#cause then it starts turning into a chore and then i’ll no longer wanna work on it

[ashdash2417]

I’m sorry for the lack of original posts… it will continue to happen. 😔

[wildblue2020]

Brozone: Getting their S/O to sleep🌙headcannons

John Dory 🐶

You both spent the day together in Rhonda, adventuring

By the time night falls he's expecting you to be in bed waiting for him so he can cuddle you

If you're not, then he'll do one of two things depending on what you're doing

First, he'll whine for you to come to bed

Which annoys the living heck out of you but internally you find it cute cause he's like a whiney little puppy

"BAAAAABE COME TO BED!!! I WANNA CUDDLEEE!!!"

"In a minute hun!"

"A MINUTE IS FOREVER, COME TO BEEEEED!"

The whining will go on for at least a half hour or even longer

Then there's the second option

He comes out of the bedroom to find you

And as soon as he sees you, he's picking you up, hoisting you over his shoulder and carrying you to the bedroom

You probably should've known this was gonna happen but you were too busy squirming and hitting his back

"JOHN DORY!! IF YOU DON'T PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW-"

Before you could finish yelling, he had you pinned on the bed

Narrowing his eyes down at you

He then lays down on you, little spoon position, and grips your hips the way he does in the morning refusing to let you go and whines like an excited puppy

You giggle and kiss him on the forehead taking off his goggles and setting them aside on the nightstand

"I love you." "I love you too, hun."

Spruce/Bruce 🌹

It was closing night at the restaurant

You were in the kitchen doing dishes for the night since you were on dish duty

Until your boyfriend swoops in calling your name

"Y/NN my lovee!!"

At first, he tries to convince you that someone else can do the night chores

Just to get you to sleep or cuddle with him before you both really have to sleep

"Not right now sweetie, I gotta finish these dishes tonight so we have enough for tomorrow."

"My love, you've done enough already the rest can wait until the morning!"

"I'm coming to bed sweetie, I promise. Just give me a minute."

But as soon as you let out a yawn his hands start to trail around your waist/hips circling it with his fingers making your body slightly jolt

"Come on my love~ It’s time for bed~"

When you say his name sternly, he doesn't stop there

He's now whispering sweet nothings into your ear just to test you...

"But I miss you when you’re not by my side~”

"Are you sure you want to keep doing dishes when you could be in my bed right now~?"

When you turn around to face him and scold him, he's giving you that innocent dad smile

You reluctantly sigh giving in

When you two finally are in bed, he assures that Brandi can finish the dishes in the morning

If he's also feeling seducing enough, then you two will kiss before falling asleep in each other's arms

Clay 📗

This is most likely to happen when you're working on paperwork for too long

You're normally stressed out by the time night falls

Putt Putt Village is a lot of work to run after all

As soon as he sees you, he'll come up behind you and give you a kiss on the cheek making you let out a giggle

"Hiiii baby!"

"Hi sweetheart, I’ll come to bed in a minute. Just gonna get these last two papers out of the way”

"It can wait until tomorrow you need rest."

You politely decline assuring him it was okay and that you'll go to sleep as soon as you are done

Clay wasn't having that

His hand is now on your thigh rubbing it and his breath is on the nape of your neck making your cheeks go red

"You're coming to bed." He’ll say in that petty voice of his

When you tried to protest again, he is now kissing your nape making you go redder in the face

He takes this chance to take the pen out of your hand without his lips leaving your nape that are now travelling down to your shoulder

"C-Clay!"

"I’m not stopping until you come to bed."

"Clay! I still gotta-"

He abruptly stops and spins the chair you're sitting in so you could face him fully as he puts his hands on the desk trapping you in between his arms narrowing his eyes at you

"You're coming to bed."

"Okay Clay okay. You win." You mutter defeated/flustered

By the time the door to his admin office/bedroom is shut, Clay is scooping you up onto the bed and kissing you to sleep

"You're so petty, you know that?" You grumbled

"Well do you know, you love it~?" He smirked

"Yeah... I do" You stifle a giggle before you both cuddle to sleep

Floyd 🩷

Because of Floyd being the sweetest of all sweethearts wouldn't mind up staying up late with you for a little while

Most likely scrapbooking or late-night talks

But until that yawn escapes your lips, he looks at you with that meaning it was time to go to sleep

"Is someone getting tired~?"

"Pfft no, it was just a yawn." Then you'd continue scrapbooking

"Yeah, that means you're tired~"

"I have no idea what you're talking about..."

But just when you think you are off the hook, he suddenly catches you off guard taking the scrapbook out of your hands and kisses you on the lips

He looks at you with that smug and ILLEGAL cute look on his face

"Come on sunshine, let's go to sleep."

"Floyd it's fine I'm not tired-"

He kissed you again

"Floyd-"

Another kiss

The more you try to talk, the more he kisses you and then it leads to play wrestling with you trying to make him stop until you give in

"Okay okay you win!"

"Does that mean you're going to sleep with me now~?"

"Yes."

"Good."

When you both get in his room, he may want to kiss a little more before going to sleep

And who are you to say no?

[random111sposts]

What do you guys think of this? (This is a small sample of a story I've been working on. Idk if I should practice Show, Don't Tell more so tell me what you guys think)

“Thank god, they left!” A girl screams with an exasperated sigh and a smile as the others give hardy laughs in response.

“Ain’t that right, Monki?” A smile with eyes on the man in question.

“Huh?” He blurts out the minute his name is called.

“You must be happy about the fact that you don’t have to baby that brat anymore like a mother.”

Chuckles followed by a few snorts and wheezes.

Some are a bit quieter than others, or perhaps more forced than others would be a more appropriate description. Especially since the strainers seem to be looking at others before joining in on the laughs.

Like puppies looking for approval or permission from their owners.

“What? No, they’re not that bad.” For some reason, Monki’s voice fades slightly with his strained smile.

The person’s eyes widen as they tilt their head more at Monki, a slight grin starts to form as they talk with their eyes remaining wide, “You sure? You’re telling me you never got annoyed with Alex’s bullshit whining and shit? How they kept getting other people in trouble?”

“Well, that is true.” Monki chuckles.

Lying doesn’t come easy for him, but he usually succeeds. The others don’t seem to notice the strain in his voice and laughs, nor how heavy his cheeks feel when he attempts to smile it all away.

They don’t even notice how Monki jolts when the others grab him into a side-hug of camaraderie as they assume him to be in agreement with words he himself despises.

They rub his arm like siblings do when they are especially proud.

Siblings…

Didn’t Monki and Alex consider each other as sworn siblings? Not biological by any sense. But the bond was cherished enough for Alex to suggest the two arrange for an adoption or something similar to be able to make each other an actual family.

Right?

“See yah, Monki. If ever you wanna vent about your troubles with Alex when they were still here, you know where to find us.”

“Yeah, thanks guys.” He smiles with a wave as he walks away with Melissa.

She also smiles at the group, though not as wide as Monki’s.

The minute they enter their chambers, however, Monki’s somber demeanor is evident. Almost like someone got their caked up make-up removed in an instant. Like the mask has been forcibly torn away in seconds and all that’s left are the scratches and splotches from improper removal.

Melissa doesn’t react with surprise though, she just gives him a look with soft eyes and lowered lips. She thinks for a moment then lowers her gaze, the two of them just going around the house, tending to the dogs, almost like robots on pilot mode.

Melissa wants to speak, wants to ask, wants to console. But she says nothing. It seems her fear of worsening the situation is taking the better of her like usual. So she just gives him space, she gives him time.

Does he need time? Does he want time?

She gives it, anyhow.

She walks towards the sink and starts working on the dishes. Normally Monki would insist that Melissa rest while he takes care of the chores, and he does exactly that.

But it takes a little longer than usual for him to notice Melissa at the sink.

“Melissa, it’s okay. You don’t have to, I’ll do the dishes. You get rest now, it’s late.”

Melissa turns her head to look behind her, a bit uncomfortable by the strain it causes on her neck and shoulders.

“But, you always do the dishes. And you don’t seem okay today.”

“I am okay, I just…” He goes closer to Melissa, but stays focused at the sink.

“Just let me do it, please.”

“Monki-”

“Melissa, please.”

“Monki!”

“Melissa!”

They both stop, eyes widened with lips parted at an almost perfect synchronization. They stare for a moment before Monki looks away, Melissa remains gazing at him though. Her eyes remain wide, a bit shaky. Almost like a glass of water that was about to spill for a moment.

Her eyebrows shake slightly, as if unsure if they wanna lower themselves or tilt upwards.

“Fine.” Her eyebrows decide to bend low as her eyelids do the same, her teeth grit slightly as she stomps away.

Despite her frown, her eyes seem to be gathering some tears for some reason as she leaves.

Same with Monki, his eyes share the same signs of annoyance and tiredness, yet the way his lips move slightly and his eyes soften seem to suggest guilt of some kind.

Should he apologize? Or give space?

Does she need space? Does he want space?

He gives it, anyhow.

[yamagucji]

Reacting to their s/o breaking down

ft. atsumu, oikawa, aone, and sakusa

warnings. little angst, lots of crying but lots of fluff

ATSUMU

when he saw you sprinting to your bedroom as soon as you came home, he was enraged to say the least

because those are definitely tears on your eyes, and atsumu’s now wondering as to who might’ve hurt you

he straight up panicks at first, because he doesn’t know if it’s a good time to approach you or not. so he does what he’s done to comfort his brother before— by giving you company outside your door

“angel?” he knocked lightly, sliding down to the floor and leaning his head against the door. he can hear your muffled sobs, it hurts. he wishes it were him instead of you

“if ya wanna talk just let me know, but... if not, i’ll be here waiting for you.”

so atsumu waits. he waits for as long as you need; 30 minutes, 1 hours, to a couple hours. it doesn’t matter, because when you open the door he’ll be there

after calming down a bit, you called out to him under your bedroom sheets. “tsumu...?”

he replies, almost instantly. “yeah? what do you need?”

“...you.”

and just like that he barges into your room, nearly jumping into bed and engulfing you in his arms

“feelin’ better?” he mumbled against you, rubbing the back of your head with his palm

atsumu will do his best not to barge you with his questions, waiting for you to open up at your own pace

now this man will literally turn into a whole COMEDIAN trying to make you feel better afterwards

yes put a red plush on his nose and call him clown atsumu <3

would also offer to take you to a convenience store

“ice cream? chips? what else d’you want babe?” atsumu peeked from the aisle over, his arms already loaded with goods

it’s 2 in the morning but atsumu doesn’t give a F!CK especially after seeing you so distraught a while ago. he’ll do anything to make you feel better quickly

OIKAWA

you never meant to break down over such a small accident, but you slipping on the floor along with your plate of food had made you tip over

out of such a terrible week, even your food couldn’t be spared

oikawa had watched you from the couch and was about to break into laughter (whole heartedly) if it wasn’t for the sight of you bringing your knees against your chest and sobbing

“love?” oikawa rushed over to you. “hey it’s alright, i can prepare you another plate of food” he cooed, feeling guilty of what had happened

he saves the cleaning for later, leaving the spilled food on the floor

“ah, come on look at me,” he pulled your head out of your knees, realizing now that your cause of breakdown wasn’t just because of the food

oikawa knows just how it feels to have a bad day, and on top of that, to eventually tip over because of all the heavy weight. so he makes you talk it out with him

tears, hiccups and probably snot running down your nose— oikawa will listen to every word you muster to say to him

“is that why? why didn’t you tell me earlier?” he wipes a tear off your face, his gentle voice cradling you

“b- because,” you hiccuped, “i didnt want to bother you with my problems” :(

he’ll wipe every tear off your face, giving you a few headpats and soft kisses on your forehead

“you’ll never bother me,” he mumbled against you. “next time, don’t be afraid to tell me what’s wrong okay?”

he sits with you for a little while longer, letting you pour everything you’ve bottled up out of you. and once you’ve finally calmed down does he start cleaning up

of course, all you need to do is get comfortable on the dining chair while he does the rest of the work

oikawa will put on the silly apron that you got him with pride, making sure to show it off and ease up your mood

“ha! don’t i look good?”

you huffed out a laugh, finally letting out your first smile of the night

whatever it is you want to eat, he’ll cook it for you <3

even though he’s already eaten just a couple hours ago, oikawa will also make a plate for himself so you don’t have to eat alone

AONE

you’ve been trying to get through your school work for hours now, but it’s just too difficult

“one more,” you told aone, bouncing to another question on your paper only to find that it’s even more difficult to answer than the rest

he sat quietly beside you; finally giving you space after asking if he could help you a few times before

you see... you definitely needed his help and although you’re sure aone was doing pretty well in this subject, you didn’t want to bother him nor show him that you were struggling :(

but before you knew it, tears were pooling down your face and onto your workbook

“hey,” aone mumbled, immediately soothing gentle motions over your back. “let’s take a break.” you know there’s no point in arguing— not with the way he’s closing up your materials

but you do, anyway. “but i- i have to finish this,” you huffed out defeatedly

seeing aone’s concerned expression makes you cry out more, and it doesn’t help when he starts to pull your face closer to his, wiping away at your cheeks

“hm, we’ll do it together, okay love? i am positive you’ll be able to get through this,”

“but right now,” he takes your hand, coaxing you over to his bed. “i think it’s time for a break”

the two of you will lay together on his bed, with your head on aone’s chest and his palms running over your back

it’s more of a quiet moment— save for your muffled sobbing

though once in a while aone will put his lips close to your ear and whisper words of affirmations to you

“im proud of you today. you should be, too,”

“i can see that you work really hard on your studies... but it’s okay to take a break sometimes”

he pulls your head slightly away from his chest, slipping a kiss to your forehead. “taking a break just means you’ll become even more stronger,”

and you know just how much those words weigh, especially coming from aone

aone won’t mind if you fall asleep. he’ll actually be more than grateful— to finally see you at peace

so the next time you get through with your work, he’ll be there with you <3

(he’ll even offer to have you sit on his lap as the two of you do work but only if you’re comfy)

SAKUSA

sakusa’s a very careful person, but his words can be jarring at times

you know that as his s/o, he never has an intent to hurt you. but this time... he’d struck a nerve without meaning to

“i just don’t see why it’s such a serious matter to you,” he replied, staring straight ahead on the pathway ahead of him

the two of you were talking about something from your past— something that continues to bother you

you took his words as: why are you so sensitive about it?

when sakusa had actually meant: there’s no need to be so worried

it had felt as if sakusa didn’t care about your situation, so you left the conversation there and sulked in silence for the rest of your walk home

he certainly noticed

just as he was unlocking the entrance door with his keys, sakusa had mumbled in frustration. “what’s going on with you today...”

and that was the last straw

you turned to him with frustration, too, the build-up tears finally escaping your eyes

“what do you mean-” you hiccuped, “what do you mean what’s going on with me today? i tried to tell you but it seemed like...”

sakusa lets go of the keys, the entrance door still closed. “like what?” he dared to whisper

“like you didn’t care, omi...”

he paused for a moment, watching as you looked down from him; hiding your face and your feelings

sakusa doesn’t know what overcame him— it’s not like him to act on instinct but he did just now

he brings you to his arms, taking off his mask in the process and leaning his cheek beside your head

“i dont,” he says cautiously this time. “i don’t know what made you think that, but i can assure you that i care about you,”

“the most,” sakusa added

he was hugging you a bit tighter than usual, his chest beathing in a frenzy against your ears

sakusa will clarify to you what he had said earlier, making sure to voice out his true intentions and feelings

and yes, you’re sobbing in his arms outside the house but he doesn’t give any care to that at all

sakusa presses a kiss on top of your head, gently pulling you off of him after your sobbing had calmed down

“let’s come in,” his fingers intertwines with yours, finally pulling you inside

ah, but you remembered something. “oh, sorry... i took a lot of time out of our chores today”

sakusa turns back to you, scruffling your head

“don’t worry about it. i’m taking care of you today.”

please send an ask to be added to my taglist!

[miracleonice87]

anything with matty tkachuk! but maybe a fluffy one where it’s your first season living together after being long distance for awhile and it’s like the moments you guys go through? first fight, first night together, new game day rituals, etc.

a/n: the last of the requests for the moment! I’ll probably open them back up soon. here’s a piece with a few vignettes referred to in the request. enjoy! 

warnings: partners arguing, brief mention of sex

_____

Firsts

first night…

“You’re going to throw your back out.”

Matthew scoffed. “You think you’re so heavy but you weigh next to nothing,” he insisted, scooping his arm beneath the crooks of your knees, the other steady beneath your underarms as he lifted you off the ground.

You chuckled, covering your face with your hand shyly.

“Matthew,” you whined. He shook his head.

“Nope, we’re doing it,” he told you, walking toward the front door. “You’re finally moving in with me. We’re doing the cheesy ‘carry you over the threshold’ thing.”

You couldn’t argue with that. Smiling, you looped your arms around his neck and resigned to his resolve. A few yards more, and Matthew was kicking open the door with one foot.

As he stepped into the house, he let out an adorable “ta daaa!” and beamed at you.

“Welcome home, princess,” he said sweetly. You leaned in to kiss him and pinched gently at his cheek.

“Thank you, my love,” you said. Matthew put you down carefully and closed the door behind him. As you stepped forward into the living room — your living room — you spotted not only a gorgeous bouquet of blush pink roses, but also an overflowing gift basket filled with an array of your favorite items. The jasmine candles you always burned in your own apartment, the lavender tea you drank each night before bed, your favorite shampoo and conditioner, the shower gel you always stocked up on at your favorite St. Louis boutique — all of it, and more, was tucked inside.

“Baby…” you began breathlessly, running your hand along the perimeter of the wicker. “What did you do?”

Matthew approached from behind with a smile, wrapping his arms around your middle and burying a kiss in your hair.

“I just wanted you to have some things that’ll hopefully make you feel at home here,” he said somberly. “And I gotta admit, Taryn helped me track down the stuff from St. Louis,” he added with a chuckle.

You turned in his hold to face him, and he noted the glistening in your green eyes as he reached for your face.

“You are so sweet. Thank you, baby,” you said, pressing your lips against his. When you parted, Matthew noticed the way your bright smile had faded. He knew why.

As thrilled as you were to be moving in with Matthew at last after a full year of dating long distance, you were still anxious leaving your hometown of St. Louis. You couldn’t wait to start your life in Calgary with Matthew, but living so far from your family and childhood friends had you battling homesickness from the second you took off from Lambert. The reality had caused you to break down on the plane and was bringing tears to your eyes once more.

“You okay?” Matthew asked kindly, kissing your forehead repeatedly. You held his wrists and nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” you said.

“I know it’s not gonna be easy, sweetheart,” Matthew said, pulling you closer. “But your parents are welcome here anytime, and you can go visit them literally whenever you want. And you know my parents are gonna be up here way more now that you’re here. We all know they like you better than me,” he told you, pulling a giggle from you as you looked up at him with a smirk.

“There’s a smile,” he said. You nodded, sniffling.

“Trust me, Matthew, I’m so happy to be here with you,” you assured him. “This is where I’ve wanted to be for so long, and you’re so gracious for having me here. And I can’t believe how thoughtful these gifts were. The excitement I feel to start my life with you outweighs any sadness I’ll feel. Trust me on that.”

Matthew grinned, and you couldn’t help but reflect his joy in your own expression.

“I love you, princess,” he said, hugging you tight. “Welcome home.”

“I love you, too, Matthew,” you said against his shoulder.

_____

first fight…

It had taken a few weeks, but you soon settled into your new life in Calgary with little trouble. Spending every day with Matthew felt like a dream — you were both giddy when you hopped into bed together each night and woke up next to each other the following morning.

As Matthew began training camp, you found your own routine with your work as a freelance graphic designer. You only put in about twenty to thirty hours per week, which Matthew knew you did because you wanted to, not because you felt you needed to. He reminded you every so often that you could quit at any point if you no longer felt the need to work — though you told him not to hold his breath.

Matthew refused to let go of his housekeeper, as he wanted to save you from doing all of the chores, though you did insist on taking over the bulk of the household duties because you actually found them enjoyable — scheduling, grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking, laundry, and paying bills.

It was that last little item that caused the first tiff between you and Matthew since you had moved in with him — in fact, the first tiff the two of you had had in months.

One afternoon, after Matthew returned home from practice, he kissed your cheek and grabbed a glass of water before sitting down at the kitchen table to chat with you, as he did almost every day. As you worked on a logo design for a client, Matthew sat scrolling through his phone; then, eyebrows furrowing, he paused.

