#but i could almost certainly clock someone faking it

[alexsoenomel]

Agent's Sin (Dean Winchester x Reader smut)

Summary: A handsome FBI agent walks into a bar where you work.

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: reader had a shitty childhood and trauma (no details), alcohol consumption, age gap (Reader is 23 and Dean is 41), cheesy flirting and sexy times

Word count: 3.2k

Note: I had a block but not anymore? This happened. Hope you enjoy, I sure did writing it.

Like/ reblog or both if you like it :)  

A Sleazy bar wasn’t your first choice but you had to start somewhere. You were a broke college student with no savings, far away from home and you had to feed yourself. Dealing with drunks was easy, considering your dad was one until he had his last bottle of vodka that killed him one Friday night. The pent-up rage you buried deep inside your soul would resurface every now and then whenever someone decided to be a mean drunk like your late father. You would never get violent, you could never hit a man, but cursing and telling them to leave before you would call Karl to throw some punches – you could and you did that. He was a gentle 6′ 8″ giant; security guard; nicest guy to be around, but a damn beast whenever someone decided to get too touchy with you or just straight up be a dick.

Every day was the same: you would wake up, go to classes and after classes straight to work. You had the same three meals every day, slept for six hours max and didn’t have any time for yourself. The money was okay; tips coming left and right considering the amount of creepy, old men visiting the joint and getting drunk after clocking out. They would tell you how beautiful you were, and you would just give them a fake smile and pour them another one. Your smile wasn’t a million-dollar smile in Hollywood, but it certainly brought in some extra cash. It was exhausting to act like you were flattered by the comments, but considering the state of your bank account, you had no other choice. 

Wednesday was coming to an end and you were ready to clock out when a tall, very good-looking man walked in and sat right in front of you at the counter. He was gorgeous; hedgehog-like hair, freckles scattered all over his face like stars in the sky and hypnotizing green eyes. You swallowed thickly as soon as you saw him eyeing you with a smirk on his face. You told Karl to leave early that day. Poor dude almost got stabbed after trying to defend a woman from a very drunk individual who didn’t understand the meaning of the word no. 

Men made you nervous, you didn’t trust them, but something was telling you that this one was harmless. 

“What can I get you?” You asked. You were a little annoyed since it was almost closing time but chose to stay silent.  The bar was empty anyways, hopefully he would have his drink and leave after a few minutes.

“Whiskey. Any kind. Neat,” he said, before he bit his lower lip, his gaze fixed on you.

His voice was deep and raspy, covering your body in goosebumps almost immediately, before your brain told you to snap out of it and pour him the damn drink. 

“Coming right up!” You smiled forcefully. 

You poured him the best whiskey you had – Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey. You weren’t much of a drinker, but you knew that its distinct and spicy flavor was top notch. You had gotten drunk a couple of times on the job. Dealing with sleazy bastards would sometimes get too much for your brain, so alcohol was the antidote. The handsome stranger immediately took a sip and sighed in satisfaction. 

“Rittenhouse?” 

“Yeah,” you answered him. 

“Good choice.” 

“My favorite,” you lied with a soft smile. It wasn’t your favorite. You hated hard liquor. You would only drink it when you wanted to get drunk – no joys in that whatsoever.

Watching him take another sip you noticed a couple of things: he was much older than you; he looked tired and had a small cut on his lower lip. His red flannel was perfectly wrapped around his frame while the rolled-up sleeves made it hard to look away. Correction, your fascination with vascular arms made it hard to look away. 

He wasn’t subtle either. His eyes scanned your face; he was searching for something. Feeling like the whole world was watching, you decided to turn around and focus on getting the rest of freshly washed shot glasses polished and ready for tomorrow’s shift. Your cheeks were burning as your hands became slippery; your body felt foreign. You felt your fingers go numb as the shot glass you took slipped and hit the floor shattering everywhere.  

“Ugh, crap!” You mumbled. 

“Rough day at work?” You heard him say. 

“You have no idea,” You turned around to face him. His eyes were dark, illuminating in dimmed lights, still watching you. 

You ignored his gaze and went in the back to get a broom and clean the mess you made. When you came back you noticed his glass was empty. 

“Another round?” 

He nodded and raised his glass for you to pour another one. 

“Make it double.”

You registered his demand, but stayed silent. You had a feeling he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. The familiar riff of Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Öyster Cult started playing when the whiskey bottle touched his glass. Your head followed the rhythm, moving left and right as you started to hum the lyrics. 

“You look too young to know the lyrics of this song,” he said, taking a sip of his drink. 

“And how old do you think I am?” 

“You’re old enough to serve alcohol, so 21?” 

“Nice guess, but no. I’m 23.” 

The handsome stranger didn’t expect you to be almost 20 years younger than him. His brows shot up in surprise before he said: “Awesome!” 

“There’s nothing awesome about being a broke college student dealing with creepy drunks every night, old man!” You said, not really knowing where the old man comment came from. You desperately wanted to spark-up the conversation with the man in front of you, but you were never the one to break the ice and actually talk to strangers. So far this was great.

“You think I’m old?” He asked with a soft smile on his face. He didn’t seem bothered by your comment. 

“You are definitely older than me so yeah, kinda.” 

“How old?” 

“In your early 40s.” 

The lines around his eyes coming through whenever he would smile and freckles covering his face were a dead giveaway. He probably once was a beautiful young boy – you thought. Once that innocence was taken away, he grew up, but his beauty stayed intact. He was now a beautiful and tormented man.

“41,” he said.

You then exchanged your names. His name was Dean. He was just passing by after finishing a job in Lincoln. 

“What kind of job?” You asked. 

His hand went to the right pocket on his flannel and he showed you his credentials. FBI it said.

“Special agent has a nice ring to it,” you commented and decided, since you were closing soon, to lock the front door. “I promise you I’m going to let you go, I just don’t want any new customers.” 

“When do you close?”

You took your phone from the back pocket of your jeans before answering: “In about 10 minutes.” 

“Have a drink with me then! I promise I won’t tell your boss,” He winked. 

You were taken aback by his invitation that sounded more like a demand. You could feel the tension in the air rising; something about Dean was luring you in even though deep down you knew it was wrong. You had been dating your boyfriend, Dan, for sometime now, but it didn’t seem right. You got along just fine, but something was missing. He was sweet, too sweet sometimes, and yet you didn’t have a sweet tooth. You met through a mutual friend and after a few months of boring dates and sex you were over it. Eventually you told him you needed a break from it all, lying through your teeth, saying you wanted some time alone to focus on upcoming exams. You didn’t have the heart to break his. He was sad but decided to respect your decision.

That was two weeks ago. He would text you every day and you would simply ignore it.

A sigh left your lips before you went behind the counter and decided to pour yourself a glass of whiskey. 

I’m going to regret this.

“Cheers!” Dean said, lifting his glass.

“Cheers, agent!”

Click!

The hard liquor was burning your throat and you pretended to like it and not show how much it actually hurt. Right now you wanted to get drunk as fast as possible; you wanted to feel comfortable around him even though he was a complete stranger.

“You’re going to get me fired, Dean!” You said and chugged the rest of the whiskey from your glass. 

“Woah, you really had a rough day, huh?” 

You wasted no time and poured yourself another. Your throat was on fire, but your brain was slowly becoming numb. It was working. 

“More like rough life! Cheers!” You lifted your glass and took a sip.

The more you drank, the more details you noticed about Dean. His eyes crinkling, his long thick fingers gently holding the glass, his pink lips pressed against the glass… There was a need waking up inside of you with each sip you took. The liquor was dissolving away your sense of restraint and any sanity you had left; all you wanted to do was to crash your drunken lips on his.

“How rough?” Dean asked you. 

“Abusive alcoholic father and a deadbeat mother rough,” you said, now feeling tipsy wanting to sit. You moved an empty wooden crate that was on your left and turned it upside down so you could use it to climb the counter and sit next to Dean. He was fallowing your every move, admiring your legs. 

“So, daddy and mommy issues? That is rough!” 

You shared a look. Up close, he was even more beautiful. You could see every line on his face, around his eyes, lips, and cheek. Every line had a story and perfectly melted into his skin. You quickly looked away, refusing to show him you were completely under his spell.

“Do you work in the Behavior analysis unit? Can you tell I'm chronically searching for approval and acceptance from people but at the same time not giving a shit and trusting no one?”

You weren’t familiar with the branches of the FBI; you just watched too many Criminal Minds episodes.

Dean chuckled. “Not really.”

His hand suddenly went to your thigh as your legs were dangling from the counter. Your heartbeat was in your throat, but at the same time you felt a sense of calm. You knew it was wrong; he was twice your age; FBI agent and yet this was the most excited you had ever been. Your soon to be ex didn't even cross your mind. Something about this man was pulling you in and not letting go.

You finally got the courage you needed to look at him and not look away. He seemed sober, more sober than you at least… 

“Your hand is on my thigh, agent,” you finally said, forcing the last drop of confidence out of yourself. Your walls were crumbling and your desires were resurfacing.

“Tell me to fuck off then,” he suddenly stood up, equalizing the height difference. His other hand went to your other thigh as he gently pulled your legs apart, standing between them. His face was inches away from you, even if you wanted to, you couldn’t look away. 

“You make it hard to, though,” your skin was on fire, burning for the man you met almost two hours ago. You only knew his first name, his occupation and that he had an awesome taste in music. He was a stranger and yet felt so familiar.

Your words weren’t necessary anymore. You knew what you needed and realized he, too, craved the same thing. The life he was living was exhausting and full of lies; he wanted to forget about his fake badge and lies that he told over the years. He cupped your face with his hands and gently pressed his lips on yours. It was a soft kiss at first, which quickly deepened and grew with lust and want. You wrapped your hands around his neck pulling him closer as your legs were wrapped around his torso. You wanted him impossibly close. Light groans and moans filled the bar as you didn’t break away until breathing became a necessity. Panting and red around your mouth from his stubble, you rested your forehead against his.

“I’d invite you to my place, but I don’t think my roommate would appreciate me coming home with an FBI agent.” 

His eyebrows went up before he asked: “Right here?” 

“If you knew how much puke I had to clean just this week…”

Dean’s nose wrinkled slightly. He chugged the rest of his whiskey, feeling a pleasant burn in his throat.

“My car! Now!” He demanded, taking your hand as you jumped off the counter. 

You unlocked the door and saw the only car that was parked, right in front of the bar – black, shiny and beautiful Chevy Impala. You hadn’t seen cars like this for a long time.

You opened the back door and went in. Immediately, you were hit with the smell of leather. Dean followed you and shut the door behind him.  

“Nice ride, agent!” You commented and decided to get up and straddle him. He wasn’t protesting, letting you settle on his lap.

“Thank you!” He sounded almost proud.

You kissed him, feeling the exhale through his nose on your face before he opened his mouth giving you permission to deepen the kiss. The taste of whiskey was still in his mouth and in a strange way you felt like you were getting drunk and losing control with each and every kiss. Dean’s hand went into your hair, pulling it lightly and making knots you’d have to take care of tomorrow. You kissed for a while, your hands roaming, desperately searching for naked skin to touch and explore. Naturally, as you started to grow impatient, your hips started to move, grinding against him. You could feel him getting hard underneath you; he was bigger than you expected. When you couldn't breathe, your lips moved lower, kissing his neck and your fingers started to unbutton his shirt.

"Too bad you're not wearing a suit," you told him, between kisses. "I bet you look hot as fuck while chasing the bad guys." 

Dean chuckled at your comment, not wanting to admit he was flattered. He undid the bottoms of your jeans and his two fingers slid inside feeling your already wet cunt dripping with pleasure. His two fingers slid inside with ease. Your lips parted as you moaned his name. "I bet you look hot as fuck moaning my name, sweetheart."

This man was different. His scent, a light mix between pine trees, whiskey and leather; eyes so green you would think they were little gemstones staring at your soul in the dark; his age…It was a fatal mix, worth potentially getting fired or hurt for.

After taking your sweet time to unbutton his shirt, you could touch his bare skin. His fingers were still there, between your legs, slowly pumping in and out, but you wanted more. 

"Fuck me!" You whimpered. "Please!"

"Needy!" He said, placing kisses above your jaw. 

"Desperate," you corrected him.

It has been too long since you last had good sex. Too fucking long. You forgot what it was like to orgasm without your favorite toy. Your soon to be ex did absolutely nothing for your body and soul. No matter how hard you tried, how much you talked – he just wasn't working for you.

Dean liked the words coming from your mouth, so he decided to stop playing games. He pulled his hand out of your pants and licked his fingers clean. 

"Almost as sweet as you," he exclaimed. 

You felt your cheeks burn. He took off your shirt and soon after, your bra. Your chest was completely bare but you weren't worried about someone seeing you. It was dark outside and the only light that you had were from the street lights surrounding you. He placed gentle kisses on both of your breasts before he told you to lay down. You said nothing and did what he told you. He took off his shirt before pulling your pants down, taking them off without you lifting your hips.

"Damn baby, you're gorgeous," he said in awe. 

He was the one to talk; his upper body was carved by the highest of the Gods and his angelic, yet rough facial features made it hard to not stare. The universe created Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian man a couple of centuries later and sent it straight to you. The man undoubtedly had perfect face and body proportions.

"You're making me blush, agent."

He took off his jeans, struggling to find room before kissing you again. It was getting cold in the car since it was late October but his body was now pressed against yours, keeping you warm and safe. Your hand went to feel his fully hard cock before letting him put it in you.

"Please!" You begged again, feeling the desperation in your voice, but not being embarrassed about it. 

"Okay, okay!" He whispered, finally ready to give you what you want.

He moved your panties to the side, being too eager to take them off, and let his cock free as he lowered his boxers. Without warning he entered you, stretching your walls and making you gasp in a weird mix of pleasure and pain. He was big, so getting used to his size was going to take a couple of seconds. Your fingers dug into his shoulder blades as he started to move slowly. 

"Am I hurting you?" He asked worriedly. 

You whispered a no and kissed him as he started to move again. Soon enough, pleasure took over completely and you couldn't leave the sound of his name out of your mouth. His kisses became messy, slowly losing control over his body and movements as his pace became frantic. His right hand wrapped around your neck putting just enough pressure for you to completely fall apart.

The air in the car was hot and stuffy, and steam started to form on the windows. The sound of your wet cunt taking him over and over again mixed with Dean's moans and grunts; you knew you were going to cum. 

"I- I" you tried to speak but nothing could come out. 

Dean's eyes locked with yours in a moment, both completely consumed with each other…

"Come on baby!" He told you, his voice raspy and sexy. You couldn't get enough of it.

Soon enough you came all over his cock, biting his shoulder, trying to muffle the scream of pleasure. He hissed but didn't say anything as he came soon after. You felt his hot seed filling you up completely as you thanked the universe you were on birth control.

You were both panting, sweaty and speechless. Dean rested his forehead on yours, trying to calm down. 

"So…can I get your number?" He asked.

"Only if you wear a suit the next time we see each other."

"Roger that!" He smiled.

[katnisspeetaprim]

Pluto Pt. 2

Jungkook/CatHybrid!Reader

Summary: You finally meet and get to go home with Jungkook

Warnings: idol!au, female reader, hybrid reader, mentions of being mistreated, anxiety, felling humiliated, hybrids being second class citizens

Word Count: 2857 M.list

You sat quietly in the interview room, fidgeting nervously.

You knew how these things went. They ask to meet you because your mysterious past and striking looks intrigues them, but when they find out you aren’t so willing to talk about it they quickly get bored, and end up adopting some other hybrid instead. Just how you like it.

Truth be told you could do without this tonight. All you wanted to do was finish your book, but if someone requests to meet you, then you don’t really get the choice to refuse, for fear of offending a potential ‘customer’.

You’d clocked the handsome stranger as soon as he walked through the door. For some reason he felt extremely familiar, though you couldn’t quite put your finger on why.

‘Here we are!’ The sudden door opening startled you from your thoughts. You couldn’t stand Margaret. She always had this fake smile around customers and it made you sick.

‘Why don’t you make yourself comfortable, Mr. Jeon?’ The stranger eagerly followed behind her and took a seat across the table from you, flashing you a reassuring smile.

‘I’ll leave you now. If you need anything, press the call button!’ And then, it was just the two of you left alone. Neither of you spoke at first. You certainly wouldn’t start the conversation, so unless he did, then you would both sit there forever, in silence I guess...

Jungkook suddenly cleared his throat.

‘I uh.. I’m Jungkook. Y/N right?’ You looked up at him and nodded slowly. Silence again.

‘Sorry. I didn’t really come here prepared...’ Jungkook laughed apologetically. He  really should have planned better. He noticed that you still had yet to say anything.

‘Do you want to talk?’ he asked kindly, not wanting you to feel pressured. You quickly shook your head, no.

‘That’s ok. Can I talk and you listen then?’ You looked at him for a moment, still suspicious before nodding. Jungkook picked up on your nervous nature, so he smiled softly at you. Now that he was actually meeting you, the anxiety he was feeling earlier seemed somewhat silly now. Although, he did notice that you were still ill at ease just sitting here with him.

‘You don’t have to be scared, I’m not that mean.’ He joked, hoping to relax you.

You heard it all before, seen through the facade, but for some reason, you believed Jungkook when he said he meant no harm. Just his whole nervous demeanour showed he had no cue what he was doing here.

‘Tell me about you...’ You whispered, so quietly he almost didn’t hear you. Jungkook was surprised to hear your voice after saying you didn’t want to talk, but he took in the sight of your ears, still pinned back nervously, so he just smiles and agrees.

‘Well, I’m a singer, pretty well known I guess you could say.’ He chuckled and rubbed at his arm.

‘You’re famous?’ You asked, a little taken a back by this new information.

‘You could say that.’ He laughed again, not picking up on your attitude change until he noticed you once again looking down, adverting your gaze.

Celebrities adopting or buying hybrids wasn’t unheard of and some were genuine and really did care for them, but a lot weren’t like that at all. You had known a few hybrids who were adopted by celebrities, only to be returned months later, a husk of who they used to be.

‘Is everything ok?’

‘I’m not going to be some PR stunt or sex toy for you! If that’s all you’re after then we can end this now!’ Jungkook’s eyes widened in shock after hearing your outburst, and quickly back peddled.

‘No! God no! That’s not it!’ He waved his arms frantically, trying to make you understand.

You narrowed your eyes and leaned back, allowing him the chance to talk. He let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his short hair.

‘Honestly... I’ve been more and more lonely recently, so I thought getting a hybrid might help...’

‘Oh..’ You once again fell silent with a frown.

‘Do you even want to be adopted?’ Jungkook suddenly broke the silence again. You looked at him confused.

‘I’m not going to force you to go if you don’t want to leave.’ You just stared at him, face still contorted with confusion. Usually, if someone wanted you, you didn’t get a choice, so you always tried to make yourself seem as undesirable as possible to people.

You weren’t used to actually having a choice...

‘I do..’ You mumbled out after a few tense moments of silence. Jungkook’s face lit up and he had to stop himself from leaping out of his chair.

‘Perfect! I mean... That’s great!’ You stared at the excited man across the table and gave him a small smile to show that you really did want this. Just as fast as it began, the moment was over when the door swung open again and Margaret strolled back in.

‘Sorry to cut this short, but we actually are closed now...’ Now that the shelter was closed, the sweet voice had faded away to one of slight annoyance.

‘Oh of course! Sorry I didn’t realise.’ Jungkook got the hint and stood up apologetically. She gave him a tight smile before turning towards you.

‘Y/N, why don’t you go to your room whilst I show Mr. Jeon out, hm?’ With one last glance to Jungkook, you quickly got up and scurried out of the room.

Margaret had already started walking away, so Jungkook jogged to catch up to her.

‘Actually Miss, I’d like to adopt Y/N.’ She stopped in her tracks and span round to face the startled man with a perplexed look. ‘S-she said she wanted it too, so...’ Jungkook was taken off guard by the sudden scrutiny.

