Tumgik
#but like. i cannot emphasize enough that all of this was done by the seat of my pants.
moe-broey · 3 months
Text
ALSO. ALSO. I WANNA SHOW. BEHIND THE SCENES!!!
Mostly because my process feels convoluted/unhinged LMFAO..... like........... is this really the best way to do it. I have No Clue.
Stage 1: Notes
Tumblr media
Fairly straightforward? Picking apart each line of Sharena's official dialogue, lining it up with Moe's reactions. Numbered, to make that easier, but also to help w panel placement later (maybe. That was the intention. Wasn't sure how that was gonna work at the time). Plus, a page expanding on what's going on in Moe's head/how it is, as a character -- and how that does cause a bit of conflict here.
Stage 2: uhhhhh. Images.
Tumblr media
Sometimes I have a really clear idea of how a comic will look, other times. This happens. I esp ended up dissatisfied with my first attempt at page 1, feeling like the focus/focal points/build ups were in the wrong place. I was also extremely intentional with the panelling, itself, here -- studying how Dungeon Meshi paneling is, how it manages to convey a lot of information in a small space with a really nice flow, I feel.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
When something isn't working, I just. Cut that shit up. And rearrange it. Until I get Something Else. It feels goofy, but I've found it has really good results!
As a side note: Page 2 did not give me NEARLY as much difficulty LMFAOOO
Tumblr media
Just some roughs, and slotting two pages together like puzzle pieces 👍
STAGE 3: LIGHTBOX
Tumblr media Tumblr media
I've found the best way to use a lightbox is to trace as roughly as possible, bare minimum, and use that as an outline. If you trace too closely, your linework looks real stiff (another issue I think I ran into my first attempt at page 1).
Tumblr media
How it looks all filled in! And a comparison to the choppy rough page LMFAO
Stage 4: Draw the rest of the tiger, essentially. You're well on your way to having Something. Godspeed and good luck 🫡
I'll leave you with this! A line up of all my notes/drafts/concept pages!
Tumblr media
Like....... is this really necessary............ for a two page comic.................. come on.
5 notes · View notes
emloafs · 2 months
Text
first 8 min of ck s6 thoughts
SPOILERS BE WARNED welcome to my brain dump. pls enjoy.
already yawning at this baby plot sorry not sorry
YAYA MADE ROBBY LUNCH IM GOING TO SOB
whoever made anthony "block" daniel over a croissant needs to be excused that was very very cringe
BINARY BOYFRIENDS ARE HEREEEEEEE
i knew that the trailer was likely all from ep1 but the fact that so much of it is in the first 2 min is insane
tory and devon being besties!!!!!!!! didn't know i needed it
robby holding up his student folder is actually the cutest thing I've ever seen shut the FUCK UP someone hold me
the kenthony vibes are strong with this one....
the way that the camera pans around from Anthony to kenny is actually chefs kiss (ps I'm very excited to see kenny's growth this season)
amanda trimming a bonsai tree is something i didn't know could be so personal
daniel flat out saying no more karate wars! woohoo! no more silver and kreese! immediately tells me that things are going to be worse than ever ok awesome
WHY and i cannot emphasize this enough WHY are Miguel and robby both in the back seat of the van??????? i kept waiting for someone to be revealed in the passenger seat and then they just... never were... WHY IS JOHNNY UBERING THEM
kiaz content of robby wrapping miguels hand <3
LETS GO MIYAGI DO LETS GO HAWK AND DEMETRI TRAINING NEXT TO ANTHONY LETS GO NATE BURT CHRIS DEVON FRIENDSHIP
mitch and chris getting back together was so intimate and beautiful and the way chris looked at him alone and smiled made me believe they're in love - sweet moment but def a "let's wrap up that loose plot hole real quick!!!" too quick but they're background characters so i get it
OKAY Miguel and robby meddling with sam/tory is going to be INSANE IM SO EXCITED
oh lets get our girlfriends to be friends! and then it totally backfires because sam and tory fall in love and date each other (one last significant other switcharoo and then kiaz can get together too, done and done)
was waiting for johnny and daniel beef to happen again ("since when do i run shit by you?") but all we got was fond understanding like hmgoodpoint from johnny instead of picking a fight with daniel and honestly THATS GROWTH I LOVE THEM
OH SHIT BINARY BOYFRIENDS AGAIN
what a reveal of them opening the sliding doors like this is all i could ever ask for they look so good
"sensei" [demetri bows] "sensei" [demetri bows] "sensei" [demetri bows AGAIN] this was the funniest part of the whole thing
the thing they want to show the senseis before training is that they are back together and in love and the whole dojo needs to know (they already all knew)
eli moskowitz is my favorite character i hate to say it I'm so proud of him finding balance and being a baddie and a loser simultaneously he just loves karate and his boyfriend
now picturing eli and demetri staying up late brainstorming new dojo names that get more and more ridiculous (instant fic idea)
this stupid dojo name better be good cuz i genuinely don't care that much about it and they keep burying the lead like its the reveal of the century
i only care that demetri and eli came up with it and then had everyone vote on it
IM SO EXCITED FOR THURSDAY AHHHH
41 notes · View notes
asexualsoup · 1 year
Text
So I don't really write fan fiction and I never planned to but here we are I guess lol 😅
**Cannot emphasize enough that this is a WIP. It's not finished lol. But if you yell at me enough I probably will finish it.**
----------------------------------------------------------
Remember That I Love You
Juno Steel/Peter Nureyev
Post Season 4
So far, everything had gone exactly to plan. Rita had hacked the pharmacorps’ computers and, from the safety of the Ruby 7’s driver’s seat, had set enough fires across the compound to draw most of the guards exactly where she wanted them. No matter how many times Juno watched her do this, he always found himself in awe of how easy it all was for her. Like a kid with a magnet drawing little shapes in metal sand.
Once the guards had been dispersed, it was just a matter of using their stolen map and the Ruby’s own scans to figure out exactly where they needed to go. That’s where Juno came in.
“There,” he said, pointing to a cluster of moving dots on the Ruby's screen. Taking the hint, the Ruby 7 zoomed its three-dimensional map onto a hallway at the bottom of the complex. “That’s where we’ll find him.”
“You sure, Mista Steel?” Rita asked, unconvinced. “How can you be so sure? We only get one shot at this, so you gotta be exactly right—”
“I know, Rita. You don’t need to remind me. When the fires went off, the executives left their meeting and ran down to this hallway. The Ruby’s showing them all leaving the hallway, but they’re just phasing through a wall. There are no rooms marked there on the map. The Ruby’s scan isn’t faulty, so that means—”
“A safe room!” Rita finished. Her eyes were wide behind her glasses. “That’s so cool! And there’s a buncha them, too, from the look of it. A whole row of safe rooms! How can we be sure which one is his?”
“Ruby?” Juno said with a smile. “You know what to do.”
It was over in seconds. The Ruby had scanned their target so many times, it could recognize him instantly, even from this distance. Juno didn’t fully understand it either, but he knew he could trust the Ruby to be accurate. It had helped him find Rita on that asteroid, after all.
As soon as it found him, it sang a triumphant little tune.
“Good job, Ruby,” Juno said. “Send that scan to my comms. I’m heading in. Let’s go get Nureyev out once and for all.”
* * *
Juno moved quickly through the compound, listening and reacting to Rita’s directions in his ear every step of the way. With her help, he avoided all the patrolling guards long enough to sneak into one of the server rooms she hadn’t set ablaze.
Keeping his voice low just in case, he asked her, “You sure the code you’ve put on this chip will eliminate his debt?”
"And all his accounts and bio-records, yeah, yeah," her voice chirped in his earpiece. He chuckled, imagining the way she was rolling her eyes at him. "You’ve asked me that about a hundred times, Mista Steel. It’ll work. Trust me."
“Like you said, we’ve only got one shot at this. It’s gotta be flawless.”
"We’re Aurinkos, boss. It don’t gotta be flawless to be successful."
“Yeah, well,” Juno said, feeling that old reliable flicker of nerves and self-doubt in his gut. “I’d rather have both, if I’m honest.”
With Rita’s assistance, he inserted the chip. The computers beeped and popped for a bit until Rita finally squeaked again.
"That's done it, boss. You can take the chip out now."
Juno did as she said, slipping it back into his pants pocket. "Great," he said. "Now it's just the hard part. Getting to him, taking out the guards, and then the escape." He sighed, suddenly feeling his age. "No biggie."
"It'll be fine, Mista Steel," Rita said. "Once you find him, you won't be alone in there anymore. You'll have him to help you with those last two steps. And Mista Nureyev has always been good at fighting guards and sneakin' outta places. It’ll be fine!"
"Still weird hearing you call him that. Even on private comms. But you make a good point. Once I find him…."
Juno trailed off, his mouth feeling suddenly very dry. He hadn't been this close to Nureyev in months, not since he'd smelled his cologne at Aurinko Permanent Corrections. The realization sent a torrent of butterflies through his stomach: fear, panic, and a good amount of excitement too.
Nureyev was in the building. And within minutes, he'd be in Juno's arms. Safe and sound at last and with his whole life ahead of him. The future at his nimble fingertips.
It was the same gift he'd promised to Slip Jackson all those years ago. And while Nureyev couldn't give that future to Slip in the end, Juno could make sure Nureyev got it now.
So, with a deep breath to swallow his panic down, Juno pressed on to the next phase of the plan.
* * *
Juno had taken out so many guards over the course of his career that a few localized in one closed off room should be no problem at all. And with all the tricks he’d picked up from Nureyev during their year of crime together, they wouldn’t know what hit them.
He crawled on his belly through the vents, Rita and the Ruby still guiding him around every corner, until finally he peered through a grate into the room in question.
As soon as he saw Nureyev, he felt his heart fly into his throat. He was sitting in a chair against the wall, looking like a prisoner in that tiny room with four armed guards around him.
But that wasn't what made Juno so upset. Nureyev… didn't look like himself. He was thinner than the last time they'd seen each other. Paler, too, like he hadn't seen the sun in weeks. He was still dressed to the nines and covered in makeup, but none of that could hide the new slump in his posture and the deadened look behind his eyes.
As wonderful as it was to see him again, it was frightening to see how only half a year away had changed him.
That ended here and now.
In one hand, Juno held his blaster. And in the other, he held a small pebble-like ball. Another trick he'd picked up from Nureyev.
Slipping the ball through the grate, he watched as it hit the floor and exploded into vapor, instantly surrounding the guards in a thick curtain of smoke. As the guards coughed and sputtered and shouted to each other, he kicked open the grate and dropped himself into the room.
Darting out of the range of the smoke, he planted his feet firmly in front of Nureyev.
“Juno?” came that beautiful voice from behind him, the one that made his heart flutter.
“Yeah, yeah, you can swoon into my arms later,” he said. And even though he was joking, he wanted nothing more. “Whatever you’ve got to use against these guys, now’s the time to use it.”
“But, Juno, I—”
Whatever Nureyev was about to say would have to wait. The guards had finally collected themselves and were starting to stumble out of the smoke, blasters raised and searching for a target.
Ducking beneath the nearby table, Juno sent a pair of stun blasts out between its legs, completely incapacitating the first two guards he saw.
“I see you haven’t lost your touch, dear detective,” Nureyev said, sliding in beside Juno. “Shall we take this to the next level?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
It was a maneuver they’d learned together during their time on the Carte Blanche. That time felt like so long ago now, and yet Nureyev fell into position as smoothly and easily as if they’d practiced it only yesterday. Juno would have to thank Buddy for those lessons later, among a million other things.
Grabbing opposite ends of the table, they swung its legs out from under it and in one fluid motion, launched it flat-side first into the smoke. Both of the remaining guards grunted in pain as they were struck, and somewhere within the haze, they both collapsed under the weight of the table.
“You truly are a sharpshooter, aren’t you?” Nureyev said as he leaped to his feet again and reached out a hand to help Juno. “You hit them both even through all that fog.”
“Hey, it was a big table,” Juno said, taking that proffered hand. “And anyway, you’re just as likely to—”
But his words were cut off. As soon as he’d gotten to his feet, Nureyev’s mouth had found his. The kiss was hard, desperate, pressing his lips almost painfully against his teeth. But it was exactly what they both needed after all that time apart. Juno couldn’t help the moan that escaped his throat, and his hands found Nureyev’s collar, pulling him in even closer.
Once they’d separated, Nureyev narrowed his eyes. “I told you not to come after me.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” Juno said, hopping up to swiftly kiss Nureyev’s lips again.
“I suppose not. Though we’ll definitely have words about this later. A lot of words.”
Nureyev released him and without another word, flew gracefully into the depths of the smoke. Still a little awestruck, Juno found his feet again and moved to follow him.
Squinting through the fog, he peered around quietly for any sign of the two guards they’d knocked down. The table was easy enough to find, its legs splayed like a dead spider on its back. But the two guards that it had hit? Those were a lot harder to spot. And so was Nureyev.
Juno slunk low to the floor, crouched near the table’s legs and stared into the surrounding fog for any sign of movement. It only took a minute for him to spot something. A glint of metal in the fog. He stared in its direction, trying to find it again, but couldn't.
Instead, when a guard finally did appear in the smoke, it was to his far left. They stumbled near him, their shirt pulled high over their mouth and nose. They made eye contact with Juno, who already had his blaster raised, but before either of them could make a move, a dark heel swung out from the fog and hit the guard right in the back of the head, knocking them out cold. With another glint of metal, Nureyev emerged from the smoke and crouched at Juno’s side once again.
“That was brutal,” Juno whispered. “I always forget you can kick that high.”
“So did they, apparently.”
“You might want to take off your jewelry before we handle that other guard, Nureyev. I can see it shining through the fog.”
For the first time since their reunion, something made Nureyev pause. “Juno… there’s something that you should—”
“Let’s deal with the other guard first, Nureyev. Do you have any idea where they are?”
“Juno, I—”
But whatever Nureyev was going to say, it was cut off by the cracking sound of a blaster shot. Nureyev gasped and flew backward, hitting the ground hard.
“Nureyev!” Juno shouted before he could stop himself.
Flying onto his feet, he whipped around and pointed his blaster in the direction the shot had come from. The fourth and final guard stood there, grinning through the smoke. Her blaster was pointed right at Juno’s head.
“Really?” Juno gasped, trying desperately to think straight through the panic now flooding his brain. “You sneak up behind me and decide to shoot your own guy instead?”
“I was following my orders, lady,” she said darkly, her hand flexing against the trigger. Ready to send another laser directly through Juno’s brain.
He wasn’t going to give her the chance. With one hand, he grabbed her wrist and twisted, sending her laser up to the ceiling. Bringing around his own blaster, he struck her hard across the face, sending her sprawling to the floor where his own shot struck her right in the chest a second later. Her eyes went hazy as the stun wave overtook her body, and then she closed her eyes, unconscious.
Breathing heavily, Juno dropped his gun and rushed to Nureyev’s side. Nureyev was panting hard, one hand over his face. His hands were shaking.
“Goddammit, Nureyev. No,” Juno wept, searching Nureyev’s body with his hands. “No no no. Where did they hit you? Oh, goddammit.”
But no matter where he looked, he didn’t find any blood. All he could find was a small laser burn on the front of Nureyev’s shirt.
“It was just a stun blast,” he said, relief flooding him once more. “You’re fine. You’re gonna be fine.”
But as Nureyev gave another groan of pain, Juno felt his relief crack once more.
“N… Nureyev? Come on. Snap out of it.”
Nureyev groaned again, his mouth twisting in pain and all four of his limbs starting to tremble. The fingers by his forehead curled, as if trying to grasp at something, and between them, Juno could see that glint of metal again. It was only then that Juno realized Nureyev wasn’t wearing any jewelry. No rings, no earrings.
Nothing but whatever was shining on his temple.
Grabbing Nureyev’s hand, he slowly pulled it away.
His stomach dropped. “Nureyev… no… please, no… Is that a…?”
Nureyev groaned again and Juno swore he could hear the pops of electricity coming from it.
Because right there, stuck on Nureyev’s temple, was a little gray chip. Smaller than the Theia Soul had been, but otherwise the same.
“Goddammit. Nureyev, what do I do?” Juno asked desperately.
In response, Nureyev cried out as the chip zapped him again, and this time, Juno actually saw the skin beginning to sizzle around it.
He fumbled for his comms, knowing somewhere in the back of his panicked mind that if anyone could fix this, it would be Rita. But a second later, as Nureyev’s body went slack, Juno’s heart stopped.
Nureyev’s eyes peered up to meet his, bleary and unfocused. Lines of blood began to form around the edges of the chip.
“Nureyev?” Juno asked breathlessly.
“Ju…no…” was all the man managed to say before his eyes closed and unconsciousness claimed him too.
(to be continued?)
26 notes · View notes
Note
fic asks: 7, 17, 35, 48?
7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?
You delightful creature you XD
So I am of course absolutely proud of the RVB Firefly AU (featuring the Donut Siblings), which had SO MUCH worldbuilding. Planets. Cultures. Family structures. Mythology. And what do you know, SOMEONE was extremely helpful with that. XD
I'm also proud of everything @renaroo and I have done for DC Uninterrupted, which I cannot emphasize enough, is just. fully insane.
For solo world-building, I'm really proud of the work I did with the Buffy AU, in building out the world, as well as the history itself!
17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?
Okay so.
Steve's personal effects are obviously all in the Smithsonian now, right? Yes. I would love to write the AU where Steve has to go to the Smithsonian and deal with some very stressed curators/interns in trying to (very politely) get his stuff back and in the process ends up getting pulled into exhibit design.
35. What aspects of your writing are completely unlike your real life?
I keep having to explain to people that I actually have a great relationship with my parents. It's genuinely really funny, even if my poor mother is like "do you really feel this way about me?" No, Mum, this isn't autobiographical, I swear.
48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?
So this is just a little bit cheating, because I'm the beta for this one. But the last fic I read was let the river in by @saltsanford and I read the upcoming chapter last night, and I was screaming, I was gasping, I was on the edge of my seat, and I absolutely recommend it.
3 notes · View notes
baiika · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
My ho time taught me that evil men aren't great at sex, generally ranging from just bad to outright dangerous. Given Sousuke's track record of almost cartoonish violence, I think it's safe to say he falls on the latter end of the spectrum. Now, you COULD say I'm wrong because Tite seems to be largely asexual in his depiction, where there's only like... all of four married couples during the manga period, but no art exists in a vacuum. Even if Tite didn't intentionally do so, Sousuke still, even inadvertently, a sexual being. I think exploring that really cements how evil Sousuke is.
I cannot emphasize this enough: This isn't p.ornography; this is an exploration of the sexuality of a very evil person. Details of gore, misogyny, battery, gendered violence, relationship abuse, sexual assault, fetishism, & general adult topics are explored in depth. Reader discretion is advised.
I've explored Sousuke's fascination with hyperviolence in the past, so I won't be reiterating it here. However, it's weird how enthralled he appears to be, like when he smiles in chapter 170 after stabbing Momo, & in chapter 532 during White vs Masaki. He looks content after seeing Gin disembowel the former 3rd seat of gobantai in TBTP. I have trouble articulating the emotions I see in him, but it's definitely reminiscent of some more depraved shit I came across as a ho.
It's safe to say anguish & exploitation arouse him, which is hard for some people to believe, but let's take a look at fetish, & I'll start with something anecdotal.
My time doing sex work exposed me to a lot of fetishists. It was mostly in-person scenes until I stopped doing sex work about six years ago. In the last two or three years, I started taking commissions, & have done many fetish works. Considering I was doing in-person work as a teen for pedophiles, the fetishists I met were surprisingly tolerable, & I don't have any commissioners now from the fetish community that I dislike. I've had overwhelmingly good experiences from foot fetishists who have commissioned me. 
The most recent commission I was asked to write from a foot fetishist was for a young lady in stockers (the device) whose husband tickles the soles of her feet until she's sweating & crying. There's nothing pornographic about the imagery, but it's the context of sensuality & BDSM that makes it a masturbatory aid.
(I will not be sharing the story itself to protect the privacy of my client.)
I'm getting to the point, I promise.
There's a lot of debate on what causes fetishism & defines fetishism, but generally, I regard it as something that isn't inherently sexual such as balloons, hair, or asphyxiation causing sexual arousal or being used to cause or assist in the achievement of orgasm. 
I have known people with blood & violence fetishes.
This isn't me trashing on kink or fetishism. I don't think fetish is inherently a disorder or anything deviant. It's something that exists as an entirely neutral quality of a person. However, it's worth noting that Sousuke is experiencing sexual arousal from nonsexual situations. That is fetishism. It just so happens that Sousuke is an asshole.
I'm certainly not saying he doesn't enjoy the visage of cisgender women. Sousuke does like breasts, pussy, buttocks, etc, but it alone isn't what gets him off.
I'll explore the details of Sousuke's misogyny another time, but given that Sousuke is heterosexual & misogynistic, the infliction of violence against women is especially arousing. While a violence fetish isn't necessarily predatorial, Sousuke is a predator. Given his engagement with violence & misogyny throughout the series, it's not a leap to see he engages in violence & rape culture. The details become a matter of personal opinion, however. Communicating this is most easily done through my portrayal of AiHina.
Sousuke & Momo have a commonwealth marriage because Sousuke, accurately, thought a relationship would be the simplest avenue to manipulate Momo. Now, I don't ascribe any cluster B personality disorder to Sousuke on principle, Narcissistic Personality Disorder included, but the abuse he subjects her to is definitely narcissistic abuse. I will explore more about the details of their relationship another time.
What arouses him is causing fear in Momo, so he will scream at her over innocuous shit & hit her. Because being arrested for being a wife-beater would be an obstacle to his goals, Sousuke doesn't hit her face, but hits her limbs & torso, which causes her to a) cry from shock, pain, & emotional turmoil & b) bruises her, & potentially breaks bones, which causes her to be in somewhat visible pain depending on how astute the individual is. Sousuke isn't, so mostly, he enjoys seeing her naked & very thoroughly bruised. He enjoys strangling Momo, specifically because she'll thrash & claw at him to get air while she is crying, & also enjoys seeing her black out. Additionally, he does coerce & sometimes even forces her to have sex with him... which is longhand for rape. If she agrees, he still gets to see her uncomfortable & in emotional turmoil. If she outright refuses, he can then force her. He often pins Momo by her throat & rapes her.
Anal sex takes a great deal of prep to do comfortably, including washing the orifice of fecal matter, giving the orifice time to acclimate to the presence of something being pushed inside of use, usually done using toys, generous lubrication, & a lot of patience.
But Sousuke enjoys Momo's pain, so he forgoes all preparation. While Sousuke enjoys the tightness of the anus, that isn't what arouses him. It's her anguish. If she resists physically or verbally, he'll beat the back of her head &/or pin her down by the back of her neck, which suffocates her.
Sousuke does masturbate & fantasizes as an aid. Often, he can vividly picture slitting Momo's throat. He can see her struggling & gurgling. He can see the spurting arterial bleed. Without fail, he climaxes when blood covers her breasts. This is his favorite fantasy, but he has others.
Unfortunately, he also likes penetrating open wounds. Occasionally, he will masturbate to the fantasy or have wet dreams of cutting open Momo's breast, separating the skin & muscle from the ribs, inserting himself into the lesion, ejaculating into the wound, & watching semen & blood pour out of the entry. He fantasizes about decapitating Momo, inserting himself into her windpipe, & watching the head of his penis appear & disappear through her mouth while he gyrates. He fantasizes about cutting open Momo's belly, removing her intestines, & using them as a fleshlight.
Truly, his existence is soul-sucking.
1 note · View note
mickstart · 3 years
Note
what happens with jev and horner?
Hey I got a couple asks about this and this, understandably, happens every time I bring up what happened with Jev. So I'm gonna try and put everything here for future reference.
For benefit of the other anons, jev drove for the rbr B team (now alpha) with ricciardo in 2012 and 2013. The set up was largely the same except the B team were barely even midfielders most of the time and the car could NOT have qualified as it does now alongside the red bulls.
