#don't ask me how his tablet turned into a phone

[nalooksthrough]

[steddieas-shegoes]

pop goes metal

for @corrodedcoffinfest prompt 'alternate universe'

rated t | 964 words | cw: language | tags: famous corroded coffin, pop star steve harrington, flirting, getting together

🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤🎤

"No fuckin' way are we working with him," Eddie argues with their manager. "You're always so worried about our image and then you go and have us doing a song with a fuckin' pop artist?"

The manager, Anthony, rolls his eyes. "It'll broaden your fanbase. You know who spends money on shit? Women. You know who likes Steve Harrington? Women."

"Does he even write his own shit?" Gareth asks.

"Does it matter?" Eddie turned to him with a glare. "Even if he writes it, it's not our style."

"Maybe we could at least hear what he's trying to work with us on?" Jeff, always the calming presence, asked towards Anthony.

"He sent over a sample before we sign any agreements."

Eddie sat down in the chair furthest from everyone else, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Now, this isn't an official recording. Just what he did on his phone on his tour bus with his acoustic guitar. He arranged the bass already for Frankie, too, but said he's open to whatever Gareth feels is right for the drums." Anthony pressed play on his phone and the room was filled with strumming and a surprisingly raspy voice singing what was clearly a chorus.

Eddie could pretend he hated it, and maybe the guys would agree with him and they'd never have to speak of this again.

He couldn't hide his reaction fast enough, though.

His jaw dropped as he listened to the lyrics, surprised to find that they weren't just about going to a club and dancing or being in love.

Steve's voice broke at the end before there was shuffling and the recording stopped.

Eddie felt everyone's eyes on him. He closed his mouth and looked down at the floor, tapping his fingers against his arm.

"It's not bad," he finally said. "Not sure why he needs us, though."

"Apparently, his brother is a huge fan of you and suggested he try to work with you."

"I think we should do it." Jeff said, a note of finality in his tone that Eddie knew he wouldn't try arguing with.

"Yeah, can't hurt." Frankie shrugged.

"If he's giving me creative freedom on the drums, how can I say no?" Gareth smirked.

"Guess we're working with the pop diva, then."

****

Steve Harrington was nothing like what they expected.

He showed up to their studio in sweats and glasses, holding a tablet and a bottle of Tylenol. They started to introduce themselves as he found a spot on the couch.

"I'm really glad you guys were willing to work with me," he said after he shook everyone's hand.

Eddie stared.

"My uh, my brother, Dustin, he's kinda why I wrote this song and I know it means a lot that you agreed to be on it," Steve continued. "So, thanks. Hopefully it doesn't ruin your vibes or anything."

Eddie felt every wall he built crumbling with every word Steve spoke. God dammit, this man just had to be sincere and hot and talented, didn't he?

"Nah, we're gonna sound great together." Eddie smiled at Steve's wide-eyed look. "You wanna show us the whole song?"

Steve nodded, pulling something up on his phone. Another recording, this one more professional and included an electric guitar.

"Robin was the stand in for the electric while I did bass."

"So you can play bass?" Frankie asked, leaning in.

"Yeah, but my preferred instrument is piano. I just don't do a lot of slow songs. Guitar is what gets the women interested, or so they tell me," Steve smiled awkwardly. "But feel free to change some things up. I'm totally open to suggestions."

But really, it was damn near perfect as it was. Frankie made one tweak during the bridge, but Steve ended up loving it more than the original and told him so with a grin.

"You're a fuckin' genius!" He exclaimed.

Gareth started messing around on the drums while Steve and Eddie worked on the first couple of lines.

"Something still doesn't feel right," Steve mentioned.

"Maybe we change the rhyming pattern?" Eddie suggested. "You've got ABAB. Might work better to do AABB. Some of these words can be moved around to make that work."

Steve stared at the notes app for a moment, then looked back up at Eddie, beaming smile making his eyes squint.

"I could kiss you!" He shouted. As soon as he realized what he said, he blushed, looking back down at the phone. "I mean, thanks. That's a great suggestion."

Eddie searched Steve's face, coming to the conclusion that there was probably a good reason why Steve didn't care about what women liked when it came to his music.

"I have a pretty strict rule about kissing people I work with," Eddie said slowly, quietly so they wouldn't be overheard.

"Yeah, no, that makes sense. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or-"

"But we won't be working with each other for long, right?" Eddie continued, letting his hand rest on Steve's thigh. God, he was muscular.

"Um. No I guess not."

"Rain check, then. Until we've finished our professional relationship." Eddie couldn't believe he was suggesting this. Showing interest in a pop star. What's next? Dating one? Marrying one?

"Are you saying you wanna kiss me, Munson?" Steve suddenly sounded more confident.

"I'm saying we've got work to do before I can get my hands on you." Eddie tapped his thigh before pulling away. "So let's get to it."

"Dude! I got it!" Gareth yelled, interrupting their moment.

"Be right there!" Steve yelled back, not looking away from Eddie. "Might break a record for fastest recording time ever just so I can kiss you," Steve added quietly to Eddie before standing and walking over to Gareth.

"Well, fuck." Eddie sighed, smiling to himself.

[goldenstring6123]

Hi !!! How r u pooks :3

Ignore this if u haven't played dti but what do you think the L&DS boys' reactions would be to their s/o playing dress to impress and actually raging at it like verbally LMFAO this game seriously has me TWEAKING bro but I can't stop playing it gigi please free my family 💔 (hcs plz)

Thanks for reading O_o

Lnds: Dress to impress chaos

Warning: no warning! GN!READER, crack-fic (?)

Author's notes: DTI has me on a chokehold as well pookie.

Zayne:

Surprisingly, Zayne knows about this because of the children in the pediatric ward. A good number of kids have their tablets with them and play the game; to him, it looked like some regular dress-up game. He didn't think much of it and just warned the children to lessen their screen time.

When he arrived home and was taking his shoes off in the foyer, he could hear you complaining about something. The only coherent sentence he heard was, "The theme is Y-THREE-K, NOT Y-TWO-K!" He wondered what you were talking about and who you were mad at, but when he saw you huddled around the coffee table, fashion magazines sprawled all over, and another gadget displaying fashion catalogs, he knew what was up.

"What are you getting so worked up about?" he asked, sitting next to you and placing down a cup of tea after changing into his clothes. He could see that there were figures walking down the runway.

"I don't get how those ugly layering players win first place!"

He was confused by what you meant. The outfits were suitable, donning the familiar attire of the staff at the hospital, particularly scrubs and white skirts that were too short for the protocol. "What's the theme?"

"A doctor or a nurse," you replied. As the screen turned briefly black, Zayne waited in anticipation. The scene changed, and on the podium was a mermaid with neon green wings and a god-awful dress.

You threw your hands up in frustration and wept on his knees. Zayne was dumbfounded. "I hate this game!" he heard your muffled cries on his knees. He patted your head.

He got used to seeing you so engrossed in the game, but he would never get used to your mood swings: one moment, you're insulting children, and the next moment, you're giggling because you won 1st place.

Zayne bought you a VIP pass because he loved seeing your reaction every time, although he isn't really a fan of spending money on in-game currency. But he loves you too much, so he just keeps that thought to himself.

After seeing you play, he watches the kids play as well, occasionally commenting on their choice of clothing. The nurses were pretty confused by his comments because Zayne never really commented on any outfits, much less in a game.

Xavier:

Xavier knows about the game and has tried it once, not getting the premise of it at first. He didn't know how to change patterns or delete the clothes he was wearing, so his first catwalk was a bit of a mess. But here's the thing: Xavier won first place, which made him more confused. He screenshot himself on the podium and sent it to you.

When you got home from work, excited to play with him, he was pouting while looking at his phone. You wondered why and saw that another player was walking around in the same exact fit as your partner's character. Xavier said that he kept on trying to change his outfit, but that one person kept doing the same thing. You decided to give that player a piece of your mind on behalf of your boyfriend.

When you're at work, Xavier will send you links to fashion hacks he sees on social media. "This looks cute; let's try it later," and he's more updated when Gigi is working on something. The codes—Xavier knows the codes by heart. He knows them more than he knows the date of your birth.

It was thanks to this game that he likes to go shopping with you to get some inspiration. Surprisingly, he can make a coherent outfit with the ones he sees in the malls.

When you both play together, he likes playing duo, and even if your outfits are unfinished or bad, he gives you 5 stars. But for the rest of the players, he forgets to vote more than half of the time—you don't know if it's on purpose or really by accident.

He would occasionally laugh when players fight against one another, especially if you were involved.

He once bought himself the VIP pass, but his outfits still looked too generic for your liking, but you didn't have the heart to complain. Xavier once lost a bet, and now he has to buy you the pass as well.

He once used his work account to comment on some suggestions on Gigi's Twitter, and kids were confused as to why a hunter was commenting on a kids' game. He deleted it soon after, but he amassed a few hundred followers.

Sylus:

He felt nothing about the game at first and thought of it as nothing more than your form of entertainment. It keeps you busy and out of harm's way, but he never once thought that it would cause a rift in your relationship (he's exaggerating).

Sylus would grow annoyed at how you weren't picking up his calls when you were clearly at home, so he sent Mephisto. The little snitch took a picture of you being so engrossed in your game and sent it back to his boss. Sylus was half disgruntled and 100% dumbfounded when he found out—he was laughing, but he was annoyed. Luke and Kieran were utterly confused.

At midnight, while you worked your way to being a fashion maven, you didn't notice your man sneaking in through the window. Just as you were about to hit pose 11, Sylus yanked your feet and stole your tablet from you.

"No! Give that back!"

"You're not answering my calls because of…this?" He turned to the tablet, which displayed another player's half-decent outfit for the theme "star."

"What calls?" you turned to your phone. '18 missed calls' and your heart sunk to the floor. Shyly, you turned to him, scratching your head. "Oops?"

He sat down on the edge of your bed. "Why are you so engrossed in a dressing game? Why not dress yourself with all the clothes I gave you?" He nudged to the mountain of paper bags in the corner of your room—branded ones, too.

"Because it's fun?" You took the tablet from him and showed him on screen how your outfit won first place. "See? I like winning—one more round, and let's go on a night ride."

He paused, patiently waiting for a minute while you scrolled around the game lobby. He came to a decision. "No. Screen time is over. You've neglected me for far too long." He yanked the tablet away from you using his evol, then pinned you down to the bed, burying his nose in between your breasts.

Although Sylus claims he's not interested in playing the game with you, he did, in fact, join the game secretly to spy on you. He was mildly infuriated with the little amount of selection of menswear and the ridiculous look on the men's faces, so he still really doesn't understand the hype, but he'll be generous enough to give you a three or four-star once in a while.

Once, he joined your server, and the theme was the bad guy. You dressed up as a white-haired, red-eyed man with over-chiseled cheekbones. A moment later, Sylus bombarded you with a screenshot of the game. "I do not look like that. Delete it."

As much as he says he doesn't like the game, Gigi made an update and added some dark reddish aura in-game, as well as a crow perched on the hand of the model. The bird looked awfully close to Mephisto. You confronted Sylus about this, and he denied having any involvement in it.

Whenever you sleep in Sylus' home, he would wake up to the goddamn beat of the game at 3 am, and out of frustration, he would use his EVOL to get the device away from you and place it on the highest shelf in the room. Then he'd hold you down.

Rafayel:

Rafayel introduced you to the game, but after a few times of playing it, it didn't take long for him to get banned for cyberbullying—he wasn't bullying, actually; he was just stating facts, and the other players couldn't take it, and so they reported him. He fights anyone, and he comments a lot in the game, earning him the title of a "yapper."

"You guys don't have taste. How did that thing win first place?" That thing refers to a pretty decent outfit but doesn't match the theme.

"You don't look good either, hun," said the person in first place.

"You don't get to say that when your hair looks like puke, darling." He rage-chattered, saying everything he was typing out loud.

You were cackling beside your boyfriend, witnessing him rage while you were just perched on top of the 3rd place, happy you even got to go up there against all the fashionistas.

"Kids really have the gall to compete and insult adults with taste."

"Raf, you do understand that they're adults as well, right?"

"No, they're not. They're children. This is a kids' game."

You stared at him intently. He stared back, thinking.

"Then I don't need to hold back from insulting them." he placed his hand on the keyboard.

Rafayel's fits are absolutely top-tier. He always wins first place. The layering, the color combination, the form, and the aesthetic are all on point and top-tier. He doesn't reference, and the only time he does is when the theme requires it.

This man doesn't do duos with you because he wants the podium to himself. He once did a duo with you, and it broke his winning streak. You had a small argument about it, but you just gave in, eager to make him lose. Newsflash: You failed miserably.

He secretly joins a farming server every once in a while. Rafayel unknowingly joined the same server as you, and when you asked about it, he denied it, saying only people with bad tastes need to farm for stars. You sent him a screenshot. He didn't talk to you for a day.

He files a lot of complaints and goes on Twitter about how buggy the game is and how bad the texture is. He didn't know that his graphics were on low.

Rafayel is very active in the community and contributes to it during his free time. He uses an alternate account to post suggestions when Gigi opens a post about it. A lot of people actually agree with Rafayel's complaints and suggestions.

Rafayel once freaked out when he accidentally went inside the meat room and told you about it, but when he showed you, it was already catwalk time. You pretended you didn't believe him and tried to pretend to listen when he was searching for that passable wall. You laughed at him and brushed him off, pretending that you didn't believe him.

This began the downward spiral to Lana's lore. He kept on sending you reels about it—and speculations and theories. He even once invited you to that scary horror game, but he quit because it was too creepy and full of 'negative energy.'

Author footnotes: If I'm taking a break while writing, I would be playing dress to impress and I would be fighting children (i'm not joking, I once made a player and her friends leave the server)

Layout by me, using Canva premium | Do not repost |

[court-jobi]

Reheat

((banner by me! I don't own Horikoshi's work OR the mindblowing art of @gsony24))

Pairing: Midoriya x reader (support-hero!reader x teacher Izuku)

Words: 2.5k

Rating: G~

Warnings: comfort fic, tooth-rotting fluff here y'all, established relationship, work stress (livin' vicariously), talks of the future, a few fem pronouns used, but generally gender-neutral

Summary:

Izuku letting himself into your home after a long day has become comfortable background noise, and one you love to hear while you're bogged down. Work has been following you home all week. He's proud of you, without a doubt... But equally concerned when he sees your dinner half-eaten, your mind scatterbrained and racing faster than he can anchor you, and your angel eyes in desperate need of some TLC. He's cemented his place in your heart- and sees no reason he can't make himself at home here already.

A/N: do I have bigger fics in mind? Yes. Did I write this instead of sleeping bc I love soft, encouraging Deku? Also yes. Izuku Midoriya is a motivational speaker.

For my My Hero Academia Masterlist, check it out here!

Read on AO3

“Hey honey! I’m here!”

Over the tinny, background chatter of a podcast streaming from your phone, you call back to Izuku letting himself in.

“Hey you~” You throw interest into your voice, but still stayed tuned into your work.

“Ooo what’s this… What did you make here on the stove?”

“Risotto– it’s Italian~ has lots of veggies and good stuff in it,” you didn’t stop your typing pace, engrossed too heavily in getting an email out before you forget about it and Gmail has to ‘nudge’ you, again, “-gave it a Japanese spin with what I had in the house.”

“Oh wow– oh my gosh, honey– this is so good!”

You look up since your darling man has just appeared in your doorway, sparkly eyed to see you, but equally sated by what’s just graced his mouth. It was a meal you could babysit between taking a quick shower, getting ready for work, letting its flavors marry in the fridge throughout the day, and popping back on the stove that night.

“I’m glad, happy you like it~”

“D’you eat?” Izuku asks, midbite.