‘She actually spoke to you!? Huh, interesting.’ Margaret looked him up and down before spinning round and carrying on down the hall.

‘If you follow me, there is paperwork to do.’

Jungkook didn’t really know what to make of the strange interaction, so he chanced a look back to the interview room, where he caught sight of your fluffy ear as you peaked round the corner at him. You gasped slightly when he saw you and ducked away. Jungkook couldn’t help the laugh that left his mouth as he turned away and followed after the annoyed woman to work out the details.

Turns out getting a hybrid isn’t as simple as he thought. You couldn’t just turn up and leave with one the same day, there was a system.

Somebody had come out to his home to make sure it was a safe environment for a hybrid. Space wasn’t an issue for Jungkook, but the room he had haphazardly set up was a little lacklustre.

Since that visit, Jungkook had gone all out on decorating the room and furniture. He’d even gotten you your own TV and tablet. He’d be damned if you wouldn’t be comfortable whilst living with him. The inspector was much more impressed on their second visit.

When he returned to the shelter a week later, he found you already in the waiting room with your bag, waiting for him to arrive. He couldn’t help but notice that you only had a small rucksack worth of luggage.

‘Hey, is this all you have?’ You nodded as you fiddled with the straps of your bag.

‘Oh Mr. Jeon! She’s all ready to go. Do you have a collar for her?’ Your face soured at the word.

‘Umm no? Does she need one?’ The receptionist, a different woman than before, reached under the desk, pulling out a plain collar with plastic tags reading 'temporary.’

‘Yes it’s law. She can wear this until you get a replacement and we’ll put a sticker with your address on.’ She stood up and looked at you expectantly. You knew it would only make a scene if you refused so you let her put the collar on you, feelings of humiliation washing over you.

‘There, that’s better.’ Jungkook quickly picked up your bag and ushered you out the door, and into the front seat of his car.

When he was securely sat next to you, he reached over and took the plastic tag of the collar between his fingers.

‘You don’t have to wear this you know.’ He was trying to help, but he was very wrong. He still had a lot to learn when it came to hybrid laws. You shook your head.

‘In public I do. You’ll be fined if I’m seen without it.’ You spoke sadly and pulled the tag from his grip, hiding it within your own hands. Jungkook sighed in defeat and shook his head before looking back to you.

‘We’ll figure something out, ok? And when we’re home, you don’t have to wear it at all if you don’t want to, ok?’ You caught his gaze and saw the sympathetic look in his eye, and you couldn’t help but trust him.

‘Thank you.’

Jungkook had told you he was famous but you still didn’t really know who he was. You didn’t have a phone and finding an unoccupied computer at Pluto was rare, so you couldn’t even Google him. So imagine your surprise when he pulled up to one of the wealthiest gated communities in South Korea.

‘What’s that look for?’ Jungkook laughed when he noticed you looking round in awe.

‘I just didn’t expect this...’ Jungkook laughed again and focused back on the road.

‘You’ll get used to it.’ As he was pulling into the parking lot, you only then realised how long you’ve been driving. Plus you’d passed some pretty high end hybrid shelters on the way, ones with more exotic hybrids, so why would he travel all the way to Pluto?

You decided to keep the questions to yourself for now, not wanting to scare him off before you even got through his front door.

‘So here we are, this is my home!’ You looked around the room and the first thing you noticed was that the walls were quite bare, but you could already tell it was a nice place just from the first room.

‘I know it could do with some decorating, but I’ve been too busy...’ He trailed off almost shamefully.

‘I think it’s nice.’

‘I can give you a tour if you like? Or you can walk round alone if you prefer?’

‘I’d like to walk alone please.’ Jungkook nodded in understanding.

‘Ok! I’ll work on lunch then. You must be hungry.’ Before he could scurry away, you called out to ask a cautious question.

‘Is it still ok for me to take this off?’ You gestured to the uncomfortable collar. Jungkook gave you a sad smile.

‘Yes, definitely. Here, let me help.’ He came up behind you and with gentle hands, undid the offending clasp. ‘There, hopefully you’ll be more comfortable now.’

You walked the lavish home, still cautious of this all being some cruel joke, or Jungkook not being as kind as he’s made himself out to be.

If doors were closed, you didn’t attempt to open them, only venturing through open doors. Sticking your had into a room, you noticed that it was mostly empty aside from some exercise equipment and... What’s that in the corner? You curiously ventured forwards and your ears fell down sadly when you realised it was an empty dog beg, with a few toys scattered round.

He hadn’t told you he had a dog. You didn’t have a problem with animals, but you would have liked a heads up. You held yourself tightly, anxiety slowly rising again. You speedily made your way from the room, breathing heavily and trying to stop the panic.

‘Hey- Woah! What’s wrong!?’ Jungkook rushed down the hall to you and went to grab your arms, but thought better of it. He settled for hovering his hand behind your back, ready in case you fainted.

‘You didn’t tell me you had a dog.’ You mumbled out sadly. He looked confused for a second, before groaning out, annoyed.

‘Y/N I’m so sorry! I thought they would have told you, or at least shown you my forms...’ You just shook your head with a frown.

‘Shit...’ He whispered and rubbed his face in frustration. How could they not tell you something so important?  ‘I’m sorry. Seriously I am. Will it be a problem for you?’ Jungkook held his breath after he asked the question. If you couldn’t live with Bam, then he didn’t know what he would do. He didn’t think he could handle taking you back after giving you false hope, but he couldn’t get rid of Bam either.

‘It’s fine.’ You whispered after what felt like an eternity. Jungkook released his breath with a thankful sigh, but noticed you were still a little on edge.

‘He’s not here if that helps. I thought it might be a bit much for you at first.’ You nodded, grateful that he’d thought about your comfort.

‘Did you see your room yet?’ Jungkook asked, trying to move on the conversation.

‘Um no. The doors were closed so I didn’t know if I was allowed..’ Jungkook just shook his head.

‘You live here now Y/N, nothing is off limits. Come on!’ He walked ahead and gestured you to follow behind. He stopped in front of a closed door at the end of the hall, but he paused before opening the door.

‘Before you see it... I tried my best with the decorating, but I’ve never decorated for a girl before, plus I didn’t really know what you liked.’ You stared at him incredulously. He’d gone through the effort of decorating your room. That was the most thoughtful thing someone had done for you in a long time.

He pushed the door open and your breath hitched in your throat. You had expected a tiny room with a bed just about fitting, but what you saw threw you completely off guard.

In the middle of the room was a king size bed, with simple baby pink bed sheets and soft looking pillows. As you stepped forwards, you were shocked by the sight of the massive TV  mounted on the wall at the end of the bed. It was bigger than any of the TV’s  they had at Pluto. You noticed a door next to the TV and went to open it before Jungkook stopped you.

‘That’s just a walk in closet. I didn’t realise you had so little clothes so we’ll have to go shopping at some point.’ Curiosity got the better of you. Even though he had told you it was empty, you still wanted to see. Pulling open the door, you gasped when you realised this simple closet was bigger than your whole room at Pluto!

Backing out, you closed the door and leaned against it as you once again looked into the room. Finally in the corner of the room, sat a desk whose top was littered with all different kinds of books and drawing/writing materials. Also a very expensive looking tablet.

‘I noticed you reading at the home, so I picked out some books I thought you’d like.’ Jungkook hurried over and began standing the books up, only for them to fall back down. You let out a gentle giggle as you watched him struggle.

He stopped and turned to face you, smiling wide at the sound you made. Having him stare at you like that made you feel hot all of a sudden. You looked away with a blush.

Jungkook laughed to himself and rubbed the back of his neck.

‘Um, I sort of didn’t know what else you liked, so I got you some craft stuff too.’ He gestured to the other items on the desk. Maybe you can make some stuff to decorate my walls with! Or draw on the tablet.’ Jungkook joked but you weren’t listening anymore, not really. As you took one last look round the room, tears began to form in your eyes. Jungkook was horrified when he saw.

‘N-no! Please don’t cry! If you hate it, we can change whatever you want! We-‘

‘I love it.’ You cut off his panicked ramblings with a strangled sob, emotions getting the better of you. ‘Nobody’s ever done anything like this for me before.’ You covered your mouth as you began to sob harder with happy tears.

Jungkook felt tears of his own form as he stepped forwards and reached out his hand to touch your shoulder, but he once again hesitated.

Without any hesitation on your part, you threw your arms round his shoulders and buried your face into his neck.

‘You have no idea how thankful I am.’ Jungkook was stunned at the sudden contact from you, but still tightly wrapped his arms round you in a comforting hug. He knew that’s what you needed right now.

As you stood in the warmth of his arms, you’d never felt safer than you did in that moment.

In that moment, you knew everything would be alright.

[ddagent]

If you're still doing the scenarios - I'd love to see the whole von Braun trying to get Margo to date someone else so she starts dating Sergei.

I am! Any of these are still fair game, as are any other prompts. I'm focusing this week on really spending time with my hobbies, so expect lots of writing! :)

Margo slipped out of a side door, unnoticed by any of her colleagues at JSC, and walked over to where Sergei had parked on the back lot. He was sitting in the driver's side, listening along to a classical music station, with two Styrofoam cups of coffee from a diner a few blocks over. She slid in, just as he moved the cups off the passenger seat. Margo was immediately greeted by the warm, loving smile of her fake boyfriend.

"Good morning, Margo." Sergei offered her one of the cups. "You know, I could have picked you up from your home. It would have been more believable that way."

She took a sip of the coffee. He'd already sweetened it for her. "It's fine."

"It would have been no trouble—"

"—I sleep here, Sergei. In my office." She jabbed a finger in his direction. "And don't you dare criticise me for that; the only person who sleeps in their office more than me is you."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. Margo knew she should be nicer – after all, Sergei was doing her a huge favour pretending to be her boyfriend. But it was one thing telling Von Braun that she was dating Sergei Nikulov when he kept foisting engineers and academics on her; it was a whole other thing to walk into JSC as a couple. But it had to be believable. Everyone, from Emma Jorgens to Thomas Paine, had to believe that they were a couple. It was the only way to avoid the flush of suitors interrupting dinners and conferences.

"Are you ready?" Sergei asked, as he turned off the radio.

Margo nodded. "I'm ready."

They got out of Sergei's car and began their walk to the front of JSC. A couple of new arrivals in the lot had clocked their little coffee date on the front seat; another stared as they walked, hips occasionally bumping together. Margo's palms felt damp. She was unsure how to act, what to do with her hands. Her last boyfriend had been a middle school dalliance that had only lasted half as long as it did because she forgot to break up with him before winter break. She'd never seen the point of relationships if there was no guaranteed outcome of success. Sex was different. Guaranteed outcome, strict parameters, sought after only when necessary.

Margo Madison was many things but a romantic she was not.

"Relax, Margo." Sergei's hand slid into hers. He didn't flinch at the clamminess of her palms. "This is all we have to do. Just walk in, with your hand in mine."

"Sounds simple enough."

They kept walking. Simple. Sergei kept holding her hand. Also simple. As they approached the doors, his hand slipped away to open the door for her, before settling on the small of her back as they moved inside. Wholly unnecessary and complicated. But the small act of chivalry certainly caught the attention from those waiting in the lobby. Emma Jorgens at reception gave a wide, almost knowing smile as the two passed by. There were whispers, and stares, and a few chuckles. Margo felt the urge to snatch back her hand, to recoil and run to her office and hide in calculations and procedures until the world went quiet again.

A thumb ran along hers. She stared up at Sergei, his gaze sympathetic. "How can you stand it? All the looks?"

"I am used to it by now." Margo couldn't quite imagine, though she had played nurse when two of the astronauts had taken their anger out on Sergei, despite the fact that he had defected in 1968. His hand squeezed hers. "Still, it is nice to be stared at for something so wonderful."

Sergei smiled at her and Margo's stomach somersaulted. So, as soon as they were in the elevator, away from prying eyes, Margo snatched her hand back and put as much distance between them as the tin box would allow.

[a-world-with0ut-dr34ms]

Soap x Reader You decide to reward Soap after finishing a set on the bench press.

NSFW 18+, Explicit, Shameless Smut, Porn w/out Plot, Semi-Public Sex, Gym Sex, Teasing, Fluff, Flirting, Cunnilengus, Blow-Jobs, Cowgirl, P in V, Might be a little tame, but still Graphic Description, no Y/N usage, sorry if this reads kind of cringe or shitty, I'll fix what I can as I come back to it! (ʃᵕ̩̩ ᵕ̩̩)

Word Count: 2.4k

OK, so I had an ex who used to take me to the gym with him on a private compound (he was a Ranger, mm good times (っ˘ڡ˘ς), and those gyms were always dead empty after like 5pm. So, I thought it'd be a perfect setting for something freaky. Enjoy!

But also disclaimer: This is a fake scenario I made up! (✿˵•́ ૩•̀˵)৴♡* Masterlink

"Can you spot me?"

Soap takes a seat at the bench press, having just added a fresh, new 100lbs set of weights to the barbell. He'd spent the last half-hour warming up with lighter weights; this time he felt pumped enough to push himself.

You set your dumbbells down beside you upon hearing Soap call for assistance. The two of you have been working out for well over two hours now, and your bodies were feeling sweaty and spent at this point. The showers were practically singing to you.

Any time you went to the gym with Soap, you left genuinely feeling like you got a good workout done. Often times in more ways than one.

As you walked around so you could spot him, you were met with a resounding smack to your ass, making you gasp.

Instinctively, you look around, afraid that someone may have caught that. Then you remembered why you liked this gym so much.

It was inside a compound; the other soldiers would need special clearance to even enter, meaning the place was basically a graveyard once it was time for everyone to clock out. And best of all, all the cameras were in the hallways. Or so you were told.

God help whoever has to watch the surveillance footage later if that's not true.

Now despite that, it wasn't like you and Soap ever actually did anything in here before; Beyond some kissing and heavy petting in-between sets, whenever one of you two looked just a little too good while pumping iron.

When you came to the gym, for the most part, you actually did want to work out. However, you couldn't get enough of how sexy Soap was looking in his gym attire today.

He went with his old rugby shorts and a muscle top, anything to show off how good his body looks when he's getting damp with sweat and flexing his muscles each time he starts another set. The man was almost too aware of how good he looked.

As usual, you knew he dressed like this on purpose too. Knowing you'll eat it up every time. You don't know how many times he's teased you today alone about your lingering eyes.

He wasn't the only one trying to distract with his clothing, however.

Knowing that this gym would be empty, you went in just some extremely short, thigh-high, tight shorts and an equally tight sports bra. When you didn't have to worry about perverted men ogling you as you worked out, it was nice to actually wear some clothes your body could breathe in.

It also made it easier to attract the right kind of attention.

You'd certainly been enjoying looking into the gym mirrors and seeing Soap's eyes smack dabbed right on your ass whenever you'd squat or deadlift. Unaware that you could see him. Each time he looked, he'd sigh to himself like he didn't even know where to begin with you. His hands would adjust the crotch of his shorts, and he'd blink a few times to get himself back into the zone.

You've been itching to tease him about it all day yourself.

You get behind Soap as he lies back on the bench, shifting his body until he's comfortable enough to take the barbell. You watch his hands grip the cool steel firmly, the veins in his arms looking especially mouth-watering from where you're standing.

"Let's see if you can break your last record," you challenge him.

Soap gives you a teasing look suddenly. "What do I get if I do?"

You place your hands on your hips and smirk. Having to look down at him, all laid out with his arms above him. It was making your imagination start to wander.

"Find out," you wink.

Soap takes one deep breath and lifts the barbell from the stand, beginning his set at a decent speed. Little droplets of sweat begin to roll down the side of his face, as his mohawk sat a little wilder for wear on his head. You listen to the little grunts and sharp breaths he lets out each time he raises the weights.

You start thinking about how he might look if you were in that bar's place instead. Having him a panting mess underneath you. It made you more impatient the more you thought about it.

"Almost there," you start to cheer him on now. "You got this."

Soap reaches his last one, as he struggles to lift the barbell up. You give him some time to rerack it himself, wanting him to feel accomplished with this workout. And wanting to reward him for it too. His arms shake and he grunts with frustration, but he manages to get the barbell back on the stand.

The sigh he lets out the minute he finishes felt equivalent to how you imagine he'd sound climaxing. It makes you giggle.

You're ready to put it to the test.

"You did it!" You applaud him.

"Aye," he huffs. Soap then extends his hands over his head, until his callous palms have met the bare skin of your thighs behind him. "Now come 'ere already," he practically growls out. "Give me what I won."

It seems his mind was in the same gutter as you.

His hands slide up your thighs until they've stopped right at the cusp of your ass cheeks, his fingers slipping beneath the fabric of your gym shorts ever so slightly. It makes the heat between your legs start to radiate; for a second you could have sworn Soap noticed. Judging from how his smile grew.

"Oh, was this the prize?" You tease. "Sweaty foreplay?"

"My favorite," Soap chuckles.

You take one final look around, making sure the gym was as empty as it had been for the past three hours. Soap didn't seem to care regardless, his mind already set on what he wanted. You don't stop Soap when you feel him pull your shorts down, the clothing falling to your ankles as you kicked them off.

Soap takes an eyeful of you, licking his lips and making sure to give your ass a generous squeeze before pulling you closer to him. You step forward, until you're right over the Sergeant, your arms using the barbell to lean on for support.

You already knew the man was about to treat your pussy like a five-star meal. It had you damn near dripping just thinking about it.

"You're good," you give him your final stamp of approval.

"Oh I know," the Scotsman teased.

He lets his grip tighten over your ass and thighs, swiftly bringing his tongue to your clit like a man desperate to feel your body react to his touch. To feel all the love he had to give to you. You jolt initially, Soap's strong grip keeping you still as you continued to hold onto the barbell for dear life.

Soap eats your pussy sloppy, in all the best ways possible, letting your thighs squeeze around his head like earmuffs as he does it. He sucks at your clit, running a tongue up and down your cunt, and slurping up any bit of you he could. The sting of his facial hair rubs pleasurable so against you; had he not been holding you so tightly, you're sure you would have fallen off your feet by now.

Your moans echo around you in the gym, as you try to keep them bottled. Of course, as soon as Soap sees you trying, he takes that as a personal challenge to make that task impossible for you.

His tongue starts circling and sucking at your clit faster, a rhythm having been placed, and your body bubbling with arousal. You feel yourself shake almost violently, your grip on the barbell so tight your knuckles turn white. You're damn near sitting on Soap's face at this point.

You don't even tell him you've just came. The chuckle he lets out was enough of a cue to let you know he was well aware.

So now you felt it was time he was the one shaking.

You step back, seeing his cool, blue eyes follow you from where he still lies. He watches you like a hawk, as you round the bench. You stop right at the rising tent that was beginning to form in his shorts.

You grab the top of them and begin lowering them down, until you've seen the large, hardening, girthy mass of flesh spring free from its prison. How Soap can walk around with this thing would forever be a mystery to you. Your eyes get wide every time you see it, and it always makes Soap laugh.

You let your hand run up his shaft, allowing your thumb to brush over the head teasingly, and seeing the Sergeant shiver in response. You get a cocky look suddenly. "Don't hold back."

You let your warm mouth wrap around him, your lips sucking over the head of his cock, as you let your tongue dance against him, teasing him. It makes Soap's head fall back onto the bench, as he lets out a pleasurable groan.

He lets his hands gently grab hold of your ponytail, as you let him lightly guide you. Though the more you get into it, the harder it is for him to even concentrate.

"Yer doin' so well, love," he just manages to say.

You let your head bob up and down, your hands touching what parts of him your mouth could not reach. Pretty soon your body works as though you were a conductor, hard at work.

Soap grips the edges of the bench now, his hips slightly gyrating, and his breath getting caught every time he felt himself graze the back of your throat, saliva coating his member like lubricant. You gave your services to him like the rent was due.

Your tongue travels down his shaft, as you let your lips hook over his balls, sucking unabashedly, and finally getting that deep groan you'd been waiting for.