Placing this under a cut because of discussion of an eating disorder, workplace bullying, and Jules Bianchi's fatal accident. (Also, it's long.)
not directly but as team principal horner was responsible for rbr's toxic team culture in the early 2010s, an atmosphere and culture that made jev's life a fucking misery and contributed to causing his ed and hospitalizing him. You could make the argument this was limited to the B Team... except when Daniel was fitted for his rbr seat only a few months before jev collapsed rbr publicly joked about the size of his hips being too big for the car and "compromising newey's design." RBR was well known for its "lad / party culture" and they played this atmosphere up as red bulls marketing has always been about how Young Hip And Cool they are. RBR have done nothing to solve this environment judging by alpha tauri's treatment of pierre including joking about pierre's food habits on their socials.
Tumblr media
If I had sent a driver to the hospital with an ed not even a decade ago, I would simply not joke about my drivers eating habits!
Horner was involved in choosing daniel over him based on how his personality would fit the team / work with Seb, not the results they were getting (jev was doing better than daniel with less experience). Jev has commented a few times (sorry not sure exactly when in the video it is and I haven't watched it in a while) about how the team reacted differently to daniel than to him. They put constant pressure on him to perform and then when he couldn't enjoy the races and was constantly moody and hard on himself they were annoyed at him for the "attitude" they taught him to have.
Jev's firing was as abrupt and cruel as you would expect from rbr. He was essentially told he was too old for the junior team (my brother in christ you are the one not promoting him) and sent to formula e with a vague promise that if he "impressed" them enough he might get to come back. This is especially insulting because then when rbr found themselves down a driver with Seb leaving for Ferrari they then put Kvyat - the driver whose lower height and weight they used to shame jev into starving himself - into the car, and then MAX, a TEENAGER, who proceeded to drive into everything he saw. Horner and Marko decided he didn't fit their brand and that was that.
Making this even crueler, Jev was a very good friend of Jules Bianchi and trying to process his friend's horrible accident at the time rbr fired him. I'm not saying it was wrong to fire him BECAUSE of this, not at all. Just that some tact and awareness of his mental state and subsequently going about this in a kinder way would have gone a long way.
Jev has talked about his depression as a consequence of all this and - like all red bull drivers - being left without funds or managerial support after red bull dropped him like a stone. What they did to him was fucked up. Is Horner to blame for all of it? No. But it's his team. Yes even the Sister Team, he holds power over them. It's his responsibility to keep the team in check, to not allow these things to happen. It's literally his job to make sure he knows what's going on in the team, not to give interviews.
But they KEPT happening. The tp of the b team punching drivers, drivers pitted against each other, jaime QUITTING MOTORSPORT ALTOGETHER because of the culture in place at rbr. The list really is endless. I cannot emphasize enough I am only citing a FEW examples.
RBR have bullied and destroyed the mental health of almost every driver they've come into contact with. If I were christian horner I'd stop throwing stones and start picking up the shards of my glass house.
150 notes · View notes
Text
Do Me a Favor (Wanda Maximoff/ Reader)
Tumblr media
Hi everyone!
All I will say is... this is nothing like I've ever written and I'm very, very shy about it so sorry if I disappear for 2-3 business days.
Summary: A reckless decision on a mission angers a certain Avenger, who also happens to be your ex which leads to a series of unexpected events.
Warnings: Swearing, smut
18+ I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THIS ENOUGH!
“Where’s Nat?” A quick glance around the jet let you know that everyone else knew something you didn’t. Your stomach turned anxiously. “Where. Is. Nat?” You repeated sharply, your tone rising along with your temper.
“Steve will go back-”
Your head turned abruptly to Tony. “Excuse me? Go back? We’re still here!”
In response he just shook his head. “We’re compromised, Y/n. We need to go now.”
You could feel your hands ball into fists at your side as your fight instinct kicked in. “I’m going back. Now. Go on without me.” You said determinedly as you stood up.
Before you could step off the quinjet a hand wrapped tightly around your bicep and tugged you back harshly. “Y/n. He said Steve would be going back for her. Sit down.”
Your jaw clenched when you met the green eyes you used to adore. “Let go of me.”
Wanda shook her head in disbelief. “Do me a favor and stop acting like a child.”
You scoffed. “Do me a favor and mind your own damn business.”
“Y/n.” Wanda warned sharply, her eyes beginning to glow.
As you were staring back at her you noticed the quinjet begin to lift off the ground, Tony seemingly taking advantage of your distraction. You quickly ripped your arm out of Wanda’s grasp. “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore.”
“Y/n-”
Before she could finish her thought, you leapt out of the jet, rolling slightly to break your fall as you cautiously began making your way back into the Hydra base. Was it the stupidest thing you’ve ever done? Probably. Would you do it again? Without a doubt.
Natasha was one of the most – if not thee most – important person in your life. You’d be damned if you left base without her by your side. After several brushes with death, you were able to get yourself and Natasha out of the base and into safety. Steve found you both hours later in a safe house.
“She’s not happy, you know.” Steve said casually as you were approaching the Avengers tower.
Natasha looked over at you curiously, but you shook your head in response, so she turned her attention back to Steve. “Who isn’t happy?”
“It doesn’t matter.” You hissed.
While Steve replied, “Wanda.”
Natasha raised an eyebrow at you. “Didn’t know you could piss her off while you weren’t even dating.”
“I don’t care if she’s pissed off. I’m not her problem anymore.” You snapped back in annoyance. Steve whistled lowly while Natasha pursed her lips at your tone. “Sorry.” You mumbled.
Sensing the need for a change in subject, Steve cut in. “We’re touching down now. Romanoff, Banner is waiting to take you to med bay. We need to look you over for any internal damage you may have sustained.”
The other woman nodded, and you just leaned further back into your seat, watching them all scramble back into the compound. You were sure to take your time getting out, hoping that everyone would already be asleep or in their rooms by the time you got inside.
Much to your annoyance, the second you stepped back into the compound you were greeted with the sight of a certain red-headed avenger and not the one you were on good terms with. You chewed on the inside of your cheek to bite back the snarky remark that was already forming on your lips and marched past her as if she didn’t even exist.
It seemed she wasn’t going to let that stop her though.
“What the hell was that back there?” Wanda demanded as she followed after you, her words sharp and accent thick with anger.
You didn’t even bother looking back as you continued on your path to your room. “Oh, the accent. I’m so scared.” You said mockingly with a roll of your eyes.
“So, you’re just risking your life for Natasha now?” She shouted.
“I don’t see how that concerns you.” You said offhandedly.
“Y/n.” You chose not to comment, instead increasing the speed of your steps as you grew closer to your destination. Even if you refused to look at her, you could feel her gaze burn holes in your back.
The sound of her footsteps grew louder as she got closer. “Y/n, stop. I’m talking to you.”
“Fuck off.” You called over your shoulder, flipping her off for good measure. She’d love that.
Finally, you reached your destination, the elevator. You pressed the button and tapped your foot impatiently as you waited. Before the doors could open though, you felt yourself being spun around, finally meeting the furious emerald eyes you’ve been avoiding. You pulled away from her touch as if you’d been burned.
Wanda’s eyes were ablaze with rage, a sight that would have made most people cower in fear. It just made you angry. “I said I was talking to you.” She hissed.
You glared back at her. “And I said fuck. Off.” You replied, being sure to enunciate each word.
Her jaw clenched and her nostrils flared angrily. You just laughed at the sight before you, being sure to push every single one of her buttons.
To infuriate her even further, you looked away. You didn’t even want to bother with the sight of her anymore and you knew she’d hate it.
“You’re playing a dangerous game here, Y/n.” Wanda said darkly.
Again, you rolled your eyes, your gaze fixed on the wall behind her. You knew the lack of attention would just cause her to spiral even more. “You’re not even worth playing with, Maximoff.” You muttered.
The final comment seemed to be her breaking point. Wanda grabbed your chin tightly between her index and pointer finger, forcing you to look at her. You clenched your jaw and turned your head away in anger. In defiance. You wouldn’t give into her.
Her grip on your chin tightened ever so slightly as she forced you to look back at her once again. The sight made your blood boil. A small smirk played on her lips as she leaned further into you, pressing you to the wall even more than before. The fingers of her other hand digging into the small of your back roughly, so you were pressed tightly against her.
“Say it again then.” She challenged.
Your chest heaved with anger which just seemed to amuse Wanda even more. Her thumb ran lightly across your bottom lip, tugging it down slightly. Her eyes were locked intensely on the action.
“Fuck you.” You spat out quietly, your eyes never leaving hers. If she wanted you to look at her then you’d give her exactly that. “Why don’t you go home to your little toaster? I’m sure he’s waiting for you.”
The hand that was on your back wandered over to your arm and pinned it above your head roughly. You tried desperately to mask the quiet gasp of surprise but if her smirk was any indication, you failed. “What was it you said earlier?” She teased huskily. “Mind your own damn business?”
The air was tense as you both just stared at one another in challenge. Before you could think of the repercussions, you tugged your hands out of her grasp and knotted your hands tightly into her hair, pulling her roughly into your lips.
A quiet groan fell from her lips when you bit down harshly on her bottom lip, a punishment. In response, she tore her lips away from yours, tightening her grip on your chin and forcing your head to the side, giving her complete access to your neck as she bit down harshly on your pulse point. You gasped just as the elevator doors slid open and she pushed you back through the open doors. Your back connected unforgivingly with the cool metal of the wall, and she advanced on you quickly, attaching her mouth to yours and pressing your wrists tightly to the wall once again.
Thankfully, the elevator knew where to deposit you and soon the doors slid open on your floor, and you pressed against Wanda, forcing her back and into the hall before your room, your mouth never leaving hers.
Everything blurred together as you lost yourself in everything Wanda. Next thing you knew, she was shoving you back onto the bed, her hands making quick work of your shirt and tossing it carelessly behind her.
“I missed this.” Wanda purred, her fingers tracing a featherlight path down the valley between your breasts until they stopped at the waistband of your jeans. “You. Under me. Completely at my mercy.”
You hissed and shoved her hands away. “I’m not at your mercy anymore.”
Her fingers twitched slightly as red energy wrapped around your wrists and pinned them to the bed. “Tsk, tsk, malyshka. Only good girls get rewards.”
“Fuck you.” You spat, hating the effect she had on you.
Her lips curled up in an amused smirk. “Oh. You will. All in good time.” Your hands clenched at the thought. “Let’s get this off first.” She teased as she pulled off your jeans and panties in one motion.
“No.”
Wanda sat back slightly. “No?”
“You’re wearing too much.”
The force holding your wrists to the bed fell away as Wanda smiled broadly back at you. “Oh, malyshka. All you had to do was ask.” Her fingers began making slow work on the buttons of her shirt.
Unable to take it anymore, you reached out and gripped the shirt firmly in your hands and pulled. The buttons give way easily under the force, and you smirked in satisfaction when you saw she was wearing nothing underneath. Your lips attached to her chest as your fingers fumbled with the buttons of her shorts, eagerly pushing them down her legs.
Wanda kicked the final piece of clothing off the bed and pushed you back so that she was flush against you. Both moaning at the feeling of your skin pressing together.
Your breath hitched when you felt her fingers trailing torturously slow down your stomach, over your hips and stopping right before she reached where you needed her most. You knew exactly what she was doing.
You wouldn’t give her what she wanted. It didn’t matter how much you wanted her. You didn’t want to give her that power.
Her fingertips danced lightly over your thigh as she leaned down to coo into your ear. “So stubborn, malyshka. Always so stubborn.”
Leaning up on your elbows, you attached your lips to a spot you knew drove her mad right below her ear, grazing lightly with your teeth. A soft groan fell from her lips, and you smirked in satisfaction. “You forget I know what you like too… Zolotse.”
Wanda shivered slightly at the term of endearment, and you relished in the small victory. “Well… it looks like I should reward you then, malyshka, no?”
Before you could muster a reply, you felt her fingers slid easily into you, biting your lip to contain the moan that you felt build in your throat. Your eyes slammed shut as you lost yourself in the feeling of Wanda’s touch, every curl of her fingers. She knew exactly what to do to make you fall apart under her every touch. She had memorized your body long ago.
“You’re holding back.” She murmured disapprovingly, her lips leaning down to rest against yours. “Don’t hold back.”
Then her fingers curled again. There. White flashes of light exploded behind your eyelids, and you couldn’t bite your tongue anymore as moan after moan fell from your lips.
“Good girl. Just like that.” She cooed, attaching her lips to yours once again and when she added another finger you bit down harshly on her lower lip. She moaned at the action, her hips lightly rocking against yours.
With one final curl of her finger the feeling overtook you as wave after wave of pleasure washed over you with her name on your lips. Her lips on your mouth and her fingers in you slowly brought you back down from your high as you caught your breath.
When your heart rate settled, and the stars stopped exploding behind your eyelids you opened your eyes to see Wanda watching you with a looking of wanting. As if she wanted to devour you again and again and again.
“Oh no,” You mumbled, tangling your legs into hers and flipping her aggressively on her back. “It’s your turn.”
You felt the thrill run through your veins as her mouth formed into that ‘o’ shape you used to love as you began trailing kisses down her body.
The next morning the sound of your alarm startled you as you shot up in bed, quickly scrambling to turn it off. When the obnoxious blaring finally came to a halt, you glanced over your shoulder to see a sight you hadn’t seen in months. Wanda. Completely bare. In your bed. Despite the sight being something you had wanted back in your life months ago, you couldn’t help but clench your jaw in annoyance.
Annoyance that you gave in so easily. Annoyance that you fell right into her trap. Annoyance that she was still with the stupid red microwave.
“Can you stop thinking so loudly? I’m trying to sleep.” The sound of her groggy voice made your stomach flip as you quickly turned your head away from her.
There was a pleased look about her as she stretched and looked at you from under her lashes. “That was a one-time thing.” You warned bitterly, reaching for your shirt that was thrown on the floor and yanking it over your head.
There was rustling of sheets as you felt her crawl her way over to you, her cool hand slipping under the material of the shirt you had just put on.
You shivered and hated yourself for it.
Her lips lightly brushed along the shell of your ear, “It doesn’t have to be.” She whispered huskily, her teeth lightly grazing your ear lobe. Your hands tightly gripped the sheets under your fingers as you fought every instinct to not give into her again. “That’s a familiar sight.” She cooed teasingly, her free hand sliding over the back of one of your palms until your hand unclenched.
“Do me a favor and go away.” You groaned, sliding away from her, the haze in your mind lifting when her hands fell away from your body.
Despite the distance you created, her hands were back on your body within seconds, pulling you into her. “Is that what you really want?”
You looked over your shoulder at her and felt your resolve slip at the sight of her green eyes dancing mischievously in the morning light, making any argument you had die on your tongue. “I don’t want anything to do with you, Maximoff.” You eventually mustered, your tone cold as you shrugged her off. She deflated slightly and you felt the control fall back into your hands, where it belonged.
Clearly your words didn’t have a lasting effect though. “That’s not what you were screaming last night.” Wanda countered suggestively, not letting your cold behavior get to her.
You glared at her. “Again, a one-time thing.”
“What if it wasn’t?”
Your eyes squinted slightly. “What about the microwave? I don’t think he’d like that.”
Wanda rolled her eyes in response. “Do me a favor and stop asking questions.” You glared at her. “You don’t have to like me… Yet… But I think I can make this worth your while.”
“I have training with Nat in half an hour.” You mumbled weakly. Your resolve was flimsy as your fingers itched to be on her skin again.
Wanda smirked, as she sat up on her knees, her arms looping around your shoulders and shoving you back down on the mattress. You couldn’t find it within yourself to fight it. “I can be fast.” She mumbled, her lips attaching to yours.
______________
As much as you hated to admit it, the deal you had with Wanda worked. You still couldn’t stand her most of the time, but you had to say, working out your frustrations with her in this new way was definitely… therapeutic. What made it even better was that you stopped seeing the easy bake oven. Mainly because most of the time Wanda was too busying focusing on putting suggestive thoughts into your mind.
Promises of what was to come usually.
The only other person who knew about your little arrangement was Natasha. That wasn’t entirely your choice, but there was never getting anything by that woman. She knew everything. She was Natasha freaking Romanoff for crying out loud. The woman could read you like a book.
She had vocalized her discontent with the situation many times, worried that Wanda was playing with your emotions. Taking advantage. You constantly reassured her that there were no emotions on your end and that you were in full control this time.
Natasha didn’t buy that for a second.
The protective nature she felt over you strengthened the more she saw you begin to exchange flirty looks with the Sokovian woman… And it was hard for you to argue in Wanda’s defense when she was still with the resident robot.
Your motto was if you weren’t dating Wanda, you didn’t care if Nat approved of her or not. And it infuriated her. Which is what lead to Natasha's next course of intervention… since talking to you obviously wasn’t working.
Natasha called in a favor to keep Maximoff far, far away from you. You didn’t know that though.
There was a mischievous glint in her eyes at the next team meeting that made you highly skeptical, but anytime you asked she just brushed the question aside and told you to wait.
“It’s the beginning of the end.” You could have sworn you heard her mumble manically under her breath.
“Alright, under-roos, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve called a team meeting.” Tony began speaking as soon as he entered the room.
“No one cares.” You mumbled distractedly, picking at your nails.
Tony turned to glare at you and was about to say something when Natasha lightly shook her head. “Bad attitude from the kid aside... We’re introducing a new member.”
The rest of his speech drifted to the back of your mind as short flashes of seductive images invaded your mind. You glanced slyly out of the corner of your eye to see Wanda smirking at you.
Before you could even think of a response, Natasha smacked the back of your head and forced your attention away from the other woman. You tilted your head curiously when she walked out of the room. “Meetings over then?” You asked hopefully, sharing a suggestive look with Wanda.
“No, kid, you just weren’t listening.” Steve replied with a disappointed stare, and you shrunk in your seat slightly, mumbling an apology.
Thankfully Natasha chose that moment to come back into the room with a woman you didn’t recognize at her side. A beautiful woman at that. You sat up in your seat at attention, mesmerized from first glance.
So mesmerized that you didn’t even notice Natasha’s satisfied smirk or Wanda’s angry glare. “Everyone, I’d like you to meet the newest member of the team and my kind of little sister, Yelena Belova.” Natasha introduced.
Yelena looked around the room and when her eyes fell on you, she smiled. You practically swooned at the sight, smiling back at her. Images from Wanda once again began invading your mind, but you shook them away, not wanting to take your attention off this beautiful new woman before you.
“Careful, little spiderling, don’t know if you want to get caught up in the chaos of that web.” Tony warned Yelena teasingly when he noticed you smiling at one another. “Unless you don’t mind dealing with her involvement with witchy over there.”
Wanda smirked in satisfaction when Yelena looked away. “I’m not involved with Maximoff.” You quickly shut down, winking at Yelena when she looked back over at you. “I’m as free as a bird.” You added, smiling when Yelena’s eyebrows raised in amusement.
“Alright, ‘little bird’, why don’t you show Yelena around the compound?” Natasha mocked.
You barely registered the sound of a chair scraping roughly against the floor and the door to the meeting room slamming behind someone.
Vision faintly saying, “I’ll go check on her.” Barely processed in your mind as you stood and made your way over to the two Russian women.
“It would be my pleasure to show you around, only if you’d like of course.” You said as you offered your hand with a flirtatious smile. “I’m Y/n.”
Yelena stared back at your hand for a moment before looking up at you, “I’ll allow it.” She began, and you swooned at the accent. “But I won’t be so easily charmed.” She added teasingly.
For a moment you were too surprised to formulate a reply until your brain started functioning again. “That’s okay... I like a challenge.”
The smirk that formed on her lips made your brain short-circuit. “Well, I hope you like failing then.”
You were too preoccupied with your flirty banter with Yelena to notice Natasha slowly back out of the room, a triumphant smile on her face. “You really should stop meddling, you know.” Steve said suddenly, appearing at her side.
“They’ll be good for each other.” Natasha insisted. “Better than Wanda is for her.”
“Those two can never stay away from each other very long, so we’ll see.”
_______________
The party that Tony insisted on throwing in Yelena’s honor was in full swing when Wanda walked into the room. You froze mid-sentence from your conversation with Bucky as you took in the sight of her in that little black dress you used to love so much. If the smirk on her lips was any indication, she knew what effect that dress had on you as well.
There wasn’t any space left in your mind for conversation after the sight of her. The only thoughts that plagued your mind were thoughts of that same little black dress on your bedroom floor.
With a clearer mind you might have noticed that Vision and Wanda arrived at the party separately.
You couldn’t help but watch Wanda as she talked casually to Sam, yet the thoughts she was sending your way were anything but casual. It made you shift uncomfortably in your seat and completely prohibited you from maintaining a conversation with anyone that approached you. You were just about to go over to the green-eyed woman and drag her to your room.
Until she walked in.
The sultry images rushed out of your mind because they couldn’t find residence when your mind was occupied by something else. And your mind was certainly occupied by the sight of wavy golden hair, mischievous hazel eyes, and a low-cut dress.
You scrambled to put your drink down and walk as casually as you could over to the Russian woman before anyone else could steal her away. “Good evening, Yelena.” You began with a flirtatious smile. “May I just say you look beautiful tonight.”
Yelena grinned back at you but shook her head. “Y/n. You clean up pretty well yourself.”
“Why thank you.” You ran a hand through your hair nervously. “Do you want to get a drink with me?”
Her head tilted slightly, and you had to shake away the parallels. “I don’t think you can keep up.” Yelena teased.
Your mouth went dry. “Try me.” You were finally able to muster. Her eyebrows raised in intrigue as she took your hand and lead you to the bar. Your hands tingled with excitement.
Several drinks later and you were drunk on more than the alcohol that was coursing through your veins.
The more you drank, the more you were able to let down your inhibitions and you found an ease in speaking with Yelena. Her sarcastic nature and quick wit was a breath of fresh air, it wasn’t difficult to keep up with her and she understood your own sarcasm. It was an ease you hadn’t felt it a long time.
“Y/n.”
Her light accent floating into your ears made every thought in your mind grind to an abrupt halt. Then her lips lightly brushed the shell of your ear, and you fell victim to the shivers that ran down your spine. You turned your head to meet her playful eyes and couldn’t help but feel anticipation mount in your chest when she was just a breath away.
No words were exchanged as you just stared at one another, the tension building. Then suddenly it felt like there were too many eyes on you. “Do you want to get fresh air?” You suggested suddenly, holding your breath as the anticipation grew.
Yelena was silent for a moment, almost as if she was enjoying the mounting tension. You bit your lip to hide your smile. “Lead the way.” She finally replied and you breathed out softly.
With a bold grin, you took her hand and led her through the densely packed crowd of people and out onto the empty balcony, the rush of cool air a shock to your overheated body. Slowly, you made your way over to a secluded corner out of sight from the large window.
When you were sure you were out of sight, you turned to face her, not dropping her hand once.
“What made you bring me out here?” She asked lowly, taking a step closer to you, her hand leaving yours only to rest her arms over your shoulders.
You swallowed thickly when you felt her fingers run lightly up and down your neck. Shakily, you placed your hands on her hips and took a confident step closer to her. “I can show you… If you want.”
Yelena leaned forward and you felt the anticipation course through your veins as you became completely drunk on her presence. Rather than feel her lips against yours as you expected, you felt her soft breath against your ear, making you shiver again. “Well… I did only put this dress on so you could take it off.”
She pulled back with a challenging glint in her eye and you had to remind yourself to breath. Without thinking of the repercussions, your hands pulled at her hips, and you eagerly connected your lips to hers, letting out a quiet breath when her hands tangled into your hair.
Her tongue swiped against your lower lip, and you eagerly met her halfway, your hands sliding around her hips until they fell low on her back. Yelena’s hands moved down your shoulders, and you hissed slightly when her nails dug into your skin as she pulled you further into her.
You were at her mercy.
And you were certain you’d lose yourself in this woman entirely if it weren’t for the sudden force you felt push her away from you. “What the hell?” You mumbled dazedly as you met Yelena’s confused stare.
