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edenesth · 5 months

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TWTHH Spinoff: Little Touch of Heaven [2]

Pairing: physician!Yunho x herbalist!reader

AU: historical au (Joseon era)

Word Count: 8.1k

Summary: Dedicating his life to his work, Yunho had never bothered to entertain the idea of settling down. Despite encountering many charming women throughout his career, none had sparked his desire for companionship. But everything shifted when he met a certain herbalist whose medicinal knowledge seemed to surpass even his own. What began as mere intrigue might have gradually developed into affection.

Part 1 | Main Story | Spinoff Masterlist

"Yep, you definitely have a crush on her," Jongho's voice startled the physician as he appeared soundlessly by the entrance of the House of Lotus just as Yunho finished recounting what happened to the general. His wife listened patiently beside him, her smile knowing.

"What—hey! Have you been eavesdropping this entire time? That's rude. This is a private and confidential conversation between the couple and myself," the doctor stammered, feeling embarrassed beyond belief. He couldn't believe he had been foolish enough to think this could actually stay between him and Lady Park. At this point, the whole estate was going to find out.

"You seem oddly defensive, Physician Jung. That just further proves you are flustered and that you do indeed like Miss Ryu. Besides, I don't see anything private and confidential about that story. Sounds more like your desperate attempt to save face," the assistant retorted in his usual clever tone as he entered the room, having received a nod of approval from his master.

Yunho let out a defeated sigh, realising that while he might stand a chance at winning an argument with Hongjoong, the same couldn't be said for Jongho. The assistant could be merciless and would stop at nothing to have the last word. Glaring at the younger man, he muttered, "Yes, yes. Just you wait until your turn comes. I'd like to see how cool you are when you meet the girl of your dreams."

"Don't worry, that'll never happen," Jongho answered, his tone smug.

With a shake of his head, Seonghwa straightened up, "He's right, Yunho. Even the blind can tell you have a crush. But what is it, Jongho? Did something come up?"

The assistant nodded, "Yes, Royal Secretary Choi is here with the latest reports and minutes of the past week's assemblies. He's waiting for you in the study, unless you'd like me to bring him here too."

Choking on his tea, the doctor stared up at him, bewildered, "And why the hell would you do that? It's enough that you two already know about this, now you want the royal secretary to hear about it too?"

At that, the general and his wife burst into giggles. Finally satisfied and deciding not to tease the poor guy any further, Seonghwa pushed himself off his seat, "Have a little mercy on him, gosh," he said, turning to his wife and pressing a kiss onto her head, "You ladies continue. I'll see you later, my love."

"This is how you repay me for treating your wife," Yunho grumbled.

Pausing at the entrance of the room, the general softened and turned around, "You know, it's nice to see this side of you. This Miss Ryu must be pretty amazing to make you like this, I approve of her already. Make sure you invite us to the wedding," he said before leaving with Jongho.

"W-wedding? I don't even think she likes me at all. If anything, she probably hates me after what happened," the physician sighed.

Lady Park smiled reassuringly, a hand stroking her baby bump as she spoke, "I disagree. She did agree to teach you about herbs, tried to save you from your fall, and was even kind enough to bring you a change of clothes when she could have left you be."

"So, you think she likes me back?" His eyes brightened with hope.

She considered her words carefully before responding, "Hmm, not necessarily."

His disappointment was palpable as he slumped slightly, "My lady, please don't confuse me further."

With a gentle chuckle, the mistress clarified, "What I mean is that she probably does not hate you at all. Sure, you were a little clumsy around her, but that's not nearly enough to make her hate you. There's a chance she might grow to like you back. Don't be too dejected, Yunho; there's still hope."

God, I sure hope so.

Meanwhile, your parents hadn't stopped talking about the physician since that day. Your father eagerly handed over one of his many spare outfits kept at the store for emergencies, finally putting it to good use after Yunho's fall left his clothes soaked. You recalled trying your hardest to keep a straight face as the tall man emerged in your father's hanbok, which was slightly too short for him, ending above his ankles and making him look rather ridiculous.

"Right, well, I still have much left to do today. I don't think I'll be able to finish in time if I have to teach you. Perhaps you should come back another day, Physician Jung."

That wasn't a lie.

It wasn't that you were angry with him or anything; you could tell he was remorseful with his endless apologies. You could imagine the embarrassment he was feeling, and you didn't really blame him, but you genuinely wanted to finish up with your Sophora root harvesting, which you had obviously failed to even begin thanks to him. So you would really appreciate it if he could come back some other time for his session.

"Of course, Miss Ryu. Again, I'm so sorry—"

You lifted a hand to stop him with a shake of your head, "It's fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I really have no time to talk."

It had been a few days since then.

According to your father, Yunho had left somewhat dejectedly after purchasing a good amount of those Chinese herbs you'd recommended for Lady Park. You supposed that meant they were effective, and you were just glad you had been able to help.

"Sunshine, you must have been too blunt. You'll scare him away like that, and you shouldn't because he's such a good guy. For all we know, this could be the start of something great," your mother said as she handed you a bowl of congee for breakfast.

You rolled your eyes in response, "Oh my god, mother. You've been saying that for the past few days. I heard you the first time."

Just as you were about to start eating, she smacked you on the arm, scolding, "Then why won't you reflect on yourself and change? You really want to give me high blood pressure, don't you?"

