him have a roommate in his dorm is that it has to be a boy—no distractions allowed. when jihoon reveals that his new roommate is you, a childhood friend she remembers as a sweet, innocent girl, mrs. lee is ultimately relieved. surely, you wouldn’t do anything inappropriate with him… right? — WC: 2.6k — WARNINGS: smut, clit stimulation, dirty talk, penetrative sex, oral (f.receiving) pervert!jihoon, mentions of another, making sex on the couch jihoon's mom bought being mentioned, them almost getting caught, jihoon's mom being strict. 

you were sitting across from mrs. lee, the woman’s gaze piercing as she stirred her tea with a delicate clink. she hadn’t changed much since the days you rang her doorbell with scouter cookies in hand—still the same sharp eyes, still the same subtle judgment wrapped in a soft smile. “you’re not going to do something like that with him, right?” she asked, her voice dripping with the kind of sweetness that left a bitter aftertaste.

you could feel jihoon shifting awkwardly beside you, his discomfort almost tangible. he hadn’t said a word since his mother had started this impromptu interrogation, and you could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his hand clenched around the arm of the chair. he was too old to be treated like this, you thought, but still too young in her eyes to make his own decisions.

“of course not, mrs. lee,” you replied, your voice as innocent as you could muster, though the irony wasn’t lost on you. you had grown up, after all. “i’m just here to help out with rent. that’s all.”

“good girl,” she murmured, taking a sip of her tea. “i knew i could trust you. you always were such a sweet little thing.”

you forced a smile, but inside, something coiled tight. it wasn’t the first time someone had underestimated you, but there was something about the way mrs. lee did it that made your skin itch. maybe it was the fact that she was right, in a way. you weren’t here just to split rent with jihoon. no, your reasons, or his reasons were far from innocent, but they were none of her business.

[...]

“you’re not going to do something like this with him, right?”

BZZZZZZTT! HAHA! DAMN WRONG.

mrs. lee’s voice was just a distant memory now, drowned out by the heat of jihoon’s mouth on yours, his grip tight on your ass as he pushed you up against the wall in the dorm hallway. the sweet, shy boy she thought she knew? long fucking gone, replaced by this guy who couldn’t even wait to get inside before pawing at you like an animal. the taste of alcohol was heavy on his breath, mixed with the remnants of the cigarette you’d both shared earlier, and the way he was devouring your mouth left no doubt about what was coming next.

if only she knew this was your routine—every time he came back from a night of drinking and smoking with you, his hands were on you before the door even closed behind him. you’d barely made it through the door last time before he had you bent over the arm of the couch—the very couch she’d picked out and bought for his dorm—fucking you so hard you were sure the neighbors had heard every slap of skin against skin.

“jihoon,” you gasped against his mouth, but the sound of his name only seemed to spur him on, his grip on your ass tightening as he ground his hips against yours. “can’t even wait, can you?”

“fuck no,” he muttered, lips trailing down to your neck, his teeth scraping over your skin in a way that made your knees weak. “need you now.”

you didn’t protest when he practically dragged you to the couch, his hands already tugging at your clothes as he pushed you down onto the cushions. the look in his eyes was wild, nothing like the shy boy mrs. lee still saw in her mind. this was a man driven by pure, unfiltered need, and you were more than willing to let him take what he wanted.

“she’d lose her mind if she knew,” you teased, voice breathless as you wriggled out of your clothes, your eyes locked on his as he yanked his shirt over his head.

“don’t care,” he growled, and the next thing you knew, he was on you. his hands were everywhere—tracing the curve of your waist, squeezing your thighs, rough fingers brushing over your nipples.

oh, you two were damn lucky that this couch couldn’t talk, because if it could, it’d be the first to spill the beans to mrs. lee. blabbing about all the times jihoon’s had you spread out on it, making you cum on his mouth like it was his favorite fucking meal. this couch had seen more than its fair share of your moans and gasps, had felt the tremors of your body when he made you melt in his pretty little mouth, and if it could, it’d give mrs. lee a full report—every dirty detail.

too bad for her, though, because this couch? it kept secrets like a vault, and tonight was just another deposit.

jihoon had your clit in his mouth, sucking on it like it his life depended on it. the way he worked his tongue made sure you couldn’t form a single coherent thought. every flick of his tongue against that sensitive nerve was so fast, so precise, it felt like he’d turned into a human vibrator, leaving your mind completely scrambled. he had you quiet, reduced to nothing but gasps and moans, and fuck, he knew exactly what he was doing.

and jihoon was downright filthy. he’d pull his tongue away just enough to show off the slick, glistening line connecting it to your clit, a blatant display of how much he was enjoying every second. the sight alone was enough to drive you wild his nasty face + his greedy mouth.

jihoon took his time eating you out, like he was conducting a symphony. every flick and swirl of his tongue was calculated to build you up, to make sure you were more than ready for when he’d finally shove his fat cock inside you. 

he made damn sure you came enough to be completely dazed, your mind a foggy mess as if every coherent thought had been wiped from your head. when he finally pulled away to grab a condom, you were left sprawled on the couch, still in the same position he’d left you in, utterly wrecked. he’d bite his lip to hold back a laugh, clearly amused by how out of it you were.

you prop up on the couch, your ass practically waving at him. he gave you a playful slap on your ass before sliding the condom on, his eyes sparkling nastily, but his mouth had a cute smile.

“good girl,” he muttered, his voice dripping with satisfaction.

you shot him a half-hearted frown, shaking your head. “don’t tell me your momma used to say the same thing?”

he chuckled, sliding in with a slow, deliberate push. “well, she might’ve. but i’m pretty sure she wasn’t talking about this.”

“yeah, i’d hope not,” you retorted, letting out a breathy moan as he filled you. “because if she was, i think we’d have a whole different family dinner conversation.”

“can’t argue with that,” he said, pressing deeper, a grin tugging at his lips. “but, you’re still my favorite good girl.”

you tightened your pussy grip around his cock, a playful warning. “yeah? well, you better remember that. you only have me.”

jihoon’s breath hitched, his eyes widening as he felt the squeeze. “a-ah! okay, okay, true, true! you’re the only one—no one else gets this much of me.”

you grinned, feeling him twitch inside you. “oh, really? because i could’ve sworn you said that to your last—”

“stop!” he interrupted, laughing between his moans. “no more exes, i swear! it’s all you, babe.”

“glad to hear it. i wouldn’t want to share my favorite toy.”

he laughed heartedly. “believe me, i wouldn’t let anyone else near it. you’ve got exclusive rights.”

“damn right i do,” you said, giving him another teasing squeeze. “now show me why i’m the only one who gets to enjoy this.”

jihoon groaned, sliding in deeper with a satisfied grunt. “you got it, babe, and this”—he thrusts just a bit harder—“is all yours.”

you felt your ego swell with his confession, knowing it might be flattery, but it was in these moments—when he was deep inside you—that you could unlock jihoon’s secrets. a well-timed squeeze or a slick suck was all it took.

“jihoonie it feels amazing… you’re making me lose my mind.”

“losing your mind, huh?” jihoon’s voice was a low, teasing purr. “do you like it when i hit that spot, make you shake like this?”

you could only whimper in response, your body trembling with each thrust. “yes, fuck… don’t stop.”

he chuckled, his hips snapping forward with intentional force. “what’s it gonna take to make you admit i’m the best? more of this? or maybe you want me to keep making you come so hard you can’t even think?”

your breath caught in your throat, escaping as a breathy gasp as you throbbed around him. you cursed under your breath, realizing that if you had known this shy guy had such a filthy side, you would’ve jumped his bones way sooner. 

just as you were about scream his name, you heard a series of knocks on the door, making both of you freeze. you glanced back over your shoulder, eyes wide with panic. jihoon’s face was a mask of concentrated silence as he put a finger to his lips, shushing you—like it wasn’t painfully obvious what was happening.

he then clasped a hand over your mouth, pulling you flush against his chest. starting to roll his hips deep and slow, your eyes rolling back. 

“don’t you dare make a sound, babe. if you want me to keep going, you better stay quiet.”

you squeezed your eyes shut, cursing the person at the door for the awful timing. all you wanted was to scream his name, let the whole building know how fucking amazing jihoon was making you feel. and he was as into it as you were, if not more.

“you’re gonna stay quiet and take every inch.”

“i want to come so bad, jihoon. i wanna scream it.” you mumbled through his hand.

jihoon’s breath turned into a desperate whine against your ear, the knocks at the door growing more insistent with each passing second.

“fuck, i swear if they don’t shut up,” he muttered, his breath hot and ragged against your ear. despite the distraction, he kept his movements steady, his cock still sliding in and out with the perfect pressure.

you shivered, clamping down on him, your body quaking with the effort to stay quiet. “jihoon, i need to come so badly,” you whispered through clenched teeth. “can’t you just…”

“shhh,” he murmured, his voice a seductive growl. his grip on you tightened, pulling you even closer, as if trying to drown out the unwanted noise.

“goddammit,” he whispered fiercely in your ear, his voice trembling with and irritation. “i can’t believe this shit. i’m gonna make you come anyway. just stay with me.”

you could only manage a muffled whimper in response, your hips still moving in sync with his. 

jihoon could feel your warm puffs of breath on his palm, your breath coming faster as you clenched the couch rest, eyes squeezed shut in desperate frustration. he kept his hand over your mouth but gently turned you to face him.

“open your eyes,” he whispered.

you slowly opened your eyes, eyebrows furrowed, silently pleading for mercy. a thick tear slid down your cheek, coming to a halt on his hand. jihoon’s gaze softened, a flicker of pity in his eyes as he felt the tight clench around him.

“i know, baby, i know,” he murmured with empathy. “i know it’s rough, but you gotta hold on for me.”

you spasmed around him, your body trembling uncontrollably. jihoon’s eyebrows furrowed in response, his own expression mirroring your pain and need. he could feel your struggle, the way you were trying so hard to hold on, and it made him ache for you even more.

“i’m so close,” you whispered, barely managing to speak through the muffling of his hand. “please, jihoon.”

“just a little more,” he whispered back, his voice strained with longing. “i’m almost there too. i need you to come for me, baby. let go and let me take care of you.”

you clenched around him with renewed strength, your body shaking with the effort. jihoon let out a low, pained groan, his hips grinding into you with a desperate rhythm.

jihoon’s eyes softened as he looked at you, his movements becoming sharper, trying to offer as much relief as he could while still keeping quiet.

“fuck, i can feel how close you are,” he continued, his voice desperate. “i’m right here with you. i won’t leave you hanging.”

he adjusted his position slightly, angling his hips to hit you just right, hoping to push you over the edge despite the interruptions. 

jihoon’s other hand, slick with his own saliva, moved to your clit. he sucked the tips of his middle and ring fingers, then placed them against the sensitive spot, making you flinch. he could feel your body reacting eagerly to his touch.

you loved it when he fingered you, no matter how he did it, and he knew it well. your eyes squeezed shut, and you arched your back, head falling against his shoulder.

as the tension built, you finally let go, your body trembling violently against his. jihoon’s face contorted in pleasure, fighting the urge to moan out loud. he bit his lip hard, stifling the sounds he loved to make, watching your fucked-out expression combined with the way you were swallowing his moans, was all it took for him to lose control.

jihoon’s jaw went slack as he felt the condom growing wetter, his cum trapped inside the rubber. the knocks on the door sounded muffled and distant, like they were underwater, barely registering through the haze of post-orgasmic bliss.

you felt his sweaty body pressed firmly against you, anchoring you in the moment. his hands, still warm and slightly trembling, roamed over your tits, giving them a gentle, affectionate squeeze. a satisfied smile spread across your face.

you whispered against his skin, “aren’t you going to answer the door?”

jihoon sighed, his breath still heavy. “it’s stopped now. probably just someone being nosy.”

just as he finished speaking, his phone buzzed loudly. he glanced at the screen and saw it was his mom calling. jihoon cursed softly under his breath and grabbed his phone.

“hey, mom. what’s up?”

“jihoon! i’ve been trying to reach you. i need to know if you’re okay. there were some noises, and i—”

“yeah, everything’s fine. just a little noise from the neighbors, you know how it is.”

“oh, okay. i was worried. you didn’t answer earlier, and i thought something might have happened.”

“nah, it’s all good. just dealing with a bit of stuff here. i’ll call you back later, okay?”

“alright, but make sure to take care of yourself. call me if you need anything.”

“will do. talk soon.” 

as you lay on the couch, you mimicked jihoon’s voice in a high-pitched, exaggerated tone. “oh, it’s just a little noise from the neighbors, mom!”

jihoon rolled his eyes, a playful grin extending across his face. he stuck his tongue out at you, waggling it just enough to make you laugh.

you raised an eyebrow, catching his teasing gesture. “oh, is that the same tongue you used on me earlier?”

jihoon’s grin enlarged. “pftt, come on. you’re not telling me you didn’t like it when i used it on you?”

you laughed, shaking your head. “keep that tongue to yourself.”

jihoon leaned in. “what, you don’t want me to give your pussy the same attention?”

you playfully smacked his arm “jihoon!”

quick fic based on friends > roomates > lovers anon request. ❤️

[primehyuck]

MOVES

aka good things take time (the happy ending version)

word count: 11.3k

i first started writing this because i’ve been listening to the song Moves by Suki Waterhouse on repeat, but it became much more than that

contents: long time best friend!haechan, slice of life, pining and yearning, chronological time jumps (mostly college and young adulthood), other members mentioned (Mark and Jeno!roommates), kissing, fluff, wet dreams, a good example of two people who seriously need to communicate, face sitting, morning sex, lots of pet names

“Do you think we’ll be friends for a long time?” Haechan’s soft voice distracts your attempt to focus on a blade of the blurry ceiling fan, unable to keep you cool despite it spinning so fast you think it might fly away.

“How do you mean?” the bed squeaks when Haechan sits up to lean over you.

“Growing up, I feel like my parents didn’t have many friends aside from each other. My mom told me that it’s because when you get older your priorities change and you realize who adds value to your life, and that’s who you decide to keep.” His eyes are glowing with sincerity, body blocking the flow of air from touching you at all “so when we’re older, and married with kids and other priorities, and we maybe live in different cities, do you think we’ll still be friends?”

You stare at him for a moment before shoving his face out of the way of the fans air stream.

“Definitely,” your confidence soothes him enough that he lays back down “if I ever muster up the creativity to come up with a reason to stop being your friend, you have to swear you’ll tell me how stupid I’m being, swear to me.” you smack his chest before he can even answer.

“I swear!” He smiles to himself, staring up at the ceiling with you, rubbing his hand over the warm spot where your hand made contact, melting into the mattress.

———

Growing up people always joked that Haechan and you would fall in love, that it was inevitable, practical even. Because, if you fall in love with your best friend you’ve already conquered one of the highest mountains - finding someone that you like, and who likes you back.

You had both seen the other in a relationship, an inevitability when you’ve been friends with someone since puberty. He’d cheered you on when you had your first kiss during a game of spin the bottle in high school, forced you to come out on double dates with him and a friend of his you didn’t even like just so he could take someone else out, and freshman year of college he’d even introduced you to the person you'd lost your virginity to.