“What was that?” she asked, her voice still husky.
You watched the fading red energy in the space that was now in between you and knew exactly what it was.
Before you could say anything a certain Sokovian woman wandered over with an innocent smile painted on her lips. “Hi, Helena, right?”
The blonde pursed her lips, “It’s actually-”
“I’m going to borrow Y/n really quick if you don’t mind.” Wanda interrupted with a forced smile.
You shook your head quickly to Yelena, “Actually, Y/n and I were in the mid-”
“Great! See you around, Helena!” Wanda interrupted again, taking your hand and dragging you away from Yelena. You were certain she was using her powers to get your legs to move because if she wasn’t you would certainly still be standing in front of Yelena instead of being dragged into the elevator of the compound.
When the doors slid closed you rounded on Wanda, feeling the agitation crawl under your skin. “What the hell was that?” You demanded. “I don’t interrupt you when you’re with the goddamn microwave!”
You could see Wanda’s jaw clench slightly, but she still refused to answer. “Answer me!” You shouted when the silence stretched into minutes. Nothing. You watched her hands clench slightly. The doors to the elevator slid open on Wanda’s floor and she pulled you wordlessly into her room.
“Answer me or I swear to god, Wanda, I will go back to Yelena right now and make you watch every single thing I do to her.” You threatened.
That seemed to get her attention as she rounded on you, her eyes glowing brightly. “You’re mine! Okay? You’re mine!”
You couldn’t help but laugh. “What?”
The other woman advanced on you, and you continued to back away, not wanting to be near her. She couldn’t have that power again. “You are mine. Not hers. Mine.” There was a desperation to her words, and you bit back a groan when your back met the solid surface of the wall.
“Last time I checked I belonged to no one but myself.” You spat out bitterly.
There was heavy silence in the air as you both just stared at one another. Neither willing to back down.
Then she deflated. “Okay.” Wanda nodded and lifted a hand to lightly caress your cheek and you turned away from the touch. She had softened and it unnerved you. “What if I was yours?”
You glared at her. “I’ve heard that before.”
“I am.” She said quietly, pressing into you lightly, making sure her eyes stayed locked on yours. Your heart raced uncomfortably at the sight of her sincerity.
“What?”
Her forehead rested lightly against yours and you hated the intimacy of the moment. Of the shift from rough to gentle. “Yours. I’m yours.” She whispered. “Not his. Yours. You can’t deny what we have here… You won’t find it with her.”
You clenched your jaw. “Who says I can’t try?”
"Do me a favor..." Wanda’s lips began trailing a light path from your jaw down your neck. “Let me show you.” She whispered.
And you didn’t stop her.
Well... That's all, folks! I'm very shy so I won't say much. This is my first time ever writing smut. Um... this is canonically part 2 of my "Good For You" fanfic. Thank you to @abimess for encouraging me to write this because without her this would have stayed a small idea in my notes app. Okay. That's all I will say! As always, I hope you enjoyed!
I'm scared, but let me know your thoughts and comments about this fic! :)
Tag List(Let me know if you'd like to be tagged):
@abimess // @helloalycia // @imapotatao // @madamevirgo // @magicallymaximoff // @causeitswhatjesuswouldfreakingdo // @women-am-i-right // @myfavoriteficss // @spicysashimi // @olsensnpm // @theperfectlovestory // @natasha-danvers // @xxxtwilightaxelxxx // @7thavenger // @aimezvousbrahms // @mionemymind // @yourtaletotell
913 notes · View notes
ericspinkhair · 3 years
Text
dirty thoughts from a distance
pairing: dom!changmin x virgin!reader, best friends to lovers, college au!
synopsis: you masturbate while thinking of your best friend and he catches you moan out his name
word count: 3.8k
warnings: maybe slight angst, (getting caught) masturbating, mutual masturbation, sex in general ig
a/n: y'all are crazyy! it has barely been 19 days and I have already hit 100 followers🤧 thank you guys so much for your support and sending in requests!!! everytime I see leave me nice messages I feel so encouraged to keep on writing even though there is still a lot of room to improve and I am not always completely satisfied with what I create. I wish all of you a great day and hope that you stay happy and healthy!!
this chapter is especially dedicated to @bangcrispychannie​ and anon who requested this kind of scenario ❤️
masterlist + requests
Tumblr media
for three years you wondered why you hadn't lost your virginity yet. it's not like you didn't have enough opportunities since you had been in two relationships so far, both lasted about five to seven months.
the feelings in your first relationship were been mostly one-sided however.
when a guy in your biology class named Minho confessed his crush for you, you thought that the only logical next step was to become a couple. you were quite flattered that he had taken such an interest in you and believed and hoped you would eventually develop feelings for him as well. the problem was you didn't. after not being able to be emotionally let alone physically intimate with him for a few months into your relationship, he finally confronted you and you confessed that you just couldn't bring yourself to see him that way. your relationship came to an end just before becoming a senior in high school.
in your last year, you got close with Seonghwa. you were seat neighbors in your english class and you'd chat all the time. he was perfectly sweet, smart and funny and you instantly got along just fine. you developed an interest in him and he seemed to feel the same way. he asked you out with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and some chocolate and you agreed to being his girlfriend without much thought. you caught yourself falling in love with this boy and didn't shy away from physical affection such as kissing and holding hands. you were convinced you were ready to give yourself to him during prom night but when it came to it you chickened out. a couple of hours before, you had found out that your best friend changmin had broken up with his girlfriend of six months.
for a long time you hadn't been able to decipher why you hadn't slept with Seonghwa then. as time passed, the unpleasant answer became clearer and clearer: you had brought up your hopes.
you had been best friends with changmin basically since you started elementary school. on the first day, he scared you with a stupid horror mask he had sneaked in from home and made you cry. he felt so guilty and was determined to make it up to you and to become friends. you had been inseparable ever since.
when he got his first girlfriend in junior year you were devastated. you convinced yourself that the reason for that was that you had been scared he was going to replace you as his best friend but in reality you had felt jealousy.
you were suppressing your feelings because if you confessed, things might become awkward. there was no way changmin could ever like you the same way.
all of this became more difficult as you moved in together for college. you were sharing an apartment now and every day, it became harder to avoid your growing and troublesome feelings. your heart would beat faster whenever he walked around shirtless (which was most of the time) and you decided to try to ignore him. this was especially difficult since you wanted to appreciate his physique. when had he become this handsome? changmin had been dancing all his life so he had always been fit but now that he was majoring in it and training most of the time, his body had developed and he had become super toned and his abs were more prominent.
he'd often make his way into your dreams and you'd let him do inappropriate things with you. you'd wake up wet and needy and even more confused. you were ashamed of seeing him this way. this was not how one normally thought about their best friend.
it was a wednesday morning and you were eating breakfast when changmin joined you in the kitchen. he flashed you a big smile, making his pretty dimples appear which you didn't see as you did not look at him.
'good morning, y/n!' he greeted you in a good mood. you just grunted in response, intensely staring at the cereal swimming in your bowl.
the fact that you couldn't even spare him a glance hurt changmin but he tried to not let it show. he wanted to get you to talk to him.
'do you want to watch a movie and play some board games today after class?' he proposed. you hadn't spent a lot of time together ever since you had become aware of your feelings.
'I have an essay due tomorrow,' you quickly made up as an excuse. the corners of changmin's mouth twitched but you didn't notice as you were too preoccupied with doing anything that didn't include looking at him.
'then maybe on the weekend. or next-' 'I'll be busy,' you interjected. 'I have lots to do.' you stressed the lots to emphasize there was absolutely no way you would be able to hang out with him any time soon.
'umm… okay. I'll be going to class.' he told you dejected. your heart sank but you didn't respond. he was wondering whether he had done anything to make you upset but he couldn't wrap his mind around it. this had been going on for a while and he was starting to become desperate.
when you first got the apartment you spent every free minute of the day together, happy that you finally moved out and could be with each other 24/7, but then you stopped talking to him completely out of nowhere. from one day to the other, you would avoid leaving your room when he was outside and barely talked to him anymore. at first, changmin thought you were just stressed and that you'd eventually warm up again when exam season came to an end but a few months had passed and, if anything, the situation was even worse than before.
you were watching the time and after ten minutes you decided to leave for classes as well. you had started doing this so you couldn't possibly catch up to him and risk having a conversation.
'hey, y/n, what's up!' your friend chanhee hugged you when you arrived on campus. you were both majoring in fashion design and were getting along on well since the beginning of the first semester.
you sighed exasperatedly. 'changmin's up.' you puffed your cheeks and pouted. chanhee nodded knowingly. he was the only person who was aware of your little secret and that was only because you had accidentally drunk confessed the whole story to him at your first college party.
'you know maybe you should tell him. this whole thing is clearly not making you happy and I saw changmin walk by a few minutes ago. if I had to guess I'd say he was in an even worse mood than you. someone accidentally ran into him and he pushed them hard and called them names. it's not like him to overreact like this. he's usually super collected. I think you finally managed to break his spirit,' chanhee reported to you.
this had never been what you intended. why did everything have to be so difficult? you didn't want to be the cause of your best friend's unhappiness.
'he must feel like I despise him. but I cannot confess to him, that would be the end of our friendship!' you were constantly torn apart by this dilemma.
'well, if you're not gonna act on your feelings, maybe try to move on? find something casual or serious with someone new? then you'd forget all about changmin and you'd be able to go back to acting normal around him' he suggested.
chanhee's advice didn't sound too bad. if you couldn't get with changmin then you had to de-crush yourself and find somebody different to focus your emotional energy on. but on who?
'is there anyone you could think of?' you ask chanhee. he had great taste in practically everything so you highly valued his opinion.
'hmm, you could potentially try younghoon hyung? I've seen him eyeing you for weeks now and he even told me thinks your gorgeous.' he wiggled his eyebrows teasingly.
younghoon was a pretty art student, whom chanhee knew from high school. you didn't talk to him often, mostly at parties and he wasn't exactly your type but you tried to remember shouldn't judge him by his first impression when you haven't even got to know him.
chanhee pulled out his phone and soon you felt yours vibrate in your back pocket. you looked at him questioningly.
'I sent you his number in case you're interested,' he explained proudly. he put his hand on your shoulder and you could see the concern in his eyes. 'you really need to get over changmin if don't want to confess,' he insisted firmly.
so you decided to text younghoon during class. he was very polite and you thought he was cute as he seemed excited to talk to you. you agreed to hang out sometime to get to know each other and decided to meet up friday for dinner.
after the end of your classes, you walked home to warm up yesterday's leftovers. to your dismay, changmin had also decided to come home for once. since you began acting all weird and refused to eat with him, he usually spent lunch time with his dance mates as they had practice after anyway. why had he decided to come here today? your question was answered when he ran up to you, smiling from ear to ear and you noticed he was hiding something behind his back.
'you know how there is a blackpink concert downtown on friday? guess what!' he held up two tickets. surely you would at least agree to spend time with him if it meant being able to see your favorite group, right?
he must have gone through so much trouble to get tickets for you and since blackpink were your favorite music artists you were actually contemplating on going but then you remembered you had made plans.
'I can't. I'm going out with younghoon friday night.'
'kim younghoon?' he raised an eyebrow skeptically.
'why would you to be spending time together? I didn't know he was even talking to you,' he questioned you. anger was boiling inside of you.
'maybe it's because you don't know everything about me,' you snapped at him. you were aware that you were being harsh but somehow his words hurt you. why did he doubt you? did he think you weren't able to get with someone as awesome and popular as younghoon? did he not consider you pretty enough?
the microwave beeped, indicating your food was ready, making you snap out of your thoughts.
'y/n, I swear, that's not what I meant.' he stepped directly in front of you so you were forced to look at him. you stared deep into his pleading eyes as you closed the microwave door, turned your back to him, stomped to your room and slammed the door shut, leaving changmin behind in the kitchen.
your whole body was tense as you listened closely to any sounds coming from outside and felt relieved when you heard the front door close. feeling sad and depressed always made you feel tired so you decided to take a nap to forget about all the negative feelings.
when you woke up you were horny af. you had a dream about changmin taking you on the kitchen counter and now your panties were completely soaked with your arousal.
desperate, you pulled them down and tossed them somewhere to the side. it didn't matter. you needed relief now.
you closed your eyes as you slowly started rubbing your clit, imagining it was changmin's slender fingers touching you instead. your imagination was running wild and you sped up the tempo.
eventually, you plunged your middle finger and then your index finger inside you, pretending that changmin was stretching your walls with his cock.
you moaned loudly and picked up the pace, chasing your high. oh, how much you wished he was the one making you come.
'yes?' you opened your eyes and gasped loudly as you saw changmin watching you from the doorway. you hecticly pulled up your blankets to your chest to cover your naked lower body. for how fucking long had he been standing there?
'oh fuck, changmin...' you cursed out loud.
to your surpise he laughed. 'oh, is this why you have been so distant? were you embarrassed about imagining doing dirty things with me?' your cheeks were burning red and you were unable to move a muscle.
'you know, if you had told me you were thinking of me while doing it then I could've helped you out already. that would have spared both of us a lot of frustration.' he stepped into the room and pulled the sheets away, his hungry eyes fixed on your desperately dripping pussy. you tried to hide it with your hands.
'n-no… what are you saying? aren't we best friends? ' you couldn't comprehend what was happening right now. the way he was acting was so unexpected that you didn't know how to react or what to say. he brushed his hand over your burning cheeks. his eyes were conveying disparity.
'but what if I told you I don't care? that I like you? that I see you as more than just my best friend?'
'wait, you like me?' you couldn't believe your ears. was he actually reciprocating your feelings?
he groaned in exasperation. 'y/n, why did you think I ended things with my ex out of the blue?' you shrugged your shoulders as you weren't sure. you had thought it was because she had lost interest in him, at least that's what changmin had told you back then.
'because I realized I was in love you, you dumbass. how could I be together with someone if I had feelings for someone else?'
'I actually ruined my chances of having sex with seonghwa for the first time for the same reason. it was just after I had found out about the breakup,' you confessed, relieved that you were finally beginning to make sense of everything.
he climbed onto the mattress and positioned his knees next to your closed legs, leaning his hands on the wall behind you so that he was hovering above you.
'I'm sorry that you lost that opportunity. let me make it up to you,' he whispered with his face mere inches from yours and then kissed you. losing all self-restraint, you immediately pulled his body closer so that he was straddling you. after all these months filled with sexual frustration and just frustration in general, you were desperate for his touch. your hands wandered under his dance shirt and you were finally able to touch those abs you had been secretly admiring for so long.
you broke the kiss to take off both of your shirts and changmin skillfully unclasped your bra.
while his tongue was exploring the insides of your mouth, his hands were kneading your breasts, occasionally rubbing and pinching your hardened nipples. you felt his hard dick press against your lower abdomen as he grinded himself into you to get friction.
after having dreamt about this moment for so long, you felt impatient. this was too good to be true and you were scared that if you didn't act quick, your bubble would bust.
without thinking twice about it, you pulled down the hem of his sweatpants and boxers just far enough so you could easily reach inside and whip out his dick. you stopped for a moment to admire his length. it looked even better than you had ever imagined in any of your wildest dreams.
he sat upright, leaning on the wall behind you, while you stroked his cock. he was sensitive to your touch and not shy to show you how well you were doing by responding with moans.
'fuck, y/n. you're doing amazing.' his praise made you eager to show him just how good you could make him feel. your lack of experience was barely noticeable as the adrenaline flowing through your veins was guiding you.
you tapped his thighs to signalize him to inch closer. that way your mouth had easier access to his dick. you hesitantly licked up his length and were fascinated by how he tasted. wanting to have more of it, you swirl your tongue around his pink tip. changmin eventually became impatient and forced more of his dick inside your mouth so you tried to take as much of him as you could but your gag reflex made it difficult for you. instead, you worked your hands where your mouth couldn't do its job.
not wanting you to feel neglected, changmin reached behind him to stimulate your clit. he skillfully started rubbing all the right places and you moaned around him, sending vibrations through his cock.
he couldn't take this stimulation for much longer before he had to force himself to pull out of your mouth.
'wow, you almost made me come there.' he panted heavily. 'but I want to be inside you first.' you got lost in his touch as he placed a long kiss on your lips but a sudden thought brought you back to reality.
'wait, I don't have a condom,' you informed him embarrassed. you hadn't planned to lose your virginity any time soon so you hadn't bought any. did that mean the end of this wonderful dream?
but changmin laughed light heartedly. 'no need to worry. hold up, let me get some from my room.' you relaxed again as he disappeared and came back shortly with a condom wrapper in his hand.
you were prepared for him to start right away and took a deep breath in preparation but he didn't do anything.
'I don't think it's a good idea to start yet since I haven't even prepared you. the last thing I would want to do is hurt you so just lay back.'
he positioned your legs over his shoulders so your hips were hovering in the air. you felt his warm breath against your vagina before he drove his tongue inside you, seeing for himself how wet he had made you and tasting your arousal. you clasped your hands over your mouth to stop yourself from releasing any sounds.
'don't do that. I want to hear how good I make you feel,' changmin complained.
when he slid two fingers inside you, you couldn't hold it in anymore and let out some kind of aroused squeal. you felt self-conscious but it seemed like changmin was only more eager to please you.
at the same time, his tongue was abusing your swollen clit and it was impossible for you to hold back the curses that were spilling out of your mouth. the pleasure he was making you feel was a whole different sensation from anything else you've experienced before.
'more please, changmin!' you begged. you wanted more. you needed more. you needed him.
he carefully lowered your hips back down. 'are you sure you want this?' he asked you, waiting for you to clearly consent to having sex with him.
'I want you. you, and only you,' you reassured him and brought his face closer to kiss him. changmin's typical bright smile formed and you felt the butterflies in your stomach go crazy.
he positioned himself at your entrance, swiping his dick between your folds like a credit card to coat it with your juices.
you gripped his arms tightly as he pushed in. he slowly continued until all of him was buried deep inside you before stopping. the feeling of a whole penis inside of you was very different from your or changmin's fingers. it filled you up to the brim and was rubbing all the good spots. while it initially caused you a bit of discomfort, it wasn't overwhelming and it also felt good in a weird way.
when your walls finished adjusting to his length, he began to steadily move his dick in and out.
changmin intensely studied your face. he couldn't believe that after all those years you were finally close to being his. he wanted to savor every single expression you made while he was inside you.
you wrapped your legs around his torso, trying to push him deeper. he slammed his cock back inside you.
'you are mine,' he declared and started going harder and faster.
'I am yours,' you confirmed and wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him in for a kiss.
because of the extensive foreplay and your own masturbation prior to this, it didn't take long until your walls were tightening around his dick and you felt an orgasm approaching.
driven wild by you clenching around his cock, he thrusted into you even faster. you rested your sweaty foreheads against each other as both of you almost came simultaneously.
changmin kissed the top of your head before he pulled out and threw away the used condom. you opened your arms and he let himself fall right into your embrace.
'I know this might be kind of weird to talk about right now but do you want to be my girlfriend?' Changmin asked you. he still wasn't too sure what all of this meant for your relationship and he desperately needed to know where your mind was at.
'after having liked you for all this time I'd be an idiot to say no.' 'you're an idiot anyway,' he teased. you slapped his arm.
'hey! I'm not the one who ignored you for a couple of months because my hormones are out of control.' you hid your face in the crook of his neck, too embarrassed face him.
'I'm really sorry for that. you just mean so much to me and I didn't want my feelings to get in the way of our friendship.' he stroked your hair.
'I do understand that. if I hadn't heard you moan my name today I wouldn't have acted on my feelings either. but all is good now, right?' 'right.' you smiled and placed a small kiss below his ear.
'there is still one thing you need to do,' changmin tried to remind you. you looked at him, puzzled.
'what do you mean?' 'younghoon,' he hinted. you immediately started looking for your phone. that date was definitely going to have to be cancelled. there was no need for you to find a distraction anymore since you had been granted your wish after all.
488 notes · View notes
Text
Cult Girl: Doctorate (Hannibal x Pregnant!Female!Reader) pt. 14
Hannibal reads too much into Max's attempt to reconcile and cult girl revisits her past.
@wisesandwichshark @pearlstiare
Trigger warnings: discussions of death, abandonment, military casualties, emotional abuse
You soon returned to the opera knowing you had nothing to hide. Hannibal selected for you an off-white maternity gown so form-fitting it was practically painted on. He wanted everyone to see that you, his queen, empress and goddess, were carrying his child.
It only took that evening for the whole dynamic to change. Suddenly, you were an expectant new mother. Imogen had been a massive hit, you were planning to go again.
You were affixing your heavy cubic zirconia earrings when you heard a knock at the door. You hesitated, but hurried down the stairs when you saw who it was.
"Max?" You said, upon opening the door. He stood there awkwardly, holding a bouquet of flowers. "Hi?"
"Hey, [F/N]." Max greeted, eyes darting nervously around the porch. "I just came around to apologize in person. I'm sorry I was such a chauvinist prick."
You leaned against the door. "Oh?"
"You were right." He continued. "I don't know what it's like to carry a baby, and, unless something goes very wrong, I never will."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." You smiled.
"Anyway, these are for you." He said, handing the bouquet over. "They're chrysanthemums."
"Thank you, Max." You said, accepting the flowers.
"Archie and I-" He scratched the back of his head. "We thought that, maybe, if you'd still have us, that we'd name the baby Chrysanthemum. With your permission, of course."
"Like the picture book?" Your face lit up. "With the little mouse girl?"
Max nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, exactly."
You hugged the bouquet into your chest and considered it again. You looked back at Hannibal, who hadn't looked up from his expectant fathers' website for a second all day. He surrounded himself with books about child psychology, attachment theory, developmental behavior patterns and somehow found himself on a tangent about institutionalized misogyny in medicine.
"I'm sorry, Max." You said, sincerely. "I really do appreciate you coming down here and apologizing, but-"
Max put his hands up and gave you a disarming smile. "I understand. Plans change."
"I just really want to stress that it's not you." You assured him. "I've kind of... really grown to like the idea of being a parent. And I think that was Hannibal's plan all along, too."
"I believe a congratulations is in order, then." His voice turned up in delight. "I'm very happy for you. Both of you."
You clutched the bouquet to your chest. "Thank you."
"Well, I'd better get going." He stepped backwards down the stairs. "I've got three pints of Ben and Jerry's in the backseat and Archie'll have my head if I come home and they've melted."
"Max, wait." You stopped him before he could get down the driveway.
"Hm?"
You leaned against the threshold and smiled warmly. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"
Max returned the smile. "Of course not."
You waved goodbye and shut the door. You hurried to the kitchen to put the flowers in water before you had to go.
"Who was that, love?" Hannibal asked, half-heartedly. He was still very fixated on his research.
"Max Thomas-Park." You answered, unwrapping the flowers from the decorative plastic.
Hannibal looked up from his computer, but left the room silent for you to fill.
"He wanted to make amends." You explained. You walked across the room to the china cabinet and selected a vase big enough to hold the ornate bouquet. "Brought flowers and everything."
"Chrysanthemums?" He asked, sniffing the air.
"I see your sense of smell is coming back." You commented.
"Interesting selection." He narrowed his eyes on the bouquet.
"Well, he said that was what he wanted to name the kid." You offered. "It was a cute pitch, not gonna lie."
Hannibal shut his laptop and examined the bouquet up close. "If he wanted to express regret, he would have done better to bring you blue or purple hyacinths."
"Well, like I said." You made a point to project a little more. "He said he wanted to name his daughter chrysanthemum."
"Mums are given to show sympathy for those in mourning." Hannibal continued, clearly having his own conversation.
"Hannibal-"
"I think your cousin got her hooks in him and he's planning to--" He cut himself off, lest he speak the unthinkable into reality. "That's why he brought mourning flowers."
"Max Thomas-Park is conspiring with Anna to kill our unborn baby?" You said, flatly, to emphasize how insane he sounded.