“Hey, babe?” he began. You acknowledged him with a distracted “hmm?” without looking away from your screen.

“It’s no big deal if so,” Matthew spoke, “but did you forget to pay the water bill this month? And maybe… maybe the electric bill, too? I don’t see that they’ve been deducted from my account yet, so I just wanna make sure they’re not late.”

Heat crept up your neck and chest as you slowly closed your laptop, pursing your lips to the side. When you didn’t respond right away, Matthew looked at you curiously.

You took a deep breath and pulled your legs underneath you, curling up and wishing you could hide from this altogether.

“Don’t be mad…” you said softly.

Not a good start, Matthew thought to himself. He clicked his phone to lock it and set it aside, folding his arms on the table.

“Babe…” he said, a warning in the single word.

You picked nervously at the seam of your leggings. “Okay. I kind of…” you cleared your throat, stalling. “I kind of paid those two out of my own account. But just those two. I swear.”

Matthew rolled his eyes, pushing himself out of his seat as he muttered, “oh, my god.”

Yep, he was pissed.

After pacing for a few moments, Matthew crossed his arms against his chest and faced you.

“I thought we talked about this,” he said, clearly frustrated.

You dropped your head. “I-I know…” you said timidly. “We did. I just-“

“And you paid them yourself anyway? Despite having already discussed it?” he questioned, his volume rising.

With lightly shaking hands, you tucked some hair behind one ear and swallowed hard, unable to meet his gaze, which was sure to be intense.

“Yes,” was all you could manage.

Matthew tossed his baseball cap on the table and sighed loudly, resuming his pacing across the hardwood.

“Baby, we can’t start out like this,” he said firmly. “I didn’t ask you to come live with me so we could split the cost of living like you’re some random roommate of mine. I asked you to move in because I want to share my life with you — I wanna share everything with you. I make more money than I’ll ever be able to spend, and you should not be spending your own money to pay our bills.”

As he spoke, you chewed anxiously on the inside of your cheek. When he paused, he sighed once more.

“Can you look at me, please?” he requested.

With a shaky inhale, you did as he asked, and his gaze softened the moment he saw the unease on your face.

“What’s goin’ on here, baby?” Matthew asked. “You’ve gotta talk to me. We’re partners.”

You pulled the sleeves of your sweatshirt down to cover your closed fists as you considered how even to answer him. Finally, you decided on a simple response.

“I feel like a mooch,” you said quietly, your eyes traveling downward again.

Out of your frame of vision, Matthew’s face fell. He felt sick at what he had just heard. He crossed the room swiftly, easily pulling out your chair and turning it to face him. He knelt before you and gathered your hands in his own.

“Princess… hey,” he said gently as he reached to smooth his hand over your hair. “Look at me.” This time, it wasn’t a question.

You forced yourself to look at him, finding immediate comfort in the tender way he was now looking at you as compared to before. He squeezed your thighs soothingly as he spoke again.

“You are anything but a mooch,” he said with conviction. “You are my girlfriend, who I love — who I’m obsessed with. You’re the person I want to spend my life with. I wanna take care of you in every way I possibly can, including financially. You know what I mean?”

You nodded slowly, unable to think of a convincing argument against him.

“I don’t want to fight about this with you,” Matthew continued, shaking his head. “We shouldn’t be fighting about money. Listen, if you want to spend your money on things that are only yours, that’s fine. Even though I really wish you wouldn’t even do that.” He muttered the last part and you offered the tiniest smile. “I don’t want you footing our bills, babe. You don’t need to worry about that. Okay? I want you to let me take care of all of that. Please?”

You nodded slowly. “I’m sorry,” you whispered. “I didn’t want to go behind your back. I just felt like I wanted to contribute.”

Matthew gave you a disbelieving expression. “Contribute? Babe, you contribute so much. You’ve barely been here a month and shit around here is more organized than it’s ever been. You’ve already got this place running like a well-oiled machine,” he told you as you breathed a chuckle. “You take care of me in countless ways. Let me handle the money. That’s the easy part.”

You let your head roll back with a sigh, knowing that Matthew was being the logical one in this instance. “Okay,” you agreed as you wrapped your arms around his neck. “I will. I’m sorry.”

Matthew shook his head, kissing the tip of your nose and then your lips. “Don’t be sorry,” he said. “Let’s just go upstairs and have make-up sex since this was our first fight in forever.”

You threw your head back in laughter. “You are something else,” you told your boyfriend, who was already picking you up out of your chair and toting you upstairs.

_____

first game…

As you stood in your closet selecting an outfit for Matthew’s home opener, you felt a familiar pair of arms snake around your waist and a set of lips you knew well come to rest on your cheekbone. A grin overtook your face.

“Good morning, sunshine,” you teased as Matthew relentlessly planted kisses on your skin. “How was your nap? I didn’t wake you, did I?”

You turned his direction, and Matthew shook his head. You smoothed the short curls atop his head and he nearly purred, making you laugh.

“My nap was good,” he said with a yawn. “And you’re gonna make me fall asleep again if you keep doing that.”

You snickered, kissing his jaw, before you turned back around and reached for a couple articles of hanging clothing.

“Once you pick what you’re wearing, can you make me a cup of coffee?” Matthew asked from behind.

Your brows pulled together, puzzled, and you cocked your head as you turned back toward him.

“Are you really that helpless?” you said in your best teasing tone.

Matthew rolled his eyes lightheartedly and said, “No, I can make my own, but I don’t want to. We’ve got a good thing going.”

You shook your head, amused. “Okay, I’m lost,” you told him, hanging your outfit on the back of the closet door to steam later. “What are you talking about?”

Matthew followed you out of the closet and toward the hall.

“You made me my coffee before the last three preseason games at home, remember? And we won them all,” he said matter-of-factly. “So yeah, if you don’t mind, we’re gonna keep that going. Unless you wanna be the reason we lose…”

“No!” you exclaimed immediately. Matthew laughed — he knew that would do the trick, as you were nearly as superstitious as he. “I’m going now,” you said. As you turned to descend the stairs, you glanced back at him, batting your lashes. “Cream and sugar?” you asked sweetly. 

Matthew laughed hysterically and tickled your sides as he followed you down to the kitchen, thankful once more that you were here to share not only his home with him, but his life. 

[midgardnightmare]

ONLY FRIENDS

roommate!bucky barnes x reader

word count: 2.5k

summary: you and bucky are roommates, you have a crush on each other but haven’t expressed it. he catches you gushing about him on the phone to your friend, and things take off from there.

warnings: (smut 18+) friends to lovers, some fluff, mainly smut, thigh riding, oral (m receiving), intercourse, just lots of dirty talk, name calling, and some degradation, a little impact play and marking, slight breeding kink

[gif not mine]

“yeah, i know, it’s just that he’s so cute. like, it’s hard to describe the way he makes me feel, i know he’s my best friend, but i have so many feelings for him it’s difficult to decipher each one.”

bucky steps through the door as he begins to hear you chatting on the phone with your friend. he cautiously takes a few steps closer to your room to listen in a little bit since he heard you mention his name.

“i get it, i understand that i shouldn’t feel this way about him, bucky has to be my friend and only my friend, nothing more. cuz who even knows if he would ever feel the same way about me?”

he almost chokes hearing you say those words, hearing you express the way you feel about him.

“ugh okay, i guess i’ll talk to you later, i need to get up and do some chores and shit. thanks for letting me rant, there’s just so much that’s been on my mind lately and i can’t stop thinking about him and needed to tell someone about it, so thank you for being that person”

you end the call and hear shuffling outside your door, a man clearing his throat, and you turn around to see who it is.

“so.. that’s what you think of me huh?”

bucky breaks the silence, sounding cocky as usual and running his hand through his hair.

“oh shit, how much of that were you here for?”

you immediately shoot up and your faces turns red hot from embarrassment. he shifts his weight to lean against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

“i heard enough,” he makes his way towards you, slowly strutting until his metal arm rests on your shoulder as he sits down on the bed next to you.

inching closer to your face, he whispers “enough to know that you have a little crush on me- don’t you, sweetheart?” in your ear as he tucks your hair behind it, driving you crazy and causing you to squeeze your thighs together.

“i- um.. bucky, listen, i obviously like you,” you turn to face him and grab his hands while speaking in a more upfront and serious tone,

“every time i see you come in, wearing those sweatpants and no shirt in the morning after your early runs, every time you come out of the shower with just a towel wrapped around your waist, every time you wear that uniform ugh i just can’t control myself, you make me feel so many things,” you inhale deeply, taking notice of his intent facial expression and change of demeanor

“but it’s not just the physical attraction. your personality, the kindness of your heart, your precious smile, you make me wanna dance around the kitchen with you at 2 in the morning wearing your tshirt, go on romantic dinner dates with you, cuddle at the movies together, and kiss you under the pale moonlight. god i know that’s so much and i’m sorry for throwing all of this on you out of the blue but i just couldn’t wait any longer.”

“wow... y/n i never thought you liked me like that- guess it’s not just a little schoolgirl crush,” he chuckles lightly,

“i’ve been in love with you from the moment we moved in together. i kept it together and tried not to show it because we’re work partners, i didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, and i didn’t know you had any reciprocated feelings.”

“glad we’re talking about it now haha,” you pause, staring into those deep blue eyes you so frequently think about, before you start motioning nearer,”

“i’ve wanted to kiss you for so long-“ you gently but swiftly grab his face and plant your lips on his, bucky’s eyebrows turn upwards from the surprise of you being so forward.

bucky, being pulled so passionately into the kiss, he begins to cup your face in his hands while regaining dominance over you.

he swings his leg around you, straddling you, and goes on to pin your body down onto the bed. hovering above you, restricting your movements while still lustfully french kissing, you fall in even further with this man.

he sits back up for a second to say, “you taste delicious, sweets. i can’t believe i’ve been missing out this whole time”

“i want you, bucky, please”

“you have me sweetheart”

“i need you, fuck me”

“mm so that’s what my best girl wants, huh?

“so eager to get my cock you just can’t wait.”

“yes daddy. i want my best friend to fuck me”

“oh you need that so bad, don’t you? such a needy slut,” he scoffs mockingly,

“clothes off. now.” he orders you and you obey; both stripping yourselves of your clothing, allowing bucky to see your body in all of its glory.

“fuck.” you can tell he’s aroused by your stunning body by the way he can’t take his eyes off of you and how the tent in his pants is growing larger by the second.

you wrap your arms around his neck, giving him another kiss and you both smile against each other’s lips, sharing a precious moment before he sits down on your bed, patting his leg signaling for you to rest on it.

“i want to make love to you, i want it all night. so you’re going to have to work your way up. ride my thigh first, sweets.”

you protest, “bucky, put your cock in me, please, i need it”

“you’re so hard to resist, i wanna give in,” gritting his teeth. “but i just want to move slowly so we can take our precious time together, okay sweetheart? can my best girl do that for me?”

“okay. i’ve always fantasized about getting off on your thigh anyway.”

you begin grinding yourself on his firm muscles, staring at this look of pure lust he has on his gorgeous face.

“oh yeah? you think about riding your best friend while touching yourself at night? i bet there’s been so many times you’ve lied in bed in the room just feet away from me, getting off to the thought of me.”

“i have, i do it almost every night.”

you start humping his leg even harder

he bites his lip, holding back a groan, “you’re killing me sweets.”

“good thing about this time, though,” he smirks, “is that it’s reality and you can do whatever you want to me. right here, right now.”

“can i- fuck,” you moan from the friction on your pussy, “can i taste your cock, please?”

“god sweetheart it’s almost impossible not to directly give in to you. since you asked so nicely like the good girl i know you are, of course you can put your pretty little mouth around my dick, baby.”

you look him in the eye, “jesus, bucky, i should’ve known your dick fit your personality”

“i’m guessing that means you think i’m cocky and that i’m huge, so, i’ll take the compliment, sweetheart.”

you giggle and take his length in your hand, slowly stroking it while admiring his beauty.

he throws his head back in sexual frustration and lets out a groan

“you’re the best, darling, and i know you’re such a good girl, but if you don’t put my cock in your mouth, i’m going to go feral.”

you obey and wrap your mouth around him, maneuvering your tongue around the head, and stroking the base with your hand.

“shit- you suck my cock so good baby”

he continues to let out a string of moans and glorious noises fall from his mouth

“you like this, bucky? you like watching your best friend suck you off?”

“yeah-“ he moans, “right there sweets”

“i bet my tongue feels good on your throbbing shaft”

“don’t stop sweetheart, you’re doing so good”

you go on, swirling your heated tongue over every single vein in his huge cock. allowing him to lose control for a brief moment and let out a long, deep groan.

“fuck, sweets, ‘m gonna cum”

you start moving your hand up and down his member even harder as your mouth continues to do most of the work, up until bucky starts throatfucking you- cutting off most of your air supply and gagging you. you wrap your hand around the back of his thigh, digging your nails into his skin

“ohh- fuck y/n, yeah take my cum, take daddy’s cum in your mouth,” he moans out while shooting his hot load down your throat.

you swallow gladly and open your mouth to show him how good you’ve behaved.

“what a good little girl,” he pulls you up with his metal arm by grabbing a hold of your neck, presses his lips barely against yours, and confesses “you sucked me off so well sweets, i think you’ve earned my cock. that right sweetheart?”

“yes bucky i- i promise i’ll be good for you”

he gently takes your head in his hands, softly trailing his fingers on your jaw, and parts his lips to mutter in a more romantic, deeper tone, “you’re my best girl” he kisses you on the forehead

you look up at him in his big beautiful eyes and almost swoon, then break the delightful silence by declaring dominantly “and you’re the best, bucky, so please, wreck my pussy- fuck, i’ve been dripping this whole time. especially when you were moaning my name while i sucked the cum out of your cock,” you flirt dangerously

“alright, romantics are over, lay on the bed. face down. ass up.” he throws you onto the mattress, leaving you backside up, giving you perfect access for his dick to slide right into your perfect pussy. but teases your throbbing heat before he decides to use his bionic muscles to flip you over so he can take in all of your precious beauty, admiring the look on your pretty face; and growls, ripping your bra straight off.

you gasp lightly, “hh bucky, just fuck me already, please fuck me so hard”

“good girls are patient. so wait, you greedy slut.” he growls while slapping one of your tits. you’re unexpectedly aroused by the sudden display of impact play you didn’t realize bucky would enjoy exhibiting, given he’s had to work so hard through his grief of every person he hurt as the winter soldier.

you couldn’t help but let out a whiny moan and bucky took the opportunity and ran with the degradation, teasing you for being a newly found masochist, “aww sweetheart, did you like that? pathetic, you like getting punished, don’t you?”

you whimper in response and he scowls with a smirk on his face, “all i wanted to do was just see your stunning, perfect body, sweets. for only me to see-“ he expresses while dragging his digits across your chest

“i just wanted to take in the visuals of this precious first time we’re spending, seeing each other without clothes, being in such a vulnerable state, revealing yourself without judgement,” you’re taken aback by the sweet sentiment. that is, until bucky decides it’s time to make another quip

“but now i’m done looking at you and i’m ready to start playing with you, baby.” he traces his cool metal fingers on your core, recognizing the wetness pooling as he barely touches you.

“y/n... did i really make you this wet? i’ve barely even laid a finger on you, sweets” he purrs mockingly

“yeah daddy.. hmph, im begging you- i need it inside me right now-“

“god what a needy little bitch” he grumbles and hovers above you to smack your face before grabbing a hold of your cheeks and gritting his teeth, muttering

“you want this cock? you’re gonna get this cock and you’ll see you shouldnt have begged so much for it, sweets. only gonna make it worse, gonna ruin your pretty pussy”

before you could even let out a groan, he immediately removes his hand from your face, wraps it around his shaft, and shoves himself into you so hard you almost see stars.

“OH FUCK! buckyy”

“yeah sweetheart, tell the neighbors who’s fucking you so good”

“ive wanted this for so long”

“me too, pretty girl.”

he slightly halts to slow his pace down a little to grab a hold of your face, bringing it closer to his. he stares deep into your gaze, and whisper-shouts the order

“look me in the fucking eyes. who’s making you feel this way? huh?”

“you are, bucky.”

“but who am i? hmm? your best friend? would a best friend fuck you like this?”

he speeds up his pace and starts ramming into you even harder.

“bucky- fuck- i..”

“i know, sweets. cant even form sentences because of how rough i’m screwing you,” he remarked with a sneer

bucky moves his mouth to your ear, nibbling on it to then slide his tongue down the side of your neck. marking your skin with hickies, claiming you as his. you whine and drag your nails down his back, leaving red scratches on your man.

grating his teeth while sounds of your moans fill the room, “you feel so fucking good sweetheart. wanna rail you like this every single day all over the apartment”

“please, buck, i wanna take you this way anywhere at any time whenever.”

“god, looking down at you fucked out, so beautiful, ‘m gonna cum soon-“

“daddy, i- i want your cum in me”

“yeah baby? look at you fucking your best friend like a whore. wanna fill you up, sweets- hhghh” he lets out a loud groan

“gotta c-cum bucky, can i?”

“what a sweetheart, asking for permission. go ahead, princess. let it all out for me.”

“fuck sweets i’m cumming”

you both release with the biggest moans and groans, riding out your highs.

the two of you fall back onto each other and bucky holds you in his arms, kissing you on the forehead.

you look up at him with a glossy daze in your eyes

“i love you, bucky barnes.”

he instantly moves his face downward, fixing his eyes upon yours

“y/n, i love you.”

[1plus1kiyoomi]

Chapter 15: Harder

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[masterlist]

You wake up to the smell of food, so you hurriedly run out of your room. Sliding your way to the kitchen, you see your husband setting up the table. He looks up to you as he feels your presence. “Did I wake you up?”

“Shinsuke, I’m sorry...” you mutter, lowering your head in guilt.

“Come here...” Kita orders in a soft voice, so you oblige. You timidly take steps towards him, stopping 2 steps away from him. He moves close to you, wrapping his arms around you. You let yourself cry on his chest, holding on his shirt tightly.

“I’m really sorry...” You cry, and you feel Kita’s chin on top of your head, his fingers playing with the ends of your hair. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I won’t baby. I was just upset that I was the only one putting on a lot of effort in our marriage. I know you are, too but your work is also important. So, I understand,” Kita tells you, planting a kiss on your forehead.

Kita had plans of not coming home for a week. He wanted to be away from you. He was that angry and upset with you, but he knew that if he went home, he’d forgive you as soon as he sees you. If he sees you cry, he’s willing to put his feelings aside just to make you smile again.

Being away from you and not seeing you for two days was harder than Kita thought. He mused that he would he feel better by not seeing you, but it was just damaging him. All he could think about is you. His mind was clouded with you. It was like he was put under a spell to only think about you.

Saying that he didn’t shed tears being away for you would be a lie. Kita realized that he’s gotten so used to you and being a husband to you. You’re a part of his routine. The bed without your warmth was freezing cold. Waking up without you next to him was a nightmare. You are his ritual.

Kita made a promise with himself that he won’t let you break his walls easily again but he’s here in your kitchen, his arms wrapped around your body, letting you demolish his walls.

“I know I have not been the best partner, but I promise I will work hard to be a wife to you,” you say with confidence, looking at Kita with your crying eyes. His heart softens and aches. Was he too harsh with you? But you understand his side now, so it’s fine right?

“And I promise you that I’ll work harder as your husband.” He gives you a quick kiss on your lips, before wiping the tears off your cheek with his sleeve. “Let’s eat?”

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

“I took the whole week off from work, so we’ll do everything you want, okay?” You tell Kita, pulling a blanket over his body. “This week, I’ll take care of you. So you shouldn’t think about the meals and the chores, because I’ll do it all for you. You’re going to rest the whole week.”

“Are you sure?” Kita asks you doubtfully, sitting up from your bed. You push his shoulders back on the mattress, placing a kiss on his forehead.

“Yes. So just chill here in bed while I clean the house.”

You leave your bedroom and go to the utility room, taking out the vacuum and mop. You put on an apron and gloves, then tie your hair into a ponytail. You start to clean up at the living room first, since it’s the widest part of your house. Two hours into cleaning, Kita comes out of your room to check on you.

“Why did you stand up? Go back to bed!” You scold him, the laundry basket in your arms. “Rice and I are going out to hang the laundry outside. You better be back in bed when I return.”

“(Y/N)-”

“It’s baby, not (Y/N),” you correct and he lets out a small smile at how cute you sounded.