The minute he does, you let go of him and stop, seeing Soap look up at you like he was about to burst at the seams. Yearning for you to come back. Fortunately for him, you weren't finished yet.

You climbed on top of Soap, his body feeling like a well-sculpted boulder beneath you. He looks up at you, worshipping everything about you. His hands slide to your sides and rest there, as he takes a moment to admire you.

"You're so beautiful."

You blush, but cover it up with a giggle. You playfully shush him, and bring your mind back to the important things right now.

You grab hold of him again, positioning yourself over him as you use his cock to play with yourself a little, letting the tip massage you. You hum at the warmth it creates in the pit of your groin, enjoying how the sound of your voice just seemed to make him bite at his lip impatiently. Doing everything he can to let you keep the power here.

He certainly enjoyed seeing you so in control of yourself over him. You keep your eyes locked on Soap's as you do, the man looking as though he were about to fall apart if he had to wait any longer for you.

After a few more seconds of teasing, you let him slowly come in, feeling your walls stretch at his length. You're slow to start, as you rest your hands on his shoulders so you can use him for leverage. Soap's hands stay on your sides, as you feel him starting to try and take power below you.

To combat this, you bring a hand to his throat, letting your thumb press in as you start to choke him. Warning him seductively. You haven't met a lot of men who liked being choked themselves; most were too fragile to give it a try. Not Soap though. The man'll do almost anything that'll lead to a satisfying orgasm, no matter the caliber.

Which only meant more fun for you.

You roll your body on top of him, lifting yourself up and down over his cock and letting your pussy smack back against him. You made sure to roll your hips when he was deep in, assuring that special spot of yours was hit every time you slapped back down. You let it make moans spill from your lips, adoring the way Soap craved for it.

Weak groans and whimpers leave his lips. It makes you move faster, wanting the man unable to keep himself from moaning by the time you were through. Just like he had you.

Once he's too overwhelmed by your own dominating nature over him to try, he settles back and lets you use him as you please, his moans low in his throat.

"I can't get enough of you," he moans.

You place your knees on either sides of the bench, resting your hands back on his thighs as you lift yourself up and down with quick, precise speed, grinding against his groin and taking him fully.

Soap starts to grit his teeth, his nails digging harder against your skin, as you feel his hands trail up to the small of your back. He grabs hold, and without warning, begins to join you in the pounding, as he starts thrusting harder into you, keeping up with your speed.

The moans practically hiccup out of you each time he pumps in, the air leaving your lungs and your entire body feeling like it just got lifted into cloud nine.

Once again, neither of you announces when you come, letting your exasperated moans and tightening grips speak for you. Soap brings you down to his chest and hugs you against him, taking your mouth and completely devouring it, as his cock twitches with cum in you. It makes your cunt vibrate against him, a weight-like rush of ecstasy flooding down your body and making your legs turn into noodles.

You both huff and puff for air, as you lie sprawled on top of him. "Fuck," you gasp. "I feel like that was more of a workout than what we just did."

"Aye," Soap chuckles, rubbing his hand over your back as he looks around himself. "We're gonna have to wipe all this gear down before we go," he says.

Forever the Good Samaritan.

More One-Shots Coming Soon. Thanks for reading! (ᴗᵔᴥᵔ)

[bethanydelleman]

Anne de Bourgh is probably just sick

It really bothers me when people speculate that Anne isn’t really sick or that she is a victim of Munchhausen's by proxy because it makes Lady Catherine a monster instead of a uppity busy-body. There is nothing in the text to indicate that Anne is even unhappy at home or feels stifled by her mother! She is presented as ill.

First of all, it was very common back then for people to be sickly. No modern medicine meant vaccine preventable diseases were running rampant many of which can cause lifelong complications (except smallpox, that vaccine was rolling out) and if you had something like a heart condition, no medication or surgery. There are many "sickly" people in history who are suspected of all sorts of conditions. Anne could suffer from something as simple as chronic anemia or from a congenital heart condition or many other things. Diagnosis lagged behind cures in many cases, for example, Type 1 Diabetes has been correctly diagnosed for hundreds of years but it was just a death sentence until they learned how to manufacture insulin.

Second, Anne is physically different from her family and shockingly so. Maria cries out in surprise, “Only look at her. She is quite a little creature. Who would have thought she could be so thin and small!” Elizabeth later describes her thusly, “Miss de Bourgh was pale and sickly: her features, though not plain, were insignificant”. Given that almost every other member of the Fitzwilliam family (Darcy, Georgiana, and Lady Catherine) are described as tall and “formidable”, this indicates a long-standing illness.

Third, there is no evidence that Lady Catherine is in any way cruel or abusive towards her daughter. Anne has her little phaeton to ride around on, Lady Catherine brings people to play pianoforte and cards for her daughter's amusement, and she has a round the clock health attendant, Mrs. Jenkinson. She seems excessively concerned about Anne's health, which wouldn't help to fake keep her sick, "except when Mrs. Jenkinson expressed her fears of Miss de Bourgh’s being too hot or too cold, or having too much or too little light" and "Mrs. Jenkinson was chiefly employed in watching how little Miss de Bourgh ate, pressing her to try some other dish, and fearing she was indisposed,"

Fouth, Anne if anything, seems like a Lady Catherine mini-me than a poor stifled child. She makes Charlotte stand outside to talk to her, which Elizabeth calls rude. She also is a tyrant over her guests:

Miss De Bourgh chose to play at cassino, the two girls had the honour of assisting Mrs. Jenkinson to make up her party.... When Lady Catherine and her daughter had played as long as they chose

In Mansfield Park, Mrs. Grant makes a big pretense of wanting to play whist for her husband’s sake but making it seem like the guests’ choice. Both Anne and Lady Catherine choose without reference to their guests and they play for as long as they want.

But mostly, why in the world would Lady Catherine make her daughter sick if her life goal is to have Darcy marry Anne? Who is going to marry someone who looks like they will die in a stiff wind? Lady Catherine's probably relying on family duty because she knows her daughter is basically unmarriageable. She's frail! She can't even play piano much less run Pemberley, and Lady Catherine is aware of that which is why her only chance is hinting at her nephew and yelling at women he dares to propose to!

Now is it possible that Lady Catherine is treating Anne with something that makes her more ill? Certainly. But that would be an honest mistake and not malicious. Also, we see in Sense & Sensibility that the doctor tries a new remedy when the last fails, so I think it is more probable that Lady Catherine would have gone though many treatments and many doctors, all of whom have failed or maybe resulted in very small improvements.

Anne de Bourgh being an only child and a sickly one is Lady Catherine’s only sympathetic feature. It seems more likely to me that the reason Lady Catherine tries to control and advise others is because the only thing she can’t change is Anne. If Lady Catherine is inflicting this illness on Anne she just becomes an irrational monster. It’s far more likely that Lady Catherine is deeply disappointed that she can’t present Anne at court and parade her around.

People with MbyP usually want to be praised for taking care of their child. Not so with Lady Catherine. The compliments Lady Catherine appreciates are Mr. Collins saying it’s sad Anne can’t be out. She assures people that if Anne was well she would have been awesome. This points more to disappointed hopes than wanting to be seen as a supermom.

MbyP is also super rare. It's far more likely that Anne is just sick or is a result of too many cousins marrying cousins, or is a contrast to healthy, vibrant Elizabeth. Jane Austen also LOVES writing hypochondriacs and when she does, it is always very clear but Anne de Bourgh is presented as just sickly.

Additional Note: The JAFF trope where Elizabeth, uneducated girl that she is, knows what is wrong with Anne/knows the treatment is hurting her is just kind of laughable. If anything she would say something like, “You shouldn’t bleed her, mercury is the way to go.”  Also Lady Catherine would probably laugh in her face and ask her for some credentials.

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

The Volstrucker and I

Chapter 4: We Kiss in Shadow

Bluud was running late. 

Caleb noticed the second the clock in his head told him it’s nearing midnight. Bluud was supposed to relieve him, but a look up either end of the hall told him that the minotaur was late. That was perfectly fine, Caleb told himself, he would stand here as long as it took. 

Jester was fast asleep by then, or at least she should have been. He had a hard time telling if her fake snoring had finally given way to real ones or not. She liked to make loud exaggerated snores, just to see if he would call her on it. He usually didn’t, unless she was in a bad mood and he was trying to cheer her up. 

Shifting his feet the slightest amount, Caleb got comfortable, his hands folded neatly behind his back. 

Then the screaming started. 

Before Caleb even knew what he was doing, he threw open the doors and burst into the princess’s bedchambers, fire already blooming in his hand. Yet he saw no assailants, no weapons drawn, no life threatened, instead he saw Jester still fast asleep. 

Her legs were tangled in the sheets, her hair wild and sticking up around her horns, and she was crying out in her sleep. 

Caleb froze where he stood, unsure of what to do. That was not in any of the protocols he had been given. Then it hit him all at once that he was alone in the princess’s bedroom, she was fast asleep wearing a nightgown, and he most certainly should not be there. 

His manners and sense of duty, urged him to turn around and return to his post. He moved to do just that, but then she started to cry out again. 

In that moment he remembered another woman, one with long blonde hair and a permanent frown on her face. He remembered how Astrid would cling to him and Wulf after a nightmare, how even the situation they were in was better than the one her mind would conjure up. After a nightmare was the only time Astrid would let them comfort her.

It was that thought that made him turn around, that made him summon his Dancing Lights as he crouched down beside Jester’s head. 

“Princess?” He said softly. He reached out as if to touch her, but thought better of it. “Jester?” When she still didn’t stir, he forced himself to reach out and shook her shoulder.

Jester jerked awake, quickly peddling away from him in her panic. Her breathing was harsh, eyes blown wide in fear. His heart ached for her, she should not be made to feel such fear, she was too kind of heart to be put through so much.

Caleb put his hands out in a calming gesture and tried to make himself appear smaller, “You were having a nightmare, your highness.” 

She blinked. “Caleb?” Jester swallowed thickly and pushed her hair out of her face.

“Ja, it’s just me. Bluud should be here any second,” he added just in case she was nervous about being alone with him. She was no longer tucked under the blankets, allowing him to see where the sleeves of her nightshirt clung to her muscles. 

“Are you alright?” He asked gently. Jester wordlessly shook her head and pulled her legs to her chest. “Do you want me to get someone? Your mother?” 

“No.” She moved towards him. “It’s safe in here?”

He nodded and sent his Dancing Lights around into the corners of the room. As light flooded the nooks and crannies, Jester visibly relaxed. She untangled her legs from the sheets and looked as though she was about to say something, but before she could a large frame appeared in the doorway.

“Jester?” Bluud’s deep voice asked. 

Caleb immediately stood at attention, pulling away from Jester. Bluud growled deeply when he saw Caleb in the room, standing so close to the princess. Caleb’s heart beat in his ears, waiting for the punishment to come, but before he could try to apologize, Jester stood and ran into the minotaur’s arms. 

Bluud hugged her immediately, the tiefling almost disappearing into his broad arms. Seeing his chance to make his exit, Caleb bowed deeply and left the room. Bluud’s low tones filled the room behind him.

The punishment would be severe, he knew, yet he could only think that it was worth it to help Jester.

As Caleb left, Bluud turned his attention back to the girl in his arms. He would deal with the Volstrucker later. “Did he hurt you?” Bluud asked softly. Tucked in his arms, the last dregs of the nightmare were finally leaving Jester.

She shook her head and looked up at him, “No, he-he was helping me. Don’t be mad at him.”

Bluud’s arms tightened around her protectively, but he didn’t respond. One of his large hands cupped the back of her head. With a gentle sigh, Bluud used his claws to untangle her hair. “Do you want to go to your mother?”

Jester shook her head. “I don’t want to worry her.” Jester worried far too much about her mother, though he supposed it was only natural. For most of her life, she only had him and Marion. “Sit with me for a while?”

He smiled, “Of course.” He guided her back over to the bed, letting her climb in before pulling the blankets up around her and perching on the edge of the bed. He’d been doing this since she was just a little girl, when her nightmares were filled with nothing more than boogeymen and dragons. He reached down and brushed her hair back, “You’re safe, Jester. I will always protect you.”

She smiled and leaned into his hand, “I know. But you don’t need to protect me from Caleb. He’s a good person.”

Bluud sighed. It was his job to be pessimistic and cautious so that Jester and Marion didn’t have to be. “I wish I had your faith in people.” 

“Trust me, Bluud. I know what I’m doing.”

“Marion, you’re putting Jester in danger for something that-”

“Something that could save hundreds, that could end the war!”

“We know he’s trying to kill our soldiers and still you let him wander free? Jester could be next.”

“Caleb is a boy, he-”

“He’s a soldier, Marion! The sooner you see him as a killer, the sooner we can get him and his plotting out of our country.”

“My country.” 

“Marion-”

“This was the deal I made with the Bright Queen. War will not touch us if we figure out how to break the programming. Jester is the key, you know that.”

“I think you’ve made it clear that I don’t know anything. War is already here, your majesty, it’s been here since the second Caleb came into this castle.”

“What’s wrong?” Jester’s voice cut through Bluud’s mind as she squeezed her hand.

He sighed, “Your mother and I had an argument about that very thing.” Caleb. “She believes in you so much that she…” He looked away. “I won’t burden you with it. But I will be staying closer to you and Caleb.”

“Okay.” She turned onto her side, curled towards him. Bluud smiled and leaned down to kiss her temple. “Stay until I fall asleep?”

He nodded, knowing it would only take a few more moments for her to drift off.

When Caleb was summoned before the queen the following day, all he could think about was the previous night, how he invaded the princess’s privacy and was caught. In his mind he was already preparing himself for the coming punishment, how he would be berated for this error. Marion didn't seem cruel, at least not in front of her daughter, but Caleb knew better than to trust first impressions. 

He met Marion in the throne room and knelt before her in the throne. “Your majesty.” 

“Stand, Caleb.” Her voice was even, practiced. He couldn’t read her as well as he wanted. Marion rose from the throne and walked down the stairs towards him. Her silk gown hugged her figure and flowed in waves from her curves. “Would you walk with me?” 

“Of course, your majesty,” he agreed and rose quickly. Caleb offered her his arm which she took with a small smile. The two of them begin to walk through the hallway, the stained glass windows shedding colorful light on the wood. 

“Bluud told me you were in Jester’s bedchambers last night,” Marion begins, her tone remaining amicable. “Can you tell me why?”

Caleb swallowed, the truth was always better. Whatever punishment he was to receive would only be worse if he lied. He remembered harsh hands, freezing towers, blood covering his arms.

In a robotic voice, he told her, “The princess was screaming, I went in assuming she was being attacked. She was having a nightmare and I woke her up and attempted to calm her down. That’s when Bluud entered. I could see how it might have looked untoward, but I promise you, your majesty, I had nothing but the best intentions towards your daughter.”

Marion hummed thoughtfully, “That was the same story my daughter told me this morning.” She stopped their walk and turned to face him. He forced himself to meet her eyes. “Caleb, my Jester does not often have nightmares; I hope that this isn’t going to be a repeated event. But…I appreciate you looking after her.” Then the queen’s posture changed, she straightened up and Caleb flinched, he knew what was coming. “Veth told me what she overheard.”

“Your majesty-”

“I don’t wish you harm, Caleb.” Her voice remained so gentle, he could hardly stand it. “I know you have been given orders and I know that those orders put the lives of my daughter and my soldiers at risk.” Her red eyes met his and he saw no malice. “But I have allowed you here, I have allowed you near my Jester, do you know why?”

He shook his head.

She touched his hand ever so gently, “Because I believe you are more than a Volstrucker.”

“That is a mistake,” Caleb told her harshly. If she was going to kill him, he wanted her to get over with it. “I am a Volstrucker first and only.”

The look on Marion’s face was full of empathy. “You are not.”

“Your majesty-”

She cut him off, “Just think about it. You were once a child with a mother and father. I know that little boy is in there somewhere.”

“He died long ago,” Caleb whispered.

Marion touched his chest. “As my daughter, things that are dead don’t always stay that way.” Then, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Marion gave him a warm smile and walked away. Caleb was left there alone, more off kilter and uncertain that he would have been if she had struck him.

Part of him wished she had.

On his way back to the barrack, Caleb turned the corner and immediately found himself shoved harshly against the wall. 

A forearm pressed to his throat, forcing him to lift his head. He immediately moved to try to cast, but Beauregard kneed him in the stomach, removing any air from his lungs. With her free hand, she grabbed his wrists so he couldn’t move them. 

“Try to cast anything and I’ll snap your neck.”

In the dim hallway, Beau’s face was shaded. The visage of death coming for him. When he recovered enough to meet her eyes, he found her glaring at her with pure malice. “If I hadn’t been told not to kill you, you would be dead right now.” He could almost imagine her teeth as fangs dripping with his blood. He would not be surprised if she tore his throat out with her teeth.

“What do you want?” Caleb gasped, trying to fight against her. She was stronger than him, he had no chance. 

“Why the fuck do you want to kill me?”

“I have to,” Caleb said with what little air he had. He struggled against her arm again, but he didn’t even move an inch.

“Why?” Beau demanded, pushing ever harder against him.

He shook his head, “I don’t have a choice.”

Her eyes turned into black slits with the fury of her glare, “There is always a choice. Tell me why.”

“The volstruckers,” he told her weakly. “You know too much about us.”

She held his gaze for a long moment, “Are you going to hurt Jester?”

“I-I don’t want to,” he told her. It was the truth, the very thought of harming her made him feel sick. 

Mercifully, Beau pulled away but stayed close enough to keep him trapped in the corner. “Jester is my best friend, if you even think about hurting her, I don’t care what the queen says, I will rip your throat out. Don’t fucking test me.” She shoved him against the wall again before stalking off.

He slid to the ground, trying desperately to catch his breath. His hands dug into his hair and pulled at the roots.

“Lebby?” He looked up and saw Veth there, crossbow out. He didn’t know how long she had been following him, probably long enough. 

He shook his head, “Nothing she said was out of order.” Caleb his head back against the wall. “I should let her kill me.”

“No.” Veth tucked away her crossbow and hurried over to him. She stood in front of him, forcing one of her hands into his. “Don’t say that, don’t ever say that.” 

He shrugged, “Why? It’s going to happen eventually.”

To his surprise, Veth pulled him into her arms, hugging him tight. Even more surprising, he let her.

[the-sand-guardian]

Whumptober Day 10: Blow to the Head

A continuation of days 6 and 9.

Charlie used most of his time in the shower for contemplation. He could almost swear he heard scratching on the other side of the bathroom door with each minute that passed. He balled his hands into fists and looked up into the water for one last moment before turning it off. As he got out of the shower, he hissed slightly at the cold air before he toweled himself dry and got dressed. He had a plan, but he had to be absolutely sure it was going to work if he was going to do it. He looked down at his hands, almost preemptively seeing splashes of red across them. 

He was going to kill his wife, wasn’t he? The thought of it made his stomach turn, but he could live with it. There was no way that thing out there was still his bitch wife. Hell, he wasn’t even a bitch anymore! 

Charlie began to look through the cabinets for something- anything- that might be heavy enough to knock out Mariana. If he was going to do this, it had to be fast. With the way Mariana stalked him, he knew he’d never get a moment to find a better tool. Mariana tried to hum a question through the door but Charlie paid her no mind. He settled on the hair dryer. It wasn’t heavy, but it was at the very least sturdy enough for him to do some damage. His hands shook as he wrapped the cord around one of them. He couldn’t afford to slip up here. 

Carefully and cautiously, Charlie unlocked the door as he drew his hand back. As predicted, the doorknob began to turn almost as soon as the lock was done turning. After just a second, Mariana poked her head through the door. Charlie brought his hand down fast, clocking him hard with the dryer. Mariana clutched his head and stumbled backwards. Charlie followed after him and repeated the swing. She hit the ground after one more heavy blow. 