Hannibal held a bloom between his fingers and looked closely at it. "It's the kind of hint I would leave. For courtesy's sake."
"I think looking at parenting blogs all day has made you a little paranoid." You observed, knowing full well that an overprotective husband and soon-to-be father of your child was not a bad problem to have. Nevertheless, you shut the laptop and touched his cheek. "Come on. We're going to be late for the opera."
You heaved yourself into the passenger's seat of the car, feeling the seat give beneath your heavy frame. Every time you got into the car, you remembered that you needed to shop for a car seat. The thought just as soon left your mind every time. 
“We need to look for a car seat.” You said as Hannibal shut the door, hoping that he’d remember. 
“I mean,” Hannibal blurted out, still lost in his own conversation. “Max is a cultured and well-educated man. He has to know the implications of his flowers.” 
You huffed, dreading to think that paranoid delusion was symptomatic of his parenting style. “Right. The twenty-seven year old data analyst who graduated with a finance MBA from UChicago is also proficient in the outdated and frivolous language of flowers.” 
“In Italy, mums are only given as comfort for loss.” Hannibal said with undeserved conviction. “Exclusively, [F/N].” 
You rolled your eyes and typed something up on your phone. You raised your eyebrows, feeling a bit proud of yourself for what you found. 
“In Korea, y’know, the country that Max’s family is from,” You corrected. “The chrysanthemum is a symbol of friendship.” 
Hannibal tensed up for a moment, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. It was as if he were trying to break himself out of a trance. “...I’m sorry, darling.” 
“I know you’re scared.” You stared at his profile, trying to make out an expression. “I’m also... pretty scared. But you can’t take it out on a guy who has nothing to do with it.” 
“I am scared.” He affirmed, but the way in which he did was a telltale sign that he wasn’t giving you the full story. 
“Of?” You raised your eyebrow. “Finish the sentence, Hannibal.” 
"I need to keep our baby safe." He answered. "And I cannot in good conscience let her come into the world knowing that someone wants to hurt her. To hurt you."
You sighed. "Hannibal, are you seriously still worried about Anna?"
"Don't underestimate the role privilege and entitlement plays in the decision to commit acts of violence." He enunciated carefully. "You of all people should know that."
"Anna has cultivated such a perfect victim image to project outwardly that even a hint of proactive violence would shatter it." You explained. "She's the poor girl who has things done to her. Her evil cousin ruined her marriage. Her evil cousin destroyed her career. And she's the innocent victim in all of it."
"Logically, I know that you can speak on her behavior with more authority than I." Hannibal admitted.
"No shit." You scoffed. "I had to live with her."
"Can we at least entertain the idea that she has something planned?" He pleaded.
"I'm surprised at you." You said. "You never really struck me as the overly-cautious type."
Hannibal shook his head. "With my own life, I'm willing to gamble. But not when it's you. And not when it's Imogen."
You tensed up. His admitted willingness to put himself in danger unlocked a core memory you had buried deep down. The only thing you knew about your own father was that he was willing to put himself in danger. To go overseas and die for fuck-all instead of live for the child he selfishly created then abandoned. He chose to give his life for oil. You didn't choose to grow up without a father and your mother didn't choose to raise a child without a partner. He made that choice for you.
"Now what are you not telling me?" Hannibal broke you out of your trance. "I know that look, [F/N]."
"Nothing." You shook your head. "You should really not plan on dying anytime soon."
"I promise you, I am not going anywhere." His voice softened. "Least of all, to Iraq."
"Okay, you're a pretty good therapist but you never told me you could read minds." You threw your hands up in defeat. "Are you a psychiatrist or are you Loki?"
"As fun as being the god of mischief would be," Hannibal smiled to himself. "I just happen to have a steel-trap memory and an admittedly quite obsessive fixation on the mental health of the mother of my child."
"I swear to god I never told you about him." You denied. "Not even in passing."
"You didn't have to." He assured you. "Beatrice did."
You were surprised for a fraction of a second until the information sat in your head long enough to realize it wasn’t surprising in the slightest. Beatrice took every opportunity she got to brag about her son's sacrifices. She never once mentioned the sacrifices he forced upon you. Only that her son was a hero.
"Did you get the 'don't believe anything [F/N] has to say about my son' speech?" Your voice flattened in complete non-surprise.
"It was a prepared speech?" Hannibal chuckled. "Pity. I thought I was special."
"She gave it to my first boyfriend." You rolled your eyes. "We were, like, fifteen."
"The root of your psychological issues becomes clearer every time we talk about Beatrice." He commented under his breath.
"I know." You conceded.
He pulled into the parking lot, turned the car off and placed his hand over yours.
"Your father was a coward." He said, bluntly. It was nice to hear what had been echoing in the back of your head out loud for once. "I know no country to serve. No god to glorify. I promise, you have the whole of me. My mind, body and soul belongs to you and our child."
You squeezed his hand. "I couldn't ask for anything else."
153 notes · View notes
jiminrings · 3 years
Note
OKAY LISTEN idk if someone or you already planned sth like this but how about y/n finally decides to confess/tell jk but someone else claims to be her before she could do it so * cue to the angst bc y/n sees the whole thing/she hears from her friends * and ofc koo eventually finds out bc that b*tch doesn't even have the fucking lunchboxes 😑
Tumblr media
cold senior!y/n x stem major!koo masterlist :D
stem koo's the three-peat king for having the best research papers, but he's the worst when it comes to believing the right person
"i think i'm gonna tell him."
you say it to no one in particular, really, but you hear yoongi rISING from his nap on the couch
it wasn't meant to wake him at all
it was just an epiphany of sorts that popped into your head
physically felt as if your head would just bursT if you didn't say it out loud to affirm your own thoughts lmao
"for real???" he's rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, very evident that he wouldn't wake up to finish his thirteen pending assignments but he 10/10 would wake up to hear your epiphany
yoongi is awake for the action!!!! lmao does professor roux from calculus think that he wakes up at the morning and doing shapes (or whatever they teach at calc) is the fIRST thing in his mind????
"interesting," he nods solemnly when you nod your head, reaching out for a fist bump before he plops to your shoulder, "i suggest dressing like a virgin wearing H&M when you confess. it would hit close to home."
yoongi's the touchy affectionate one between the two of you but you'll forgive him bc he's still sleepy
NOOOOOOO
jungkook doesn't look like a virgin wearing H&M :((((
his clothes aren't from there lol
"pass."
"say that you're a top verified contributor both in quora and brainly."
PLEAAAAAASE SJWHSHWHHWV
"nice idea," you snort as yoongs genuinely thinks that it'd get jungkook to propose on the spot, "but no cigar."
"pretend to love big bang theory."
"you're getting onto something here."
"your hobby is fact-checking rick and morty."
"yoongi wow you are on fIRE today-"
"your guilty pleasure is not wearing protective gear during experiments."
"where is this coming from??"
"OH!!!! i'll pretend to mug him or something and you can attack me!!!"
....
??????
yeah yoongi's train of thought just crashed
you were pretty sure he was going on a science theme there wHY DID IT DERAIL
yoongi looks confused because you look confused, as if he didn't just give you the mindblowing idea,, free of charge
lol but no he really didn't
"i'm not doing any of that shit, yoongs."
"oh yeah???" he squints at you and hollows his cheeks, taunting you entertainingly while he worms his way to your lap to nap again
"what are you planning to do?"
holy sHIT this is nerve-wracking
she feels like she's gonna pass out the whole time that she's been rehearsing this in her head
she's been waiting outside the classroom for twenty minutes now and the bell finally rang and she can't believe it!!!! omg is it game-time now
everyone's filing out of the room and she could just feel that jungkook would come out of the room last-
ALRIGHT FUCK THE BELL RANG
you could do this!!!!
everyone's filing out of the room and you know in your heart that jungkook would stay behind, his routine being to politely chat with the professor before he leaves
you're a lil nervous alright
you're scanning the room and there's only a few people left and your eyes instinctively go to the mini desk next to the door and-
FUCK
DID YOU FORGET TO BRING IT HOME YESTERDAY??????
goddamn it
yesterday was when coach jeong was mad because someone from your team just hAD to bring beer!!! and not even have the common sense to put it on a discreet thermos or sth and you know!!!! to not drink it in public or in front of the coach!!!!
doing laps on the oval field will now make you hurl on command just by thinking about it
you physically did not have the cognizance to go and fetch the lunchbox to wash it,,,, or like even move at all
FUCK IT
how are you gonna swipe the lunchbox now? now when the professor's packing up, jungkook's loitering around the classroom, and there's this girl who's-
wait
who's this girl??
who is she and wHY IS SHE EYEING THE LUNCHBOX
fuck it!!! here goes nothing
she's stepping completely into the room and making sure her block heels generate enough clacking,, hands already moving in practiced moments as she attempts in making it seem like she's rushedly putting the lunchbox bag into her tote — as if it's from there, and she's always done this
jungkook hears noises coming from the back of the room, eyes widening before he comes up the stairs in record time
"no. get your own."
he grips the girl's wrist, about to pry off her hands from his lunchbox
he hears her giggle sweetly, the melody being something he's heard before
"i did. after all, i did get you these."
:O
"hyeji?"
hyeji's a pretty girl!!! a nice girl in jungkook's year that wears fit dresses and cartier bangles :D
she stands out really, sometimes literally because she appears in the school's flyers and advertisements
"hyeji," jungkook breathlessly connects the dots including the fact that she looks caught in the act; holding his lunchbox, her tote bag open, and a peek of another completely different lunchbox in her other hand, "i-it's been you this whole time?"
hyeji blushes, sheepishly tucking her perfectly shiny and neat hair behind her ears, "you caught me then."
kook laughs both in nervousness and giddiness, pushing his glasses up and suddenly conscious that he should've worn contacts, "b-but how? we don't share this class."
:O
hyeji bursts into a giggle, blushed cheeks staining further than the five minutes she tried getting the perfect amount
"r-right! kinda amazing what depths you'd go for a person you like, hm?"
jungkook is about to pass out
HE'S PUT IN A SITUATION
a situation that he likes and is too giddy to find a reply for
he apparently doesn't need a reply, because a chair scrapes harshly against the floor and it brings him down to reality immediately
you cannot fucking believe what you just witnessed
you stand abruptly from the seat you've been frozen in with a great deal of urgency because you cAN'T stand to be in this room any longer
they actually forgot that the two of them aren't alone
that you're still here
little miss hyeji's just as shocked
you feel stupid and even more stupid that you're still holding a stupid notebook you even decorated
it has a doodle in the front and all the remaining pages are of the copies you've replicated on jungkook's sticky notes — the same ones you've been trying to make perfect just for him
"y/n!" he sputters when your backpack accidentally leans too much to your side and hits him on the way out
"move."
you’re feeling everything but fine and god you just hated that you always willed yourself to move oN
you’re beyond mad when you put on your jersey!!!
you’re irrevocably dejected when you put on your cleats!!!!
you feel cheated on when you zip up your duffel and walk all the way to the field!!!
it’s a combination of the type of frustration that makes you want to move plus the type that paralyzes you, the whole thing unlike anything you’ve ever felt before
you’re clearly in your head and frankly, you’re just too good
too good that there's no game at all because the only thing happening is you scoring
there's no passing going on or the sort
everyone is just :O looking at their captain to be in the most furiously determined state that they’ve ever seen you in
you don’t even realize that you’re the oNLY one moving in the whole field
“alright, alright — jesus christ! go to the bench and sort your head out, captain,” coach jeong literally has to JOG over to your spot to jolt you
oh there he is again
jaehyun just had to bench you didn’t he
sometimes it’s lost on you that jaehyun, just like seokjin, used to be your senior
he hated juniors with a burning passion and you’re the ONLY one he’s taken a tolerance for
((you lent him your umbrella and it coincidentially had to be a bad day for him tHEN that made him like you))
you’re having none of it though because this time, you’re the one who has the bad day and the captain title does nothing to appease you
“sure, coach.”
you mumble just as lively and walk to completely the fURTHEST side of the bleachers, being so far out that you could barely see your team
what are you supposed to do? simmer in the thoughts you so badly didn’t want to have in silence??????
"y/n?"
the voice you least expected to hear perks up right next to you
what the hell is jungkook doing here now??
he looks lost, two hands clinging onto his backpack straps before tentatively looking at you again
“did i do anything to upset you?”
so he wants to ask that?
you snort automatically, suddenly wishing that you didn’t walk this far because you can’t make an excuse that jaehyun’s calling for you
"because my bag accidentally hit you on the way out? no, jungkook."
jungkook knits his brows in question, seemingly take offense to what you’ve just said to hom
"we're not exactly associated for me to be mad at you, are we?" you emphasize even further, not caring the least bit that your words have an edge to them
he deadpans, pursing his lips before sarcastically smiling at you
".... so you're upset at me?"
://
jungkook takes your silence for him to delve further, not paying attention to how your eye is begging to twitch at him
"i asked if i did anything to upset you, and you said no. but that doesn't necessarily mean you aren't. you could be upset at me even if i didn't do anything to you."
wow
you sound like a real fucking nerd jungkook
"do you have any idea how condescending you sound right now?"
kook barely has a solid inch on you yet the nagging feeling that he’s belittling you makes you grip your fists tight, posture wavering
"so you do admit that you're upset at me?"
he’s not the most patient person either but something about you and the situation right now just makes him tick a little faster
your eyes narrow at what he’s aiming to get at, your hand on your hip feeling heavy at this point
"what does it matter to you if i'm upset or not? we are not-"
"i am associated to you!!! even to a degree!!! you walked me home!"
jungkook is the one who breaks first and he doesn’t look fazed to have opposed you so loudly, still standing by himself
"i would walk anyone home."
"no you wouldn't-"
"i would walk anyone who was as vulnerable and as anxious as you were, jungkook!!"
it is true
you’d walk anyone home within reason regardless if they were jungkook or not!!!
the guy in question only looks at you straightly, brows not stubborn but still just as unrelaxed
:((
"good to know. then you're not upset at me, and i didn't do anything to upset you."
"sure."
you only say just to spite him, about to turn your back and leave him completely to go back to your practice game
jungkook surprises you again and flips a switch just as quick as your mini argument of sorts escalated
"anyways!! i'm sorry for being a little off when i interviewed you that day. i got a 100 on that assignment, by the way :))"
what?
what’s he still doing here?
he’s talking about his grades and whatnot to you as if literally twenty seconds ago did nOT happen!!
"why are you still-"
"and the one who's been giving me my lunchboxes confessed to me today!! for hyeji to be the girl giving me them, it makes perfect sense."
you shrug away the weirdness that jungkook’s moved on from the argument as fast as this, trying a take two for a peaceful conversation
this time, you’re the one who unknowingly flips a switch at her name — something so foreign and sudden yet something you quickly grew to hate
"i wouldn't be so trusting if i were you."
that seems to hit a nerve on him again, making him scoff in reply
"good thing you aren't me then."
what is ON with him????
"watch it. i'm your senior, kid."
you’re more irritated than the first and second time around that you’ve been agitated this day
"why? are you normally this self-absorbed that you wouldn't trust a girl who's confessed??"
self-absorbed?
you aren’t the most selfless person ever but god do you know for a fact that you’re not vain as jungkook’s insisting you to be
you hate him.
you hate this version of him that isn’t the same jungkook you’ve known to like ever since the start of the semester
"same thing as polygraphs not being a hundred percent reliable. anyone could tell the truth as long as you ask the wrong questions," you detail on further because jungkook loves details, right? might as well give him several
"or did you even ask?"
jungkook scowls as if you’ve insulted his mother and his entire lineage, face contorting into everything but warm
"what does it matter to you? didn't you just tell me that we aren't associated? why are you projecting all your moaning on hyeji?"
WHAT
WHAT????
"you know what? maybe i am associated to you. i think i'd also tell this to everyone i'd walk home — maybe you shouldn't be too trusting, huh? maybe you shouldn't just let anyone walk you home."
the tears this time are more insistent to come out this time but you’d rather dIE than for jungkook to stain your pride like this
"no one should walk me home, besides you? is that what you're trying to say?"
no!!
for fuck's sake you aren't even finished with your point!!
before you could continue, jungkook shakes his head at you — the most disappointing shake of his head that it curses you soft
"what am i even doing? you wouldn't understand."
he closes the distance that’s been alarmingly shorter throughout the whole time, jungkook being the one to break it
"because no one gives you lunchboxes. no one exerts effort in making you cheerful — no one wants to go the extra mile for you, and no one wants to walk you home."
he's insulting you right to your face and that’s when your dam breaks, lips quivering impossibly as you stare him down with a genuinely pained gaze you didn’t know you carried
"you wouldn't know what i feel, because no one likes you."
jungkook gets the last word in.
he leaves you in the same field he's first approached you in nervousness.
today, he leaves it differently.
sweat isn't the only thing on your face but instead it’s the frustrating hot tears you haven’t had in awhile
your fists are balled but there's no power to the anger behind it
you’re almost always alone outside the company of the closest friends you’ve ever had — but this is the only time that you truly felt that you are alone.
today's a good day to give up on jungkook.
529 notes · View notes
salsdemise · 3 years
Note
Can I request a Sally face x reader fic? Possibly a confession and first kiss an da party or something like that, thank you!
Hey anon, sorry if this is bad, I'm assuming you meant sal, and if not just lmk and I'll re-write this for another character if you want.
Warnings: Underage drinking, underaged smoking, parties, y/n used in place of your name, really awkward with the confession part? idk how to write those
word count: 1479
other: gender neutral terms used, sal's speech is in blue bc sometimes its unclear whos talking bc i didn't know what to put between the words spoken lol playlist listened to while writing: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5SMv6Go27KIcbfL07wkQ4m
This party wasn’t where you wanted to be right now. Hell, you’d rather be at school, getting pushed around by the kids in the hall right now. Anywhere was better than this loud, flashy,party filled with the smell of cigs, weed, alcohol and sex wafting off of every teen you passed.
Why you had come to this party in the first place had slipped your mind, as now you were more focused on not getting backed into a corner with a potted plant by a group of your peers. Maybe it was because your friend Larry wouldn’t shut up about how fun it was going to be, maybe it was because you would have felt bad saying no, or maybe it was because you certainly weren’t going to pass up on an opportunity to potentially hang out with Sal Fisher, your long time crush and close friend.
Holding your now empty red cup, you navigated your way through the crowd of drunken and dancing teens, most who were nice and giggly as you passed, slurring apologies at you if they bumped you.
While you weren’t all sober yourself, you had enough remaining cognitive ability to form full thoughts, and the only one on your mind was finding one of two people; Sal or Larry. You had no doubt Larry was off smoking with gods know who, so that left one option, and if your brain wasn’t mistaking you, you had seen the electric-bluenette near the door to the backyard in the kitchen not too long ago. So that’s where you set your sights.
When you arrived at the kitchen, you were happy to know that you were indeed correct on where you had last seen Sal, just outside on the patio, sitting hunched over a cup, the bottom straps of his prosthetic undone and dangling. Murmuring a few ‘excuse me’s at the teens you passed on the way, you made your way out to the back, opening and exiting the door and catching the bluenette’s attention. Seating yourself next to him, you said nothing, not sure of what to say.
“Didn’t think you’d actually show. Lar said you were coming, but I thought he was bluffing again,” Sal spoke, sipping on his drink.
You laughed at this, “yea, no, he actually convinced me to come. Not sure how, but he did. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see you here either. You always talk about how much you hate parties, especially ones that have inebriating drinks,” you set your cup down next to you, and a small breeze knocked it over as soon as your hand left it.
“I don’t, hate em. Managed to get someone to get me something non-alcoholic, though. What have you had to drink?” He motioned to your, now rolling, red cup to emphasize.
“Oh, nothing too strong. They had a punch bowl in there so I took some of that,” thinking back to it as you spoke, it was odd the hosts of this party put a punch bowl out at a party with no need for it. However, you and Sal both seemingly shrugged it off and continued talking.
Conversation between the two of you had always come so naturally, switching between topics and tones, talking about people, your home state, his home state, and the likes.
“Man, I cannot believe he did that! It was like, super awkward between us for a week,“ you laughed, finishing a story about how Larry had tried to ask you out when high. Luckily the guy wasn’t too upset and took no for an answer.
“Hey, y/n, about asking people out...have you ever done it?” Sal questioned, messing with his sweater sleeves now that his drink was gone and his cup had also flown off.
“Oh, uh, not like, here at Nockfell, but in the past I asked a guy in my grade to go to a valentine’s day dance with me. Why?” you responded, tilting your head at him.
“I want to ask this person out, but I’m not sure how.”
“Oh. Well, what do they like? How long have you known them? And how close are you two? You can’t just ask out a random person you barely know, it won’t go well.”
“Well, they like a lot so it’s...kinda hard to put into words. I’ve known them for years now, and I’d like to say we’re pretty close.”
Thinking, you went quiet. As much as it hurt you to know your crush liked someone else, you were going to help him as best you could.
“Well, I’d give them a note, personally. I’d probably piss myself if I tried to tell them upfront. But it depends on how you wanna do it.”
Sal quietly thinks for a few seconds before standing up and fixing his mask, “Thanks for your help dude. We should get going, I’ll go find Larry and we can get out of here.”
You nod, standing and following Sal back into the house, heading for the front door while Sal went off to find Larry. With your mutual friend acquired, you all left for home, depositing Larry at his place and heading to your own beds, tired now that the social buzz had worn off.
Over the next week, you and Sal talked less and less, notes popped up in your locker, and small things like patches, stickers, pins and snacks appeared with them. You were confused to say the least. You loved everything this admirer gave you, and the notes were adorable, even if they were typed and printed rather than hand written, but you wondered why Sal had stopped talking to you as often as he did.
As the weeks progressed, you had started to like the secret admirer that was leaving you small gifts and notes reminding you how much they liked you. But the most recent note, which you had gotten on a sunny and warm Wednesday, really caught your attention. This time, it was handwritten in blue pen ink, the handwriting surprisingly neat, completely eliminating who you thought it was.
The note read: “y/n, meet me in the courtyard during lunch/break time. -<3”, and not wanting to disappoint, you waited with an uneasy shake until lunch came around where you went straight to the courtyard. Seeing no one, you sat on the ground by a tree to wait until your secret admirer got there.
10 minutes later, the heavy doors opened and closed with a thud, catching your attention and causing you to look up where you saw Sal, mask in hands, and looking down.
“Sal? Are you the one that wanted to meet me here?” You were..puzzled to say the least. Sal had hardly talked to you in weeks, and you thought he liked someone else like Ash, but it seems you were mistaken.
“Uh, yea, I am. I know you’re..probably upset at me for not talking to you in the past few weeks, but I didn’t want to say something stupid too soon. I hope you’re not too mad..”
“Sal, I’m not mad. I thought you were busy trying to get your mystery person to like you..and I guess I was right, but I didn’t think it’d be me..”
“Who else would it have been? You and I are as close as Larry and I are, we like the same things and I’ve known you since you got here. Hell, I’ve been pining over you for years now, but last year when Lar told me he was gonna try and shoot his shot, I tried to get myself to like Ash so I wouldn’t feel like shit if you said yes.”
“Oh, Sal. I thought it was Ash, you talk so much about her sometimes, I thought you actually liked her.”
“Oh, no, I don’t. She helped me with this, actually. Which reminds me, if its not obvious already, I really fucking like you. Like, you make me feel happy and just thinking about you makes me feel like I’m on cloud nine.”
Smiling at his words you stood to go over to him, putting your hands on his shoulders so he would look up at you, “I like you too, Sal. Like, a lot. I have for a while, and when you asked how to ask someone out,I..it hurt a little bit.”
Saying nothing at your words, Sal moved forward and wrapped you in a hug, his mask landing in the grass behind you two. Before you could return the hug, Sal backed up and his hands grabbed your face pulling you in for a kiss. Giving you time to react this time, you kissed back, your hands placing themselves over his.
Now, sitting at a college party with your boyfriend, you think to yourself, ‘Maybe parties aren’t so bad after all.’