“Baby, I want to help,” Kita says, walking up to you, but you stop him, by raising your hand towards him.

“You almost had me at baby. Almost,” you sigh. “But no. You have to rest.”

Kita then pouts. “You said we can do anything I want.”

“Yeah I did but I also said you have to rest because you’ve been-”

“I want to cuddle. And that won’t happen anytime if you don’t finish cleaning, so I will help you. That way we can cuddle already,” Kita cuts you off.

A grin and blush make their way to your face, Kita’s word making your heart burst. “You wanna cuddle with me right now?”

“I want to cuddle with you every time. Now let me help you with that,” Kita takes the basket from you, then goes to your backyard. You follow him, smiling like an idiot. Rice looks at you with his judging face and you just roll your eyes at him. He runs to Kita’s side, weirded out from your behavior.

After doing all the house chores, the two of you walk back to your bedroom. Kita is on your back, putting weight on your shoulders, as he giggles like a child. You finally reach your bedroom, and just when you thought your shoulders will finally be able to breathe, Kita suddenly announces, “I’m jumping on your back.”

“Babe, no!” You try to stop him, but he has already jumped, wrapping his legs around your waist. Due to the uneven distribution of weight, you fall to the bed. Kita switches your places midfall, making you land on top of him.

Kita starts laughing so you laugh, too. Nothing’s funny with what’s happening. It’s a laugh caused by contentment. Both Kita and you are just happy to be in each other’s arms after what seemed like an eternity of fighting. Everyone else sees Kita as this serious emotionless guy, and you witness him all smiles and giggles. You feel grateful for that.

“I missed you,” you confess, pulling his bangs up to kiss his forehead. Kita whines, pouting his lips. “What?”

“Kiss.” You do as he says. Dipping your head down to give him a kiss, Kita pushes your hips down, making you sit on his crotch. You let out a yelp, surprised by the sudden contact. You can feel him under you and it’s causing your face to turn red from the heat you’re feeling. “Are you okay?”

“I have to take a shower.” You stand up, then run to the bathroom, leaving your husband confused. “Did I just chicken out?”

Your shower took longer than you thought. You wanted to cool your body down with the water temperature but every time you think about Kita’s- “ah! Stop! Stop! You shall not sin!” You slap both your cheeks, huffing out a heavy sigh. “But we’re married. I can think about that right?”

“Baby, are you okay?” Kita knocks on the door, running from the kitchen when he heard your scream.

“Yes! I just dropped my tooth brush!” You lie.

“Okay, I’ll just be in the kitchen making dinner,” Kita says from the other side of the door.

After a lot of calming down and purifying your mind, you finally leave the room with a heavy feeling. You see Kita on the dining room floor, waiting for you. “What’s the viand?”

“Chicken.” You clear your throat, remembering that you just chickened out. “What’s wrong? You’re turning red.”

“Nothing. I just feel hot,” you reason, sitting across him. He reaches out with his hand, the back of it checking the temperature of your forehead.

“You seem fine to me. Should I get a thermometer?” Kita tilts his head to the side, his hand feeling the temperature on your neck. Oh, how you wish that it is wrapped around your neck instead. You choke on your own thoughts, alarming Kita. “Are you sure you’re not sick?”

“Yes. Let’s just eat.”

“Something’s off, spill it.”

“It’s nothing.”

“We just made up. I don’t want us to argue again, so say it.”

“I was thinking about your...” You are not able to finish your statement, totally embarrassed. Kita doesn’t say anything and starts eating. You say your thanks and eat as well, your face still heating up from the awkward tension your words made.

“You can touch it later,” Kita says out of nowhere, making you choke on your food. He gives you water, chuckling at your reaction.

“Don’t just say that!” You complain, glaring at him.

“Don’t you want to?” He raises an eyebrow, a cocky smile on his face. A look you’ve never thought you’d see on him. You didn’t expect that he’d be the teasing type, so this is taking you aback. You don’t answer him and quickly finish eating. After your meal, you sit at the corner of the kitchen with Rice, staying away from your husband. “Why are you the one with guards up when you’re the one thinking of lewd thoughts about me?”

“I am not!” You deny, looking away from him.

“Whatever you say, baby. I’ll go take a shower. Wash the dishes.” Once Kita is out of your sight, you quickly take the used dishes on the table and wash it. After cleaning up, you run to your old bedroom, where you put some of your clothes in. It’s also the same place where you have hidden your lingerie that you intended for that special time with Kita.

Tonight is the night for that.

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It’s short because ;) just click that last line to find out

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[splendidly-secret-sick-fics]

Hi!!! Love your writing style you're so cool! I was wondering if you'd be able to write a sickfic focusing on atsumu and osamu-specifically atsumu taking care of his little brother! And maaaybe if you wanted to add some angst before it got better 👀 anyways hope you have a wonderful dayyyyy 😊

Anonymous said:

Can I get an unexpected sick atsumu that is at home from school with his brother after sleeping in. Their mother had the day off and didn’t feel like going anywhere so she allowed them to stay home. Maybe in the middle of the afternoon Atsumu starts to feel strangely sick but he hoped it would pass if he took a nap. He slept on the top bunk while Osamu plays video games on the bottom when he sudden wakes up without warning and starts to projectile spew. Caretaker Mom (cause I need some sweet momma content) and Osamu being supportive and understanding.

The Biggest Idiot of All Idiots: a Miya twins sick fic

Characters: sick Atsumu, caretakers Osamu & Mama Miya (lol)

Word Count: 3,426 (!!!)

Warnings: swearing, heat exhaustion passing out, and Miya-family shenanigans

Part 2

————————————————————

Thank you for the requests and kind words!! I combined it with one from @super-secret-sick-fics

I changed a couple details, but tried to stay mostly true to what was asked for! I hope that’s okay :)

This is gonna be a two-parter bc it got to be way too long. I’m not sure when Part 2 will be up yet.

I didn’t edit this at all (I never do, honestly) and I know I’ll hate myself for that later. But alas, I have zero patience so here it is!

Enjoy :)

————————————————————

Atsumu was rudely awakened by something annoying and probably stupid pushing up on his back.

“Tsumu, get outta bed ya lazy asshole.”

Ah yes, the annoying and definitely stupid thing was his equally annoying and stupid brother shoving the bottom of his mattress up from the bottom bunk.

“Why?” he grumbled and flipped over onto his stomach. He buried his head into his pillow and sighed. There was a subtle ache nagging at him on the left side of his head and he wanted it to go away.

“Cause Ma took the day off to do yard work and chores with us. It’s ‘sposed to be hot today so we said we’d do the yard work first thing. Remember? Or are you really that stupid?”

Osamu’s face popped up over the railing of Atsumu’s bed. His brother’s normal deadpan stare was accented by a single eyebrow raise of expectation.

Atsumu narrowed his eyes at him for a brief moment before groaning. He sat up and the pain in his head spread to encompass the rest of his head. Immediately, he was cranky.

“Fine. Just get outta my face,” Atsumu all but spit. Osamu’s face scrunched up, but he jumped down to the floor.

“What’s crawled up yer ass so early?” He mumbled, pulling on some athletic shorts. Atsumu wanted to respond with something snarky, but the pain in his head muddled his thoughts and he couldn’t think of anything clever enough.

“Screw you,” he settled on and crawled to the ladder to get out of bed. The headache would most likely go away after he ate something, so there was no need to say anything about it and risk getting teased.

Osamu eyed him, a frown on his face for a second. Then he scoffed.

“Alright assface. I’ll be downstairs. Ma made breakfast.” With that, he left the room.

Atsumu took his time getting dressed and ready for the day. He was moving slower thanks to the ache in his skull. The dumb headache also made his body feel tired and achy so he didn’t really feel the need to push things and make it worse.

“Good mornin’, Sweetheart!” His mother greeted when he finally made it to the kitchen. She was at the stove, flipping some pancakes, her salt and pepper hair pulled back in a loose braid. She was already in work clothes. Atsumu had to admit that it was going to be nice to spend some time with his mom. Their father ran a small convenience store, so she had to work full time to help supplement that income. He was excited to spend time with either of his parents when he could, even if it was doing chores.

The twins had, of course, offered to get part time jobs. However, both of their parents shut down the idea quickly, telling them to focus on volleyball and “enjoying their youth.”

“Mornin’” he yawned and sat down across from Osamu at the table. He was already half way done eating and scrolled mindlessly through his phone. Atsumu tried to do the same, but the tiny words and the blue light from his phone only exacerbated his headache, so he sighed and gave up. Instead, he put his head down on his arms and waited for his mom to tell him to come get his food. After a minute, Osamu kicked his shin under the table.

“Oi, what’re ya doin’?” he asked roughly. Atsumu rolled his eyes and exhaled, annoyed.

“‘M tired. That alright with ya?” He glared at his brother. Osamu kept steady eye contact, rising to Atsumu’s challenge. The lights burned though, and Atsumu had to blink. He clicked his tongue and turned his head away.

“Yer bein’ weirder than normal,” Osamu said with his mouth full of pancake. Atsumu’s lip curled in disgust.

“Yer disgustin’.”

“Says the pig.”

“Listen—“

“Tsumu! Come get yer breakfast!” Miya-san interrupted. Osamu smirked at him, smug about getting the last word.

Atsumu sat down at the table with a single pancake, half a spoonful of scrambled eggs and a glass of orange juice. His mother gave him an earful about not eating enough and he was sure that Samu would do the same.

Osamu eyed his plate and then eyed Atsumu and then his breakfast again. His twin pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything, shoving more food in his mouth.

While Atsumu was grateful that his brother didn’t comment on his smaller-than-usual meal, he was incredibly suspicious of the lack of insults.

The truth was, Atsumu’s stomach felt...wrong. He wasn’t sure what it was because he didn’t feel sick persay, but he didn’t feel good either. Starting off with a smaller meal and going back for seconds was more appealing to him than having a plate full of food that his brother and mom would force him to eat.

Atsumu ate his meal in silence and hoped that it would help his headache and the strange feeling in his stomach before he had to spend all afternoon doing yard work in the blazing summer heat.

***

Osamu watched his brother weeding the flower bed with a careful eye. Something was wrong. He knew it from the moment Atsumu woke up. His stupid brother wouldn’t tell him anything (if he even registered it himself, the idiot) so the only thing he could do was keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t start crying or dying.

They’d been outside for about an hour and a half now, weeding, mowing the lawn, planting new flowers, and whatever else their mom wanted and it was only getting hotter. The sun wasn’t even directly above them yet, but the heat surrounded them like a thick blanket. It felt like Osamu was moving through a pool of jell-o while he pushed the lawn mower forward.

Osamu was sweating and panting ever so slightly, but Atsumu looked like he just returned from a grueling volleyball game. He was dripping sweat and his shoulders moved visibly up and down with each breath he took. Osamu figured that his brother was probably dehydrated and too stupid to admit it or too stupid to realize it.

“Tsumu,” Osamu called. Atsumu pulled his head up from the weeds and squinted at his brother across the lawn. He was pale, and all of Osamu’s twinstincts told him Atsumu needed to go inside quickly.

“Wanna go get lunch?” He tried, because Atsumu was dumb and wouldn’t admit that something was wrong, so Osamu needed to find some excuse for them to go inside. There, his mother would realize that something was up and force his brother to rest and hydrate.

“We just ate not that long ago. You that hungry, ya pig?” Came the snappy comeback. It had less bite to it than usual. The lack of venom from this and the weak comebacks from this morning only solidified for Osamu that his brother was not alright. That, coupled with the sheer amount of sweat and his continued heavy breaths made it seem like the idiot was dying or something.

“Screw you,” Osamu sneered (because even if something was wrong with his stupid brother he was still an unbearable asshole). “It’s hot and I’m working up more of a sweat. So yeah, ‘m hungry.” Atsumu waved him off lethargically.

“Then you go in. I’m almost done here,” Atsumu all but wheezed and turned back to the flower bed. Osamu took a deep breath and tried to remember that he was attempting to be a good brother and good brothers don’t punch their dying brothers in the face.

“Just come in and get some water then,” Osamu offered, walking to stand behind his brother. Atsumu looked over his shoulder, his ugly face contorted into confusion.

“Why’re you being so nice?”

Osamu squeezed his fist by his side.

“If you get dehydrated, I’ll have to play setter tomorrow at mornin’ practice and I don’t wanna.”

Hopefully the threat of being replaced, even if temporarily, would get Atsumu to see some sense. The longer Osamu studied him the more (begrudging) concern he felt. Now that he was closer, he noticed a glaze over Atsumu’s eyes and a flush to his cheeks.

Osamu surmised from this that his stupid idiot brother caught a summer cold like a stupid idiot.

Atsumu hesitated, but eventually, nodded. He put his hands on his knees to push himself up. Osamu let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. One battle down. Next he’d have to convince him to rest up some.

His relief was short-lived. As soon as Atsumu stood up, his knees buckled underneath him and he fell back onto Osamu heavily. Startled, Osamu just barely managed to keep his balance and catch him, holding Atsumu under his arms.

“What the fu--” he started, ready to lay into Atsumu, only to be stopped by the vacant look in his brother’s eyes. It was different from the haze he noticed just a second ago. It was like Atsumu wasn’t seeing anything. His eyes stared off blankly at nothing, half-lidded and foggy. He was still panting, but it was shallower, if possible.

The next thing Osamu noticed was how cool Atsumu’s skin felt, despite the intense heat and the flush of his cheeks. Atsumu, the dumbass, was indeed not okay.

“Tsumu? Hey, can you hear me?” Osamu asked. Atsumu’s eyes slowly found Osamu’s, but it still didn’t look like he registered anything. The only response he got was a whine.

“Shit. Yer so freakin’ stupid, you dumbass,” Osamu muttered. Atsumu groaned. There was no way he could get Atsumu into the house without help. Thankfully, the flower bed was near the front door, so he wouldn’t have to take him far, but the door was shut in an attempt to keep the hot air outside, so he needed help.

“Ma!” Osamu yelled, “Ma! C’mere, quick! Tsumu’s sick!” Atsumu winced at his brother’s volume.

“Sorry, ‘Tsumu, I’m sorry. Fuck. I can’t believe you--” Osamu said frantically, despite himself. He really didn’t like his brother, but he still loved him and this was still very scary.

Their mom was at the door a second later, concern already painted on her face. Upon noticing her one son all but unconsciousness, leaning on her other son, the concern grew to panic and she was outside and beside them in no time flat.

“What in the hell happened?” she asked, brushing Atsumu’s hair back. Her eyes widened when she no doubt picked up on the abnormal cool temperature of his brother’s skin.

“He’s been actin’ weird all mornin’. Then he came out here in this heat and I just convinced him to go inside for some water when he passed out. He’s so freakin’ stupid.” Osamu explained.

“Of course, the stubborn idiot. Let’s get him inside and cool him off,” his mother said, still holding Tsumu’s face.

“Yeah. I can do it, I just need yer help with the door and getting him on my back,” Osamu replied. The longer they were in this heat the more dangerous it became so they needed to move as quickly as they could without making things worse.

Together, they managed to get Atsumu on Osamu’s back.

“Hold on, idiot,” Osamu commanded. Atsumu buried his face into his brother’s shoulders. He weakly grabbed onto his wrist to keep his arms wrapped around Osamu’s shoulder. Relief trickled in to meet Osamu’s panic when he realized that meant that Atsumu may be coming to just a little. Yeah

As soon as they were inside, their mom went to the kitchen to get some water and wet rags while Osamu took his imbecile brother to the couch. He laid him down, putting his feet up on the arm rest (all the boys on the volleyball team knew how to deal with heat exhaustion) and brought the fan closer. He sat on the floor beside Atsumu’s feet and waited for him to come back.

Miya-san came back a second later with a sports drink and several wash cloths. She placed one on Atsumu’s forehead and he sighed (Osamu was once again relieved that his brother seemed to be registering at least a little of his surroundings). The others she used to pat down his arms and legs.

The next few minutes were tense and silent as they waited for the idiot of the bunch to cool down and return to the land of the fully conscious.

“Sa-Samu?” Atsumu breathed. Osamu’s head whipped towards his brother. Atsumu was squeezing his eyes shut, a deep frown settled on his face.

“Tsumu, thank god,” Osamu exhaled heavily.

“Atsumu, baby, can you hear me? How’re ya feelin’?” Their mother asked gently, sweeping his hair back and sitting on the floor beside his head.

Atsumu’s eyes trailed lazily to meet their mother’s and he took a second longer than Osamu would have liked to respond.

“Head...head hurts,” he whined and closed his eyes again, his eyebrows furrowing together.

“Mhm, that’s to be expected when yer a dummy that got heat exhaustion. When yer ready, I need ya to sit up and drink something, okay?” She said, cupping his cheek. Her words, though seemingly harsh, were always soft. They never failed to comfort the twins whenever they were upset about something.

Atsumu visibly leaned into her touch.

“H-hot,” he murmured.

“No, shit, idiot,” Osamu responded. His mother shot him a glare. He rolled his eyes at her hypocrisy.

Another few minutes later, and they eased Atsumu into a sitting position and handed him the green sports drink (which Osamu found gross, but was his brother’s favorite). He took small sips and deep breaths.

“I’m goin’ to go get ya a little something to munch on, alright baby? Call me if ya need something,” Miya-san said. She kissed the top of his head and left the room.

Osamu watched his brother with a careful eye. He took in the flush of his cheeks, the paleness of the rest of his face, his shaking hand that rested subtly on his stomach. Sure, he just passed out and these things should be no surprise, but something deep in Osamu’s bones told him that Atsumu was hiding something; that something more was wrong.

“‘M gonna go help, Ma. Don’t do anything stupid.” Osamu stood and Atsumu nodded. The lack of a return insult, the lack of any verbal response at all from his obnoxious twin set all of Osamu’s nerves on edge.

“Ma,” he said as he entered the kitchen, “I think Tsumu is really sick.” He leaned against the counter where she was getting some crackers to put on a plate.

“He just passed out from heat exhaustion, Samu of course he’s sick.” She smiled at him softly.

“No, no. I mean… he’s been weird all mornin’ and I think somethins’ wrong,” Osamu pushed. He couldn’t pinpoint it, but his whole body told him that Atsumu was being a bigger idiot than either of them realized.

Miya-san glanced over at her son. Osamu tried to convey on his face how strongly he felt about this, how she needed to believe him. She studied him for a second before nodding and turning back to the plate.

“Okay. We’ll keep an eye on him, alright?” Osamu’s shoulders relaxed minutely.

In the living room, Atsumu was lying down again, his head pillowed against the arm rest and his legs curled into his stomach. He was still frowning.

“Tsumu, you should eat something,” Osamu tried. The frown on Atsumu’s face morphed into a grimace.

“Don’t wanna…” he replied, petulantly.

“Just a few crackers, please?” Miya-san asked, sitting by Atsumu’s feet. He looked between the two of them and sighed.

“Fine,” he relented. Too easily, for Osamu’s liking. On Osamu’s list of Things To Hate About Atsumu, stubbornness was easily in the top three.

Atsumu nibbled on a few crackers until their mother seemed satisfied and left the room. As soon as she did, Atsumu collapsed heavily back onto the couch.

Osamu paused for a second before he gave in to his baser instincts as a brother and twin and sat beside Atsumu on the couch. Almost immediately, Atsumu repositioned himself to lean on Osamu’s shoulder.

Osamu felt the tension ease out of his shoulders when his brother exhaled slowly and shakily, closing his eyes.

“Are you gonna tell me what’s really goin’ on? Or are you gonna continue to be stupid?” Osamu asked after a moment.

His ill twin tenses again and Osamu almost feels bad. Key word: almost.

(If Atsumu was going to continue being an asshole, he would not feel bad if this came and bit him in the ass.)

“...I don’t know. Just been feelin’ odd all day,” Atsumu relented and Osamu’s eyes disappeared behind his hairline.

“Must be feelin’ pretty bad if yer admittin’ it so easily,” Osamu teased. The guilt pooling in his stomach was not something he’d share with his brother easily. His pride wouldn’t let him.

That didn’t take away from the fact that it was there though. Of course it was. Osamu could tell something was off the second he looked at Atsumu’s face this morning, yet he let him go on and work in the scorching sun all morning.

“Mmm,” Atsumu hummed, easing further into his brother’s side.

“Can ya tell me what’s wrong?” Osamu rested his head on Atsumu’s.

“Head hurts. Stomach’s been feelin’ weird,” Atsumu yawned. Osamu nodded.