He was bleeding heavily. The sight of it really made Charlie sick. This wasn’t Mariana, but it still wore his face, his clothes, and had tried its best to fit into his place. But all Charlie could do was hate it for it. A dead Mariana was better than a fake one trying to replace him. Charlie swung again, his eyes pricking with tears. He had to get the job done, he couldn’t afford to fuck this one up. 

He took a step backwards and panted before crumbling to the ground himself. A part of him wanted to heave and sob and curl up and die there with him. The other was proud of the work he’d done- he’d defended Mariana’s legacy, hadn’t he? Flippa might grow up without one of her parents, but she wouldn’t grow up with someone impersonating one. She deserved better than the fraud that lay dead in front of Charlie. Initially, Charlie thought she deserved better than the one they’d buried only months prior, too. However, as the time had passed with the replacement, he knew that if she was to have Mariana back, she deserved the real one. 

He wiped the tears from his face and shakily stood. The hair dryer was busted up in the back from the sheer force of Charlie’s repeated swings and it would most certainly need to be replaced. Charlie tried to settle himself with a few deep breaths but none seemed to comfort him. He spent the rest of the afternoon hiding the body and cleaning up the mess. It was awful, it really was. Thankfully, he knew Flippa had no chance of seeing it- She was at school and going over to a friend’s house to play. When she saw Charlie picking her up alone, she asked no questions and simply climbed into her carseat.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! I've also posted this to Ao3, where I'll be cataloguing all of my works for this month! I also have 3 other WIP fics, so if you enjoy my works please go show some love over there or feel free to shoot me an ask!

[wandercr]

@vaultdamned

the  bar  is  raucous  with  noise;  bodies  are  crammed  in  every  inch  of  the  dimly  lit space,  and  cigarette  smoke  drifts  through  the  air,  making  everything  a  touch  hazier,  almost  ethereal.

head  already  buzzing  from  the  two  shots  she  knocked  back  with  her  roommates,  eliana  flits  through  the  bar.  despite  months  of  her  fake  i.d.  burning  a  hole  in  her  pocket,  she  finds  she  seldom  has  to  pay  for  her  own  drinks  –  not  if  she  doesn’t  want  to.  she  almost  wants  to  call  it  a  superpower,  if  wearing  dresses  just  shy  of  modest  and  batting  her  lashes  could  be  classified  as  such.

she  bites  lightly  at  her  glossy  bottom  lip,  expression  growing  thoughtful  as  she  picks  out  the  next  person  to  approach.  if  they  like  her  enough,  she  knows  some  of  the  women  will  buy  her  drinks,  but  she  also  knows  the  reality:  they’re  looking  to  sucker  some  rich  college  guy  into  funding  their  night  of  drunken  debauchery,  too.  they’re  best  saved  for  the  end  of  the  night,  if  she  wants  someone  to  take  her  home.

she  makes  her  way  over  to  the  bar,  first  victim  friend  of  the  night  in  her  sights.  

     ❝  hey,  handsome,  ❞  she  greets,  lips  pulled  into  a  soft  smile;  he  turns,  and  her  eyes  widen  almost  imperceptibly.  from  her  vantage  point,  she  hadn’t  clocked  him  as  a  classmate,  some  fellow  smarty-pants  from  a  few  of  her  gen-eds.  he  certainly  doesn’t  hurt  to  look  at  …  the  brains  just  mean  this  might  not  be  the  most  boring  conversation  i’ve  had  in  my  life.

 she  opens  her  mouth  to  speak  again,  just  as  a  fresh  group  of  students  sweeps  through.  someone  catches  her  with  their  hip,  knocking  her  forward.  she  catches  herself  on  the  bar,  shooting  a  glare  over  her  shoulder.  so  much  for  making  an  attractive  first  impression.  

she  shakes  off  her  annoyance,  offering  the  man  an  easy  smile  and  giggle.

      ❝  i  don’t  suppose  you  want  to  buy  a  poor,  clumsy  girl  a  drink,  huh?  ❞

[chxckandmxte]

A silent gasp escapes him, hearing words that Leon had desperately needed to hear caught him off guard completely, it had been such a long time since Leon felt the genuine care and concern of another person, let alone from a close friend such as Hunnigan, someone who had always made sure to be there for him every single time she was needed, both on duty, and even off the clock.

Her words brought back memories that reminded him of the many times she had even went out of her way to check on him. Whenever Hunnigan would go through the trouble just to check in on him, sadly, every call had been left to ring out until his voicemail picked it up, as Leon was just too lost in his depression and despair to bother checking at the time, believing it was nothing but a wrong number, whilst completely missing the other messages and voicemails left by his equally concerned dear friends.

After wallowing in his own pit of darkness for a long time, everything was finally hitting Leon all at once, all brought upon him by her show of concern about him, this feeling, it was a feeling he had nearly forgotten, to be cared about. Having others around him that wholeheartedly enjoyed his company, his downfall, made him choose to ignore everyone, and he didn't know why, perhaps he had convinced himself that not a single person cared about him, that he was nothing but a tool that could be used and discarded, all thanks to a certain someone in a red dress who had made him falsely believe that someone like him, could be loved, when all she did was use him for her own gain.

Unfortunately, that was only half of it. Every single time they encountered another, Leon was well aware that she was using him, he had always known it ever since they met again during his mission to rescue Ashley Graham. Even though the agent knew the harsh truth, he still let it happen, all because he still had feelings for her, feelings that were now dead and gone after she emotionally tore out his heart and stomped it into the ground. After that numbness he felt, Leon let it take him over completely, turning him into a miserable person who was stuck in an endless circle of depression and self-loathing, pushing others away rather than pulling them closer when he needed someone, anyone.

Instead of immediately responding, Leon stayed silent, letting Hunnigan continue to speak her mind, to say whatever it was she had to say to him, quietly taking in all her words, his expression goes from aggressive anger, to soft and gentle as the bespectacled woman finished her sentence, spilling out her heart all at once as blue eyes watched her expressions, witnessed her tear up, because she was concerned about him, her close friend.

[{ ☣ }] - "....You're right. Sorry, I almost forgot.."

The more she continue on, he began to feel bad, making her bring up all the struggles she faced in her earlier years, and for someone like Hunnigan, he couldn't imagine how difficult it had been for her. Leon had been blessed to be raised by both his parents, until they tragically passed away, while Ingrid on the other hand, didn't get to experience that. It had taken him far too long, but thanks to the warm words spoken by Hunnigan, he finally remembered, just how lucky he was to have someone in his life that completely cared about his well being like she did, he had been blind to it for too long. Right now, he knew he'd just have to bite the bullet, and except the facts, she was exactly right, she had been this whole time.

While the pain he felt was still present, he swallowed it up, choosing to ignore it and do what he did best. Fake that everything was okay, at least he knew that there was someone out there in the world that cared about him -- something that he would most certainly take at least some form of comfort in, and while it appeared to have done nothing, everything she said, had definitely left a mark on him, thus why he choose to end the argument and welcome her company rather than push her away like he did everyone else.

His expression softening completely, he exhales a defeated sigh, shrugging his shoulders with a quick twist of his head before speaking.

[{ ☣ }] - "Alright, you win.. Let's go get some food, my treat. At a restaurant though.. I need a break from all those dive bars."

Giving in, he accepted his defeat, there was no denying what she said, it was all coming right from her heart, he could tell, and that was really all he needed to tell him that she meant every single word she said to him just now, he made sure to remember everything from this moment, especially everything she had said to him. Leading the way, he begins their trek towards the parking lot of the airport, walking alongside Hunnigan as she would eventually wheel alongside of him in the direction of the exit to the underground parking lot.

[{ ☣ }] - "You still wanna drive? Or am I behind the wheel instead?" He asks, turning his head to face her.

“Because you’re my friend!” she snapped back, just as hotly. She didn’t understand why he didn’t understand that she was trying to help. She was angry that he was just dismissing her own feelings like they didn’t matter. And maybe they didn’t to him. She had hoped the case would be different but…even if he hated her after this, she wouldn’t give up on him. Everyone else might have, but everyone else hadn’t been abandoned in an orphanage as a child. No one else understood that feeling of abandonment and anguish. She refused to let anyone she knew feel that. Even if they fought her tooth and nail. No one deserved that. No one was going to feel abandoned and alone on her watch.

“You’re my friend and I care about you, damnit!” she wiped violently at her face as she felt frustrated tears forming. She would not cry right now. She needed to be strong. “You think I don’t know how you feel?! I’ve spent my life trying to do the same thing! You know how many people I’ve had to bury because of this shit?! You think I don’t feel like it's hopeless?!”

She did, oftentimes. She never showed it. She had to put on a brave face for everyone. Had to be strong for the people who depended on her. She had a file cabinet–a large one–filled with the files of agents that died. It was filling more and more every year, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t stop the death. She couldn’t reach through her comm piece or the body camera and help them. No, she just had to watch as they faced those horrors on their own and do her best to help them in whatever way she could. God, the number of times she had to listen and watch people die. Listen to people choking on their own blood while she told them it was going to be okay. See people blown to pieces. Listen as people drowned or were eaten alive. Seeing their entrails being torn out while they screamed for their mothers. She clenched her jaw and slammed her eyes shut. Not now. Deal with it later. She had to help Leon. That was more important.

“You are important to me, Leon. I would miss you, if you died. I want you to live. Not for me, but because you want to. This isn’t all there is to life; there are good things out there. I want you to be able to realize that. I don’t want you to give up, okay? That’s why I’m here. Because I’m scared for you, and I don’t want you to be alone. I…I know what that’s like. Being all alone. Feeling like no one loves you and you’d be better off dead. So I’m sticking with you. You’ll have to shoot me to make me stop.”

[obito76]

[Closet Secrets]

Chapter 10 : Enter Jason Todd

You can read my full work here on AO3.

---

Raven fidgeted with her hair, her fingers twisting in the strands as she ran her fingers on margins of her text book. Her heart fluttered against her chest and she leaned back against her chair, looking out of her window into the street below. A few flakes of snow began to drift down in the darkness around her, signalling that It was truly time of winter. Raven let herself entertain the small fantasy of curled up under heavy blankets as Dick made love to her with almost tender touches, candles burning around them as they practically bathed in the soft glow.

She blushed and tugged on the sleeves of her sweatshirt, feeling her body tremble at the memory of his hands running over her, teasing her skin. It felt silly to feel her heart pound the way it did, rattling against her ribs like a bird in a cage. She knew, logically, that this feeling of attraction and excitement was something that bound to happen when you are literally fucking almost every day, and yet she loved to wallow in it. Even though it was a maze of falsities and lies, she would wrap herself up in this fake love and tenderness as if it were real.

It was unhealthy for her to feel this way, and yet part of her didn’t care.

“Knock knock?”

Raven nearly jumped out of her skin, a yelp of surprise escaping as she turned around, looking into the face of a familiar man hovering in her bedroom doorway. He leaned casually against the jamb, and his dark hair fell into even darker eyes, the corners of his lips turning up in a sinful smirk that suggested he knew exactly what she had been thinking about.

Raven stuttered for a moment, trying not to drown in the sight of him. What in the...

“I’m sorry.” His voice sounded like sin and silk all mingling together in a veritable thunderstorm of emotions. “Karen and that pink hair were stepping out when I got in, so I thought maybe you need some company. I hope you don’t mind.”

Jason Todd.

“What do you want Jason?” Raven groaned out as she pulled her arms over her chest and blushed, feeling as if he could easily see through her oversized sweater and tight leggings. His stare flicked around her face, obviously taking the sight of her in feature by feature until he was practically grinning behind those endless eyes.

Raven glanced at the digital clock by her lamp, trying to remember what the date was. Thursday ? And nine o’clock? How had she forgotten? She fidgeted with her hair and looked around her room, trying to keep her eyes from locking with his own; that would have spelled disaster. “Trying to give me company? You're not Dick.”

He lifted an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. “I am not.” His eyes shot down the length of her body and a slow, teasing smile split his lips, exposing bright white teeth. “I’m Jason. The League sent him on a mission, So he’s out of the country for a little bit, so… I’m here to fill in his datebook for the next few days.”

“Fuck,” Raven pushed at her hair and sighed, looking away. If she kept staring at him, he would certainly drag her down into hell… or heaven. Whatever happened first. “He didn’t let me know.”

“It was a rather sudden request from a former teammate. He was off to Monaco and needed someone for backup.” He waved his hand dismissively and propped himself up on his feet. “You know how it goes.”

She didn’t, not really.

“Can I come in?”

Could he? There was something dangerous curling around inside him, and he didn’t feel a thing like Dick. Jason’s entire being spoke of hidden curses and dark words whispered in shadows. It spoke of the soft scent of leather and bite of cold metal, a complete opposite of Dick who seemed nothing but affection and pleasure. Could she trust this man with shadowed promises hiding in the depths of his eyes? Raven finally lifted her eyes to his own and gave a nod,

He certainly was interesting..

“Thank you… Raven,”

“Yes.”

Jason sauntered into the room, his hips having a luscious sway to them, and casually moved to her bookshelf. He began to look at the titles on her shelf with a mild interest, running his fingers over the spines with touches that seemed practically irreverent. Raven let him read the books quietly, trying to decipher him, but coming up completely empty.

“I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, Raven. I can sense you’re… uneasy. If you don’t want me here, I can go back to my room,” he stated conversationally, never turning around to look back at her. “If you changed your mind, I don’t have to be here. It’s okay. You will lose your company, but that’s all.”

“No, it’s not that,”

“Oh? So you don’t mind if I stay then?” He glanced over his shoulder and watched her, his lips curling up into another smile.

“Yeah, yeah.. you can stay, I guess…” Raven felt her body react under his heady stare and looked around her room again, trying to avoid looking into his eyes. She knew that the moment she saw those shadows again, she would be unable to stop herself from saying no. She desperately wanted to see what was hiding inside him. “It’s just that Dick promised to spend night so when I heard knocking, I wasn’t expecting you.”

He cast her a sidelong glance, that infuriating smile playing across his lips again as his fingertips continued to slide along the spines of her books. “Fucking your best friend's husband in her own house?”

“Who cares about her?” Raven scoffed.

“Mm…” Jason made a noncommittal noise as he pulled a book off her shelf with long, careful fingers. “Crime and Punishment? This is one of my favorite novels.”

Hers too. She lifted her eyes to his face again, silently telling him to continue.

“I think Raskolnikov’s delusions of being the hero are… interesting. A blatant indicator of human desires to be more than just themselves, and more than just humans. There’s such an interesting concept that this lays deep at the core of our being, the lust for the idea that the individual is more than just a being among other beings, an individual can be a superman – above all other humans.” He paged through the book and looked up at her, still smiling behind those smoldering eyes. “It’s a great idea…don’t you think?”

Raven just sat there, her mouth hanging open just a little bit as she tried to process exactly what he had just said. He was carrying on advanced discussions of Russian literature with her… in the same way that Dick had easily built their physical chemistry as if it was nothing to be concerned with. How exactly Batman trains his sidekick to be both exceedingly handsome and exceedingly intelligent?

So it's not only Dick,

Jason chuckled. “You look intrigued.”

She was.

“Do you want to talk books?”

She did. It had been so long since she carried on a conversation about classic literature with someone other than Dick and few people at library.

He snapped the book shut, eyes staring deeply into her own as he read her expression like it was one of her books. “We can just talk books if you want, little bird. There’s no need to push if you don’t want to do anything else.” He smiled and moved closer to her. “Besides, I don’t mind the discussion… there’s only one other person I could talk Russian literature with and he and I… well… we don’t really get along. So, I wouldn’t mind the deeper conversation for once.”

She knew that not many of their friends were not all that interested in literature, or even know what Russian litrature is, to able to have real conversations. Maybe this was a good thing? Raven’s stare flicked down to the worn book in his hands and then back to his eyes. Chewing on her lower lip, she weighed the pros and cons for a moment before giving a delicate, careful nod. “Books...talking about books sounds good.”

“Good.” He moved and sat on the edge of her bed. “We’ll start with books.”

Raven felt her heart pound against her ribs at his choice of words.

Start?

---

The rest of their time seemed to mix and mingle together in a whirlwind of questions and back-and-forth teasing, and Raven found herself intrigued with what he had to say. It was easy conversation, like something between friends, and it didn’t take Raven very long to relax against him, listening as he critiqued some of her favorite books with sharp but insightful censure. He never ended a point with “well that’s how I feel”, but brought up interesting points of view, and some she had never considered. It was surprisingly… fun.

The next thing Raven knew she was laying spread out on her bed, listening to his low laughter as he trailed his fingertips up and down her arm, picking at loose threads on her sweater.

Jason poked a finger into her side and shook his head, his teasing smile spilling his lips. “Of course you would like Pride and Prejudice.”

Raven pursed her lips and looked over at him as he fidgeted with the pen in her hair. He was impossibly close to her, and she could smell the scent of his breath mingling with the thick scent of his cologne and the heat of his body. It felt like something out of a cheap romance novel, and she both loved and hated it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“All girls like Pride and Prejudice, it’s like… the thing that girls do.” He propped his head up on his arm and looked down at her, a secretive smile playing on his lips. “You know, swoon over Mr. Darcy and all of his reserved mannerisms… giggle when he finally admits that he loves her, start to feel like you too could be part of the Pemberley estate.”

“I don’t swoon over anyone!” Raven rolled her eyes and tried to look insulted, but she knew she was smiling. “I’m not that path-“

“Cute?” He cut her off, draping his arm over her stomach with another smile. He invaded her space easily and Raven found she didn’t mind it at all.

“Because I think you’re pretty cute, Raven.” He leaned over her, pressing his nose against her own, never moving any closer than that innocent hovering over her body. “Seeing you try and deny your secret crush for Mr. Darcy.”

“I don’t have a secret crush.”

“Oh, really?”

Raven’s breath was catching in her throat and she wasn’t sure when she had gotten so warm or felt her cheeks flush so brightly. The heat and tension wove taut between them, feeling like it was going to snap at any moment and the world would explode in a show of fireworks that drowned them both in indescribable colors. He was so close. Licking her lips, her eyes darted from his eyes to his mouth and back again, her mind swirling in a storm of thoughts and curiosities. Could she venture any farther? What about Dick? All it would take was just a tilt of her head...

Jason smiled as if he knew exactly where her thoughts were wandering, and he leaned down even closer, the soft flesh of his lips just barely hovering over her own. A second ticked by between them, and he captured her lower lip in his teeth, nipping at her before releasing the her. “Kiss me, little bird.”

She didn’t need to be asked twice.

Raven leaned up and pressed an innocent kiss to his full, sinful mouth. A moment hung suspended between them, like a fuse to a stick of dynamite, and then the inferno started. He made a deep, throaty noise of approval and pressed against her lips, returning the kiss stroke for stroke, and lick for lick. Whatever she gave him, he returned ten-fold and with considerable skill. Each push from him was just more fuel for the fire racing through her veins, pooling low in her stomach until everything felt like flames licking her skin.

Raven groaned at the faint taste of anise and cinnamon on his tongue, and she brought her hand up to bury into his hair, pulling him tight against her. His taste was addicting, and so different from the fresh mint of Dick. Jason tasted like sin, and she wanted to keep drinking from him until she was satisfied.

The arm around her waist slid slowly under her sweater and his fingertips stroked her stomach with light, teasing caresses. Never enough to feel like he was pushing insistently at her, but just enough to remind her that he could very easily control her body. Raven whimpered into his mouth, and her head fell back against the pillow as he ravished her with the most sinful kisses she had ever tasted. Each stroke from him was like unlocking a darker part of her soul, and all she wanted was to drown in the shadows he offered her.

“Fuck.”

Raven blinked, suddenly realizing that he was scrambling off of her, reaching for his jacket as a loud buzzing noise echoed through the silence of her room. He offered her an apologetic look before answering his cell phone.

“Jason here.” Pause. “Yeah, I know I know.” Pause. “Yes… yes… well… can’t I just-�� His eyes flicked over to Raven and he sighed, leaning against her desk. “What about Garth? Or Roy?” He cursed under his breath. “Okay, okay. Jeez, I know. Calm your tits, dude. Fine. I’ll take care of it.” With another curse he ended the call and started to pull on his jacket.