"Ow!" you rubbed your arm, pouting at her, "What do you want me to do? It's not my fault he hasn't shown up yet. Besides, if that was all it took to scare him away, then maybe he's not the one," you said before making a face when you realised what you'd just said, "More importantly, nothing is going on between us. He's only coming to learn more about herbs and improve as a medical practitioner. Seems to me like you and father are making a fuss out of nothing."

Your father sighed as he took a seat across from you, "Listen, sunshine. I can tell he likes you. It was evident in his behaviour that day. He's usually so composed, but he seemed genuinely flustered."

After hastily finishing the congee, you chuckled and set your bowl down, "Come on, father. You've only ever been in one relationship. Since when are you an expert in this department?" you teased before growing serious and wiping your mouth clean.

"And for the last time, my dearest father and mother, the two people I love most in the world, can you please respect my wishes? I won't be able to continue seeing Physician Jung if you keep making things weird like this. I've made my stance on marriage very clear. I'm not interested, and I still am not. I've finally found a friend who shares my passion for herbs, and I want to keep things that way. Please don't make me regret it."

As you spoke those honest words, a stunned silence filled the room. Your parents exchanged glances, their expressions shifting from surprise to realisation. They had always admired your patience, your selflessness, and your unwavering dedication to your family. But in their pursuit of what they thought was best for you, they had overlooked your desires and feelings.

Your father's eyes softened, and he reached out to gently squeeze your hand, "Sunshine, we never meant to make you feel uncomfortable or pressured. We only wanted what we thought was best for you, but we see now that we may have been misguided."

Your mother nodded, her voice trembling with emotion, "You've always been so selfless. We should have listened to your wishes instead of imposing our own desires onto you. We're truly sorry."

Seeing the genuine remorse in their eyes, your heart softened. While you understood their actions were driven by good intentions, they may not have realised that their approach inadvertently caused you more distress than anything. You were just relieved they were willing to listen to you and acknowledge their mistake.

"It's okay, father, mother," you said softly, giving their hands a reassuring squeeze, "I know you only want what's best for me. Let's learn from this and move forward together."

"Here goes nothing," Yunho muttered under his breath as the apothecary came into view. This would be his first appearance since the embarrassing last impression he had left, and he was determined to salvage it. Holding his breath, he stepped into the store, expecting to see Mr. Ryu alone at his counter as usual. However, he was surprised to find you dressed more formally than usual, appearing to be preparing to go somewhere.

Upon hearing his entrance, you turned to face him with a raised brow, "Oh, you're here. I'm sorry, but I won't be able to teach you today. Our foreign medicine supplier has arrived, and I have to go to the ship dock to collect our latest batch of orders."

The physician felt like he could finally breathe again, relieved by your casual reaction to his presence. Perhaps Lady Park was right; you weren't angry with him nor did you hate him. Smiling, he reassured you, "Oh, it's alright. I understand. I can come back another day. Are you going with Mr. Ryu then? Will the shop be closing?"

You shook your head, "Oh no, not at all. It's just me. My father remains here, and business will go on as usual. He's at the back of the store; he'll be here soon if you wish to speak with him."

She's going alone? To the dock?

"I... uh, I'm just wondering, is it really safe for you to go alone? Places like that are often crowded with men. And how will you manage to carry all those supplies by yourself?" he asked, his worry evident.

With a smirk, you replied, "Are you underestimating me, Physician Jung? Do you truly believe it's my first time handling this? I appreciate your concern, but I assure you, I'll manage just fine."

Right on cue, your father emerged from the back of the store, "Ah, you've come, Physician Jung! Are you here for another session with my daughter? She may have already mentioned her plans for today, but perhaps you could accompany her."

Before Yunho could respond, you firmly shook your head, "There's no need for that, father. I'm certain he's a very busy man and probably has better things to do than accompany me to the dock."

The physician quickly interjected, "No, I don't. That's why I'm here today. I don't mind going with you. It could be a valuable experience, and I might learn something from it too," he reasoned.

You sighed, not oblivious to the knowing grin your father was sending the taller man. With a roll of your eyes, you motioned for him to follow, "Suit yourself. Come along then, there's no time to waste."

As the two of you set out towards the ship dock in town, his tall frame loomed beside you, serving the fantastic purpose of shielding you from the glaring sun. Breaking the silence, you ventured, "So, I'm assuming the Codonopsis roots and Colla Corii Asini were effective in helping Lady Park feel better? Since you got more on your last visit."

He beamed, nodding in agreement, "Oh, yes! They really were. I was planning to tell you about it on my last visit, but, well, you know..." He trailed off, trying to move past the incident before continuing, "But yes, they did wonders. Her morning sickness and fatigue improved immensely soon after taking only the first batch. If we continue to administer this, she should be able to get through the first three months with ease. And I... I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you so much, Miss Ryu."

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread in your heart at the knowledge that your expertise had been put to good use, that you had been of help. Moments like these made you feel as though all the hard work you had put into studying had paid off; the sense of accomplishment was truly remarkable. With a nonchalant shrug, you responded earnestly, "Just doing my job."

Becoming increasingly intrigued by the conversation about medicine, he eagerly delved further, "I've been pondering it, and I'm still astounded by your depth of knowledge, even in foreign herbs. Frankly, I believe you surpass some senior experts in the field. It may be impertinent of me to ask, but... what's your secret?"