“Wanna go take a shower and lay in bed?”

“Can’t move even if I wanted to.”

“I’ll help ya, stupid,” Osamu scoffed.

“Why’re you bein’ so nice?” Atsumu asked again. Osamu wouldn’t acknowledge the twinge in his chest that came when Atsumu didn’t believe that Osamu could be nice to him when he needed to be.

“No one else is gonna be,” he said instead.

“Ma’s here,” came the rebuttal.

“Let’s just go upstairs. You should get some rest so I don’t have to sub for ya at practice tomorrow.”

“Hate to admit it, Samu, but I don’t think I’ll make practice tomorrow,” Atsumu grumbled.

And well. Fuck. If Atsumu was already thinking that way, if he wasn’t fighting him about practice, wasn’t convinced he’d go tomorrow, then he must be really sick. The rock in Osamu’s stomach got a little heavier.

“Let’s go,” Osamu said. Atsumu nodded.

“Ma! I’m taking Tsumu upstairs to shower and get in bed!” Osamu called to their mom.

With that, Osamu eased his brother to stand, trying to ignore the way his face paled when he was upright, and slowly they made their way upstairs.

Osamu made Atsumu take a cold shower before he allowed him to settle into bed.

(Atsumu protested and whined the whole time. Osamu kept to himself that the argument that ensued made him feel a little better about Atsumu’s overall condition.)

Atsumu fell asleep almost instantly, curled into a ball around his pillow. Osamu gave him a sweatshirt and some athletic shorts to wear because he kept complaining about being cold. Convincing him that it was just because of the shower and that he’d warm up proved completely fruitless, so in the end Osamu relented.

Looking at his brother now, Osamu could tell that the worst was yet to come. Again, it was just a gut feeling. It set him on edge and kept his shoulders tight by his ears.

When Miya-san came to check on them, Osamu apologized, and though it meant showing his concern for his idiotic brother, asked her if he could skip their chores for the rest of the day and hang out in their room to keep an eye on Atsumu.

(Their mother was the one person they couldn’t lie to; she’d see past their proud facades and break them down with her eyes until they relented and told her what was really happening. Eventually, they stopped trying to lie to her.)

She agreed easily and told him she would run out to the store to prepare for the worst case scenario (see: Atsumu being a whiny little pissant). Osamu shouldn’t have been surprised that she believed him about his weird gut feeling. Thinking back on it, the two twins always knew when something was wrong with the other.

Miya-san left and Osamu took one last look at his brother sleeping on the top bunk before settling on the floor in front of his own bed. He grabbed an X-Box remote and turned on some game he’s played a thousand times, the volume low, and waited for the other shoe to drop.

[laventae]

Serendipity

Summary: You accidentally bump into Suna once, then a second time, then a third time.... before it starts seeming like fate has already decided its course for the both of you.

Pairings: Suna Rintaro x F!reader

Genre: Mostly fluff, College/Uni au

Word count: 3.4k words

Part: 1 , (2) , (3) , (TBC)

(A/N: I suck at writing summaries but anyways. This is/was supposed to be part of my [HQ Boys - Pretending to be your boyfriend] series, but I really wanted to make this slightly longer than my usual one-shots. Also, this story will probably have every cheesy trope you know, so, proceed with caution and I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.)

THUD

THUD

THUD

THUD

‘Okay, what the fuck is going on?’ you think as you slowly try to open your eyes. 

Looking at your bedside table, you reach for your phone and check the time

7:35 A.M

‘Ugh... it’s too early for this shit...’ you think as you yawn.

You remember your shift at work starts at about 9 a.m., so you decide to sleep for a bit longer.

You place your phone back down on your bedside table, and turn in bed, covering your face with a pillow.

THUD

“Goddammit, what’s going on outside?!” you exclaim, getting out of your bed and heading for the front door.

You open the door hastily, and find your landlord standing in the hallway of your apartment building, then notice multiple moving boxes scattered around, and movers talking some of the boxes into the apartment opposite yours.

You’re both startled when you open the door, but she softens as soon as she notices it was you.

“Good morning, Mrs. Saito. What’s going on?” you ask her sleepily.

“Goodness, I’m sorry they woke you up as well, sweetheart. The new tenant told me they were moving in today but I didn’t know the movers were coming this early and causing this much of a ruckus!” she exclaims, looking like she was just as annoyed by the noise as you were.

“Well, the new tenant certainly didn’t make a good first impression, huh?” you say, trying to lighten the mood.

She chuckles softly, “I guess not. They’re not even here yet, so I’m just going to have to stay here until the movers are done” she sighs.

“Want me to make you a cup of coffee?”

“Oh, that’s alright, sweetheart, you should go back in and try to get some more sleep” she says, waving you back into your apartment.

You try to insist, but you feel too tired. Instead, you just nod and go back in, closing the door behind you.

Sighing, you head to your bedroom again; you figure you should try to get a bit more sleep in before you actually start getting ready for work.

-~-~-

After tossing and turning in bed for a couple of minutes, the noise wouldn’t get any quieter, so you thought you might as well get out of bed and head to your part-time job a bit earlier than usual.

You start getting ready, and make a quick cup of coffee to give Mrs. Saito on your way out. She thanks you and you go on your way.

When you first moved into your apartment about 2 years ago, you were able to find a pretty decent part-time job working as a barista at coffee shop nearby. It was only about two blocks away from where you lived, so it was super convenient; and a plus point, you were never late.

Checking your phone again, you notice the time

8:35 A.M

“It’s still so early...” you yawn as you take out your headphones and play some music to listen to while you walk to the coffee shop, talking your time.

After about 15 minutes of enjoying your morning walk, and window shopping on the stores along the way, you reach your destination and open the front door.

“Goodmorning, y/n!” you hear your boss call out to you as soon as you enter, “Early as usual, I see”

You chuckle as you head in his direction, “Oh, you know me, always excited to get to work!” you joke.

He laughs, “Yesterday was your last day of your second Uni semester, wasn’t it?” he asks you.

“Yeah, made it out in one piece thankfully”

He laughs again, “I’m sure you did well, I've seen how stressed out you’ve been about it but I also know how hard you’ve been studying, don’t worry” he assures you as he points to the chairs in the shop, silently asking you to help him out with setting them up.

“How do you know that?” you sigh, grabbing a few chairs and setting them down.

He stops what he’s doing and looks at you, “You think I didn’t notice the dark circles you kept coming in with, during every shift, for the past couple of weeks?”

“Was it that obvious?” your eyes widen.

“Definitely” he answers and you both laugh.

After setting up the last few chairs, your boss speaks up again, “Alright, why don’t you head in and get ready, I’ll just be out here setting up the register before we open in a couple of minutes”.

You nod and walk back to the staff locker area.

-~-~-

The day goes by slowly, as usual, and after a few hours, you take your break and head to the staff room locker area to relax and have a (late) breakfast.

‘I really need this right now’ you sigh as you take a sip of your coffee, feeling more tired than usual, and blame it on having to wake up super early that morning.

You check your phone and notice a text message.

1 NEW MESSAGE

You open it.

FROM ‘Wifeyy <3’: “Heyy! Call me when you're on your break!”

You smile and shake your head, dialing up her number.

It rings a couple of times before your best friend picks up.

“Hey y/n!!” she yells excitedly

“Hey Hina,” you laugh, “What’s up?”

“Just wanted to remind you that we are going out tonight to celebrate my birthday, you still remember, right?”

“Oh, was that today?” you joke

“Y/N!!!”

“I’m kidding, I'm kidding, you know I'll be there” you shake your head

“Good! I'll also be inviting some of my friends from Uni, but I want us to hangout still. It’s been a while since we’ve actually caught up. And I'm finally gonna be able to come to your city!”

The both of you actually met during your first year in University through mutual friends. Even though you both were in different majors, you hit it off right away. And after that, the both of you always tried to make time to hang out, whether it was between classes, during lunch breaks, or whenever the both of you had the time.

However, it was sometimes hard to meet up during weekends, since she lived in the city next to yours, so whenever she had the chance to come to your city, or you were able to go to hers, you guys would always spend it together.

“Yeah, I guess with exams and all it was hard for us to actually see each other”

“Exactly, anyways I’m excited for tonight!”

“Yeah, me too..!”

“Hey, do you sound more tired than usual, or is it just me?” she asks you, sounding worried.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I just woke up super early today, not willingly though” you sigh, “don't even ask, I'll tell you about it later”

“Alright... if you say so”

“Anyways, I gotta get back to work now, so, I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Alright! Dress sexy, okay? You promised we would dress up!”

“Yeah, yeah, I'll try my best” you both laugh before hanging up.

-~-~-

It was about 5 p.m when you finally reach your house, after leaving your part-time job, and finishing up some outdoor chores you had for the day.

You sigh as you get off the elevator to your floor.

You notice the empty hallway as you walk to your apartment; you suppose that the movers were already done and have left at this point.

You glance over to the door opposite yours at the end of the floor’s hallway.

‘I wonder if they're home yet...’ you think before you unlock the door of your apartment and go in.

You sigh as you place your groceries and bag on your kitchen island and start putting everything away.

You were supposed to meet Hina later tonight, at around 7 p.m, to celebrate her birthday. That meant you had a couple more hours to spend at home, so you decide to make some lunch/dinner and watch a movie on Netflix.

-~-~-

“Hey Hina, I’ll just go outside and answer this call real quick alright?” you try to call out to your friend as you get out of your chair, but she looks at you confused, the music playing loudly in the pub and the bustling of the people inside made it hard for her to hear your voice from across the table.

You point to your phone, and as realization hits her, she nods.

You attempt to make your way out of the pub, trying to worm between the people inside and make your way to the door. However, you suddenly run into someone before you reach the door, and accidentally drop their drink.

“I’m so sorry!” you tell them, looking up and noticing it was an old man, long white hair settling over his shoulders.

He looks annoyed at first but then his face relaxes when he sees you.

“I can pay for the drink!” you tell him apologetically.

“Oh, that’s alright, gorgeous, it was just a mistake” he answers you, smiling.

‘Okay...’ you think as you get a weird feeling in your gut.

“Would you like me to buy you-”

“Okay, Bye” you cut him off, smiling awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable with the way he was looking at you; you reach for the door and leave the pub.

It suddenly gets much quieter, and you feel yourself relax, finally being able to breathe.  

Honestly, you didn’t really get a call from anyone, you were just feeling tired, and wanted to take a break from all the noise.

You check the time on your phone,

11:54 P.M

You sigh, ‘I wanna go back home...’

It’s not that you weren’t having fun with Hina and her friends, but you were frankly not that close with them, and even though they are all very nice, having to be social for a long time takes a toll on your mental and physical strength sometimes.

Startled, you turn around when you hear the door of the pub open again behind you.

“Hey,” you hear Hina say as she approaches you, “is everything okay?”

“Yeah sorry, that was just my mom checking up on me” you lie to her, putting your phone back in your bag.

She nods, but you know she's slightly suspicious of your answer as she eyes you carefully

“You tired?” she asks you.

You chuckle nervously, ‘well, that didn’t take long’.

“Yeah, I'm really sorry, it’s getting late and it’s kind of been a long day”

She chuckles, “It’s okay, I thought your battery might have run out by now”

You couldn’t help but chuckle as well. Then you look at her apologetically.

“Yeah, I think I might head home for the night, is that alright with you?” you ask her, feeling bad you couldn’t stay longer.

She laughs and goes in to hug you goodbye, “You know it’s fine, I’m just glad I got to see you today! But, promise me we would hangout together again soon?”

You sigh, relieved, “you know I'd cancel any plans I have, just to see you” you shake your head as you hug her back.

“And promise me you’ll think about that date I wanna set you up on” she giggles as you both let go.

“Yeah, yeah, I'll think about it” you reply, used to her trying to set you up on these blind dates that you don’t necessarily really want to go to.

“Alright. You want me to call you a cab or walk you home?” she asks as you turn around and start leaving.

“No! It’s fine, my house is literally a couple of blocks away, go back! Have fun!” you say assuring her, and waving her to go back and hangout with her friends.

“Are you sure, y/n?”

“Yess! Go!” you tell her, and turn back around, walking away again.

-~-~-

After walking for a few minutes, you notice how quiet it was outside, except for the few open pubs you passed by earlier. I mean, it wasn’t really a huge surprise, it was getting pretty late, and almost all stores in the area were closed at that point. But, because you weren’t usually out that late at night all alone, it somehow made it feel even emptier and quieter.

You look up at the sky as you walk on the sidewalk and notice a few stars scattered along the night sky. It makes you smile and you close your eyes and take a deep breath.

‘I wonder how many of those are actually just satellites...’ you think to yourself as you open your eyes, and you can’t help but let out a small chuckle.

You feel your phone vibrate and notice you got a text message.

1 NEW MESSAGE

You open it.

FROM ‘Wifeyy <3’: “Heyy! Text me when you get home safe!”

You smile as you read the message, but then feel a sudden chill down your spine.

‘Weird...’

You put your phone down and suddenly start hearing faint footsteps behind you.

‘Alright, that’s fine... it’s just someone walking home as well’ you try to assure yourself but can’t help but still feel anxious.

After a few minutes, you still hear the foot steps behind you, slowly getting closer. That, somehow, making you feel more anxious.

‘I’m just overthinking this right?’

You try to increase your pace, to check if they really were following you. Even if they weren’t, you hope to try and lose them all together. It didn’t help that the way to your apartment would be to keep walking straight, and the alleys around the buildings on the way were blocked off at the ends, not making it any safer for you to try and find a way around.

But then you hear the person behind you increase their pace as well.

‘Fuck’ you think, feeling scared and panicked, ‘they're definitely following me, aren’t they?’

You panic as you think of what to do next, then decide to take out your phone and call someone.

‘Who the fuck do I call? Hina? The police? I-’

Your thoughts are interrupted when you hear someone yell something from the sidewalk on the other side of the street you were walking on.

Your head snaps to where the voice came from and you notice a guy running up to you, “Babe?”

You try to back away before the boy reaches you, but, “I’ve been waiting for you, what took you so long?” he asks, pulling you in for a hug.

“I don’t know yo-!”

“Someone’s following you” he whispers in your ear before letting you complete your sentence.

Your heart stops when you hear him say that and you begin to feel your eyes tear up.

He pulls away, looking at you, and you suddenly notice you stopped hearing the footsteps coming from behind you.

You look back and see a man standing in the middle of the street, your eyes widen when you notice his long white hair.

‘That’s the fucking creepy old guy from the pub, I knew he seemed off!’

“My name is Suna. I was just in that supermarket over there, on the other side of the street, when I noticed him following you” he tells you quietly, as he subtly points at a store behind him. You look over his shoulder and notice a small, old looking supermarket, with an ‘Open 24/7′ neon light flickering over it. “Do you want me to walk you back home?” the boy asks you, and your eyes snap back to him.

You’re then able to see him much clearer, his pale, yellow eyes looking into yours. He had a blank expression on his face but you could hear a hint of worry in his voice.

You feel a tear roll down your cheek and you hesitantly nod at him.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I'm here” you hear him say as he puts an arm around you, pulling you closer, and walks with you in the direction you were originally going in.

After a few moments, you hear the footsteps behind you, again, but this time they started to sound more distant, as if the creepy, old guy was walking away.

Your heart starts calming down a bit as you both walk silently for a few minutes.

You then feel the boy remove his arm from around you and you slightly stumble.

‘Was he supporting me this whole time..?’ you think to yourself as you try to steady yourself back on your own feet.

He turns around, “I’m sure he’s gone by now” he tells you, looking back at you.

You turn around to check as well, and feel yourself finally be able to breathe again when you don’t see anyone behind you. You look back at the boy and nod.

“You live around here?” he asks you and you finally notice where you were.  

Realizing you were only about a block away from your house, you stop.

“What?” the boy asks as he turns around to face you, when he realizes you weren't walking next to him anymore.

“This is me” you answer quickly, pointing to a random building you were standing in front of.

He was nice enough to help you back there, so, it's not that you weren’t thankful, but you were still feeling a bit anxious, and you didn’t want to take any chances.

“Oh,” the boy says, looking up at the building you pointed to, then looks back to you, “I'll watch you go in” he continues, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Oh, uhm, okay..” you nervously say, turning to the building.

‘Shit... I hope the entrance door isn’t locked...’

You reach for the door and push it.

‘Oh, thank god...’ you sigh, relieved.

You quickly turn back to look at him again, and notice his eyes following you.

“Thank you”

He just nods at you, a blank expression still on his face.

You get inside the building and the door closes behind you. You weren’t sure if he was looking so you make your way to the elevators. You pretend you pressed a button, hoping he stopped looking at you through the glass door at that point.

You look behind you and notice he wasn’t there anymore, so you run slowly towards the door and see him walking away.

You place a hand on your heart, and sigh again. You close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.

‘Why does it feel like it’s been a really long night...?’

You decide to wait for a few minutes, making sure he wouldn’t still be around the area when you try to run to where you actually lived. It was probably a couple of buildings away so, if you make a quick run for it, you think, you would definitely make it.

You open the glass door slowly and take a quick peak around the street.

‘Nobody’s here...’

You take a quick breath before you make a run for it.

As you thought, it easily took you a minute or two to get to your building. You quickly push the entrance door and run to elevators.  

As soon as it arrives, you get in and press the floor you lived on.

A few moments pass before the elevator doors open and you can't help but breathe a sigh of relief as you’re welcomed with your usual empty, but now comforting hallway.

You step out and head for your apartment when you notice someone standing at the door opposite yours at the end of that hallway, trying to unlock it.

‘Oh, it’s probably the new tenant...’ you think as you walk to your door.

It was pretty silent so you decide to at least welcome them, hoping it would make the awkward silence less... awkward.

“Hey,” you say turning to face them when you get to your door, “You’re the new tenant, righ-” but you quickly stop and your eyes widen when the person turns around to face you.

‘Wait, isn’t he the guy that just walked me back ‘home’??’

He still carried a blank expression on his face, but you notice his eyes slightly widen when he notices who you were as well.

‘Fuck, Fuck, Fuck... What do I say?’ you panic as you both stand there, looking at each other.

“Oh, you live here?” he breaks the silence, sounding pretty calm.

“Oh, yeah,” you say turning around and quickly unlock your door and go in, “Goodnight!” you yell, panicked. 

You accidentally make eye contact with him one last time before you swiftly close the front door, leaving him there, looking blankly at your apartment door instead.

‘He’s my new neighbor??’

(HQ Masterlist)

[fridayfirefly]

Cowboy Like Me

Read Cowboy Like Me on AO3

Masterlist

Written for Maribat March Day 5 - Last Time

Now I know, I'm never gonna love again

Marinette was a terrible sentimentalist. After such a bad breakup it might have been cathartic to tear up the pictures of them, but Marinette just couldn't do it. No, she could bring herself to destroy the evidence of her six-year relationship. Marinette kept all the pictures, all the movie tickets, all the handwritten notes and put them in a shoebox at the top of her closet, somewhere that she couldn't reach without the help of a stepstool. Maybe the pads of her fingers could brush against the smooth cardboard if she stood on her tiptoes. But Marinette could never open it again. Inside that shoebox were the memories of being in love, kept safe, locked away, just out of reach.

As Marinette boarded the plane, she looked back on everything that had gone wrong. Though the cause of all the destruction in her life was uncertain, Marinette could pinpoint the effects exactly. There were a few things Marinette knew for certain: Marinette would never fall in love again, the city Marinette once loved now only held bad memories, and once the plane took off, Marinette would say goodbye to Paris for the last time.

Never wanted love, just a fancy car

The socialite scene of Gotham was dreadfully boring in the winter, Marinette learned. The weather was so brutal that anyone who could afford a second house in Key West or Malibu left as soon as the first snow-fall hit. Marinette stayed inside her penthouse apartment for weeks, designing her wardrobe for the next few months. It had been so long since she had been able to design for herself, without input from anyone else. It was freeing, to work with the colors, the patterns, the styles that she wanted. Marinette had forgotten what freedom felt like. For so long, she had worked for the whims of others, crafting to someone else's design.

Marinette made her first friend two weeks after the move. Silver St. Cloud was Marinette's neighbor in the apartment to the left. Silver was a model and influencer, and a self-proclaimed expert on all of the rich single men in Gotham. Upon their first meeting, Silver offered to show Marinette around Gotham and introduce her to the socialite scene. Marinette, hesitant but hopeful, accepted.