“Mhm. Little bit ago,” You motion to your bowl- but when he comes alongside you, he tuts over noting it's only half empty.

“You didn't finish- you feelin’ ok?”

Having circled back onto your screen, you double take again, this time caught by his perception check over you and feeling guilty. 

“Oh. Guess I didn't. I’ll nuke it up here in a bit.”

Izuku, setting down his bowl and starting the -normally alluring- task of rolling up his shirt sleeves to his forearms, comes to your side. However since you’re paying little mind to your peripherals, you missed the show the was making of it. A simple ask of ‘what’re you working on’ came from him, sounding no different than if he wasn't trying to make eyes at you; fact was, you just weren't paying attention.

“Just some stuff for the interns,” the sight of how many tabs are open on your split screen -and in your mind- make you sigh, “With this new role, I kinda feel like you some days. Lesson plans, processing their paperwork; it’s all the stuff you had to turn in as an intern– only now I'm the one dealing with it on the backend.”

Izuku sifted around though your training materials and your propped tablet making itself useful as a second screen. At your handwritten to-do list that’s one of the only things non-digitized nowadays, he makes an offhand comment that your handwriting is nice. It's the kind of cute, ‘blink-and-you’d-miss-it’ things he says that you just hum to, whether you were really listening or not.  

When you glance up to him again, you see he’s watching you with a caring gaze and feel caught.

 “What’re you looking at?” you tease, typing again to break the silence.

“A pretty girl…” Izuku teased lightly, “who doesn’t know when to take a break.”

You type away at his call out– the need for a night off at Izuku’s side is exactly why you've been working so hard at this. You figured you'd get some of this extra prep work under control now, so by the time he rolls around on Wednesday for your standing date n–

You freeze. 

Realizing what day it is in your planner.  It's Wednesday. For dinner.

“Oh my God- -you’re here.”

“Mhmmm~” Izuku really doesn't want to laugh, but his sucking in of a lip isn't hiding it well. 

“ohmygod imtheworst!!” you refresh your face in both hands, talking through the gaps.

“You are not!” Izuku chuckled, setting your notes down. “You just got busy with all the new tasks, because you’re just that good.” 

A faithful, scarred hand comes over to smooth over your back, pulling you over into a little half hug. You sink against him, relishing in his little forehead kiss. He can try all he likes to cure your embarrassment, but you look to him apologetically.

“I’ve never forgotten our dinner dates, ‘Zuku…”

Your darling shrugged unbothered, “Had to happen sometime. It’s no big deal.”

“Is to me,” you pressed- very much bothered.

“Honey,” Izuku chips your chin up, “You’re too hard on yourself. It’s ok, these things happen! I mean, you still made a delicious dinner; even if it was a bit of an oversight I would -in fact- be eating it.”

The pang of guilt hits you at forgetting. This was just a symptomatic sign that the brilliance of your taking on the additional role of Education Coordinator at the agency was perhaps an over-zealous one. Not only to be on-call for your base job as a linguistics quirk specialist, but to balance another full time role on the office hours end? Why did you convince Fatgum this was a good idea? It sounded like a stellar idea back at the beginning of the summer…

Now you’re forgetting not just who you’re supposed to be eating with- but also eating in general.

“I’m glad you did,” you boost Izuku’s elephant-like memory, “It feels so normal to have you here, it's not like I completely forgot I’d see you today. I just– maybe I… thought I was gonna take some to you, since I wouldn't see you till later in the week? I dunno.”

“C’mere- never got a real hug.” 

You rise at his hand’s insistence, and stretch up into his full, healing embrace. 

“Hi baby,” you cooed pitifully.

“Hi, my angel. Missed you today.”

You hummed at the affection, sinking into his neck more out of your residual misery.

Izuku simply took advantage of you being close to sway you in his wide stance- a dance, sans music.

“I appreciate you cooking so much for us,” he spoke gently from his perch over your shoulder, “I was looking forward to it all day, y’know? You’re always so thoughtful with everything you make.”

He’s pressing into you with compliments- against your hard wiring to accept…

“‘Zuku.”

“It’s true~ you’re generous! You remember what my favorites are, and leave out the stuff I don’t like; you even send me leftovers. And you make snacks and treats for when the midnight munchies strike– what can’t you do?”

“Zuku…”

“And you–” he runs a hand through your hair as he sways your shy self back and forth, “-- make for the most funny, beautiful, fascinating, most inspiring company I could ever hope to share a meal with.”

Head thunking onto his shoulder, you playfully land a closed fist on his chest with a muffled, whiny plea for him to stop.

He sighs, all in good humor.

“This streak of yours... I really have my work cut out for me, don’t I? Still can’t imagine how bad it must be in that brilliant mind that my incredible girlfriend has such a hard time accepting the tiniest compliment. Maybe it’s all that late night American comedy you watch...”

You exhale then fix him with your coolest look of sarcasm, anything to show that you have a modicum of having your shit together. So you cope with humor- who doesn't?

–shame that it looks too much like a pout and makes you decidedly not threatening at all, because Izuku just beams brightly at you in response.

“Oh! Now there’s my melty princess- I was wondering where she went.”

And at that, the aloofness was gone, and you snort into a laugh and hug him tighter around the neck. He even scoops you up and gives you one little twirl for good measure. 

When he set you down, Izuku cups your face in his hands and gifts you a few more forehead kisses before demanding your sights. 

“Now. We need to get you to finish eating first. Then, what can I do to help you tonight, hm? How can I make things easier for you?”

With a softer eye to your desk’s work, you sat back down staying connected to your ever doting Izuku by way of your hand in his. You tried again to focus back. You're newly refreshed by his affections and attempt for a more positive outlook, 

“Well, my goal of doing this tonight was so that I didn’t have to go in early tomorrow. Course, if I do run myself ragged tonight, I won't be any good to anyone there– or for you, here. But I think if I pare it down to just getting these e-sigs ready and getting their time-in checklists set up for their work study onboarding, that would give me a good enough start, and I can fill in the rest of their packets tomorrow. But that means I’d need -ugh- maybe… another hour of work tonight?” you looked to him for his approval, “I have a template, so it shouldn’t take me forever.”

“Alright! You’re the boss,” Izuku supported your plan with a smile, “How about I take care of the kitchen for you while you finish up?”

“You do not have to clean my kitchen!” you spouted back, offended– causing a laugh to burst from him, “It’s not funny! I didn’t ask you to come over after a day of work yourself to just slave away at my mess.”

Izuku fixed you a look, as if you knew better. 

“I think I can tidy up a kitchen, no matter how busy of a day I’ve had. Yours isn't even over yet- so when precisely were you going to have the energy to hammer at it? You’ll enjoy not having that mountain waiting for you.”

You huffed, but smiled gratefully all the same. 

“Besides, it’s just me- doing something nice for the woman I love; and I happen to like doing nice things for you. You deserve a clean space, hun.” 

He cleared off your previous bowl to reheat along with your empty water cup. Shaking the hollow straw inside to where it clinks, he knows exactly what you need and tells you so.

“You are getting a screenless break first, though. Something tells me you didn’t the first time around~”

Settled with a fist propping up your face, you swooned over this darling man. 

Trusting Autosave to have done its job, you shut the laptop down blindly, “Sure didn’t~” 

Izuku just rolled his eyes and stepped out of the study. 

You neaten up the collated stack of applications laid out by you and stepped over to the couch, taking a kneeling perch on the end while you sought out a new record for the player on the side table. Setting one on, it was able to fire up and fill some new life into the room with a movie score you haven’t listened to in a while. Everything just sounds better on vinyl.

When Izuku came back in the room, he’d found his houseshoes and returned with renewed interest to your music choice- and with a pleased expression seeing you actually lounging and taking things easier than how he found you. He traded your reheated meal in exchange for your blue-light glasses, which he’d then clean with a pocket square and set back on your desk once they were smudgeless.

“Now, that’s a better sight~ here you go, all set for later.”

You enjoyed Izuku’s company while finishing dinner, listening to him outline his workday while he cradled your legs in his lap. He'd had a pleasantly eventful one, with plenty to say about it. You’d play ‘two truths and a lie’ sometimes when he didn’t want to bore you with a particularly mind-numbing schedule, which pleased you just as well. You excelled at it, while he gave away his fictions every time- a terrible liar for the game, but great for a faithful partner, you reasoned.  You truly loved hearing him talk and talk, your love only growing at the domesticity of this feeling and never wanting that to change. 

Once you were done, you were honestly content to hear him continue his tangent, but it seems his inner discipline was stronger than yours. 

“Alright, now to attack that sink~”

You bemoaned again for his sake. But since you made such a small, affected noise, Izuku paused mid-rise, and sat back down a bit closer to you. He stretched an arm over the back of the couch, encouraging you to come closer and met you for a sweet kiss in the middle.

His mere presence reverted you to a younger self sometimes– one desperate for his attention, good or bad. It wasn't the loveliest impulse, but he clearly thinks it's all part of your charm seeing as he gives in every time, anyway.

“Thing is,” Izuku spoke softly while adoring the hand now placed in his, “If things keep going the way I think they’re going -the way I hope they’re going- it’s.. not hard to imagine that there’s gonna be both our dishes to clean up all the time. In our kitchen, in our home someday. So this is just practice, right? Seems perfectly normal to me. How it should be.”

That idea bloomed in your chest, the thought of sharing a home with him- where this exchange of chores and time together could be your new normal. Only it would be a future where he didn’t have to leave at the end of the night and go back to a bed with compact, collegiate-designed storage at the campus accommodations he stays in on the instructor's wing. He’s got enough to get him by, but he noticeably prefers your home here closer to downtown.

“And what happens when we both wanna ditch the dishes?” you countered sweetly.

Izuku smirked, “That’s what a dishwasher is for. Another thing we’d own together…”

“Forward thinking, there.” You relished that idea. 

Izuku nuzzled your forehead thoughtfully. 

“You’ve been doing things on your own for a long time– and it shows, sweetheart.”

His words came carefully, from a tender place spoken in confidence between you, referring to when you’ve spent other late nights like this one fueled with hot tea and a desire to keep ignoring the clock.

“And I know you’ve been used to that since you’ve been traveling so much, not even having roommates to help keep you company or lighten the load. I keep wishing I could have known you sooner, had more time with you before you had to learn some of those things the hard way… but I’m happy I get the chance to, now. I’m here now, and you’re not alone, so I hope you’ll let me take care of you when I can.”

With another happy sigh forcing your eyes shut, the mental will it took to not let the tears of a perpetual eldest daughter leave you was intense.

Izuku Midoriya never failed to hit the nail on the head when it came to pep talks; he does the same with his students. But why his ones aimed at you had to have a Full Cowling dash of heartfelt anecdotes in it, you don't know. But you're grateful. You're so grateful for him. 

“If you don’t quit talkin’ like that, Izuku, I will never let you leave this condo.”

He chuckled again, lifting your cheek for another kiss, “Twist my arm, love.”

Ultimately, he rose to quit distracting you, but not without you watching him leave with a hunger you’d never felt for another soul before. 

[dira333]

To come home - Kageyama x Reader

for @writingsofanomnivore - Haikyuu Taglist: @lees-chaotic-brain

Coming home is both the best and the worst part of your day.

There's no free seat left and your feet ache from the shoes you thought were cute in the morning. You're tired in a way no coffee can appease but you still have to get through half an hour train ride before you're remotely close to your bed.

Your phone vibrates in your pocket and you pull it out, stress lifting just from the sight of the message.

Because coming home also means coming home to him.

It's not that hard to find him in the crowds, the last drops of evening sun caught in the shadows of his dark hair. His eyes are closed and you'd assume he's falling asleep standing up if you didn't know better.

"Hey," you link your arm with his and lean into him, "I'm here."

Ever since Hinata introduced him to it, Tobio has been trying to meditate. So far with limited success.

"Hey," he presses a kiss to your lips. "Welcome back."

"How was your day?" You ask, hand in his as you cross the street. There's a Konbini not far from your shared apartment and you listen to his recollection of today's training as you fill your basket with fresh produce.

"Blueberries?" You ask, holding up a box. He nods, loading his arms with milk, cheese, and some yogurt. "Buy two," he says, "You'll probably eat one on your own. Anyway, while I was practicing my jump serve, Hoshiumi-"

Arms heavy with groceries you make the short trek down the street and up the stairs to your apartment. It's your turn now to tell him about your day and you're in the middle of explaining something when one box of Blueberries slips from your grasp.

You can see it fall, dread the moment it will hit the ground and catapult its content everywhere but Tobio is a little faster and picks it out of the air like he's receiving in a match.

"That was close," you gasp but he snorts, clearly insulted by your lack of faith. "I'm sorry," you lean in to kiss him again, your hands still occupied, "You're my hero."

-

Coming home with him is still your favorite thing in the world. You love coming home earlier and getting everything ready, surprising him with his favorite meal ready to eat and seeing his eyes light up on the doorstep. You love coming home to him, hair damp from a shower, his figure drowning in the comfiest clothes he owns, the one and only meal he's perfected making bubbling on the stove.

But coming home with him just hits differently.

How you giggle in the doorway, somehow always in the way of the other person, stumbling over and around each other, pressing kisses to every speck of skin you can reach just to annoy, distract, confuse.

Tobio loves playing Tetris with the Fridge and you don't mind getting started with Dinner, inspiration overflowing after you've spent picking out ingredients at the store. There's the chitchat that flows into each recipe, the jokes he remembers from last week or how you suddenly remember that Yachi invited you over for the weekend and you still need a present to bring along.

Tired feet stretched out under the table when Dinner is finally ready and the satisfied hum at the back of your throat when it's exactly the thing you'd been craving all day.

-

"What are you doing?" Tobio asks, towel in his hands. He finished doing the dishes while you freshened up a little and grabbed your Tablet on the way back.

"I wanted to do some online shopping."

"What are we in for today?" He slips onto the couch, curls around you like the world's cuddliest snake, chin hooked over your shoulder. "You didn't buy the shoes you picked out last week."

"Yes, because I told myself if I didn't think of them again on my own I'd take them out of the cart. Now you made me think of them."

"Oh," he grins, "So I get to buy them for you?"

"No, I get to buy them for myself."

"But I wanna spoil you," he tries to grab the Tablet from your grasp but you've learned to defend yourself against Tobio's bouts of generosity. It's not that you don't like it when he does it, but he's yet to learn a healthy balance. And sometimes, you don't really wanna buy the stuff you put in your cart, you just want to look at cool things and put them away for later consideration.

"Not those shoes," you beg, "Let me find some other ones."

"Fine," he eventually relents, huffing as if this is a great sacrifice for him. Not that he falls silent, though. He's got an opinion on everything.

"They're too brown. Ugh, not brown enough. What even is that strap? Trying to strangle your ankles or what? No... This dress reminds me of Hinata in our orange jerseys, that's not the connection I wanna make. Oooooh, this one!" He interrupts your scrolling and taps the screen violently, opening another tab.

"The dress, the purse or the jewelry?" You ask, a little confused. It's a nice fit, you suppose, but you're not sure what he's getting at.

"Neither. She's wearing a hat and you need one for the summer. You always get sunburn on your ears."

-

There's a certain type of coziness that can only be reached when you're ready for bed, curled up in the comfort of clean sheets, waiting for your partner to step out of the bathroom.

You can hear Tobio brush his teeth and just the sound of it, so well-known you could probably pick him out of hundreds of others, lets you relax just a little bit more.

By the time he slips into bed with you, your eyes are already closed and you manage little more than a "Love you T-" before you slip away.

-

Tobio drops a kiss on your forehead, checks if you're really asleep by snipping his fingers next to your ear, and when he's satisfied with the results, picks your Tablet from your bedside table. The password is the day you two got together so he doesn't need long to find what you had been looking for not long ago.