With a soft laugh, you shook your head, "Sometimes, there are aspects that textbooks and conventional lessons fail to impart. That's why hands-on experience is crucial. There's no secret to my knowledge; I simply allow my curiosity to guide me and take the initiative to delve deeper beyond the fundamentals. You'll see firsthand in just a moment. Perhaps it's good you came."

Just when he thought his admiration for you had reached its peak, you consistently proved him wrong. Beyond your shared passion for medicinal knowledge, there was an intangible quality that distinguished you from other women he had met. You exuded confidence in yourself, not in a brash manner, nor did you conform to the typical feminine archetype attempting to win his favour. Instead, you were authentically yourself. Every action you took reflected your unique personality, which he found irresistibly appealing.

Where have you been all this while?

He couldn't fathom that you had been so close yet remained unknown to him for all these years. As a devoted patron of your father's apothecary, he had frequented the establishment without ever realising that you were nearby, just behind the store's walls. He couldn't be more grateful to fate for allowing him to finally cross paths with you.

"Woah, watch your step!" Your warning snapped him out of his thoughts as you pulled him close, narrowly avoiding a hole in the uneven road. You slapped him on the arm and said, "Please pay attention to where you're going. The roads here won't be as well-paved as the ones in the city, since we're now on the outskirts. Come on and stay close; we're almost there."

With a chuckle, he rubbed his arm and playfully saluted, "Yes, ma'am." He couldn't believe you had slapped him so casually; no one had ever done that. His heart fluttered at the interaction, realising that's what he liked so much about you. Since day one, you have been unpretentious. Around you, he felt comfortable enough to be himself again. There was no need to uphold the image of the perfect physician everyone knew him to be. He could be silly, clumsy, a mess, and you'd never make him feel bad about it.

As you arrived at the ship dock, Yunho's sense of wonder was palpable. The place bustled with activity, just as he had anticipated, mostly with men who appeared to be merchants conducting exchanges or, like yourself, collecting orders directly from suppliers. He made sure to stay close to you, feeling reassured when you took hold of his wrist to guide him through the crowd towards your destination.

"First time here?" you smirked, noting his slightly overwhelmed expression, to which he nodded hesitantly, "Y-yes."

You snickered, "Figures. Just stick with me, and you'll be fine."

He nervously bit his lip, "Yeah, I'm not going anywhere without you. Don't worry."

"See that ship right at the end?" you asked, pointing towards one of the largest vessels in the area as you both approached it. He nodded in acknowledgement.

"That's our supplier, kind of a family business," you explained, "The Guo family from China has been in this trade for years. They're known to grow their own herbs and supply them all over the region."

You smirked as the familiar face of Madam Guo came into view, "And there's the lady boss who handles customers while the boss checks the stocks. Don't worry, she's actually the owner's wife, so you won't embarrass yourself like you did before again," you teased, playfully reminding him of his previous mistake, which flustered him.

"Oh my god, it was one mistake—"

A new voice chimed in as you both reached the ship, "Ah, my dearest Miss Ryu!" The woman exclaimed with a thick Chinese accent as she stepped forward to embrace you. You chuckled, returning the hug, "It's lovely to see you again, Madam Guo."

"And who might this handsome young man be? Finally got yourself a chaperone, I see," Madam Guo asked, her playful tone evident as she wiggled her brows.

You scoffed in disbelief, "Him, a chaperone? More like the other way around. But anyway, he's a friend, or perhaps an apprentice, whichever works. He's a physician here to learn more about herbs."

Did she just call me her friend...?

"Y-yes, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Madam Guo. My name is Jung Yunho, and I'm a physician just as Miss Ryu said," he greeted, bowing respectfully, doing everything to remain composed and hide the fact that he was dying on the inside.

The middle-aged woman grinned knowingly, "Nice to meet you too, Physician Jung. But is that really all you are? What a shame, you two would make a cute couple."

While he sputtered like a fool, you snorted and gestured for her to focus, "Please, let's get down to business."

"Of course, sweetie. Follow me," she said, throwing a teasing wink at Yunho before wrapping an arm around you and leading you towards the bags of supplies lined up in front of the ship, "So, how are your parents doing, Miss Ryu?" As you engaged with the woman, the doctor couldn't shake her words from his mind. 'A cute couple' — he liked that idea more than he cared to admit. If only it could come true, he wouldn't mind being mistaken for a couple with you.

The bond between you and Yunho strengthened significantly after your eventful joint excursion to the ship dock. He proved to be quite helpful, offering to carry the supplies you had collected.

However, it was an incident during your return to the apothecary that truly changed your perception of him. As you passed by an injured man involved in a carriage accident, his demeanour shifted instantly. With remarkable professionalism, he attended to the wounded man, showcasing his expertise and skill. It was a side of him you hadn't seen before, and in that moment, you couldn't help but feel a newfound admiration for him.

For the first time, he embodied the charismatic and excellent Physician Jung who was widely praised by the townspeople. You finally understood why he had earned such acclaim for his expertise.

While you had grown confident enough to consider him a good friend, the doctor, on the other hand, was grappling with his feelings for you. After each session, he would return to the general's estate seeking advice from the mistress on the best approach to pursue you without being too forward. Despite his desire to openly court you, he wanted to ensure that your feelings were mutual before making any moves, fearing he might scare you away.