"Bruce Wayne is the best that Gotham has to offer," said Silver as they leave Starbucks, lattes in hand. "But there are plenty of men who are worth your attention - women too, if that's what you prefer."

"Bruce Wayne is the best?"

Silver nodded. "The Waynes have owned this city for as long as Gotham has been on a map. I wouldn't set your sights on him completely, though. Bruce Wayne doesn't date anyone, not even a former member of Kitty Section."

Kitty Section was known around the world, the biggest band to come out of France in the last decade. Their songs topped charts. Their albums won awards. Their well-crafted image of reclusive, mysterious artists led to a media sensation over the members of Kitty Section. Everyone wanted to know them - Luka Couffaine and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the lead vocalists whose relationship enchanted their fans. Rose Lavillant, the backing vocalist and keyboardist, and Juleka Couffaine, the bass guitarist, who were unashamed of their love for each other. Ivan Bruel, the mysterious drummer who had the name Mylène carved into his drumsticks. They were famous. They were at the top of their game. They were unstoppable.

Marinette ruined it all when she left the band. Her split had been big news, exposing a dark side of Kitty Section that their fans were never supposed to see. But after their breakup, Marinette quickly realized that she never loved music. She loved Luka, and once that love faded away, she loved nothing.

"I guess I'll find someone else," said Marinette, but it was a lie. There was Luka Couffaine, and after that, there was no one else. She might be able to love fancy dresses and expensive cars, but Marinette would never love a person again, not the way she loved Luka. When it came to love (deep, true love, not just the infatuations of childhood) Luka was her first time, Luka was her only time, and Luka would be her last time.

Perched in the dark, telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear

Marinette quickly learned the art of charming everyone she met, either through her impressive resume (founding member of Kitty Section) or through her newfound ability to flirt. It turns out, once you turn off your feelings it becomes very easy to pretend that you can still love.

Marinette and Silver became thick as thieves. The girls became a popular pair, charming every birthday brunch and charity dinner. For Silver, it was all about networking. As she explained to Marinette, "I'm trying to create a brand. I'm trying to turn my own name into something that can be sold, and for that, I need connections.

For Marinette, it was something to do. As long as she used her money wisely, Marinette had enough saved to comfortably live out the rest of her days. The real problem came in finding something to pass the time. Marinette rarely felt joy in living her life, the way she used to back when she was a child, the bright-eyed girl who aspired to be a designer. Now, everything from charming a billionaire to designing a new dress felt like a chore.

"Come meet Bruce Wayne," urged Silver as she grabbed Marinette's hand. "He just got back from Nepal. It's his first time in Gotham in six months. He skipped his own New Year's Gala to go soul-searching in the Himalayas. It's my job tonight to convince him to stay in town for longer than a week."

There was a determination to Silver's voice. From everything she had heard about Bruce Wayne, Marinette doubted that Silver could make him change his ways. However, that wouldn't stop Marinette from helping her new-found friend.

Silver's whole body-language changed, shifting from a determined march to a delicate float as she made her way over to a dark-haired man in a well-fitted tux. "Hello, Bruce. It's so nice to see you again."

"Silver." Bruce acknowledged her, sounding bored. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She was the lead singer of Kitty Section before the band split up a few months ago."

"Kitty Section... I might have heard of them before. The band was... French?"

Marinette nodded. "Yes. All the members were born and raised in Paris. Have you heard of any of our music?

"I'm certain now that I have. It was very... commercial."

Marinette ought to have slapped him across the face right then and there. Not only was commercial not a compliment, but it also wasn't even true. It was the biggest criticism of Kitty Section, their reticence to work with popular music trends. Despite her overwhelming desire to assault the most wealthy and influential man in the ballroom, Marinette instead steeled her face and gave Bruce a pleasant smile. "Thank you. So what do you do for a living, Mister Wayne."

"I travel."

Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He spoke two words to her. The conversation was anything but interesting. "How interesting. Have you ever been to Paris?"

"I'm not a tourist, Miss Dupain-Cheng. I travel to much more interesting places."

Marinette officially gave up on the conversation. She would let Silver (who looked to be itching to have her turn to talk to Bruce) try and fix the train-wreck of a conversation that Bruce created. "You sound like a man with a lot of stories to tell. I hope you can tell me them over lunch someday."

"Perhaps."

Marinette gave Bruce her politest smile. "I have to excuse myself. Silver, why don't you tell Bruce about your new sponsorship from Lululemon."

Silver lit up. "Oh, you have to hear about this email I got last week. It was amazing, it's so good for my brand..."

Marinette walked away, letting her distaste towards Bruce leave her. Secretly, a little part of her hoped that Bruce would leave Gotham, as he was well-known for doing. Though Silver was her friend, Marinette didn't think she could pretend to like Bruce.

"He's intolerable, isn't he?" joked a voice from beside Marinette.

Marinette turned to face the stranger, a beautiful woman, taller than Marinette by quite a few inches, with dark hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin. She wore a dress of royal blue silk, so elegant it reminded Marinette of the sort of thing she always dreamed of making. "Who?"

"Bruce Wayne. Who else would it be?"

Marinette let out a quiet laugh. "He is quite unpleasant. I take it you know him."

"I accompanied him on some of his travels. Bruce is a good friend of mine, but these parties tend to bring out the worst in him. He hates this city and he especially hates the wealthy of this city." The woman grabbed a glass of wine off of a server's tray and handed it to Marinette, who gratefully took it.

"Then I doubt Silver will have any luck convincing him to stay." Marinette tried to keep the satisfaction out of her tone, but the woman laughed anyways, an indication that it didn't work.

"You're quite funny..." The woman paused for an introduction.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And you are?"

"Diana-"

The sound of shattering glass interrupted Diana's introduction. The crowd started to get frantic, and Marinette was pushed one way while Diana was pushed the other. The glass of wine was knocked out of Marinette's hand, staining the fabric of her dress. Marinette struggled to stay on her feet, desperate to not twist an ankle in her four-inch heels.

"Listen up!" shouted an oddly-dressed man. "You're all going to listen to me, and no one will get hurt."

Marinette had a very odd feeling that this would be a moment she remembered for the rest of her life.

Never thought I'd meet you here. It could be love

"They're calling him a supervillain. Apparently, his name is The Riddler," reported Marinette, looking up from her phone, where she was reading about the events of the night before.

Silver glanced up from her seat on the sofa across the room where she was painting her nails a delicate shade of pink. "It's about time Gotham got its own supervillain. Metropolis has had Superman and all the villains that follow him around for years."

Marinette snorted out a laugh. "You think that a supervillain is a good thing?"

"Sure. It means that Gotham will be getting a superhero of its own soon." Silver brightened up. "Plus, the hostage situation from last night meant that I got to spend a whole two hours with Bruce."

Marinette groaned. "I can't believe that you two are going on a date. Bruce Wayne is one of the most insufferable men I've ever met."

"It's not a date. Bruce specified it as just dinner between friends. You should come too, Marinette. I'm sure that once you spend some time with Bruce you'll warm up to him."

Marinette gave Silver a skeptical look. "You want me to come with you on your date with Bruce?"

"Again, it's not a date. Bruce said that he would be bringing one of his friends along as well."

Marinette finally understood Silver's intentions. "You want me to come with you so that I can partner up with Bruce's friend, and you can get some alone time with Bruce."

"Well it doesn't sound very nice when you put it that way," huffed Silver.

Marinette giggled. "I love devious plans. We'll just have to make it look natural."

It took a little time to get all the details, but Marinette and Silver got their plan in order. Silver would arrive first and meet Bruce and his friend. Marinette would arrive later, strike up a one-on-one conversation with Bruce's friend, and spend the night engaging Bruce's friend in conversation so that Silver could flirt with Bruce. Marinette's only concern about the evening was that Bruce's friend would be just as unbearable to talk to as Bruce himself.

The restaurant that Bruce picked out was very fancy, but Marinette didn't mind. It allowed her to wear her new dress, a pale blue and silver creation meant to mimic the shimmering quality of ice. Marinette thought it might be a little too experimental for the old-fashioned Gotham society, but Silver approved of it, and Marinette trusted her friend.

As soon as Marinette walked through the doors her eyes caught sight of Silver's white-blonde hair. Then she noticed Bruce sitting beside her friend, his eyes trained on Silver with an odd intensity. Finally, Marinette noticed Bruce's friend. She was shocked to see that it was Diana, the very woman that Marinette had met at yesterday's gala, the very woman whose introduction was interrupted by the untimely arrival of the Riddler. For a second, Marinette was shocked into stillness. The chaos of the night before had overshadowed her meeting with Diana to the extent that Marinette had forgotten how very charmed she had been by Diana. Now, it seemed Marinette had the perfect opportunity to get to know the charismatic woman from the night before.

"Marinette," the surprise in Diana's tone told Marinette that she was just as blind-sighted by their meeting.

"Hello, Diana. Fancy meeting you here," said Marinette with a smile.

Bruce raised one eyebrow. "I didn't know you two knew each other."

"We met last night," explained Diana. "I wanted to let her knew that you aren't usually so insufferable."

Bruce looked affronted. "I wasn't insufferable."

"You lied about having listened to Kitty Section," piped up Marinette. "There are a lot of valid criticisms of Kitty Section. However, our music being too commercial is not one of them."

Bruce had the decency to look guilty. "I apologize, then. I'll make sure to take the time to give your music a real listen."

For Silver's sake, Marinette was willing to forgive him. "Maybe next time you can give me some real criticism."

Bruce nodded graciously. "I'll do that."

Diana took that moment to bring back up their introduction the night before. "So Marinette, I don't believe we got the chance to finish our introductions last night. I'm Diana Prince, newly a curator at Gotham's Art and History Museum."

"I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, former member of Kitty Section, currently taking a soul-searching sabbatical."

"Soul-searching for what?" asked Diana.

"I suppose I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. When I was younger I was so passionate about fashion. I made my own clothes, entered my creations into design contests, spent years creating a portfolio. I'm trying to rediscover that passion."

"Maybe you could show me your designs some time," offered Diana.

"I would like that," agreed Marinette.

"Actually," chimed in Silver, "Marinette made the dress she's wearing right now."

"Really? I would have assumed that it was professionally made. It's a gorgeous dress," praised Diana.

Marinette blushed, a warm fluttery feeling stirring deep within her. The rest of the night passed in a blur, with Marinette hanging on Diana's every word. It was easy to talk to Diana. She was so naturally charming that Marinette couldn't help but enjoy herself. As the evening winded down, Marinette felt only regret that they would have to part so soon.

As Marinette stood outside the restaurant, waiting for a taxi, she felt Diana's hand settle on her shoulder. It had been a while since Marinette had felt such an intimate touch. "I had a nice time talking to you tonight." The feel of Diana's fingers gently trailing down Marinette's arms was almost more than Marinette, touch-starved and hungry for more, could bear.

Marinette smiled. "I did too. I hope to see more of you."

"I'm sure you will." Marinette took comfort in the certainty in Diana's voice.

And in the back of her mind, Marinette began to rethink her policy of never falling in love again. Something about Diana made Marinette think that Luka wouldn't be her last time after all.

And the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up

Marinette could not believe he did this. After everything they had been through together, Marinette's one final request to Luka was that he not release a song about their breakup. But there it was, top of the charts, the lead single of Luka's new solo album, Different Cities. And if it wasn't bad enough that Luka broke the only promise she asked him to keep, included in the song was a snippet of the last voicemail she sent to him. She left it for him weeks after they broke up, as an explanation to him, to let him know she was leaving Gotham.

In the last few seconds of the song, Marinette's voice is hesitant as she speaks. "I know that you wanted me to stay so that we could work things out, but I don't think that our relationship is fixable. So I guess I'm calling to tell you that I give up. I'm leaving Paris next Friday. I've already bought the plane ticket. You can't change my mind. Goodbye, Luka."

It was the rawest emotion Marinette had shown since the breakup, and Luka exploited it for his own gain.

Marinette spent the day joylessly deleting emails from various news outlets begging her to tell her side of the story. As if she would give Luka the satisfaction of giving free publicity. Everyone loved drama, so Marinette was going to make her reaction - or lack of reaction, in this case - as boring as possible.

Every time her phone rang, Marinette ignored it. The voicemails started to stack up, and eventually, Marinette found herself going through them one-by-one. One from Alya, letting Marinette know that she was there for her when she wanted to talk. One from Adrien, more joking in tone, trying to cheer Marinette up. One from Ivan, directly threatening to punch Luka in the face if Marinette wanted it (and that was the only voicemail that actually brought her spirits up). One from Juleka, an apology.

In the voicemail, Juleka's voice was rough, like she had been crying. "I'm so sorry, Marinette. I begged Luka not to release it, but he wouldn't listen to me. He said- he- he said-" Juleka broke off into a sob, and Marinette couldn't help but sniffle along with her. "I can hardly recognize him anymore. Rose and I aren't on speaking terms with him now. He's no longer my brother."

Marinette wished that she could pick up the phone and tell Juleka that it was okay to forgive Luka, but Marinette couldn't. The wound was still fresh, still bleeding out.

One step forward, one steps back. Two days after Marinette considered the idea of loving again, and she was right back where she started - in too much pain to even consider friendship, let alone love.

Speak of the devil, Marinette's phone rang, Diana's name lighting up on the screen. Part of her wanted to throw her phone across the room and curl up under her blankets. The other parts of her answered the call. "Hello?" spoke Marinette, wiping away the moisture at the corner of her eyes.

"Marinette, are you okay?" Diana's voice was soft. It was the most comforting thing Marinette had ever heard.

"Not really. I can't decide if I want to punch Luka in the face or if it would hurt too much to ever see him again."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Marinette sighed. "I met Luka when I was fourteen. He was my classmate Juleka's older brother. Luka had his own band, so all the girls in our class thought that Luka was so cool, but he mostly ignored us. Then one day his backing vocalist got bronchitis and he needed someone to fill in. I was a soloist for the school chorus, so I volunteered. Luka was hesitant to let me join his band until he heard me sing. He told me I had the voice of an angel. Two days later he kissed me, and I fell in love with him so hard and so fast I didn't have a chance to consider if he was really the one."

Marinette took a deep breath, then continued, "It was a whirlwind after that. We started dating. We started a new band and named it Kitty Section. We started writing songs together. The weird part was, he never asked how I felt about any of it. He never asked me if I wanted to date him, he never asked if I wanted to join the band, he always assumed that I wanted what he wanted."

"And what did you want?" asked Diana.

"Back then, I thought I wanted a future with Luka. Now, I guess I just want to feel passion again. I've felt so empty since I left him."

"You might feel better with some company. Do you want me to come over to your place?"

Marinette looked around at her empty apartment, at the way the shadows filled the room, at the way seemed to lurk in every corner. "Sure."

"You could show me some of those designs you were telling me about the other day," suggested Diana.

Marinette glanced over at her sketchbook, which had laid empty for months. "That sounds good."

As she hung up the phone, Marinette realized that talking to Diana had made her feel a bit better. The knife wound that Luka had left in her heart had begun to close up at the edges. Marinette took a deep breath and picked up her sketchbook. If she wanted to rediscover her passion, she needed to work for it.

Now you hang from my lips, like the Gardens of Babylon

Marinette let out an appreciative noise as Diana re-entered the room, modeling one of Marinette's creations. "Give me a little spin."

Diana turned herself around, letting the red fabric swirl around her legs. Something about the way that the dress looked on Diana made it so much prettier in Marinette's eyes. Suddenly the fabric wasn't just red, it was carmine. The dress wasn't just being worn, it was being modeled. It didn't just move, it flowed. "It's a gorgeous dress," complimented Diana as she looked over her shoulder at the mirror behind her to admire it.

"It is nice, isn't it." Marinette had been so caught up in her head she had forgotten to truly admire her creation. Suddenly an idea occurred to her. "You should keep it. One of Bruce's charity galas is coming up in a few weeks. You could wear it there."

"I couldn't," protested Diana.

Marinette shook her head. "It looks best on you. I could never pull off such a vibrant shade of red." There was a second part to the sentence that was left unspoken. If Marinette made the dress knowing that it wouldn't look good on her, she must have made it for another reason. She must have made it with Diana in mind.

Diana smiled, seeming to have caught those unspoken words. "Well if I'm going to wear the dress, you'll have to put up with me gushing about how talented you are all night long."

Marinette flushed. "It's no big deal. It's just a dress."

"It's not just a dress. It's your passion." There was truth in Diana's words that Marinette couldn't deny. It was so much more than a dress. It was the passion for design that Diana had helped her rediscover. It was the newfound friendship with Diana that chased away the loneliness and despair that had taken over her life. It was the glimmer of hope for a future with Diana.

Takes one to know one, you're a cowboy like me

Diana looked beyond gorgeous in that carmine dress. Marinette could keep her eyes off of her as they mingled around the ballroom. Marinette's dress was nice, made with the same passion that Marinette had in her younger years, but it paled in comparison to Diana. However, Diana made up for this disparity by gleefully explaining that Marinette was the creator of the dress every time it was complimented. By the end of the night, Marinette had spent so much time blushing over compliments that she worried her face would become permanently flushed.

The gala was a complete success for everyone involved. The charity, which happened to benefit Gotham Child Protective Services, raised twice their goal amount. Marinette got to spend time with Diana. Even Silver had spent the night looking very pleased with herself, her hand resting on Bruce's forearm as they walked through the ballroom together.

As the night winded down, Marinette and Diana found themselves walking out of Wayne Manor towards Diana's car. Diana had offered to drive Marinette there and back, and Marinette had eagerly accepted. Marinette hated driving in Gotham, as Gotham was known for its aggressive drivers and high rates of automobile accidents.

Marinette sat down in the passenger seat with a sigh, kicking off her heels. "Tonight was nice."

"It was nice," Diana agreed. "We'll have to attend galas together more often."

"You just want an excuse to get your hands on another one of my dresses," teased Marinette.

Diana laughed. "I wouldn't say no to another dress. But really, Bruce's rich friends are much more bearable when I have someone to make fun of them afterward with."

Marinette shuddered. "And to think I thought that Bruce was bad. His friends are intolerable. I never want to talk about golf again in my life."

The two women chatted as they drove through the dark streets of Gotham, back to Marinette's apartment.

"Thanks for driving me home," said Marinette as the car pulled up in front of her apartment building.

"It was no problem." Diana hesitated, before continuing. "I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night."

"Dinner sounds good," Marinette replied, strapping her shoes back on.

"I'm asking for this to be a date." Diana finished.

Marinette looked up at her, surprised. Her friendship with Diana had been so easy that Marinette had forgotten that it could be anything else. She had half a mind to decline, to stay in the familiar, but that little bit of hope in her heart urged Marinette to take a leap of faith and accept. "I would like that. What time will you pick me up?"

Diana smiled, her whole face lighting up. "How does six sound?"

Marinette smiled back, her heart feeling lighter than it had in years. "Sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow."

And as Marinette got ready for bed, she realized that all of the sadness that lingered in her heart since the breakup had gone away. All that was left for her to feel was hope for the future.

@maribatmarch-2k21

[seanfalco]

The Rehearsal | Misfits Timeline Anomaly’verse

an oc x oc collaboration between @seanfalco & @super-unpredictable98​

Word Count: 4.2k Warnings: Light smut, jealousy

[ masterlist ]

"Good morning, loves of my life, or should I say good afternoon?"  Lydia exclaimed, crawling in bed as she arrived home after her costume fitting. 

"Wha-?  Did you leave?" her Nathan murmured, staring in confusion at his fully awake fiancé.  

"I was in East Village, doing work stuff and getting some food to make breakfast for you lot.  Who's hungry?  Who's ready to unpack a little bit with me?"

The other Nathan groaned and rolled toward his pillow, but Win stretched, sitting up, the sheets slipping down from her bare chest.  "I'll help you, Lollipop," she murmured, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Amazing!"  Lydia leaned in to kiss her.  "I bet when the food is ready these two will come running..." she rolled her eyes.  Lyddie was about to leave the room and get back to unpacking, but Win's bare chest had her quite distracted.

“They always do,” Win laughed, noticing the way her girlfriend’s eyes lingered.  “See somethin’ y’like babe?” she asked with a grin.

"You know I do..." Lydia lowered Win to the bed once more, kissing each of her breasts softly.  "Okay, I think I lost my train of thought a little bit, but... they just look so nice."

“We still need to get them pierced t’match yours,” Win teased, stretching her arms above her head as Lyddie pushed her back.  “I’ll go topless to the kitchen if you want,” she joked.  “That way we don’t disturb the boys.”