The only time he cockblocked you was when you tried to get to know any of his friends more than platonically, so eventually you gave up and settled for real friendship with all of them.

“Trust me, you don’t want to touch him with a six foot pole.” He’d said freshman year when you had mentioned your attraction to his roommate, Mark.

“He seems so nice, though.” you pouted

“He is nice, but that doesn’t mean you want to be with him.”

“How would you know what I want?” you scoffed, and he looked at you like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Has the wind beneath my wings ever led you into the wrong arms?” He was highly animated, offended that you would question his judgment.

By the start of sophomore year it was obvious to everyone else that you were strictly off limits. All of his friends had decided unanimously that even if you did attempt anything with them they had no choice but to shut you down. The cold stare Haechan unknowingly serves them from across the room whenever they got too close was enough to keep them away. None of the boys ever minded the boundaries with you, there always was an ease in your friendship since they all knew it could never go further, but that didn’t mean they never thought about the possibility.

One night, at the end of junior year, Haechan is nowhere to be found at his own party and you graciously accept Jeno’s invitation upstairs when you complain of a headache, “we can play Mario Kart, and it won’t be all competitive like when Haechan plays with us.”

It starts like normal, and you're having fun when you realize that your tipsy brain can’t focus on the screen and the conversation simultaneously, opting for the latter as you relax into Jeno’s pillows. You don’t even notice him inching closer to you until his nose touches yours, tugging at a strand of your hair. This is the first time any of Haechan’s friends have shown interest in you, you’d never even been on the receiving end of a flirtatious stare from across the beer pong table, so you take the reins.

Kissing Jeno feels a little bit like winning, like you’ve finally made it past the invisible forcefield Haechan had put up around his friends. The kiss is lazy and hot, Jeno props himself up on one elbow and presses your back into the mattress with his chest. Your eager fingers run beneath his shirt, his abs tightening when you trail them over his sides. Your spine tingles when he groans into your mouth, the hand on your cheek moving to grip your knee and hike your leg over his hip. His hand holds strong around your thigh, and you sigh when he grinds into you.

Jeno pulls away too soon, stopping your hands reaching for the hem of his shirt with a pained sigh as he drops your leg to roll onto his back, flinging an arm over his eyes.

“Fuck, I should not be doing this with you.”

“Why, you don’t want to?” You want to curl into yourself, sitting up to stare down at his shaking head.

“No, definitely not that.” he pulls his arm away to meet your eyes, the alcohol in his veins making him brave enough to admit “Haechan would be pissed.”

“Haechan?” you question “did he say something to you?” Jeno groans, sitting up and hooking his elbows around his knees, staring at the mattress between his legs.

“No, no. He’s never actually said anything,” he knows he’s revealing too much, but he also knows he’s gone too far to stop “we just know he would never want us to cross that line with you.”

“We?” you can feel embarrassment bubbling in your chest at the idea of all of your friends talking about this.

“Yeah, you know, all the guys. We figured you were just off limits, I don’t know.” he grimaces, looking up at you with apologetic eyes when you don’t respond. You huff and climb off the bed, feeling rejected in more ways than one.

You’d crossed a boundary tonight, but Jeno was still a close friend, someone you’d spent a lot of time with since he met Haechan freshman year. He still knows you, so he grabs your wrist before you can leave, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed so he can stand you between his legs.

“I’m sorry, don’t be mad.” He envelops your hands in his and brings them to his chest.

“I’m not mad,” you mumble, avoiding his apologetic gaze “I’m embarrassed that all of my friends agreed not to touch me.”

“Did you really think not a single one of us was ever interested in you?” you shrug and he squeezes your hands tighter, heart tugging in his chest.

“When people don’t act interested, that’s usually a safe assumption.” you pout and Jeno’s laugh buzzes through your linked fingers "I gave up on all of you halfway through freshman year."

“Well, some of us are better actors than I remember.”

He has you laughing by the time you leave his room, sealing the night with one more self indulgent kiss and a pinky swear to never tell Haechan about what happened.

———

Halfway through the first semester of senior year Haechan bangs angrily on his roommates door before swinging it open and Jeno is genuinely shocked that it's taken this long for the gossip to hit his ears. The rest of the boys had clocked Jeno the next morning for being ‘too happy’ and he had to make them all swear not to tell, wanting to protect your pride and his own friendship with Haechan.

"You slut!" Haechan points an accusatory finger in Jeno's direction, dragging his feet slowly toward him until he's so close Jeno has to bat his hand out of his face.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about." Haechan's voice is low and angry, something new and unpleasant sparking in his gut at the idea of Jeno kissing you, touching you.

"No, I don't." Jeno can’t help but antagonize. Pleased with the perfect opportunity to trick Haechan into saying out loud what everyone else seems to have known for years.

"You kissed my best friend!" He shrieks, tossing his hands up in the air dramatically.

"So what, she's not allowed to kiss people?" Haechan squints his eyes at Jeno’s response, scrunching his nose in annoyance “how did you even find out?”

"She can kiss whoever she wants, it's all of you that aren't allowed to kiss her." Haechan waves his hand wildly toward the bedroom door, alluding to the large group of boys living in the house “you know Mark can’t keep a secret, he’s been bursting at the seams for months. All I had to do was ask.”

"It happened forever ago dude, why are you so pissed? You've never even given us a chance to get close to her in that way, maybe one of us could really like her." Jeno reasons, tugging at Haechan's strings, watching the gears in his brain turn as he tries to come up with a real argument.

"She has a boyfriend," Haechan finally says with a frown at the thought of the guy he’d only recently met, he doesn’t like him at all. From his stupid hair to the shoes he wears, there’s not a thing about your new boyfriend that Haechan thinks is good enough for you. He collapses into the gaming chair across from where Jeno is relaxed on the couch, not having moved at all since Haechan stormed in "plus, I think any of you would know by now, you've all known her for four years."

"I think, that it can take a lot longer than four years to realize how much you like someone." Jeno bites, "how long have you known her?"

"Since middle school." He picks at the hole in the knee of his black jeans, realizing what Jeno is alluding to, defensive exterior quickly crumbling.

"Right, I think that if you're blind enough then it can take ten years to realize how much you like someone."

"Well, maybe ten years is too long and that person missed their chance." Haechan turns his head to stare out the window, anxiously spinning the chair side to side.

"You know I'm talking about you, right?"

"God, yes, I know you're talking about me." Haechan glares at his friend, fidgeting stopping abruptly "and I know I've been a complete idiot about it, but like I said, I’m out of time."

———

Haechan can’t stop his free hand from clenching and unclenching as you sob into your pillow, his less angry hand rubbing over your back.

“He told me he saw us moving in together after graduation,” your voice shakes “how do you look someone in the eyes and say shit like that and then sleep with someone else?”

“I don’t know,” Haechan replies earnestly, feeling as helpful as flip flops in the snow from where he sits on the edge of your mattress “I’m so sorry.”

He takes your silence as an invitation, lying on his stomach, face turned toward you, fingers still drawing soothing circles over your shoulder blades. He waits patiently for you to calm down, unease swarming his stomach knowing that even after years of friendship he can’t truly comfort you in this moment.

“I’m so embarrassed.” you sniffle, smearing your face over your pillow before turning to look at him. He holds his breath, waiting for you to collect yourself enough to explain.

“I’m so gullible, he even told me he’s cheated in the past and for whatever reason I believed that he’d treat me differently, that he’d love me enough.” Haechan has to count to five in his head to stay calm before he speaks.

“You have no reason to be embarrassed. The most natural thing you can do is believe someone when they say they love you.” He murmurs, turning onto his side so he can pull you into a hug. When you curl into his body to bury your face in his chest he can only pray you can’t hear his heart pound against his ribs.

“He’s an idiot, and he didn’t deserve any of the love you gave him. I promise, you’re so much better off.”

Haechan hates the piece of himself that’s relieved your relationship has ended. The same piece that hated your ex the minute he met him, that feels heavy in your absence whenever you’re busy with anyone who isn’t him. The piece that crosses it’s fingers whenever you get this close in hopes that you’ll be the first one to cross the line, to finally do what he’s thought about doing for the last few months since he realized exactly how he felt about you.

“Thank you,” you mumble into his tear dampened shirt, lifting your leg over his to cuddle in even closer “thanks for always being my friend, even when I do dumb shit, like let boys be mean to me.”

He nuzzles his nose into your scalp, eyes fluttering shut at the smell of your shampoo “Thanks for letting me. Besides, even Beyoncé got cheated on, so you clearly aren’t that dumb.” the crowd in his brain cheers when you giggle into his chest.

“You’re so annoying.” He holds you even tighter.

———

“I can’t believe it,” your jaw drops and Haechan whips his head up nervously to look at you from across the couch

“What happened?”

“I got it, I got the job!” you shove his feet off your lap to jump up excitedly, bouncing on your toes as you read the email out loud. Haechan’s ears are ringing so loud he barely catches the first half, trying to shake off the dazed look he’s sure appears on his face.

“We were extremely impressed with your resume and even more so with the impression you left on the board during your interview, blah blah blah, excited to offer you this position, blah blah blah, and a relocation bonus to join us in in our new office!” the pitch of your voice rises a few octaves as you finish reading.

Haechan stares at you from his spot on the couch, eyes wide with shock that you’re too excited to notice, skimming your screen as you re-read the details in your offer letter.

His entire body is buzzing, torn between feeling excited at your accomplishment and sorry for himself.

He had a plan, a really good one, he thought. After your breakup you’d made it painfully clear that you wanted to be single for a while, and he knew if he could just be patient, it would all be worth it. So Haechan decided to bottle his feelings up, sitting patiently by your side where he had been for so many years, waiting for you to heal and hoping that when you were finally ready to start dating again he’d have mustered up the courage to make the first move.

“Lee Donghyuck, are you even listening to me!?” you drop your phone to pull him up off the couch, bouncing up and down with your fingers intertwined “I’m moving to my dream city, to start my dream job.” you reiterate and he snaps out of it, sweeping the imaginary shards of glass that his plan had been made out of under the rug and pulling you into a hug.

“That’s amazing, I’m so proud of you.”

“Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.” You deadpan, but squeeze him back just as tight.

“I’m sorry, I’m going to miss you is all.” He admits, "I'd follow you if my job didn't keep me here."

“I’ll make sure you don’t miss me too much, don’t worry.” you plant your cheek on his chest, surprised at the relief you feel in hearing him say it first.

———

This feeling was still a little unfamiliar, nerves. Haechan had never made you nervous growing up; excited, annoyed, passionate maybe, but never nervous.

The nerves began last summer, when he’d come out to visit you for the first time to celebrate his birthday. It was the longest you’d gone without seeing each other since you’d met, almost ten full months and the anticipation was palpable.

When he steps through the airport doors you think that it’s the relief of finally being near him again that knocks the wind out of you. Running into his open arms and being squeezed so tightly in them that you tap his shoulder to let you breathe. Ruffling his hair when he steps back and ignoring the fact that he had grown so much since you’d seen him last.

But as the night goes on, the slight changes to the person you have memorized become glaringly obvious. The way his cheeks have lost some of their cushion, revealing a sharp jaw and pointed cheekbones. The natural wave in his once unruly hair now falling perfectly over his brow bone, he had dyed it a little darker which made his tan skin glow even in dim lighting. Even his smell seemed to draw you into a trance, a much more expensive version of the Haechan you know.

“You know, that group of girls has been staring over at you since we walked in.” You raise your eyebrows playfully, pointing your glass toward the pretty gaggle that keeps walking past the booth you and Haechan occupy.

He doesn’t break eye contact with you before shrugging, “I didn’t come here to see them, I came to see you.” he smiles, punctuating his thought by reaching over the table and tapping your nose.

“I know, I know,” you laugh, batting him away “It never hurts to know when people are staring, though”

His face is unreadable as he rests his arm lazily up over the bench of the booth, body sinking into the seat while he lifts his glass to swirl his drink, biting the words that have been resting on the tip of his tongue the entire trip, and at the end of every phone call since you started your new job.

“How are you, seriously.” You push. In the time since you moved he’d started and ended a relationship with a girl that you’d never met. Your new job kept you so busy that you hadn’t even learned about the breakup until a week later, when you finally had the time to call him back. The guilt of your absence weighs you down, resenting your inability to be there for him the way he had been for you in the past.

“I’m over it, seriously.” You know he’s telling the truth, but it’s in your nature to pry.

“You never really talked about, why, you know.”

“Do I have to?”

“No, I’m sorry, I just feel so behind on your life.” You sigh and push your empty glass to the side, swirling your finger in the ring of cold water it leaves behind.

“It’s okay, really. You’ve been busy, I understand.” He reaches across the table to stop your anxious fingers “I didn’t love her the way I knew I should, that’s all. It’s a good thing that it ended, and I’m happy that it did.”

“That’s all that matters, then.” and he’s grateful that you drop the subject.

You eventually get back to your apartment, both giggly and flush from the alcohol still fogging your brain despite the long walk you'd hoped would lessen it. Haechan holds your hand the whole way back, even when he stops suddenly to pet a dog, dragging you down to the ground with him. He can’t help himself, grateful that at this point you'd touched one another in every way other than what he dreams about most, and you seem oblivious to his need to be so close to you.

As you get ready for bed he lets himself watch you undress facing the wall away from him, unaware of his gaze burning into your backside and the way his fingers tingle at the thought of pulling at the meat of your hips. He scolds his heart for thudding so loud when you squeeze your eyes into a smile at his reflection standing next to yours at the sink while you brush your teeth, the domestication of your friendship that he used to appreciate now suffocating him.

You put on a movie and invite him to rest his head on the pillow in your lap, wishing he could bury his nose into the skin of your thighs beneath it. Halfway through the movie he has to sit up to hide the way his cock is hardening at the feeling of your nails combing through his hair and down his shoulder, occasionally thrumming over his chest. He pulls a blanket off the back of the couch and tosses it over his legs as casually as possible, pulling you into his side by your shoulder, the other arm stretched across the back of the couch.

"Are you cold for the first time in your life?" Haechan never wants to use a blanket, but you’re grateful for the position giving you access to bury your face into his chest, gripping his shirt.

"No, just want to be warmer." he presses a blushing cheek onto the top of your head, trying to think of anything except the way your hair smells, or the feeling of the side of your breast brushing his wrist through your shirt. Haechan feels eighteen again and like he's discovering the connection between romantic and sexual feelings for the first time in his life. He tries to match his breathing to yours, holding his breath whenever you shift in his hold and reconnecting his stomach with your back as quickly as possible. The temptation to pour his heart out is overwhelming, but when he feels your body completely relax into his and your breathing slow down, the words become trapped in his throat, so he lets you sleep.

Haechan had never experienced a shorter 48 hours than that weekend he spent following you around the city you now call home.

You’re shining in your new space, and he happily trails behind you to all the places you’ve discovered in the almost year since you moved. His stomach does somersaults whenever you point something out that reminds you of him.