Following Lady Park's suggestion, he opted for a more gradual approach, using the opportunity to learn about herbs as a means to get to know you better, and vice versa. By taking things slowly, he hoped to foster mutual feelings between you.

As he prepared to enjoy his lunch break at his clinic, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of spending the evening with you. Tonight's session held particular significance as you would be teaching him how to harvest specific nighttime herbs for optimal quality. It promised to be a new and exciting experience, and he was just happy about the opportunity to share it with you.

"What's got you smiling like a creep?"

Just like that, the sound of an annoyingly familiar voice sliced through the doctor's pleasant mood like a knife, abruptly snapping him out of his reverie. His smile vanished as soon as he locked eyes with the dressmaker. With an exasperated sigh and a roll of his eyes, he responded, "What do you want, Kim Hongjoong?"

Yunho held his breath momentarily, his mind racing with anxious thoughts. What if Seonghwa had betrayed him and told his friend everything about Miss Ryu? What if Hongjoong was here to tease him after finding out? Oh god, his life would be over—

But to his surprise, the older man's expression was one of genuine distress as he took a seat across from the physician, "Look, ugh... I never thought I'd say this, but I need your help. Can you lend me an ear? I'm... well, I'm in a bit of a situation."

What started as a brief lunchtime conversation stretched into half a day, with the dressmaker pouring out his heart about his latest client, the enigmatic Miss Baek, whom he clearly harboured feelings for. By the end of their exchange, though a bit flustered that Hongjoong had caught wind of his recent visits to Ryu's Apothecary and your presence there, he was simply relieved to have managed to extricate himself from the conversation in time to close up shop. But one thing was certain; any fleeting relief Yunho felt at the general's discretion evaporated instantly.

Of course, Seonghwa told him everything.

Relieved to see the dressmaker finally departing from his clinic, the physician wasted no time in packing up his belongings and closing the shop. If only Hongjoong hadn't taken up so much of his time with his endless chatter, Yunho would have already been on his way to the apothecary. He cursed the talkative man for being so long-winded; he had worked hard to gain your trust, and he didn't want to jeopardise it again due to tardiness.

"Ugh, I hope that Miss Baek continues to give him a hard time. If I end up late because of him, he's going to pay," the doctor grumbled to himself as he hurried out of his clinic and towards your store. While part of him knew you wouldn't mind him being slightly late, he didn't want you to be okay with it. He wanted to be a man of his word, to be someone you could trust.

Arriving promptly, Yunho found Mr. Ryu in the midst of closing up. The elderly man's face lit up at the sight of the taller man, "Ah, Physician Jung, right on time! She's in the back, as usual, waiting for you. Now, it'll be late by the time you two finish up. I'm trusting you to escort her home after your session, is that alright?"

Yunho straightened up and bowed respectfully, "Of course, Mr. Ryu! Don't worry, I'll ensure she gets home safely."

"Very well then, I'm leaving her in your hands," the apothecary said with a teasing wink, "You've got this."

Feeling a flush of warmth in his cheeks, Yunho waved your father goodbye, understanding the elderly man's implication. It wasn't a secret that your parents wished for you to settle down, and they had made it clear on more than one occasion that the doctor had their approval. The only remaining factor was you and your feelings.

"Oh hey, there you are," you greeted warmly from your usual spot amidst the plantation, a natural smile gracing your features as you met his gaze. It was a smile that stirred something in his heart, though he kept that to himself, "Before you come over, could you please grab me a pair of harvesting scissors and the herb stripper?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a salute, already accustomed to your directives. By now, he was familiar with most of the tools on your rack. Over the past few sessions, he had made an effort to acquaint himself with the intricacies of your work, determined to be helpful even as he continued to learn. Besides, he wanted you to know that you could rely on him, and that he could shoulder some of your burdens. He wanted you to see him the way he saw you.

"Thank you," you murmured, taking the tools from him and feeling him settle beside you. Your hands immediately got to work, launching into an automatic lecture tone as your focus zeroed in on the four moon garden herbs you would be harvesting tonight: the White Coneflower, the Lavender, the Culinary Sage, and the Silver Queen.

"Beautiful," he whispered, his gaze fixed on your side profile illuminated by the moonlight and the surrounding lamps instead of the herbs. It was the first time he had seen you in this soft, dim light, and you looked truly ethereal, the atmosphere lending an intimate and romantic feel to the moment.

Oblivious to his stare, you smiled in response, "They are exquisite, aren't they? Sometimes it pains me to have to harvest them. But they serve a greater purpose than just sitting here and looking pretty."

"Well, I believe that's what adds to their beauty, wouldn't you agree? The fact that they serve a purpose beyond mere aesthetics," he remarked, subtly hinting at his admiration for your depth and substance. To him, you were more than just a pretty face, and he found that incredibly appealing.

Noticing a stray strand of hair framing your face, he instinctively reached out to tuck it behind your ear. You tensed at his touch, turning to meet his gaze, and in that moment, he realised what he had just done. Clearing his throat nervously, he stammered, "I-I was just trying to help. It looked like it was bothering you."

You nodded, trying to mask the fluttering sensation in your chest at his gesture. He was probably just being polite, you reasoned with yourself, but you couldn't deny the allure of his presence in the soft glow of the moonlight. Quickly refocusing on your task, you blinked and responded, "Oh, umm... thank you. I appreciate it."