“I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I have to go, little bird. Looks like they have another mission for me.”

Raven blinked in surprise, her eyes flicking to the clock. They had been talking for over three hours and it was almost midnight, it's just took three hours for him to How in the world had they both lost track of time like that? It took him only three hours to make her kiss him, and she was more than ready to go further. She blinked and sat up, shaking her head. “I’m sorry… I didn’t even realize… I didn’t get you in trouble did I? For being late to your mission, I mean.”

“Nah…” He smiled and ran his hands through his tousled hair. “Besides, it was worth it.”

Raven blinked, eyes questioning as she watched him readjust himself. “What?”

“Worth it… every mean word and punishment from the League is totally worth spending time with you.” He walked over to her and curled his hand under her chin, bringing her lips up to his own. He gave her another taste of his dark, drugging kisses before pulling away with another smile. “You’re the most fun I’ve had in a while, Little Bird… and we didn’t even take our clothes off.”

She gulped.

“Here, this is my personal number.” Jason touched the back of his cellphone with her own, until they both heard the familiar notification sound. “If you’re interested in talking or… maybe just hanging out? Let me know.” He ran his thumb over her lips before pulling away. “I have few days off after this… just in case you’d like to see me outside the bedroom..”

Did she?

Her eyes flicked to the discarded copy of Crime and Punishment.

She did.

Raven noded slowly, watching with silence as he walked out of the room with a small wave, his eyes bright. Silence wrapped around her and she felt her emotions spiral out of control as she tried to hold onto her breath and sanity for just a few minutes at least. It should be absolutely illegal to make a woman feel like this. Letting her heart calm down just a little, she looked down at her phone with a strange feeling.

Jason Todd.

What the hell, she just got herself into..

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

MR. REIGNS

Prompt: Requested by nonny

Word Count: Long-ish

Pairings: Roman Reigns x Reader

Warnings: +18, smut, degradation (name calling), flirting, daddy kink, sir kink, age gap

Editor: @thenightmareismyreality

Tag: @ziasaph , @theworldofotps , @sophiewolfheart-blog , @wickedsunfire , @akiko-tanaka , @aerynscrichton , @sassymox , @waywardwrestlewritingwaif , @reigns-5sos , @lustyromantic , @auawdo , @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch , @nicolewoo , @writtingrose , @bayley-no-friends

Notes: Disclaimer - For respect purposes, I’ll be using a fictional name for Roman’s daughter on this fic. If you’d like to check out my other works, you can find them on my Masterlist

It’s finally Senior Year - and what a fucking relief that is! No more stressful and endless studying hours, no more busting our asses off for mediocre grades, no more shitty frat parties “and last - but certainly not least- no more breaking up with asshole boyfriends at said crappy parties!

I don’t like younger guys. They’re inexperienced, get flustered easily, and don’t care whatsoever about reciprocating pleasure towards their girlfriends or hookups! I like older men...there's something about them that’s just perfect. “When I first met Amber Reigns, I never imagined that I would be blessed with such an amazing best friend. That’s why I knew it was wrong to have the hots for her father, but c’mon! Have you seen the man? He’s delicious! And I’m made of flesh and blood, therefore I have my weaknesses too. And Mr. Reigns is one of my biggest weaknesses.

“Y/N” Amber peeked her head inside my dorm room “Are you ready? My dad’s waiting for us in the parking lot”

“Yeah, I got everything I need” I said while putting on my backpack

“Do you mind going to the car? I’ll be right behind you, I just need to leave some books at the library, because if I don’t they’ll fine me like twenty dollars” She rolled her eyes in annoyance

I giggled “Sure. But don’t take too long flirting with the library boy” I responded in a teasing tone

She stuck her tongue out and left.

I made my way towards the parking lot and saw him standing there, leaning sexily against his pickup truck. He was wearing an extremely tight black tank top, which did nothing but accentuate his rippling muscles and tanned skin that were on full display. The intricate patterns of his tattoo could be seen from afar, the way the black lines molded to his skin like a shield never failed to turn me on, and a pair of black joggers caressed his strong thighs beautifully. His long, black, silky hair was tied up in a tight knot at the back of his head....the man was a fucking sight for sore eyes!

“Hello, Y/N” He greeted with a smile

“Mr. Reigns” I said shyly

He grabbed my backpack and placed it in the trunk of his car “How are you?”

“I’m good, sir. How are you?”

“Better now” He winked and smirked. And I almost came in my pants

“Where’s Amber?”

“She went to the library to return some books, sir”

“Don’t I get a hug?” He smiled

I awkwardly hugged him as I felt the smell of his cologne filling up my lungs and this weird feeling of wholesomeness took over me

“Let’s get inside the car, it’s too hot out here” He laughed

Amber had invited me to spend this holiday weekend with her family, and since I wasn’t feeling much in the mood to go home, I said yes. The only thing I didn’t know was that she planned on going to Mr. Reigns’ house instead of her mom’s house. Before I could fantasize in my daydreams for too long, Amber had returned from the library and hopped into the vehicle.

“Who will be spending the weekend with us?” Amber asked as she fastened her seatbelt

“Your uncles will be coming tomorrow afternoon with your cousins. Your brother decided to go to his girlfriend’s parents, and your sister is coming over on Sunday” Mr. Reigns replied as he turned onto the highway leading to his home.

During the two hour long ride, Mr. Reigns and Amber spent most of the trip conversing animatedly, occasionally asking me a question or two to keep me from feeling too left out, but I let them mostly catch up amongst themselves.

When we got to his place it was the end of the afternoon, and Mr. Reigns went to the kitchen to cook us dinner. I took the opportunity to shower and change into some clean clothes, nothing fancy though, just a pair of yoga pants and a gray tank top. While Amber was taking one of her famously long baths, I got bored and decided to go downstairs to see what Mr. Reigns was cooking.

“Y/N, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He smirked

“Amber is taking a bath” I rolled my eyes in fake annoyance

“Oh great” He grunted, but a smile danced on his lips “That will be quick” He joked, and I laughed in response

“So when is your girlfriend coming?” I asked nonchalantly and leaned against the kitchen island as he chopped some carrots

“Girlfriend?” He chuckled “I know nothing about that”

“How is that possible?” I asked in disbelief

“I don’t need someone in my life in order to be happy, Y/N”

“I’m not saying you do, Mr. Reigns. I’m just saying I find it hard to believe that a man like you doesn’t have a girlfriend”

“And why aren’t YOU spending the holidays with your boyfriend?” He teased

“Boyfriend? I know nothing about that” I mocked

He cackled “And why not? Maybe a boy in college wants to be your boyfriend?”

“I don’t like young guys” I shrugged

“Oh really?” He scooted closer “What do you like then?”

“I like older men”

“How old?” He flirted

The vixen part of my brain woke up once I saw the fire in his eyes “Around your age”

“My age?”

I nodded

“And what does a twenty two year old little girl like you know about men my age?” He licked his lips

“Oh Mr. Reigns...I know a lot” I smirked

………………………………………………………………………………………..

We went to sleep late that night, so the next morning I didn’t even hear Amber calling for me so we could go to the grocery store. When I slowly opened the door of the guest bedroom, I heard Mr. Reigns saying:

“I’ll stay here with her and you go to the store, because God forbid if I forget to buy whatever is your addiction at the moment” He chuckled

“Dad, stop!” She giggled “You’re making me sound like a terrible person, AND it’s Twinkies, ok?”

“Again? I thought it was chocolate with nuts”

“Nope, it’s Twinkies now, and just for that, I’ll buy an extra box just to piss you off” She laughed deviously and left out the door.

When her car left towards the highway, I saw Mr. Reigns going up the stairs and coming towards my guest bedroom. I quickly went to the bathroom so I could brush my teeth.

Mr. Reigns slowly opened the door of my room as I was leaving the bathroom.

“So you’re awake?”

“I woke up when Amber was leaving”

“Why didn’t you go to the store with her?”

“Wasn’t feeling like it. Why are you in my room, Mr. Reigns?”

“I came to check on you”

“Why? Do I need someone watching over my sleep?” I laughed

“I just wanted to make sure you were ok, Y/N”

With a smirk on my lips, I said “So you had no other intentions AT ALL?”

“Would you like me to have other intentions?” He chuckled

“Who wouldn’t?”

“You know this is wrong, right?”

“If I heard it correctly, Mr. Reigns, you were the one who wanted to stay behind, and you are the one who came up here” I shrugged

“Touché” He pushed me down on the bed, and covered my body with his

“If it’s so wrong, why are you doing it, sir?”

“Because” He licked his lips “Everything that is forbidden tastes sweeter, don’t you think?”

I giggled while my hands dipped inside his white t-shirt “That’s your shitty excuse?” And chuckled “C’mon, I know you can do better than that”

He cackled “Maybe...or maybe it’s the truth” His hands pulled my satin shorts down “I’ve thought about this ever since I first saw you”

“So why did it take you so long to do something about it?”

“I wanted to make sure you felt the same” His lips brushed against mine

“We better hurry up before someone gets here”

“It takes two and a half hours to get to the store and back, baby. We’ve got plenty of time” He smirked and kissed my lips deeply.

His full lips tasted like caramel coffee, something he drank every morning without a fail. I undid his perfect bun and let his black, silky hair fall upon his shoulders as we kissed. Moaning into the kiss, I pulled his hair while I wiggled my hips, which made him groan.

“So eager” He slapped my ass “I like that. Makes me wanna fuck you even harder”

He took my wrists and locked them on top of my head while rubbing his bulge against my core.

“Please, daddy” I moaned “Please fuck my pussy”

He growled at my pleading and pulled his joggers down quickly. Roman teased my clit with his tip, sliding it up and down my folds, applying more pressure every time he hit my little nub.

“No more teasing, Mr. Reigns... Please...”

Roman smirked and slid in me with one soft thrust.

“Fuck” We moaned together

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as he filled my core like nothing else. His size was beyond perfect to me and I couldn’t hold back my moans of pleasure any longer.

“That’s my good little slut, moan for the one who owns this pussy” He pulled all the way out, until just the tip was in, and then he went in again with a rough thrust

“Oh yes, Mr. Reigns. Keep going please” I moaned loudly

He gripped me by the neck and chuckled “Such a needy whore! I love seeing what I can do to you. The power I have over you...How you lose yourself while I fuck you” He slapped my ass vigorously “You’ve been waiting a long time to have me in you, haven’t you, my sweet whore?”

“Yes, sir” I panted

“Then tell me! Who’s my filthy little slut?”

“Me, daddy”

He snarled before fucking me faster “Say it!”

“I’m your filthy little slut, sir” Tears started to gather in my eyes, as I could feel overstimulation being so close

“Then cum for me, like a filthy, little, slut” He whispered in my ear, while pinching my clit.

It didn’t take him long to reach his high, and Roman quickly pulled out and spilled his seed on my mound.

He leaned down and captured my lips in a sweet kiss

“C’mon, let’s get cleaned up” Roman looked up at the clock and continued “And if we’re quick enough in the shower, we can have another round before someone gets here”

He picked me up in his arms, bridal style and whispered

“I still need to taste this pussy or else I’m gonna become a mad man” He smirked when I gasped

And ran towards the bathroom.

Please, if you’re comfortable with it, let me know your thoughts on this? Feedbacks are always appreciated ❤️😘

[jungshookz]

smitten: y/n's note is in jungkook's bag and she needs to get it back like, right now

➺ pairing; jeon jungkook x reader

➺ genre; smitten!miniseries!! bff!kook & smitten!y/n!! university!au!! honk honk humour!! the boo hoo angsty wattpad-energy fic of your dreams!! unrequited love!! it hurts so bad but that's what makes it so good!!

➺ wordcount; 7.1k

➺ summary; y/n realizes her meticulously written i love you note is burning a hole at the bottom of jungkook's bag and the mere thought of him finding it is enough to make her feel sick to her stomach.

➺ what to expect; "well, maybe the reason why you're just friends is because the two of you won't allow yourselves to be more than that."

➺ smitten: part one [the almost confession]

»»————- 🖤 ————-««

[previously, on smitten...]

what?

where the hell is it?

you reach into the side pockets and you're disappointed when you end up pulling out old tissues and empty gum wrappers

it's not in the front pocket either — just your keys, a pack of bubblegum, and a small bottle of hand sanitizer

your brows knit together in deep thought as you settle back against your seat, your eyes flickering to the side as you-

you immediately pale

oh my god.

you're positive that your heart stops beating for three whole seconds the moment you realize where exactly the note is — because no, you idiot, you didn't shove it into your own bag earlier-

the note is in jungkook's bag.

»»————- 🖤 ————-««

the next thirty or so minutes of class seem to drag on at a snail's pace and you find yourself checking the time on your phone every five seconds to see when you can finally dart out those doors

your first instinct was to immediately get up and leave because of course you wanted to immediately get up and leave, but with only twenty-ish people in the class and the fact that you're seated near the front... well, it would be a little awkward to just pack up your things and trek up towards the doors without a legitimate excuse (you were tempted to tell your professor that your stomach wasn't feeling very good but the thought of your peers associating you with explosive diarrhea quickly changed your mind)

so, you decided to be a good student and wait it out — but, being perfectly honest, you haven't really been paying much attention to the professor since the thought of you shoving your hi bestie, i'm head-over-heels in love with you note into jungkook's bag instead of yours contaminated your mind five minutes ago

...

you let out a little huff before shaking your head to yourself

how could you be so careless?!

you don't even know how it happened

your bag was sitting on your right thigh, jungkook's bag was sitting on your left thigh... so how the hell did you manage to shove it into his bag??

on the bright side, at least you know where it is, right?

it's in the right side pocket of the bag, so all you have to do is unzip it and stick your hand in and out really quickly without jungkook noticing you rummaging around in his belongings

...but what if he's already read the note?

your foot taps impatiently against the carpeted ground and you reach up and start tugging at your earlobe anxiously, your eyes flickering up towards the dusty analog clock hanging on the wall

c'mon... c'mon...

your grip tightens around your pencil as you continue to trace circles aimlessly on the page, the paper crinkling slightly from the amount of pressure you're putting on it

the stress that's currently eating away at you is probably going to take ten years off your life

"-so, that's pretty much it from me for the day!"

you don't think you've ever been so happy for a class to end as soon as the screen goes black at the front and you waste absolutely no time in packing up

you probably look insane trying to shove your laptop and your notebook into your bag at the same time but you couldn't care less at this point because you need to get the hell out of here

"-please remember to contribute to the discussion threads online... at least four responses, please, and none of those bullshit 'yes, i agree!' responses. i'm definitely not going to count those as participation marks-"

you close your bag with a sharp ziiiip! and you hurry to fold the squeaky desk back into place, a couple of people turning to glance at you for the sudden abundance of clattering and knocking coming from your direction

"excuse me, pardon me-" you pull your backpack on as you step over multiple sets of legs, trying your best not to trample on any feet or knock anyone's tooth out with your bag, "sorry! excuse me-"

you can feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins as you jog up the steps two at a time, your brain immediately mapping out the route to the library jungkook said he'd be at

best case scenario: he hasn't found the note and your friendship with him is still very much in tact

worst case scenario: he found the note and is currently reading it at this point in time and your friendship with him is starting to crumble but you still have a chance to swoop in and pick up the pieces

the absolutely worst case ever in the entire world scenario: he's found the note, he's read the note, he's processed the note, and your friendship with him has been completely annihilated and now he's planning to change his name and leave the country so that he doesn't have to confront you about it

you use your shoulder to shove the doors open before bursting out into the open air, ignoring the concerned glances you're starting to receive from your obviously frazzled state

"oh god, oh god, oh god-!" your backpack flops wildly against your back as you rush down the narrow brick steps leading towards the main boulevard

realistically, jungkook's probably found and read the note, so all you have to do is come up with a short monologue about how all of it was fake and that the note was just a sick, twisted prank of some kind

i know that the note makes it seem like i'm telling you that i'm in love with you, but that's not the truth at all!

"woah, watch it-!"

you accidentally knock into someone's shoulder while sprinting down the lane and you turn around for a second just to hold a hand out while flashing the stranger a sheepish smile

"sorry! so sorry-" you turn back around, reaching up to keep your glasses secured on the top of your head as you continue to sprint, your sneakers slapping down against the pavement

as you read in the note, i made a point about how since we're friends, we should be honest with each other... and honestly, there are nothing but lies in the note! and there's a lesson in that, you know? words can be full of lies but we, as human beings, should be full of truths-

"nope, hate that-" you shake your head and immediately scrunch up that mental piece of paper before tossing it into your brain's garbage bin

you'd sound like an obnoxious philosophy student if you hit him with that explanation

it was a prank! i want to start a prank war with you and this is how i'm kicking things off!

that... that could work, right?

that's not bad!

just tell him that you wanted to start a prank war with him so you decided to go big or go home with an i love you, best friend note to see how he would react!

"so stupid-" you mutter to yourself, slowing down to a jog as you approach the doors to the library, "so, so stupid-"

the Super Epic Prank War ROFL XD™ explanation isn't the greatest excuse but it's the best you can do on such short notice

thankfully, it doesn't take you very long to track down jungkook considering the fact he always sits in the same area every time the two of you come here

your feet come to a screeching halt the moment you spot him and you quickly step to the side to hide behind the wall

you slowly lean over a little to peek at him

he has his headphones on and he's busy typing away at his laptop and you can tell he's concentrating really hard because he has that cute frown on his face and occasionally he'll mutter something to himself

jungkook in intense focus mode is something you find to be very endearing :-)

...

you quickly shake your head to snap yourself out of your daze before focusing on jungkook's face again

he certainly doesn't look like he just read an explosive love letter...

hm

you could still be safe!

...for now, that is.

"okay, y/n-" you stand up straight and let out a breath, giving yourself a mental pat on the head in an effort to calm your nerves, "better sooner than later, right? just- you just have to rip it off like a bandaid-"

your anxiety seems to build with every step that brings you closer to jungkook and you can almost hear the jaws theme song playing all around you

da-dum

jungkook, i swear i have a perfectly logical explanation for this...

da-dum

i know the note does a very convincing job of making it seem like i'm in love with you, but that couldn't be farther from the truth!

da-dum, da-dum

consider this your initiation into our very serious prank war, my friend!

dadumdadumdumdumbdumbdumbthisissuchadumbdumbidea-

"hi!" you greet a little too enthusiastically, trying your best not to make it seem like you just sprinted across campus to get to him even though you very clearly did

"sorry, seat's reserv- y/n?" jungkook looks up from his laptop before frowning, quickly glancing back down at his screen to check the time as he pulls his headphones off to hang around his neck, "aren't you- didn't your class end, like, literally a minute ago? why are you so- did you run here??" he asks incredulously, getting up from his seat as his brows knit together in concern

"no, no! of course i didn't run here, silly- oh, god, give me a sec-" you wheeze, bending down and gripping onto the back of the wooden chair in front of you as you try to catch your breath, your chest still falling and rising at a concerning pace from the physical stress of sprinting and the mental stress of the current situation, "it was more of a- of a brisk walk, if you think about it- jesus, i think i'm gonna throw up-"

"okay, you need to drink some water- come and sit next to me-" jungkook reaches out to help lead you around the table towards him, "god, i don't know why you thought you had to run over, it's not like i was planning on going anywhere-"

"i'm fine, kook, it's fine-"

"you're, like, literally radiating heat," jungkook turns you around and pulls your bag off your back before pulling out a chair and helping you into it, "and your face is all red!" he frowns, setting your bag down on the table and unzipping it to pull out your water bottle

"my face is always this red!" you force out a casual laugh, waving your hand to dismiss him as you lean back against the seat, "i'm fine, it's fine-"

"shut up and take a sip-" jungkook untwists the cap of your water bottle before shoving it into your hands and gently lifting it up towards your mouth, his head tilting up a little so he can check and see if you're actually drinking anything, "c'mon, hydrate yourself-"

you swallow a couple gulps of water before pulling the bottle away and reaching up to wipe your mouth with the back of your hand, "god, i love water-"

"yeah, i bet." jungkook chuckles, visibly more relieved now that he knows you won't be passing out from exhaustion anytime soon

as you put your water bottle away, your eyes lower towards jungkook's backpack slouching against the leg of his chair and almost immediately the anxiety that you thought you'd just swallowed down bubbles right back up

"so, are you going to tell me why you're acting like the cops are after you?" jungkook jokes, taking his seat before pulling his headphones off and setting them down next to his laptop

"i just, um-" you press your lips together as you slowly start to lean down, stretching your arm out towards the pocket, "i just wanted to see you, buddy!"