“I’ve been waiting to come here until you could come with me!” you're so excited to take him to the video game themed coffee shop that your co-workers had recommended “I thought about coming to see if it was even worth it, but I only want to play these kinds of games with you anyway.”

Sometimes he can forget about his feelings for you, when things are just as they always have been. You talk with and touch him the same, laugh at his jokes the same. He thinks that if he were to ever say out loud what he’s been feeling, that the two of you would still be the same but with a little More, ‘you guys’ but on steroids. So when everything is normal he can pretend like it‘a not. He can act like the More is there when you hold his hand to drag him around to the different machines, play games he wants to play even if you don’t want to, you even wipe ice cream off of his chin when his cone starts to melt because he’s talking too much to eat and he wonders why it took him so long to see it this way, and if you could too.

He keeps thinking the moment will come, when he’ll know spilling his guts to you is the right thing to do. But between you gushing over how much you love your new life and your willingness to point out every girl who has blinked at him this weekend, he completely loses the steam he’d gained during his flight, regardless of how his imagination runs wild with the More.

He curses himself the entire weekend for his lack of bravery, hoping that keeping his feelings in is the right decision. After his recent relationship crashed and burned because of his feelings for you he thought he had no choice but to come clean. But watching you, being with you in your new life makes him realize that his role in it hasn’t changed even if his feelings for you have.

The lump in his throat as he stands outside the departure doors is more than just sadness at the thought of leaving you, it’s the realization that he has to let the romantic idea of you go.

“How come you never cry when we have to leave each other,” you hiccup into his chest, and he coos your name lovingly.

“Don’t worry, you know I save my tears for the plane to make everyone in my row uncomfortable.” He knows that you hate that he’s making you laugh at a time like this, pulling away so you can swat his chest and he raises his hands in surrender.

“When will we be able to see each other again?”

“As soon as possible.” He nods reassuringly, wiping your tears with his thumb, heart pounding as he stares into your watering eyes “hey, you’re my best friend in the world, you annoy me every day, and I love you.”

“Whatever, I love you too.” you laugh, but his heart speeds up at the words that you’ve said to him thousands of times. You sweep your arms around him one last time before pushing him toward the airport doors “you better go, if you miss your flight I can’t guarantee I’ll let you leave at all.”

“Don’t tempt me.” He walks backwards slowly, staring at you with a ‘kicked puppy’ kind of face he mastered years ago and you wave enthusiastically, blowing loud kisses into the air that he catches and clutches to his heart.

“This is it,” he thinks, “this has to be it.”

———

Haechan is dreaming about you. He has been nightly ever since he got back from his birthday weekend. He’s grateful the dreams have variety, since some of them overwhelm him to the point of waking up and not being able to fall back asleep.

Sometimes, you’re young again and whenever anyone says “You know, it’s just a matter of time until one of you has a crush on the other.” you both theatrically gag, laughing at each other as if it were the most insane idea in the world. Or, you're sitting on his childhood couch watching your guys' favorite movie for the hundredth weekend in a row, vocalizing the parts of the two main characters and recreating all the best scenes.

Sometimes you’re at his apartment just hanging out together, which are dreams that feel so real he almost expects to see you in his kitchen when he wakes up. Most of these dreams spark a deja vu laced flame in his gut so deep he finds himself confusing them with memories. The ache of missing you wakes him up before his alarm some mornings, and he finds himself face timing you once he knows you're awake just to watch you make coffee and wash your face.

But sometimes, he has dreams that make him feel so ashamed he can barely text you back in the morning. Dreams where he reaches to touch you and you let him, where you tug at his hair and moan his name while he does all the things that he can only do to you in his sleep. He hates to say that these are his favorite, but it's the one dream he knows he'll never actually achieve and he goes to bed every night praying for them.

That’s the kind of dream he’s having when his phone buzzes him awake. He answers without looking because there are only a handful of people who can reach him when he’s on ‘do not disturb’, and you’re one of them. He hums a sleepy greeting into his phone, putting it on speaker next to his pillow and nearly drifting right back into the dream and between your thighs.

“Donghyuck” his eyes shoot open at the sound of your voice “did i wake you up?”

He can practically hear the pout in your voice, squinting at the time on his phone, “Yes, it’s three in the morning,” he stares down to where he’s half hard, running an embarrassed hand over his face even though there’s no possible way for you to know “are you okay?”

“No, well technically yes but I miss you which means things could be better.” you slur your words and Haechan smiles, somehow he's never annoyed that you call him pretty much every time you drink. He thinks it's because he's familiar with this version of you, though he definitely hasn't seen it often since college graduation. This version of you loves him hard, and is never afraid to say it.

"I miss you too," he takes a beat before adding "I was dreaming about you just now."

You gasp excitedly "Really! What were we doing." He smirks at the thought of telling you that you had been sitting on his face, hand reaching back for his cock while he guides your cunt over his tongue until you were shaking above him.

"Just, hanging out." he shrugs. It's his second time this week alone dreaming of your clit bumping his nose, and the thought makes his mouth water.

"I don't believe you." You say accusingly "that's way too boring for a mind like yours to dream up."

"What exactly is my mind like?" He yawns, throwing his forearm over his eyes.

"Oh, you know," you hum "your mind is a galaxy, with at least a billion planets and twice as many stars. I wish I could fly into your head and explore it, but NASA doesn't have the funds."

Haechan holds his breath at your compliment, the smile on his face so wide he can hear it in his own voice "That sounds like an episode of Magic School Bus."

"Your brain is definitely cooler than some cartoon, it's pretty much my favorite place on Earth."

"How would you know, you've never actually been inside?" He shakes his head, teasing you gently. Hearing words like these come out of your mouth breaks his heart and glues it back together at the same time.

"Are you saying you never think about me?" you ask him, not an ounce of sarcasm in your voice.

"I think about you all the time, I promise, all the planets in my brain are shaped like you." You hum, pleased with his response. He shuts his eyes and waits for your answer.

"Yeah, all the planets in mine are shaped like you, too." you pause for a second and add "plus all the stars, I win, I think about you more."

———

This time when Haechan comes to visit you, you know the nerves are more than just excitement at seeing your best friend. It’s a feeling that is nestled so deep in your stomach it makes you a little nauseous. You haven't seen him since you went home for the holidays and he only has one night in the city. You find yourself grueling over your reflection in the mirror, not used to being self conscious in front of him. You’re only going out for happy hour, but you put yourself together to last all night.

When Haechan finally arrives he whistles lowly, making you blush when he pulls out of your hug and requests a spin.

“I appreciate that you got so dressed up for me.” He teases, hoping you don’t catch his eyes sweeping over your legs, wanting to commit you in this dress to memory.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” you roll your eyes as if you hadn’t spent the last two hours making sure you looked as perfect as possible. Hoping he doesn’t see the pile of clothes shoved into your closet from all the failed attempts.

“Never,” he grabs your purse off of the counter and opens the door, sweeping his arm out in front of him dramatically “after you. There are some strangers outside who are waiting to catch a glimpse of you, they just don’t know it yet.”

“You are so dramatic.” You lock the door behind you, using the moment facing away from him to collect yourself. Lately you catch yourself wondering if he'd always been so flirtatious, or if you're just forcing meaning behind his words because of how badly you want him to be.

“What, a guy can’t compliment his best friend?”

You smile widely at him and grab your bag out of his grasp, popping your key inside and walking toward the entrance of your building. Praying your fingers stop shaking when you finally get a drink in you. Haechan throws his arm around your shoulders while you walk down the street to your favorite cocktail bar and you're grateful for his usual chatter, talking to you about work and his slow climb up the ladder.

“They put me in a hotel this time, so you don’t have to worry about making me breakfast in the morning.” He smiles at you, sipping his drink gingerly.

“You know I never cook you breakfast.” He feels so far away across the table and you wish that you were sitting next to him instead, shoulders cold without the weight of his arm around them. It feels so good to have him touch you, to feel like you're his. There's a small part of you that feels guilty for using his knack for physical affection to your advantage, he has no idea what the heat of his skin on yours does.

“I know, but all the meetings are in the hotel anyway so it’s easier this time to just stay there.”

You try not to let yourself visibly deflate at the news, wanting to keep him for yourself the whole time he’s in town. His knee presses against yours under the table and you focus all your energy into acting the way you would have before, but you can’t focus on anything else and cross your legs to pull away from him as casually as possible. As badly as you want to touch him, sometimes you can’t.

“What time do you have to be up?”

He groans, leaning back enough that his knee now slides against your shin, “too early,” and glances down at his now empty glass, motioning to the bartender for another “which means you need to drink faster, so I can stop at a reasonable hour.”

You smile, downing the rest of your drink in one gulp, when his foot taps against yours you know it's going to be a long night.

The end of the night finds you together on your couch with a shared bottle of wine sitting empty on the coffee table, his early meetings temporarily forgotten. You and Haechan have been in this position plenty of times, drunk, slap happy and overly touchy in a way that you had always been comfortable being with one another. The difference now is you, this version of you who wants your best friend in an entirely different way.

Every time he pulls you closer you feel electricity shoot straight to your heart so intensely that you have to duck out of his grasp. You don’t know what to do with the feelings that have been growing gradually from your toes up, now practically sprouting out of your scalp with a neon sign blinking “I’m in love with you” over and over.

“Why do you keep doing that?” Haechan whines when you all but flinch away from his hand reaching for his phone near your arm. He’d been aware of it all night, the space you left between the two of you while you walked back from the bar, your sudden inability to maintain the eye contact that he craved. The complete lack of physical touch makes him feel dejected.

“Doing what?” You give him a panicked look, practically sober at the thought of being found out, of what it would feel like to be rejected by him.

“You’re not letting me touch you,” he frowns, and the alcohol buzzes through your veins again “not that you need to let me, but you only avoid it like this when you’re upset. Did I do something?” he pouts, tired eyes low when he flops his head onto his bicep resting on the back of the couch. You forget to breathe for a second when he looks up at you under dark lashes.

“I’m not upset. I wasn’t doing it on purpose.” you’re lying through your teeth, but scoot an inch closer to him to make your point. He doesn’t look convinced, and if you’d had less to drink you may have noticed the mischievous glint in his eye before he grabs you by your arm, knocking you off balance and into his chest.

“See,” he sighs happily, wrapping his arms around your body and you can feel his chest buzz when he hums, cheek pressed to the top of your head. You have no choice but to ungracefully shift your lower body closer to him, making yourself a sponge and soaking in his familiar touch “isn’t that better?”

You nod, “Yes, it is better.” and you really wish he didn’t know you so well, that even in his fifth hour of being drunk he can read your mind. He pulls your ear off his heart to grab your cheeks, smushing them together and whispering your name with a shake of his head.

“What is it?” he urges, and you wrap your fingers around his wrist to loosen his grip. You shut your eyes, take a deep breath and count to three in your head before you can talk yourself out of leaning forward and pressing your lips to his.

You feel him falter for a half second before he’s kissing you back, pulling your face closer and pushing his body toward yours. You can’t hear anything over the blood rushing in your ears when his tongue touches yours, and then suddenly his mouth is gone. He moves so quick you have to put your arms out to stop yourself from face planting into the cushion he had just been sitting on.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” you gasp “i shouldn’t have done that, Haechan, I’m so sorry.”

It takes everything in you to look up to where he’s now standing with his arms crossed over his chest protectively. You have no idea what he’s thinking, staring down at you with wide eyes. Insecurity sweeps through you under his intense gaze, and you almost beg him to say something.

“I’m seeing someone,” the way the confession rings in your ears would have you believing that he screamed the words, but his voice was barely above a whisper “shit, I’m sorry.”

You aren’t sure if it’s your life that flashes before your eyes, or your years of friendship with him, at this point the two tend to blur together.

“That’s-” you sit back on your calves and inhale shakily, knowing it’s not even worth it to attempt to fake any sort of excitement for him “why didn’t you tell me?”

He shrugs, swallowing thickly and pulling his eyes away from your face to stare at the ceiling “It’s new and I didn’t know how. It just never came up.”

“Well then, I’m sorry that it didn’t. I shouldn’t have done that, I don’t know what came over me.” grateful that he’s finally the one avoiding eye contact with you so he doesn’t see your legs wobble when you stand “probably best to pretend that never happened. I’m just drunk and I missed you-”

Your name sounds so pathetic when he says it this time and you think it’s the eighth wonder of the natural world that you haven’t started crying yet. You shake your head instead, wishing so desperately that you had changed out of the dress you were wearing as you pull the slinky material down your thighs.

“Honestly, Haechan,” You regret your next words before they even hit the air “you should probably go. You have an early morning.”

The shock on his face pains you, but you can’t stand to see what you can only assume is pity growing in his eyes for another second.

“I don’t want to go, I want to talk about this.”

“I’m sorry.” you say again and his shoulders slump in defeat, recognizing that you’d made up your mind.

“It’s okay.” He means it, shuffling forward and the look on your face is nearly enough to bring him to his knees. His breath catches when you shift away the inch he moved toward you, eyes locked on his and he can see the desperation in them before he hears it in your voice.

“Text me when you get to the hotel?” your voice cracks with a heavy mix of exhaustion and embarrassment that makes him nods once, grabbing his things and walking slowly toward your door. He turns to look at you, but his words catch in his throat when he sees your eyes begin to water, mustering up all his energy to offer what he prays is a reassuring smile before letting himself out.

You sink back into the couch when the door clicks shut, head hanging in your hands as the tears finally start to flow. You cry so hard you feel like you could throw up, replaying his rejection over and over in your mind, shame and regret coursing through your veins. Pure embarrassment heats your body at the look on his face when he told you he was seeing someone, and you’re not sure if it was disgust or pity in his eyes.

On top of the rejection, knowing that he didn’t feel like he could share something as big as meeting someone with you was a dagger to the heart, up until recently you had never kept a secret from him, and even this one you clearly couldn’t keep in for long.

You force yourself into the shower, scrubbing angrily at your skin under the scalding water. You get out once your fingers have pruned and your skin feels raw, avoiding the mirror on your way to your bedroom. You kick angrily at the dress you'd left on the floor, watching it land near the pile of outfits you had discarded while getting ready.

Haechan had texted you nearly thirty minutes earlier

“made it back”

you give it a thumbs up before turning your phone off, setting an alarm with the clock on your side table and letting the emotional exhaustion lull you to sleep.

------

Haechan is realizing that there is no way in hell that you need space more than he needs to talk to you. He tries to call you multiple times the first week after you kissed him but you never answered, and Haechan doesn’t want to push you to the point of no return. What he really wants is to go back in time and not leave you that night, but the pain in your eyes was so pronounced he couldn't bare to make it any worse. The only physical proof that you had kissed him at all being the stupid blue thumbs up on the text he had sent you that night. It's followed by a slew of reassuring texts, saying that he broke up with his girlfriend and if you would please just talk to him, that he's not mad.

This is the feeling he carries with him nearly two weeks later on the flight to you, when he’s sure that another minute of silence from you will kill him. By the time he gets to your apartment it’s almost midnight, so he knocks loud enough to wake you up.

When you open the door in a shirt he thinks might be his, Haechan knows he has no choice. He's speaking before you can say anything, before he can change his mind.