He might not be the smartest guy in the world, but at least he knows what he's getting you next...

[slvt4em1lyprenti2s]

Hii can you write Emily x fem!reader in a secret relationship but the team somehow catching them kissing and that's how they find out. Also there is a bet going on about them.

Are you kidding?

Summary: see the tumblr req above!

Word Count: 1.05k

Fluff

TW: kissing, getting caught kissing

Pairings: Emily Prentiss x fem!reader

A/N: I swear I haven't abandoned you guys I've just been caught up with school!!

Emily's pov:

It's been a slow day at work all day. Paperwork, consultations, paperwork, staring at my girlfriend; the cycle repeats. The team doesn't know where dating yet, we decided to wait to tell them.

She can clearly feel my gaze because she turns and looks at me and smiles, god her smile. I beam back at her and her eyes flick away from mine to the direction of our 'place' I gently nod and she puts up her hand to signal for me to wait 5 minutes before following her.

As she stalked off, her hips swinging slightly, I drag my eyes down to the file I'm currently looking over and pretend to focus on it. My mind is too full of her to think about anything else.

Reader pov:

I casually walk away from the bullpen with a random file in my hand, making a beeline to mine and em's 'place' (which is just a storage cupboard, albeit a very empty one. There's only printer paper in there) I look around and don't see anyone in the hallway so I slip into the small room and wait for Emily.

I hear the click of her heels on the floor as she approaches the door. The handle clicks and she slips in. Her feature lit up by the sliver of light that leaked in from the open door, her eyes shining with joy as she closes the door.

"Hey you." She says in a hushed tone as her arms find their wait around my waist and mine around her neck. She plants a delicate kiss on my lips.

"Hey," I reply with a bright smile on my face. "How's your day been?" My head fell onto her shoulder as I sunk into her embrace.

"Slow, boring. You know, the usual." I lightly chuckled at her answer.

"Yeah same, but uh. I know a way to make it a bit better." A smirk found its way onto my lips as she cupped my cheek.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Why don't you kiss me and find out."

She smiled and crashed her lips onto mine. Our lips moved together with care and love. Her hands trailed down to my hips and pulled me closer to her, she slowly backed me up against the wall and deepened the kiss. Her tongue swiped over my lips asking for permission and I gladly granted it. Her tongue fought for dominance with mine, she obviously won instantly.

In the heat of the moment clearly neither of us heard the clacking of another set of heels on the floor coming towards the room. We were both pulled back to reality when we heard someone walk in the door and just as quickly shut it with a yelp.

Both of us pulled away, knowing it was Penelope, and made eye contact. Still holding each other close we burst into a fit of hushed laughter like a couple of teenagers who got caught making out at school. Oh wait...

She got out her phone and put the flash on so she could properly see me so she could fix my hair for me and make sure I don't look too flustered. I did the same for her and we walked out of the room one at a time and sat back in the bullpen.

Not even a minute after we had both sat down Garcia walks over to the round table and Hotch out of his office.

"We have a case." Hotch announces as he walks towards the room.

"Ugh, I was hoping to go home at a normal time today." JJ groans as we walk to the room, a grumble of agreement sounds from everyone as we all sit down.

Garcia sets down the tablets and Reid's paper report. Oh god Reid's still on paper, Pen was probably going to get paper for the printer from the storage room. We clearly all had the same thought at the same time because me and Emily made eye contact before glancing at Garcia, who was already flicking her eyes between the two of us.

"What have we got?" Spencer says, breaking the silence.

"Okay before I tell you, I have something else to tell you all." She speaks quickly, to avoid me and Emily protesting. "Y/n/n and em were making out in the storage cupboard! There I said it, sorry guys. I couldn't help it, you know me!"

The team all looks to me and Emily who are coincidently sitting next to each other, looking for confirmation.

We make eye contact again and she grins.

"Don't I swear to god Emily." I say fighting back a laugh yet again.

"Wait hang on, are you- were you?" Rossi asked. Voicing the confusion of the rest of the team. Emily responds before I can.

"Yeah, we were. Hotch, sorry, but it was a slow day can you blame us? We're dating, she's my girlfriend."

A look of knowing passed across the teams faces before Derek and JJ make eye contact.

"Okay guys c'mon," He says holding out his hand, Jay swiftly following. "Pay up."

"Are you kidding, did you make a bet on us dating?" I stare at them in amusement.

"Well yeah, you couldn't expect us not to." JJ shrugs.

"She's right you know, it was too obvious." Derek adds on as Hotch, Rossi, Spencer and Garcia hand money into their hands.

"You know Pen, I'm disappointed in you." She looks at me shocked. "I thought you were good at spotting these things?"

Everyone laughs and Garcia responds "You had me stumped sugar." I smile at her and then shift my focus to Emily. Her hand trails to my thigh and she squeezes it affectionately, I intertwine my hands with hers.

"Okay, back to the case." Hotch says and discussion about the current case ripples through the room once again.

Emily brings my hand up to her mouth and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it and whispers a small "I love you." I smile at her and whisper back "I love you too."

[atinyfeels]

Ateez: he says something hurtful to you [3]

Masterlist // part one | part two

author's note: don't mind how rusty it is. its been four years, lets write a part three ♡ hope you enjoy!!

Seonghwa:

The sound of the bell dinging made you look up from your book. A young couple was walking through the door of the book store. They were holding hands and smiling as the older man at the front desk greeted them. You sighed and placed the book in your hands back onto the top shelf. This was the first time in 3 weeks you had managed to push yourself out of bed. Your apartment had become a sad lifeless room that you struggled to even call home.

Feeling like you made a mistake, you turn around and began walking towards the exit. As you opened the door, the cold spring air pushed towards you. Your apartment building wasn't far from the bookstore, a mere 5 minute walk. You were almost there when you noticed a man standing outside the door. He had his hood up and his jacket hood over his head, but you could recognize him from a mile a away.

"Seonghwa?" You call out, making the man look up and over at you. It was indeed him, he was dressed in all black and looked as if he hadn't slept. You walked up to him and stared at him for a moment before speaking again. "Do you want to come inside?"

He didn't verbally say anything, instead he only nodded yes. You opened the door to the building and walked up the stairs towards your apartment on the 3rd floor. When you both walked inside, you closed the door behind you and looked at him. He was scanning around the room, as if he was looking for something he had forgotten.

"What are you doing here, Seonghwa?" You asked, making him pause and look up at you.

"I think I forgot something," his words sounding more like a question.

You furrowed your eyebrows and crossed your arms over your chest. It had been 3 weeks since you seen him, what could he have forgotten this late? "Do you know what it is? If it shows up, I can drop it off another day."

He shook his head. "The thing is, I didn't forget anything."

"What do you-" he cuts you off, "I've been thinking of things to say, excuses that would make me come back here. Come back to see you. But the only thing I could think of was, I messed up. These past 3 weeks have been torture without you."

You blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what he was trying to say. "But you said...you said you didn't love me anymore. You were the one who packed up your things and left me."

"I-I know. I don't know what I was thinking at the time. The group was at a high popularity stage and we weren't seeing each other so often. You & I barely spoke and at the time I thought, maybe that's what I wanted. But when I told you I didn't love you and I saw the look on your face, I knew it wasn't what I wanted. But I couldn't take it back."

You swallowed hard, trying to fight the tears that you didn't even realize were appearing. "So what are you trying to say?"

"I don't want to be apart from you. I want to be your boyfriend, I want to stay by your side even when it gets rough. I want to make up for how much I hurt you during these past few weeks. Please, Y/N, let me come home."

Clearing your throat you continued to stare at him. "You're going to have a lot to make up for."

"I know," he says stepping forward and pulling you into a tight embrace.

Hongjoong:

You opened your front door to find a delivery driver standing there with a bouquet and a tablet.

"Y/N?" he asks, making you nod as before you sign your name on the tablet. "Have a nice day."

Before you even responded, he started making his way down the hall. Sighing, you closed the door behind you and grabbed the note that was attached to the vase. "I'm really sorry." You put the card back onto the holder and walked into the dining room. Ten other bouquets were covering your table, all of them with different messages, all from the same person. You placed the bouquet down on the table before pulling your phone out and dialing your boyfriend's number.

It didn't take him long to answer with an out of breath, "hello?"

Mentally, you smacked yourself in the face. "You must be a practice, I'll call you later."

"NO!" He shouts before you even get a chance to pull the phone away from your ear. "We were just about to take a break so you called at a good time."

For some reason, you felt as if that was a lie but you kept it to yourself. "I'm just calling to ask you when you're going to stop sending me endless amounts of flowers? My dining table is running out of room at this point."

"So you got my flowers!" He said in a more cheerful tone, "Did you like them?"

You sigh running your finger along one of the petals, "I'm not really a roses type of person. But they are pretty."

"Really? I'll have to change the flowers. Maybe I should've gone with a variety instead of all the same flower," he rambled, mostly talking to himself.

"Joong," you say, cutting him off. "You have to stop sending me flowers, I don't have room for them."

"I want to make up for the things I said the other day. They were hurtful and I was putting myself before you." He tells you, his tone changing to a more serious tone.

"I was in the wrong too," you confess, finally admitting to yourself that he wasn't the only one in the wrong in this situation. "I was being petty when I called Yeosang instead of you. I really wanted to tell you but I was being too stubborn about our fight. I'm sorry for how I treated you."

"Does this mean I can come home now?"

You chuckle and roll your eyes, "you were always allowed to come back home."

Yunho:

"She's my girl, isn't she?" San says loudly, laughing as he and Wooyoung go over what was said in your classroom.

You were blushing furiously as Yunho was looking down at his drink, his cheeks flushed as well. The two of you were aware of how dramatic your altercation with the girls in your class. It was as if it was something straight out of a teen show.

"Honestly, we should direct a movie for it!" Wooyoung cheered as San agreed.

"It will be a huge hit amongst romance fans," San agreed before taking a drink of his water. "Maybe we can have IU play as Y/N."

"Alright they get it," Seonghwa said, making the two boys quiet down and change the topic. Seonghwa looked over at you as you began scooping a piece of cake onto your fork. "We're happy you were able to join us, Yunho has talked about you a lot."

Your head shot up towards Yunho who was looking at Seonghwa with wide eyes. You could tell he was silently cursing at the older member in his head. "Well, I'm glad I was able to join," you say, smiling back at Yunho.

After parting ways with Yunho's friends, Yunho insisted on walking you home. The two of you were walking in silence, neither of you able to think of something to talk about.

"So," you blurt out, making him look down at you. "Why did you call me pathetic?" You swallowed hard, this wasn't what you wanted to talk about. But you weren't going to be okay without talking about it.

Yunho stayed silent for a moment, trying to find the words. "For years, I had this image of me as this guy who had multiple girls on his arm and couldn't keep a stable relationship. But that's not true, I've never been the type to play with girls. I've never done random hookups and honestly girls don't confess to me. Everyone just made up this person in their head and I kind of went along with it."

You looked up at him as he brushed his fingers through his hair. He let out a sigh and continued. "But when I first met you, you didn't pay attention to me. You didn't care about the rumors circling around me. And then when I saw the letter with my name on it, I..I don't know. Maybe I got worried you started seeing me like everyone else did. My ego got ahead of me and I spoke without even thinking about it. I've never thought of you as anything, pathetic. And I am really sorry for saying those things to you."

You give him a small smile and grab his hand with yours. "This is the reason why I fell for you. I knew you weren't the guy everyone expected you to be, you're much more than that."

Yeosang:

It felt like you had been walking for hours until you had finally reached your place. Your heart was aching with how much it had gone through in just one day. "You're so goddamn annoying." "I didn't know how to let you down gently." You felt like he saw you as a joke, like someone in his shoes couldn't possibly be with you. You've never felt so down on yourself until today.

You wiped the tears off your face and made your way into the bathroom. Reaching down, you started the water in the tub and looked at yourself in the mirror. Your mascara was visibly on your cheeks, your face red from rushing home.

Slipping your fingers under the hem of your shirt about to take it off when there was a buzz at the front door. You sighed and turned off the bath water before making your way out of the bathroom. Walking through the living room and up to the door, you placed your hand on the knob before pushing it open. Yeosang stood before you, out of breath and looking very distraught.

"What, Yeosang?" You ask, crossing your arms over your chest. For the first time, you didn't care how you looked in front of him. You didn't bother attempting to fix the makeup on your cheeks or brushing your hair back with your fingers.

"I care about you," he starts, "I care about you a lot. And I know right now, in this moment it's not the romantic feeling you feel. But I am attracted to you, Y/N. But I'm not ready for any kind of relationship and I don't want to give you any kind of false hope. I didn't mean to call you annoying, you could never annoy me. I should have been more mature and told you how I originally feeling instead of insulting you and giving you false hope."

"You hurt me, Yeosang," you choked out, feeling the tears build up once more. "I apologize for overwhelming affection I showed. I should've thought before doing so. But you made me feel so awful, and I understand that you don't want a relationship but there's literally any other way we could've handled this."

He nodded in agreement, "I agree. And I'm really sorry for how I treated you. If one day, we can fix this, I really hope I can make it up to you."

"Me too. Goodnight, Yeosang." With that you closed the door and pressed your back to the wall with a sigh

❀ 6 months later ❀

You anxiously paced back and forth in your living room. Twiddling with your thumbs as you waited for buzzer. When the sound finally happened, you took a deep breath and opened the door. Yeosang appeared in front of you with a smile on his face, holding a flower in his hand for you.

"You look amazing," he tells you, handing you the flower and planting a kiss on your cheek. "So, are you ready for our date?"

You smiled back at him, "absolutely."

San:

Your chest was rising fast as your laid down the mat. You had just finished another work out with San, but now you were beginning to regret your life choices. When San told you he'd help you, you didn't realize he was going to make your whole body feel like jelo.

San rushed up to you with a smile on his face, "How was it? Did you feel the burn? Did you enjoy the workout? I was thinking next time, we can add more reps, maybe a little more cardio."

Oh how you wanted to throw this man out a window. You squinted your eyes at him, "Go away."

He laughed and sat down beside you, "You're so cute, you know that?"

Wincing at the pain, you pushed yourself up and sat beside him. "There's nothing cute about making your partner suffer, San. I'm never coming with you again. And if I do, I'm definitely not training with you."

San leaned over and gave you a kiss on the head, completely ignoring how damp your hair was. "How about we get out of here and grab some snacks for a movie night?"

You quickly looked up at him with hopeful eyes, "ice cream too?"

He laughed and nodded, "ice cream too."

Excitedly, you got up and held your hand out for him. "Come on, I need to shower after this."

"Yeah, you really do smell pretty bad," he joked as you helped him up.

You eyes widened as you let go of his hand, making him fall back onto the floor with a thud. "Says the one who smells like a swamp monster."

"Hey!" He called after you as you left him alone and went towards the locker rooms.

Mingi:

You smirked at yourself in the mirror as you stared at yourself in the mirror. The tight red dress was going to get you in trouble and you were hoping it would. The more you thought of Mingi getting jealous the more you found yourself being attracted to him. Tonight there was a party that was being thrown for another idols birthday.

You were showing up later than the Ateez members, but you decided to go ahead without them and with a group of girls instead. When you arrived to the party, you hadn't realized how packed the party was going to be. Mingi was friends with many, but you never thought that you'd be in a room with this many people before. You made your way over to a table where a couple of Stray Kids members were sitting.

"Changbin!" You said cheerfully, he stood up and greeted you with a hug while Felix gave you a polite nod. You took a seat beside Changbin and looked around the room. "Have you guys been here long?"

Changbin shook his head. "We just got here maybe ten minutes before you. You didn't come with Mingi?"