The tension in the air was palpable as you finished the remainder of tonight's session, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken words and newfound awareness. It was as if a shift had occurred, leaving you both acutely conscious of each other's presence in a way that hadn't been there before.

As you locked up the apothecary for the night, the physician turned to you with a casual invitation, "Would you like to grab something to eat before heading home?" You paused, considering the offer. Your parents were likely done with dinner by now, so joining him wouldn't be a bad idea. With a nod, you replied, "Sure, let's go."

Despite his calm demeanour, a sense of anticipation fluttered in his chest as you walked side by side, his mind buzzing with excitement, "Come on, I know a stall that sells amazing black bean noodles," he suggested, leading the way with a smile.

Moments later, you were both seated at the stall, eagerly devouring the delicious noodles. With wide eyes, you exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, you weren't lying. This really is amazing." He chuckled at your enthusiasm before reaching over to wipe a stray noodle from the corner of your lips with his thumb, "You eat like a child, you know that?" he teased gently.

Your heart skipped a beat at his touch, and you couldn't help but feel a warmth spreading through you at his words. Despite your unladylike eating habits, he didn't seem to mind. At that moment, you found yourself imagining what it would be like to be with someone like him, and surprisingly, it didn't seem so bad at all. In fact, it felt quite nice to imagine being by his side — Jung Yunho.

Just when the physician felt confident about the progress between the two of you, just as he was considering broaching the topic of a potential courtship, an unexpected turn of events threw everything off course. An argument erupted during one of your recent sessions, escalating into a silent standoff that led to his prolonged absence.

It all began innocently enough, during one of your routine sessions. Feeling more at ease around you, he summoned the courage to ask, "I was wondering... do you know of any herbs that could heal or remove scars permanently?" Your response was a curious look, prompting him to elaborate, "I've been searching for solutions to fully eliminate Lady Park's scars for a while now, but to no avail. I've sought advice from others, but no one seems to have a solution. Given your extensive knowledge, I thought you might be aware of any foreign herbs that could help."

After pondering for a moment, you nodded slowly, "Actually, yes. There's a herb called the Gotu Kola. It's renowned for treating various conditions, particularly wounds and skin issues. There have been rare cases of it being used to heal scars." His hope surged until you added, "But... it's native to India and Indonesia, and there haven't been any imports of this herb so far."

"Oh... I see," he sighed dejectedly, his shoulders slumping.

Disheartened by his disappointment when he left your father's apothecary, you became determined to find a solution. After diligent inquiries among experts, you finally unearthed a crucial piece of information: the herb was indeed present in Joseon, though in limited quantities and not widely known.

"Really? The herb is here in Joseon? Where?" Yunho's spirits lifted upon hearing your update. However, all hope plummeted when you disclosed its location, "Apparently, an Indian traveller planted some on specific parts of the Naksan mountain some years ago. It thrives in the well-drained soil, moist position, and full sun exposure."

"The Naksan mountain...? Then it's practically inaccessible," he murmured, his earlier enthusiasm extinguished once more. You furrowed your brow, "What do you mean? Of course, it's possible. We could embark on a journey to find it ourselves. Where there's a will, there's a way."

He massaged his temples, "Do you have any idea how perilous trekking a mountain can be? We're not seasoned adventurers. We might not even survive the trek to the plant, let alone make it back in one piece. If it were so simple, don't you think someone would have already ventured there to harvest it and capitalise on it? There must be a reason it's not readily available here, don't you think?"

"Forget it, just... forget I asked," he implored.

But you persisted, adamant in your determination. You went out of your way to conduct thorough research, pinpoint the exact location of the herb and gather information on all the necessary essentials for the journey. Excitedly, you broached the topic once more, only to be met with a less-than-favourable response. Yunho sighed, squeezing his eyes shut, "Please, Miss Ryu, let's just drop it."

Frustrated by his reluctance, you erupted, "If you're a coward, just admit it. You sought a solution, and I've offered one. How can you give up so easily without even trying?"

"A coward...? Is fear the only thing you hear from me after everything I've said?" he retorted incredulously.

"Well, is it not?!" you challenged.

He scoffed, "Please, don't be stupid. You're not thinking clearly, and I don't see the point in arguing further. I've made my decision. We're not doing this, and that's final. It's just not feasible."

And since then, there had been no sight or sound of him. According to your father, he would drop by only for medication, never staying to see you. It had been a week since then, and if he thought his silent treatment would deter you, he was sorely mistaken. It only fueled your determination.

I'll prove you wrong, Jung Yunho.

Using the week to make all necessary preparations, you informed your parents that you would be venturing out to gather herbs. It was technically true, though you omitted certain details to avoid a lecture. You understood that they would worry, believing it to be dangerous, especially if you were going alone. However, you had always been independent, confident in your ability to handle things on your own.

You couldn't wait to see the look on the doctor's face as you presented him with the herb, the look on his face as you called him a coward, and even more so, the look on his face when he realised just how wrong he had been and how right you were.

As you began your journey, optimism fueled your steps. Everything unfolded smoothly, just as you had envisioned. With a trusty map in hand, you followed the right path, guided by determination. Kind passersby, fellow travellers or herb pickers like yourself, helped point you in the right direction when needed. All seemed well until the distant rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning pierced the air, causing your stomach to sink. But refusing to let it deter you, you pressed on toward your destination.

Goddamnit, not now please!