"I came here to tell you that I think you're being really stupid." He curses internally for the obvious nerves in his voice, your tired eyes widen with shock at his words.

"Excuse me?"

"Years ago you made me swear that I would tell you if you ever came up with a reason not to be my friend anymore. So I'm telling you now, I think you're being really fucking stupid."

"I'm not doing that" You defend yourself, tearing up at the sight of him. He pushes into your apartment, shutting the door behind him and standing close enough to touch. He’s staring you down with pleading eyes, and you bury your face in your hands so you don’t have to look at him.

“Then why are you ignoring me? Why won’t you let me fix this?”

“I don’t know I just,” you inhale shakily “I don't know how to do it right now, not like this."

"Like what?" He hopes he already knows the answer, but needs to hear you say it, to know that you’re as serious as he is. Your mouth feels full of cotton when he forces you to look at him by whispering your name, pulling your hands from your face and his heart pinches tightly at the tears welling in your eyes "please tell me, please. Like what?"

"You already know," your bottom lip betrays you, voice weak beneath heavy emotion when you speak "I love you, Haechan. I'm in love with you, and I don't know what to do about it. I feel like I fucked everything up, but I can’t undo it."

He feels his lungs fill with relief. Haechan steps forward to close the small gap between your bodies, grabbing your jaw to rest his forehead against yours. You falter, but his hand on the small of your back keeps you from going anywhere, he's practically panting and you can barely stand, dizzy with the feeling of him. You want to pinch yourself to make sure you’re not dreaming when he whispers "You didn't fuck anything up."

He ghosts his lips over yours for a moment until he's sure you're not going to stop him. When he finally kisses you it's with years of pent up adoration, directing your arms around his neck and pressing his thumb firmly into your jaw, long fingers wrapping around the side of your throat. He practically whines when your fingers tighten in his hair and your lips part for his warm tongue. His arm wraps around your waist so tightly you have to hinge backward to keep your mouths connected, gasping at the strength you didn't know he had.

He keeps your stomach flush to his own and kisses you until you're practically limp in his arms, pulling away to breathe. His eyes are shut as he rubs his nose over yours

"I love you, too. I've been meaning to tell you for a while." All the blood rushes into your ears at his words and you can't stop your biggest worry from spilling into the air.

“What if you change your mind?”

“I made up my mind a long time ago, there's nothing you could do to change it." He blinks his eyes open, pulling his face away from yours just enough to see you, the trepidation in your eyes makes him say your name quietly.

"It's only me, you know me," he assures you in a hushed tone "you have to know by now that you are my entire world."

You could laugh, only him, as if he hasn’t been one of the most important people in your life since the day you met. As if he isn’t someone who has seen you at every stage of it so far. It’s Haechan, who has always been funny, who has witnessed the worst sides of you and never made you feel bad, who has never left your side.

You kiss him again, fingers wrapping in tight fists around his shirt to keep yourself grounded. Haechan’s heart pounds happily in his chest and he hopes you can feel it this time, both hands nestling into your hair. He kisses you gently in an effort to slow down your urgent movements, moaning at the taste of your mouth. You fall into his rhythm easily, the way his tongue rolls gently over yours makes your body go up in flames. You move your hands to slide beneath his shirt, landing on the strong muscles in his back and teasing your fingers up his sides.

When you finally come up for air he stares at you for a minute before laughing, stomach tightening beneath your fingers when he does.

"What's funny?" you shut your eyes, leaning your forehead into his chest, letting the pretty sound ring in your ears.

"Nothing, I'm just-" he cuts himself off with a shrug, nuzzling his nose into the crown of your head "I love you, and you love me back. That's all, that's how easy it is."

"It hasn't been easy at all, in fact my life has been very very hard since your birthday last year.” He pulls away from your head to ogle at you.

"My birthday last year?" You nod, feeling your cheeks flush under his intense gaze, it had really been that long "God, I'm sorry I'm such a fucking idiot."

He's kissing you again before you can ask him to elaborate, grabbing hold of both wrists in one hand while he walks you backward and guides you up onto the counter as slowly as he has to in order to keep his lips on yours. His hips are the perfect height for you to wrap your legs around, gasping in surprise when he slides his hands around your ass and presses your core tightly against the growing bulge in his jeans.

You feel shy when you pull away to ask if he wants to go to your bedroom, feeling frozen in place when he stares at you with half lidded eyes, his plump lips swollen and red.

"Tonight, I'm just kissing you." Every cell in his body is screaming in protest at his own words. He can't express how badly he wants to do everything else, to recreate his dreams, to learn the parts of your body he'd never seen before. But he can't imagine doing anything but this tonight, just this; his lips on yours, your breath in his lungs and your body melting into his.

"Why?” your eyebrows pull together in confusion. You practically shiver with need, tucking your arms between your stomachs and burying your nose in his throat. His laugh buzzes against your face, rubbing his hands gently over your shoulders and trying to control his own breathing as your lips brush over his skin.

All he can say is, “Because I’ve been needing to for a long time.”

“How long?” You pull away from his chest, leaning back onto your hands and closing your eyes when he runs his own down your sternum and over your waist, groping at the flesh of your hips and trying not to regret his romantic side.

“Way too long.”

“Your birthday?” you ask, tugging gently at his shirt. He plants his hands outside of your legs to lean in close, one corner of his mouth pulling up.

“Much longer.” Your eyes widen in shock, and he interrupts you before you can question him “can we talk about it later? I have something really important to do tonight.”

———

He tells you that he's had feelings for you since senior year of college, when you kissed Jeno. He tells you about his plan to admit everything when he had seen you on his birthday, but that he was too scared. He assures you he ended his relationship the moment he got back home the previous week “because everyone has felt like a matter of 'when' it will end, not 'if',” He tells you that just two weeks of your silence hurt worse than any previous heartbreak, and you agree. And before you fell asleep next to him he tells you again, ‘I'm so in love with you.’ and shimmies excitedly when you say it back before kissing you until you can barely keep your eyes open. He holds your cheeks in his hands and practically lulls you to sleep with his tongue, plush lips pressing to yours so gently you can hardly feel them dotting around the rest of your face. He thinks he could do this forever before sleep finally catches up with him, his arm slung over your side to hold your face to his chest.

You wake up curled into a familiar side, your first emotion being giddy as the night floods back to you. Despite your obvious willingness to go further, Haechan had meant it when he said he'd only be kissing you. It made you crazy at first, but when the two of you were staring at each other in the mirror with shy eyes while moving through a nighttime routine you had gotten familiar with years before, you were happy he had the self control you clearly lack. The idea of him actually seeing and touching you in ways he never had before, of doing all the things you'd found yourself imagining him doing over the last year; it was overwhelming. Kissing until your jaw was sore and your lips were swollen felt easy.

You’re startled by Haechan’s hand reaching for yours, holding your palm and bringing your fingers to his lips to press a kiss to each one, “good morning.” his voice is deep and tired, mouth landing on the crown of your head.

"Good morning." You press your nose into his chest happily, gripping his hand in yours and resisting the urge to squeal with delight.

"What are you so excited about, me?" He teases, hand falling on your thigh to guide your leg up the front of his, stopping just below his crotch and you hope he's going to give you what you'd been wanting all night, for the last year.

"You, I just can't believe how happy I am." You admit, lifting your head off of his chest to smile at him. He pulls you right back down, kissing your lips once before rolling you both over so he's on top of you. He presses a hand over your collarbone and drags his lips down your chin and over your throat.

"You know, this means you're all mine now." he smirks against your neck when you nod, gasping when he sucks gently at the base. He has one forearm on the mattress, the other hand too gentle on your ribs. You can feel that he's hard and you immediately roll your hips up.

"Does this mean you're gonna do more than just kiss me now?" you intend to sound confident, but it comes out as a whimper. His nose brushes over your jaw before he presses lingering kisses to your chin and cheek.

"Yes, baby, if you'll let me." You nod eagerly, shifting your face so your lips are beneath his and sighing happily when he lowers his weight onto your torso, licking into your mouth. You shiver with anticipation when he pushes at your shirt, long fingers tickling up your side before landing on your breast. You gasp into his mouth when his thumb brushes over your already hard nipple.

Your impatience is overwhelming, grabbing the back of his shirt and tugging it up to his shoulders. He pulls away reluctantly, reaching one hand toward his back and pulling his shirt over his head. You gnaw at your lip, running your hands over his stomach and hooking your knees around his hips as much as you can while stretching your arms over your head.

“Cute.” he murmurs, pulling your shirt up and tossing it to the side. He gropes at your chest, tongue wetting his lips before he leans down to wrap them around one of your nipples. He’s trying to act without thinking, to let the dreams he’s had pave the path down your body because he knows the second he acknowledges his nerves he won’t be able to shake them off. His heart thrums when you gasp above him, arching your chest into his mouth. He’s greedy for your sounds, his hands squeezing your breasts together and licking between them to get to the other nipple. When your hips buck up into his he groans, pulling away from your chest and staring down at you with wondering eyes.

“Can I?” He feels unnaturally shy, leaning back on his calves and watching his fingers press dimples into the flesh of your hips above your underwear, tugging at the hem.

“You don’t need to ask.” He smiles, forcing you to sit by grabbing the back of your neck for a kiss. His fingers press into your clothed core and your hips roll into his hand. He sighs into your mouth at your desperation, torn between teasing you and touching you everywhere.

You can’t keep your legs from shutting around his arm when he pushes your panties to the side and slides his middle and ring finger up your wet center, circling over your clit.

You pull away from the kiss, blinking up at him and your mouth falls open when he presses firmly on your clit, rubbing in slow circles. His head hangs as he lets out a quiet “fuck” at your reaction, moving his hand off your neck to stroke over your stomach and without it behind your head you have to lie back, he presses your legs open. Haechan stares at your chest while he settles between your knees, pushing two fingers inside your dripping core. His jaw hangs open, watching his knuckles disappear inside of you.

“So soft,” he breathes, staring down to where his fingers glisten when he pulls them out to rub over your clit again, palming over his cock getting harder in his sweats “want to be everywhere at once.”

“Want you everywhere.” you whine when his fingers pull away to hook into your underwear, tugging them down your legs. Haechan stands to strip and you hold your breath and soak in the soft swell of his hip that leads to where his cock hangs heavy between his legs. It’s pretty like the rest of him, and thicker than you'd expected with a leaking tip that matches the color of his tongue, he strokes himself once and you don’t get the chance to reach for him before he lays back on the bed, rolling you to sit on top of him. You shudder when your pulsing clit rubs over his stomach, inner thigh squeezing into his ribs. He runs his hands up your waist, scooting you an inch higher and grabbing onto your tits.

“Do you remember a few months ago, when you called me drunk and I told you I was dreaming about hanging out with you?” He shivers when you grind down in response, wet pussy sliding easily over his skin “I lied.”

Your hands press into his chest, tilting your head “what were we doing?” you can barely speak above a whisper when he pinches gently at your nipple with one hand, the other rubbing over your ribs when he smirks up at you.

“You were about a foot higher than you are right now,” you gasp and reach out to grab the headboard when he jolts his hips to move you up his chest, staring down at him with wide eyes as he shifts to wrap his arms under your legs, fingers pressing into your thighs.

“You dreamt about this?” you let him bring your hips to hover over his face, hands falling into his hair when he brushes his nose over your clit as he nods.

“All the time,” he moans and drags you down onto his face, lips wrapping around your clit. You shudder above him, letting some of your weight collapse into your heels and he groans happily at the pressure of you on his chin, pressing you harder onto his mouth to fuck his tongue into you. He wants to devour you, every sound you make goes straight to his cock which is already rock hard at the taste and smell of you. Even just thinking about the fact that it's your hips grinding over his face right now is enough to make him moan into your pussy.

You slur out praise, one of your hands shooting up to grip the headboard. His hands wander gently up your sides, eyes opening to stare up to where he plays with your tits, hard cock pulsing at the sight of your head thrown back, hips moving in gentle circles over his face. Haechan’s hand tugs yours down to his hair, trying to restrain himself from thrusting into the empty air at the feeling of you all over him. He hums happily into your pussy when you start to grind over his mouth, flattening his tongue for you to ride until your legs are shaking.

He lets out a deep “mmhmm” when you warn him that you’re going to cum, suckling hard on your clit until you’re practically begging him to let you go, body crumpling forward with both hands tangled in his hair. He's grateful you didn't touch his cock, just the thought of your fingers wrapped around him is enough to make him cum and he has other plans.

You can’t speak when you collapse onto the mattress beside him, immediately warmed by the weight of his body on top of yours as he slots himself between your thighs, sucking a hickey onto the front of your throat.

“Taste too fucking good,” he hums, mouthing over your chin and cheek “been dreaming of eating your sweet pussy for so long.” you practically swoon when he kisses you, pre-cum wetting the inside of your thigh when he relaxes his stomach onto yours.

“Hyuck, want you in me, please” Your vision is blurry, whining into his swollen lips. He works them over your cheek before pulling away from you, bringing one of your legs up to his shoulder and you rest the other knee on his hip. He can feel himself pant when he taps the head of his cock on your swollen clit, practically drooling when he sticks barely the tip inside before pulling back and repeating the tantalizing motion.

“Been waiting for too long to be teased,” you pout, trying to encourage his hips toward yours with the ankle he’s not pressing his cheek into. He smirks and circles his leaking tip over you again, watching his cock spread your arousal around before he pushes into you a little further.

“I’m taking my time with you, feels so fucking good.” He can’t look away from between your thighs, messy hair hanging over his forehead while his fingers grip your ankle tightly. You whimper when he pulls all the way out again, one more hard tap against your pulsing clit before he pushes himself halfway into your leaking pussy. You rise onto your elbows, trying to reach one hand to grab for his hip but he releases the base of his cock to stop you by lacing your fingers together. When Haechan finally looks into your eyes he bottoms out, stretching your leg toward your chest so he can lean in. His hips stutter, a choked groan rumbling deep in his chest.

“Oh my god, Hyuck please.” you beg him to move with a gasp. His forehead presses to your chin, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Fuck, baby, been needing you," he thrusts into you slowly, lifting his head to look down at you glowing beneath him with your eyes shut. He pulls out all the way before thrusting back inside, quickening his hips when your eyes flutter open, the look on your face enough to make his balls tighten slightly, shutting his eyes to regain self control "knew you'd feel so fucking good."

"M’so full, Haechan." you moan at his words and the rapid slap of his hips on the back of your thighs, forcing your eyes to stay open so you can see his face. The way his nose scrunches with focus when he pulls away from your chest, both his hands wrapping firmly around your hips while he watches his cock sink into you. Brown, shaggy hair sticks to his damp forehead, full lower lip taken between his teeth. He’s pure, unadulterated boyish beauty, and he’s all yours.

You squeak when he lets your leg drop off his shoulder, pressing your thigh as far open as it will go with your heel digging into his backside. He fans his fingers over your lower stomach, thumb reaching down to push your clit side to side and your hips tuck up for more pressure, Haechan moans loudly when the movement causes you to clamp around his cock, "Perfect fucking pussy, can't believe it's mine now. Like my fingers on your pretty clit?”