131 notes · View notes
kiwi--bot · 3 years
Text
Patterns
Rating: T Words: 2,872 Warnings: Blood, Injuries, Al-An doesn’t understand emotions very well. Summary: Al-An prefers when things fall into an easily recognizable pattern. It’s how data forms, it’s easier to work with, and less surprises make it easier to remain efficient. Robin is a rogue bit of code in the set sequence.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Indeed, it had been quite some time since Al-An was allowed to exist in any dimensions outside of their temporary isolation. And truly, Robin had done well in the fabrication of an Architect form that would suit their needs to relocate the pair off the planet, and return to their home with the remedy for the Kharaa Bacterium; for the Architects of their home world.
Unfortunately, following the reconstruction of their new form, Al-An is hit with the immediate problem that their supposed mode of transportation has... degraded over time; and they are quite lacking really on the resources department. Countless amounts of bits and bobs, here and there, that simply corroded over the years, or just did not operate further. And every small tick of a list of issues added up to an inoperable phase gate. Yet Robin-- ever so helpful Robin-- offers to help collect whatever Al-an could need to repair their ship.
“Always together, even if you’re not stuck upstairs anymore,” She had joked, tapping the side of her head in an emphasized way. How Al-An could only think of how true that statement was...
And so, life on 4546B settled into somewhat of a steady, even pace for Robin and Al-An.
Robin relocates her primary base to the facility where Al-An prepares for convenience’s sake. She wakes up late in the morning, and Al-An’s learned to get a cup of coffee steaming hot and settled at her nightstand at precisely 13:29. This in turn helps her wake up and become functional no later than 13:50-14:00, depending on how late she was up the previous night.
Following that, Al-An fabricates a nutritious meal of her choosing, and it’s set onto a table-- or, a section of the facility that’s been repurposed into a table-- and she eats before she heads out for the day to find the resources needed. (And always, Al-An makes sure that there’s a fabricated meal packed away in a thermally-controlled container for her to take along.) And like clockwork, Robin is back at 22:22 with her Seatruck stuffed to the brim with all the supplies she could find.
And usually Al-An has to check her for injuries or parasites and she just grins when they comment on how inefficient her resource-gathering is if she must hurt herself every single time. “Awww, you just like to fret over me, Al-An,” she coos as they utilize their on-hand medical devices to knit up skin from a rather nasty bite.
“I do not fret, I observe,” Al-An states plainly, and Robin rolls her eyes, only wincing a little when Al-an has to wipe over another puncture with that strange antiseptic gel, and the skin closes under the heat of that magic little tool that Robin has yet to scan. “And I know that humans are one of the most fragile things that get in more trouble compared to any living creature I have yet to meet.”
“I’m gonna talk that as a compliment, Al-An.” Robin flexes out her wrist once the wound is all sealed up, the only reminder a faint scar left in the wake. She flashes a grin at the Architect, who would promptly turn back to what they had been working on prior before they needed to patch her up.
At 27:00 or 28:00, Al-An ceases working for a short period-- one Robin requested so that they don’t overwork themselves. Of course, an Architect cannot really do such a thing as ‘overwork,’ but Al-An humors her. And Robin’s meal is fabricated and settled on the table no later than 28:50. She used to always request Al-An eat dinner with her-- and although they do not eat like she does, they sit nonetheless at her side.
And Robin will scroll through her PDA and read the day’s logs once again, chewing hear and there and really making an inefficient use of her time as she often does. But humans like to be that way-- leisurely, as Robin once corrected them-- and so Al-An will not question it again.
She always leans back against the stone of the her temporary seat, shrugging and shuffling and making a good amount of noise that could startle even the most focused Architect from their endeavors. Over time, she would unconsciously lay against Al-An’s side, and that often settled her, so they would not comment.
If they had to admit something, the pressure therapy from her body weight was a welcome one, given they did not have the proper tools to recreate such things.
Robin turns into bed anywhere from 1:00-3:00; it will depend on what areas she visited, and what the day’s events involved. And she will bid Al-An goodnight with a smile and pat on their arm, before she retreats to her bed. Although, she doesn’t really go anywhere, because her ‘room’ is just a small section of the facility adjacent to where Al-An primarily works.
She’s fabricated herself a bed, some storage, and even hung up some curtains to block out the steady glow of the facility. It’s a small little space that reminds Al-An of how Architects would furnish the habitats of subjects they used for research.
Peculiar.
And this is how their pattern would fall into, resetting each day at 13:29 with the first coffee of the day. Al-An finds the repeating pattern of each day, as Robin would put it.... soothing. Did Architects even need to be soothed? Historically?
No. And yet Al-An could not help but find this... calm, inside the promise of the known. Perhaps it was a way for them to deal with the fact that they might not know what would await them on the other side of the phase gate, where they would have to face their people, and answer for their mistakes. Perhaps that reason is why they can now find solace and even comfort in something as simple as a daily pattern.
How the other Architects would be baffled at the thought. The very notion of it was so unlike them all. Al-An would have to blame Robin for this, at the very least.
Merging with her cerebral cortex must have changed something in their emotional status....
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
And with the promise of a steady pattern, Al-An could find each day predictable enough to not impede any portion of their work. They worked quickly to repair what needed repairs, to adjust what needed adjusting, to alter what needed altering.
Steady. Steady. Steady. Repeat.
The illusion of this pattern gets shattered when 22:42 arrives one evening, and Robin is not yet home. Al-An, logistically, should be business as normal. She could have gone farther, she could have had a small set-back, she could have gotten distracted. But when 23:22 arrives, and Robin is still not home, Al-An finds they cannot work.
The data rolls in front of their vision as normal, the facility is operating at 100%, and they have spent the better part of this week weaving data in such a way that it is second-nature. But their hands do not move, their gaze is transfixed on the door, and the progress of their work is stunted.
She should be back by now. She should have been back exactly 60 minutes ago.
Al-An cannot work. They shut off their normal programs and instead set up a long-range scan. It puts them off schedule immensely, but they, for once, cannot find it in them to care about inefficiency. It takes 20 minutes for the scan to prepare, and the entire time, Al-An keeps their gaze on the door. Like Robin will burst in any second, with a couple new wounds, yes, but here, and alive.
Robin does not enter the door by the time the scan is online at 23:42.
Robin does not enter the door as the scanner searches at 23:43.
Robin does not enter the door as the scanner searches at 23:44.
Robin does not enter the door as the scanner searches at 23:45.
Robin is not home as the scanner searches at 23:46.
Robin is not home safe as the scanner searches at 23:47.
Robin is not home safe as the scanner searches at 23:48.
Robin is not home safe as the scanner searches at 23:49.
Robin must not be safe as the scanner finds her at 23:50.
Al-An must prepare for the worst, even as they wish to leave as soon as the scanner reads her biosignature in the Arctic. No good in retrieving her if they do not have food, medical supplies, warmer clothing, an extra hair tie-- she always complained when her current one would break-- and anything else humans needed when they were potentially in distress--
No.
Robin is not in distress. The very thought has the Architect frozen to the spot, a flicker of something so unfamiliar buzzing through them. She is fine, just delayed. Off-schedule, off-pattern. No matter, Al-An will locate her and then they will both repair that.
They finish collecting everything needed into a neat pack, and just as they prepare to put the facility into lockdown, there’s a familiar faint splashing, and then footsteps padding across a stone floor.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
It is 24:17 when Robin Ayou enters the Architect facility she calls home with her arm crudely wrapped in a sling and her leg leaving a trail of blood. But nonetheless, she’s got the same grin on her face, and carries something sharp in her uninjured hand. She’s limping.
“Al-An!” She calls, her voice loud and full of excitement. She’s stumbling over her own feet, and Al-An blinks to her side to catch her with the beam of their mechanical arm, lifting her right off the ground. She doesn’t notice how their posture is tight and tense, instead waving the sharp object in her hand. “Al-An I did it! I fought off one of those Shadow Leviathans and I freaking won!”
Al-An does not reply.
“It tried to eat me, Al-An!” Robin’s arm waves wildly in her excitement, and she doesn’t protest when Al-An brings her to the empty table to seat her, once again getting to work on mending what is broken. Her injured arm has several gashes in it: some down to the bone, and covered messily with plant matter. Al-An removes those and starts on sterilization.
“It yanked me by the arm, but I was quick-- I stabbed him right in the eye, and I held on, because he was pulling me towards his mouth!” She grins wider, adrenaline masking any pain from the antiseptics, or how the beam begins to knit the skin and muscle back to one piece. “I lost my grip on my knife, but I grabbed his spine-- or whatever those glowing things on his belly are-- and I held on and kicked him right in the stomach!”
Al-An silently redirects attention to her leg, where acidic liquid had eaten through her suit and burned the skin-- not too horribly, but bloody. That is treated next.
“And then I must of hurt him bad, because he let me go, but not before I yanked and yanked on those spine things-- And look! I got it, I ripped one clean off!” She’s talking quickly, her body thrumming at the thrilling tale, and feeling so alive. “I felt bad at first, but then I remembered that he tried to eat me, so I shrugged it off, and he backed off after I ripped off this. I won, Al-An! Against a freaking Shadow Leviathan!”
Robin laughs, slapping her now healed hand against her forehead and grinning wildly. “God, I thought for sure I was a goner when I didn’t take the prawn suit down--”
“And why didn’t you, Robin?”
They are both startled by the tone of Al-An’s voice. And Robin finally realizes that Al-An is stiff, mechanical in how they treat her-- so different from the almost caring way they usually do. And they are glowing a sickly yellow color, their gaze transfixed on her wounds as the mechanical arm fixes up the burns on her leg.
“I-I.....” Robin is at a loss, her eyes now locked onto them. “I.... don’t know.”
An uncomfortable silence falls between them. Al-An finishes up work on her leg, and then does a general scan over her to make sure they didn’t miss any other wounds. Processing, methodical, even.
Something is wrong, Robin thinks. Even now, as they seem to pull away from the situation, the same sickly color tinges the edge of her vision. Robin catches their arm as they turn to assess her findings, and she doesn’t miss how they tense.
“Al-An....” She begins, but stops. She can’t find the right thing to say. It all feels wrong. Like anything she says next won’t be the right thing to say. But she tries with, “Are you okay?”
“That is hardly a question you should ask me, Robin.” Al-An’s voice has gone back to the same, even tone as when they first met, but it’s all off. Too even, too tight. Like there is something beneath the surface, just hiding and waiting to strike like an Ice Worm. “You should ask yourself that. You were the one who was injured. Sustaining traumatic injuries is detrimental to the overall health of--”
“Did I scare you?” She asks, and Al-An falters.
“Fear is not a concept we feel,” They state, and yet they now feel the sinking familiarity of it nonetheless. Fear. They were afraid, they had been afraid when Robin was not home at the right time. They were scared when Robin returned injured. They were scared when she recounted her harrowing tale, and they were scared that she’s going to do it again and they would not be there to pick up the pieces--
“Al-An...” Robin’s voice cuts through the swirling data inside their head, and her eyes are soft as she reaches and touches their chest gently. She feels.... awful. Physically and emotionally. How could she not realize that they were upset? How could she have been so blind when she’s normally so in tune with the Architect? “Al-An, I’m really sorry.”
“You have done nothing that warrants an apology,” Al-An states; but their lights flicker pink for the briefest moment. “You were simply acting inefficiently and radically in a way that could have resulted in several versions of a potential death, which is not uncommon for your species.”
Robin smiles. That unintentional insult was 100% all Al-An. She shifts closer to them, and then her arms wrap around them, and she leans her head against their chest, and she imagines she can hear their heartbeat through their thick, armored body. “I know, I was being an idiot. I’m sorry.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m hugging you, Al-An. Never had a hug before?”
“Architects do not partake in this sort of behavior,” Al-an tells her. But, nonetheless, they mimic her movements, and their organic arms encircle her smaller frame, and having her close to them like so reminds them just of how tiny and delicate she is. “....Touching one another was not commonplace.”
“Then I’m gonna make it commonplace, and I’m gonna give you a hug everyday until I catch up on the hugs you’ve missed out on your whole life,” Robin hums as she closes her eyes, yawning.
“That would be impossible, given the length of your human lifespan,” Al-An corrects her, but they find the idea of one of these each day not entirely unpleasant. Robin laughs, and she just smiles. And their lights shift to a light pink as she falls asleep against them, and they return her to her bed: asleep too early for the schedule.
But it was alright to be a little off-pattern.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
And so, life on 4546B settled into somewhat of a general routine for Robin and Al-An.
Al-An has her coffee ready at 13:29 and she drinks it as she wakes up and rolls out of bed by 14:00. Al-An fabricates breakfast, packs her a lunch, and she’s out the door for the day’s work. And if she returns at 21:57 or 23:37, Al-An is not worried. After all, she’s returning with less injuries, and that is good enough for them.
Together they sit when Robin has her dinner and Al-An has their break around 28:42, and Robin reads aloud her PDA entries to Al-An-- even though they could easily scan and upload the documents themself, it makes her feel happy, so they indulge. And Robin leans back against Al-An without hesitation once she’s done eating, and they find the pressure nice.
And when 1:00 or 2:00 rolls around, just before she turns in for bed, Robin will throw her arms around Al-An for their daily hug, and she will hold on tight for a good few minutes, and Al-An learns to hold her in return. Perhaps if they held long enough, tight enough, she would never be in danger again.
And they find that perhaps, maybe... they like hugs.
And Robin fashions the Leviathan fragment into a necklace, that she gifts Al-An.
And Al-An wears it everyday.
275 notes · View notes
mint-yooxgi · 3 years
Note
Heyy loved the new yandere taeyong with lost reader writing!! Do you mind doing a part 2?
Part One
***
Waking up slowly, a content sigh escapes your lips as you bury yourself deeper into the warm embrace of the blankets around you. A pleasant scent invades your nostrils, further comforting you as you regain consciousness.
Unfortunately for you, your pleasant moment of peacefulness is interrupted by a sudden crash of thunder.
With that sound, the memories of the previous night come flooding back. Letting out a small groan, you sit up in the bed you're resting in, hand coming up to rub at the side of your head. Looks like the storm hasn't let up yet.
Throwing the covers off, you shiver slightly. The air in the room is quite cool, and you're starting to wish you had a sweater to wear at the moment. You're already missing the comfort of the bed as soon as you stand up.
Meanwhile, Taeyong hums a small tune to himself as he moves around the kitchen. He can hear you moving around upstairs, so he knows you'll be down soon.
Sure enough, not even two minutes later, he sees your sleepy figure entering the kitchen. Once more, he has to suppress a smirk from taking over his features as he sees you standing there in his clothes, a low whisper of a 'good morning' escaping your lips.
He greets you back with a small smile, turning off the stove as the food's just finished cooking, "I hope you're hungry."
"You're much too kind," you say, taking a seat at the table where two places have already been set. "Seriously, I cannot thank you enough."
"It's the least I can do," he tells you, setting a plate in front of you and watching as your eyes go wide.
"Okay, seriously, you must have a sixth sense, or something," you comment, a teasing lilt to your voice, only causing his eyebrows to raise in amusement. "This is my favourite dish."
"No way," he feigns shock. Of course he'd know exactly what to provide for you your first morning together. After all, it's all part of his plan. "Me too."
The excitement he sees radiating from you only serves to make his heart race. From the looks of things, you slept well, too, which only makes the warmth inside his chest grow. He knew you'd be happy hear, and he'll continue doing everything he can to prove that to you. You'll always be happy with him, he'll make sure of it.
"It doesn't look like the storm is going to let up anytime soon," a slight frown tugs at your lips as you speak, gaze drifting to the windows as another flash of lighting sparks outside.
"You're more than welcome to stay here with me for as long as you like," Taeyong comments, seemingly offhandedly as he takes a bite of food. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watches your reaction carefully.
"You've already done more than I could have ever asked for," you reply, looking down at your food. "I couldn't possibly-"
"I insist," he cuts you off before you can even get the proper words out, his gaze now fully locked on you as something flashes behind his eyes.
He hasn't even done half of what he's planned, yet, and the last thing he needs, or wants, is for you to leave. Not when he's worked this hard to get you here. Not when you're literally within his reach.
Unfortunately for him, you don't look too convinced.
"Besides, you said it yourself," he continues, "it doesn't look like the storm's letting up anytime soon." As if to emphasize his works, another large crash of thunder is heard. "It wouldn't sit right with me if I just kicked you out. You should wait for the storm to let up a bit, then maybe see if you can get ahold of someone."
Nodding at his words, you agree to stay. His reasoning is fair, and you don't really have anywhere else you can go. Besides, he's been awfully kind so far, so there really isn't an issue if you stay. Not that he'd let you leave, anyways.
The two of you eat in silence for the next few minute, Taeyong observing you carefully. Luckily, he's able to mask his gaze so that you don't feel his eyes carefully observing your every move. He has to suppress the undeniable joy he feels at seeing you finally eating a meal he's prepared for you, his whole body nearly trembling just from your proximity alone. If it were up to him, the two of you would be curled up on the couch or in bed immediately after this.
Either way, by the end of the day, you'll be in his arms. He'll make sure of it.
67 notes · View notes
theseerasures · 4 years
Text
a yearning nation’s blueeyed pride
honestly there is just like. no point as of Witch (if not earlier) in thinking about Marrow and Winter as following along the same defection path, and downright facile to compare the two in terms of who is “closer” to defecting and therefore “less problematic” (even setting aside that making value judgments along those lines in fiction is...never that straightforward), when the narrative has emphasized REPEATEDLY how they are on entirely separate tracks in terms of character and role in the Atlas military.
seriously, it’s like saying “this orange is bad because you can’t eat the peel like you can eat an apple skin”
so like, yes, Marrow is the one who has verbally expressed his misgivings, and has clearly articulated scruples (as opposed to just the dial-up noise) and will blurt them out any second now as soon as he gets a word in edgewise. but also: Marrow HASN’T gotten a word in edgewise (except with Winter, fancy that), and has done approximately fuck all to actually subvert the system that he is growing to hate. both his theory and lack of praxis are tied into Marrow’s relatively low, overlooked position in the Atlas system, and feed into the fact that for Marrow the project of Atlas is not personal.
Marrow joined the military on ideological grounds. he clearly does want personal connection, but that has been denied him at every turn, largely by his teammates, largely by his partner, all of whom use him to enforce their own struggles with the clash between political duty and personal grief. he has been alienated by the system he upholds, which started even before we meet him. this makes it much harder for him to rebel in deed, because he doesn’t have a lot of power to begin with and he knows the system will not protect him if he does; at the same time, that relative powerlessness and isolation keeps his investment in Atlas abstract, uncomplicated, and much easier to dispel. Marrow is still with Atlas because he has a job to do, because it’s his duty, because he is still clinging to the Atlas military’s illusory altruism. he wants Penny to come with them so she can save Atlas. his protestations at seeing Team FNKI, that they are “just kids,” comes from the belief that it is categorically wrong to send children into battle. what is keeping Marrow from defecting is belief, and once the belief is shattered--like, say, when his boss’ new ingenious plan is to Nuke the Poors--there is nothing keeping him around.
and once his path is set he will not waver, because Atlas, by design, has no hold on him materially or personally (outside of his own life, which he was already happy to dedicate to a cause). Marrow then, is the limit case of Atlas being hoist with its own petard: an exemplar for how it gives its people nothing while demanding everything, but also an exemplar for how quickly the entire system folds in on itself when the veil is lifted. when Marrow defects (and it IS when) it will represent Atlas as a whole defecting from itself, even if we don’t see it visually--from the civilians, to the enlisted soldiers, to perhaps even members of Marrow’s own team.
NONE of the things i just mentioned really apply to Winter, because there is nothing about Atlas that is not personal for Winter.
i have no doubt that Winter is in some ways invested in same abstract principles that swayed Marrow, but that is constantly overridden by the fact that Winter has family at all sides of this, even before everything fell to shit, and the narrative will not stop reminding her.
“what about your sister?” “would you say the same thing if it was your sister inside?” her father was gunning for a seat on the Council. the man who took her in is essentially Head of State. Penny has made herself Public Enemy Number One, and Weiss is actively abetting her. even Whitley has now thrown himself into the fray, unbeknownst to her. and another person might be better at compartmentalizing all this the way Winter clearly wants to, and stick to the party line, but Winter cannot, because the more i watch her the more i’m convinced that the current crisis in Atlas is just a microcosm of the real issue, which is to say: everything is personal in Atlas for Winter, because everything is personal for Winter.
at a moment-to-moment level, and especially when backed into a corner, Winter defaults not to ideology but her tightly coiled lattice of personal relationships. and this makes perfect sense, because Winter grew up in a household where she had to perpetually crisis respond, and then she never stopped. Marrow does what he does because he believes in the dream, in making the world a better place, and therefore it is more difficult in some respects for him to defect, because it involves taking a long hard look at and then rejecting the structures he bought into and made himself complicit in. once lines are crossed and he DOES do that, though, he’s home free. for Winter, there are no lines to cross, because all Winter wants in the end is to throw her arms around everyone she cares about and drag them to safety. to keep them there, closely held, where she can see them and make sure that they stay safe.
but what’s tricky about Winter--what’s fascinating to me, what Jacques tried to beat out of her, what James alternately capitalizes on and tries to quash, what she resents about herself--is that in times of crisis (which for Winter is again ALL THE TIME), “everyone she cares about” becomes everyone, so that suddenly she takes a shine to the General’s war machine, so that she’s risking her life to give Penny and Fria a few more seconds of time, so that she’s stepping in front of Elm’s incoming fist, so that she’s letting JYR go rescue Oscar. Marrow has ideals he values, but at her core Winter has nothing but the people, who are real the moment she sees and feels them--real enough to defend, or defend against.
Winter jealously protects her web of people, but that web will also spiral out to infinity if she lets it--so she doesn’t. she has adamantly refused to move out of the mode where she lives present-by-present, only reacting to what is right in front of her, what she has been told, weighing her own life against the people who are closest, and no more. this is unquestionably a trauma response, but it’s also reinforced by 1) her choice to become a career soldier, and 2) the fact that Winter actually HAS quite a bit of power, and she knows that. but she has never trusted herself with any of it, largely because her hypervigilant response to situations has only ever been chastised instead of rehabilitated. Winter knows the weight of her name and her position, but she constantly tries to ignore it, or run away from it, so that she is only ever the heiress, the second-in-command, and never the Queen. she cannot be a leader until she is Good (that is to say, perfect and rational), so she tries to obliterate her power the same time she obliterates that pesky personhood: remaining still for as long as possible, avoiding situations that she knows will prompt action and choice, and when absolutely pushed to think through her power, moving the pieces around with extreme caution, hoping that the world won’t be burnt black by it.
Marrow and Winter are fundamentally at opposing ends of the personal-political bleed, and the story could NOT telegraph it any more clearly than their conversation in Witch, where Marrow makes a personal plea to Winter so that she can make a call far beyond just that, and she refutes him, by reminding him of his obligation to Atlas in the form of impersonal duty.
i’ll conclude by pointing out that there is something very interesting happening with Winter right now, that exceeds her power in-universe. because even as a Schnee, as Ironwood’s protege, what Winter can do is limited (partly because she limits herself), except for how the story has resolutely centered her actions and MADE them significant. in the course of this war Winter has let herself make exactly two choices--both of them noninterventionist, easily justifiable, and not meant to take any ideological stand--and they ended up altering the entire fabric of the war with Salem. all because she loved her sisters more than her duty. all because she was shown a slim chance to save the kingdom and a fourteen-year-old boy, and she thought just for an instant, what’s the harm
(and James Ironwood will never know. that even with his plan, his bomb, all his ships, all his soldiers...he was no match for her. his loyal lieutenant. the only child he will ever have, who has only ever called him “sir.”)
it is not about what Winter COULD have chosen in those moments, if she had the ability to stop Penny and Weiss from leaving, if JYR were even Oscar’s rescuers, in the conventional sense. it is about the fact that she DID make those choices, and the story has made them reverberate, in spite of the fact that she did not mean for them to. Marrow’s story is about being neglected and overlooked by the system, the moment of recognition that it needs you more than you need it, that there are so many more of you, and together you can stop chasing the dream and make your own. Winter’s story cleaves to the heart of not just Atlas, but the RWBY monomyth, which goes something like: stars are like us. the world was created because two brothers could not get along, and sundered because a woman could not cope with her grief. just because you move closer to the elite, to the center, to the top, to the sublime, it does not mean that you move farther from the fallible. we are all, at our deepest layer, people.
but the world does not tremble any less for it.