"No, they said they were going to be a little later than me so I came with others."

The three of you stayed sitting down, talking and making jokes when you felt someone tap your shoulder. Looking up, you find Mingi his eyes piercing down into yours. Oh, he was not happy.

"Sorry guys, but I've got to take this one home, she's got a long day tomorrow," Mingi tells the other two, not even looking at them.

Mingi grabbed a hold of your hand and helped you to your feet before making his way towards the door. You could overhear Felix say, 'Long day tomorrow or long night tonight?'. Mingi guided your way out the door before the two of you were on the sidewalk. He rose his hand, waving towards a taxi driver that was headed in your direction.

When the taxi stopped, Mingi opened the door for you and whispered in your ear. "You're aware what you did, yes?"

Your body shivered at his words as you nodded, feeling a bit excited. "I know."

"Good, get in."

You slide into the car and Mingi follows after you. He tells the driver your apartment complex as he places his hand on your knee. The thought you having an endless night made your cheeks flush. You couldn't wait to get home.

Wooyoung:

"What are friends for?"

For some reason, for the first time, you didn't like the sound of those words coming from him. As you continued allow Wooyoung to sweet talk the sponsors, you found yourself stealing glances at him every chance you could.

You were staring at him for a moment when you felt a hand touch your arm. Looking up, a woman old enough to be your grandmother was giving you a warm smile.

"You must really love him," she says, cutting you off guard.

"O-Oh, we aren't dating. We're just friends, we're really close and I didn't want to be here alone," you explain, giving her a soft smile.

She shakes her head, not believing a word you say. "You wouldn't look at someone that way, unless you were in love. And whether you realize it now or not, you are in love with him. I looked at someone like that before."

"Your partner?"

Her smile fades a little before she brings it back. "No, the person I was in love with never found out. They were the right person, but the wrong time. If you're in love with this man, you should tell him. Before it's too late."

"Y/N." The sound of Wooyoung's voice made you turn around to find him looking at you. "Are you ready to go? I think this party is starting to become a bummer." You turn back to look at the woman, but you don't find her anywhere in sight. "Y/N? What are you looking for?"

Looking back up at Wooyoung, you shake your head. "N-Nothing. I'm ready to go."

Before waiting for a response, you make your way towards the exit. Wooyoung followed behind quickly, calling your name as you followed you to the lobby and outside the building.

"Y/N!" He yells once more, making you stop but you didn't turn around. "What happened in there? What's wrong?"

Your head was flooded with so many thoughts. Your heart racing of the thought that you could possibly be an item with Wooyoung. Was that something you wanted? You were so comfortable around him, the thought of being intimate with him gave you butterflies in your stomach. Turning around, you look at the very confused Wooyoung.

"Y/N?"

"I can't be friends with you, Wooyoung." You didn't even think before you blurted it out. Your hands were shaking with how anxious you were.

Wooyoung looked at your shocked and then became sad, "Is it because of what I said earlier? I promise you, you are an amazing person. You're gorgeous, fantastic and-"

You cut him off, "I think I'm in love with you!"

You silently cursed at yourself as the two of you went silent. You couldn't bare to look at him, you didn't want to know what look was on his face. The words came out without you thinking about it. Maybe you didn't have to think about it. You were definitely in love with Wooyoung.

"Want me to help you figure it out?" He asks, his voice suddenly much closer now. He was standing right in front you, without you even noticing that he moved.

"W-What-" was all you managed to get out before Wooyoung lifted your head up with his fingers. Without hesitation, he pressed his lips onto yours. Your stomach felt like it was doing flips as you places your hands on his hips.

Once you pulled away, he looked down at you and licked his lips. "I've been in love with you this whole time."

"You have?" You say, sounding more like whisper.

He nods, "Did that help you figure it out?"

"I-I'm not sure, can we do it again? Maybe a little longer, I didn't get a good read." Wooyoung let out of laugh before he nods and presses his lips onto yours once more.

Jongho:

You gripped onto the plastic bags that contained 8 lunch boxes. Today was the first day you were going back to the practice room since you talked to Jongho a couple days ago. You felt more nervous than you ever had. The thought of seeing Jongho again, knowing he had feelings for you, made your stomach do flips.

Knocking on the door, you pushed it opened. "I brought food!" Looking up, you noticed how dark the practice room was. "Hello? I could've sworn Seonghwa told me they were here today."

You flipped on the lights and noticed a table in the center of the room with a bouquet of flowers sitting in the middle. Setting the bags on the floor, you walked up to the table and read the note that was there.

"Will you do the honor of being my girlfriend? P.S turn around."

Turning around, you find Jongho standing by the door. His cheeks were already flush as he made his way over to you.

"You did all of this?" you asked, meeting him halfway.

Shyly, he nodded. "I didn't want a big grand gesture but you deserved something a little more than that." You smiled at him, which made him return it. "So what do you think?"

"I'd love to be your girlfriend!" You say, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into a hug.

A loud applause made you pull away and find the rest of the members cheering. Your brother looked at you and gave you the thumbs up, making you blush.

"Well now that that's settled, can we eat now?" San whined, already looking through the bags to find his box.

You and Jongho laughed and walked over, helping everyone sort out their boxes. The 9 of you sat in a circle, you sitting in the middle of Jongho & Seonghwa.

"So where are you going for your first date?" Wooyoung asked, making everyone look over at Jongho.

Jongho shook his head, "I'm not telling any of you." Seonghwa cleared his throat and looked over at him. "Oh right, we're going to Lotte World." The group laughs as Seonghwa nods, approving the choice.

"I can't wait," you say to Jongho, giving him an excited smile before he smiles back at you.

[moody-alcoholic]

Chapter 6 - The New Role

Name used for reader Dani, It's just personal preference I don't like using Y/N.

Summary: Simon x reader. 5.3k words. You want to be more involved with the more dangerous side of the job. Which means you and Simon are forced to talk about your feelings and what this means for you both.

CW: smoking, alcohol, vomit, mentions of past abusive relationship, implied SA (not 141), hurt/comfort, feeeelings.

AN: Don't be too put off by the content warnings this chapter is VERY fluffy, a lot of fluff and people being bad at feelings.

Previous - masterlist - Next

AO3

Enjoy <3

1 Month later.

You’re sat in John’s office. He’s looking over papers, like it’s a real performance review, for a real job you’ve been doing for the past month. He hums looking back over at you.

“So how’s it been?” He asks putting the papers down. You look at him, it’s almost like what happened a month ago was just a one time thing. You haven’t even been in the storeroom since. They still talk around jobs like it’s a real company. There was something burning inside you now. You wanted more. You wanted to be part of their world. 

“You know, good,” you say shrugging. He presses his lips together waiting for you to say more. 

“Something wrong?” He asks after a few more seconds of silence. You shake your head. How would you even ask? Maybe you could ask for another ride along. 

“The job is very easy, I could easily continue to do it no problem..” You trail off you’re not sure how to word it. 

“But?” He asks leaning forward on his desk. 

“I want to be more involved, I want to help with the special cases.” You say. He takes a big breath. 

“I know what you’re going to say. I’m not a soldier, and I’m not a ‘professional’ like you guys. But I’m discrete and loyal, and I’m good a keeping secrets.” You stop yourself realising  you’re not really saying much of anything. John frowns his gaze turning serious. 

“You don’t want to get yourself involved in this, it’s messy work.” John says, it’s almost like a warning. 

“I do I want to. I want to help people the way you helped me.” You reply quickly. 

“It’s not always that simple we can’t always help everyone.” He says leaning back in the chair. 

“Well I’d like to try at least.” You say, it sounds like a plea but you mean it. He lets out a big sigh.

“It can be dangerous you could get hurt.” You feel a pit forming in your stomach. He’s not wrong. Is it worth the risk?   

“I know.” You say keeping eye contact with him. 

“You can’t tell anyone what you do.” You nod, you haven’t been telling anyone anyway. 

“You might see and hear things you don’t like.” He says sitting up straight. You nod. The pit is not going away. You know he’s trying to get you to back down but you’re not going to. 

“I want to be involved John.” You say mustering up all the courage you have. He sighs. 

“Fine, I’ll talk to the others see what jobs are lined up.” He says closing the folder on the table. 

“Thank you I won’t let you down.” You say getting up. 

“Oh by the way, we didn’t see you for drinks last time are you coming tomorrow?” He asks. You feel like you have to make it now. 

“Yeah I’ll be there.” You say turning to walk out the door. You close it behind you giddy as you see Johnny sat over on the sofa looking at a tablet. 

“How’d it go we got you fer another month?” He asks smiling as you walk over to him. 

“Of course what would you do without me.” You joke. Sitting down next to him. He closes the tablet down. 

“Johnny where’s LT he was supposed to be back 15 minutes ago?” Kyle says from the top of the stairs. Johnny shrugs.

“Have you tried calling him?” Johnny suggests. 

“He never picks up when I call.” Kyle says coming over to sit in the recliner.

“Here use my phone.” Johnny says throwing his phone to Kyle. 

“Why do you call Simon LT? I thought is nickname was Ghost?” You ask, Johnny chuckles.

“It is. Simon used to be a lieutenant so sometimes we still call him LT.” Johnny explains. 

“What does that mean was he like a high rank or something?” You ask. You see Kyle smile.

“Kind of, he was a rank below Price, so he was the second in command.” Johnny explained. 

“I’m surprised he hasn’t talked about it before.” Kyle says pressing Johnny’s phone up to his ear.

“Si’s not one to boast, you know that Gaz.” Johnny says nudging you. You don’t talk much about his military past, he tends to stay away from it. Maybe now would be a good time to get some stories though. Your head looks up as John comes out his office.

“Where’s Simon he was supposed to be back 20 minutes ago?” John asks.

“Have you tried calling him?” Johnny says, you can’t help but chuckle. John mutters something under his breath and goes back into his office. Gaz hangs up the phone. 

“Try again he never picks up the first time.” Johnny says winking at Kyle. 

“I miss the days we could just radio each other and we would have to answer.” Kyle says sighing. 

“Ah yes Price yelling ‘how copy’ in my ear every 3 seconds is definitely something I miss.” Johnny says sarcastically. 

“So how come John doesn’t have a nickname? You just call him Price.” You ask Johnny. Kyle moves seems like Simon has picked up the phone.

“Don’t know, he’s always just been Price, or captain. Maybe you should ask him, tomorrow after a few drinks.” Johnny winks at you. You sit back on the sofa as Gaz comes back. 

“He hung up on me said Price was calling him.” Kyle says as he sits down handing the phone back to Johnny. You smile.

“What do you need him for anyway?” Johnny asks. Kyle sighs. You know that sigh its the ‘special job’ sigh. The one they think they’re so good at hiding but you’re picking up on it, on all the little mannerisms.

How Simon only picks the phone up first time if it’s John, how Johnny always asks Simon for help before Kyle, if only just to piss Simon off. Kyle and Johnny tell each other literally anything and everything unless you’ve explicitly told them not to say anything. John’s nickname might as well be dad with the amount of times they run to him with silly little problems.

You see Simon pull his van into the building. Johnny gets up going to the balcony looking down. 

“Welcome home honey, I’ve missed you so much.” Johnny coos with a high pitched voice as Simon gets out the van. You smile, Johnny will take any opportunity to wind up Simon. John walks out his office, Simon looks up at him.

“Oh honey, I can explain! He’s no one I love you baby.” Johnny says walking over to John. Gaz starts laughing. You watch as John shakes his head and Simon heads up the steps. 

“Come on we need to have a chat, all of you.” John says looking over at you. You nod getting up as everyone piles into his office. Price leans up against his desk looking at us all. 

“So Dani and I had a chat and she asked to be involved more with some of the other jobs we do.” Price says, everyone turns to look at you. The only person you want to see is Simon. Half of his face is covered by a mask so you can’t read his expression as easy. No one says anything as you feel yourself blushing.

“We’ll take it slow, she’ll follow you around see if it’s definitely something she wants to get involved in.” John explains, you smile at him as everyone turns back to look at him. 

“Simon, you’ve got the easier jobs next week. She’ll follow you till Wednesday. Until I can find a replacement you’ll have to spend Thursdays and Fridays catching up with the work you’ve missed.” You nod. Simon sighs, it’s a long sigh almost a huff almost like he’s annoyed or something. 

“Problem?” John asks looking at him. 

“No.” He replies. John nods. 

“Good okay, it’s been a good week. Don’t forget to empty the vans before you leave.” He says standing up and going round to the other side of his desk to sit down. Everyone starts getting up to leave. Simon’s eyes catch yours as he turns. You can see something in them. Is he upset? Angry? Johnny throws his arm round your shoulders. 

“Joining the big boys club now!” He says cheerfully as he leads you out. Simon heads straight down the steps your head snaps to him following him as Johnny leads you back over to the sofas.

“We’ve got to have a celebration drink!” Johnny exclaims going over to the kitchenette. 

“We’re already going out tomorrow, besides I have to drive home.” Kyle says. 

“I’ll have to pass too.” You say. You want to speak to Simon, you want to go home. 

“Party poppers the both of ya’s.” Johnny says putting the scotch back in the cupboard. 

You look down as you hear the storeroom door slam closed.   

 —————————— 

Simon doesn’t come over Friday night, and you don’t hear from him all day Saturday. You don’t know why he’s been avoiding you but you confirm with Johnny that he’s coming for drinks tonight. Maybe he’ll open up after a pint or two. You spend the day distracted, you try to convince yourself it’s not that bad.

You spent such an amazing month together and now he’s basically giving you the cold shoulder. You thought you had something special. He’s so caring, gentle, nothing like the Simon you know at work who hides his face. He’s been helping you recover, if you can even call it that. He’s there when you wake from nightmares, careful not to step out your comfort zone without asking. He understands you.

You love him.

You didn’t want to admit it, scared it would drive him away.

You realised it a few nights ago while you were curled up on the sofa watching some cheesy romantic comedy. He laughed at some stupid joke. It was the first time you’d seen him laugh, properly laugh. It made your heart flutter, you looked up at him as he stroked your arm, massive grin on his face. You almost just blurted it out right there and then.

You’re not the type of person to move on so quickly. Two months after your ex and you’re already sticking your tongue down another mans throat. At least you haven’t fucked him yet. The thought makes you shiver. Not because you don’t want to, you do. You just can’t.

When he’s around though you can’t help it, your eyes soaking up every part of him. Sometimes he sleep’s topless, you just lay there watching his chest rise and fall. You’ve made a mental note of each scar he has making up stories in your head about how he got them.

You move from the bedroom to thumb through the stack of mail that has been gathering dust over the past few days. Water bill, spam mail mostly trash. Then you see a hand written letter, the address is handwritten in beautiful calligraphy and the paper is almost shiny. You open it it’s an invitation, to Joe’s funeral. You feel sick reading over the contents of the letter.

You remember the officers coming the day you found out about his suicide. You grilled Simon about it but he wouldn’t go into details, kept telling you they just ‘ruffed him up a bit’ whatever that meant. You slide the invite back in the envelope almost wanting to will it to go away. You want to hide it, you’re not sure why, you pick your sock drawer shoving it down and to the back between your fluffy winter socks. You feel sick, now you want to get out the flat you look at the clock it’s only 6. You pull out your phone and text Johnny.

Wanna meet for that celebration drink before 7?

You don’t have to wait long.

Sure thing usual place? I’ll be there in 15.

You smile, you really need to get out of this flat.

 —————————— 

“So Simon talked to you yet?” Johnny asks winking. You and Simon haven’t really spoken about what this means, you and him, where you stand. You definitely haven’t been telling anyone.

Johnny acts like he knows, maybe he does or maybe he thinks he knows. Whatever the case whenever you two are alone he always asks about Simon and winks like you’re about to spill the dirtiest secret. 