You nod enthusiastically, letting go of your breasts to hold the backs of your thighs, Haechan's eyes move up your body to stare at your chest move beneath him, nipples looking sweet as candy. He’s dying to sink his fingers into the softest part of your stomach, the way you’re moving for him makes his mind turn to sand. You stare down to where his thumb is making circles over your clit, perfectly timed with the head of his cock bruising your g-spot. You feel a second orgasm build and the corner of his mouth pulls up proudly when your legs shake. Your head hangs back as you gasp for air, "yes, please, Haechan feels so fucking good."

"Make the prettiest noises for me, want you cumming all over my cock." he leans forward just enough to trap your throat beneath the weight of his palms, other hand still moving over your swollen clit. You smile at the pressure of his body on yours, eyes fluttering shut while you moan. You nod desperately when he asks if you can do that, "if you can let me make you feel that good, please, my pretty girl."

He takes his hand off your throat when you cum, wanting to hear every sound you could possibly make. You repeat his name like a blessing that has him cumming with you, moaning and breathless as his hips start to slow, milking you both through your orgasms.

You wrap your arms around him when he pulls out of you, reveling in the feeling of him when he lowers himself down, burrowing his face into your neck and warming your skin with his breath. You hold him there for a minute until he pulls his head up, dopey smile lighting up his eyes and making you laugh.

“What?” you scrunch your nose at him “better than your dreams?”

He nods, “so much better, best I ever had, my body belongs to you now.” he smirks at his own words, but his tone is so gentle he can’t even call it a joke.

“Just your body?” you tease, and he leans his nose onto your lips for a kiss that you carry onto the mole under his eye.

“Body, mind, heart, soul,” he sighs happily when you cup his cheeks in your hands, kissing him gently “all the planets in my head.”

"All the planets in my head too."

————

masterlist

authors note // this ended up being much longer than i anticipated, maybe the longest one shot i’ve ever actually written! i appreciate everyone who voted for happy ending because when i was originally thinking of a sad ending it was too hard lol. this feels forever unfinished because there is so much good to this version of haechan, i adore him.

[navybrat817]

Meet the Parents

Pairing: Roommate!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader Summary: Bucky wants to make a good impression when he meets your parents face-to-face and a bit of awkwardness ensues. Word Count: Over 2.9k Warnings: Fluff, established relationship, second-hand embarrassment and cringe, loving and oversharing parent, slight feels (it’s me, okay), Bucky Barnes (he’s a warning, okay?). A/N: Stud meets your parents in person! Oh, boy. ❤️ Beta read by @whisperlullaby, but any and all mistakes are my own. Moodboard by yours truly and divider by the amazing @firefly-graphics . Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

Bucky was excited to finally meet your parents. You didn't get to go home often since your family lived far away, so the short trip was special for you. It was a big deal for him, too. Though he saw them on video chats here and there, this was the real thing. A chance to show that he was serious about your future together.

I have to make a good impression.

He also wanted to get a glimpse of how his hopefully future in-laws acted around you and to see how love looked in your family. You warned him that they might tell an embarrassing story or show him awkward photos and he was more than looking forward to it. Those very things shaped you into the woman he fell in love with.

“You nervous?” you asked as he helped you out of the car. “You didn’t say much on the drive here.”

Of course, you’d pick up on that. “Nope,” he said, which wasn't a total lie.

“Careful before your pants catch on fire,” you teased, running a hand along his cheek. “They love you. They have from the start. Remember when we had our first chat?”

“I remember,” he gently smiled.

Your mom and dad were a little concerned in the beginning when you said you were moving in with him. He didn't blame them. If it was his daughter moving in with a guy she didn't know, he would've had a lot of questions. Your parents felt better after he suggested having a video chat. They trusted your judgment and they trusted him not to hurt their daughter.

I'll never break that trust.

“And please remember that I love you, Stud.”

Bucky turned his face so he could press his lips against your palm, thankful that you always knew what to say to soothe him. “I love you, too, Smartie.”

“There they are!” your mom called from the doorway, your dad right behind her.

Bucky straightened up and took a step back when your mom went to you, both of you shrieking with happiness. A smile spread across his face and he could tell that you got some of your friendliness and mannerisms from her. Which is why it didn't surprise him when he received a crushing hug from her a moment later.

“Welcome, James,” your mom smiled. Both of your parents called him by his first name and he didn’t mind. “It’s so nice to see you.”

"It's nice to see you, too,” he said, giving you a thankful glance when you grabbed the flowers and bottle of wine from the car. You told him they were her favorite and he refused to show up empty handed. "These are for you.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that, but thank you,” she said, taking them with a kind smile as she stepped back to get a better look at him. “My goodness, you're even bigger in person.”

“And you wondered why I called him ‘Stud’,” you teased, sliding your arm around his waist.

Bucky puffed his chest out a bit when he caught the adoration in your gaze. He was certain his eyes reflected the same when he looked your way. While he did want your parents to like him, it was your opinion that he cared about.

“And it’s no wonder our daughter can't keep her hands off you, James,” your dad said when he joined you, clapping Bucky on his shoulder with a chuckle and snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Dad. Could you not?” you calmly asked.

“What? I half expected to see you with a baby bump when you got out of the car.”

Bucky went rigid with an awkward smile, unsure of how to respond to your dad’s comment. On the one hand, he was right. Neither of you could keep your hands off each other. Hell, you flatout told your parents the two of you were sharing a room if they expected you to stay at their house. But making a family with you? He wanted to more than anything, but what did your parents think?

Is he going to kill me if I get you pregnant one day?

“Please, stop. I love you, but stop. We just got here,” you said, giving your mom a pointed look when Bucky stayed silent. Instinctively, he pulled you closer. You didn’t get flustered easily, but he knew your little tells.

“Don't embarrass her. We talked about this,” your mom hissed before she smiled again, your dad holding his hands up in surrender. “I wish we could’ve had a chance to meet Alpine in person.”

You sighed, grateful for the switch in topic. “Me, too, but maybe we can bring her next time. I’m sure Steve will spoil her rotten until we get back.”

Both of you missed the little ball of fur, but his friend was quick to send him photos.

“Well, we’re glad you could make it and perfect timing since we just finished setting the table. I know you two are probably tired from the trip, but how about resting after you eat?”

“That sounds great,” Bucky said, turning to get the bags from the car.

“Why don’t I get those?” your dad offered. “You two go in and get settled.”

“Thanks, Dad,” you smiled as you pulled Bucky along. “I’m sorry about the pregnancy comment. Hopefully that’s the end of it.”

“It’s okay. It doesn't bother me,” he whispered, brushing a kiss to your temple. He knew the topic itself didn't bother you either, but you probably didn't want your dad to bring it up before you walked into the house. "You okay?"

“I guess I'm a little more nervous than I thought. I haven’t really brought a lot of guys home, so this is kind of a big deal,” you explained. He understood how nerve wracking it could be.

“How many guys have you brought back here?” he half teased, asking to both make you smile and to see if he had anyone he had to measure up to.

No, don’t think like that.

“The number doesn't matter because they weren’t special. They also weren’t and aren’t you.”

Good answer.

“Now let’s go eat. Mom will be sad if we don't,” you said.

“I wouldn't want to upset either of the ladies of the house,” he said, kissing your temple again. "Dinner will be great.”

Right?

Bucky couldn't recall the last time he was in such a cozy place. The welcoming ambience made him want to curl up with a book and relax. It was no wonder you carried that warmth over to the apartment. You even allowed your dad to brag about your accomplishments that lined the hallway wall with your photos over the years.

Should be proud of yourself, doll.

Just like your friendly and thoughtful personality, Bucky could see you got your love of cooking from your mom. She prepared a feast for the two of you in the dining room, a mix of both of your favorite things, and added the flowers he brought to the middle of the table. It meant a lot that she took the time to make something he would enjoy. And seeing you chatting with your parents over a nice meal, he could picture the same with the two of you in your own home.

With a large kitchen to slow dance in.

“Mom, I don’t think I can eat another bite,” you teased when she tried to give you another dish.

“Then we’ll have plenty of leftovers,” she teased back, offering it to Bucky instead. “If memory serves me, I believe you mentioned the two of you like to cook together.”

“We do,” he confirmed, graciously helping himself to more. “We switch off some nights if she’s studying or I’m at the shop late, but it’s something I look forward to.”

You smiled tenderly as you reached for his hand across the table. “I do, too.”

He gently squeezed it and kept hold of it while he ate. You were noticeably more relaxed and he was enjoying himself. He was glad things were going well.

Your dad gestured to him after a moment. “James, I meant to tell you when you arrived that you look very nice.”

“Oh, thank you,” he said, glancing at himself. He opted for a nice button up shirt. Nothing too fancy or too casual and it had your seal of approval.

"You always look handsome,” you smiled.

“But he looks much more comfortable than that turtleneck he wore on our last video chat,” he added.

Bucky almost dropped his fork when you dug your nails into his skin. The two of you had a heated makeout session before the last call and you left a noticeable hickey on his neck. The only thing he could think of to do at the time was wear a turtleneck, but he couldn't stop messing with the collar. It was a nice reminder of why he hardly wore them.

“It was a little itchy,” Bucky said.

Your dad hummed and took another bite. “You know, I remember when I was your age the only time I'd wear a shirt like that is if my wife got a little ‘over excited’ if you know what I mean.”

The fork fell to the plate, the sound echoing in the room.

Way to play it cool.

"Why?” you and your mom asked at the same time.

“Did you give James a hickey?” your dad replied as you sank a little into your seat. "You did."

Your mom shot him a glare. “What did I say about embarrassing your daughter?”

“What? It was just a question,” he said, pointing at you with his fork. “I had to wear a turtleneck in the middle of the summer the first time I met your grandparents. Your mother was quite the-”

“I don’t want to hear this!” you cut your dad off, looking to Bucky for help.

Say something.

“So, like mother like daughter,” Bucky blurted out, that awkward smile spreading across his face again when you gawked at him. Why did he say that? “Not that! I mean, well, you did say she couldn’t keep her hands off me. She's extremely passionate.”

“This is my nightmare,” you muttered.

This is also my nightmare.

“What I mean is they're both so lovely and have big hearts, which means they love big and sometimes that love translates to…” he continued, coughing into his hand when you stepped on his foot. He used to be charming at one point in his life. What the hell was happening? “But not that I would know what you did or didn’t do while you were dating. That’s none of my business.”

Stop talking.

"Oh, it’s not just dating, James,” your dad said as he took another bite, seemingly amused by the conversation. “The trick to keeping her happy is to keep the romance alive. Like the night my wife and I made our lovely daughter. It was so beautiful.”

“Stop!” you begged, clutching his hand even harder than before. He tried to run his thumb along your palm to soothe you, but you weren't having it. “Forever stop that story, please.”

Your dad looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh before your mom stepped in. “Go check on dessert,” she ordered.

“But I was going to tell them about-”

“Dad!” you almost shouted, taking a deep breath when it got quiet. “This is our first dinner together with the four of us and I don't want it to be the last. So, can you not scare my boyfriend off? Please?” you asked in a softer tone, your voice cracking on the last word.

Please, don’t cry.

Bucky leaned forward in his chair, sensing that you were dangerously close to tears. “Hey. I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.

I’m right by your side.

To your dad’s credit, he immediately got up from the table and kissed the top of your head when he realized this wasn't funny to you. It didn’t matter how much you had grown, you were still his baby. “I’m sorry I went a little overboard. You forgive me?”

You still looked about a half second away from bursting into tears, but you gave your dad a small smile. “Forgiven,” you mumbled.

"Now go get dessert ready, dear," your mom said, sighing as he left the room. “James, I'm so sorry if my husband made you uncomfortable. If it's any consolation, he’s comfortable talking to you because he likes you.”

Bucky nodded slightly. That was a good thing. “That’s nice to know, Mrs.-”

“Oh, please. You don’t have to use ‘Mrs.’ with me. There’s no need to be formal,” she assured him.

“Well, thank you all the same for your hospitality.”

“Of course.” Her eyes flickered to you with a grin. “Anything for the person who my daughter is so passionate about.”

“Mom!” You let out an exasperated laugh. At least you weren't crying. “I thought you were on my side.”

“Oh, I am,” she winked. “And don't worry. I won't ask about my future grandchildren today.”

So, I am allowed to get you pregnant if we decide to go that route.

“BOTH of you are ganging up on me. This is why I never brought guys home,” you said, facing him with a shaky laugh. “Will you just dump me now and get it over with? I'll just hide in my room until I can find a new place.”

Bucky’s stomach dropped, having to grip the table with one hand and hold himself back from jumping across the table to snuggle you close. “What? No, I'm not dumping you.”

"You're not?”

"Of course not. I think it's an unwritten rule that everyone gets one mortifying moment involving a significant other," he said.

I'm counting on it with Rebecca.

"He's right," your mom smiled.

"And me dump you? Shouldn’t you dump me after that…” he tried to find the right word. “Rant about how ‘lovely’ you are?”

“I’m never dumping you, Stud. You’re stuck with me,” you said. Just like you were stuck with him. “And you really think I'm lovely and have a big heart?”

“Of course, I do, Smartie,” he smiled. He'd compliment you for the rest of the evening if it made you feel more at ease.

Your mom watched the two of you with a loving smile before she stood. “Sweetie, why don’t we kick your dad out of the kitchen and get dessert ready ourselves?”

“Sure, mom,” you smiled, reluctantly letting go of Bucky’s hand. Before your mom led you out of the room, you went around to give him a kiss. "I demand cuddles after dessert, smooth talker.”

Thank God I'm usually smoother than that.

"All the cuddles you want,” he said, loosening the top button on his shirt once he was left alone. That was not how he expected dinner to go. In hindsight, it could’ve been worse. At least your dad didn't stab him.

Speak of the devil.

“Surprised those two didn’t kick me out of the house entirely,” your dad joked as he went back into the dining room and took a seat. “I really am sorry, James. I hope my sense of humor didn’t offend you.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. It takes a lot to offend me,” Bucky said.

“I know how much my daughter was looking forward to this. We���ve missed her here,” he said, a wistful look crossing his face. It was evident how much your mom and dad both loved you. The house was brighter because you were in it. "And, believe it or not, I was a little nervous to see the man who stole her heart."

“I was nervous to meet you, too," he admitted. "I really care about your daughter.”

“She cares about you, too. I've never seen her so happy.”

That comment gave Bucky the confidence to speak, glancing at the doorway to make sure you weren’t coming back just yet. “I know you and your wife just met me in person today, but your daughter is the best thing to ever happen to me and I want to ask you if-”

“Let me stop you right there.”

Bucky’s mouth shut as he deflated. Of course, it was likely too soon in your dad’s eyes to have that serious of a conversation. It wasn’t too soon for him though. He loved you.

“If you're asking for our blessing, you don't need it. You already have it,” your dad said as he held his breath. “Because if you really care about my daughter the way we think you do, you know she'll follow her heart since it belongs to you. As long as she's cared for and happy, we're happy because that's all we want for her. That’s all we’ve ever wanted for her.”