"i don't believe that for a second." jungkook snorts, turning to look at you

you shoot straight back up and pull your arm up and behind your head as if you're in the middle of a good stretch, "hey, what's with that tone? it's not a crime for me to want to see you-"

"you saw me at lunch! and that was only like an hour and a half ago-" jungkook turns his head to look back at his screen and you quickly revert back to your mission impossible secret agent mode

the forced smile drops from your face and you lean back down, your fingers blindly feeling for the cool metal of the zipper

"you know, you actually came at just the right time-" jungkook speaks up again and you pause just in case you need to pull away from his bag, but he makes no move to turn and look at you, "ji-eun was about to leave for her class but now you can meet her before she goes off!"

"uh-huh..." your tongue pokes out in concentration as you unzip the pocket in one swift movement, immediately sticking your hand in and feeling around for the balled-up piece of paper, "sounds gre-"

hold on, what did he just say?

you shoot back up

"did you just-" you choke and reach up to pat your chest gently, "i'm sorry, did you just say that ji-eun was here?"

"uh-huh!" jungkook nods, "i didn't know she had a spare at the same time as i did so i was surprised when she came over to say hi- it turns out our schedules are, like, sort of similar which oddly makes me kind of happy-"

it's at that moment that you notice the cherry-patterned tote bag slumped in the chair sitting across from you and you let out a nervous chuckle as you shift in your seat, "great! great, that's so- great, it's great that i'm meeting ji-eun today, out of all days..." you trail off, glancing around warily as you try to come up with some kind of an exit strategy

you're just really not in the mood to meet the love of jungkook's life today

you've already been hit with so many blows and it's only two in the afternoon-

"sorry that took so long! i couldn't find a bin but i bumped into my friends and they said they'd throw it out for me-"

oh, you have got to be kidding me.

your eyes widen in mild panic upon immediately recognizing ji-eun to be the girl who had overheard your entire monologue in the bathroom earlier today — and from the way her eyes flicker, it seems as though she remembers exactly who you are as well

"oh, no worries!" jungkook beams at ji-eun before pointing to you with his thumb, "this is my friend, by the way. the one i was talking about earlier! y/n, this is ji-eun."

you stay quiet as you continue staring up at ji-eun, your mind racing a mile a minute as you consider your current options

you can pretend like you've never met her before or you can make things awkward by telling jungkook that you met her today after she'd emptied her bladder

"...y/n?" jungkook lowers his voice, nudging you with his elbow before letting out a nervous chuckle, "please say something."

"i- yes, hello!" you blurt out, the feet of your chair scraping against the rough carpet as you get up from your seat to stick your hand out towards ji-eun, "it's- ah- it's- it's so nice to meet you! i'm y/n."

ji-eun stays quiet for a second before her lips turn up in a polite smile and she reaches towards you, gently taking your outstretched hand in hers (for the record, her hands are shockingly soft and supple), "it's lovely to meet you... as well, y/n. i love your glasses!"

you can't help but notice the immediate warmth that seems to surround ji-eun and suddenly it makes a lot more sense as to why jungkook's attracted to her

you're about as comforting as stepping into a puddle of water while wearing socks

you feel a slight sense of relief seeing that ji-eun is playing along but your new concern is whether or not she's connected the dots that your monologue in the bathroom was dedicated to jungkook

you didn't actually say his name when you were talking out loud, so you might be able to get away with this...

"oh, these old things?" you reach up to feel the glasses sitting on top of your head before flicking your hand at her, "i bought them on amazon. they're blue-light glasses- i can totally send you the link if you want."

"that would actually be great!" she gasps, nodding enthusiastically, "i desperately need a pair of blue-light glasses- seriously, i stared at my laptop screen for, like, ten hours straight today and i really feel like they're about to roll out of my head-"

"oh my god, don't even get me started. at this point it'd probably feel better to rip them right out of their sockets-"

"ji-eun, you ready?"

"let's gooo, i wanna get an iced coffee before we head off to class."

you and ji-eun don't get a chance to continue bonding over the pain of sore eyes when you're suddenly interrupted by two new voices

you look up to see two guys approaching the table and you subtly push your seat back a bit as you prepare yourself to say hello again

"oh! yeah, i'm ready, sorry-" ji-eun gestures towards you with a smile, "this is- this is jungkook's friend, by the way. y/n, these are my friends."

"hi, hello-" you get up from your seat again to stick your hand out, offering the two (very handsome, might you add) strangers a friendly smile, "i'm y/n, jungkook's friend- but you- you already knew that because that's what ji-eun just said-"

"i'm taehyung! you can call me tae-" the corners of taehyung's mouth immediately raise in a bright grin and he gives your hand a firm shake before nodding next to him, "and this is jimin!"

"hi..." you trail off, turning to give jimin a handshake as well, "so nice to meet you!"

"oh, i just- i actually just washed my hands, so-" jimin chuckles, looking down at your hand before taking a small step back, "but it's nice to meet you... jungkook's friend."

ooh

is it just you or did it suddenly get a little icy in here?

"oh, no problem! um, yeah, you too." you pull your hand back before swallowing nervously and forcing the polite smile back on your face, "i like your jacket, by the way! it looks really cool."

maybe it's because he's wearing giant sunglasses indoors but you can't help but feel slightly intimidated by jimin

you can't see his eyes but you can certainly feel them on you and you're definitely getting the vibe that jimin is already not the biggest fan of you for some weird reason

"thank you." he responds curtly, smoothing a hand over the leather before looking down at ji-eun, "so can we go now?"

"mhm!" ji-eun gets up from her chair before pushing it back into place, pulling her tote back up onto her shoulder before flashing a sweet smile at jungkook, "see you later, alligator."

"in a while, crocodile!" jungkook responds enthusiastically, watching with twinkly eyes as she turns and heads off towards the exit with jimin and taehyung glued at either side of her

god

she even walks prettily

and you were literally clomping down the boulevard like a feral caveman a second ago

you wait until they've disappeared to turn and face jungkook with a raised eyebrow, "...jimin was kind of a bitch."

"hey, play nice!" jungkook frowns, reaching over to give your arm a gentle whack, "he's a fashion major! ji-eun says being snooty is part of the degree requirements-" he grins, shaking his head slightly before leaning back against his chair, "she's, like, super funny."

"mm." you hum, still feeling a little uneasy about your interaction with jimin

you just hate it when first meetings don't go well and that first meeting definitely wasn't super great

but it wasn't like you did anything wrong, right?

you were great!

snooty jimin was the one who was being rude

whatever

hopefully you won't have to hang out with him too often if jungkook and ji-eun become an item

maybe you can just stick with taehyung!

he seems to be a lot friendlier

"oh, by the way, i-" you're suddenly reminded of your main mission and you turn to point down at jungkook's bag, "it's not a big deal, but i- i accidentally shoved something in your bag earlier and- could i just get it back from you?"

"you did?" jungkook frowns, leaning down to pick his bag up before unzipping it all the way and pulling both flaps open, "what was it?"

"it was- uh- just some notes on a scrap piece of paper!" you immediately feel the weight lift from your shoulders at jungkook's cluelessness to the situation, "i put it in the right side pocket-"

"wait, are you talking about, like, a balled up thing of paper?" jungkook pauses before looking up at you with wide eyes, "oh, shit- was it important??"

"um, i wouldn't call it important-" you snort, shaking your head, "is it not there? i swore it was in the right side pocket-"

"no, no, it was there! it was there, i just- ji-eun needed to spit her gum out and i thought it was one of my scrap pieces of paper-" jungkook winces, grabbing his phone and unlocking it with fumbling fingers, "i'm so sorry, y/n- let me text ji-eun and ask her which garbage can she threw it into and i can go dig it out-"

"no, no, it's okay!" you nearly let out a screech of delight knowing that your note now has a slobbery wad of gum in it and is living at the bottom of a trash can, "it's fine, i just- they were just boring notes for something. i just wanted to see if i had really shoved it into your bag or not."

"oh, okay-" jungkook's shoulders immediately slump and he sets his phone down on the table, "you're sure it wasn't important?"

"100%." you hold both hands out with a chuckle, "i needed to throw it out anyway so i guess ji-eun actually did me a favour-"

"okay, phew." jungkook sighs, zipping his bag back up and plopping it back down on the ground next to his feet, "anyways- i'm actually glad you're here because now you can help me plan out my date! i was working on it but then ji-eun came and obviously i couldn't have that google doc open in front of her-" he turns his laptop to show you all of his hard work with a grin, "check it out! i have a list of things i need to buy, i have outfit ideas, i even went on pinterest for inspiration-"

"wow, kook-" your eyes bulge out for a second at the sight of the extensive and shockingly organized google doc before you reach over to pull his laptop closer towards you, "i... i really don't think i've ever seen you... even make a google doc before-"

he even has the sunset time written down for the date

why would he need to know what time the sun is setting??

"i have everything planned for next week." jungkook pulls his laptop back to him as you settle back against your seat, "i already emailed my landlord to ask if i would even be allowed to hang out on the rooftop and he said it would be fine! he also reminded me to keep a brick wedged between the door so that i don't lock us up on the rooftop-"

"so you're definitely going with the rooftop picnic, then?"

"oh, i'm actually changing it to a rooftop dinner instead of a picnic." jungkook shakes his head before giving you a half-hearted shrug, "i think a picnic is cute but i really wanna try to impress her, y'know? i ordered this thing on amazon just now- basically, it's a medium-sized inflatable bubble tent! the description says it's perfect for two people and- i'm gonna, like-" he pauses and looks away from his screen towards you with a smile, "well, you know, i'm gonna do what you said and i'm gonna stuff it full of blankets and pillows and... hopefully i can string up fairy lights and stuff on the inside... so that after the date we can go in there and just talk and not have to worry about getting attacked by mosquitos!"

"wow, that's-" you cross your arms over your chest before leaning back and looking up towards the ceiling, "huh. that's actually a cute idea, kook. i wouldn't have been able to come up with something like that. i didn't even know transparent tents existed."

"i know." jungkook gives you a smug little smile before bursting into a grin, "but yeah, that's it! all we have to do is go and pick up all the supplies and stuff."

"we?" you frown, looking back down at jungkook, "i... wasn't aware i was part of this plan..."

"what? of course you are!" jungkook snorts, looking at you as if a third eye just sprouted from your forehead, "obviously you have to help me-"

"well, i just don't know if that's-" you chuckle uneasily as you rub the back of your neck, "i really- i don't wanna get in your way, you know? maybe you should- maybe you should just take care of all of this yourself! i mean, you basically planned everything already-"

"what? but- but you're my-" jungkook deflates and you instantly feel bad upon seeing his eyes suddenly turn sad, "okay..."

you press your lips together and wait for him to say something else but the next few seconds are filled with nothing but awkward silence and the faint buzzing of the fluorescent lights hanging above you

you'd jump off a cliff if jungkook asked you to but helping him prepare and set up his date is something that you,.., definitely would not enjoy.,.,

but then again, this isn't about you, is it?

this is about jungkook, your friend, and he needs your help to set up this very important date that-

oh, damnit.

"i'm-" you clear your throat as you sit up in your seat, reaching over to give jungkook's hand a pat, "no, of course i'll help, kook. i just thought that- well, this date seems so important to you that i thought you wanted to take care of all the details yourself!"

the bright smile immediately returns to jungkook's face and you resist the urge to call him out on so blatantly guilt-tripping you like that-

"yes! you're the best!"

"i know."

»»————- 🖤 ————-««

although you and jungkook are practically inseparable on campus (and some would say it might be healthy for the two of you to give each other a little bit of space) — you don't think you'll ever say no to hanging out with him downtown

of course, hanging out with jungkook downtown would be a lot more fun if it weren't for the fact that the two of you have basically spent the entire day shopping for all the things he needs for his date

and if it weren't for the fact that he paid for lunch and treated you to a cake pop and a venti-sized iced coffee, you would probably be livid about having to carry everything for him because you really feel like your arms are about to pop right off in about two seconds

fancy cutlery, porcelain plates, fluffy throw pillows, a giant blanket, fairy lights... at this point he might as well buy an entire house for ji-eun

and look, you know you probably sound bitter and that-should-be-me about this whole situation, but that couldn't be farther from the truth!

it's just that listening to someone you like gushing about the person that they like for an entire day while you're carrying bags full of things for their date can get a little mentally and physically exhausting so if you're grouchy right now it's really not your fault

"i think we might have to call an uber back to your place, jungkook-" you mutter, adjusting the hefty tote bag over your shoulder with a grunt as you trail behind him on the sidewalk, "bringing all of this on the bus is going to piss people off-"

you stumble over your feet a little when the bag in your right hand knocks into a garbage can and you curse to yourself while resisting the urge to kick the damn thing over

"okay, grumpy, we'll call an uber home-" jungkook spins around with a smile before raising the notepad in his hand and tapping against it with his pen, "i just have one more thing i have to take care of and then we can go!"

"okay, well-" you set the bags down onto the ground with a fwump! before rubbing your sore palms together, "what else do you have to get?"

jungkook offered to help carry a couple of things but you insisted that you'd take it all and that he should just focus on ticking off all of the items on his list

you wince at the sight of the pinkish-red imprints now embedded into your palms from the straps of the bags

obviously you've now come to regret your generous offer

"flowers!" jungkook chirps, using his pen to point to the flower shop a couple of shops down, "i have to greet ji-eun with a bouquet of flowers as pretty as she is-"

"yeah, i understand-" you adjust the two bags on both shoulders before bending down to pick up the other two on the ground, "also, i'm not a genius or anything but i'm pretty sure the flowers aren't going to survive until the date if you buy them now-"

"duh, obviously not- i'm going to place an order now and then pick them up on the day of the date!" jungkook tsks, waiting for you to join his side before he begins walking towards the flower shop, "thanks for doing all of this for me, by the way. you really are the best." he hums, hurrying over to open the door for you

"i... yeah, of course, kook." you feel yourself soften slightly as soon as you see the sweet little smile on his face and you quickly scold yourself in your head for being so curt with him all day, "that's what friends are for, right?"

"mhm!" jungkook slaps his hands down on your shoulders from behind before giving them a squeeze, "and i am so letting you choose whatever you want for dinner tonight-"

"hello!"

"oh, jesus-" you and jungkook are immediately greeted by an overenthusiastic employee as soon as you step into the shop and you honestly probably would've knocked him out with one of your shopping bags if they weren't so heavy-

"are you two looking for anything in particular?" he smiles kindly before gesturing towards the large selection of flowers all around you, "we have flowers of all kinds! roses, tulips, lilies- i can even show you flowers from our new tropical selection-"

"actually-" jungkook nudges you aside before glancing down at the employee's nametag, "seokjin, i'd like to place an order for a custom bouquet, if that's okay."

"ah, a custom bouquet!" seokjin claps his hands and rubs them together enticingly, "what are you celebrating? i need to know so that i can help pick out the perfect flowers for your bouquet."

"well, i don't know if it's a celebration-" jungkook chuckles, his cheeks pinking slightly as he reaches up to rub the back of his neck, "it's for a first date."

"a first date!!" seokjin gasps excitedly before turning his head to look at you, "you must be so-"

"-oh, not for me!" you let out a laugh before shaking your head quickly, "it's- it's definitely not for me. i'm just here to provide moral support and-" you lift one of the bags to show him, "muscular support."

"ah, i see... okay, well- why don't i take you around and introduce you to the different candidates you could consider for your bouquet?" seokjin turns back to look at jungkook, "each flower you choose will be very important in showing your future lover how much you care about them-" he pauses when he notices you hovering behind jungkook and he leans over a little with a bright smile, "why don't you go and wait by the front counter, darling? you can put everything down there and take a little break. there's some cucumber water and fresh puff pastry apple roses up at the front if you're interested!"

"well, i can't say no to free food." you snort, nodding before turning to head towards the front counter, "i'll just wait for you over there, then..."

you nearly let out a moan of relief as soon as you set all the bags down and you twist your upper body to the right and to the left until you feel the a satisfying pop! of your spine cracking back in place

your body was not made to carry heavy things

in fact, you'd like to argue that your body was made to lie down and do nothing

you take a seat on the wooden stool before turning to look at the apple roses sitting prettily in the display case and you almost feel like you shouldn't touch them even though seokjin offered them to you

even the pitcher of cucumber water looks too nice to touch

this place is awfully fancy

you didn't even know flower shops could be this fancy

you prop both elbows up on the counter before leaning back comfortably, your eyes lazily scanning around the store

"$15 for a single rose?" you gawk at the little wooden sign poking out from a large bouquet of neatly wrapped long-stem roses before making a face, "god."

you can't even imagine how much a custom bouquet is going to cost if a single rose is fifteen bucks

"-also write a note for you and attach it to the bouquet, if you're interested in that. it'll be an additional five dollars, but we handwrite it on the highest quality card stock with the most beautiful calligraphy and we even spray it with perfume-"

you perk up when you hear seokjin's voice and you look to see him and jungkook coming over to you

you have to admit that seokjin is great at his job because he's doing a good job at milking every dollar out of jungkook-

"yeah, that would be great!" jungkook nods enthusiastically, pulling his backpack off before unzipping it to grab his wallet, "i think a small note might be cute-"

"oh, that reminds me!" seokjin stops in his tracks right as he's about to lift the wooden slab to get behind the counter, "would you be interested in purchasing a teddy bear as well? if you add a teddy bear to your order, i'll give you a slight discount on the flowers."

"ooh, a discount!" jungkook gasps and you turn your head slightly so seokjin won't see you rolling your eyes at how much he's forcing jungkook to buy

you respect the hustle but this is too much

"where are the teddy bears?"

"right by the flowers!" seokjin smiles, wrapping an arm around jungkook's shoulders and spinning him around, "we can round back and take a look-"

"okay, i think i have to cut in here-" you chuckle, reaching out and grabbing the back of jungkook's elbow, "you don't- you don't think a bouquet of flowers and a teddy bear is a little too much for a first date?" you clear your throat quietly before offering a shrug, "i feel like that's just... a lot, kook. i mean, i would be overwhelmed if-"

"well, i guess it's a good thing i'm not taking you out on a date then, right?" jungkook teases, wiggling his arm out of your grip before turning back to look at seokjin, "onward to the bears, my good man!"

ouch

"yeah." you can't help but frown as jungkook and seokjin head back towards the flowers, "thanks for the reminder."

"that's gotta hurt."

"god-" you jump at the sudden appearance of an employee standing behind the counter and you place a hand over your chest before letting out a breath, "you scared me!"

"sorry." he shrugs, "we polished the floors this morning so my shoes are making, like, no noise."

"oh."

a moment of silence passes while you turn to face away from him again, but all of a sudden-

"so he really can't tell that you like him, huh?"

"you-" you immediately straighten up and your head spins around so fast that you're surprised you didn't complete decapitate yourself, "excuse me??"

"what? it's obvious." the employee snorts, spraying cleaner onto the counter before reaching up to yank the tattered rag off his shoulder, "it's painfully obvious, actually-"

you can feel your entire face starting to go red as this complete stranger continues to rip you a new one and you hold a hand out to shut him up, "no offense, but i-i don't think this is any of your business, sir-"

"it's yoongi." yoongi looks down at his apron for a second before frowning, "huh. i forgot to put my dumb name tag on again-"

"well, yoongi-" you place emphasis on his name in an effort to intimidate him and make him go away, "you don't know what you're talking about and i suggest you mind your own business-"

"you should tell him before it's too late." yoongi doesn't seem to be all that affected by your biting tone and you roll your eyes at the way he rounds back to the topic

"what are you even talking about?"