362 notes · View notes
juniorgman187 · 4 years
Text
Something Borrowed, Something Blue (Reid Fic)
Tumblr media
*MY GIF
Summary: Despite her engagement to someone else, Spencer grapples with the reality that he’s in love with SSA Reader when he sees her in her wedding dress.
A/N: I am so fucking proud of Spencer’s speech that I wrote.  Playlist: Till Forever Falls Apart by Ashe + FINNEAS This song hurts so good :,) Category: Fluffy happy ending! Pairing: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid Content Warning: possible unrequited love, soft angst  Word Count: 6k
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*  
Call it a superpower or a sixth sense, but I had this inexplicable, preternatural ability to detect when we weren’t heading in the right direction - a skill unaffected by even shut eyes or the deepest slumber. 
It seems as though after all these years of being (y/n)’s passenger, my body has developed a survival adaptation in order to offer her guidance before she would even have to ask, or worse - lower her pride and admit she’s lost! 
With as hard-headed as she is, she’d sooner drive us to Timbuktu before asking me for help.
I was half-asleep when I peeked through one half-lidded eye to observe where we were only to see she blew right by Gregory Boulevard when she should’ve turned left on it. 
“Um, you should make a u-turn at this next light,” I gently advised her before returning my head to its previous position perched on my hand. I closed my eyes again with the presumption she would follow my navigation and make a u-turn, but when I didn’t feel the car change course, I opened them to see that she blew right past the stoplight, too. 
“Hey, my apartment’s that way.” I gestured behind us while looking at her for the first time, catching a smug look on her face. That’s when I knew I was in for it. “Where are you taking me?” 
“You’ll see.” 
“You know I don’t like surprises,” I grumbled, slumping back into my seat with partially renewed energy. Her little antics never failed to get my heart racing. I never knew whether to expect a sweet sunset or a sea of snakes when it came to her. She was that polarizing. “Can I at least get a hint?” I egged on, considering she had yet to even reply to my first statement. 
She was completely unfazed by my pleading. She didn’t even peel her eyes away from the road - that’s how little attention she thought I deserved. “Mmm depends. What’s the magic word?” 
This blatant tease was successfully getting a rise out of me. “Pleaseee,” I dragged out the word as if it would do me any good to let her hear it for longer, but in reality, she just liked to hear me beg. 
She took a sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth, a chupse, to express her displeasure before saying, “Ooh tough luck. The magic word was actually mushroom, but nice try.” 
A mirthless chuckle escaped me for willingly falling for her tricks despite knowing she’d pull something just like that. This girl was the bane of my existence, but at least she still rewarded me with a hint anyway. 
“Your hint is …” While pondering what hint to give me, her eyes traveled to the side, away from the road long enough to make my heart palpitate in a “if-she-doesn’t-pay-attention-to-the-road, we’re-both-gonna-die” kind of way. 
“... something old.” 
Again, she tore her eyes away from the road so she could register my reaction, but truthfully, I didn’t have one. I had no idea what that hint meant. Or rather I had too many ideas, far too many to limit to just one. 
She could’ve been talking about the age of a location, the history of a place, the vintage appearance of something - virtually anything.
“There’s an infinite amount of possibilities about what that could mean,” I argued. “If you actually want me to guess, you’ll have to give me something more.” 
As expected, she was not a fan of my whining and simply rolled her eyes at me. “Oh, stop complaining and use that big brain of yours. I’m sure you’ll figure it out before we even get there.” 
Although there was a high probability she was right that I could’ve solved it by myself, it was more enticing to feed off of what she could give me. “What if I ask you ‘yes or no’ questions?”
The gears in her head were turning as she weighed the pros and cons of humoring my offer. “You better ask some good questions then,” was her answer, which was the long way of saying yes. 
“Is this ‘something old’ an object?”
She hesitated, then decided on, “No.” So I took that as maybe. 
“Is this ‘something old’ a place?” 
There was no indecision with this answer. “No.” 
“Is this ‘something old’ as in appearance?” 
Again, a partial hesitation, but still ultimately a, “No.”
Realizing I pretty much exhausted the tangible, I settled for something more abstract. “Is this ‘something old’ a concept?”
“Yes, you could say that.” 
Her answer would prove to be redundant, as just seconds after we would arrive at our mystery destination. 
Ellie’s Bridal Boutique. 
“Something old, something new. Something borrowed, something blue.” I recited to myself under my breath when I finally unearthed the meaning. The rhyme was a wedding tradition that referred to the things a bride is supposed to wear on her wedding day that’s meant to provide protection and prosperity for the new couple - a superstition.
“Ding! Ding! Ding!” She mimicked the sound of a winning buzzer. “And you are going to be my something old.” 
A short chuckle left me as I stepped out of the car. “Oh yeah? What are you gonna do - wear me?” I jested. 
“Well you are a very pretty boy, but I don’t know if you’re pretty enough to wear down the aisle.” 
“So then how am I going to be your something old? I’m only two years older than you.” 
She stopped dead in her tracks on the sidewalk to reach for my hand. I’d be lying if I said the chilling warmth of it didn’t make my breath hitch. My eyes fell to where our bodies met, but they rose to look at her again when she finally spoke. 
“You’re the very first person I met when I started working in the BAU, which makes you my oldest friend on the team, and since you were the first one that saw me, I wanted you to be the first one that saw me in my dress, too.” 
I was already aware that she’d picked out her wedding gown months before, so this appointment couldn’t have been anything more than an alteration update. The only reason I knew that, besides the obvious, was because I could still remember with perfect clarity the morning she came into work after her fitting. She marched right up to my desk to wave a picture of her in the garment right in my face. It wasn’t until I drew back with my head that I could see the image clearly. The dress, while incredibly stunning on her, ‘didn’t fit right’ - her words, not mine. 
“But that’s not how it’s actually gonna look on me. I asked them to take in the waist, change the neckline, and alter the length.” She vividly described to me, letting her finger run over the digital photo of the dress as she spoke. “Do you see what I mean?”
I lied when I said, “Yeah, I do,” because really, I didn’t need her to describe the details to me - I could already see the vision. Even if the dress was the wrong color, length, and ‘poofiness,’ I’d still think she’d look lovely. 
It was my only hope that her future husband would think so, too. 
“I’m (y/n) (y/l/n). I’m here for my alteration with Reagan at 4.” Just as quickly as she introduced herself to the receptionist, she was being whisked away by an older woman who seemed to have recognized her. 
“Oh, (y/n)! It’s so good to see you again! Come, come, your dress is ready. I just know you’ll love it.” 
Before she slipped out of my vision completely, (y/n) turned around to address me. “I’ll be right back, I promise. Just wait here.” 
I raised my hand in the air to give a short acknowledgment goodbye and followed her instruction to sit in the chair that lied directly in front of a circular raised platform. 
“Are you the groom?” A soft voice from beside me suddenly asked. I looked up to see it was the receptionist holding a tray with a glass of champagne. 
“Oh, I’m okay thank you,” I denied the alcohol with a shake of my head. “And no, no I’m not. Just an … an old friend.” Again, her words, not mine. 
It would come as a surprise to both me and you that with as much as I know about the world, I had no idea how long this would take before I saw her again. With my estimates, it should take maybe fifteen minutes maximum before she walked out in her dress, but who knows? It’s (y/n) after all. She runs on her own clock. The sun rises and sets on her. 
At least in my world it does. 
By around minute 17, I realized my estimates were way off and there was no way she’d be coming out any time soon, so with all that I could do in that store having been done already, the only thing left for me to do was read. Nothing of quality, though. Just those frivolous bridal magazines on the coffee table beside me. I didn’t even want to think about the germs and bacteria that were harboring on these reading materials, but if it meant it’d cure my boredom then perhaps the contraction of microbes would be worth it. 
To say I wasn’t well-versed in fashion would be an understatement and reading the subscriptions only emphasized that further. To put it in perspective, you could style my future bride in a medieval frock and it wouldn’t discourage me whatsoever because I simply have no understanding of what a ‘good’ wedding dress is, therefore, I cannot make an accurate comparison. 
Take, for example, the dress on page 17 of Modern Bride. The model was donning a high neck, long sleeve creme satin dress. I thought it looked quite nice and classic, but the excerpt described it as totally out of style and too old - a faux pas.
But when comparing that dress to the gown on page 24 of The Bride’s Guide, I couldn’t spot a single difference between the two, yet this passage was written in complete adoration. “This dress is vintage done right,” said the article. But to me - they were exactly identical! What was wrong with the first one?
Maybe it was a good thing grooms weren’t allowed to help pick wedding dresses because if I had to assist my bride in picking her’s, then, of course, it would be bad luck! I’d probably pick something utterly horrendous!
I had to admit it was slightly humiliating to confront my incompetence relating to wedding dresses, so before my self-esteem plummeted any further, I set the magazines back in their rightful place on the coffee table so they could once again be what they were always intended for - extraneous decor. 
With a flick of my watch, I noted the period of waiting had only increased by three minutes. Again, I had yet to master the art of wedding garment fittings, but how was 20 minutes not enough time to put a dress on? However, unlike my better half, I had (relatively) zero problems admitting my ignorance, whereas she’d rather drive us off a cliff or into a lake before letting me know she was lost. 
In surrender to my lack of knowledge, I rose from my seat to approach the receptionist and ask if she had a more accurate estimate for how long it would be until I saw (y/n) again. But as it turns out, any estimate she might’ve been able to tell me would’ve been completely wrong for she wouldn’t have even been able to finish her answer before the aforementioned future bride entered the space behind me. 
Remember before when I said I had no gauges of good fashion to outrank a medieval frock? Well, I stand corrected. 
(Y/n) in her dress is what I will measure everyone against. And no one will ever compare. 
“Wow…” The word came out of my mouth before I could think to stop it. My tone was so honest that it scared me. “I’m - You’re …” I was at a total loss for words that I had to sit back down to hopefully regain some clarity. She laughed at my stupidity with a laugh so gentle, I couldn’t not laugh back. 
“That good, huh?” 
I wordlessly nodded while my mouth lied openly in waiting. But the right words never came out; there just weren’t any that could capture this vision of perfection in front of me. 
My mannerisms had clearly already given away the true level of my admiration, so in an effort to lessen the enormity of my obvious wonderment, I reluctantly broke my gaze away from the angel in white and picked up a magazine on the table to perfect the notion of nonchalance. 
“You look . . .” She impatiently waited for my addition, even doing the most adorable little twirl in her dress to give me the full view in the meantime. “Nice,” was the adjective I settled for, as it was such a thoughtless response that perhaps it would convince her that there weren’t a million thoughts on my mind. The most recurring one, and arguably the most troubling one being: I think I’m in love with you. 
“Nice?” She repeated like the word stung her tongue, more out of mock offense than earnest disappointment. “You’re reading your magazine upside down so it’s gotta be better than nice.”
I bashfully looked down to find that, sure enough, her words were true. The magazine was upside down and therefore a total revelation of just how ‘nice’ I really thought she looked.
I tried to hide my smile behind my knuckles as I pressed a fist to my lips, deciding on the most sincere compliment I could give her. 
“Nobody holds a candle to you, (y/n),” I nodded in affirmation. “You look absolutely beautiful.”
After saying so, I nonchalantly - well as nonchalantly as one could when caught slack-jawed and completely in awe - reoriented the catalog. Had I glanced up even a second later, I might not have caught her reaction to my words and the way they made her smile uncontrollably. I looked back down at the magazine with a smirk, giving it a brief flick to open up the pages all the way to me and parrot the motions one would make if they were actually reading.
We both knew I wasn’t though. 
It seemed I never left that wedding boutique because even as we arrived outside my apartment later that day, my mind was still there, stuck on the future bride in her gown.
“Earth to Spencer!” She waved her hand in front of me to grab my attention despite already having it. “We’re here!” She announced. Who was I kidding? She always had my attention. I only wish it didn’t take me this long to realize that the reason she was constantly at the front of my mind was that I loved her.
Nearly about to exit the car, the millionth and one thought rang in my head like a bell - wedding bells, if you will. 
Speak now or forever hold your peace.
At a tantalizingly slow speed, I released the doorknob and turned back towards her.
“...I love you.”
She furrowed her brows and shrugged with her mouth, forming a confused pout. “I love you, too, Reid?” She kind of laughed when she said it, so I knew she thought this was just a friend sending off a friend goodbye, but I couldn’t let her think that’s what I meant. 
“No, not like that.” I clarified with the utmost candor. “I’m in love with you.” I shook my head when I said it which, in any other context, might make you think I was lying, but the shake of my head was merely the physical manifestation of every bone in my body knowing I shouldn’t be saying this, but my heart still having the audacity to do it anyway. 
I confessed with that brutally honest tone again, the one so raw and vulnerable it leaves you nauseous and breathless all at once as you anxiously anticipate the other person’s response to your vulnerability. But I couldn’t even meet her eyes, I was too scared. Even if I had, they would’ve been vacant. Her spirit had vanished from her body, and in its departure left just the shell of a woman who was completely void of color. Her flushed face was a remnant of the shock that paralyzed her and it wouldn’t disappear even as I tried to bring her color back. 
“I’m so sorry, (y/n). I wish I had better timing - trust me, I will beat myself up later for not saying it sooner. But I promise you, I am not trying to ruin things between you two and I would never actually try to stand in the way of your wedding - you have to believe me. I want you to be happy and if he’s what makes you happy, then I will live with that. I just had to tell you now because ... if you married him without ever knowing how I felt, I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself.”
This was true - I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if I hadn’t said anything - but now that I have - will she be able to forgive me?
Vacant stares turned into piercing glares that drove, what felt like, a thousand daggers right through my heart. She was looking at me as though I were a stranger - completely unrecognizable to her. 
(Y/n), it’s me. It’s Spencer. Don’t you remember me? My heart pleaded. I’m still the same guy I was before. I’m the first friend you made on the team, remember? I’m your something old. Please, please remember me. 
By the time I came to the woeful conclusion that she wouldn’t reply, at least not now, there was only one question weighing on my heart heavily enough to make me ask it before I left her car. 
“Would it have been better if I didn’t tell you?” 
My question stayed answerless even as I lingered at the door after getting out, waiting for one. I knew I should’ve closed it, but I couldn’t. In many ways, it would’ve been shutting the only open vessel to her, formally closing myself off from our friendship. The possibility of losing her as soon as I walked away was too real, and I wasn’t ready yet.
“Please, (y/n), talk to me.” It was a trending theme to have every word I spoke be underlined by this profound piteousness. “Say something.” Say anything.
“I ... I need to get home,” She quietly whimpered, practically begging me to let her go. Up until then, I didn’t want to, but I suddenly wished I had shut the door sooner so that I might not have had to hear the quiet addition, “To my fiancé.”
The color she was so void of in her face? It seems I must have recompensed, for not only was I crowned her something old that day, but I was also her something blue. 
_ _ _ 
If there were a guidebook on all the things to do as the love of your life’s wedding (to someone else) nears, I’d like to think I was following all the protocol. 
Since my not-so-subtle confession, I had yet to press the subject or force her for an answer to my final question, which I think she was thankful for. I also hadn’t plotted a giant scheme to ruin the wedding, nor did I have any intentions of doing so. 
For all intents and purposes, I was acting as a gentleman (who’s in love with you but whom you’re not marrying) ideally should.
You would think that after my big declaration, (y/n) would do everything in her power to avoid me. It’s what I would’ve done. But she’s no coward. That exact heart of gold I fell in love with made no exceptions. Because even after what I did, she still had it in her to extend her kindness to me. 
She’s stubborn like that, remember? 
And though she was showering me with a treatment I didn’t deserve, it still wasn’t enough for my greedy heart. 
The true pain lied in the pretending. Every day I would have to come to work and talk with her and laugh with her and smile with her - I would have to be her friend … pretending that was all that I wanted and nothing more. 
It was both a blessing and a curse that she was acting just as she always had with me. It may seem weird to have expected, nay - wanted - a different reaction from her, but I just wanted something. At least, if she was angry, then I would know what I said had some effect on her, but she was just so indifferent. Like what I said didn’t matter. 
It’s been said that there is a thin line between love and hatred. Hate and love both seem to be involved in the neural processing of what is sometimes referred to as the arousal effect of emotion - this is a technical term, so arousal can be negative. Scientists studying the physical nature of hate have found that some of the nervous circuits in the brain responsible for it are the same as those that are used during the feeling of romantic love – although love and hate appear to be polar opposites. Therefore, the same brain circuitry is involved in both extreme emotions. So, as strange as it may sound, if she didn’t love me, then I at least wanted her to hate me, just so I’d know she had any passion for me that matched my burning passion for her.
But as it turns out, she would never go on to display signs of hatred or love, for she never acted passive-aggressively, never gave me the silent treatment - nothing. Nope, she just acted as if it never happened. She went on with her life, essentially expecting me to do the same, but how could I carry on with life while she was still carrying half of my heart with her? 
It’s an impossible feat, that - to walk around with half a heart. And it’s one that has not gotten easier with time. If anything, time has made it worse, and the closer we got to the wedding, the more difficult it became for me to hold back. And with this exponential growth, it was only inevitable that the pinnacle of difficulty came right before the wedding. 
Before shit hit the fan, she arranged, or rather insisted, that I give a speech at the dinner rehearsal. That hadn’t changed, despite almost everything else having done so. Up until the minute I arrived at the venue, I could’ve recited that speech a million times, forwards and backwards, in my sleep, or even in Russian. But I lost any ability to form coherent thoughts from the second I laid eyes on her. 
As soon as I opened the door, she stood at the entrance to greet her guests, having taken a radiant form that I could only imagine would not pale in comparison to what she would look like tomorrow on her actual wedding day. That thought alone scared me shitless. 
If this is how beautiful she looked tonight and it was only just the rehearsal, how would I ever be able to resist her less than 24 hours from now when she would be marrying a man I could only dream of being half so lucky as?
“Spencer!” Familiar crinkles formed around her eyes as a result of her gigantic smile when she saw me and hugged me thereafter. Her embrace was strangely tighter and lasted for longer than usual, not that I was complaining, but I had to wonder if she was compensating for something. What’s that saying - keep your friends close, and your enemies closer? Was she killing me with kindness? That might’ve been wishful thinking though. Because the same flash of indifference I’d been dealt in recent times came back into her face and tone after hugging me. “You’re at table five with the rest of the team.” 
“Oh, thanks.”
That was it? Just a ‘Spencer!’ and then a nudge in the direction of my seat? No questions about my speech? No threatening comments to not say anything that would ruin the charade we’d been playing for months now? Had she forgotten I was even giving a speech?
“Oh, wait, Spencer!” I felt her hand on my shoulder before I heard her voice. “You left this in my car a couple months ago. I’ve been meaning to give it back to you, but I didn’t remember until today.” 
The first thing that raised a red flag was what she was saying. I’d left something in her car? That would imply that I’d forgotten something, and we both knew that wasn’t possible. But the second suspicious element was the matter of what she claimed I’d left behind. She was handing me a book with the back cover facing me. From the looks of it alone, it wasn’t mine. Clearly, it wasn’t mine. I knew every single book that resides on my shelves and this one has never once crossed them. That, on top of the new book smell and the lack of a wear in the spine, was enough to tell me that not only was this a book I’d never read nor was one to grace my bookshelf, but it was most certainly not one I would have left behind.
She was lying. 
She saw the realization dawn on me, but knowing I would mention it, her hand’s grip around my wrist, which I hadn’t noticed was even there in the first place, tightened, sending me a message. 
She knew I saw the deception. There were so many flaws in what she was saying, that she couldn’t have possibly been clueless of them. It was too easy. Or maybe that was by design. She wanted me to figure out it was a lie. But why?
What was she hiding?
The final thing to leave me when she did was her hand. In its place, it had left a a near perfect indentation in my sleeve. How flawlessly it sculpted to her hand told me just how tightly she was holding me. What was she trying to say?
That’s when I flipped the book over to see the cover. 
Can Love Happen Twice?
And right on the inside cover page was scribbled - in a handwriting so distinctive it could only belong to one person and one person alone - “Yes.” 
_ _ _ 
My heart was racing the entire night as I anxiously awaited for the moment to give my speech. Nothing seemed to ease the tension. Not a sip of water, not the loosening of my tie, not the self-soothing bouncing of my leg. But all it took, all it took was one glance from her and suddenly, the storm within me had settled. 
“Next up we have a speech from Spencer Reid!” 
I rose from my seat like a floundering mess, as to be expected, because how can you possibly catch your bearings as you’re about to make a speech to a room full of people?
“H-hi there. I’m Dr. Spen- I’m Spencer Reid. I’ve worked with (y/n) for several years now and - and so I, um, I wrote this speech for her, so, so I’m gonna read it to you all now,” My stammering had gotten the best of me, so before I could unravel into the mess I surely came off as right about now, I spun from my previous position facing the majority to facing only her. I needed to see her. I needed the reprieve of her eyes again, and she was happy to give it to me.
“(Y/n), from the moment I met you, I thought who is she? And I mean that quite literally because I had no idea who you were and why you were there,” Laughter from the crowd erupted, but her laugh was the only one that mattered to me. “But also because there was just something about you that told me I needed to talk to you. I had no idea what that instinct to strike up a conversation with you would lead to, but I trust my gut a little more now because that very intuition gave me one of the best friends I’ve ever had.” 
To my words, an endeared pout formed on her face. She was touched, and I was glad. 
“Over the seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years we’ve spent together, I have enjoyed every single measure of time with you. You have taught me more about life and myself than I could have ever learned otherwise - which says a lot,” This once again brought her to laughter. “So I thank you for that, because without you, there would be no one to tell my campfire stories to, there would be no one who could recite Jung or Freud with me, and there would be no one I’d have to correct when they drive down the wrong path,” My own chuckle cut my sentence short. 
“Life with you has simply been made better, and my only hope is that tomorrow, as you get married, you too, will experience that eternal bliss with which you have surely bestowed upon everyone who has had the privilege of knowing you.”
By now both of us were on the verge of tears, hers more apparent than mine as she used the palm of her hand to stifle her sniffles. 
“There is so much more I could say about how great you are, but your favorite author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, has said it best. ‘She was beautiful, but not like those girls in the magazines. She was beautiful, for the way she thought. She was beautiful, for the sparkle in her eyes when she talked about something she loved. She was beautiful, for her ability to make other people smile, even if she was sad. No she wasn’t beautiful for something as temporary as her looks. She was beautiful, deep down to her soul. She is beautiful’,” A tear ran down her cheek as my own eyes welled up beyond their means. “So to you both - may you have a life as beautiful as the bride.”
Even if that life isn’t with me. 
I tuned out all the clapping and cheering, and set my focus solely on her, giving me full liberty to see the way she rose from her chair and escaped the room. Not even shock could paralyze me or stop me from running after her. I sprung so fast into action, which required the maximum amount adrenaline, although I could not credit my speed to the rush, but it was more the exclusive motivation to find her that powered me. The entire time I kept calling out her name as I frantically chased her out of the venue. 
“Spencer.” 
I didn’t even see her there at first, probably because I was half-expecting her to be jumping into a cab or running away from me some more when I found her, but just as before, she made it too easy for me. She was waiting for me, standing there in no spectacular fashion. 
The wind was blowing strands of hair in her face that were not so large so that I couldn’t see the red rings around her eyes that were caused by the irritation and formation of tears. She was simply staring back at me with this look in her eyes as if she wanted to say something. 