The weight Bucky felt in his chest lightened with each word. “That’s all I want for her, too. And I will spend the rest of my life making her happy."

Your dad nodded, a bit of shine in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “You take care of my little girl, you hear me? Love her the way she deserves?” he asked.

“You have my word,” Bucky promised.

With his mother’s ring and your parents' blessing, he was ready to take the next step and hoped that you were ready to walk along that path beside him.

So, when do we think he'll put a ring on it? Love and thanks! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Bucky Barnes Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[httpvomitello]

hello, I liked your tmnt bay hc with mom but could you make one where they have a human sister??

Hello, hello. Hope you like it! ♡♡♡♡

He’s not just the leader of his brothers, he sees himself as a leader for you too

He’s constantly checking in on how you’re doing, whether it’s school, work, or just life in general

You can bet he’s got advice for everything

Literally. For. Everything.

Even if you don’t ask for it, Leo has something to say about your decisions because he feels responsible for your well-being

He tries not to be overbearing, but sometimes his overprotectiveness gets in the way

He’s the one who insists you text him when you get at school or work safely or if you’re walking alone at night

And if anything threatens you, Leo’s the first to step in

If someone’s messing with his sister, they’re going to learn quickly that Leo doesn’t play around

Despite all the seriousness, he’s also the most proud of you

Anytime you accomplish something, Leo’s the first to congratulate you

He always makes sure you know that you’re doing great and that he believes in you.

He is the definition of the overprotective big brother

You’re his soft spot, and anyone who messes with you better watch their back

If you bring a date around, expect Raph to sit there glaring at them the entire time, arms crossed, silently assessing if they’re worthy

He’ll question them hard, and you probably have to step in before he interrogates them too much

He’s the type to show his love through actions more than words

You two bicker a lot, mostly because Raph thinks you’re too reckless, and you think he’s too controlling

But at the end of the day, he’s the first person you call when you need backup

Even though he’s rough around the edges, he’s super soft for you

And because of that, you end up taking advantage of those moments...

He also teaches you how to knit

You’re the one person who can get through his tough exterior, and he’d do anything to keep you safe.

Donnie might not be the most vocal about it, but he’s just as protective as his brothers

He’s more likely to watch from a distance, monitoring your safety in subtle ways, like setting up tech to keep tabs on you without invading your privacy

(Or so he thinks)

He’s the one who builds gadgets for you to make sure you’re always safe

A GPS tracker hidden in your bag? You bet. A customized phone with extra security? He’s on it

Donnie’s your go-to for help with anything tech-related or schoolwork

He’s patient and loves teaching you new things, especially if it’s something he’s passionate about

If you’re ever having a bad day, Donnie is there to listen

He may not always know the right thing to say, but he’s always willing to lend an ear and help you

He’s proud of your intelligence and loves having conversations with you

He respects you a lot and trusts your judgment, though he sometimes tries to protect you in his own "nerdy" way by overthinking everything.

He’s always down for a laugh and goes out of his way to make sure you’re never bored

Unfortunately for everyone else, you and Mikey are the unbeatable duo when it comes to pranks

He’s the one dragging you into random activities, whether it’s playing video games, skateboarding, or making ridiculous food combinations in the kitchen

Even though he’s laid-back, Mikey’s protective in his own way

If you’re upset or stressed, he’s the first to notice and will drop everything to cheer you up

You’re his favorite person to goof off with, but if someone hurts you?

They’ve crossed a line, and you’ll see how serious Mikey can get

He loves embarrassing you, and that's it

Mikey is also the most encouraging. He’s always hyping you up, telling you that you’re amazing and capable of anything

He genuinely believes in you and is always there to remind you when you doubt yourself

If you ever feel down, Mikey knows just what to say to lift your spirits, and his positivity is infectious

You can’t help but smile around him.

[diminuel]

Luffy, Croc and Ace going through so much physically and emotionally in/escaping and after impel down whilst Dragon and Sabo on Baltigo like "our family is doing what now?!"

What Dragon and Sabo are doing while all these things happen is one of the big questions I still have to figure out.

Imagine you're Dragon. Against your husband's wishes you let your youngest enter the Grandline because you trust in the wind of destiny or whatever more than you trust in your husband's judgment about Luffy's ability to master the challenges of the Grandline after just a couple of weeks of sailing the East Blue.

And yeah, sure, you get shouted at, but not just because you enabled your son's anarchistic tendencies but because Crocodile can tell that things in Alabasta are coming to a head AND it's absolutely a given that Luffy is going to get in the middle of it, especially since he picked up the Princess of Alabasta.

And you're not really all that worried but you're very quickly regretting it when your people tell you that some rookie called Straw Hat Luffy took out the Warlord Crocodile, who most likely was responsible for the unrest in Alabasta. And of course, you're Crocodile's husband, so you know that Cipher Pol sent the Dance Powder into Alabasta, with the expectation that Crocodile is going to either make something with it to remove King Cobra or take the fall if it gets exposed. And take the fall he does.

And maybe you have plans to intercept the prison transport from the holding prison to Impel Down, because shit, Crocodile knows too much, they're going to send them down to Level 6 for sure and once he's there he's not getting out easily.

But before you can do that (and also keep Sabo from hearing about it) you get wind of another massive problem: Ace has been chasing Blackbeard and not only got defeated, but also got captured.

And while you are trying to figure out what to do about that because the marine was going to make the most of this, most likely stage a public execution as a trap for Whitebeard, news about the Strawhat Pirates being utterly defeated and scattered over the globe reach you.

Your husband is in Impel Down, Ace is being transported there to await the execution order that is surely to come, Luffy has disappeared and Sabo is climbing the walls.

You do get a call from your mom Rayleigh that Kuma sent them away to protect them (and fuck, Crocodile was right, their child was not ready for the dangers of the Grandline!) but that doesn't tell you where the hell Luffy is.

There are so many fires to put out Dragon doesn't even know where to start, besides, once it becomes clear that a battle will happen at Marineford, Dragon has to decide what to do. Can he put being a father and saving Ace over the needs of the Revolution? He cannot drag the RA into a personal battle, this would destroy years of progress for them and they cannot afford that. Besides, who's going to strap Sabo to a bed to prevent him from barging into a battle he's not ready for?

I think he decides not to go even though it's killing him inside. Ace made his choice and Whitebeard will be there, he has to trust him.

And then he hears that Crocodile and Luffy escaped from Impel Down (how the fuck?!) and are on their way to Marineford. But by the time he has this information he probably can't get there in time anymore.

So he's helpless to watch and hope and Sabo is probably rioting, trying to leave Baltigo to save Ace.

In the end, it's over almost too quickly and all he hears is the official information: Ace has died, Whitebeard has died, Luffy was fatally wounded and has disappeared. The war is over and Dragon is probably sitting in his office crying, not even bothering to say anything to Sabo's screaming accusations that they should have been there, that they should have helped!

And then before he can sink too deep into despair Iva calls ;w;

[call-me-strega]

New chapter of HBSD for Jason is just like, hey you get your crush in your bed! But not in that way, actually it’s much worse whoops

I am curious though, what does Jason think happened in Danny/Ellie’s backstory? Because what he has to go off of is 1) Vlad is paying child support and low key Danny is worried about custody 2) Ellie and other attempts were created, but not how (and obv most people wouldn’t assume cloning) 3) Ellie was introduced to Danny LATER 4) Vlad is simultaneously creepy/involved in Ellie’s creation, but also still trying to date Danny’s mom

If I overheard that phone convo, I would be very concerned (obviously), but also trying to figure out how…how the hell any of them are related. Like, trans Danny with Ellie taken early and reintroduced later? Vlad is trans? Is Vlad even biologically involved because Danny never says so, just that he’s in some way responsible so-Vlad paid someone to be a surrogate at some point for some reason? I would have NO idea because none of those explanations would quite make sense from the phone convo unless I knew cloning was an option, you know?

Oh, I totally see how that'd be confusing. Let me explain my thought process when I wrote this.

You see after hearing that conversation, in the moment Jason assumes that something was happening along the lines of the trans theory. The pit rage did cloud his judgment a bit, so he focused more on the custody/separation aspects and wanting to protect these new people in his territory who have something akin to an age-old story he has heard before. Plus, later on during the 4th of July chapter Danny reveals more of his parents' relationship with Vlad and alludes to what happened between them, basically implying that they trusted Vlad near Danny, but he did something to Danny to get his genetic material. Which isn't untrue but somewhat misleading. Later when he has time to re-examine the info from both conversations he adjusts his theory.

Keeping in mind that this is the same universe where cloning is possible and genetic studies are likely more advanced in turn it wouldn't be a stretch to assume test tube babies are a Thing that Exist more commonly there than in the real world. Especially, if we use the version of the story where Damian was a test tube baby rather than Talia actually getting pregnant making it a possibility Jason would definitely be aware of.

Jason's leading theory right now was that some creepy old guy (Vlad) was obsessed with Danny's mom, and later Danny himself. And because his parents trusted Vlad they let him get close to Danny despite Danny recognizing Vlad was a creep. All of this is basically accurate, so here's where things diverge. Jason assumes Danny was assaulted (either physically or sexually) by Vlad, who took his genetic material by force. Then the creepy old rich guy used his money to try and create a test tube baby using their combined DNA. The first few attempts failed but when one finally took Danielle was the result. The creep then tried to raise her and poison her against her other genetic donor, to little success because she was such a small child. Danny became aware of what Vlad had done shortly after Danielle was born, but was too young and vulnerable to fight back and get custody. However, once he got older he finally gathered the resources to fight back and managed to get custody of his daughter. Danny has something he can use against Vlad to keep him in check, likely a scary lawyer or some sort of blackmail. Now he's trying to live a normal life with Ellie and makes sure Vlad compensates him with child support. All things considered not to far from the truth but missing some key context details.

With the type of shenanigans always going down the DC universe his theory really isn't that much of a stretch. In all honesty though, Jason tries not to spend too much time dwelling on it for a couple of reasons: 1) In his experience, people who go through similar things want to be left alone, lest something happen that could jeopardize their situation (hiding from an abuser). 2) Danny made it clear when he declined seeking protection from Red Hood that he had the situation handled and didn't want anyone getting involved, Jason's meddling wouldn't help anything. 3.) Jason wants Danny to trust him enough to tell him the whole story himself, and 4.) Jason is busy with other stuff like work, vigilante-ing, and falling in love to go unnecessarily digging around in a story that honestly isn't as unique as one might think.

Obviously, there might still be holes in my logic but that's basically what I believe Jason's view on the situation would be. I hope that sheds some light onto how I intended the situation to look like from the outside.

[sepublic]

In hindsight it’s funny how I speculated after S1 about King and Lilith having a friendship because of similarities, not just because that happened for Hooty instead (and he needed it a lot more, it was much more based to do it with Hooty who was also the outlier in the Owl House) but also because.

Remember when King was just being a kid (something established in S2) excited to meet his dad, and then Lilith shut him down unprompted to be bitter about her own mother and project that onto King, who is devastated by the possibility??? And he actually internalizes it, with Lilith dragging him down to her level; It leads four episodes later to King being bitter about his dad and crying and lashing out in loneliness.

Not to mention Lilith just making King feel worse about being a Titan with her discomforting worship, to the point King had to walk away to be alone despite that being a dangerous thing to do; Hell he even trusts Steve because he needs anyone besides Lilith, and Hooty is not accepting criticisms of her as Steve painfully finds out. Poor King had to stand up for himself there.

I love you Lilith but uh jeez imagine if Eda found out she’d have been dead. Because after Luz, her other child needed a bad encounter and unhealthy worship too… At the same time, we saw Lilith begin to get her act together in defending her nephew, because adults should be nice to kids in general, even if they aren’t expected to be parents. King had Lilith and Eda for two months, sneaking off to meet with them when he needed a reprieve from the Collector. Because as much as he grew to enjoy the Collector, it was also a very stressful dynamic for him.

Anyhow this brings me to another point that yeah, I can see how Lilith being a bad influence to King during a volatile recovery period, and how King and Luz shouldn’t be expected to tolerate and support that over their own health (esp with Luz’s own health on the subtle decline), paired with Lilith moving out; She also needed to address her pain from someone who actually owed it to her and had that caretaker responsibility from the start.

I do find it funny/ironic with zero judgment (speaking from my own experience obviously) that a lot of us looked forward to the idea of Lilith as a mom to Amity or others and then it turned out she was just. NOT good with kids a lot of the time, she’s bad even, Lilith’s more of an aunt anyway and it’s like. Fine for her?

Lilith had a lot to work on before she could begin supporting kids, it was not her arc’s priority, a big part of her arc is about needing her own mother to support her, who is an adult but needs it and isn’t judged for that! Lilith's happiness and healing is not contingent on taking care of a kid, which is a worthwhile stance to consider from a feminist lens. And eventually Lilith reaches that point, not necessarily as a parent but definitely a proper mentor for Amity, to bookend Lilith’s growth with a nice achievement; But that’s a nice ending bonus, not a prerequisite.

Plus the thing is that for all this, Lilith is not like… demonized for it. It’s still bad and wrong and she needed to give distance to King. But her road to recovery could be messy and she could be messy and mean about it. But there wasn’t an insistence on reactively punishing Lilith for it, moreso addressing the problem constructively, and sometimes Lilith having better things was synonymous with the kids having the same with her. Kinda like how Camila was pretty harsh and even taking it personally at the end of Yesterday’s Lie, but she also realizes what she did wrong and doesn’t have to be punished, just be supportive.

Support Women’s Wrongs, not just in the literal sense, some flaws are allowed to be passed off as not big enough to address. But also in the sense that women are allowed to be flawed and messy and work on it without needing to be hated or punished, because there’s a difference between others characters feeling that way towards them and the narrative, y’know? Think TOH arguing Restorative Justice instead of Retributive Justice, building people back up instead of tearing them down further.

Kikimora was knowingly complicit in genocide and then manipulated children afterwards, but the new state shouldn’t have the authority to execute, so the worst she gets is community service, and before that Kiki’s still entitled to successful revenge against her abuser. Warden Wrath ran a prison and oversaw inhumane experiments, but still gets to live with his son. Terra and Adrian are terrible people but outside of some minor comeuppance, are allowed to live their own lives.

[sleepyjuice-juice]

So I don't hear too much talk on here about the Webtoon "Our Walk Home," but I just LOVE the way it handles perfectionism/people-pleasing and the big role that family dynamics play in yielding those tendencies. As a former major people-pleaser and perfectionist, dissecting Akihiko, Daiki, and their relationship to one another as brothers is an absolute must. Let's get into it, shall we?

Aki has mentioned that his older brother Daiki has done more to raise him than either of their parents (see episode 20). In his twenties, Daiki is a young, high-achieving and successful businessman. He also places an incredible amount of pressure on his younger brother to follow the same path.

I want to first analyze why Daiki acts this way.

It is more than likely that all the times Daiki has made comments on Aki like "Aren't you ashamed?" that those are all feelings that Daiki has felt. After all, it is obvious that while Daiki does not show his emotions much, he is just as afraid of failure as Aki. He's been projecting those insecurities onto Aki, and now Aki has inherited them.