In your haste, you brushed against branches, tearing your hanbok fabric and leaving tiny cuts on your skin. At times like this, you couldn't help but think about the physician. Perhaps you missed having that gentle giant by your side. Pushing aside such thoughts, you focused on the task at hand. Despite the drizzle, you persevered and were determined to reach your goal.

Nearing the spot marked on the map, you muttered to yourself, "Come on, it should be around here somewhere." Scanning the surroundings for the distinct plant with fan-shaped green leaves and delicate flowers. But as the sky darkened and the rain intensified, it became increasingly difficult to see. Frustration bubbled up as you searched, muttering curses under your breath.

"Shit, shit, shit, where is it?"

In a moment of distraction, you failed to notice a sizable rock in your path, resulting in a twisted ankle and a painful fall. With a cry, you landed on the ground, scratching your palms as you shield your face. As you struggled to rise, the realisation of your predicament set in. Your ankle throbbed, swelling with each passing moment.

Oh god, how am I going to get out of here?

Desperate and defeated, you leaned against a rock, tears streaming down your face. Regret washed over you as you cursed your decision to go on this journey alone. Maybe Yunho had been right; perhaps you should have listened to him. Now, stranded and injured, you felt foolish and vulnerable. But as you looked around for something that could help you walk, a glimmer of hope emerged as you spotted a patch of what appeared to be Gotu Kola.

With trembling hands, you retrieved the rough sketch you had brought along, confirming your discovery with wide-eyed astonishment, "Oh my god, I finally found you," you whispered, a surge of determination rising within you once more.

Meanwhile, Yunho entered the apothecary with a heavy heart, closing his umbrella as he stepped into the shop to collect his usual batch of medicine for Lady Park. His concern deepened when he saw your father pacing anxiously, "Is everything alright, Mr. Ryu?" he inquired, furrowing his brows.

The elderly man looked up, relief flooding his features at the doctor's presence, "Oh, Physician Jung! Look, I'm not sure what's going on between you and my daughter, but please, you have to help find her!" he pleaded, his voice trembling with worry.

Yunho's heart squeezed uncomfortably at the urgency in the apothecary's voice, "Wh-what? What do you mean? Where did she go?" he asked, his own anxiety mounting.

Your father began to ramble, explaining that you had mentioned going out to pick herbs earlier in the day but hadn't specified a location, "She's been gone for more than half a day now, and it's raining heavily. I'm worried sick about her. What if something's happened?" he fretted.

The doctor's breath caught in his throat at the revelation. He could hazard a guess as to where you might have gone, but he needed confirmation, "I... I might have a clue where she went, but I need to check. Can I please see her work desk?" he requested urgently.

"Yes, of course. Anything to help you find her," Mr. Ryu agreed with a nod, desperation evident in his eyes.

Approaching your desk, Yunho wasted no time searching through your notes, where you meticulously recorded every discovery. His heart skipped a beat when he reached the final page, where a rough sketch of Naksan mountain with a red X marked a specific area, accompanied by the words 'Gotu Kola' scrawled above it.

Oh my god, I cannot believe this woman.

Shocked and alarmed, the physician knew he had to find you, and fast. The thought of anything happening to you filled him with dread. He couldn't bear the idea of something befalling you, especially since your actions were spurred by his own request. If only he hadn't broached the topic of finding a remedy for scars. If only he hadn't spoken to you so harshly. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was all his fault.

"I'll find her, Mr. Ryu. I promise, I'll make this right," he assured your father before setting out, clutching your notebook in his hands and carrying a bag of essentials the elderly man had helped pack. Braving the harsh wind and rain, he made his way toward you.

In the meantime, you huddled under the protective canopy of a tree, knees drawn close to your chest, feeling utterly helpless. Despite succeeding in gathering as much Gotu Kola as possible, you were still stranded atop the mountain. The rain showed no signs of relenting, and your sprained ankle made descent impossible. As you sat there, feeling the cold seep into your bones, you could only pray that someone would pass by and notice you in your predicament.

As time dragged on, your hopes of being discovered began to wane. Despite the rain lightening, the darkening evening sky brought a fresh wave of anxiety, your heart pounding in your chest. No one was going to find you now. Would you even survive the night on the mountain? You shivered uncontrollably in your wet clothes, your untreated ankle throbbing with pain, and wounds scattered across your body. It seemed unlikely you would make it.

Damn, I wish that idiot was here...

Oddly, amidst the despair, your thoughts turned to the physician. If only he were here with you, perhaps the situation wouldn't feel so distressful. With hooded eyes, you stared blankly ahead, silently wishing for him to miraculously appear before you.

You furrowed your brows as a figure approached, the sound of your name echoing through the rain-soaked air. The voice was unmistakable, and you snorted in disbelief. Could it really be Jung Yunho? But as he knelt before you, his hands gripping your shoulders, his concern felt all too real.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice urgent.

You blinked several times, reaching out tentatively to touch his cheek. To your astonishment, he was solid, undeniably present. Tears welled up in your eyes as you broke into sobs, throwing your arms around his neck and holding him close, "Oh my god, I can't believe you're actually here," you whispered through your tears, "I guess you aren't such a coward after all."

He sighed in relief, returning your embrace and stroking your head gently, "No, I am. I am a coward because I was so afraid, so scared of... of losing you," he confessed, his voice strained with emotion. As he pulled back slightly to look at you, his expression was filled with worry, "Please don't ever scare me like that again. I told you it was dangerous. Look at you," he scolded gently.