"Yeah, that'll definitely get me motivated to work," Lydia laughed.  "You'd look so hot with piercings... ugh, I have to stop thinking before I get way too horny to function," she shook her head, placing one last kiss on Win's chest before jumping out of bed.

Win laughed as she followed, grabbing a shirt as she went.  “So what are we making this morning?” she asked.

I was thinking you could help me set up the kitchen, I wanted to make an American breakfast, eggs, bacon, pancakes, the whole thing," Lydia said, grabbing a box of kitchen utensils to put on the table.

“That sounds delicious,” Win exclaimed, reaching into the box to unpack, doing whatever she could to help Lyddie.

"So, how was your first night of sleep in the new flat?" Lydia asked, separating the ingredients she would need.  "I think I was born to sleep with the sounds of the city."

“I think I slept okay, though I was rather worn out,” Win chuckled.  “It’s a little louder than I’m used to, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it,” she said opening drawers as she pulled things from the box.

"Yeah, hopefully you will before we go back to England."  Lydia missed home a little bit, her friends and family, but she was also so happy to be there.  "I think you guys should come with me later, you know?  It's our first general rehearsal, with costumes and all, it's still gonna be a couple of months before my big night, but I'd love for you guys to see it."

“That sounds like fun!” Win exclaimed, pausing to wrap her arms around Lyddie.  “I’d love to watch your rehearsal!”

"The cast is gonna love to meet you," Lydia pressed her forehead to Win's.  "They are really sweet."

“Aw I’m excited,” Win murmured, pressing a kiss to Lyddie’s lips.  “I’m really happy to be here with you.”

Lydia's heart melted at the words, she felt slightly guilty for dragging Win away from everyone and everything so it felt really good to hear that.  "I love you," she whispered before going back to making breakfast.

Win smiled as she got back to work unpacking and by the time Lydia had breakfast made she had almost all of the dishes put away and both Nathans had appeared.

"Breakfast today is only for people who were helping me unpack," Lydia teased, setting the table.  

"Gonna let us starve to death?" her Nathan gasped. 

"Don't worry, you're immortal."

“That doesn’t mean we still don’t suffer!” Win’s Nathan complained with a pout.

"Awww poor Natty," Lydia gave him a plate and kissed his forehead.  "Next time get your ass out of bed and help me, will you?" 

"We'll make it up to you," Lyddie's Nathan flashed her a sleepy smile.

“Uh huh, I’m sure you will,” Win exclaimed, pouring everyone a glass of juice before taking her seat.

"I was telling Win you should come watch me today," Lydia said, mindlessly pouring syrup on her pancakes.  "It's gonna be fun." 

"We should go, there's loads o'strippers in th’show, we'll get t'see it up close," Lyddie's Nathan whispered to his clone.

“I’m in!” Win’s Nathan exclaimed, shoving half a pancake in his mouth as Win gave him a disgusted look. 

“Make sure t’chew your food, before y’choke,” she said, shaking her head ruefully.  “I really don’t wanna watch you die before ten o’clock.”

"On another note, please shove more food in your mouth," Lydia tilted her head, watching him mesmerized.  "But yeah, careful... choking.... chew..." she mumbled. 

"Wow, didn't think it was horny o'clock already, my watch must be broken," her Nathan mocked, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes to get her attention.

Win rolled her eyes and got back to her plate, giving Lyddie a playful pinch to snap her out of her daze.

"Okay, okay," Lydia huffed.  "But you know, since we did the kitchen, the boys should organize the bathroom, I think it's only fair..."

“Ugh, I s’pose,” Win’s Nathan groaned.  “What time is your rehearsal?” he asked quickly, hoping to distract her from the thought of unpacking the bathroom.

"It's at four, plenty of time for you two to work while Winnie and I watch some TV, snog a little..." Lydia noticed his attempt to deflect.

“Mmm sounds perfect t’me,” Win mused, squeezing Lyddie’s thigh beneath the table.

"Just don't blame us if we accidentally ruin your makeup, we're pretty clumsy..." Lyddie's Nathan shrugged. 

"Ha ha, you got powers, you twat!  It's gonna take, what, two seconds to get everything done?" Lydia teased, placing her hand on top of Win's

“Oh yeah,” Win’s Nathan mused, as if he’d forgotten about their powers.  “Do we get a reward for helpin’ out?”

"A reward for doing what you were supposed to do all along....?" Lydia mused.  "Yeah, I suppose you each get a kiss," she drawled.

“That’s all?” Win’s Nathan groaned.  “Do we get t’choose where?” he asked hopefully.

"Maybe," Lydia winked at Win.  "I'll think about it, if you ask nicely."  She didn't know who she was trying to fool, but it felt nice to wind them up.

“C’mon Lyddie, I think the boys should clean up the dishes for us too,” Win said, a smug look on her face as she nuzzled into the crook of Lydia’s neck before pulling her to her feet to head to the living room.

"Yeah, that would be so nice," she murmured, following Win to the couch.  "Nothing makes me hornier than clean dishes..." 

"Now you're just abusin' your power, that's not fair!" her Nathan protested.

“Y’better get workin’!” Win called from the living room, “if y’want her t’still be horny by the time I’m done with her!” she joked, pulling Lydia to the couch with her.

"You are a genius, why didn't I think of that before?  That's why I love you so much," Lydia took Win into her arms and kissed her temple gently.  "Oh, I missed American television..."

“Is that the only reason y’love me?” Win teased, grinning to herself as she settled down in Lyddie’s arms to focus on the tv, while the two Nathans bickered over who was gunna do what in the other room.

"No, of course not..." Lydia chuckled, watching the boys being chaotic over a simple task.  "I love you 'cause you're sweet, and a great person, and cute, and sexy, and beautiful, and you have nice tits, and you have that cocky charm I can't resist... those are some of the reasons."

“Oh really?” Win mused, grinning as she pulled Lydia in for a kiss, her tongue sliding against her lip, begging entrance.

Lydia hummed in response, kissing Win back, whatever was on the tv or whatever stupid fight the boys were having was instantly forgotten.

“I can’t imagine my life without you in it anymore Lyddie,” Win whispered between kisses, each one becoming more heated than the last.

"You don't ever have to, I'm not going anywhere, you're stuck with me," Lydia didn't expect the romantic confession in the middle of snogging, but she loved to hear it.

“Good,” Win murmured, kissing her way down Lyddie’s neck, her hand wandering. 

“Hey now!  Cut that out!” Win’s Nathan cried from across the room.

"Why?  Finish your chore first," Lydia moaned, sliding her hand down to Win's ass.  "And you'll get some attention too." 

"How can we concentrate while you're doin' that right in front of us?" Lyddie's Nathan whined.

“We could go in the bedroom so we don’t distract you, if you’d rather,” Win replied, nipping at Lyddie’s neck, her hand slipping under the front of her shirt to fondle her.

"Ugh!  You two are the worst!" Lyddie's Nathan waved his hand and made the dishes disappear. 

"Natty, did you just get rid of it?" Lydia tried not to completely lose her mind shivering under Win's touch. 

"No, it's in the cupboard... can I join now?"

“What about the bathroom?” Win asked innocently, eyeing him sideways, arching into Lyddie’s touch, quite aware of how they looked at the moment and how crazy it must be driving him.

"Jesus!  Nathan!" Lyddie's Nathan shouted angrily, heading to the bathroom.  

"You better be fast, I'm getting very impatient..." Lydia started grinding against Win's thigh, she was trying to put on a show for them, but at the same time she just wanted to shag her already.

“What do you wanna do, babe?  Wait for the boys or not?” Win asked with a laugh, feeling rather impatient herself.

"It wouldn't hurt to start without them," Lydia's hands snaked under Win's shirt with a mischievous grin.  "They can join when they're done, you just look so hot, I don't wanna wait."

“Y’hear that boys?  Lyddie can’t wait any longer!” Win laughed before turning back to Lydia. “God, me either, I want you now, Lyds,” she mumbled, tugging at Lydia’s knickers

Lydia laughed as she heard clattering in the bathroom.  "Put that shit down, y'wanker!  No, let me do it!" Lyddie's Nathan exclaimed in a rage. 

"I want you too," she whispered, brushing her lips along Win's jaw, pinching her nipples.

“Good,” Win murmured, kneeling between Lyddie’s legs, not hesitating to taste her, eagerly licking up her slit, her hands squeezing at her thighs.

Lydia shuddered with a loud moan as she rolled her hips, running her fingers through Win's hair. "That's so good, Winnie, I've missed your mouth so much..."

“You taste so good sweetheart,” Win purred, running her hand up Lyddie’s body to squeeze her breast as she moved her tongue faster, playing with her nipple as she circled her clit, relishing the sounds Lyddie made. 

“Will you hurry up?  They’re gunna be done by th’time you finish!” Win’s Nathan hissed, glancing over his shoulder at what was going on in the living room as he stuffed some towels into the cupboard.

"This isn't my fault!  I just had t'fix your mess!  My part is done!" Lyddie's Nathan countered, knowing his fiancé would be pissed if he half-assed it. 

"Just like that, babe, oh please!" Lydia whimpered slightly louder than she normally would, biting her lip as she threw her head back, glancing at the boys.  She did miss some alone time with Win... for girl talk and things like that.

“My mess!” Win’s Nathan yelped indignantly, unable to focus.  “This is drivin’ me nuts!” he growled, looking over his shoulder again.  “I’ll finish it after!” he whined impatiently. 

Win moaned, unable to speak and not wanting to stop, her tongue moving faster, unrelenting, wanting to hear Lyddie scream as she came.

"Yes!  Winnie!" Lydia cried, her entire body going numb with pleasure and her mind went totally blank before she was finally able to open her eyes.  "Hi, boys..." 

"Don't you come at me with hi boys," her Nathan folded his arms.

“What do you want us t’say?” Win asked, rolling to her back to face them, lazing her head in Lyddie’s lap, a content grin tugging at her lips.

Lyddie's Nathan's mouth opened and closed several times as he thought of how to answer the question.

"How about this," Lydia stoked Win's hair.  "I gotta get ready for work soon, but because you boys helped us, tonight you pick whatever you wanna do.  Sound good?"

“Sounds good t’me,” Win’s Nathan piped up, eyeing the girls hungrily. 

“I better get ready too, if we’re going with you,” Win said, stretching languidly as Lyddie slid out from under her.

"Yeah, I s'pose..." Lyddie's Nathan rolled his eyes.  "And as promised before," Lydia pulled him closer to press a kiss to his neck and then moved to kiss Win's Nathan's chest.  "Thank you, you were so helpful."

“What about you?” Win’s Nathan asked, turning his eyes on his girlfriend, a hopeful look on his face.  “Do we get kisses from you as well?”

"I think they deserve it, Winnie," Lydia giggled, ripping her shirt off to change. 

"Especially me, I did almost all the work," Lyddie's Nathan elbowed his clone with a shit-eating smirk.

Win fought back a grin at the indignation on her Nathan’s face and stood to press a kiss to his lips, tugging at his shirt to get him to lean down before turning to Lyddie’s Nathan and capturing his lips as well, giving him just a hint of tongue as a little extra.

Lydia gathered all she would need in a backpack, packing some light snacks, dancing shoes (even though she would mostly wear combat boots in the show), water, honey for her throat, towel...  "Hey, is everyone ready?" she asked, leaving the bathroom after putting her hair in a high ponytail.

“Yep!” Win exclaimed happily, excited to watch Lyddie work.

"Then let's go, we're moving to the theatre today," Lydia locked arms with Win and headed to the door, followed by the Nathans, who had a long discussion over who would get to wear their blue hoodie. 

The Brooks Atinkson wasn't far, in fact, it was on their street, crossing the 8th Avenue.  When they entered Win looked around, while trying not to look like she was some sort of tourist.

“So what now?” she asked, squeezing Lydia’s arm.

"Now come with me, I'll show you backstage," Lydia was clearly having the time of her life saying that.  The quad could've walked through the stage door, but what’s the fun in that?  Lydia pulled herself up to the stage and took Win's hands to help her do the same, while the boys clumsily followed. 

"Hey guys, I brought my girlfriend to watch the run-through today," she announced as she found part of the cast, the director, and the choreographer sitting around in a room they used for collective warm-ups.  "...And my boyfriend, and my fiancé."

“Hey,” Win greeted, flushing slightly as all eyes turned on them and she moved a little closer to Nathan’s side, letting him drape his arm over her shoulder as he waved to Lyddie’s crew members.

"Um... hey," the diretor, a tall, slender guy with gray hair, took a few seconds to make sure he actually heard what he thought he heard.  "That's... awesome, I hope you guys enjoy it." 

Lyddie's Nathan already had a hard time keeping up with two girlfriends, but that didn't stop him from waving at the beautiful girls from the ensemble with a silly smile. "Come on, I'll show you guys my dressing room next," Lydia exclaimed, heading down a long hallway.

“Ooo, dressing room!” Win’s Nathan exclaimed, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.  “I remember quite fondly th’last dressin’ room we were in, ey Lyds?”

Lydia's cheeks blushed with the memory from that day, it felt like ages ago, even though it'd been only a couple months.  "Yeah, it was quite nice..." she opened a door that read "Lyddie Young - Lonny Barnett", which lead to a much fancier dressing room than the one from their memory.  "Home sweet home."

"Dang," Win breathed, looking around in awe.  "This is... a lot nicer."

"Yeah, no shit," her Nathan agreed.

"So when do we get t'shag here?" Lyddie’s Nathan asked, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

"The walls are thin, Natty," Lydia warned playfully.  "Plus I don't think shagging on my first day in the theatre is the best idea..." 

"Why not?  It’ll bring good luck," he said, pulling her onto the big red couch next to the window.

"I don't know if that's how it works," Win laughed, ambling around the room.

"Yeah, last time I checked 'break a leg' was just fine," Lydia laughed, breaking free from his embrace to take a look at her costume.  Her first outfit was a pair of skinny jeans, black leather fingerless gloves, and a tuxedo t-shirt.

"Ooo that's kinda sexy," Win cooed, plopping down between the Nathans.  "I can't wait to see you up on stage," she sighed.  "How many costume changes do you have?"

"Four, two for each act," Lydia smiled, knowing damn well she's supposed to look like the comic relief, which was fine, just not exactly what she was used to.  "I only change the top though, so at least I don't have to run."

"That's good, it sounds like it could be stressful otherwise," Win mused.

"Yeah, poor Sherry Christian has the most complex changes in the show..." Lydia started to get dressed after looking at the clock.  "We're starting anytime now, do you guys wanna watch from the wings or the audience?"

"I vote audience," Win exclaimed.  

Her Nathan shrugged. "I'm with her."

"Yeah, I s'pose with no crazy fans in sight..." Lyddie's Nathan shrugged.  

"Nice, I gotta go to makeup and get ready, do you guys know how to get there?" Lydia looked up at them as she laced up her boots. 

"Yeah, I'll take them," her Nathan said, placing a kiss to her lips before getting up.

"Break a leg, babe!" Win called as they filed out of her dressing room, Lyddie's Nathan guiding them out to the audience.

"So, do you know anythin' about this musical?" Win asked Lyddie's Nathan as she sat between them.

"Oh yeah, it was the first show we ever watched on Broadway, I ran t'get tickets 'cause she was gettin' suspicious with all the proposal plannin', so I had to distract her... it's pretty cool, everyone liked it," Lyddie's Nathan smiled remembering that night.

"Aww that's so sweet," Win whispered, sitting back in her seat as the lights dimmed.  "And you don't think you can be romantic," she scoffed.  For a moment she looked down at her hand wistfully in her lap before hastily slipping it under her leg.

"Come on feel the noise!  Girls rock your boys, we'll get wild wild wild!" Lydia jumped into the stage singing, her cotton candy hair was now a Joan Jett mullet and her British accent was nowhere to be seen.  "We're going back to a sexier time, the Reagan era!" she shouted as if the theatre was packed.  A girl in a quite revealing outfit came in licking a popsicle and Lydia pulled her closer with one hand on her ass.  "See what I mean?"

"Whoa," Win's Nathan exclaimed, sitting up straighter.  "Damn Lollipop." 

Win frowned slightly, but didn't say anything, chewing her lip.

Lyddie's Nathan looked over at Win, he knew the feeling, but he was happy that at least she didn't have to take her clothes off like most of the female cast... The first act ran smoothly, Lydia was having fun, not scared to look silly as she delivered the most absurd lines.  Every time she heard a laugh coming from the audience, that only made her want to do more, and be even more extra.  "Stay there, everyone, cause act two is coming, and it totally kicks act one's ass," she whispered by the end of Here I Go Again. 

"Well, that was... incredible," her Nathan gaped.

“Yeah, she’s amazing,” Win’s Nathan agreed.  “I might start likin’ more musicals if Lyddie’s in ‘em.”

"What'd you think, Winnie?" Lyddie's Nathan nudged her arm gently, taking her hand.

“It’s great!  Lyddie’s so amazing.  I’m so proud of her,” Win said, leaning in closer.

Lyddie's Nathan didn't remember everything that happened during the second act, he was excited to see it again.  In about fifteen minutes, the show was back on, everything was perfect, Nathan was having a great time, but when he heard the first notes of Can't Fight This Feeling, his stomach twisted. 

"I can't fight this feeling any longer, and yet I'm still afraid to let it flow..." Lydia started the duet where her character and their best friend shared their feelings, ending in a passionate kiss.

“Oh...” Win murmured, glancing over at Lyddie’s Nathan.  “I thought you said you’ve seen this one before?  Did you know she was supposed to kiss someone?”

"I-I forgot..." he chuckled nervously, not wanting to show that he was bothered, after all it was her work.  But the thought of her kissing that man every night, eight times a week was a little upsetting.

“Hey...” Win murmured, giving his hand a squeeze.  “Does that bother you too? I  mean... a little bit?” she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, kinda..." Lyddie's Nathan admitted.  "It's just a little weird, y'know?"

“Yeah...” Win mused, chewing her lip again.  “I know realistically it doesn’t mean anything, but...”

"Yeah, it's just..." he shook his head and tried to push that thought away.  The rest of the show was great, the final number (which was Lyddie's audition song, Don't Stop Believin') was beautiful, and as soon as it ended, she jumped from the stage and ran to meet the others. 

"So how was it?" she asked, still with an American accent.

“It was great!  You were great!” Win’s Nathan exclaimed, scooping her into his arms to spin her around.

"Thank you!" Lydia slowly went back to her normal way of speaking.  "It felt so great!  I can't believe I just did that!" 

"It was unbelievable alright," her Nathan laughed.  The performance was amazing, despite how he felt about the kiss.  "Y'look good with a mullet." 

"Shut up..." she punched him playfully.

“You make anything look good,” Win agreed.

"Stop that," Lydia turned red with all the praise, though she felt something was slightly off.  "Say what, I'll change, get my director's notes and we can go eat something?  I'm starving."

“Yeah, sounds good,” Win exclaimed, though she didn’t feel very hungry.

Lydia wasn't sure what was wrong, Win's Nathan seemed fine, but the others weren't, she started to worry, maybe she wasn't so great...  She took the notes, wrote them down to work on it, changed back into her clothes, got her backpack and met the quad next to the exit. 

"There's a McDonald's at Times Square," she suggested. 

"Yeah, sounds good," her Nathan agreed with a nod.

The walk to the restaurant was pretty quiet, Lyddie’s passionate on stage kiss replaying through Win’s head til she felt like being sick, losing her appetite.

"Hey, I feel like there's something wrong... what happened?" Lydia asked as she ordered from one of the computers in the lobby.

“Uhhh...” Win hesitated, sharing a look with Lyddie’s Nathan.  “Well...”

"We were caught off guard with the... um... the kiss," Lyddie's Nathan cleared his throat. 

"You guys are jealous of me doing a stage kiss?" Lydia thought they were joking for a second.

“Kinda...” Win admitted sheepishly.

"You too?" she turned to Win's Nathan who was going through her backpack for water.

“Oh, uh, I mean, I don’t like thinkin’ about it, but it’s part of your job.  It didn’t mean anythin’ right?” he asked.

"Yeah!  It's just work, my scene partner is married, and he has a kid on the way... okay, on the way eight years from now, but still!" Lydia took the order and headed upstairs to get a table.

Win bit her lip as she followed them.  Knowing the guy was married helped, but she still felt a little twist of jealousy.  “Ohh, well that’s good.  I mean, that he’s married,” she said awkwardly.