“Why? I talk to him at work.” You say taking a big gulp of your second cider, you were drinking it like water. Anything to quell the nerves, stop your mind from racing and your hands shaking. The cigarettes you’d smoked on the walk here weren't cutting it. 

“Don’t worry ‘bout his reaction lass. He’s a grumpy sod when he want’s to be.” Johnny says sipping his beer. 

“It’s alright.” You say sighing. It’s not you miss him. 

“He’ll be over it in a week just you watch.” Johnny says. You want to believe him you want to think it’s all going to be okay. Simon does this, when he’s mad or upset about something, it’s like he reverts inwards. Doesn’t want to talk or even look at you.

There had been a few days like that over the past month. He usually just mopes around the flat limiting contact until he feels better. Or worst case he messages you to say he’s staying home. You had never been to his place you didn’t even know where he lived.

You don’t know how you would feel being in another mans flat. Maybe it was better you were always at your place. You let Johnny talk only half paying attention to what he was saying while you finished your drink. You offer to get the next round taking the empty glasses to the bar. You’re waiting for the order when you feel someone place a hand on your back. You freeze.

“Hey,” It’s Simon you relax, letting your shoulders drop. 

“Where have you been?” You ask trying not to sound mad at him. It’s nice to feel him near you again. 

“Had some thinking to do.” He says, you scoff. 

“You mad at me?” You ask as the drinks are put in front of you, you smile at the bartender paying. 

“No ‘course not.” He says. You pick the drinks up. You turn to look at him. He seems distracted about something, his eyes are soft, his expression warm in the pubs glow. It’s almost like he think’s nothing has changed over the last 48 hours and he hasn’t just been ignoring you.

You walk past him going to the table sitting down. John and Kyle are here now too taking their coats off and scooting into the booth next to Johnny. You put the drink down in front of Johnny taking a big gulp of yours. You listen to John talk as he explains something about an old General getting in contact with him about something. Simon comes back with the drinks and sits next to you.

You try to relax, you want to talk to Simon. Not here though, maybe if he could come back to yours tonight. You should have asked him at the bar. When you’re halfway finished with your cider you take your coat going out for a smoke.

You don’t know if Simon will join you but you hope he could take the hint. You’re stood off the path inhaling the smoke letting it warm your lungs. The nights are getting colder, summers coming to an end. 

“Johnny said I’ve pissed you off.” Simon says, you look over to see him lighting his cigarette. You chuckle shaking your head. 

“You haven’t pissed me off.” You say even though it comes across a little more hostile then you expected. Simon takes another step to be beside you.

“Sorry I haven’t been round.” He says. You shake your head. 

“It’s okay, I missed you.” You say nudging him. His hand wraps his hand round your waist. 

“You seemed mad about me wanting to help out with the special jobs.” You say looking up at him, he blows out a mouthful of smoke looking down at you. 

“Not mad just worried.” He says looking away. 

“I’ll be fine.” You say not really knowing what to say. You’d had a month to think about this. You’d spent all that time trying to get as much information from Simon, Johnny and Kyle. They hadn’t given you much, talking around the jobs like it’s no big deal. John said you could get hurt, but so could Johnny, or Kyle, or Simon. The thought of Simon getting hurt made your stomach knot, you didn’t want to imagine him being hurt. 

“Besides, you could get hurt as much as I could.” You say. It’s mostly a mumble, your head spinning with the alcohol. He sighs. 

“I’m trained to deal with the worse possible things. You’re not you’re just..You’re just.” He stops he’s trying to think of the words.

“What I’m just a woman? Not a soldier? Not strong enough?” You spit out. He shakes his head dropping his hand from your waist.

“You’re safe. This isn’t your life, you don’t have to worry about the bad shit we do. It’s not always easy shit like stalkers or surveillance. Sometimes-” He stops himself. Like he doesn’t want to say whats next. He steps closer to you and you turn your body so his back is facing the street. 

“Sometimes we have to get our hands dirty.” He says quietly. 

“You said you don’t kill people anymore.” You grit through your teeth, keeping your voice down. He sighs.

“Sometimes things happen, situations can change in an instant. Look what happened to Johnny when you first started. He got shot could have died.” He says. His hand moves to grip your arm like he wants to shake you and get you to listen to him.

“What do you think happened to the people shooting at him?” He asks. You hadn’t thought about it, or maybe you just didn’t want to think about it.

“You said he was shot for being stupid.” 

“He was but he was still shot. He survived because he has years of training.” Simon says. His eyes are burning into you.

“It’s not going to change my mind I already had the speech from John.” You say. Simon sighs dropping his hand from your arm.

“What did he say. It’s dangerous? You could get hurt? Clearly he didn’t try that hard.” Simon scoffs, you don’t know why you feel insulted by that. 

“I just won’t get shot at.” You say holding your hands up, you don’t know what to say to him. You know you can do this you want to try at least. Your cigarette is almost completely gone now as you flick the ash away.

“No one goes on a job planning on being shot at.” He says. “That’s not the point I don’t want you getting hurt.” You stand there looking at him as he hangs his head letting out a big sigh. 

“I don’t want you getting hurt. I can’t see you hurt…I love you too much.” You gasp, you don’t mean to you just weren't expecting that. For a second you think you’ve misheard him you’re just stood there with your mouth hung open. You had no idea he felt that way.

“Simon.” Your voice catches in your throat. You flick the cigarette butt on the floor. He shakes his head. You reach up and squeeze his arm. You want to say it too. Tell him how you really feel. You swallow getting the lump out your throat. 

“I don’t know what love feels like it’s been…Years. Whatever this is what we have, whether it’s love, I don’t know. I just, I want you so bad.” He flicks the rest of his cigarette away putting his hands on your shoulders. You look him in the eyes, they’re wide looking into you like he’s trying so hard to tell you something he cant put into words. 

“You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in years. I need to be around you, have you in my life. If you do this, I could lose you.” He stops it almost sounds like he’s pleading. You don’t know what to say. You feel guilty, you didn’t know how he felt maybe you should have spoken to him first. You thought if you did it could start an argument, or he would try to put you off maybe even try to get you fired. Your brain is still used to your ex, not Simon.

Simon who’s spent the last month practically living at your place, who spends as much time as possible with you and still respects your boundaries. He’s never so much as raised his voice at you for any reason, he still sleeps on the sofa when you’re having bad nights. He’s patient and kind nothing like your ex. 

“I’m sorry.” You say hanging your head. You are sorry, you mean it. He pulls you into his arms. 

“It’s okay I should have been honest, told you how I feel.” He says kissing the top of your head. You can do it you can tell him. 

“Simon.” You grip your arms round him tight, bunching his shirt up in your hands. “I think I love you too.” You feel his hands loosen on you like he wants to pull away to look at you. You grip him tight not moving. 

“Just hold me for a second.” You say into his chest. 

“Okay, I got you.” He says going back to squeezing you in his arms. It’s almost like you can feel your heartbeat in your ears thumping away from the adrenaline of telling him how you feel. It shouldn’t be this hard. You think to yourself. Maybe if he knew how fucked up you really were he wouldn’t feel this way. You close your eyes for a second breathing him in. All you can smell is cigarette smoke, you don’t care though his warmth is enough. 

“Let’s go back inside.” He says after a few more seconds. You nod even though your head is still buried in his chest. Reluctantly letting him go so you can break apart. 

“Will you stay at mine tonight?” You ask before he leads you away. 

“‘Course.” He smiles. 

 ——————————

You stay out later then you expected. Feeling like a weight has been lifted off you enjoying your time with everyone. You’re quite drunk when John finally calls it quits and everyone takes that as the cue to leave. Johnny is also pretty inebriated when he goes to get up, having to lean on Kyle for support. He’s even more unsteady on his feet then usual, hobbling around winking at everyone he bumps into. It makes you laugh, not that you’re any better having to rely on Simon to hold you up as you stumble your way out the pub.  

“You get her home and I’ll make sure, these two make it back safe.” You hear Price sigh as Simon’s hand finds your waist pulling you up against him. 

“Price, Si!” You hear Johnny shout, Simon turns and you turn with him to see Kyle doubled over vomiting into a drain. 

“It’s like Spain all over again!” Johnny rubs Kyle’s back. You feel Simon chuckle, John shakes his head going over to Johnny and Kyle.

“What happened in Spain?” You ask as you watch John help Kyle stand back up straight. 

“Johnny and Gaz went out and got drunk with some marines. They came back to the base so drunk they woke up the base commander. He was so mad he had them running laps until sunrise. Kyle must have stopped every few hundred meters to chuck his guts up.” Simon says as you turn to walk away. 

“What about you?” You ask.

“I was sleeping, peacefully I may add until Price woke me up to keep an eye on them while he got his ass handed to him by the base commander.” He chuckles and you reach your arm round his back.  

“Sounds like you had a lot of fun.” You say smiling. 

“Yeah well, there were some fun moments between missions.” He says sighing. 

“Do you miss it?” You ask. 

“Sometimes, the good doesn't always out way the bad though.” You hear him sigh again. You keep a tight hold of him as you walk back to your flat. It’s cool and the breeze makes you feel light headed. You’re stumbling over your own feet as you walk up to the first floor where your flat is. You pull your key out your pocket. Simon takes it out your hands opening the door and guiding you inside. You both kick your shoes of at the door then he sets you down on the sofa, as you hear him going into the kitchen. 

“Hey Simon?” You say leaning back. 

“Yeah?” 

“Did you really mean it? When you said you loved me.” You wait for a response not hearing anything. You don’t even hear him walk beside you as he hands you a glass of water. For how big he is he really is quiet on his feet. You take the glass sipping it as he sits down next to you. 

“‘Course I meant it.” His hand rests on your thigh. It makes you pause. You don’t remember the last time you’ve been drunk, at least this drunk. Let alone around a guy. Your ex loved you being drunk, said he made things easier. It did make things easier, it was better then being sober.   

“I meant it too.” You say to him. He smiles taking the glass from your hand and placing it on the table before you spill it. 

“I know you did.” He says squeezing your thigh. It makes you swallow hard. As you do you feel bile rising in your stomach. You don’t have much time to react as your hand slaps over your mouth. You don’t want to throw up but you can’t stop yourself rushing into the bathroom and heaving into the toilet bowl. You feel Simon’s hand on your back pulling your hair out the way into his hand. You keep throwing up in the toilet until you’re dry heaving.

You reach up pulling the flush. Simon lets go of your hair bending down in front of you passing you the glass of water. You take little sips cleaning your mouth out before gulping the rest down. You look up at him through hazy eyes as you brush your hair out your face. 

“Sorry, I haven’t drank this much in a while.” You say your throat still raw. 

“It’s okay.” He says taking the glass out your hand as you reach it out for him. He helps you to your feet as you wobble in his arms.

“Lets get you to bed.” He says. You nod blindly following him across the living room, almost tripping over the carpet. 

“You’re so drunk.” He says guiding you over the bed. You flop down not quite understanding what’s going on. You remember the vomiting, that was real, you can still taste it in your mouth. 

“Simon,” you call as you feel his hands leave your body. 

“Yeah?” he calls back. 

“Don’t sleep on the sofa it’s bad for your back.” You say. You reach under your shirt pulling off your bra flinging it across the room. 

“I won’t sleep on the sofa.” He says pulling the duvet over you. 

“Good, it’s not good for your back.” You murmur. You hear him mumble something as you grip the duvet settling down into bed. You think you hear a light switch you’re not sure, you don’t even remember falling asleep.    

—————————— 

You wake the next morning with a ringing in your head. The bedroom blinds are wide open. You don’t remember making it home, you turn over in the bed it’s empty. You’re pretty sure you remember Simon walking you home. Did he not stay the night? You get out of bed pressing on the bridge of your nose trying to get the ringing to stop.

As you walk into the living room you see Simon spread out on the couch. He’s far too big for it but you can’t help but smile as the sheet he grabbed out the wardrobe barely covers him, not leaving much to the imagination. You see his jeans bunched up on the floor and you reach down picking them up and laying them over the back of your armchair. He’s snoring softly as you make it into the kitchen.

You try to be as quiet as possible pouring yourself a glass of water and gulping it down as you take some mugs out to make tea. You try to think back to last night. You remember Simon saying he thinks he loves you. That made you smile. You remember telling him you think you love him.

It feels like you’re back in primary school when you didn’t know what love was but you had a crush on some random boy. Do you even remember what love is? Your ex said he loved you and you loved him at some point, before he moved in at least. You don’t even hear Simon coming up behind you just his hands round your waist. You reach forward and click the kettle on taking a box of teabags out. 

“You shouldn’t sleep on the sofa it’s bad for your back.” You say as he nuzzles his face into your neck. 

“You got so drunk last night.” He chuckles as he watches you spoon sugar into the mugs. 

“Yeah,” you say feeling embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I guess I just. I don’t know. I should have been more careful.” He breathes into your neck grabbing your waist and pulling you round to face him. 

“You don’t have to apologise. It was nice to see you let your hair down and relax.” He says his thumb stroking your cheek. You don’t have to apologise, even after a month you’re still reverting back to old habits. You look at him until the kettle clicks, he reaches down kissing you on the forehead. 

“You’re not still mad at me for asking to join you guys on the special jobs.” He sighs letting go of your waist siting down at the kitchen table. 

“I was never mad. Just worried.” He says. You pour the water then bring the mugs over. 

“Yeah, I know. I want to help people though, the way you guys helped me.” You say taking the milk out the fridge then going to sit opposite him. 

“I know you do. I just wish there was a safer way for you to do it then getting involved with this stuff.” He takes the milk pouring it in his cup. You sigh waiting for him to finish. You remember the conversation yesterday, with Simon and the one with John. You still wanted to do this nothing has changed.

“We get to work together, at least we’ll always be close.” You say smiling at him. He hums blowing on his tea. 

“Let’s not think about work at least not today. Let’s spend the day together we’ll do what ever you want.” You say as you watch his hand reach across the table for yours. You slip your fingers between his. 

“I love you.” He says squeezing your hand. Hearing him say it makes you smile before you even realise it. You squeeze his hand back looking into his chocolate eyes, being lit up by the morning sun. 

“I love you too.” You reply. It felt real.    

Next

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[jackles010378]

Instant Relief......

When a migraine hits you and you've ran out of your medication, Jensen knows exactly how to help relieve the pain 😏

(Jensen Ackles x you)

(Small amount of Smut so over 18s only please 🔞‼️)

You felt it coming on all day. You're lucky enough to be able to work from home as you're a freelance photographer.

Raiding the bathroom for your medication you let out a sigh of frustration. You had run out. It was late at night so nowhere would be open now. Shooting your boyfriend a quick text you turned your phone off, got changed into your pjs and crawled into bed. Turning off every light and putting your eye mask on you tried desperately to try and get to sleep.

Jensen arrived home and threw his bags on the floor by the door after returning from the convention he had just attended. You had been invited to go along with him but couldn't because you were commissioned to take pictures at a wedding all weekend.

It was late and all Jensen wanted to do was find you and wrap you up in his arms. He expected to find you working in your light room. He loved how passionate you were about photography. But when he didn't find you there, he went in search of you.

Walking down the hall towards your shared bedroom he heard a light moan. He opened the door to see you lying on the bed in the pitch black with your eye mask on. You had heard the door open and let out a sigh " I swear to god if you're a burglar I'm so not in the mood for this shit right now" Jensen let out a small chuckle at your response, which made you sit up slowly and remove the mask partially from your eyes.