"I can't believe you ventured all this way alone. I thought you were smarter than this, but I guess even smart people can be idiots sometimes." The doctor in him immediately began assessing all of your injuries, retrieving a bandage from his bag. With careful hands, he secured your sprained ankle to support it and prevent further swelling and bruising. Once he finished, he pulled out an extra layer of cloth from the bag your father had packed and wrapped you snugly in it, ensuring you stayed warm for the time being.

You scoffed, defiance flashing in your eyes despite the fluttering of your heart at his earlier words and his caring actions, "Say what you want, but I have no regrets because I found it..." you said, holding up the bag full of the Gotu Kola herb, "The only regret I have is not knowing it would rain. Otherwise, I would have made it just fine."

He was momentarily speechless before a small laugh escaped him as he shook his head, "As much as I love how determined you are, it frustrates me sometimes."

"You do? Love how determined I am...?" you echoed shyly, feeling a blush creeping onto your cheeks, or maybe it was a fever.

He smiled warmly, gently cupping your cheek, "I do. But as much as I'd love to confess my feelings to you right now, we really need to get out of here. We'll have plenty of time to talk when we're safe. Now, come on, hop on my back." Turning around and gesturing toward his back, he offered you a way out of the predicament and perhaps, into a new beginning... with him.

Somewhere along the way, you lost consciousness on Yunho's back. Trying to maintain composure, he carefully navigated the descent from the mountain. Fortunately, upon reaching the bottom, kind townspeople offered a ride back to your home on their cart. He held you close throughout, hoping to provide warmth with his body heat, knowing the fever was taking its toll.

He found it hard to believe he had actually climbed a mountain to rescue someone. Normally, such feats were beyond his capabilities. But the mere thought of you in danger propelled him forward. If only you knew the power you had over him, driving him to extraordinary lengths.

Upon arrival, your parents swiftly attended to you, guiding the physician to your room where he diligently treated your wounds. Drifting in and out of consciousness, you found solace in the familiar surroundings of your room as your mother changed your wet clothes. Spotting Yunho beside you once more, tending to your injuries, you caught his gaze. He smiled and leaned down to kiss your forehead, whispering, "It's okay, you're safe now. Rest, sweetheart."

And you did, your heart finally at ease.

The following days passed in a blur as he visited you daily to check on your recovery. Today was no different, and upon his arrival, you recognised the familiar scent of the tonic he brought. It was the standard blend of herbs used to revitalise patients with colds. As he attempted to feed you, you protested, "I can do it myself."

Yunho clicked his tongue, moving the spoon out of your reach, "Just be good and let me take care of you," he urged gently.

Your heart skipped a beat, and you relented, allowing him to feed you. Swallowing the bitter medicine with a wince, you remarked, "You've already been taking good care of me for the past few days. Don't you have a clinic to run, Physician Jung?"

He chuckled, wiping the corner of your lips with his thumb, "Are you worried about me?"

Blushing, you looked away while he continued, "Don't worry, I have a substitute physician for whenever I'm not around. Besides, how can I focus on work there if I'm busy worrying about you?"

Turning back to him, you bit your lip nervously, "So, about that confession you were talking about..."

With a grin, the physician set down the bowl on the table beside your bed before reaching for your hand, "I've been waiting for you to ask for some time now. It's probably no surprise, but I... I have feelings for you."

As you squeezed his hand, he continued, "I'm not sure when it all started, but perhaps I might have liked you since our first meeting. Despite usually being composed, seeing you just threw me off. Truthfully, I've never given the idea of settling down a thought. All my life, I've been married to my work. Sure, I've met countless women who tried to appeal to me, but I've never been swayed."

Gently intertwining your fingers, he added, "Just when I thought I never would, you came along and changed everything. Initially, I thought it might have been your extensive medicinal knowledge that intrigued me, but now I realise it's much more than that. I've been waiting to be sure you liked me back before making my move, but then..."

Tears welled up in his eyes as he confessed, "God, you have no idea how much I regret putting you in danger. I should have spoken to you instead of avoiding you. When I found out you were gone, I felt like my life was over... I wouldn't have forgiven myself if anything were to happen to you," his voice cracked with emotion.

"I'm here now, you saved me," you reassured, gently cupping his face and turning it towards you, tears clouding your own vision.

He sighed, leaning into your touch, "You are, and I need you to know that I care deeply about you. I want to be the one to protect you, to be the one you can rely on, and to be there for you. Most of all, I want... to be loved by you. Will you let me be the one?"

"If not you, then who else?" you teased.

The atmosphere instantly lifted, and your smile illuminated his mood. "You'll be my only one, Yunho," you whispered, closing your eyes as he leaned in to capture your lips with his. Pulling back slightly, he murmured against your lips, "And you'll be mine."

Your father jumped with excitement outside your room, while your mother's joyous tears flowed as she eavesdropped. Finally, their hopes and dreams were becoming reality. They had worried you wouldn't give Yunho a chance after declaring your disinterest in marriage. They were relieved to see you letting him in. With a smack on your father's arm, your mother scolded him, "Alright, now that's settled, get back to work." Despite the playful reprimand, your father left happily, a smile adorning his face.