"well, i assume you're going to be his best man at his wedding. from the way it's looking, you're certainly not going to be the bride," yoongi purses his lips as he folds up the rag into a neat little square, "you don't wanna wait until you're fixing his tie at the wedding to tell him that you love him."

"what makes you think i lo-" you cut yourself off quickly before that word slips out of your mouth, "like him?"

"if you didn't, you wouldn't be here right now." yoongi points out with a tilt of his head, "and from how smudgy your eyeliner is, it looks like you've been working hard all day."

your jaw drops slightly and you can't help but scoff

the nerve of this guy!

"who do you think you are?!"

"i'm yoongi." yoongi raises a brow, "i told you that like a second ago- wow, you are not a good listener-"

"do you usually do this with all of the customers who come here?" you interrupt, crossing your arms defensively before leaning in slightly, "you're awfully nosy-"

"i only do this with the ones that seem to have something juicy going on." yoongi hums, leaning down to put the spray bottle of cleaner under the counter, "this is a flower shop. the most exciting part of my day is watching a bumblebee choose which flower to land on."

"well, nothing juicy is going on here so-" you twist back around before sticking your nose up in the air slightly, "sorry to disappoint."

"alright, fair enough." yoongi nods to himself, letting out a sigh as he slowly backs away from the counter, "i guess i'll just leave you to... wallow in self-pity... and continue staring at your friend with cartoon hearts floating around your head-"

"'you should tell him before it's too late-'" you swivel around and slap both your palms down on the counter, "why would you- why would even say something like that?! i can't tell him. are you insane?!"

a smirk twitches at the corner of yoongi's mouth at your sudden confession and he lets out a sigh before stepping back up towards you, "and why can't you tell him?"

"because- i just can't! he's-" you clear your throat before leaning in and lowering your voice, "he's literally taking someone else out on a date- we're here to buy flowers for his date-"

"so what?" yoongi interrupts, "it's just a date. it's not like you're stopping his wedding."

"so what? because he doesn't like me back, so what's the point?" you hiss, resisting the urge to reach over and smack some common sense into this very nosy and very stubborn stranger, "this isn't a romantic comedy- and even if it was, i'm very obviously not the main character-"

"you don't know that he doesn't like you back."

...

well now he's just toying with you

"i... i can't tell if you're kidding or not-"

"do i look like i'm kidding?" yoongi asks, pointing to his poker face before shaking his head, "you don't know that he doesn't like you back. you've obviously never asked him."

"oh, please." you scoff, turning around to lean back against the counter again, "trust me, i know it."

"well, did he ever explicitly say that he didn't like you?" yoongi leans over to peek at jungkook over your shoulder, "do you have a definitive answer to this particular question?"

"no, but he doesn't have to... we're just friends." you frown, your eyes wandering over to the back of jungkook's head, "he doesn't like me. i know he doesn't. we're just friends."

we're just friends.

(saying it out loud is a lot more depressing than you thought it'd be.)

"well, maybe the reason why you're just friends is because the two of you won't allow yourselves to be more than that," yoongi suggests, your head tilting to the side slightly as you force yourself to consider his surprisingly wise words, "it's obvious that you have a solid friendship so it would suck if a relationship ruined that- so maybe he does like you and is only asking someone else out to try to force himself not to like you..."

you feel your heart skip a beat when jungkook turns to glance at you over his shoulder with a soft smile while seokjin continues rattling off about the vast choice of teddy bears available for purchase

you bite back a giggle when he mouths a desperate 'help' at you before raising his hand and twirling his finger next to his head to tell you that seokjin is fully crazy

"...so i guess what i'm trying to say is that you're never really going to know how he feels about you if you don't ask him," you tune back in to the end of yoongi's little speech and you turn your head slightly to glance back at him, "but what do i know, right? i just polish counters at high-end flower shops."

🎙️tell jungkook he's being an idiot or tell y/n to get a backbone (send in an ask!)

✨why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here? (full fics!)

💫or perhaps you want something shorter to read? (drabbles and mini series like smitten!)

🌟or something even shorter? (teeny tidbits!)

[postalenha]

on and off % jake

pairing: playboybf!jake x reader genre: angst, fluff, lovers to exes, exes to lovers idek word count: 1.89k words requested: yes / prompt 14, “we called it off again last night.” / 18, “it’s been you all along.” / 19, “for the first time, i had something to lose.” synopsis: immaturity isn't needed in a relationship, but that seems to be jake's and your's specialty. warnings: curse words, mentions of drinking, throwing up, su!cide, toxic relationship, making out

"i thought you're going with jake today?" sunghoon asked as you hop into his car.

you rolled your eyes at the thought of riding in the same vehicle as the boy, "no, we called it off again last night."

"again?!" the boy exclaimed, "y/n, that's probably the nth time you guys called it off." he sighed in disbelief, "that's not how relationships work." he commented.

judgingly looking at his way, "yeah? like you know any better?"

"shut up." he started the engine, "this isn't about my love life."

"whatever." you blurt out, "i guess being bad at handling relationship runs in our blood." you jokingly said, as your cousin laugh.

he tilt his head smiling, "damn, of all things that can be passed down, that's what we got."

"well, at least we got good looks. that works as a payoff." he added. you agreed at him with a nod, "anyway." you changed the subject.

"i'm planning on ending it with jake." you stated. he looked at you, "no shit, you sure?" he assured, "to be honest, whatever makes you happy." he added, looking like he wanted to say something but he decided not to.

"don't apologize." you led before he could even say sorry for insisting that you should date his best friend, sim jaeyun.

"i'm not- okay whatever." he almost want to deny the urge but he saw you looking at him with a teasing face, "i just feel a little responsible for all the stress this relationship have caused you." he scratch the back of his head, as you slap his arm.

"shut up, dating him was my decision. you don't have to blame yourself for all the bad decisions i made for myself. i'm an adult now." you told him.

parking his car he nod his head, "okay. just remember i'm here if things are bad, okay?"

"okay." you said, before going out of his car. walking at the corridor of your building, trying to see if jake arrived earlier than you today.

and he certainly did. there he is on his designated seat beside the window, silently watching as the wilted leaves fall down from the tree.

the clock ticks time faster than you expected and your professor came in, not able to call out for jake's name to even talk to him.

sitting down to a chair, you told yourself that you'll talk to him later. and here you are, in front of jake sim at the rooftop of your university's main building.

it might be your lucky day for no one else is here but the two of you. this place is usually cramped with so many people and miraculously today isn't one of those days.

this may be one of the many signs sent from above that this relationship should end as it wasn't right from the beginning.

your blood boils as your cousin sunghoon pushes you into the table of his friend group, "come on! you wouldn't lose anything! he just want to talk to you." he shouts.

"then tell him i don't want to!" you shout back a little annoyed. the last thing you want to do tonight is talk to the famous serial dater, jake sim. "for i know, he just wants the best out of me!"

"come on! jake's not like that!" he defended his friend. to be honest, sunghoon is the last person you should be ranting to. for he is just like his friend, they play with girl's hearts for fun.

you rolled your eyes as you reach the table of ego. the decision of naming that wasn't yours, but the other students. they called this the table of ego because everyone in here got some solid ego. heeseung, jay, sunghoon, jake. all of them.

"y/n! you actually came!" heeseung cheered as soon as he saw you, he scooted a little bit on his right to leave some space between him and jake, "come sit!"

sitting beside him was probably one of the decisions you will forever regret in your life. the memory of that night was a blur. you barely recall anything that happened then.

the only thing that you remember was when jake was reaching for a kiss, you accidentally threw up on him before passing out.

the next day, he told you to be his girlfriend to compensate with the mess you gave his brand new shirt. you said yes just so he could shut up, telling yourself you'll break up with him after a day or two.

two months then passed and you are just breaking everything now. well, it's better late than never. you just didn't expect that he would actually be a good boyfriend.

he's mostly good, not until everything gets complicated even with nothing. you fight over the smallest thing like, not being able to respond to each other's text to someone getting jealous.

it wasn't the best relationship you've been in but it was a good experience. you learned so much and now, it's time to move on.

"what is it that you wanted to say?" jake impatiently snapped you back into reality. you swallowed a good amount of saliva before saying, "let's break up."

it was better to say it forward than beating around the bush. with this, more time and energy will be saved. because even if you give him an explanation he probably won't listen.

he slowly blinked and sighed, looking away he said "okay. if that's what you want." see. he wouldn't even bother asking you why.

well, if you get things easy. they would also go easily, "okay. it was fun meeting you." you head out, leaving him there.

he most probably would not be so upset that he might think of jumping off the building, but you still prayed that he wont.

and he didn't. you can guarantee that as you see that three weeks later jake sim is with a woman walking the same isle as you are. the chances of you seeing him here at this huge mall was small, but never impossible.

you grabbed your friend's hand trying to hide from the sight of the man, "what are you doing-"

"shut up, jake is here." you told here looking at their way, walking into a clothing store. you hurriedly go and sit at a restaurant far from them and ordered food when your friend speak up.

"y/n, what's the point of hiding now when you guys already broke up?" she patheticly looked at you who's trying to hide from a menu list.

putting the menu list down on the table, you crossed your arms, "i am not hiding from him. i simply don't want to involve myself with anything that has to do with him."

"yeah, like seeing him in a shopping mall involves you with him." she said with full sarcasm. "you have no idea how pathetic that sounded."

not listening to anything she said, you started eating your pasta. almost choking when you saw a familliar figure walk in the restaurant.

trying your best to lean down and not get noticed you hear your friend call, "jake!" you kick her feet under the table as you see jake wave back and walks closer.

"what the fuck did you just do?" you whispered at her, she just smiles like an idiot as jake reach your table.

"hello, jia." he greeted your friend, "hi, y'n."

flashing a fake smile, you said "hi." satisfied with how annoyed you are, jia announced "you guys can join us! we got two extra seats here."

"we don't want to intrude-" you cut him off, "yes, there are a lot of vacant tables. they sure can find their own, right?"

serving a glass of wine, a waiter says "oh, we're fully booked, ma'am. so if you want to eat here, you have to wait for another hour or so." he said pouring some on your glass. "if you'll excuse me."

"it would be rude if we don't invite you right? so join!" your friend cheered as the girl jake's with sit next to you.

taking a sip of your wine whenever jake helps the girl cut her steak, you became unaware of how drunk you are. "so, when did you meet jake?" you asked the girl.

to be frank, she was quiet the whole time. just sitting there, not saying a thing but a "thanks." whenever jake helps her with anything.

"you can't answer that? well can you tell me if you are able to use your hands to their purpose? like cutting off a steak or puring your own glass of wine?"

"y/n-" your friend tried to stop you. but you didn't listen. you just continued to blabber nonsense until jake grabbed your wrist to the bathroom.

shaking your hand off his grip you screamed at him asking, "why did you bring me here?!"

"y/n why are you being so rude?" he calmly asked you.

you sarcastically laughed, "i'm being rude? who's more rude when you're out here eating at the same table as your ex-girlfriend and your current girlfriend?"

"current girlfriend- y/n that's my cousin!" he tried to calm himself by breathing slowly, pushing the side of his mouth using his tounge "do you really think i could replace you that fast?"

the sudden question made you feel like someone cut off your tounge. because you mostly have answer for everything but this. his question caught you off guard.

"when you broke up with me, i never asked why. i knew you were tired and i don't want to exhaust you more." you hear his voice shake as he speak. "i was also tired and we both needed a break."

you looked straight at his eyes that are sparkling from moist done by the tears that he have been trying so hard to hold back, "but as time pass by, i felt more and more empty. there is a big mark of you in my heart that ever since you left, no one has ever filled."

"nobody could ever fit in, but you." cupping your face he also wipe your tears away. "i never felt that way before. it's like, for the first time, i had something to lose."

"jake, i-" it was as if you forgot how to compose a word. you never knew he felt the same way you did when you broke up with him.

maybe sunghoon was more of your cousin than he is jake's friend. because if jake only knew how many times you told sunghoon that you miss him, he would've came back faster than this.

he smiled pulling you into a hug, "it's fine if you don't feel the same way anymore. i understand that. but i just want you to know that i am not the douchebag you think i am."

pulling away from the hug, you see his eyes were bloodshot "sorry, the last thing i want to do is make you cry-" you pulled him into a kiss not letting another word out of his mouth.

running out of breath, you seperated his lips from yours. you widely smiled at him, "it’s been you all along."

kissing outside a three star restaurant's restroom isn't as ideal as other comeback stories, but you wouldn't ask for anything else. as long as you have jake in your arms, your heart is content.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 311: Hand Gun

Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi was all “thinkin’ about dropping in some woke analogies of the very real and very presently relevant issue of racial profiling idk what do you guys think” and then shrugged and did it without waiting for an answer, and ngl it was a bit sudden, but I’m here for it. All Might was all “DEKU YOU NEED TO EAT” and Deku was all “OKAY” and took his hero bento and went to go stand dramatically on a tower in the rain whilst having some highly anticipated Vestige flashbacks. OFA II was all, “sup, I guess I’m not Kacchan... OR AM I,” and ngl I think he is?? Alternate universes anybody?? Hello??? But anyway, so OFA the First a.k.a. Yoichi was all “remember that time you guys rescued me from my evil brother and Two took my hand and we Had A Moment?”, and Two and Three were all “ahh yeah good times”, and it was very nice and very, very gay. The chapter ended with it being very unclear if Two and Three have actually lent their power to Deku yet or not lmao. Y’all need to get your shit together dudes.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “what if I gave a random bad guy a fucking tommy gun that shoots nails” and jesus christ calm down son. The Hawksquad, a.k.a. SQUAWK as per @hotchocolatier​, are all “time to drive aimlessly around town acting like Deku has a restraining order on us because that’s literally the best plan to combat the League we could come up with,” and I have no further comment. Hawks is all “idk about you guys but I want to know more about AFO and Tomura’s whole deal” and I can’t remember the last time I identified so strongly with one of these characters. All Might is all, “[EXPLODES???]”, and the chapter ends with that mysterious hot girl from the Tartarus breakout being all “HELLO I CAN TURN INTO A GUN AND I LITERALLY DON’T GIVE A FUCK” and (1) WOW, and (2) IT’S TRUE, SHE CAN, AND SHE REALLY DOESN’T. GODDAMN.

(ETA: so this wholly escaped my notice on the first go, and also has nothing to do with the chapter itself, but I only just realized that this chapter was scanlated by a new group, TCB Scans. they actually did a very good job, and I’m curious if they’ve found a new RAW provider, because the quality this week is actually crazy good in comparison to what we’ve been dealing with for the past few months. I’m gonna have to get caught up on what exactly happened here lol.)

so what will it be this week? more Vestige antics? more of Sad Nomad Deku standing on buildings and pretending like he’s some cool aloof antihero, as if he could fool us when we all know his hero backpack is secretly stuffed full with his nerd diaries and the remnants of all the hero bentos that All Might keeps giving him?? or, just putting it out there, just a crazy thought, but you don’t suppose we might actually cut back to U.A.? mmm. side-eyes emoji

maaaaaan I’m starting to get tired of this trend of beginning chapters by dropping in on random power-tripping civilians and/or Shindou lol. just once can we get a chapter that opens with someone I actually give a fuck about

oh at least Endeavor is here

A WHAT SUPPORT ITEM!??! HOLY SHIT DDLKJSLFKJL

lol somehow that’s more terrifying than bullets for me?? like I’m fully aware that bullets will fuck you up way worse and that in real life nail guns probably don’t work like this AT ALL and only have a range of like... hold up let me just google... up to 100 to 150 m/s and distances of up to 500m wait WHAT

okay wait. hold up. like I was expecting google to tell me nail guns only shoot a few feet at most, and instead the first search result is some CDC blog article that’s “dispelling” the “””myth””” -- please note my repeated sarcastic quotation marks -- that nail guns can fire 1400 feet per second, by explaining that actually they can fire anywhere from 315 ft/sec to 1,295 ft/sec, and that “it is in the pneumatic nail gun user’s best interest to handle these tools as if they were a firearm despite having a lower velocity” dlkjdslkjflkl

SO THAT SCENE IN IRON MAN 3 WHERE TONY RAIDS A HOME DEPOT AND BUYS A BUNCH OF RANDOM TOOLS AND SHIT AND GOES ON TO STAGE A ONE-MAN INVASION OF AN INTERNATIONAL TERRORIST’S FLORIDA MANSION HQ IS ACTUALLY TRUE. YOU’RE TELLING ME THAT THE FILM “HOME ALONE” IS ACTUALLY A DOCUMENTARY. “the Discovery Channel television program “Mythbusters” compared the penetration capacity of an airborne projectile shot from a pneumatic framing nail gun to that of a 9mm hand gun” HELLO YES AND A MERRY “WHAT THE FUCK” TO YOU AS WELL

anyway, so. there’s apparently a reason why the Number One hero, who can burn people with the intensity of a sun going supernova, is hiding here behind this concrete support column making frowny faces. nope. nuh uh. he ain’t about that. I don’t blame you buddy

so now he’s barrel rolling out of his hiding place and setting this dude THE FUCK ON FIRE because HELL NO. BAD ENOUGH I HAD TO WATCH THAT FUCKING MUSHROOM EPISODE LAST WEEK! YOU TAKE THAT SHIT SOMEWHERE ELSE

LOL look at his face

I know the context is actually him being all “I know I’m responsible for basically everything that happened and so that’s why I’m so grim and serious about this mission to set things right piece by piece,” but in my mind this pissed-off face is 100% all because this dude tried to shoot his eye out with a nail gun. look at that. you made him go full flame face again. beard and all. protecting his face so that it can hopefully melt any stray nails that get too close. nope nope nope

good lord. so what’s up next. let me guess the guy fighting Best Jeanist has like an atomic chainsaw or some shit

lol nope we’re just cutting back to Hawks and Jeanist chilling in the Jesla after they’ve wrapped things up

Jeanist has got some serious Groot energy you guys jesus christ he’s like 12 feet tall

oh snap someone threw a pipe at him now

today is just the chapter of Endeavor being assaulted by random DIY tools I guess

I mean, I get why they’re pissed at him obviously; I would be too lol. but tbh I also don’t really understand the “get out of here we don’t want your help” attitude that all of these people suddenly seem to have?? like it if were me, I would be fucking DEMANDING for him and the other heroes to be working round the clock to fix their stupid mess. I mean who else is gonna do it?? it’s their mess, I sure don’t want to be the one to clean it up instead. anyways but whatever lol

oh shit?

so they haven’t dropped the whole “OFA secret potentially gets revealed to the world” thing yet after all. that makes sense I suppose, it did seem like that whole thing wound up playing out a bit too easily

anyway so yeah

the locals are definitely none too happy. well at least Dabi’s got something to be cheerful about I guess

so now we’re cutting to the interior of the Jesla and they’re chitchatting about the current investigation

oh wow this actually makes a bit of sense now. so there was a reason they were keeping their distance from Deku

please note that even in this abstract Endeavor’s-Mental-Image-Of-Him panel, Deku’s eyes still don’t have the light in them anymore :( my poor son

also ftr I still think using Deku as bait in this particular sense is the shittiest idea ever ngl. like sure, let’s let the sixteen-year-old run around battling miscellaneous escaped prison convicts while we stay several kilometers away ON PURPOSE despite the fact that you’re using him as bait to draw out the Big Bad, who just a reminder can destroy anything with a mere touch and who you were all basically helpless against. what exactly are you all planning to do if Tomura or one of the other League VIPs actually shows up to retrieve him?? are you even keeping tabs on him at all in real time?? jesus

(ETA: well that escalated quickly lol.)