"hey sweetheart you okay?" Jensen asked walking towards you. You didn't expect him home till the following morning, so you were pleasantly surprised when you heard his voice and let out a sigh of relief. Pulling up the eye mask you squinted at Jensen. He could see you were hurting. "hey baby, you got one of your headaches again, you want me to get your meds for you?" Jensen asked as he went to stand to go to the bathroom. You pulled on his arm and told him you had run out so you were trying to sleep it off, but you were having a hard time getting to sleep.

Jensen pulled you into a side hug and a thought came to him. You felt and heard him chuckle slightly "you know y/n, I have read something somewhere about different ways of getting rid of migraines that don't involve taking tablets, and it could be fun for us both", you looked up into his emerald eyes and noticed the playful smirk on his face. "Oh yeah, what would that be Mr. Ackles" you replied to him biting your lip. That always did things to him, you biting your lip. "Ok, so hear me out before you say no" you placed a finger on his luscious lips to silence him "when do I ever say no to you" you asked as you kissed his cheek.

You still had the eye mask resting on your forehead, Jensen reached up and pulled it back over your eyes.

For a moment you thought he was going to leave you alone when you felt him guide you to lie back down and he walked away from the bed. All he did was shut the door.

You were both in complete darkness now. With all your other senses heightened you felt a rush move through your body as you heard Jensen walking back over to you.

The bed dipped besides you indicating he was now sitting right by you. Jensen gently kissed you. You hummed into the kiss, sliding your hands around his neck as your tongues fought against each other. Jensen was always gentle with you, and you loved him for it.

His hand slowly made its way down your body until it reached your pajama bottoms. Your breathing increased with the anticipation of what you knew was about to happen. Finding his way to your sweet spot you gasped as his finger started to massage your clit slowly.

"They say an orgasm is a natural remedy for pain relief, shall we see if it works darlin" he whispered to you, a small smirk playing on his face. You could feel the small knot starting to burn in the pit of your stomach. You nodded in return, to which Jensen responded by inserting a finger inside of you.

Your back arched as his finger pumped in and out of you his thumb now circling your sensitive bud. He inserted a second finger to your surprise. You could feel your release sneaking up on you, and Jensen could feel it as your walls were pulsating around his fingers.

Jensen was now lying close by your side, pumping his fingers into you as his thumb picked up its pace circling faster trying to get you the release you needed. His other hand finds its way under your pajama top to find your breasts, massaging them both. He lent over you and kissed your cheek, then your nose, then your lips. He made his way down to your neck and sucked the sensitive part behind your ear that one spot that drove you wild and he knew it. That's all it took for you to be pushed over the edge. Jensen didn't stop pumping his fingers until you rode your orgasm out.

As your breathing returned to normal Jensen pulled your eye mask off carefully and kissed both of your eyes. He turned the bedside lamp on and turned back to you.

You opened your eyes slowly meeting his gorgeous green orbs, oh how you could stare at those eyes for the rest of your life. "Hey beautiful" he said to you pecking your lips, "hey yourself handsome" you said back pulling him back in for another kiss. "So, how did we do. Has the migraine gone or do you still have some pain" Jensen asked with a playful look on his face.

You leant up on your arm squinting at him "well, as much as that has relieved some of the pain, there is still a dull ache just behind my eyes, do you think we could er, you know do anything to get rid of it permanently?" Biting your lip again, that's all it took for Jensen to hover above you kissing you deeply and hungrily "oh sweetheart I could think of quite a few things we can do" you laughed as Jensen ravaged your neck and then your collarbone "am I glad you came home early" you told him "oh me too gorgeous, I missed you so much" "I missed you too Jensen, I love you baby" "love you too sweetheart". You reached over to turn the light off again but Jensen stopped you "leave it on, I wanna see that beautiful face of yours when I make you come again and again and again" he said to you between kisses.

That night Jensen managed to get rid of the migraine many times, and you were very grateful for him. You even considered ditching the medication now you found a new and much more fun way to relieve the pain!

TAGLIST: @k-slla @cevansbaby-dove @kaleldobrev @janineb86 @deans-daydream @alternativeprincess94 @nescavaneck

[firegirl888101]

Insatiable Madness (4)

|Sagau Yandere Fatui Harbingers x Reader|

Thank you all for the continuous support!

I'm finding it so hard to keep the characters acting how they would in the game...

Also I'm a bit nervous to post this since I'm not feeling confident.

Reader is Gender Neutral!

"Pierro, I think we're attracting unwanted attention." Columbina whispered to the older male, her face unchanging.

He didn't reply, he continued to watch the doctor walk around and look for the Decider.

"Dottore, do you even know what they look like?" Scaramouche asked the man.

"I may or may not have discovered this problematic issue."

Meanwhile, you were in line with your family waiting for your turn to order at the desk.

Your aunt didn't bring her card, so now you all had to physically go to the desk instead of order at one of the tablets.

While your aunt was fiddling with her purse, you were eyeing the Dottore cosplayer walking around the room.

He seemed to be looking for something... or someone...

You wanted to walk up to him, you really did. However, you were with your family right now.

You couldn't just leave them and help someone you wanted to be friends with.

"Y/N! I've been calling your name for the past 5 minutes." Your aunt snapped her fingers in front of your eyes.

"Sorry, sorry, what did you want?" You blinked, focusing your eyes on her.

"I was asking what you wanted, we're next in line." She pointed, the teenagers in front of you grabbing their ticket from the cashier.

"Speaking of which, we're now being served."

Damn it, you were so focused on the cosplayer you didn't decide on what to order!

Hmm, a cheeseburger does sound good... and certainly smells good too.

"Just decide for me." You sighed to yourself, fumbling with your fingers.

"WHAT!? This is so unlike you! ...For your courtesy to my wallet, I'll buy you an extra milkshake."

"Yay."

The Harbingers regrouped at the entrance of the building.

"Dottore, what's our next plan?" Capitano questioned, moving further away from gazes passed at him.

"I'd personally like to leave public view as soon as possible, I think I'm the main problem."

"You could never be the problem, Captain!" Childe smiled.

"Fucking brown noser." Scaramouche scoffed.

"Shut up, balladeer! We all know it's your hat that's attracting attention!"

"Would you two stop arguing like children!" Pulcinella raised his voice, Childe backing away.

"Right, so I'm the child." The Balladeer scoffed, his arms folded as he looks away.

"Do you want extra time in the abyss once we return to Teyvat?" Pierro threatened.

"I'd love that extra time, anywhere away from the fucking man that brought us here is pleasant enough."

"Of course you'd say that." He shook his head in annoyance.

"Dottore, what's our next plan?" Pantalone asked him.

"I have an idea! Let's just kill everyone to attract their attention." Childe suggested.

"Absolutely not, I'm not looking to dirty my hands here." Signora shut him down.

"Tartaglia's idea isn't a bad one." Dottore thought out loud.

"Excuse me?" Sandrone gaped. "How is causing mass-murder an acceptable idea?"

Dottore paused, looked around him, then continued.

"It hurts my intellect to admit this, but we don't have any other options."

"Dottore is right, we can't miss this chance. Who knows when they'll leave the building." Pantalone nodded.

"Additionally, I don't feel like walking much further."

It was decided.

"Well then, comrades, let's dance. I'm glad you all see my way for once."

You were sitting in a dirty ass toilet stall which probably hasn't been cleaned in weeks.

Fiddling with the phone in your hand, you curse to yourself quietly when your Childe still wasn't working.

Okay, it's clearly not your computer that's the issue.

You were about to leave the stall, when all of a sudden you heard screams outside.

Did... Did a celebrity walk through the door or something?

You walked out of the stall, washed your hands and peaked through the main door.

...

Blood. Blood was everywhere. It was splattered across the windows, the stools, the food, the corpses.

The smell was awful. Iron filled your nostrils, making you gag.

You shook with fear, stepping back slightly.

What happened while you were gone!? More importantly, where was your family!?

You wanted to check, but you didn't know if it was safe.

Oh, of course! 999 is usually the number you call in these situations... right? They'll be able to help!

You shut the main door slowly, and ran back to the bathroom stalls.

You quickly dialed the number, and put your phone up to your ear.

"999, what's your--"

"Please, help me, help the people! I don't know what happened." You whispered harshly, hearing footsteps behind the bathroom door.

"Calm down, love... Take deep breaths and explain what's going on." The elderly voice behind the phone calmly warned.

"My... My family. We went to a fast food place for lunch, I went to the toilet. I come back, and... everyone in the entire facility is laid on the floor with blood surrounding them!"

"Did you see anyone out there alive? Perhaps the murderer?"

"No! I ran back inside the toilet in fear! Ohh, I hope my family are safe..."

"Alright, sweetie. Here's what we're going to do. I need you to tell me where you are, and to follow my instructions. From the sound of your situation, you'll need paramedics and police?"

"Yes, yes! Anything that can help! I--"

You heard the bathroom door open.

"I'm fucking checking the room now!" You heard a voice yell. "That damned doctor..."

You felt yourself slowly climb on top of the toilet, hiding your feet from view.

"Hello...? Is everything alright?" You heard the woman on the phone.

When the woman spoke, the footsteps paused.

You couldn't breathe, you were terrified. You could feel your hands shaking, the phone in your grip becoming increasingly heavy.

"There's someone in here!" You heard the male voice shout.

So, there's more than one murderer... who would do this? Who would have the conscience to murder these people in cold-blood?

That's not important. Right now, you had to find an escape.

"_____ ___ _______," You whispered your location. "send help..."

You hung up the phone and frantically looked around the stall for something to defend yourself with.

It's clear to you that you're dead meat. One wrong decision and you're dead. You had to survive until the police arrived.

The footsteps began to move again, you could see sandals when you peaked under the door.

You heard a knock from the other side.

"Listen here, and listen here closely. We've got you surrounded, you can't escape." The voice started.

"If you don't show yourself in 5 seconds, I'm ripping this weak door and showing you to The Doctor." He threatened.

"5..."

What do you do!?

"4..."

They'll kill you!

"3..."

Dottore? Are the cosplayers behind this?

"2..."

This is sick, everything about this is making you sick. Move legs, MOVE!

"1."

BANG!

I want to bring the series into an entirely different direction. I'm going to try and make things quite dark, if possible.

Like I said earlier, I am a very bad writer. The aim of writing these situations is for practice and to see what I'm good at and what I'm bad at.

If anyone has any critiques for me, please tell me if you're comfortable with sharing!

Despite my plans being fucked up, I want to have fun with it!

Please don't expect too many happy, nice and generally fluffy scenes.

This is Yandere, a genre which should never, under any circumstance be considered normal. It's abusive, unhealthy and leads to a lot of victims facing awful conditions which they never should or ever have to endure no matter who they are.

This is fiction that I'm writing, meaning it's all taken light-heartedly IN A FICTIONAL SENSE.

If anyone, by chance, is currently in conditions where a loved-one or yourself has suddenly become distant and/or being hurt when away from eyes please get help. Talk to them, or if it's you, talk to someone you know you can trust.

If you can't talk to anyone, find authorities who can help you. Call 999, as it is in the U.K, or your local emergency service. They will always help you, and will never deny your rights or freedom.

Thanks for reading this, I hope all who's reading knows this information already, but I thought I'd include it since who knows when it comes to where you are in the world and whether your education programs taught critical information like this.

✨Elusive✨ Taglist!:

@valeriele3 @pale-value @pix-stuff @yumi-genshin-writer @yuii-v @itz-luna @annoying-mary @etherisy @khalhaimdad @haikyuusboringassmanager @magica-ren @sweatyexpertdeputyduck @booksandteaplusart @9140

Quick Reminder Here! If you no longer want to be on the taglist that's completely fine! I take no offence whatsoever so please don't hesitate to tell me. ^^

[steddieas-shegoes]

Drabble idea for the ask thing: Steve works at a tattoo shop and Eddie works at a flower shop, they both get odd looks when they tell people about their job. Bonus: Eddie gets a tattoo of a flower from Steve and that's how they meet.

This is like if you took call me sunshine, send me to space and made it cuter with a flower shop and made Steve the tattoo artist instead. I'm just gonna write the bonus scene because that's a lot to keep 500 words or less and we all know how I go on 😂 Don't @ me over the super sappy ending, someone with spoons please write another 50k of this.

🌷🌼🌻🌷🌼🌻🌷🌼🌻

"You want a wildflower bouquet in the space of your full sleeve?" Steve stared at the fully tattooed man over his glasses, brows raised in disbelief. "I'm not one to judge tattoo choices but you seem to know what you're doing and I'm a bit confused as to how that fits with...anything else on your arm."

Steve had definitely done some wild tattoos. He was actively part of so many bad decisions made by people who would live to regret getting their girlfriend's name on their neck or the face of their best friend on their thigh.

But this one was different in that this guy had clearly meticulously planned out every tattoo on his body, and that was a lot of tattoos, and now he wanted to add...wildflowers. In between skulls and guitars and some metal band logo. Right.

"Yeah and if it's a problem, I can go somewhere else, man. I just heard a lot of good things about you and my flower shop is two doors down, so-"

"Wait. You're Eddie? You're the guy who owns the flower shop." Steve perked up, face relaxing more into a smile.

"The one and only. You been by?" Eddie didn't remember actually seeing Steve before.

He'd been shocked to walk in and see a barely tattooed Steve sitting behind the counter. Assuming he was the secretary, he'd said he was here for an appointment with the guy in charge, and Steve smiled and explained who he was.

"I haven't. But someone brought me a bouquet you made when I first opened and it was beautiful. Managed to keep it alive and thriving for almost two weeks, which is a record for me, and then someone said it was because of the way you take care of them before they're sold and the minerals you use in the water and I'm turning into Robin. Jesus."

Eddie was endeared.

Steve was looking down at his tablet in front of him, a barely visible sketch on it.

"Is that what you've come up with?" Eddie asked as he leaned over the counter to get a closer look.

They could talk about his love of the bouquet Eddie made later.

"Yeah, but. Now that I'm looking at you...I'm not sure it's right," Steve sighed, closing the app and looking back up at Eddie. "I can redesign at no charge and set up another consultation."

"Can I see?"

"Sure."

Steve pulled his tablet out and opened the picture back up.

It was beautiful, actually resembled a bouquet Eddie had done not long ago for his friend Jonathan.

"It's perfect. Can it be done in one long sitting or do we need to break it up?" Eddie smiled at Steve, pulling up the calendar on his phone to make an appointment.

"Uh. Well." Steve cleared his throat. "I guess you could probably handle the pain so all in one is fine with me? It's probably gonna be six hours with breaks every hour. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Eddie looked at the tablet again, tilting his head as he thought back to when he'd made this bouquet.

"Do you know Jonathan Byers?" Eddie asked, not looking away from the picture.

His eyes focused on the coneflower that he'd only been able to use in one bouquet before his part time employee found out they were allergic.

"Yeah...why?"

"He got you that bouquet, right?"

Steve nodded.

Eddie didn't really believe in fate or destiny or whatever type of miracle people tended to wish for. He also didn't believe in soulmates or the perfect partner.

But wildflowers grow anywhere, and sometimes love can too.

[bullet-prooflove]

4000 Follower Celebration: Cufflinks -Mitch Ripley x Reader

Tagging: @kmc1989 @spaghettificationandpretzels @mini-bee-bee

Trigger Warnings

Hitting the 'And what if I don't accept it? Will you scream at me? Hit me? Again?' Square on the bingo card.

It’s the wedding that prompts Mitch’s mother to try to insert herself into his life again. He doesn’t know how she hears about it, only that she spends the next couple of days blowing up his phone. He ignores it the same way he has every other time because he doesn’t want his mother to ruin all the good things he has in his life.

It’s a couple of days before the event that she manages to track him down. He’s sitting in the café at the hospital going over the final revision of his speech when she drops down into the seat across from him. His breath catches in his throat, his heart pounding a little harder in his chest. Just being in her presence drags up all of those memories, the ones he’s spent years trying to forget.