In the silence, I could still appreciate how astonishingly gorgeous she was. How badly I wanted her. I would’ve whisked her away and taken her as mine if I knew it would make her happy. But that’s just it - I didn’t know. 
I needed her to say it. So say it. 
Say it, darling. 
Spoken through a congested voice (which spoke volumes in reality because of the mere revelation that she was indeed crying) was the plainest, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, she vanished back into the restaurant, leaving me to my devices on the sidewalk. 
She didn’t say it, but she didn’t have to. 
_ _ _ 
Perhaps the false confidence in my speech or what little she had to say to me after it or even the hidden message in the book got to my head, but whatever it was, I was feeling suspiciously alright. Luckily, that feeling didn’t deviate even as I made my way to the church. 
Upon arrival, everything seemed exactly as it should be, so consequently the lack of something out of place did not adequately denote what lied just beyond those doors. Or should I say what didn’t?
Much to my mortification, it was a completely empty church. Every pew, though decorated for a wedding, was uninhabited and showed no indications of having been such recently. As I walked further in, the door automatically shut behind me with a loud bang. It would’ve shocked me more had something else not caught my attention already. 
It was (y/n), standing at the altar … completely alone. 
Suddenly, it felt like I’d been drawn in by this invisible gravity, which was now floating me down the aisle. My feet could not carry me to her fast enough.
I was sure this was some kind of dream simply by the way the light gleamed through the stained glass windows, casting banners of golden luminescence on her. It was as if heaven itself had come down with the specific delegation to illuminate the vision of one of its fallen angels. 
“(Y/n)?” My voice reverberated throughout the chapel, ricocheting off the high, painted ceilings and back to me. “Where is everyone?” 
It wasn’t until I reached a certain point in the middle aisle, that I realized her veil had been covering her face this entire time. The angel in white only turned more heavenly when she flipped the veil backward, revealing herself to me. 
It took her a moment to answer, but it was her head that answered first before her mouth did. She began shaking her head slowly, followed by a short, unequivocal, “No.”
As you might imagine, I was dumbfounded. “No?” That answer wouldn’t have made sense in the context of what I had previously asked. 
“No.” She repeated, with somehow even more definitiveness. I decided it was best to stay silent and wait for her explanation. 
“No, it wouldn’t have been better if you didn’t tell me.” 
There was my answer I’d been searching for. 
“God, Spencer - what took you so long?” 
From the breathlessness and the rushed cadence of her voice, I knew precisely what was coming next. She instantaneously abandoned the bouquet she’d been clutching in favor of her hands’ ability to pull me in. The pressure on my fragile skull when our frenzied lips finally met was not a punishment so much as it was a reward. And just as we began to find our rhythm, I slid my hand into her hair, which I began to regret when I realized just how much time and effort probably went into its structuring. I pulled away the moment I felt a carefully placed pin lodged within her hair slip between my fingers. 
True, for a moment I was unable to open my eyes afterward from the sheer elation I was experiencing, but as I came to, I found myself looking at the hairpin I’d accidentally extracted from her curls, one that I could’ve sworn I’d seen a fellow coworker of ours donning in the past. 
“Is this -”
“Yep, it’s Penelope’s.” She admitted through the most debonair giggles. After giving her a quizzical, and only partially judgmental glance, she managed to blurt out, “What? Why are you looking at me like that? It was my ‘something borrowed’!”
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*  
reid taglist: @s1utformgg @no-alarms-no-surprises-silence @jemimah-b99 @justanothetfangirl @kylab @rainsong01 @calm-and-doctor @inkstainedwritergirl @rexorangecouny @ashwarren32 @carooliina @fortheloveofcriminalminds @watermelongubler  @obsessedmaggiemay @k-k0129 @aperrywilliams @eevee0722 @spencersmagic @spencerreid-mgg @half-blood-dork @goldeng1rl8 @just-a-bunch-of-fandoms @random-human-person 
215 notes · View notes
cobaincreates · 4 years
Text
smart decisions
Tumblr media
warnings: drinking, angst, smut, fingering, nsfw, 18+
count: 10k+
hiiiiiiiii so i’m a horndog & i can’t get enough of rafe cameron (or drew) or college rafe & i also wanna cry over them so here you go. let me know whatcha thinkin’. please i’m begging you. 
also the photo isn’t mine i got it from here!
songs i imagined - this one & this one
— — —
transferring colleges had to have been your smartest decision to date. going from putting your strengths into a place that was not willing to acknowledge them to, now, receiving credit where credit was most deservingly due. your first choice for school had been some place close to home, you figured why not opt for the cheaper option to save yourself, and your parents, a little money. you spent a few months getting into the swing of things, heading to class each day with a fresh mind and hopeful thoughts. it wasn’t until six months in that you realized you deserved so much better, and at a better school.
it took time, figuring out your best bet and where to go and all the finances. you definitely grew impatient a year in, trying to stick it out at home to receive your credits. but once the moment arrived, you packed all your things and moved states away. you loved it; you loved the classes, you loved your friends, you loved your professors. you were completely happy with your choice to go. your parents might not have been, but the weekly calls home for your progress report were substitute enough.
wednesday, 5 p.m.
you scribbled a doodle you had been going over and over, darkening the lines so much you saw it behind your eyelids now. you snapped out of it and looked back at your textbook.
the library was so quiet, you heard pages being turned from every corner, the chewing of gum from a tense jaw, and the soft snores of someone passed out in one of the private cubicles across the way. none of those things distracted you really since you had come to the study session with a couple of your friends, all three of you making a pact to get shit done.
melly was able to listen to music while she studied and was more of a typer as her fingers moved fast along the keys of her laptop. she came dressed in her comfiest clothes, sporting a knit sweater and joggers. lina had snacks across the table to keep her sustained. she was a strong believer that she learned better while being fed. it made you laugh still. she was a writer like you, very organized in her notes with highlighters and different colored pens. she even drew headers for each page for the hell of it. you wondered where she got the drive. then there was you, black ink, the main topic underlined, things to remember written repeatedly. you learned better after writing things down, you couldn’t just read a book and have the information implanted in your brain. as much as you wished it were that easy.
you were studying for an upcoming psychology test, one that you were sure would be a piece of cake given how well you did in the class itself. it was one you didn’t plan on taking, but you needed another course to get enough credits for the year.
lina was munching on some almonds, turning a page in her notebook, and picking up a blue pen. you were in the middle of writing a definition down and filling up the last of the page, your hand starting to cramp with how much pressure you were using. you flexed it once you put your pen down and squeezed an imaginary ball.
both yours and lina’s eyes flicked up to melly across the table who let out a low moan. she was pulling her headphones off and looking in the completely opposite direction of her computer.
“why is he so fine?” she asked, low enough for the two of you to hear.
you looked over your shoulder at the same time lina did and searched in the general area melly was focused on. all you saw was a guy walking through the library, sporting a backpack and a lacrosse sweatshirt, the hood pulled over his head.
“he really knows what he’s doing, huh?” lina said dreamily.
you furrowed your eyebrows as you watched him turn into a row of books and you glanced at melly as you faced the other way, planning on getting back to your work. melly was dazed as she still looked in his direction.
“who is that?” you asked after a moment of both of them still ogling.
lina turned toward you as melly closed her laptop a little to lean over it. “what did you just say?”
you looked between the two identical shocked expressions and laughed helplessly. “who is that?”
“oh, i forgot. you’re still new.” melly nodded in semi-acceptance then became serious. “that’s rafe cameron. he’s on the lacrosse team and we’re kind of obsessed with him.”
“it’s alarming,” lina said. she gave a quick glance over her shoulder then looked back at her notebook. “i love making myself sad over him not noticing me, but it’s fine. what’s even more alarming is how he’s still single.”
“i cannot express to you, y/n, how good,” melly emphasized, squeezing her eyes shut, “he looks with a little sweat.”
“you guys sound like stalkers.” you pointed out, smiling a little at their explanations.
“i’m not denying it. i said it was alarming.” lina shrugged as she looked from her textbook to her writing. “we’ve talked to him a couple of times at some parties, he’s a super nice guy but we just find him attractive. i think if i were a freshman, i’d be pathetically pining after him.”
melly hummed in agreement, her chin now propped in her palm. she wore a doe-like look, gazing between yours and lina’s heads and into the bookshelves. “don’t they have a game tomorrow? we should go.”
“it’s away.” lina said, but you had already lost interest in the topic and started reading a new chapter. you picked your pen back up, the muscles in your hand now relaxed, and the boy in the bookshelves out of your mind.
monday, 9 a.m.
you were going to be late and you hated the thought. there was no way you could miss this test when you had done nothing but study every last page for it. you even lost track of how many pages of notes you wrote for the test alone. it would be such a waste to miss it and it wasn’t worth getting a negative grade.
being late was not at all your fault. you had set your alarm early, eaten breakfast and read a few more chapters to get ahead, and packed your bag up so you’d be ready after a quick shower. turned out that all the showers on your floor were broken, the yellow “do not cross” tape like a bad omen. you started muttering to yourself as you carried along your shower caddy, going down to the next floor and finding a line to wait in. you knew it was probably your best bet instead of racing to another floor to check if there were more lines, plus you didn’t know how much time you had. you probably annoyed some people with the fidgeting, but all you could think about was the test.
it was ridiculous how long the showers took and how you had to leave your hair damp as you ran back up physical stairs. you burst through your door, threw your bathroom things on your bed, grabbed your bag and the few books you couldn’t stuff in. while leaving, the door shutting behind you, you made do with damp hair, twisting it up and out of your face. as you checked the time, you figured out that you had eight minutes exactly to get across campus and in your seat with a writing utensil ready.
even though you were late, you still held doors open for people, and you dodged others walking the opposite direction instead of the other way around. you kept checking the time as if the minutes would stop moving.
just as you were looking into your bag, your legs moving fast and assuredly, you ran right into something hard. you dropped the textbooks that you had been clutching, even with a death grip on them, and your bag slipped from your shoulder. a notebook poked out along with a pen rolling away on the walkway.
“woah,” the hard surface said.
“i’m so sorry, i was not looking.” you said quickly and bent down to get your things. of course, this would happen while you were in a rush. you supposed you were lucky it didn’t involve cars. god, that would’ve been so much worse.
“nah, it’s alright.” they said easily and bent down beside you, retrieving your things.
you scrambled for everything and shoved the notebook back into your bag. you spotted your keychain near their foot, their fingers closing around it before you could reach for it. you finally looked up as they held the key out to you, the ring hanging from their finger.
rafe cameron.
he looked different now that you could see his face better. and also, because he was so close this time. it was odd to know now that he had blue eyes and a light ghosting of stubble along his jaw and cheeks. it felt too personal being this close to someone you only knew the name of.
you felt a little silly for bumping into him, but you didn’t let it show. “thank you,” you said as you took the key from him and stood quickly to walk away. lina and melly surely wouldn’t give this up when you told them.
rafe had watched after you for a moment before turning back to his friend topper, raising his eyebrows in reference to what happened, and continuing their conversation.
you made it to class about three minutes late and sat in your seat, finally taking a breath. you settled in, putting your things at your feet, and digging around for a pen. all thoughts of bumping into rafe cameron left your mind.
8 p.m.
“you what?” melly coughed violently as she composed herself. lina was clutching her stomach, nearly dying of hysterics when the drink came out of melly’s nose a second earlier.
you held your head in your hands and inwardly groaned at having to tell the story. you were out to dinner with the two girls, munching on french fries and milkshakes. it was typical for you three to hang out on mondays since melly usually had a bad case of them each week. you had innocently slipped in that you just so happened to run into rafe cameron this morning and well, you hadn’t expected that to be melly’s reaction.
“i ran into him. i was late this morning and i wasn’t looking.” you could feel the embarrassment settle in as you recounted the minor event, at least to you.
“did he say anything?” her eyes were blown wide as she leaned across the table.
“i didn’t try to have a conversation with him.” you shrugged and picked at the plate of fries at the center of the table. melly gave you a look of mild bewilderment, the shock of it wearing off.
“missed opportunity.” lina joked, taking a long sip of her shake. “i wouldn’t know what to say either if i ran into him.”
you felt your shoulders loosen as the topic was slowly changing. melly laughed at lina’s remark, teasing her that she would’ve frozen up from bumping into anybody. you smiled and were glad that both of them didn’t take the story too seriously.
minutes later you were laughing loudly, head thrown back as melly was telling a story about her family and a public mishap with a tire. it was interesting to you to hear about what it was like growing up in a completely different environment than the one you did. you supposed that’s something you loved about college; getting to meet people from so many other states and cities.
you were smiling to yourself as you dipped a fry into your shake. just as you put it into your mouth and looked across the table at melly, her composure changed.
“oh, fuck.” she whispered and noticeably tried to look away. “don’t look.”
both you and lina turned around to look toward the front door. a dense group of bodies was coming in through the door, the atmosphere’s volume increasing with their chatter. toward the back you recognized rafe cameron. you weren’t sure at all what it was that made your heart clench in your chest.
“i said don’t look!” melly whispered louder. “oh, god. okay. act normal.” melly straightened up, trying not to be obvious with looking in their direction. you laughed and sat back in the seat. lina practically sunk into hers.
you didn’t watch as they approached, but you did look up once rafe entered your peripheral vision. he was with the guy from this morning, even if you hadn’t noticed him before. you just remembered rafe crouched in front of you while someone just as tall stood behind him, waiting. both of them were sporting lacrosse sweatshirts, along with some others in the group.
“hey, rafe.” melly said easily like she hadn’t just been freaking out over him a second ago.
you watched rafe lift his chin, smiling genuinely at her. you didn’t think anything of it when he glanced at you, the recognition so obvious as his face changed. he continued to walk to his table though, eyes steady on you for what felt like too long.
melly turned around and sank over the table, her mouth open in shock. “oh my god,” she said above the surface.
“oh my god,” lina said, turning to you in bafflement. “i feel like i’m in an alternate universe. did that just happen?”
“he just recognized me.” you brushed it off.
“no, y/n, he knew you. that was longer than five seconds.”
“why are you guys so obsessed with him anyways?” you laughed, trying to take the attention off you.
lina shrugged, seeming taken aback with the question. “i don’t really know.”
“because he’s gorgeous, that’s why.” melly intervened, dipping a fry into her shake.
you looked over melly’s shoulder, wondering what it was exactly that was so intriguing about the lacrosse player. you had had your fair share of athletes and could agree on some being drop dead gorgeous. maybe rafe cameron was just a nice guy all around and melly and lina just had pleasant interactions with him. maybe he was the type of college boy that looked out for everyone’s wellbeing and that’s what made your friends obsess over him. it could be a number of things.
thursday, 8 p.m.
you rubbed your eyes, yawning in the middle of it, and lay back on your bed. you had just closed your computer after typing up a 10-page essay. it was nine when you started it this morning. you were just glad your one class of the day was canceled and that you had time to write the paper before next week. plus, there were no classes tomorrow, and you could have a whole day of doing nothing. you were stoked, to say the least.
feeling a vibration beside you, you reached for your phone and opened a text from lina. incoming in 5, it said, followed by a rattling of knocks on your door. you rolled off the bed and shuffled over, finding her and melly with wide smiles. it was infectious as you felt your own smile appearing on your face.
“what are you guys doing here?” you asked curiously, stepping aside to let them in. the door clicked softly shut as you followed melly to your bed where she went to sit. lina leaned against the wall across from you, careful of your roommate’s things.
“we were invited to a party and we were wondering if you wanted to come with.” lina said, sharing a quick look with melly.
you glanced between them, eyes narrowing. “what’s so special about this party?”
“god, how can you even tell that?” melly asked, slightly rolling her eyes.
“you guys have known each other longer than i've known either of you, but you’re easy to read.” you laughed.
“i don’t like that.” melly said quietly to herself.
you grinned at her, noting her curls springing around her face. melly usually had her hair pulled back out of the way and it was very rare to see her with a different hairstyle. there had been some days where she had braids and you enjoyed seeing the change of pace. lina on the other hand always let her hair down. tonight though, she had straightened it and thrown it into a high ponytail. you hadn’t really gone to a lot of parties with the girls, so seeing them all done-up was always fascinating.
“seriously, what’s the deal?” you asked again, looking to lina since she was the one who had proposed the idea.
she shared another look with melly again before finally coming out with it. “it’s at rafe cameron’s apartment.”
you felt that clenching again in your chest, in that same spot from last night. you swallowed, feeling how dry your mouth was in the span of three seconds.
“well, it’s his and topper’s apartment, so not technically just his.” lina said, waving her hand in enunciation. she crossed her arms. “i have this study group with topper and he invited me and mel and anyone else really.”
“come on, it’ll be fun.” melly said, nudging your arm.
you looked at the girl beside you, ready to say no mostly in panic of seeing rafe. you had nothing to worry about or freak out over, but it was a scary thought. so many things happened at parties. so many things could happen.
“okay,” you said easily.
the prior fears dissipated quickly as lina and melly gave a small cheer and encouraged you to get ready, and to take your time. you spent the next ten minutes asking them what you should wear, going through your side of the closet. all three of you agreed on a plaid skirt you had bought a few weeks before on a spontaneous shopping trip. you only wore it once since then and had been meaning to pull it out again. you paired it with a sweater, something easy to keep you warm through the night instead of bringing a jacket along. lina and melly agreed excitedly when you changed and raised your eyebrows, searching for approval.
9 p.m.
holding on tightly to lina’s hand, you laughed hysterically to the point of tears and a clear indicator in the nether region that you had to pee, badly. a connie bailey rae cover was playing from a speaker near you, your laughter probably not as loud as you thought it to be as you calmed down. melly stopped her ridiculous reenactment and pulled an exaggerated disgusted face as she dodged someone trying to dance with her. you shook with laughter and took a long sip of your drink, tilting your head back to finish it in one gulp.
the party had been way more fun than you thought it would be, especially when you walked the four blocks to get there. lucky for you, you had been smart and worn flat boots. the apartment was a good size for the event and had plenty of space to gather, enough left over for those that wanted a break from either dancing or just to relax. some people you didn’t recognize had the large tv on, a video game on the bright screen. there was plenty of shouting coming from their general direction, a wave of arms and pointing of rigid fingers.
you had seen rafe in passing, but never made the initial eye contact as if to let each other know that you were near. stepping into the apartment and being greeted with his friend topper, you felt like you were intruding or trespassing by being in rafe’s space. you didn’t know him, or topper for that matter, and it felt odd to you to be in their physical home.
“where’s the bathroom?” you asked lina as melly went to get more snacks.
lina stood up on her toes and pointed at a closed door. “i'm pretty positive it’s over there.”
you gave her a nod and walked in the direction she pointed you in, finding a couple people waiting against the wall. you took a place there and acted as a fly on the wall for a total of five minutes since the line went fast. once inside, you took a deep breath, feeling refreshed at the open window and the cool air coming in.
you dried your hands and placed the towel back where it was on the counter and opened the door. the next person waiting rushed in rather quickly, making you stumble against the doorway. you laughed to yourself and felt the rush of sudden wind as the door slammed.
excusing yourself past a small group, you headed toward the refreshments. you were already thirsty after having emptied your bladder seconds before, but you were aware it was just the addictive alcohol buzzing through your system. it was crowded closer to the drinks, rightfully so, and it only took one person to move for you to see rafe acting as a stand-in bartender.
part of you wanted to run right back out of the kitchen and find lina and melly, but the other part of you wanted to give a swift kick to your rear. you chose the latter and walked over to where he was at the counter. he was in the middle of pouring someone else’s drink and you stood on his other side, taking in his appearance while you still could. the blue hat on his head read “obx”, turned backwards. he wore an off-white t-shirt, the graphic design on the back drawing you in. you were too busy staring at his shoulders molded with the fabric to realize he had turned around and you were now staring at his chest. you blinked up at his face, smiling lightly.
“hi.” he said, a small lilt to his voice as he recognized you once again.
“hi.”
“can i get you something?” he asked, and you felt your shoulders falter a little, thinking that was all he was going to say to you. stick to his image of drink tender and have you go on your way. but his body told you differently as he turned fully to face you.
“um, i can get it.” you said, the instant flight taking effect at the very prospect of being shot down.
rafe nodded and stepped out of the way, moving further into the corner of the counter. you smiled at him and poured your own drink, mixing up your favorite. rafe still stood there and you could feel the strong vice his eyes had on you. it made you a little self-conscious, but you relaxed with a deep breath.
“i never got your name.” rafe said just as you took a sip and turned to leave the kitchen. “you know, from the other day.”
“that’s because i was too busy bumping into you.” you let out a small laugh and stepped closer to him, out of the way if someone wanted a drink. you turned your back to the fridge and tried to find a spot to lean on as rafe looked down at you, a smile playing at his lips. “i am sorry about that again. i was in a rush for a class.”
“it’s no problem. i’m just glad you’re okay, we hit pretty hard.”
“y/n.” you said and held out a hand respectfully.
“rafe,” he slipped his hand into yours, warm and strong, and smiled widely.
“i think i’ve heard your name only a million times in the past week.” you admitted, knowing that lina and melly would kill for brownie points. “my friends are a bit obsessed with you and fully willing to educate the newbie.”
“obsessed, huh? lina and mel, right?”
you nodded and took another sip. rafe reached on the counter and grabbed a handful of pretzels. he held some out to you. “they’re nice girls,” rafe said easily. “i’ve hung out with them a couple times, but i didn’t know they were obsessed.” he laughed to himself.
you munched on a pretzel and froze at an idea. “you’re not going to tell them i told you, are you?”
“not unless you want me to.”
you stared at him for a bit longer than you planned, then let out a breath and took another pretzel from his hand. it was odd to be sharing food with him when just the other day you felt like your heart was tearing in your chest. at the moment, you could only feel a dull ache.
“so, how do you like it?” rafe asked.
“like what?”
“campus, the college.”
you nodded and swallowed some of your drink to wash the pretzels down. “things have been really great. i enjoy it here. it’s an immense difference than my first college back home, so i’m happy.”
rafe smiled. “and the party?”
you followed his nod to the people around you, glancing to your original spot where you left lina. you didn’t see her anywhere until some people moved and you found her and melly sat on the couch. they were playing the video game with a whole mess of guys. you grinned.
“the party is great.” you commended, looking back at him. he had finished the rest of the pretzels in his hand.
“good.” he nodded. “i always get nervous when top and i invite people over. we’ve done it a bunch of times, but there’s always the possibility of something going wrong.”
“well, you’re doing great. both of you. hopefully, nothing horrible happens.”
11 p.m.
you would be lying if you said that your conversation with rafe from hours ago wasn’t still running through your head. it was difficult not to think about it when you kept seeing him more often throughout the party. most of the time you’d catch his eye, or vice versa, and instantly smile. you’d then recall the sound of his laugh and would even hear it from feet away. the clenching in your chest was now accompanied by a swirling in your stomach.
you were pacing yourself with your drinks, but by now you were on your fifth of the night. you were completely aware of everything around you and you were enjoying the ongoing buzz. lina and melly were a bit more inebriated than you were, which only added to the fun.
the two girls in front of you were swaying to a song together, not even close to being slow tempo. it was very upbeat, the bass pumping through the walls. the front door to the apartment was now open since it had begun to get warmer with the more and more people that were joining. a few windows were thrown open as well.
“you remember how in freshman year you fell down that flight of stairs and twisted your ankle and practically bashed your head in and then your mom yelled at you and then your sister called to tell you she was pregnant and then your dad! oh my god, and then your dad was like ‘hey i’m thinking of leaving your mom so uh, yeah’ and then your mom was so pissed but then she was fine because she found a total hunk of a man to replace your dad like that,” melly snapped her fingers as your body started to shake with laughter. lina was laughing too, not at all bothered with a quick recap of her, very shitty, first year.
“yes, thank you for reminding me mel. i love when we have tantalizing conversation like this.” lina leaned her head against the others’.
mel giggled, a few hiccups escaping. “i think i need to pee.”
“god, you’re like a peeing machine.” lina sighed and tightened her arm around melly.