"You know, I thought the boys might be a little jealous, didn't expect it from you..." Lydia smiled at Win, it was kind of adorable.  "But none of you have anything to worry about." 

"I s'pose... I just don't like the idea," her Nathan sat down, covering his face with both hands.

“I’m sorry,” Win mumbled, “I can’t help it.  I really did like everything else though!” she insisted. “I hope you’re not upset.”

"No, how can I be upset?  It's really cute," Lydia kissed Win's cheek lovingly before taking her first bite.  "I promise it doesn't mean anything, the guy is old enough to be my dad, and I love you all too much." 

"I love you too," her Nathan stole one of her fries despite having his own.

“Love you seconded,” Win said, feeling better, before stealing one of Nathan’s fries in return.

———————-

Tag list: @magic-multicolored-miracle @santacarlahorrorshow @messengeronthemoon @the-freckled-luba @firstpersonnarrator  @spanishmossmagnolia @salvador-daley @forenschik @a-ghoulish-tale @love-is-dirty-baby @vonkimmeren  @violetrainbow412-blog @falloutby

[more-stuff-of-pi]

Believe Because He is Good

a/n: I’ve been thinking of writing something like this and I read these beauties by @volleychumps and was inspired to just write out what was in my head. This is very much a self-comfort fic regarding my personal experience, ofc featuring my og hq mans :)

notes: y/e/n = your ex’s name. requests are open :) find my masterlist here

pairing: sawamura daichi x fem!reader | genre: angst (w/happy ending) | warnings: asshole exes, implied past abuse (emotional, manipulation, slight physical), implied panic/anxiety attack | word count: 2,395

Balls were bouncing off the court, slapping the wood as Karasuno wound down, practicing serves. Even Noya tried his hand at serving, the ball smacking into the net. Tanaka laughed at Noya, ceasing when a volleyball knocked into his head. The culprit, Hinata, squeaked as Tanaka scrambled after him, Noya roaring with laughter all the while, gripping Asahi’s arm as he in turn knitted his brows together. Tsukishima rolled his eyes as Yamaguchi hid a giggle behind a hand.

Despite the chaos of Karasuno, an immense feeling of pure joy washed over you as you stood in the doorway of the gym. Nothing felt quite like seeing the team together. Their bond and their energy always lifted your spirits. And, of course, the handsome captain was the cherry on top.

“Great work today, guys!” Daichi called out to his team, signalling that practice was well over. They started to casually saunter over, Suga coming to take his place as vice next to his captain. “We’ve got a practice -- Nishinoya, Tanaka, shut it -- we’ve got a practice match next week, so I wanna see you all working hard to be ready. Shimizu and Yachi left early to run some errands for Sensei, so please do your best in cleaning up. Alright, get to it!” Daichi clapped, releasing the group to their chores.

As the group dwindled, you watched as Suga tapped Daichi’s arm and jutted his head in your direction. Confused, Daichi glanced towards you and instantly his face melted from slight exhaustion into absolute adoration. He bid goodbye to Suga who clapped him on the back with a mischievous grin in return, causing Daichi to cough.

You giggled, waving to Suga whose grin widened as he threw a peace sign up before turning to do his part in cleaning up. Daichi joined you at your place by the door, lightly touching a hand to your hip, leaning down to peck your lips in greeting.

“Hi, Y/n,” he welcomed warmly as he smoothly laced your hands together as if it were second nature.

“Hi yourself,” you replied. “Shimizu told me you’d need some help cleaning today.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Still, you didn’t have to come.”

“No,” you agreed, entertaining a wicked grin, “but I heard the captain of this team was really hot so I just had to come see for myself.”

Daichi grinned at your teasing. “Well, you should see the captain’s girlfriend. I heard that she’s a real looker.”

“Mhmm,” you hummed, leaning in for another kiss which Daichi gladly gave. “So what can I help you with, Mr. Team Captain? Because with these boys you will most certainly need it.”

Daichi huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, you’re telling me.” He looked around, scanning the gym for a task you could take up. “Ah! You could take care of the water bottles, if you wouldn't mind.”

“Just dump them out, yeah?” Daichi nodded. “Seems simple enough. I’ll go do that and then when we’re done here we could go out for meat buns, maybe.”

“You struck another craving, haven’t you?”

“Your treat!” you teased in answer, snatching up the carton of bottles and escaping from the gym before Daichi could reply. Stepping out, you begin absentmindedly busying yourself with unscrewing the lids of each bottle as you make your way to the outdoor sinks. Focused on the task, you don’t notice the person in front of you until you’re crashing into them, effectively spilling the water you were on your way to empty. Well, that’s one way to do it.

“Oh, my gosh,” you crouched down, quickly picking up the bottles, “I am so so--” 

“Hi, Y/n,” the boy said, looking down at you with a tight lipped smile. He was a year your junior and also your ex. You had broken up with him at the beginning of summer vacation but had fortunately not seen him since, even through several months into the school year. You had foolishly hoped that your luck would continue and you would miraculously not ever see him again. But he was also a student at Karasuno and shared not only many of your extracurricular interests but also a handful of friends, of whom were responsible for setting you two up in the first place. What they didn’t know is that they were setting you up for disaster.

The relationship had started with no base friendship or really any genuine knowledge of the other besides the words of others from the grape vine. In retrospect, it was a plain bad idea. You two had fun at first but soon into your relationship, your boyfriend had begun pressuring you. He started with little things, subtly manipulating you until it was hard for you to recognize what your own boundaries genuinely were, as blurry as he made the lines. He was cunning and cornered you into situations you didn’t want to be in as easily as he could talk. He never complimented you, never made an effort for you, never validated you. Normally, you would stand up for yourself, speak out against this mistreatment, but something about him made you weak. And not in that head over heels kinda weak. The type of weak that drained you, that made you doubt yourself where you wouldn’t have before, that twisted your own strengths to look like hindrances.

It seems that even after months apart, he still had that same, nauseating effect on you.

“Hi, Y/e/n.” You forced a pretty smile, trying your best to stay polite and to ignore all of the sudden flowing emotions, not wanting to admit to him -- nor yourself -- that the damage he had done was still raw. “Sorry about that, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

“Still ever the clutz,” he laughed, something cruel and mocking.

You grit your teeth, smile impossibly tight. Whatever semblance of sanity you had left pleading for you to remain polite. “I’m sorry. Now if you’ll excuse me--”

He abruptly put a hand on your shoulder to stop you. “Where’re you heading?” The thinly coated politeness was easy to see through when you had suffered through the consequences of believing it.

“To rinse these.” You lifted the carton of now mostly empty water bottles. You went to move past him and tried to brush off his hand, but it only tightened, his thumb painfully digging into the dip between your shoulder and your collarbone. You inhaled shapely at the resulting shock and pain.

The movement reminded you of other times he had done this subtle control, other times he had wanted you to just shut up and comply, other times he coerced you, forced you--

“Why don’t I accompany you, hm? It’s been awhile since we’ve had the opportunity to chat. Let’s catch up,” he said with a toothy smile that even his eyes carried. The familiarity of this compelled you to learned submissiveness, breaths desperately trying to claw their way from your throat. You tried to swallow them down, but they were clawing faster than you could handle.

“I have a job to do, Y/e/n.” Your voice sounded weak, even to your own ears. You weren’t fooling him. 

His thumb dug even harder. “C’mon it’s the least you can do after purposely spilling that water all over me--”

“It was an accident--!”

He raised his other hand, going in to grab your arm -- to gain more control over you -- when someone caught his wrist.

“What do you think you’re doing?” A voice said quietly, eerily so. Despite that, under its influence and familiarity, an intense calm washed over you, wrapping you in comfort and relief.

Turning, the image that greeted you of Daichi’s wrath was that of an angel of death, beautiful and fearsome in all of his glory. In his eyes he held enough heat to burn the ends of the earth. And it was all for you.

Your ex shook his wrist from Daichi’s grasp, trying to subtly shake it out. His grip on your shoulder loosened though he didn’t pull away. “I’m just catching up with an old… friend,” he spat, his polite veil thinly covering his malice.

“I’ve never known old friends to hurt each other in greeting.” Daichi was fuming, to say the least. Whatever you had against your ex, you were amazed at his sincere idiocracy. That, or his delusionment that he could genuinely stand level to Daichi.

“I wasn’t hurting her,” he sneered, “I was just saying hi.”

“You could do that without putting your hands on her. I suggest you take them off.”

Your ex snorted and glanced down at you, his hand squeezing reflexively. “Are you really just going to cower there and let him speak for you? You were always telling me what to do, I’m surprised you’re actually staying quiet.” You instinctively flinched away from him, tears threatening to sting your eyes. You knew he was wrong, that he was trying to hurt you, but that broken part of you couldn’t help but believe him.

Daichi, from the corner of his eyes, saw your distressed state, the sight causing his heart to lurch. In his eyes, you were absolutely incredible. So kind and giving and loving and it angered him to no end that anyone would be able to make you believe anything otherwise. He loved you, so incredibly much and he wanted nothing more than to protect you and keep loving you.

“Get off of me,” you whispered, trying to convince yourself that your ex no longer had any control over you.

Your ex smiled wickedly, finally taking his hand off. “There you go, sweetheart. All you had to do was ask.”

“And all you had to do was leave,” Daichi seethed.

“Sorry?” Your ex asked lamely.

“You’ve had your stupid fun, now leave. I’m giving you five seconds.” You looked at Daichi and almost flinched away from the absolute hatred burning in his features. The fire that was there before had grown impossibly hotter.

He laughed. Your asshole ex actually laughed in Daichi's face. "And what will you do?"

"Stay longer than five seconds and find out." As much as Daichi was wonderful and patient and mature, if something really got him going, he threw that all out the window. And perhaps that was Daichi's one fault. That he would gladly abandon reason when it came to you.

"Really?"

"Daichi," you breathed, "he's not worth it."

"No," your boyfriend agreed, "he's not. But it would be so satisfying." Without warning, Daichi lunged and gripped the front of your ex's shirt, pulling the shorter boy roughly to be chest to chest with him. Your ex gulped audibly, his tough persona crumbling away far too easily at a single physical touch. Granted, an angry Daichi held all the fury in the world barely contained in a wall of muscle. Even the word intimidating would be too much of an understatement. "Don't you ever touch her again. Don't look at her, don't talk to her -- in fact, stay far away from her," he snarled, boiling over like an animal on the hunt. He threw your ex away from him. You watched as he stumbled, tripping over his own feet and landing harshly on his ass. Daichi took advantage of this, squatting down over him before leaning in and whispering, "your five seconds are long gone. You can either leave or stay and find out what I can do."

Your ex glanced between you and Daichi, defiance somehow still lingering in his features. Seeing Daichi, though, had given you some courage and confidence as being around him often did. You believed in yourself again, just enough to look your ex in the eyes.

"Goodbye, Y/e/n."

He scrambled from his place on the ground (where he surely belonged, you thought bitterly) and disappeared from sight. You gasped for air, relieved he was gone, the anxiety that threatened to overtake you flooding from your body.

Daichi immediately turned to you, worry and love replacing the wrath in his eyes. "Can I hold you?"

"Please," you gasped, tears that rarely ever came already spilling silently down your cheeks.

With your permission, Daichi rushed from his crouch, pulling you gently to him as his hand came up to card through your hair. You clung onto him, holding him impossibly closer as you sobbed into his chest. He pressed a soft kiss to the top of your head, pushing hair that had fallen into your face behind your ear. You leaned into his touch, revelling in the love and comfort he provided.

"I love you, Y/n," he said as you lifted your gaze to meet his searching one, "I love you so much. I'm sorry you ever had to deal with that but… but I'm so glad that I'm here with you."

"I'm glad you're here with me, too," you sniffled, wiping at your face. "Where's everyone else?"

"Gone," he replied and you noticed for the first time that he was already changed out of his gym clothes. Just behind you was his discarded bag. "Suga and Asahi went on ahead. I thought it was odd that you didn't ever come back in so I came to check on you."

"I'm glad you did."

Daichi smiled softly. "I am too."

"I'm sorry you had to step in. I don't know why I couldn't handle it, I usually can it's just-- he--"

"Hey, hey," he lifted his other hand to your face, holding you as he gently coaxed you to look at him, "you have nothing to be sorry for."

"But--"

"No buts. You did a great job. You can't just erase what he did to you or how he made you feel. You're allowed to react the way you did, Y/n. Okay?"

You nod. "Okay."

Daichi smiled warmly. "Good. Now how about we put those bottles away and we go out for meat buns."

"Your treat?"

Daichi laughed, the sweet sound bringing a smile to your lips. "Yeah, my treat." He laced his fingers through yours, still grinning.

"Daichi?"

"Hm?" he hummed.

"Thank you. I love you."

His smile softened as he leaned down, kissing you softly. "I love you too, Y/n."

And because it was him, because Daichi was so kind and charming and good, you truly believed him.

taglist: @samwrights (ily mom)

[harrysweasleys]

two heads of red hair // r.w

Summary: omg i love your writing so much- can you please write something REALLY soft for draco malfoy or ron weasley? thank u- HAHA SORRY IM A WH0R3 FOR FLUFF

Warnings: enough sweetness to give you a cavity, i swear.

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: oh, sweet anon, aren’t we all whores for fluff?? bc i know i am. also sorry this was late! i’m feeling a tad better! now enjoy what’s quite possibly the softest thing i’ve ever written. xox (also it’s not proofread sorry)

—————————

The pouring rain was the only think keeping you awake as your rushed back into the house, wet hair sticking to your face and all your clothes glued to your skin.

Your first outing in nearly a month and you had regretted ever even leaving the house. The cold November rain made you feel as if your very core was frozen — a very rude awakening at this late hour of the morning.

You slammed your door shut behind you as if keeping out the rain demons, leaning back against it and sighing out in relief that you were finally in a dry environment.

You shrugged off your sticky rain jacket, not even bothering to dry it off so that the drops wouldn’t puddle onto the hardwood floors. You hung it up, tossing your rainboots to the side as well. You dropped the full grocery bag to the floor, planning on putting the stuff away once you had regained your energy.

The house was quite, which was no surprise. Ron was fast asleep when you left that morning. He probably hadn’t even noticed you were out, really. He’d probably lose his mind once he found out, but he couldn’t have stopped you while sleeping so it wasn’t your fault.

You tiptoed over to your room, spotting the familiar head of ginger hair still sound asleep, a smaller mop of ginger hair resting against his chest. Your heart swelled at the sight and you left the room, letting the two of them catch up on much deserved sleep.

After your son was born, about a month ago, Ron went into full defence mode. He didn’t let you leave the house, too worried that something would happen to you. Maybe it was paranoia from the war many years ago, or maybe just because his inner protective dad side was coming through, but you loved him for it anyways.

He loved your newborn unconditionally. The two of them were inseparable and Ron didn’t seem to complain one bit. You’d often find them snoozing on the couch in the late afternoons or watching telly together — Ron loved to watch your son’s face light up at the silly cartoons.

Being as quiet as humanly possible, you snuck into the kitchen and opened the fridge, beginning to put away the food you had just bought and taking some stuff out to make him some breakfast. For a month now, Ron had been doing all the house work — cooking, chores, laundry — you thought it was about time you worked up the energy and did something for him.

You took a few eggs out of the fridge, along with the bacon that you had just bought, and began making him the first meal of the day while hoping the smell wouldn’t wake him or the baby up. The pouring rain continued on outside, which was no longer a pain considering you were becoming drier by the second.

After you had beautifully arranged a little tray, pouring him a cup of tea as well, you began slowly walking back into the bedroom. You stared at them for a little while, a bright smile on your face at how cute they were together. But, alas, you didn’t want the breakfast to grow cold.

You walked to his side of the bed, placing the tray down on the window sill and kneeling next to the bed, placing a quick kiss on Ron’s nose.

He scrunched up his face, “Mmm.. mornin’, darling.”

You smiled down at him, lifting your hand to run it gently through his hair. The morning sunlight was streaming through the windows, illuminating his bright hair and the freckles that were scattered faintly across his cheeks.

“Morning,” you smiled, “Made you breakfast.”

“Ah, I thought I smelled something,” he chuckled quietly, lifting both of his hands to place them on the sleeping baby still dozed off on his chest, “I can’t bring myself to wake him.”

You stood up and placed your hands around your son, “I’ll take him.” You lifted him off of Ron’s chest and cradled him in your arms, his big brown eyes waking up to look at you, “Hey, Ollie.”

Ron had fallen in love with the name Oliver — and luckily, you had too. When your son was born, there was no doubt in your mind that the name Oliver would suit him perfectly.

He fussed slightly, letting out a small cry before readjusting himself and resting his tiny head against your chest. Ron grinned at the two of you, standing up to grab the tray and sitting back down in bed.

“Come join me,” he pat your spot on the bed, lifting the covers a bit so you could come join him. You happily obliged, carefully sitting down without causing distress to your sleeping son.

“Thank you for this,” he motioned to the food, “Still love spoiling you more, though.”

“You always spoil me,” you replied with a grin, “Don’t know what I did to deserve it.”

He gave you a look of mock shock, “Don’t know what you did? Blimey, woman. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Don’t be pretending you’re not.”

Resting your head against his shoulder and letting out a laugh, you nodded, “Fine, as long as you also know you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Both of you are.” You gazed down at your son, his eyes shut and his mouth hanging open. He had so many of his father’s features and you couldn’t help but beam with pride. If he had his father’s personality as well — his drive, his passion, dedication, loyalty — you’d be the proudest mum there ever was.

Ron stuck out his hand, holding a piece of bacon. You gladly accepted it with your teeth, enjoying the savoury flavour and suddenly wondering why you hadn’t made breakfast for yourself.

“Where’d you get the eggs? Could have sworn we were out,” Ron looked at you with furrowed eyebrows.

“We were,” you nodded, “I went to the grocery store this morning.”

He stared blankly at you, “You didn’t — Y/N, I told you not to go out there. You just had a baby, you need to rest up. Besides, I can hear the heavy rain hitting the roof. It’s miserable outside.”

You gave him a soft smile, “I know, Ron. But I was getting bored all cooped up. You’ve been doing everything, I wanted to do something for you.”

“And I appreciate it, darling, don’t get me wrong,” his eyes softened and he looked between you and Ollie, “I just worry about you. All the time.”

“I know, love,” you leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “If it makes you feel better, I did bring my wand.”

He pursed his lips and nodded his head, “Makes me feel a little better. But still. Next time, if you want to leave, we’ll go together, yeah?”

“Yes, Ron, we’ll go together,” you said slowly, like a child repeating orders from their parents. He seemed to accept your answer, though, for he went back to eating his breakfast, feeding you as well considering your stomach had begun to grumble loudly.

After you guys finished eating, you stood up and placed the still-sleeping baby in his crib, trying your best not to wake him as he looked incredibly peaceful. You smiled down at him before leaving the room and following Ron to the kitchen.

With a flick of his wand, the dishes were clean and began to float back to the cabinets where they belonged. You had barely had the chance to stand by his side before the cleaning had been done.

“Well, now we’ve got a whole morning of nothing to do,” he grinned, spinning around and wrapping his arms around you, pulling you flush to his warm body.

You lifted your hands and tamed his hair, “Wanna cuddle on the couch?”

“Of course. ‘S like you read my mind,” he smirked, pressing a kiss to your forehead and leading you to the couch, the two of you flipping down with you landing on top of him.

“Accio blanket,” you mumbled, the blanket from the other couch zooming over and enveloping the two of you in comfortable warmth.

Now comfortable and warm, you nuzzled your head into Ron’s chest, who had just turned on the telly to watch something about an upcoming football match — you were barely paying attention as you started zoning off in Ron’s arms.

“Go back to sleep, love,” he kissed the top of your head, rubbing his hand through your hair, “I’ll wake you up if there’s anything.”

“Mkay,” you mumbled, wrapping your arms around his torso, “Love you.”

The heavy rain nearly drowned out his words as he whispered back, “Love you too. To the ends of the earth.”

[the-awkward-outlaw]

The art of communication - Plus sized Arthur x female reader

Alright, here’s another request from AO3. This one was fun to write, mostly because of how well it all came together. 

User asked: I was thinking that maybe Arthur has been gaining some weight (cause max weight Arthur is so valid I'm gonna cry) and it makes him insecure so he pushes reader away and doesn't look at her during sex and she thinks she's the problem and it's angsty but there's a happy ending because it's what everyone deserves.