“I wanted to give you this, it’s a wedding gift.” She tells, setting down a small box in front of him. He stares down at it frozen, unable to move a single muscle. She scowls then, opening it herself. It’s a pair of cufflinks, the tag from the pawnshop still attached.

It takes him back a couple of decades, to the last time he was in his mother’s custody. He’d been eleven years old when she’d forced him to break into a house in Forest Glen with her, he’d pawned a set of gold cufflinks the next day to pay for food. Only his mom had come back from the store with a couple of bags of meth and box of booze. She’d had a party later that night, got Mitch a little drunk.

“Don’t worry baby.” She had told him as she poured vodka down his throat. “It’ll make it easier.”

It was the first time she sold him to her dealer. He still can’t look at a bottle of vodka without his skin feeling like it wants to crawl right off his bones.

“I don’t want it.” Mitch rasps back in the present, shoving the cufflinks away from him. “I don’t want anything from you.”

“Mitchell.” She chides, pushing them back in his direction. “Take them.”

It’s another echo, a man’s heavy breath in his ear as he’s held down, face pressed so hard into his pillow that he almost suffocates.

Take it like a man.

“What if I don't accept it?” He asks her, his voice a hoarse whisper. “You’ll scream at me? Hit me? Sell me?”

“Why can’t you ever just be grateful?” She snaps at him, gesturing at the cufflinks. “I came here with a gift…”

“Grateful.” He repeats, the word tastes acidic on his tongue. “I’m supposed to be grateful that you sold my virginity to your dealer and his buddies? That it’s taken until my late thirties to actually form a healthy relationship because before that I was incapable. I’m supposed to be grateful for that? I’m supposed to thank you for it?”

His eyes are fucking stinging as he raises to his feet, clasping his tablet to his chest. He knows he’s on the fringes of a panic attack, his chest heaves, his throat constricts. His head  starts spinning as the edges of his vision turn black.

It’s Sean Archer that intervenes, that grasps his arm and guides him towards the sensory room they use for kids who are neurodivergent.  He closes the door, shutting out Mitch’s mom as Mitch drops into a chair, his trembling hands covering his face. He’s so bitterly ashamed right now, it leaves him feeling hollow and vacant as Sean kneels in front of him. There’s a calmness in the other man that he finds grounding, it anchors him in the moment, bringing him back to himself as they work through the breathing exercises together.

In for five, hold for five, out for five.

His hands stop shaking, his nerves began to settle.

“It happened to me too, at Sea Cadets.” Sean says quietly into the space in between them. “It’s why I went off the rails, became an addict. My dad doesn’t know. It was his idea for me to go, a way of following in his footsteps. He didn’t understand when I wanted to quit…”

Mitch understands what he’s not saying. Sean can never tell Dean about what happened to him. It’s always been the crux between the two of them because on some level Sean blamed his father for making him go back to that place week after week. It’s only through therapy that Sean’s learned to let go of all of that, that he’s managed to regain a relationship with his father again.

“I can’t forgive her.” Mitch tells Sean as he looks away. “I can’t have her at the wedding, my past and present colliding like that, I just can’t.”

“You don’t have to.” Sean reassures him, his palm coming to rest on his friend’s shoulder. “Do you want me to call Marley?”

“No.” Mitch says quietly, running his hands through his hair. “She’s on shift and I’m not…”

He trails off and Sean gets it. He’s not ready to talk about what happened to him back then. It had taken Sean a long  time to trust someone else with that information, there had been some triggers when it came to sex, things he’d had to explain to his partner.

“Alright.” Sean says softly before he pulls out his phone and holds it out to Mitch. “Wanna read through my best man speech? Tell me which embarrassing stories I can’t tell.”

“Yea.” Mitch says, the edges of his mouth tipping up into a smile for the first time since this whole ordeal started. “Yea Sean, I do.”

Love Mitch? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Interested in supporting me? Join my Patreon for Bonus Content!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[hoenoredone]

IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH – nanami kento

a/n: sorry for the inactivity, exams have been kicking my ass

contents: nanami is starting to get old. he used to be able to withstand nights of drinking until he passed out and the subsequent work day, but now the a/c gives him a cold. tags: sfw, enstablished relationship, married au, non sorcerer au, fem!reader, talks of snot and fever, unbelievably self indulgent.

unbelievable. un-believable. you knew something was wrong when nanami had made himself a cup of chamomile tea with a spoonful of honey the night before. he had told you he was just tired from work, but – realistically – who wants to have hot tea in the middle of july? he had been clearig his throat way too often before going to bed, and he looked like he was struggling to swallow whatever food you offered.

after years of marriage you knew better than to ask him about it, he'd only deny feeling unwell. so you do the next best thing: slip him a tablet for his sore throat with the usual vitamins he takes every night. he fell asleep almost instantly, his body already tired from fighting off the illness. he unintentionally woke you up at around 4am from blowing his nose a little too hard, causing him to cough into the tissue.

he struggled to fall asleep again after that, tossing and turning every couple of minutes, no doubt from not being able to breathe properly. it's in that precise moment (5:33am) when you decide that he's taking the day off tomorrow. he's an icredibly responsible worker, he has more than enough sick days accumulated to be able to use at least one.

you wake up before him – miraculously, considering how little sleep you got – and make him some breakfast as quietly as possible. you decided not to turn off his alarm clock because you knew he would not listen to you and simply rush straight to work if you had done that. so you opt to set the table and place the freshly squeezed orange and ginger juice next to his green tea and a bowl of honey-banana oatmeal.

you hear the familiar beeping of the alarm clock as you're pouring yourself a cup of coffee, and patiently wait for your husband to come into the kitchen. you must be lost in thought because you almost don't notie him until he rests his head on your shoulder and tries to stifle a cough.

"morning," he groggily says.

"sweetheart," you coo while turning to face him, "did you have trouble sleeping? i heard you coughing at some point. here," you place your coffee down on the counter and raise your hand to his forehead, "let me see."

you almost gasp at the heaviness of his eyelids and the unusual warmth of his forehead.

"kento, you look ill," and he knows you're serious, you never call him by his name.

"i feel fine," he tries, but he knows that it's useless. he doesn't feel too bad, just congested. and he has a headache. and his throat is killing him. he can power through.

"have some breakfast and go back to bed, i'll text your boss and bring you some medicine after," he can't even protest, the thought of having to get ready and go into that cold, cold office where his cubicle is inches away from the a/c sending chills down his spine. not like his protests would matter much, regardless, as you're already sprinting to his phone. so he sits down, alternates between sipping his tea and the juice you had made him (the ginger burns his throat but he forces himself to swallow). he tries to eat most of the oatmeal but his stomach just doesn't agree with him, so he leaves a little less than half of it in the bowl.

he's a good man, tidies up after himself even when oh so horribly sick, and goes back to bed. once you hear the rustling of the covers you know you've succeded. you exit the bathroom, a smidge of eye cream unblended on your cheek, and hand him a glass of water and some ibuprofen. you make sure he has enough tissues by the bed and leave him a bottle of cough syrup and a spoon on his nightstand. you tuck the comforter all the way up his chin and grab some clothes to get ready for work.

once you're ready you come back into the bedroom and almost decide to leave without giving him a kiss in fear of disturbing his rest. you opt against that, knowing how unusually whiny your husband gets when he's sick. so you place a gentle hand on his arm and leave a peck on his forehead.

"i'll try to be back for lunch," you whisper, "but if i don't make it there should be some leftovers in the fridge if you feel up to it."

he groans in response as you make your way to your shoe rack, a barely audible "love you" from him painting a smile on your lips as you quietly close the door.

[themultifandomgal]

Ethan Choi- Bed Day

I'm lying in my bed in pain because of that time of the month. My phone rings, I groan rolling over to answer it, however once I see the same across the screen I feel slightly better

"Hiya babe" I say through the phone

"Hey angel I was wondering if you wanted to come over?" Ethan's voice comes through

"Ughh I would but I've just started my period and nothings helping the pain"

"Your in pain?" He asks with concern

"Yeah. Normally the tablets I take help but this time they haven't. I just don't think I'd be very fun to be with at the moment" I chuckle a little

"Ok no worries angel. Get some sleep and I'll speak to you in a bit"

"Ok speak to you later" I put the phone down and close my eyes trying to think of anything but the pain I am currently experiencing.

I must have dozed off because I'm woken up by my front door opening then shutting. I sit up in bed just about to get out when the bedroom door opens revealing Ethan holding a bag

"What are you doing here?"

"Well you said your period started and your in pain so I've come to look after you" he plonks himself down on my bed " I've got you some chips, chocolate, some pads and candy"

"Babe you didn't have to do this"

"Yes I did because I love you" he kisses my forehead as I smile "now let me get you a hot water bottle while you pick out something to watch on Netflix" Ethan walks out holding my Minnie Mouse hot water bottle. I put on my favourite comfort show.

Ethan walks back into the bedroom with the hot water bottle and I put it around my stomach. He climbs in bed with me and pulls me to him so his one arm is around my shoulders and the other is holding the water bottle on my stomach. I open up the bar of chocolate, plopping a square in my mouth then feeding a square to Ethan's. This goes on for a few hours, after eating the chocolate we ate the chip then after that we ate the candy. Before long it's evening time

"How's your tummy?"

"Better than it was but still hurts"

"I'll run you a bath" Ethan kisses my lips as he gets out of bed and makes his way to the bathroom. I hear him turn on the taps, I get out of bed and walk over to my closet pulling out some night clothes. I walk in to the bathroom and the bubbles are flowing, Ethan puts on some calming music

"Let me pamper you. I've got your face wash and face masks here so just relax and think of being at a spar" I giggle a little before getting into the bath. Ethan washes my face then puts on a face mask

"Thank you for this"

"Anything for you my angel"

"You truly are the best boyfriend in the world"

"And your the best girlfriend in the galaxy"

"Ok now your just being cheesy"

"But you love it"

"Hmmm maybe I do. Can you stay the night?" I ask with my eyes closed

"Of course I will"

After the bath I get changed and both Ethan and I climb into bed, our legs tangle with each other's and I lay my head on his chest

"I don't think I say this enough but I love you"

"I'm glad you don't say it all the time because then when you do say it it hasn't lost it's meaning. I love you too angel now let's put on a film, anything in particular?"

"Just an easy watch because I'm probably gonna end up falling asleep" I giggle

"Ok how about Matilda. We haven't watched that in a while?"

"Ooo yes Matilda" Ethan presses play "thank you to today" I snuggle into Ethan and soon fall asleep as the pains start to ease.

[resi4skz]

Title: Lights, Camera, Action!

Pairings: Chris/actor x Reader/actress

Words: ~9.5k

Synopsis: two actors do a kiss scene. [Which later turns into something ;) ]

Enjoy!

"What?"

"What do you mean what? You have to do it in order to progress further," my agent, Luna said as she scrolls through her phone and tablet.

"You expect me to do the kiss scene with him?" I ask. "You must be joking."

"But I'm not. If you want to get more roles, this is it, Y/N."

The fuck? "That guy thinks he's all that-"

"Oh, but he is all that. And much more," Luna interjected.

"Oh, please. You just wanna shag his agent," I roll my eyes and bite into the pepperoni pizza.

"Well," she replies, a hint of pink on her cheeks. "Han is rather cute."

I make a gagging sound. "You need better taste in men."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I can't hear you over your thoughts of Chris being shirtless," she states, rolling her eyes.

I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I knew I shouldn't have told you that."

Luna checks her wristwatch before looking at me. "Okay. We have to be on the set in 5. Ready?"

No. I don't want to do any of this. But my career was on the line. "Yeah."

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

Two makeup artists touch up my makeup and hair before I take my place on the sofa. You can do this, Y/N. It's just a kiss. I watch the staff finish setting the place as I wait for the other actor to arrive. Let me tell you something about him. Chris may look like a god with his sharp jaw, the boba eyes and the dimples. Fucking hell, the dimples. My cheeks warm as I watch him walk towards me with a smirk on his face and takes a seat beside me.

"Alright! Let's try to do this in one take if we can!" The director, Stanley, stated.

I let out a sigh. And Chris seemed to take notice. "Nervous?"

"No." Oh, but I was almost shitting bricks.

"Relax, would you?" He says. "If you're going to be nervous, then I'm going to be nervous."

"Why the hell would you be nervous?"

"I've never kissed on camera before."

"Wait," I say turning fully towards him in my seat. "Never? How about off camera?"

"A few times," he nods admitting.

"Wow. Okay." Now I was nervous. More than before.

The director tells us to get in position as he sets the camera shot. "Andddddd action!"

Everyone goes quiet. I do a quick mental prayer before I turn in my seat. "I saw you with her," I say my line. "I saw you with her laughing."

"Babe." The word alone does things to me. "I was with her because she asked me for advice."

I scoff. "Advice, my ass!"

He rolls his eyes and grabs my arm, yanking me towards him. "Will you stop fretting over every female I talk to?"

"Why?"

"Because I only think about you."

Fuck me, this guy needs to be put in jail for these lines and for the way he's looking at me. "And I especially love," he traces his finger down my jawline and lifts my chin up. "These." His eyes drop down to my lips as I part them.

Holy macaroni. I had to squeeze my thighs because there is no way in hell I'm getting turned on by this?

"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

His eyes snap up, his gaze hardening. "I've never known a woman like you, who can make a guy like me weak in the knees. I wanna kiss these lips."

"You're all talk, Mr. Lee."

He growls before crashing his lips on me. And....Oh. My. God. The way his hand is splayed around my neck and his lips. His lips move against mine like a symphony. He lets go too soon.

"Now who's all shy?" He grins when I don't say anything.

It wasn't in the script. This was the end of the scene. But I wanted more. So I fisted his shirt, his expression turning into pure shock and I yanked him closer. "Shut up and kiss me," I whisper and crash my lips to his. He lets out a surprised moan but melts into the kiss as he snakes his arms aound me, holding me close.

The kiss goes on for what seems like forever but only when the director says 'CUT!' is when we pull away from each other. My body is tingling everywhere. "Good work," he says.

"Yeah, you too." Avoiding any further communication, I get up and walk over to my agent, who's got a smirk on her face. I immediately head to my designated room, I melt into the couch.

"Nice touch on the kiss back there," Luna states as she closes the door behind her.

"What the fuck? What the fuck? Why did I kiss him like that? I'm going insane," I rest my arms on my legs, fisting my hair.

"Say," she says as she sits next to me. "Tell me why I saw him walking after us?"

"What?"

She smirks and motion at the door with her head. My eyes widen when a knock comes from it. "Well! That's my cue to leave." She stands up and opens the door. "Ah, Mr. Bahng. What a pleasant surprise."

"Is Y/N here?"

I want to strangle her right now but I'm frozen on the couch. Why did she have to be my best friend AND my agent?

"Yeah, she is. I was just gonna head out to grab food for us two. Would you care for some?"

"Uh, sure," he replied as he walked inside when she stood aside to let him.

"Alrighty. Y/N don't cause any trouble. Be nice to him."

Once she leaves, the air thickens and it's suffocating. "She's something."

"Yeah but she's perfect at what she does," I replied smiling. "Ah, where are my manners? Please, take a seat.

With a little nod, he walks to the couch. The one I'm sitting on and proceeds to sit. My heart picks up speed and I visibly swallow as I turn to face him. "Listen, about what I did bac-" My words die mid sentence when he moves first, placing his lips on mine before he pulls away.

"Fuck," he hangs his head low. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

Did he just kiss me?

"Chris, what...."

"Yeah. I know. I apologize. I got ahead of myself. It's just when you kissed me, I didn't want it to stop."