“that’s what drinking will do to you.”
lina rolled her eyes and looked at you as she brought melly to the bathroom. you asked quickly if she needed help, but she shook her head and promised they’d be back soon. you watched them go then turned back to the party, turning too fast and not feeling the presence behind you in the moment. a cool liquid pooled over and down your chest, soaking the fabric of your sweater. you gasped at the contact, your mouth dropping open and looking down at the dark stain.
“i— “ you looked up to tell the person it was fine before an apology came out, finding that off-white t-shirt on a very familiar blue-eyed person. “we have to stop meeting like this.”
rafe looked horrified at having spilled his drink all over your sweater, his eyes wide as they stared at your chest.
“that’s the most cliché thing to say.” you said, laughing lightly to ease the tension so obvious in his features.
he let out a laugh too. “you can borrow something of mine. come on,” he held out his hand and you took it willingly, realizing some people were staring at the accident way too curiously. you let rafe lead you up the stairs, the complete darkness on the landing causing you to focus solely on his hand in yours.
rafe opened a door and flipped a light on, your eyes adjusting to the brightness. he led you further in and closed the door behind you before rushing to his dresser, a whole display of cologne bottles on top. as he rummaged through the drawers, you stood just in front of the door, a little timid to step further in. you were holding your sweater away from your chest, already feeling the stickiness of liquid on your skin.
“how’s this one?” he asked, holding out a simple white one.
“you don’t have to give me a shirt.”
“it’s the least i can do. the bathroom is right there.” he handed the shirt to you and nodded just behind your shoulder. you thanked him and went in, closing the door with a click. you pulled the sweater off and dampened a washcloth, wiping the dried drink from your skin. pulling the shirt on, you relished in how soft it was and styled the piece of fabric so it looked better with your skirt.
rafe was sitting on a couch next to his bed, more like a futon, his hands in his pockets and hat off his head. he looked up as you came out, straightening his posture and looking you up and down.
“i’m sorry.” he smiled guiltily.
you smiled and walked over, moving around the small circular coffee table and sitting next to him. “guess it was payback for the other day,” you teased as you folded your sweater and set it next to you.
rafe rolled his eyes with a knowing smile. you glanced at him as you leaned back, feeling the softness and rigidness of the futon. “you look good in my shirt.”
“i feel better in a less damp one.” you said, easing the fluttering in your stomach. your chest clenched again as you crossed your legs.
glancing around rafe’s room, you admired the movie posters on the walls and the multiple lacrosse paraphernalia. one of his jerseys lay crumpled at the end of his bed, the comforter pulled over the pillows to look made. it was better than you did with your bed, you were pretty sure yours was unmade and messy.
it was a decent sized room, plus the bathroom was nice to have. you’d kill for your own bathroom again. it would be nice not to wait in a line. you told yourself that you just had to figure out an earlier schedule so you could beat the crowd.
after a once-over of rafe’s room, you looked over at him to find him already looking at you. he was fully analyzing your face, you could see his eyes flickering to different parts.
you swallowed and licked your lips. “what?”
“nothing.” he said quickly and sighed, laying his head back on the couch.
you squinted at him, now tracing over his features. he looked nervous from what you could tell, his hands moving in his pockets. you stared at his chest moving up and down slowly, the intake of breath coming as it grew bigger. his adam’s apple protruded, bobbing slightly as he swallowed. your chest clenched once again as you looked at his face, watching him look up at the ceiling. he really was handsome. you shifted in your seat, switching your leg over the other.
“that look wasn’t nothing.” you commented, breathing in.
“what look?” he turned his head toward you, eyebrows slightly pushing together. you watched every change in his face, from his eyebrows to his eyes blinking then to his tongue peeking out to lick his lips.
“the look of ‘i want to eat you up’.”
he laughed, the couch shaking with him. “what does that entail?”
“major gazing and bedroom eyes.”
“bedroom eyes, huh?” he hummed and lifted his head. his lips tugged at a smirk.
“am i imagining things?” you asked seriously, slightly doubting if you made the right call. maybe he wasn’t thinking what you thought he had been. maybe you were imagining things.
rafe didn’t answer, instead looking down at the floor. the smirk alone told you that you had been right. his hands flexed in his pockets, hard for you to miss. a few silent minutes passed, the both of you listening to the party still going on downstairs.
“if you want to kiss me, all you have to do is ask.” you said quietly. after a moment you figured he hadn’t heard you, that he had lost himself in staring at the carpet.
“can i?”
“yes,” you nodded.
rafe sat up and met your eyes, moving closer until his thigh was touching yours. you shifted your upper half closer to him, feeling a wave of shivers run through you the second his hand touched your cheek. you instinctively pressed your legs tighter together as your heartbeat picked up and rafe lowered over you, licking his lips once more. they were soft and firm, just as they needed to be. he tilted your chin up, his thumb brushing just beside your mouth as you kissed.
seconds later, you brought your own hands to his face. you were eager to touch him, to feel the solidness of him against you. it was mostly a reassurance that this was in fact happening and that you weren’t dreaming. you pushed a hand into his hair just behind his ear and mirrored the last few pecks he was leaving you before he fully pulled away. you felt a pinch of disappointment, the small taste for him now growing bigger. you had to stop your hands from pulling him back.
he pulled away only a little and you opened your eyes to see him still so close and looking over your face. your breaths mingled together.
“what?” you huffed, letting your head fall back for a second in slight irritation. you just wanted to kiss him again. you let your hand slide down from his hair, resting near his shoulder. you wanted to squeeze the muscle under your hand.
“nothing.” he said again, eyes flickering down to your lips once more. he smiled, holding himself up on the back of the couch. his thumb brushed the same spot on your cheek. “don’t tell anyone, but i’ve been imagining this since you showed up tonight.”
you returned your hand to his hair, slightly scratching with a smile. “i knew you spilled your drink on purpose.”
rafe grinned widely and moved back into you. this kiss was deeper, your lips opening for him when you felt his tongue. his hand left your cheek and appeared on your hip, ever so slightly pushing your shirt up so he could touch your skin at your waist. you smiled against him as you felt his hand slowly creep up the shirt. you were reminded again that it was his and you pulled him closer by the back of the neck, hearing a soft moan leave his lips. your thighs squeezed, your excitement starting to rise.
“you just gave it to me and now you want to take it off?” you teased as rafe’s hand covered one of your breasts, the cool air of the room reaching your skin. rafe smiled and kissed you again.
his hand disappeared, apparently changing his mind, and reappeared on your thigh. you breathed in sharply at the warmth coming from his palm, resting just above your knee. your brain started to spaz for a moment and you imagined a bunch of smaller yous, running in circles like their heads were cut off.
rafe’s hand stayed steady as you uncrossed your legs, a silent invitation. he moved to kiss the corner of your mouth. “is this okay?”
the fact that he was pulling away multiple times to check in on you had to be evidence enough of why lina and melly liked him so much. you hadn’t met many guys that were so in tune with consent or caring about what you wanted. it turned you on seeing it coming from him.
“yes.” you nodded as you touched his forearm, not wanting to seem too eager.
you anticipated his hand moving and when it did, you held back the moan. you were much too eager for teasing and he was showing no signs of not giving you want you wanted. as he got closer to you, you placed your hand over his. he pulled you back for a kiss and you decided to focus on that for a moment to lessen your nerves.
his touch was soft once he met your underwear. his fingers pressed over you and you shivered from how wet you had become because of him. he hummed into your mouth, only adding to the pooling between your legs. his hand reached back and pushed your skirt further up so he could get to you more easily.
you let out a satisfied sigh against his lips as he ran a finger through your folds, collecting your wetness. your underwear had been pushed to the side, out of the way, finally feeling his touch.
“are you this wet for me?” he asked. you nodded against his forehead and pulled him back, letting out a moan as he brushed over your clit. it was only for a second, but you were about ready to burst.
you opened your legs wider for rafe, his fingers moving over you and exploring the new area. you gripped his hand to silently ask him for more along with an impatient moan. you wanted his fingers so badly in places you weren’t ready to admit yet. he wanted the opposite.
“talk to me.” he said, nudging the side of your face with his nose, planting a kiss to your jaw. you opened your eyes that had fallen shut, your breath getting heavier. your chest felt like it was going to cave in.
“please,” you said, adjusting your hips. “please, touch me.”
“i am.” he pulled away, a menacing smirk on his face just to gauge your reaction.
you huffed out and pulled his hand closer. “you know what i mean, rafe.”
“i like when you say my name.” he pressed a kiss to your lips sweetly.
“i might like when you touch me, so get on with it already.”
rafe laughed huskily, his breath blowing over your face. “you want my fingers?”
you wanted to roll your eyes at how badly he wanted you to beg, but you wanted his fingers more. “yes, please. i want your fingers. give me something.”
you let go of his hand as he finally pushed a finger into you. you adjusted around him for a moment and felt the need to close your legs to keep him there. he pulled your lips back to his, his tongue quick to lick into you. you held his face again as his finger started to move inside of you.
“you want another, pretty girl?” he asked after a few moments passed. you nodded again, breathing hoarsely, too intoxicated in him to speak. a second finger pushed into you then, stretching you ever so slightly. you sighed, letting your head fall back to the couch.
“you’re so wet.” he said as he moved his fingers, delighting in the sounds he was making with you in the palm of his hand. “you’re taking my fingers so well, y/n. do they feel good?”
you moaned as he said your name for the first time. it was something you didn’t think you’d like so much, but with the current situation, it was wonderful.
rafe’s lips appeared on your neck. you held the back of his head as he pressed a few kisses then closed his lips over a spot closer to your collarbone. if your breath had been short then, it was even shorter now as he worked to leave a mark on you. with all the attention you were getting, it only brought you closer to your release, and you started to move your hips. he freed your skin, startled at your movements, then amazed as he watched you chase his fingers. the spot he left throbbed now, all your blood rushing to two places at once.
“are you going to come?” he asked as you heard the start of song you had been replaying for the past few weeks. it was muffled and you could barely hear the words, but you knew it by heart.
“yes, fuck.” you looked up at him, taking in the sight. he was breathing over you, his eyes never straying too far from yours as your mouth opened in pleasure. “rafe, make me come.”
you squeezed your eyes shut as he kissed you hard, breathing deeply into your mouth. he reached his thumb to your clit and began to draw circles at a normal pace with his fingers. your stomach started to twist, the familiar feeling forming fast as he picked up the pace. he could tell you were close by the sheer dig of your fingertips on the back of his neck. it only edged him on more to bring you to your climax.
“come on my fingers.” he said, eyes half closed as he looked at you, lips brushing over yours as he spoke. you whimpered and felt your hips twitch before stilling completely, trapping rafe’s hand between your legs, as you came undone. his thumb continued to move to help you through it. your jaw went slack, eyes rolling under your eyelids, as you moaned loudly. you felt an overwhelming sense of content, the adrenaline rush coming and going quickly.
your blood pumped in your ears and it took you a few moments to register rafe giving you subtle kisses all over the underside of your jaw. you breathed in shakily and let your head fall back on the couch, your knees separating. rafe took his hand away and you winced as he did. you already missed the contact.
the moment was completely ruined as his name was called up the stairs. rafe’s lips disappeared from you as he looked toward the door. you didn’t know what came over you as you pulled your skirt down over your thighs, the footsteps heavy outside his door before a couple of his friends burst in.
“guys, come on. get the fuck out!” he shouted in annoyance, sitting up completely, his leg still touching yours.
“woah, sorry.” they said as they took in your presence. you shifted and knew that they could probably tell what you and rafe had been doing. they evidently didn’t care as they went into a whole spiel of something that had taken place downstairs. rafe tried to stop them and their alcohol-induced exuberance.
he looked at you over his shoulder, touching you lightly on the knee. “i'm sorry.” he said, his friends not hearing as they talked to one another. “i'll see you downstairs?”
part of you felt completely stupid when he said it, like everything that had happened moments ago was just an imagination. you felt your shoulders slump, but you nodded and got up anyways. the door was quick to close behind you and you were left in the dark landing, leaning against the wall to catch your breath. you smoothed your hair, took a deep breath, and fixed your underwear and skirt again.
your eyes adjusted gradually as you went down the stairs back into the swing of things. you swallowed, your mouth still dry post-climax. you went into the kitchen and filled up a cup with water, downing it slowly and stepping out of the way of some people. you couldn’t help but feel drained as you watched the people around you, laughing, dancing, and drinking. you had just spent the last 30 minutes in rafe cameron’s room and now you didn’t know what to do with yourself.
“y/n!” you looked up at melly coming toward you, her makeup slightly smudged, but that didn’t change how great she looked. “there you are!”
you gave her an assured smile and finished the water in your cup. “hey.” you tried not to let anything show.
“lina and i are ready to go if you want to come with. i think we’re going to get some food somewhere in town. i was thinking curly fries or a veggie burger. lina is dying for— wait, where did you go? we looked everywhere.” her expression suddenly changed to one of concern as she stepped closer to you.
“i— uh, well clearly not everywhere.” you said shamelessly, feeling your neck grow warm.
melly opened her mouth to say something then stopped. “oh my god, why are you so flushed? what happened to your sweater?” she looked at the shirt, her eyes catching on something near your collarbone. her eyes went wide as you tried to hide the mark. “oh my god!”
monday, 4 p.m.
“i was thinking that it could go more like this,” your friend said as she pressed a few buttons on her laptop. a new beat started from the computer, the screen following along with the track. you bobbed your head along with the beat.
the campus coffeeshop was somewhere you liked to go, mostly to meet your friends, but you also enjoyed the coffee. sometimes before class you’d make it just in time to get an extra scone before they were all gone. it was a cozy place too, filled with older antiques and an endless display of guitars on every wall. sometimes they’d have an open mic for students, letting anyone with any sort of musical or comical talent perform. most of the acts were later in the week though so no one had to worry about coursework.
after your classes today, you had met up with a friend you hadn’t seen in a while. she was eager to show you what she had been working on for her musical composition classes and you had expressed that you were willing to listen.
the past weekend had been spent mulling over a certain party and a certain someone you couldn’t seem to forget. not that you tried to, to be fair. you’d hadn’t seen him since, which was nothing new given the amount of times you had encountered the boy since that day on campus or seen him for the first time in the library. you didn’t find things weird, but things were left upspoken and it had been bothering you. you knew that melly or lina could’ve easily gotten his number for you, had you asked, but you couldn’t bring yourself to, nor did you know what you would say. all you could do was hope that he was doing well and maybe, perhaps, thinking of you too.
it was inevitable to escape having to talk about what happened in rafe’s room with melly and lina. you weren’t willing to share all of the details right down to what he smelled like, but you didn’t deny that nothing occurred. they seemed satisfied when you recounted having to change your sweater and rafe being kind enough to offer you one of his shirts.
speaking of the shirt, you had gone to your dorm that night and taken it off, seeing that “cameron” was written on the back, along with a large number. no doubt it was for lacrosse. the prospect of it made you shiver before folding it up to leave on your desk. you hadn’t touched it since.
“christ, i've got a meeting with my advisor soon.” your friend said, quickly exiting the program on her screen and closing her computer. “thank you again so much for listening. i can’t express how relieving it is to have someone do this.”
you waved her off with a sweet smile and packed up your own things. “i'm always around if you need a first-time listener.”
both of you stood and pushed the metal chairs in. you followed her to the exit, listening to her as she explained the reasoning for her upcoming meeting. both doors opened, the one from her pushing and the other from rafe coming in. you looked up as he met your eyes, and you couldn’t deny how good it was to see him.
“hey,” he smiled at you as all three of you paused.
before you could say anything, the words sticking to your tongue, you looked back to your friend. she was looking between the both of you, unsure of what was going on. you swallowed and acknowledged her. “i’ll see you later?”
a small smile came onto her face as she looked at rafe then back to you and nodded. the door closed softly behind her. you looked back at rafe as you felt his hand ghosting over your forearm.
“hi,” you said finally.
“it’s good to see you. come up with me?” he gestured to the register and you nodded, letting him take your hand. you didn’t think too much of it as you stood alongside him as he ordered. when the cashier asked if there would be anything else, rafe looked at you expectantly. you blanked for a second, remembering that you didn’t get a drink earlier when you first arrived. you had immediately gone for a sandwich, satisfied that that would be your dinner.
rafe pulled out his wallet and paid for the two drinks. he then led you toward the pick-up counter and faced you with a soft smile. “how have you been?”
“okay,” you breathed in deeply. you weren’t exactly sure how to answer. were you supposed to tell him how freaked out you had been? no, you decided, best not to. “the weekend was busy.”
“mine too. i've got practice tonight so i thought i’d stop by for some energy. i’m glad i ran into you.”
you refrained from asking him if he was serious. you could see on his face that he was with the way he looked at you. “rafe—”
before you could say much of anything else, rafe’s hands appeared on your cheeks and his lips pressed to yours. you kissed him back just as gently even though you wanted to do more now that you felt him again. he pulled away as his order was called, turning to thank the barista as he took the two cups.
“come to my place to study? after practice, i mean.” he said as he held your cup out to you. you looked at it then back up at his questioning eyes, a sliver of hope in them. you pushed down the question at the tip of your tongue and accepted the coffee.
“we’re just studying?”
rafe beamed and nodded. “i have a huge test tomorrow that i can’t fail, so yes.”
7 p.m.
before parting ways with rafe earlier he had finally taken your phone and put his number in it, but not before taking an odd photo of himself. it made you laugh watching it happen though. he promised that he would be done with practice around now and you left your dorm a little earlier than you planned to. it was out of pure thrill really.
knocking on the front door, you waited patiently for it to be answered. you shifted the books in your arms as you heard soft footsteps behind the door. rafe opened it, standing in loose-fitting clothes with damp hair. he smiled instantly and welcomed you in.
it was a drastic difference compared to the party. the house was eerily quiet, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. rafe turned to you from the door.
“how many books did you bring?” he asked seriously, glancing at them against your chest.
“just two,” you said defensively only until you saw the grin. you rolled your eyes and turned away from him to kick your shoes off.
he was chuckling to himself as he went into the kitchen and pulled out snacks to have. “do you want anything to drink?”
“water would be great.”
“smart choice. less sticky.” he said, his back to you, but you could hear the satisfied tone of his voice at his remark.
once he gathered drinks and a plate of snacks, he led you upstairs. it was brighter this time with his door already open and lights already on. you glanced at the other closed one down the short hall, finding the sliver underneath completely dark. maybe topper wasn’t home.
“how was practice?” you asked, setting your things down. he placed the plate on the coffee table and took a seat on the floor. you brushed your hair away from your face and sat down beside him.
“good. just ran some drills, normal practice stuff.” he shrugged, munching on a chip.
“is topper not home?” you set your books on the table and opened them up to where you had marked. rafe moved to grab his things from his bag sitting on the couch. he copied your actions and pulled out a pencil and a notebook.
“no, he went out with some of the guys for food.” he said easily, opening to a blank page. you watched curiously as he wrote down the topic he was studying for.
both of you fell into a silence as you started to read from your books. you were worried about it being a strange silence, knowing what happened the last time you were in this room. it was fairly difficult to push it out of your mind and to focus when rafe was right next to you, so close, along with the thoughts and memory of his touch. you pushed everything out of your head and concentrated back on the page you were reading from.
it wasn’t long when rafe’s hand appeared on your bent leg. they were crossed under you and he had placed his hand like it belonged over the side of your knee. you looked at him in your peripheral but didn’t see him look up once to acknowledge that he had in fact done that. instead you let it happen, ignoring the way it warmed up your skin. you swallowed in anticipation of him interrupting your studying session to turn it into a quick make out session, but the longer the minutes passed the longer his hand stayed where it was. after a while, you forgot about it.
if you had taken one look at rafe, with no prior knowledge of him or of the way his hands felt on you, you would have never guessed that he becomes so engrossed in studying. for the whole two hours that you both spent together with your noses in textbooks, he hadn’t once started a conversation. he kept at reading and writing, jotting things down in his notebook, while you held your head above your own book and soaked up every last word. it was comforting knowing that. the plate had even emptied, mostly due to rafe’s insatiable appetite after practice. you weren’t that hungry from your sandwich earlier.
“okay, that’s it.” rafe said abruptly, causing you to look up as his hand left your knee. “my eyes are going to bleed if i read anymore.”
you laughed lightly and looked back at your book. “are you sure you studied enough?”
“i wrote a whole ten pages worth of notes.” he flipped through them, the pages brushing together.
you hummed, still engrossed in your text. rafe shuffled next to you, dropping his notebook over the open pages along with his pencil. he let out a long sigh which turned into a yawn.
“are you done?” he asked innocently, his head appearing on your shoulder.
you glanced at him and shrugged him off with a smile. “maybe.”
“come on,” he groaned and reached for your textbook. you automatically smacked his hand away. he laughed and quickly flipped it closed and took ahold of your chin to face him.
“that was a dick move.” you said, punching him softly on the arm.
“pay attention to me.” he whined, letting go of your chin only to touch your cheek.
you eyed him as he came closer, finally kissing you when you didn’t punch him again or push him away. you kissed him back as best you could with the speculation seeping into your brain then. rafe seemed to be able to tell.
“what is it?” he asked when he pulled away, running his thumb lightly along your cheekbone. it was reassuring almost.
you looked at him, trying to think of the best way to phrase it. you also thought about how badly it could go given the answer you were dreading. “i'm just— it’s nothing.” you shook your head quickly and leaned in to distract him with another kiss.
he reciprocated for only a moment. “what is it? you can tell me.”
“i guess i'm just wondering what we’re doing.” you rolled your shoulder as if you had a knot, pulling away from rafe in case he didn’t want to touch you. his hand fell from your face and he leaned his side against the couch.
“what do you want to do?”
you gave him a serious glare. “don’t make this a game, rafe. i'm just…wondering what your intentions are.”
rafe adjusted his posture and sat up straighter, all his attention on you. his eyebrows creased and you bit the inside of your lip self-consciously, knowing this wasn’t going to go how you wanted it.
“well, i'm enjoying spending time with you.”
“studying?” you asked with a monotone.
rafe glanced away from you as if he were wondering if he said the wrong thing. “yeah. is that so hard to believe?”
you wanted to huff again, but you held the breath in. your shoulders started to tense as you became frustrated. not because of him, mostly because of yourself for not being able to communicate. you felt stupid for asking it, but you did. “do you like kissing me?”
“of course i do.”
“is that all you want to do?” you finally asked, quickly looking away from him. you reached toward your textbook, fiddling with the pages.
“no,” rafe said. “i want to get to know you.”
it was hard for you not to roll your eyes. rafe noticed and a second later his hand touched your shoulder, gently shaking it.
“i'm serious. hey, look at me.” he pleaded, and you did. “i want to get to know you, but only if you’ll let me. i know the other night was weird and i don’t know— spontaneous, but i enjoyed it and i enjoy being around you. you’re not the only one who’s been thinking about it.”
“i’ve probably been thinking about it more than you.” you chided in a quiet voice, trying to tease him. you were pleased by the answer he gave you and you felt a little silly for being so stubborn at first.
rafe smiled slightly, eyes soft. “let’s just keep doing what we’re doing and see where it goes, okay?”
you took a deep breath in, pushing your book away and nodding. “okay.”
rafe’s hand rubbed your shoulder comfortingly before he pulled you in for an awkwardly placed hug. the side of your body fell into his chest, but he hugged you, nonetheless, pressing a quick kiss to the crown of your head. you turned into him and smiled widely, your cheeks strained to hold it, and hugged him around the shoulders.
all the time spent worrying about whether he reciprocated your feelings or thoughts were so obviously wasted as you spent the rest of the night together. you took it slow, never straying from innocent kisses as you curled up together to watch a movie. you couldn’t help grinning multiple times throughout the night, knowing that things wouldn’t be difficult like you thought. it was easy when you expressed yourself and talked things over, even mentioning small things made a difference. maybe this would turn out to be another smart decision. you had a feeling there were plenty of possibilities with rafe cameron, but only time would tell.
627 notes · View notes