Horikoshi is all of a sudden dropping whole pages of exposition here and I can’t be bothered to summarize this lol so just,

a big fat YES to what Jeanist said, though. that’s why imo they would have been better off laying a trap at U.A. rather than just wandering around out in the open. I assume they’re trying to cut their potential losses because U.A. is full of students (and civilians), but those students also happen to be more capable than pretty much anyone else in the manga at this point. and tbh they’re already in life-threatening danger regardless of how things play out from here on, so they might as well at least try to use the few advantages they have right now. U.A. is almost certainly going to come under siege at some point anyway, so they might as well prepare for it

lol I don’t think I’m explaining this very well because I don’t have the patience right now to break it down point by point like it really ought to be, so for now I’ll just say that imo “U.A. siege” stands a good chance of being the eventual endgame even now, and so this whole “Deku runs around being bait” arc is really just killing time until then lol. like and subscribe for more rambling nonsensical takes such as this. maybe next time I’ll even put it all into one single sentence for maximum meandering senior citizen rant value

well it’s nice that they’re finally talking about all of this I guess

we readers have known all of this for months now but this confirms the heroes are finally caught up. ALSO, Hawks is so fucking smart, as always. kinda wonder if things would have played out differently if All Might had let him in on the secret a bit earlier. probably that’s why Horikoshi made damn sure they didn’t find out until after the War arc lol

OH MY GOD YOOOOOO HAWKS OUT HERE ASKING THE REAL QUESTIONS

“anyone else wondering why AFO bothered to raise Tomura as his fake heir for fifteen years when he was secretly planning on taking over his body the whole time” YES, [raises hand] lmao Hawks where the hell were you when I was debating this “AFO is the final villain and Tomura is just his pawn” thing on multiple occasions over the past several years lol

lmao seeing them debate the metaphysics of OFA and all of its mystical bullshit is seriously surreal you guys

JEANIST HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT MY META TAG I HAVE WRITTEN SO MANY ESSAYS. I ACTUALLY WAS PLANNING ON WRITING ANOTHER ESSAY ABOUT THE THING THAT I’M PRETTY SURE HAWKS IS ABOUT TO BRING UP, BUT I NEVER GOT AROUND TO IT WHOOPS, BUT MAYBE I WILL NOW LOL LET’S SEE HOW IT GOES

yes!!

WHICH AFO FUCKING ENSURED HE WOULD BE BY LITERALLY PLANNING OUT EVERY LAST DETAIL OF HIS FAMILY TRAGEDY, FROM SECRETLY GIVING TENKO THE QUIRK TO MAKING SURE NO CIVILIANS OR HEROES WOULD HELP HIM UNTIL AFO FINALLY STEPPED IN. I’M 1000% CONVINCED THIS IS THE CASE YOU GUYS. NOT JUST BECAUSE I’M NOT A FAN OF “THE WORLD IS A FUNDAMENTALLY SHITTY PLACE, ACTUALLY” TAKES BECAUSE MISTER ROGERS TOLD ME TO ALWAYS LOOK FOR THE HELPERS, BUT ALSO BECAUSE IT LITERALLY JUST DOESN’T MAKE A LICK OF SENSE OTHERWISE. THEIR ENTIRE HOUSE CAVED IN FFS, YOU’RE TELLING ME NONE OF THE NEIGHBORS FUCKING OVERHEARD THAT SHIT AND WENT “UMMMMMMMMM” AND WENT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON?? “DIDN’T THERE USED TO BE A HOUSE HERE, AND LIKE A WHOLE FAMILY, AND SHIT?”

LIKE I’M SORRY, BUT IT’S ONE THING TO SAY IT’S REALISTIC THAT NOT A SINGLE PERSON WOULD ATTEMPT TO HELP THE WANDERING TRAUMATIZED CHILD AFTERWARDS (WHICH I DISAGREE WITH AS WELL BUT AT LEAST THAT’S MORE SUBJECTIVE), AND IT’S A WHOLE OTHER THING TO ARGUE THAT IT’S REALISTIC THAT NO ONE WOULD BE FUCKING NOSY. LIKE THAT’S A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL OF “THAT’S NOT HOW ANY OF THIS WORKS” ENTIRELY LOL. anyway tl;dr AFO is a piece of shit and Tomura’s entire worldview is based on a magnificently intricate and savagely cruel lie more at 11

anyway so after all that ranting it looks like that wasn’t even what Hawks was talking about after all lol. I just went off for absolutely no reason lol oh well. instead it seems that Hawks is suggesting that Tomura’s carefully cultivated hatred might not yet have actually reached “can defeat OFA” levels even after all of that trauma. interesting!

don’t mind me, I’m just sitting here while my brain furiously scrambles to put together all the parallels between Hawks and Tomura that it never noticed before until exactly this second. like I’m not even sure that was the intent here at all (I need to check out another translation or two lol), but regardless my mind decided that now would be the perfect time to make the connection between these two twenty-somethings who both had horrific childhoods and spent years being molded by their respective manipulative guardians, and developed eerily similar “laugh at everything because what else can you do” coping mechanisms to deal with it all hmmmmm

anyway so they were talking more about their strategy, but now all of a sudden Jeanist’s phone is beeping??

AND NOW WE’RE CUTTING AWAY TO ALL MIGHT AND HIS MIGHTMOBILE DAMMIT so that means the call to Jeanist was actually something important then!! WAS IT BAKUGOU OMG. DOES YOUR INTERN WANT A WORD FFFKLFSJK please it’s been so long I just need a little crumb or two to tide me over lmao have mercy

anyway so All Might’s following the GPS tracking device he’s apparently got planted on Deku (which in my conspiracy headcanons he’s actually had for a long time now, like since before DvK2 lol because HOW ELSE WOULD HAVE HAVE KNOWN THAT THEY WERE FIGHTING EACH OTHER IN GROUND BETA, PEOPLE) and thinking angsty thoughts about Deku’s sucky life

AND NOW ALL MIGHT’S PHONE IS RINGING TOO?? BAKUGOU HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE YOU CALLING. “WHERE ARE YOU HIDING THE NERD GODDAMMIT”

OMG

lol is he under attack or is he just finally giving All Might the slip like we all know he SECRETLY PLANNED TO ALL ALONG oh my poor dumb angstmuffin

OMG AHHHHHHH WHAT

DID ALL MIGHT JUST FUCKING DIE LMAO NO OF COURSE NOT, BUT WHAT

WHAT IS HAPPENING OMG

THE FUCK IS THAT. AT LEAST IT’S NOT A NAIL

OH IT’S A SPEAKER!! OMG DID THEY TAKE ALL MIGHT HOSTAGE

“THEY’RE HERE” WELP, TIME TO SEE JUST HOW SHITTY THIS SHITTY PLAN REALLY IS LOL

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SHE!!!!

omg. AND OVERHAUL JUST CHILLING THERE IN THE BACKGROUND ALL “WHAT DO YOU EVEN WANT ME TO DO I’VE GOT NO FUCKING ARMS” YEAH GOOD RIDDANCE LOL

DOES THIS GIRL HAVE ONE GIANT LEG OR WHAT, LIKE WHAT’S THE DEAL HERE

-- HOLD UP WAIT, THE GUN IS HER ARM, HOLY SHIT SHE CAN TURN INTO A GUN -- OKAY HOLD UP BECAUSE I NEED TO SAY THAT IN BIGGER TEXT BECAUSE !!!!

YOU GUYS, THE COOL TARTARUS GIRL IS BACK AND HER QUIRK IS “CAN TURN INTO A FUCKING GUN.” THIS IS NOT A DRILL!! MY BEST GIRL MT. GUN IS FINALLY BACK ON THE SCENE WITH HER QUIRK “CAN DO ANYTHING A GUN CAN DO.” “I HEARD Y’ALL WENT AND NAMED ONE OF YOUR HEROES ‘GUNHEAD’ EVEN THOUGH HIS HEAD ISN’T EVEN A GUN, LIKE WTF IS UP WITH THAT LET ME SHOW YOU HOW IT’S DONE” DANG OKAY

lmao only fifteen pages this week, and STILL NO KACCHAN (THEN WHO WAS PHONE!!!), but man I don’t even care because finally we’ve got a cliffhanger that’s actually deserving of being a cliffhanger! hot dog. okay then

[beepboop358]

A Prom in S4 Theory & Music Coding Predictions

Some leaked set pics indicate that there MAY BE a junior/senior prom at Hawkins High, which they are calling the "Lover's Ball". It's unclear if this prom will be included on screen, or if it will just be mentioned as an event coming up at Hawkins High because this flyer could just extra set decor. Regardless if the prom happens on screen or not, there will probably be some tension about 'who's asking who' to the prom that we will see in s4. Given that this picture was just leaked a few weeks ago, it probably falls closer to the end of the season sequentially.

Having a big school dance in s4 is suspiciously close to how they had the Snowball scene in s2. This would certainly follow the even/odd season patterns, (and actually add to the list of the patterns), which kind of makes me think we will see this prom on screen, or at the very least it will be mentioned in the course of the season.

The Duffer Brothers love Steven King and reference his work and especially 'IT' a lot in the show, but they haven't done anything with Carrie yet so maybe we will get a Carrie moment this season at the prom...

Carrie was on the video store fridays movie inspiration board for ST4.

At the "Lover's Ball", there will be definitely be some music coding relating to Byler. Since music coding is kind of a key thing in the show, I've been rifling through 80's songs to try and find some that may fit with s4's themes/character storylines (and I may do a seperate post about that later), but for this post I'm just gonna focus on what they might use at the prom for relating to Byler.

Since the season is most likely going to take place in 1986, I only selected songs that had a compatible release year so it would be historically accurate. (these songs would also be great for a byler playlist!)

Some strong contenders for the songs that might play at the prom to reference Mike and Will's relationship could be:

"True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper (1986)

This song is honestly too good of an option for them not to use. I'm reallllyyy crossing my fingers for this one.

It's hard to take courage In a world full of people You can lose sight of it all And the darkness inside you Can make you feel so small

"And I see your true colors Shining through I see your true colors And that's why I love you So don't be afraid (don't be afraid) To let them show your true colors True colors are beautiful (you're beautiful, oh) Like a rainbow Oh oh oh oh oh like a rainbow"

If this world makes you crazy And you've taken all you can bear You call me up Because you know I'll be there

"Heaven" by Bryan Adams (1984)

This first verse is literally just the story of Byler... 😭 The rest of the song applies but that verse verse is just sooooo accurate. (I'm crossing my fingers for this one too)

"Oh thinkin' about all our younger years There was only you and me We were young and wild and free Now nothing can take you away from me We've been down that road before But that's over now You keep me comin' back for more

Baby you're all that I want When you're lyin' here in my arms I'm findin' it hard to believe We're in heaven And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart Isn't too hard to see We're in heaven

Oh once in your life you find someone Who will turn your world around Bring you up when you're feelin' down Yeah nothin' can change what you mean to me Oh there's lots that I could say But just hold me now 'Cause our love will light the way"

"Take My Breath Away" by Berlin (1986)

This song is on Will's Spotify playlist, and I thought it could also be used at the prom since it's a romantic song. I see it as an 'entrance to the prom' moment song, almost like a 'first look' - like the Mike and El moment at the snowball when she first walks in, but with Mike and Will this time. I think the lyrics clearly hint to this kind of 'first look' moment as well.

"Watchin' every motion in my foolish lover's game On this endless ocean, finally lovers know no shame Turning and returning to some secret place inside Watchin' in slow motion as you turn around and say...take my breath away"

Watchin' every motion in this foolish lover's game Haunted by the notion, somewhere there's a love in flames Turning and returning to some secret place inside Watchin' in slow motion as you turn my way and say...take my breath away"

"In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins (1981)

This song was originally meant to be included in the snowball scene from s2, but it ultimately was not used and "Every Breath You Take" was used for this scene instead. Since it was intended to be a part of the s2 dance, that's why I think it may be used at the prom this season. (you can read the scripts on 8flix)

——— I forgot to include this explanation originally BUT, I think this song might be used to show some anger/resentment between the two, and to show a decent amount of tension, depending on their development this season. Like maybe Mike is kind of leading Will on in private by continuing to initiate intimate scenes between them, but in public Mike is still trying to put on his “straight boy act” and kind of being a jackass about it, and this song could be used to show the tension between them that has caused.

"And I've been waiting for this moment, for all my life, (Oh lord)

Well, I was there and I saw what you did I saw it with my own two eyes So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you've been It's all been a pack of lies.

Well I remember, I remember don't worry How could I ever forget It's the first time, the last time we ever met But I know the reason why you keep this silence up

No you don't fool me The hurt doesn't show, but the pain still grows It's no stranger to you and me"

"In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel (1986)

Some of the lyrics in this song just SCREAMS byler, just look at the 1st, 2nd and 4th paragraphs. I would be suprised if they didn't use this song in either s4/s5.

Love, I get so lost sometimes Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart When I want to run away I drive off in my car But whichever way I go I come back to the place you are

All my instincts, they return The grand facade, so soon will burn Without a noise, without my pride I reach out from the inside

In your eyes The light, the heat (in your eyes) I am complete (in your eyes) I see the doorway (in your eyes) To a thousand churches (in your eyes) The resolution (in your eyes) Of all the fruitless searches (in your eyes)

Love, I don't like to see so much pain So much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away I get so tired working so hard for our survival I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive

"Heroes" by David Bowie (1975)

David Bowie was bisexual. A cover of his song “Heroes” is used in the show twice already, sung by Peter Gabriel. The song plays when they pull Will's fake body out of the water in season one and Mike cries in his Mom's arms, with some very queer-coded lyrics in the background, and after Hopper's letter in s3 (which is very Byler-centric)

"I will be king. And you, you will be queen 'Cause we're lovers, and that is a fact. Yes, we're lovers, and that is that. Though nothing will keep us together. We could steal time just for one day We can be heroes forever and ever. What d'you say? I, I wish I could swim, like dolphins, like dolphins could swim I, I can remember (I remember) Standing by the wall (By the wall) And the guns shot above our heads (Over our heads) And we kissed as though nothing could fall (Nothing could fall) And the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them forever and ever. Then we could be heroes just for one day We're nothing, and nothing will help us Maybe we're lying, then you better not stay But we could be safer just for one day"

I just thought the above songs might be some highly likely possibilities given that they fit the year of the s4 and also make references to not only love, but the idea of hiding, pain, shame, longing, etc., and can make some (partially stretching here) references to other things in the show such as:

RAINBOWS and TRUE COLORS, SHINING THROUGH (rainbows imagery is always associated with Mike & Will in the show and a is symbol of lgbtq+ pride, True Colors shining through = who you really are on the inside finally coming out)

IF THIS WORLD MAKES YOU CRAZY ("crazy together", "only love makes you that crazy" and references the "world" motif in the show)

YOUNGER YEARS, ONLY YOU AND ME, YOUNG, WILD AND FREE (references "not wanting things to change" and wanting "to make things go how they were" part in Hopper's letter, and the "But we're not kids anymore" comment during the Byler fight)

ENDLESS OCEAN and SWIM, LIKE DOLPHINS (references water's significance in the show)

FLAMES (Will in front of the burning car in s4 teaser?)

LIES and LYING (Mike lying to El about how he feels)

INSTINCTS RETURNING, FACADES BURNING, WITHOUT MY PRIDE, I REACH OUT FROM THE INSIDE (Mike's feelings for Will are his instincts, the facade is the act he put on in s3 to seem straight, burning could reference Will & fire, and I think the last 2 lines of that 2nd verse reference vulnerability- perhaps in an apology/confession)

I GET SO LOST (confusion about his sexuality, feeling lost without the other) and SO MUCH WASTED TIME (known each other since kindergarten but were unaware the other felt the same way/was dealing with same things, they could have been even closer)

KINGS and QUEENS (the d&d game mike wrote where he has king Tristan give him a medal in s1)

STEALING TIME (references "turning back the clock, to make things go how they were" part in Hopper's letter and the time theme in s4 and time is central to the s4 plot)

AND WE KISS - AND THE SHAME (references the shame they both feel about being gay since it was so stigmatized in the 80's)

Byler @ Prom Possibilities:

If Mike and Will did dance together at the prom, they will probably get bullied because they live in a small conservative town. They will probably either run out, upset, or Eleven will step in to protect them which could lead to the Carrie moment.

Or Mike and Will will not dance together in the actual dance room, but instead sneak off to somewhere else in the school and have a private Byler dance moment where they can't be teased and it's just them together.

OR Mike and Will are still acting weird at this point in the season because neither of them is communicating what needs to be said out of fear, or one of them has confessed or done something to indicate how they feel, but the other hasn’t so everything is weird between them. There would be lots of tension from this and we would get lots of longing looks and adoring moments between the two of them from the sidelines. (I think this one is the most likely)

[mapleheartbeat]

PART ONE - MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

(Feel free to reblog since I have 5 followers so far 😂)

*alarm rings*

Jason barely even stirs until the alarm clock falls off his end table, waking him up with a jolt. His heart pounding in his chest looking around his almost empty room. Now more awake he realizes he got spooked over nothing and is glad no one was there to see it.

Another week of this, he thinks.

The daily routine starts, he gets dressed, eats breakfast and heads to his car to enter the traffic on his commute to his work.

Work starts off how it always does. Talking to people, staring at a screen, talking to more people.

Lunch finally comes and Jason throws out his lunch and heads downtown to eat.

His favourite restaurant was only a few blocks away. As he grew closer he remembered why he hadn’t been back there in about 7 years. He manages to push that aside and walks across the street.

Suddenly his eyes are greeted with the unfamiliar sight of an unfamiliar restaurant sign. Cibo Del Cuore.

Jason’s heart sank. He quickly looked at his watch and knew that he didn’t have time to find another place.

Maybe a change to this old place will do it some good, he thinks. It was strange, the initial surprise of the restaurant being different had worn off to a kind of excitement.

The hostess smiles as she sees Jason look around. “What do you think?” She smirks “Oh I don’t know...” He looks down a little.

She continues to smile as she seats Jason right in the middle of the restaurant.

There were so many other tables and people, but he didn’t really notice or care that he was in between all of them.

He ordered steak and a salad. Then waited. He started to become a little impatient and looked in the direction of another member of the waitstaff who promptly came over. “Can I help with anything sir?” the waiter said slowly. “Uh yeah, I’ve been waiting a long time for my steak,” Jason exasperatedly said. “Oh the grills are down right now. Did no one tell you? Tsk tsk tsk, I suggest you go upstairs to the patio to get some air.” The waiter said as he went to scold someone.

Shrugging as he did, Jason headed upstairs to what he thought was a patio but instead found a red illuminated room half open.

It was the only room he could see and when he tried to go back, the door he thought he just came through was locked. He had no choice but to enter the room ahead.

Without even being able to look around someone snapped their fingers and suddenly Jason was somewhere completely different.

Looking around he saw familiar things, a lot of familiar things actually. Still trying to wrap his head around what he was seeing, he saw a bus go by advertising something from a long time ago. He then started to notice that the stores downtown were completely different, but still he recognized them all.

Really no way around it, he was clearly in the past. Instead of being scared, he was excited. Without knowing how long he would be here, he wasted no time trying to figure out exactly what day it was. May 20th 2008. The day didn’t stand out, but the year certainly did.

He headed to his old apartment, which thankfully was very close because he could afford it at the time. Walking up that old dingy stairwell that he remembered so well, he still couldn’t believe he was back. He reached the apartment door, found the key in his secret hiding place and entered. Everything was exactly how he remembered it, the brown fake leather couch, the small kitchen, the bathroom painted an indescribable shade of orange. Entering his bedroom his eyes were immediately drawn to the red object on his nightstand. There it was, his old stethoscope. He hadn’t thought of it in some time. A physical reminder of a part of his life he thought was over. The source of his greatest pleasure and in the end, painful longing.

Jason picked up the phone on his desk, his heart quickening and starting to pound. After a brief moment, he dialed the number he still remembered after all these years.

PART TWO NEXT