Are my ears deceiving me? "You....you didn't?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I like you."

Hold the phone. "You what?"

He smiles. Holy dimples. "I like you."

I could only stare at him. What in the fuck? "Uhm." My hands suddenly seem interesting.

"Look, I know you don't like me. I get it. Who would like me?" He chuckles as I glance at him again. "It's best if you could keep this between us?"

"I-"

The door to my dressing room opens revealing Luna with a bag of food it seems. "Alright. One order of Pho," she hands a small bag to Chris.

"How did you know I liked Pho?" He asked, peeking inside the bag.

She looks at me and I shake my head no, pleading almost. "I overheard your agent talking about it."

"Ah," he says and stands up. "Well, I must be going." He takes one look at me, almost as if saying 'remember out promise.' "Ladies."

Once he's gone, Luna is on me. "So, so! Did anything happen while I was gone?"

I wanted to say yes, tell her that the crush that I had on Chris has come back. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to tell him I might have liked him too. "Nope." I rip open my sandwich wrapper and take a huge bite of it.

"Seriously? Y/N, he was with you. Alone. For several minutes."

"Okay? And?" I ask, sipping on my soda.

She sighs. "You know what? Never mind. Forget I asked." She digs into her sandwich as I pick up phone to see a message pop up on the screen. Curious, I click it open.

Unknown: hello? Is this thing on?

Unknown: testing 1...2...3...

I knew exactly who this was as I saved the number.

Y/N: if you wanted my number, all you had to do was ask

C: i did ask.

Y/N: who?

C: your agent

I roll my eyes. I take another bite of the sandwich to avoid yelling at Luna.

Y/N: of course she did. Enjoying your pho?

C: yes!

I put my pbone down to avoid any suspicions. But when I look up, Luna is looking at me. "What?"

"Nothing. You don't have a schedule for the rest of the day."

Good.

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

I knock on the door and wait impatiently outside. I had asked around (more like snooped around) of which hotel Chris stayed at. So with black sunglasses, a black face mask and a beanie, I head out. I didn't tell Luna because I didn't want her to know. Plus she'll figure it out eventually.

The door opens revealing Chris in a white bathrobe, curly hair on display. Holy moly. If this wasn't a dream, then I don't want to know what an actual dream is. "Y/N? Is everything alright?" He asked as he grabs my arm, dragging me inside. "What if someone saw you?"

Taking off my sunglasses and mask, I turn around. "I had to take my chances."

When I went back to my hotel room, I gave a lot of thought about what he had said to me earlier in the day. I re-watched his movie 'Blind Spot' (where my crush for him began) and seeing on my laptop screen I made my decision. So here I was, standing in front of him.

"Are you okay?" He asks, concerned.

"No, Chris! I am not okay! My heart is beating too fast right now."

His eyes go wide and takes a step towards me. "Y/N, sit down."

"No."

"Y/N, please."

I sigh, defeated. "You're thick as it gets," I mutter before I grab his head and bring it down on my lips. I move my lips against his as I feel him relax against my hold. I pull back, breathing heavy. "What took you so long?"

He laughs, his arms going around my waist. "I had to know my girl also liked me back as well."

My girl. My girl.

This time he smashes his lips against mine and I larch onto him like my life depended on it. "I like you too," I breathe against his lips. He smiles as he picks me up by my hips.

Next, our clothes went.

And everything was quick and slow at the same time. He took his sweet time treasuring me, pleasuring me as I did to him. We exolored each other in ways we only knew how. By the time we were finished, he caged me against him, draping an arm over my torso as I snuggled against him. Instantly, his soft and even breathing made me relaxed and lullede into a deep slumber.

A/N: please please. Give feedback as it makes me feel more motivated to keep writing 🫰🏻

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Don't Speak 21

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, obsession, stalking, manipulation, reclusive behaviour, disordered eating, dissociation, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Reader is a reclusive loner who ventures down to the library on a simple mission. Her task is complicated by the man she meets there. (f!short!reader)

Character: librarian!Andy Barber

Note: Sickness be gone!

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you all. Take care. 💖

Dr. Kemp gave me this journal. I met him today. He’s a therapist. Or a psychologist? He’s a doctor and he’s going to help me.

I hope.

He told me to put my moods in here, to write about how I feel, and to set a small goal every day. 

How I feel today: scared.

This morning was scary. We went to the doctor’s office and I didn’t know where we were going. I met Dr. Kemp and was less scared. Then we went to the mall and that was scary too. I tried on a short dress and that was scarier. Now we’re back at the house and I’m still afraid.

What if this doesn’t work either? What if I’m stuck this way forever? What if Dr. Kemp can’t help me?

A knock comes at the door and you tuck your new pen into the journal, closing it as you set it on top of your tablet. You put both on the nightstand as you call for Andy to enter. He inches open the door and pokes his head around.

“Hey,” he says, “I was just thinking, it’s been a long day. We can order in for the night?”

You shrug. You’re not very hungry. The large breakfast keeps your appetite at bay. Your anxiety helps as well.

“Um, that’s okay. I’m not very hungry.”

He sighs, his hand on the door. His fingers tap on the wood as he grips his hip, “you really shouldn’t skip meals. It’s not good for you.”

“I ate a lot this morning–”

“That was hours ago. You need to eat,” he insists, “I missed a week of work, honey, I can’t miss any more. I need you to start trying. Didn’t Dr. Kemp talk to you about this?”

You wince. He’s upset. You didn’t mean to make him angry. 

“I’m sorry,” you murmur, “I’ll, uh… take out sounds good.”

He lets the door fall all the way open. He crosses to the foot of the bed and touches the top of one of the shopping bags. You chew your cheek as you watch him.

“Are you gonna put all this away?” He asks.

“Yeah, I’ll do that now,” you get up.

He bought all those clothes, he took you to the doctor, on top of everything else. The least you can do is choke down a meal he’s also paying for. You go to the closet and open it up. You have two sweaters and a pair of jeans hung there. The rest of the hangers are empty.

“Chicken or beef?” He asks as he backs up.

“Hmm?” You look back at him with a handful of hangers.

“For dinner?”

“Oh, chicken,” you answer as you come back to the bed, “I’ll come down after I finish with all this.”

“Sure… uh, I could help,” he offers.

“No, I can do it,” you say, “that’ll be my small task today. Put this away and tidy up the room.”

He nods, both hands on his hips, “sounds like a good plan.”

You try to smile but your cheeks only twitch. You focus on taking out the clothes from the bag and looping them over the plastic hangers. He lingers and slowly slides out his phone. He turns on his heel and leaves you, thumbing at the screen with a hum.

You’re tired of letting everyone down. Amber, Andy, yourself. You’re not going to let Dr. Kemp down. You’re really going to try. You look over at the journal and take a deep breath. 

They’re just pages, but you finally have someone to talk to. Someone you can tell everything. The paper can’t answer you but it can listen without judgment. And in the end, you can always crumple it all up and forget the words.

You get everything hung, folded, and some put aside for the wash. There’s a weight of dread in your feet. You don’t want to go downstairs, you’d rather stay up here and lay down. It’s been a long day and you’re exhausted.

You find Andy in the living room. You bring your tablet to quell your restless hands. You sit on the far end of the couch as he watches a ball game. You peel back the cover and take out the pen. 

“Not a baseball fan?” He asks.

You pop your head up and look over at him. You shrug. You look at the screen as the umpire calls a strike.

“Don’t watch sports,” you answer.

“Ah, didn’t want to assume,” he leans forward, elbows on his arms as he presses his hands together, “we can watch something you like. I can catch the highlights tomorrow.”

“No, it’s okay,” you swipe the nib across the screen, “I like listening to this.”

You tuck your legs up and hunch over the tablet. You sense him watching you before he slowly leans back against the couch. You draw without thinking, a twisted elm tree with crows in the branches.

The commentators offer a steady soundtrack for your work. The crowd jeers then roars, swaying with the momentum of the game. You pick the perfect shadow of brow to add streaks to the trunk of the tree. You feel the couch shift but don’t look up. It isn’t until Andy’s right beside you that you tear your attention from your work.

He’s close. Very close. You sweat as heat radiates off of him. He stretches his arm behind you as he leans in to look at your drawing.

“Just a sketch,” you lower the pen.

“Pretty,” he says, “I’m not very artsy. Writing’s chicken scratch.”

You nod, “art is art. As long as you’re creating.”

“Pretty good way of looking at it,” he leans in closer, placing his hand on the corner of the tablet, “do you ever draw people?”

“Sometimes,” you answer, wilting at his proximity. He seems even bigger as he crowds you. You look up at the TV and drag the cover over the tablet, “why are they cheering?”

He lifts his head and exhales heavily. He retracts his arm from behind you and points with his other hand.

“Hitter just got a double and another player got home,” he says, “tied it up. If they can get another run, they’ll win. If not… well, another inning.”

“Oh,” you blink. You really don’t know much about baseball.

“We could go to a game, maybe, if you’re interested,” he offers, “they have great pretzels.”

“Maybe,” you keep your eyes on the TV, even as his head turns and he narrows in on you.

The heat between you becomes stolid. You have no space to turn over and you’re too afraid to stand up and go. You don’t want to upset him. He probably doesn’t realise how close he is. Plus, your personal bubble tends to be bigger than most.

The doorbell rings, breaking the tension, and drops his head as he grips his thighs. He stands with effort and you put aside your tablet. You listen as he answers the door and the crinkle of a paper bag underlines his exchange with the delivery driver.

He shuts the door and the smell of the take-out wafts in, stoking your hunger. You get up and meet him at the doorway, following him to the dining room. As he puts the bag down on the table, you wring your hands.

“Should I get plates?”

“Sure, sweetie,” he says as he rips past the staple in the fold of the bag, “that’d be great.”

🕊️

You can’t help but be relieved when Andy goes back to work. The house is still cold and lonely to you, but you’re happy to be alone. You set yourself a goal for each day; in the very least, you’ll make dinner, and when you feel up to it, you’ll do one other thing.

Monday, you spend most of the day painting. You make a decent amount of progress by the time Andy returns. You reheat leftovers for the night and make sure to tidy the kitchen.

Tuesday, you do the laundry. It feels like a great accomplishment as you sit and fold everything before Andy gets back. You leave his clothes on his bed. He’s pleased by your efforts and you are too.

Wednesday, you paint some more and vacuum the first floor. Thursday, you clean the bathroom, and Friday sees you so exhausted that you only do a quick sweep before starting supper. Each day, you record in your journal. Not just your tasks but your feelings; the pendulum between helpless and sad and proud swings back and forth throughout the week.

Saturday comes and you stay in bed late. You’re tempted to stay there and sleep all day until a knock sounds from the other side. You knew he wouldn’t let you.

“Dove,” he calls through, “you have an appointment at noon.”

“What?” you sit up and rush across the room. You crack the door open and peek out, “I didn’t know…”

“I mentioned it, didn’t I?” He asks.

He may have. Sometimes you forget things. You fight a frown and dip your chin.

“I’ll get ready, I’m sorry.”

“No problem. I’ll have breakfast waiting,” he looks through at you, his eyes searching, trying to see through the gloom. “Why don’t you wear some of your new clothes?”

“Oh, uh, sure,” you murmur, “thanks.”

You shut the door and watch the shadow underneath. He doesn’t go right away but when he does, you flip on the lights. You go to the closet and ponder the selection. It’s a bit overwhelming. The skirts and dresses. 

You take out a pleated plaid skirt and a pumpkin coloured turtleneck. Andy didn’t particularly like it but he let you grab it anyway. You put it on with a pair of ribbed black tights. At least you’re covered up, even if it’s all a bit snug.

You go into the bathroom and get freshened up; brush your teeth, wash your face, put some moisturizer on. You’d started using more of the bottles piled into the basket. You feel bad just letting them go to waste.

You go downstairs, the smell of toast greeting you as you enter the kitchen. Andy looks over his shoulders and still the knife as he butters a slice. He turns to you fully and grins, “wow, you look… nice.”

“Oh, thanks, I…” you pull at the fabric across your stomach, “maybe I need a bigger size.”

“No, no, really,” he finishes scraping the butter across the hard bread, “you look really nice.” He grabs a plate and brings it to you as you stand by the island, “those tights look warm.”

“Um, yeah,” you look down, twisting one leg behind the other, “not really.”

He nods and clicks his tongue, “anyway, breakfast,” he hands you the plate, “enjoy.”

“Thanks,” you say as you take it, “er… are we going to see Dr. Kemp?”

“Uh huh,” he goes back to the counter and takes out another slice from the toaster, “you… you like him?”

“Sure,” you cradle the plate, slowly drifting to the door, “he’s nice.”

“Well, you know, you can always let me know if you don’t.”

“What?”

“Just… if he makes you uncomfortable or anything,” he shrugs, “you know I’m always here for you, dove.”

You don’t say anything else. You go into the dining room and set down your plate. You’re almost excited to go see Dr. Kemp. Strangely so. You can’t wait to tell him everything you did this week and talk about your new pens for your journal. It feels like you’ve actually made progress, for once in your life.

🕊️

You sit in the same chair as last time. Dr. Kemp stands by the window. His cool demeanour is a counterweight to your tense anxiety. You chew your fingertips as he turns and pace towards the wall. He stops and flicks on the electric kettle set on the polished console table.

“You like tea?” He asks.

“Um, yeah,” you clutch your hand into a fist and lay it on the armrest.

“Green? Black? I have Earl Gray,” he offers.

“Green is fine,” you wiggle your foot, the action drawing his gaze. His piercing blue eyes crawl up your legs and he considers you with calm calculation.

“New clothes?” He prompts.

“Y-yes,” you open your hand as you bend your arm, rubbing your neck.

“Hmm, cute. I liked that sweater you wore last time.”

“Oh, it was old,” you scratch along your hairline.

“It’s whatever you're comfortable in,” he says, “skirt’s nice but… I don’t know. Not quite you.”

You don’t comment. He’s not wrong. It’s too short and the pattern is cute but you find the fabric stiff. You bring your hand forward and tap your chin.

“So, did you have a good week?” He asks.

“I think… I did a lot. Exactly what you said,” you push your shoulders up, clasping your hands in your lap. He watches you intensely, not looking away as he listens. “I used the journal and uh, I made myself set goals. Erm, oh, I made dinner every night and I cleaned–”

“That’s great,” he turns and takes two mugs from the stacked tower of porcelain. He drops in the tea bags before he backs up. He crosses his arms, pacing around as he rubs his chin, “but what about things for you? Not cleaning or cooking. Those are chores. You should be doing things just for you.”

He leans on the side of the sofa. You squeeze your hands tight and teeter on the edge of the chair. Your chest sinks.

“Well, I… I guess I didn’t… I thought…”

“It’s okay, there’s no wrong answer here. But this week, I want you to focus on you. Do things for you. Treat yourself kindly,” he drops his arms and hooks his thumbs in the tops of his pockets, “you could do a face mask, have a bubble bath, or even just read a book you enjoy.”

“Oh, okay.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being nice to yourself. Self-love is important. If you don’t find worth in yourself, other people won’t either.”

“I’ll try,” you agree.

“That’s all you need to do,” he smiles as the kettle clicks off and he pivots on his heel. He pours the steaming water in the mugs and continues, “today, I think we should talk about your sister.”

“What?” You gulp.

“You mentioned her before. She seems to be a big part of your life,” he sets the kettle down, “I’d like to know more about her.”

You tuck your lip in and frown. You don’t know if you can talk about Amber. You’re still so confused about her. But what is all this for. To understand how you feel. And like he says, it’s all confidential.

“Amber… her name is Amber,” you eke out, “er…I don’t know where to start…”

“Take your time,” he coaxes, “we can take it slow.”