Masterlist

Read on AO3

Warnings: mentions of nsft (but mild) 

You glance out the window, your hands shakily kneading the dough for the bread you’re making. Arthur’s outside, hauling some hay over for the horses. It feels like you should be content and happy, but the truth is you don’t. Arthur’s been distant with you lately. You have an idea as to why, and you feel incredibly guilty for it. 

A year ago, you and Arthur abandoned the gang you’d both run with for the majority of your lives. Dutch was beyond reach after Hosea died and when he left Arthur to die in the oil fields, you convinced him that it was time to leave. You’d both been thinking about leaving the gang for a little while before then just because things were not getting better. You desperately wanted to try to have a normal life with Arthur at that point, and when he realized that Dutch was not loyal to him, he finally agreed. 

However the transition was not easy for either of you, but it was especially hard on Arthur. The two of you fled west from Annesburg, and stumbled upon Valentine once again. Enough time had passed that people didn’t connect him with the massacre from months before and you heard that the property Painted Sky just across the river from Horseshoe Overlook was up for sale. 

You looked at the property upon the plateau. It was perfect for you and Arthur with enough space for there to be horses and a garden, so you dared to wander into Blackwater and steal the money that had been lost at the beginning of this whole mess. With that, you paid for the place and moved in. 

For the first several months, you and Arthur couldn’t have been happier. For the most part, you both worked on the property, raising horses and growing vegetables. Sometimes he’d bring in a wild horse, gentle it and sell it. Other times you’d both go and hunt down a bounty, but for the most part your work was honest. 

You didn’t really notice it, but over the past few months, Arthur started to gain weight. A result of no longer needing to be so physical and having the guarantee of steady meals. Especially after you bought a few cook books and started to learn how to cook. He wasn’t the only one to gain weight, though perhaps you were a little less noticeable. 

Now things have changed. He’s so distant and it seems like he just really isn’t interested in you. Last night, things had reached their peak. You’d been making love to him, but he acted like it was more of an obligation, a chore. Not only that, he refused to look at you while he’d been burying himself between your legs. You just wanted to show him how much you loved him, so you’d grabbed his chin and made him look at you.

“Let me see your beautiful eyes, Arthur,” you panted.

His eyebrows crinkled together and his rhythm faltered. You tried not to notice and attempted to get things back rolling, but after a few minutes, he let out his breath and pulled out. 

“I can’t do this,” he said. Then he slid on his pants and walked out the door. He didn’t come back in for the rest of the night. 

His behavior crushed you. Never before had he done that, quit in the middle of the act. You felt so ugly and undesirable when he’d left. After that, you pulled your blanket around yourself and sobbed, not caring that you were completely undressed under it. Arthur didn’t find you attractive anymore, it was obvious. 

Arthur must have slept in the barn or something, you figure. At least that’s what you tell yourself. It’s better than thinking that maybe he ran to Valentine and got himself a woman of the night to finish things with. Of course, you couldn’t help but think that he did, and it broke your heart. 

You can’t say you really blame Arthur for any of this. After all, it was you who pulled him out from the gang, the only family he’d known. He hadn’t wanted to leave, you’d known that, but it was his anger at Dutch that finally convinced him to. You can’t help but wonder if he’d be better off without you, or if maybe you should have left on your own. He’d be happy because of it, surely. Maybe he could have returned to Mary. There’s no doubt in your mind he wouldn’t do to her what he’d done to you last night. 

You sniff, trying not to let it get the better of you. You’ve been debating on whether or not to tell him to go and find his own way out there like he clearly wants to. You’ll stay behind here, take care of things and try to carry on. Maybe you’ll get a dog to replace his companionship, but as far as love goes, you’ll never find another mate. 

The door swings open, making you jump. Quickly you dry your eyes, not wanting Arthur to see your pain. It’s only a matter of time before his anger comes out, after all, and you don’t want to be the reason behind it. 

“Darlin’,” he says so softly you don’t hear him. You’re too busy trying not to break down. He sighs and walks up behind you, trying to muster up the courage to face you. There’s a lot of things he’s regretted in his life, but what he’d done to you last night was unforgivable. After he’d pulled on his pants and left the room, he’d gone to the window of your bedroom and saw you wrapped up in the blanket, your head over your forehead as tears poured down your face. 

Figures you wouldn’t want to talk to him, he thinks. He was always ugly and vile, but now he’s gained all this weight. You must regret choosing to stay with him. Now he’s gotten you tied down to this poor excuse of a home when you used to be so wild and free. How could you not hate him? 

“Sweetheart, I-” he starts.

“It’s okay, Arthur,” you say, sniffing hard and not looking at him. “You can just go, I understand. I just want you happy.” 

This stops him cold. That wasn’t what he was expecting. You care about his happiness? That’s all he wants for you. You deserve someone who will protect you and care for you in the way he only wishes he could. 

“Darlin’, I… I don’t wanna leave. Why you sayin’ I should?”

You sniff again and Arthur realizes you’re crying. It breaks his heart again, especially when the image of you last night flashes through his mind. 

“Because,” you finally say, “I know you’ll be happier, Arthur. You never were one who wanted to put down permanent roots and it’s been cruel of me to make you do so. You belong out there in that wide open country you love. You can be where you want, meet more interesting people. Find someone you love proper.” 

“Honey,” he says softly. He can’t help but slide his hand up your back and to his shoulder. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about but… you’re the only girl I could ever love. I’m sorry about last night. I just… I didn’t wanna burden ya anymore.” 

“Burden me?” you finally turn your face to his, tears marking your cheeks. “How could you burden me, Arthur?”

He sighs, wishing he could just pull you into his arms. But he won’t, surely you’d be angry. He hates seeing you cry though, especially when he’s the reason why. You have the brightest smile, in his mind, and when you cry, he feels like his entire world rains. 

“Well,” he grunts a little, “how could I not? I mean, look at me. I always been a mean, miserable, ugly bastard. Now I gettin’ all this weight to go with it. Don’t tell me you like all this.” He gestures to himself. 

You look down at him and then back up to his face. “Arthur, do… do you think I couldn’t love you because you’ve put on some weight? I’ve done the same thing.” 

“Not really, darlin’. But… when we was with the gang, I may have been ugly but at least I was strong and burly.” 

You can’t help but chuckle a little, but then you do something that makes his heart ache with warmth. You put your hand on his cheek and your watery eyes glue to his. “Arthur, a year ago when you were ‘strong and burly’, I didn’t think I could love you anymore. But now… my love for you then pales, laughably so even.” 

Arthur puts his hand over yours and squeezes. “So you don’t really want me to leave, do ya? Because the truth is, I like it here. Maybe a little too much.” 

You smile again and take a step closer to him. “No, Arthur. I never want you to leave, not ever. When we bought this place, I was hoping more than anything we could build a long life together, maybe even start a family.” 

His eyes crinkle in the corners the way they do when he’s real happy. “Darlin’, nothin’ would make me happier than to do that. If… If I ain’t too fat for you. I’ll try and lose the weight.”

“Arthur, you don’t have to do that. To be honest, I kind of like it. You have a little give now when we’re being intimate. It’s nice.” 

He bends down and kisses you, his arms wrapping around you. You press your body hard against him, wanting him to know how much you love him, body and all. After a few moments, he pulls away but whispers in your ear.

“How about you and I go in that bedroom, do what we tried last night proper? Maybe we can try startin’ that family you want.”

[smolspace]

yeah? are you gonna cover momma with stickers baby? i needed a makeover anyway hehe

your laptop is so pretty i bet! perfect for a little baby princess. i can imagine you looking at the sticker and your little eyes going all round and adorable <3

how do you know me so well haha!! i’m only a little taller than baby, but i’ll still put you in time-put when you’re being naughty or bratty (though I doubt you will, you seem like such a adorable baby that sticks by momma’s rules)

you’re such a helpful baby aren’t you? always wanting to make momma’s life a little easier? i think (covid-wise) you wear pretty masks, with gorgeous patterns and things. maybe even pink being a main colour. now sheet mask wise? i think you’ll only use something if it benefits your skin and not just for cutesy reasons, even when you’re a little. i think you’ll be all pouty and adorable and lord knows i can’t say no to my baby with puppy eyes.

what movies would we watch? who’s your favourite disney princess?

i love flustering you baby. you’d always be blushing, making me tie your shoes and kiss your boo-boos better even though you know you’re fine. the blush making it’s way done your neck and turning you into an adorable tomato would give away your secret motive.

i think it’d depend on the day, sweetie. if we have a lot to do, probably not. would it work anyway? most likely. i cant say no if my precious baby wants to stay in and cuddle for a little longer. if you started pouting and asking for cinnamon rolls, i’d somehow find those con rolls. unless you were going to throw a tantrum, then i wouldn’t even let you eat baby cereal. you’d have to have boring cereal like momma.

this has me blushing really hard momma. I’m actually so red. 😭

I’d cover momma in so many pretty stickers! Even put lil matching ones on both of us!!

The stickers are so cute! And maybe sometimes a lil distracting 😩 but looking at hello kitty holding a teddy bear is so much better than writing an essay!

you’re right, momma. I don’t like to be a brat. My “tantrums” are normally just me crying cause I was sad while I was big (or If I don’t get lovin. I cry when I’m little and don’t have something to comfort me. Including a stuffie.) those normally go away when I feel a little better too! Sometimes babies just need to let out some big emotions.

So helpful!! I wanna help momma with chores a baby can handle. n you’re right! I actually have such a small face that I wear children’s masks. So I get all the pretty pastel colors!! I’ve almost finished the pinks though, so I need to order more before I have to wear orange 😒

How are you right againnn 😩 I don’t mess with ma skin, so sheet masks are rly rare. But sometimes I like to get the moisture in before I dermaplane, so it’s rly fun! (But I couldn’t dermaplane when I’m little? What a conundrum.)

I would wanna watch either ratatouille or emperors new groove!! I love those ones!! They’re so fun ☺️ n I like belle. She looks kinda like me so she’s on of my favs! Who’s your favorite, momma?

how could I not want momma to give me kisses? 🥺 n tying my shoes?! Oh I’d be so red!! Especially if momma did it without me asking. Just stopping me cause momma needs to help fix my pretty clothes? ahhh! I might even tie my shoelaces loose in the morning so momma tied them while reminding me “You know momma needs to tie them. It’s too hard for a baby, isn’t it?”

I’d take as much time as I could get! Even ten minutes of being wrapped up with my momma and stuffies sounds so nice! 🥺 (but beware.. there’s so many stuffies on the bed… so many)

I actually don’t eat breakfast during the work week! So on weekends I have to be big so that I can make myself a nice, big breakfast! Making me anything so that I can be little in the morning would mean so much ☺️ n I wouldn’t throw a tantrum. breakfast doesn’t even need to be sweet if momma makes it!

[cordonia]

Ethan + MC: “Stick” 

Summary: Ethan Ramsey has been in love, he’s just never been lovesick. Dr. Valentine didn’t show up for work and suddenly he’s feeling dizzy... 

Inspired by Stick by BANKS 

“Baby, you don't wanna leave You'd be sorry, 'cause honestly I can make you feel better, any day Look at what you've done for me, I called it how I see You belong with me”

Warnings: Brief mention of sexual content. 

Word Count: 2000

“Ethan? You never take time off, what is wrong with you?” June Hirata appeared to be almost excited, but anything was good gossip when you were a neurologist. Every decision the team made was a deeper look into their brain, and that’s why Ethan could never tell her that she was a bit scary. 

“I’m quite dizzy, I don’t feel right practicing medicine today. It’s best I rest at home to avoid making anything worse.” 

“Dr. Valentine must be feeling the same way, today is the first time she called in.” How pointed of her. June didn’t waste time, even when she was playing games. He maybe respected her a bit for it, if it wasn’t involving him. 

“I hadn’t realized,” lies, it was infiltrating his thoughts like a virus. “Have you checked in with her?”

June smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes, instead she looked like she was doing a complex math problem with different answers. 

He would never tell anyone he was intimidated by them, mostly because the feeling did not arise often. But June was good at her job, and trying to crack into his brain was one of her favourite pastimes. Anyone else would have thought that June had a bit of a crush, always digging into his personal life, but she had made it very clear she was too good for him. 

She was, but again, never something he would tell her.

“Perhaps you should give her a call on your way home. She might require some medication, I’m sure she’d appreciate it.”  

Ethan sighed, hoping it came off as an annoyed reaction to doing anything out of his way. But Dr. June Hirata just turned on her heels and walked away without another word.

Dr. Valentine was too good for him as well. Despite the circumstances of his career putting him ‘above her’, he knew that she would outgrow the entire team one day. She would definitely outgrow him, and the feelings that she reminded him of often. One day she would look at him and see him for who he really was; jaded and struggling to adapt to change. 

It was silly, the things that he did to impress her. A social media account, bordering on favouritism when he took her for trips, and he even felt guilty for how badly he wanted her to win the competition. He wanted her on his team because she was a good doctor, but maybe a bit because her smile made him want to save lives a little bit more than usual. Maybe a lot. 

Ethan loved his job but Valentine made him love it a bit more. It couldn’t be bad though, right? To love someone who challenged him to be a better doctor? Another thing he couldn’t tell anybody, not even her. And he wanted to tell her everything. 

He got into his car without taking out his phone, put the keys in the ignition and began pulling out of the parking lot. He should have called, he should have checked in on her. It didn’t feel like his place, and how ridiculous it would be to call as if he had a right to know why she was home. Or even a right to care, for that matter. He had sworn off doing this to her, playing with her feelings and being misleading. 

It would only hurt her more. 

But what if she was hurt? The dizzy feeling began again and the nausea crept up on him. His hands clenched the wheel until he could barely feel them, but his eyes were still glued on the road. He was only a few streets away from her and he swore he could feel something pulling him to her.  Ridiculous, as all feelings were. Especially whatever this one was. 

He couldn’t just show up, right? But Ethan’s hands were turning the wheel, and suddenly three streets away became one. And then there he was, sitting outside of her apartment, where anybody could see. Her roommates were working, he’d seen them all that morning when he realized she wasn’t there. 

He wasn’t going to get out of the car, and he still hadn’t reached for his phone. Ethan was trying to talk himself out of doing anything, going too far just because he was a bit worried. But... 

He grabbed his phone and dialled her number, holding his breath as he waited for her to pick up. He wanted to hang up, regretting the impulsive decision immediately, but then she’d know how strange he was acting. The phone kept ringing and then reached her voicemail. He hung up, too embarrassed to leave a message in case his voice was shaky. 

Why wasn’t she picking up? Was she oka--

A knock on the passenger window surprised him so much he jumped a little, his phone slipping from his hand and into his lap. Fuck. 

“Ethan?” There she was, peering into his window with messy hair aglow from the sunny sky above them. Ethan swallowed and tried to compose himself, he was speechless for a change. 

She opened the passenger door and slid into the seat next to him. Under any other circumstance, he would have laughed at the sight of her in fluffy pajama pants, but her tank top was it’s own distraction. She picked very inopportune times to be braless. 

“Why are you outside my apartment? I called in super early, I promise I didn’t want to throw off your day.” She sounded concerned, which was slightly ironic, but he was starting to feel bad for bothering her. 

“I’m sorry. I was... well I, I guess I was worried that you needed something.” 

Her brows were furrowed and her gaze went from his face to his hands that were shaking slightly in his lap. Had he noticed that his hands were shaking? It was too late to stop it now. 

“What would I need?” 

He didn’t have a convincing answer to that. “Tylenol? Soup?”

She looked in the back seat, empty of course, and then looked even more confused. “You left your job of saving lives to what? Come make me soup in my own kitchen?”

“Of course not, I was on my way home and just thought that I would check in. We need you healthy and back at work, it doesn’t benefit our patients if you’re sick longer than needed.” Definitely the wrong thing to say to her, as formal as he wanted to be. He could see that she was starting to become annoyed already. 

“I wouldn’t jeopardize the lives of our patients, Ethan. I can make my own soup, I’m not a chore. I just needed a day off.” 

He loved how she said his name, even if it was meant to be patronizing. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t word that quite right, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You’re important, Dr. Valentine.” 

That seemed to catch her attention, and finally the annoyance dissipated; he felt relieved to see her shrug it off. “Thank you for checking in. I’ll be back tomorrow, it’s just not a good day. It’s the anniversary of the death of someone who was very close to me, and I thought I would be okay today... but,” she faltered and closed her mouth instead of finishing the sentence. 

Suddenly the anxiety, the dizziness and stress on his muscles seemed to fade away. Empathy was not Ethan’s favourite feeling, but he couldn’t help but be flooded by it when she looked away from him to hide the shine in her eyes. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her cry before, and it wasn’t something he would like watching. 

He tried to change the subject. “Are those bunnies riding polar bears?” 

Her gaze snapped back to him and she immediately grinned, blinking away the start of her tears. “My grandmother bought me these pajamas. I have no idea why the bunnies are riding polar bears, but they’re quite soft.” 

His fingers instinctively twitched and he stopped himself from reaching out to touch the strange choice of lounge wear. She was always attentive of his movement, much like June was of his lies. 

He was back to holding his breath again as she reached for his hand, pulling it to her. How was she always so warm and inviting? 

“Touch them,” she said, a bit quieter. 

He nodded and let his fingers graze the material over her thigh. She was right, it was soft, just like the rest of her... But those thoughts were better kept pushed to the back of his brain. He couldn’t think about the one night they had spent together... 

“You’re starting to make me sick.” The words left his tongue quicker than he had anticipated, no time to find any eloquent way to express his thoughts. 

“What?” She recoiled away from his touch and his eyes widened as his brain caught up. 

“Lovesick,” he said even more quickly. “Rookie, I think you’ve been making me lovesick.” 

“You’re telling me,” she whispered, shaking her head with a small smile upon her lips. “Do you ever think that if we hadn’t kissed, it wouldn’t have gotten this hard?”

He knew what the right answer was, the professional answer. And just as she probably had, he had run through every encounter with her in his head, a million times. Ethan had spent so much time wondering when he’d become so hung up on her, but he didn’t have a satisfying answer. She had been stuck inside of his heart for so long now that the love had left roots. How do you choose to uproot your love for somebody once it becomes a part of you like that? 

She was waiting for a response that he didn’t have. Against his better judgement, his hand reached up to her face and caressed her cheek. Her eyes closed and her whole body relaxed. Was that all it took, one touch? Ethan didn’t always know his own power. 

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t take it back,” he said firmly, sure of that answer even if it wasn’t enough. 

When she leaned in, he didn’t pull away like he knew he should have. Instead, he let her lips press against his so softly that it could have been his imagination. 

His fingers became entangled in her hair as he gripped the back of her neck and pulled her closer to him. Their lips met again and this time he let guard down, overwhelmed, his teeth catching her bottom lip. She moaned, just slightly and as her lips parted, his tongue brushed against hers. Nobody else could ever make the taste of mint toothpaste so inviting. Her nails dug into his arm and the slight sting of pain only led to a deeper kiss. 

Ethan could imagine pulling her upstairs, taking off those ridiculous pajamas and kissing her until her knees could no longer keep her upright. He would have bent her off the kitchen counter, maybe the couch if they made it that far. And every time she said his name, he’d fuck her a little bit harder. Until they both couldn’t stand. 

That’s what being in her presence was like most of the time. The slightest touch, accidental or stolen, put scenarios in his head like he was watching a film broken into so many parts. He could envision so many illicit encounters, but other things he craved too. Holding her hand in public, making dinner around her friends, and sharing a bed with her some nights. 

She was probably considering the same scenarios, he caught the look in her eyes so many times and he knew how badly they both had it. 

For a change, she was the one who pulled back first. “You’re supposed to be going home, Dr. Ramsey.” 

So this was how she felt when so many times it was him who pulled away. Hungry and longing to push things just a little bit further... Perhaps not a little bit, but his brain was desperate to rationalize any chance to touch her. 

Reality was cruel. 

“I’m suddenly feeling a bit better, actually, I should go back to work and see what I can get done.” 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” He nodded in response and she began to climb out of the car. 

“Rookie? Call me if you ever need anything, even soup.” 

She nodded and gave him a smile that he had noticed was reserved just for him. He hated that he noticed things like that, because June would too. Just like she would know something was off when he miraculously returned to work. 

“Don’t have too much fun saving lives without me.” She winked and then headed back to the apartment. 

“I won’t,” he said to himself, exasperated. He should have just called, but he was very, very glad he didn’t. 

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Tagging: @binny1985