From being so fiercely independent at such a young age, he was forced to grow up too fast, because he had to take care of his and his brothers' own lives with little to no help from the time he was literally a kid, himself. There was never room for him to breathe, of course he didn't have the space to mature emotionally. Obviously, the massive responsibility Daiki had to shoulder contributed to his fear of failure, but we don't know all the specifics. We hear him allude to his other family members - Akemi, Mom, Dad - when expressing that he didn't want Aki to "end up like... others." (episode 16).

Of course, not being able to rely on his family and being forced to grow up fast was a shortcut that came with a price: trust issues!!! 🎉🎉

Now he doesn't trust anyone else to take care of things, including Aki - so in a toxic brand of brotherly love, Daiki manipulates him so that Aki trusts his older brother's judgment more than his own. That way, Daiki can keep all his ducks in a row. That is how Daiki has learned to be reliable - he is excessively controlling in order to compensate for the lack of control he had over the environment he lived in as a kid.

Now, I do genuinely think Daiki loves his brother! Aki wouldn't look up to Daiki so much if he was cold to him 24/7, that would result in different issues for Aki (that might be worth exploring actually, but would have to be their own post). He really does care and wants him to succeed, it's just that in the process, he also internalizes Aki's "failures", letting it speak to his efficacy as a guardian and a person. That is why he is so insistent that Aki depends on him, only him. Since childhood, his definition of his own competence has been his independence, with an emphasis on his dependability.

And when you look at how this affects Aki, well... Aki has learned not to trust himself. He relies on extrinsic factors to measure his own worth, and it's not just his brother's validation anymore - it's everyone. Growing up, the love he received was conditional and based on his conformity, so every judgment made on anything he does becomes a judgment of his character. He hates himself because he was never shown that he deserves love even with his imperfections.

Aki's mask requires an exhausting amount of maintenance, and yet, that has become the standard - perfection is his status-quo, and people around him are always expecting him to meet it. Dependent on approval of others, he minimizes the parts of him that are harder to stomach, sacrifices honesty for digestibility. That's the only way he can be loved and be happy, right?

But the KICKER is that if the authentic parts of him can't be loved as they are, then no matter what success he reaches, Aki can never truly be happy with himself. And I mean, really think about it!! On the outside, Daiki is the picture of success, and yet, he's still so goddamn pressed about how his brother is living his life. Does that sound like someone who's found happiness? No!!!! Self love will always be intrinsic. Success won't be satisfying enough to either of them until they learn to work on what's going on inside.

Both Daiki and Aki will never escape their human depth, so even though "Our Walk Home" is Aki's recovery story, I really hope we get to see both of them heal. Daiki could use those years of growth he missed out on, but will he shed his ways in favor of approaching how his roots grew into a tremendous weed, drinking up all the life around it? Or will his stubborn reality prevail, leaving no room for Aki and Daiki to coexist in the spaces their realities overlap? Only time will tell. Thank you for coming to my ted talk

[matthyeu]

zb1 as your brother ― ot9.

pairing ⇢ ot9!zb1 & gn!reader 

genre ⇢ comedy, fluff, wholesome family dynamics

warnings ⇢ cursing

word count ⇢ 1.3k (about 0.1-0.15k per member)

synopsis ⇢ you like to think it's always put your own blood first.

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ KIM JIWOONG - older brother who always has someone over

HE ALWAYS HAS SOMEONE OVER

like you don’t even know why they always hang out at your house

what’s so good about your house anyway GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!! (you yelling at night after jiwoong’s friends decided to crash at your place) 

it’s so much worse when he brings people over 

the walls are so thin you can hear all 

all of it. 

you bang on the walls every time you hear anything start 

because to hell you are not putting up with that when you’re trying to hang out in your room 

sometimes it doesn’t work and you have to put in headphones 

but you can’t concentrate when you know what goes on in his room 

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ ZHANG HAO - older brother your friends have a crush on

everyone knows you because he’s your brother 

like THE zhang hao 

he’s so popular it’s insane how everyone in your grade knows him

you specifically told your friends he was off limits

like had them swear on their life they would never try to go for him because you cannot imagine your brother with any of your friends

you throw up thinking about him doing anything with your friends

that does not stop every one of your classmates though like they all want his number or for you to give something to him 

but nope you’re not doing that 

you actually eat his admiration chocolate all the time bc duh free food 

he encourages you to take gifts bc free stuff & he would never get with someone your age because he just found that weird

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ SUNG HANBIN - older brother who’s protective of you

oh he’s so protective of you because of the age gap 

he’s not letting anyone lay a hand on you 

like the type you have to bring your s/o to 

your parents don’t care as much but oh man does hanbin care about the people you’re spending time with 

after an incident when you were heartbroken (both romantically and platonically), he always is looking out for you

you learned to trust his judgment bc this guy somehow has this sixth sense to know if someone is good for you

he has always detected toxic people in your life like even when you don’t listen to him 

like you’re too blinded sometimes to tell someone is bad for you 

but now you do bc you’ve been hurt too much 

brother knows best fr

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ SEOK MATTHEW - older brother who always “supervises” you

your mom never lets you go anywhere unless matthew is within five feet 

she’s like super strict about everything 

it’s okay though bc my guy is like super chill about everything 

he understands the struggles of being a teenager who just wants freedom 

so he follows you to wherever you’re hanging out 

and then leaves you there to do his own things 

will check up on you every once in a while though to make sure you’re not dead 

because he has to make sure you’re okay or mom will literally kill him 

if whatever you’re doing is dangerous he will actually stand close by because he doesn’t want you to die 

he wouldn’t tell your mom what dangerous thing you were doing though since she would not approve (unless you get hurt then yes he will tell)

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ KIM TAERAE - twin brother who’s your partner in crime

he’s ready to do all the stupid things with you

anything crazy and he’s down 

like if no one else got you, you know taerae got you 

he’s been your partner in crime since birth

no seriously you two used to make plans where you would stand on each other’s shoulders to grab cookies from the pantry 

like you two are glued together 

it’s always been you two against the world because like everyone else is kinda just a background character 

no one can even try to separate you two 

even when you two went to different universities, one text would always bring you back together 

like he drives all the way to your university to go to all your university parties to wreak havoc 

it’s to the point where people ask where tf the other is when you’re alone 

but also like wtf wdym where’s your brother?? he doesn’t even go to the school 

everyone is surprised when they find out taerae in fact does not go there

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ SHEN QUANRUI (RICKY) - younger brother who acts like your older brother

you swear you’re not the older one all the time 

bc why does bro act like he’s your older brother 

who tf cares where you’re going or what you’re doing 

YOU’RE AN ADULT! 

he’s always somehow disapproving of your actions like gtfo and worry about yourself ricky 

he’s just worried bc a lot of people your age are going out and doing a lot of dumb shit 

overall he just acts mature for his age so he understands you way too well 

like it’s scary how he just reads your mind about things and tells you that it’s a terrible idea 

you don’t understand how he’s like that but sometimes it’s good to have someone knock some sense into you 

literally are the reason you’re still alive since he has gotten you out of some tough shit 

would bail you out of jail if needed

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ KIM GYUVIN - younger brother who goes into your room for no reason

HE’S SO ANNOYING 

like he comes in unannounced all the time like would it kill to at least knock

but no he’s always BOOM in and just pulling you away from what you’re doing

literally you’re gonna strangle him wtf why does he just come in 

and then he runs away the moment you get up bc he knows he gonna get his ass kicked

AND THEN HE LEAVES THE DOOR WIDE OPEN 

so you have to get up and close it anyway 

wtf man like can close the door??

he’s so annoying you can’t with him 

literally always complaining about it to your parents and they try to stop him

but he won’t stop

you’re just glad he doesn’t randomly take your stuff bc that would literally be your reason for murdering him

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ PARK GUNWOOK - younger brother who looks up to you

he adores you 

literally wants to grow up to be like you because he thinks you’re so cool 

whenever school asks him to write about/do a project on his role model, it’s always you 

bc you literally raised him when your parents were too busy to do so :( 

when you were younger you would always play with him so he associates you with all good memories 

he tries to be like you a lot with the way he speaks and stuff 

you always encourage him to be his own person tho

it’s HARD because he looks up to you sm 

you’re his favorite 100% whenever you come home from school he’s always ready to do something with you

he finds life without you to be boring and will definitely be buying out the house next to yours when you both are old 

can’t stand living without you bc you’re literally his idol

pls he loves you so bad

ع˖⁺𖤐ミ HAN YUJIN - baby brother whom you protect all the time

he’s so sick and tired of you babying him 

but how can you not he’s so younger brother (well duh he’s your younger brother but) 

like you are SO protective over where he’s going and what he’s doing bc you don’t want him to do anything stupid 

constantly reminding you that he’s not a kid anymore

fails bc you will never not see him as a kid

like yujin is your baby brother 

he will never not be your baby brother 

you refuse to call him a younger brother bc he will always be baby brother 

you embarrass him so much that he’s begging for you to stop doing all that you’re doing because it’s TOO MUCH 

like pls he just wants to live the teenage life

but you’re not going to let him duhhh your baby brother needs love

[moraloreldeservedbetter]

Little late to the party as always but I'm here for the father's day prompt.

Geez… The fathers of Moral Orel….

First of all, I agree that I want to see Karl's character expanded.  I mean, he's a really bad father, but mostly I want to know why he's a father.  Why did Karl and Kim decide to have Doughy?  Was it an accident and they carried to term, took care of him for a while, then abandoned him because it would lead to less judgment than not keeping the baby would have?  Or did they have Doughy on purpose because it's the logical next step after getting married, and all the cutest couple have a baby because babies are cute, and then they realized that a child was a lifelong commitment and a responsibility they didn't want, so as soon as he was out of that cute baby phase and didn't make them look like an adorable couple with something helpless to nurture, they pushed him to the side?  Karl certainly doesn't like him in the house, so maybe he liked the idea of a baby before he realized a baby demands a lot of attention from its mother and he got jealous and angry and kicked him out as soon as he could?  Idk, but it's a question I would love to see answered.

Another father in the show that I think is super underrated is Sal Figurelli.  He has two kids, his wife ran out on him once, and he's part of the only black family in Moralton.  And yeah, the Figurelli's are the focus of God's Image, but it's not actually about them.  It's a criticism of using religion as an excuse to be racist, which is a good message, but I think it raises more questions than it does answers.  We know Mr. Figurelli is a hard worker and business owner who doesn't let things get to him despite the odds the town throws at him, but we don't know what his relationship is with his children beyond 'they work with him sometimes' and 'Billy trusts him enough to run to him when Susie hits him', but their mom wasn't home when that happened so who knows who he chooses when the opportunity arises.

I also wish we had seen more of Tommy's family in general, especially his dad since his mom was shown much more in "God's Blunders."  They seem to really care about their son, they're just so mired in the dogma of Moralton to actually put that love into action.  And Tommy being so smart and curious makes me wonder if his dad used to bring him home books because he asked for them.  I can really see Tommy's parents getting him the science books he asks for to make him happy, even if they think his IQ is too low to actually understand what he's reading (even though that couldn't be further from the truth).  Idk, I know the Littlers aren't the best parents to Tommy, but given the other parents of Moralton, they actually seem like some of the good ones.  I mean, they could stand to listen to their son more often, because if they did they'd realize just how brilliant he is, but at least they're willing to spend time with him and they do things to protect him when they think he might be a danger to himself.  I demand to know more about Mr. Littler.

Then, there's my obvious curiosity about Art Posabule.  If he's the Bloberta to Christina, I wonder what his brand of neglect entails.  I like to imagine that Art is largely apathetic to his family and would rather lock himself in his study and drink.  The only reason I even think Art spanks Christina the way Clay spanks Orel is because Poppet tells him to and he doesn't care enough to argue about it (my big headcanon about the Posabule household is that Poppet feels that she needs absolute control of her family, from choosing what they wear, to dictating where they go, to even wanting a lock on every door so she can control who can come in/leave rooms, and Art is a huge enabler who never says no to her because he doesn't feel the need to).

Also, Bloberta's dad.  I would say that he seemed like a good parent that was only held back by what an abusive relationship (to what extend, I don't know, but definitely emotionally), but I do think he might actually be playing favorites also.  Maybe it's out of spite; a sort of "my abuser like these children, so I'm going to choose the one she doesn't like as much" but even so, I feel like the roles would be swapped if he were the one in control instead of his wife.  He was a good dad to Bloberta, which is great!  But I feel like if he had his way, then Lunchbox and Modella would have been the miserable ones.  Maybe I'm wrong, and he would have loved them all equally, but it's hard to see, since we only see him after he's already been broken into a nervous wreck who can't even accept love from his own daughter because he's so anxious and traumatized. Kinda wonder if his choose to marry his wife was just as pressured onto him and manipulative as Bloberta was to Clay. It would be interesting because then his beloved, favorite daughter would have turned into the same monster that hurt him so much, and seeing her neglect her kids the way her mother neglected her might actually break his heart, given how much he cared for her. I'll bet he feels really sad and guilty because he couldn't get his wife to treat her better, and then Bloberta wasn't able to break the cycle. I know Bloberta is a grown woman who made those choices on her own, and there's no one to blame for her neglect towards Orel, Shapey, and Block besides herself, but I get the feeling the abuse he went through would make him think it was his fault. I just feel for the guy so much, tbh. His wife is a horrible abuser to him and Bloberta, and given the way she snapped at Modella when she thought she sang off-key, possibly all her children, and he seems to blame himself for not stepping up even though nobody, not even the viewers, knows what she might do if he does step up.

Anyway, this is far too long and SO wordy but I'm very curious about the side families in Moral Orel.  They all seem to have their own problems, so it's interesting to see fathers like Mr. Figurelli and Tommy's dad, who aren't always fantastic but do seem to genuinely love their kids.  It's a shame we didn't get to see most of them as fathers.

(Also as an extremely side note, it would have been interesting if they expanded upon Marionetta's family, since we know she has a baby sister and a dad, but we never saw her mom.  So shout out to Marionetta's dad for being the only other single father in Moralton besides Putty?)

OH MY GOD

YES

FINALLY

god this needs to be explorered more in this fandom!!

[princeblue]

That Buddhist ask was interesting but also quite depressing (not at all discrediting Buddhism or anything.) The fact Sanemj cares so much but constantly kept being punished by the narrative. Don’t get me wrong, his actions aren’t great and he could have done better. But he lost everyone, lost the fingers he almost blinded his brother with, came from an abusive household. They were set up for failure from the start, he didn’t even get a satisfying conclusion in limbo because he saw his mom be forcibly taken by his dad, and THEN to not be reincarnated as blood brothers… Idk, I know he’s a morally grey character and such. But I feel like Sanemj just kept getting beaten down, he’s the ONLY character to have killed a demon that was his family, where everyone else the demons were strangers. For a character who’s considered the nicest in the world and thought what he did best, it was just unsatisfying in one way for what happened? Aside from having the chance to live I guess for a few years for himself and have a family. Which is also a sad because he could only be happy without his family? Although he was happy when they were kids (hence the drawing of all the Shinazugawa siblings)… It’s no wonder his perspective is so skewed, be was still stuck in the cycle of abuse. People compare him to Kanae, but forget she came from a loving family, that and it’s not like her parents became demons. I could just be reading too much into it, but considering the light novels and Gakuen, it’s like Gotege just keeps wanting punish the brothers, although I know it’s the point because of the tragedy behind them 😭

The Buddhist ask was definitely very insightful!!!

But yeah, I agree that Sanemi is a horribly depressing character, and I love that so much because it’s so fascinating to watch a morally gray/cold and callous character love so much that it’s detrimental to himself and the people surrounding him.

This is me theorizing, since we never actually saw how the events went out, let’s say if he had trusted Shizu to make it back on her own she might not have slaughtered the children and destroyed the family, but because he loved his mom he went to go look for her.

If he had stopped for a moment and truly considered where Genya was coming from, or turned around and went back for his brother. Genya might have actually lived until old age, to get married and have kids just like Sanemi wanted.

But because Sanemi loved him TOO much and because his judgment was clouded from years of extensive trauma, he instead pushed Genya away until it killed his little brother.

I guess even with Masachika, Sanemi allowed himself to trust the man and consider him a friend and look where that got him, a hashira position but at the cost of someone he cared for dearly.

Genya is a whole separate matter, but sometimes it’s more fun to focus on Sanemi and his own character since he’s got so many layers to him that you could spend hourrrssss stripping back to learn something else, and how he’s deeply kind and loving in his heart and yet acts so cruel and mean.

[beevean]

The whole thing with Lanolin being a bossy bitch wouldn't annoy me so much if it didn't seem like every single character who's interacted with her so far just shrinks back with their tail between their legs, no matter one's characterization. Seems a bit contradictory for characters like Sonic and Tangle not to go "Nah! Fuck that noise!" from the get-go the moment Lanolin starts to berate or condescend them especially looking back on when the comic first started. I thought Tangle was supposed to be a "kick butt girl", not a coward who needed to grow a spine. No one actually challenges her, personalities and beliefs be damned, because the conflict wouldn't happen otherwise.

God help Lanolin if she pulled the same thing towards a character like Rouge, Shadow, or Blaze, because I CAN'T for the life of me see any of them taking it and not put their foot down.

Yes, exactly.

Silver, too. Silver is the guy who was introduced as being utterly determined to kill Sonic because he thought that doing so would be the right thing, and it took him almost his entire campaign, plus concrete proof that he had been deceived, before finally changing his mind. I'm not familiar with the Rivals games, but from what I know he was quite stubborn and confrontational there as well.

No way he'd just lay down and die the moment a nobody refuses to listen to him and talks to him like he's a stupid rookie, especially not after the actual rookie endangered his life. Silver would absolutely make a scene to make himself heard if he believes he's right.

Sonic himself may not be argumentative, but he also does what he wants. This is not Sonic's style:

Why is Sonic hanging in the back with a bored expression? Aside from how representative of IDW this is, with the OC at the front and Sonic the Hedgehog in the background... why is Sonic even listening to her? Why does he trust her over his own judgment? That's all Lanolin does, urging Sonic and Tangle to be more cautious, with various levels of insufferableness:

("How do you handle her?" she's a person, not a fucking dog, you asshole. Tangle was a dumbass in this issue, but you don't have the right to speak about her like that.)

("You barely escaped last time" and you know this how...?)

I want to really emphasize that this is all Lanolin is, and all she has ever been since #57. I understand that she is cautious and serious and she would clash with Sonic because of it, but when you put everything together, there hasn't been one scene with her, aside from her excuse of an apology in #58, where she didn't have this insufferable attitude of "I'm surrounded by idiots" - even worse as the idiots in question are Sonic and Silver, who would eat her for breakfast if they wanted to.

But no one challenges her. Lanolin is allowed to do shit like slamming Whisper to the ground, and no one even tells her "maybe you were a tad too harsh bestie 🥺 remember that you said that you didn't want to be bossy 🥺". Ofc she has long crossed the line of "bossy" and landed squarely in "callous" territory, but you know, she was meant to have character development.

And yeah, Tangle doesn't look good either. With Lanolin, she really comes off as a little kid, and Lanolin as her exasperated mom. I can't sympathize with anyone here.

ngl though, Lanolin vs. Shadow would be hilarious. Now I kinda want to see it. C'mon. Let IDW Shadow shine in all of his prickery :)

[gisele-gisubizo]

Dear Beloved,

If there’s something to be unashamed of—something to take true pride in—it’s knowing Christ. I used to think differently, but now, if only I could wear a banner saying, “Oh, how I love Jesus…”

I’ve been thinking about how I can help spread the message of Jesus—how He’s good, kind, loving, and gentle at heart. At first, I was confused about how to go about it, but then the Spirit whispered to me, “social media,” and I thought, “Waiiiittt… really?” So here I am, telling you how good God is, how He can transform your life, take you to places you never imagined, and fill you with fulfillment you didn’t know was possible.

Dear beloved, knowing God isn’t just for the elderly or those burdened with life; it’s for anyone who’s fortunate enough to be breathing. He’s the missing piece you keep searching for in the wrong places. He’s the peace and happiness you pursue earnestly, but often in the wrong direction.

I’m here to tell you that heaven awaits, and it won’t be complete without you. You matter far more than you realize. For you, the Father would leave everything behind in search of you, so don’t take yourself lightly. Come home—He’s waiting for you.

This is the story of how I found my way back home.

Where should I start? Okay, let’s begin with the part where we first met. It was on a particularly bad day, and I decided to follow my sister to church—not because I felt like praying, but because I needed something to occupy my mind for the rest of the day.

I noticed a guy around my age, though he seemed a bit older, preaching about the gospel. As I sat there, not really paying attention, something he said caught my ear. I started to listen closely, and I was amazed, wondering how someone my age could know so much about Christ.

Mind you, I was a Christian, but I realize now that if anyone had dared to ask me if I prayed, my answer would’ve been, “My mom prays” (as if that was enough, haha).

The next day, while talking with some boy at church, he said something that struck me deeply: “For some people, life never changes—only the years do.”

Those words hit hard. They at least prompted me to make a simple prayer that would change my life: “God, I know You can—please change my life.”

And that’s how, for the first time, I met Jesus and my life indeed, changed.

"Something about the name Jesus… la la la…" That’s the song that always comes to mind whenever I think about Him. During my transition, the first things I noticed were peace and joy—e dey flow. I used to be the worrying, judgmental, anxious, and quick-to-anger type, but trust me, I can’t tell you exactly when or how that changed. I don’t know if it took days or months.

It’s never easy, so don’t push yourself too hard. It’s not you but Him working within you. The first thing the Spirit led me to do was read the Bible daily. What surprised me most was that, although I had been reading the Bible since I was a kid, this felt entirely different. It was like things had only ever been on the surface, never deep. Even words everyone seemed to know by heart, like "Jesus loves me," felt new and overwhelming to me.

This made me even more interested. I joined a church and started enjoying gospel songs, which was a journey on its own because I didn’t know any of them. This is when I realized I wasn’t truly a Christian before—I was only Christian by name.

The journey is still ongoing, and even if it’s just a single step at a time, I will make it as long as I don’t stop or go backward. Following Jesus is a choice you make every day.

It's never too late to come home. In our Father’s house, everything you've ever longed for is there, given freely because it’s His joy to lavish us with good things. He’s not just a Father; He’s a friend, a brother—He’s everything to those who know Him. He’s been there since the beginning, and He knew you first. No, it wasn’t your mother—it was Him.

Why pay a high cost for something He offers freely? I wouldn’t, and you don’t have to either. Come home. Don’t walk—run. Heaven is waiting for you.

[bathomet-writes]

plus-size reader headcanons!!

relationship: Romantic 2012!Turtles x GN!Reader (separate)

warnings: romantic, fluff, humor, sfw, headcanons

author's note: for anonymous!! 💕 i've never written for the 2012 turtles but HOPEFULLY this was good..im looking forward to writing more for them in the future tho

In general, your weight isn’t really a topic of casual conversation with the turtles. Unless you specifically bring it up, it isn’t a thing they talk about. You were you and there was nothing else to it! Who were they to cast judgment upon someone for their appearance?

I mean, look at them. They’re mutant turtles. 

But, they all make you feel more accepted than you’ve ever been. You can really be yourself around them! The turtles treat you the same as anyone else they know. 

….BUT

If you were to ever date one of them—

leo:

if you’re ever insecure about yourself, he immediately wants to know how he can fix it!

he’s very much a gentleman, almost annoying so lol

a family member made a sly comment? your mom is going to get a very stern talking-to 😡😡

a stranger made you feel bad about your body??

well……they’re probably in mortal danger 💀💀

he feels VERY protective over you......a surprise to no one

not that you need any special treatment or anything, but he’s at your every beck and call

leo’s not super comfortable with physical expressions of affection………

but you’re the one exception

lots of blink-and-you-miss-it smooches before running away!! 

if you’re both standing on a rooftop during patrol, he’ll work up the courage to plant a kiss on your cheek

[runs away giggling] that, he’s that meme

it’s a little weird, but incredibly sweet 💖💖

despite being a bit shy, leo’s a real goofball

only because he feels so comfortable around you

earning your trust is like..the most important thing he’s ever done

and he is going to take your relationship SERIOUSLY 😤😤

lots of space heroes marathons where he can have you all to himself (he’s kind of selfish about how much of your attention he gets lol)

donnie:

(for whatever reason) he’s the most chill about it than his brothers would be

donnie’s a smooth operator ��😎

….at least he thinks he is

he’d try and be suave and give you a bunch of compliments and praise 😘😘✨

whatever you choose to wear, he’d be the first to mention how fetching you look in it 💖

if there’s a fictional character you somewhat resemble, he’d be lowkey really into them

changing his phone background, having many photos of them, making off-handed comments about how cute he thinks they look, etc.

he’s not nearly as smooth as he thinks he is tho

donnie’s experience in courting is…..let’s just say ‘sub-par’ 

you’ve seen how weird he can get when he’s head over heels (with his crush on april)

his crush on you is embarrassingly obvious to everyone, no matter how much he tries to play it cool

he certainly gets an A for effort tho 🥴👍👍

“Do you have…feelings for me, Don? Feelings that border on love?” 😏😏

…………😳😳💦

“Aw, sewer apples.” 

raph:

he’s a bit awkward around you at first…..

raph is used to roughhousing with the people he likes (mostly his family) so he’s nervous about accidentally hurting you or making you uncomfortable

for as callous and rude as he comes off, he’s a bit of a softie when it comes to you

NOT THAT HE GOIN’ SOFT 😤😤

and he doesn’t think you’re anymore soft or delicate…….nothing like that, you’re just too important to treat carelessly

he thinks about you constantly 😵‍💫😵‍💫

raph doesn’t realize it, but he kind of loves the way you look

not in a romantized, idealized way…but he thinks he’s being weird

the last thing he’d want to do is make you feel objectified

or that the only thing that matters about someone is their physical appearance

but….he can’t deny how flustered he gets around you!!

when he’s not a stuttering mess, he loves showing you off ✨✨

p shameless about throwing his arm on your shoulder or other affectionate gestures (hair tussles or noogies, all that good stuff)

will absolutely YELL at you if you ever said anything negative about your appearance

“Hey, if you ever insult my favorite person again, I’ll beat you up!”

“…..Wait, I’m your favorite person?” 😳😳

“WHATEVER.” 😤😤😡😡

mikey:

you sometimes feel a little conflicted about hanging with mikey

because he’s very prone to hugging

not that you like his hugs, they were just a little more enthusiastic than you’re used to getting!!

and they last for a while

you’ll get hugs for minutes, even hours if you’re not careful

it’s nice….if not a bit strange

with an amused smirk, you interrogate him while he’s somehow playing video games in front of the tv

while also hugging you??

“Am I just trapped here forever?”

without looking away from the tv, he nods

“Yup, trapped in my hug prison!” 😄😄

..he’s just secretly really into hugging you

mikey’s usually an open book about his emotions but he’s VERY shy about the subject

boy can’t handle his feelings!!

you’re just too nice to hold onto, hugging you is so much better than hugging anyone else

if you bring it up he just gets v flustered…

“IT’S NOT WEIRD TO WANT TO BE CLOSE TO SOMEONE 24/7!” 😖😖

giving him a big hug will shut him right up 💖

taglist: @saspas-corner

[homestuckreplay]

EOA1 - Character Opinions

I think it'd be fun to do a quick roundup of how I'm feeling about each major character at big milestones in the comic (such as ends of acts), to see if these opinions change over time. So far I think we have six characters and one vague, looming force of indeterminate sentience to discuss.

Love

John Egbert - I loved this kid since I saw his silly little grin on p.3 when we got his name right, and he's still my favorite character. He's a mystery, an enigma, but he's not trying to hide anything, he simply hasn't figured out who he is or what he wants. He has simultaneously the best and worst taste in media and sense of humor. He loves computers but knows fuck all about them. He finally got an apple snack after eating nothing but cake all day. He may or may not have arms at any given moment. I could talk about him forever.

Rose Lalonde - Absolute loser dork who doesn't know it and wouldn't admit it anyway. She's so much fun to read about, and honestly, so much fun to totally dunk on. Because of her I checked a 750 page book debunking Freud out of the library. Great taste in animals, cats and eldritch horrors are some of my favorites too. I don't endorse her actions but I'm deeply excited to see what she does next. Saving John from this meteor is going to do insane things for her ego. I love her and I hope her computer gets hacked by the lab.

Like

gardenGnostic - We've only seen them twice (p.110 and p.169) and know near nothing about them but I like their energy, I always like it when someone has a really expressive typing style with lots of punctuation and emojis, and they're clearly excited about John's birthday and him getting their present. Definitely the character I'm most excited to see more of.

Neutral/Mixed

turntechGodhead - I really didn't like him based on his first couple of pesterlogs, he seems like somebody who would call his friends cringe and refer to himself as 'brutally honest' as an excuse to be cruel, and the way he types makes him sound bored all the time. But when he gave John that super thoughtful gift I did see him in a different light. He will probably shift one way or the other when we know him better, but right now I see a spark of goodness that keeps him out of the dislike category.

Dislike

Sburb - Not a character exactly, but somebody made this game, and right now I think they are deeply malevolent and suspicious. I do not trust this game farther than I could throw a cruxite dowel and I do not think whoever created it had good motivations, although I'm uncertain if they are actively, intentionally evil or if they are simply an irresponsible game scientist. The consequences are the same either way. They put my boy John in danger (and probably a whole bunch of other people too).

Hate

None... yet????

Uncertain

John's dad - Literally what the fuck is going on with this clown. Who IS he. Will he please lend me the Serious Jester magazine because it seems like a good read. He writes supportive notes of love and care for his son AND THEN PIES HIM IN THE FACE. What an enigma. He is operating on a plane of existence I cannot access

Rose's mom - I do not consider Rose a reliable source of information <3 so I'm holding judgment until I meet her mom for myself.