As weeks passed and your routine continued, with sessions held every few days, the significant change was evident – the physician was now more than just a friend. Stepping into the apothecary, he greeted, "I'm here, Mr. Ryu!" The elderly man grinned, waving back, "You might as well call me father already, Yunho-yah," he joked.

He blushed, bowing before hurrying to the back to tell you what your father had said, "Sweetheart, you won't believe what your father just said to me..." he began, trailing off as he realised you weren't there.

"Sweetheart...? Where are you—"

His words were interrupted by a mischievous "Boo!" from behind, startling him. In his surprise, he yelped and stumbled over his own feet, falling backwards. You reached out to help, but he grabbed your arm, causing both of you to tumble down together. As you landed on him, laughter erupted, reminiscent of the first time it happened.

"You cheeky thing," he murmured, leaning in for a kiss. When you pulled back sooner than expected, he let out a small whine, "Wait, what did my father say to you?"

"I'll tell you if you kiss me again, pretty please," he teased, a smirk spreading across your face, "Only because you asked so nicely," you replied with a chuckle.

Just as you leaned in to kiss him again, your father's voice interrupted from the entrance, "Hey sunshine, is the latest batch of ginseng ready yet— oh. Gosh, don't mind me, kids!"

As the elderly man hastily left, you buried your face in the doctor's chest, feeling embarrassed by the interruption. It seemed this was something you'd both have to get used to - the occasional interruption in your private moments. Yet, when you looked up and saw Yunho grinning, you realised he didn't mind. Like you, he was simply happy to be part of your little family.

You once thought it impossible to find someone like your father—someone patient enough to love you despite your unladylike habits, borderline stubborn nature, and no-nonsense attitude, someone who could accept you and all your flaws wholeheartedly—only to realise he had been here all along.

You were right, mother; he's the one.

You won't believe how many times I went over this. I'm not entirely happy with it even though I've managed to put in everything I had in mind. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I sincerely hope this was decent!

As always, thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts! <3

Tag list (1/9):

@itstheghostofmypast @huachengsbestie01 @minghaoslatina @weedforthoughtz @minkiflwr |

@cheolliehugs @the-kpop-simp @writingwieny @stayatinykatsy @skzline |

@green-agent @stayinhellevator @vampzity @tinyteezer @evidive |

@vantediary @superbbananananana @kimyeolchan @chocolate-scoups @decadentstrangernacho |

@vic0921 @marievllr-abg @sunnyhokyu @seungmin-in-thebuilding @heyitsmetonid |

@sansaurora9904 @darkestacademiamindsx12-blog @myblovedjyh @professormingisglasses @newworldwritings |

@chicken-fifi @thunderous-wolf @shythinggiver @madnpan @yandere-stories |

@anxiousskylar @frobin4ever @starssongs98 @dollce-exe @jan-l |

@lovelyred2 @haven-cove @watermelon2319 @dreamingofyeo @akimkim |

@scuzmunkie @satsuri3su @mismatchfluffysocks @borntoshineateez @st4rhwa |

@ddaeing @tropicalsstuff @bts-army380 @skteezcursed @beauty143 |

@naps-over-degree @idfkeddieishot @sis-101 @lemon-sage17 @jcalicocatj

#edenesth #the way to his heart #little touch of heaven #twthh spinoff #ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #jung yunho #jeong yunho #ateez yunho #historical au #joseon era #yunho x reader #yunho x you #ateez fic

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steddiealltheway · 2 years

Text

(This is way way way longer than intend. You have been warned.)

Steve cannot stand Eddie Munson. And the feeling is definitely mutual. From their first meeting Eddie had sneered, “Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington. I never understood why they called him that when I was right there.” He had obnoxiously fluffed his hair as the kids had laughed along.

Okay, yeah. Maybe it wasn’t like the greatest insult of the century, but it was a cheap shot. Robin tells him that that’s the stupidest reason she’s ever heard when it came to an automatic dislike. But it’s not just that!

It’s the loud dramatics that Dustin is always praising and imitating. And the dumb faces Munson pulls that makes his eyes twinkle manically. It’s the constant jabs whenever he sees Steve - calling him “pretty boy” and “King Steve.” He tries not to flinch and give Munson the satisfaction - he hates that damn smile that crinkles the corners of his eyes.

The kids call them a divorced couple - throwing in “Mom and Dad are fighting again” every so often. He and Munson hate it - but that’s the only thing they’ll ever agree on.

But then the kids come up with an evil plan that isn’t revealed until it’s too late. Dustin invites Steve to a game night with the rest of the Party which… fine, he’ll come to it especially since they’re having it at his house. Sometimes he can’t say no to the kids - specifically when Will gives him those puppy dog eyes, but he’ll never admit to it.

But the dreaded day finally comes, and Steve is in the kitchen pulling a pizza out of the oven when he hears that damn voice. “You didn’t tell me this was Steve Harrington’s house,” Munson spits out Steve’s name as if it’s the most vile thing he’s ever said.

“You promised to join our game night no matter what!” Dustin argues.

That’s when Steve’s eyes land on Munson. He looks entirely out of his element for once and is just wearing that damn Hellfire shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows with ripped black jeans. The lack of the usual leather jacket or flannel or something as a second layer makes Steve feel… weird- no, angry.

Munson snorts, “Comfy enough?”

Steve glances down at his yellow sweater and gives the older boy a confused glare. “Something wrong with what I’m wearing, Munson?” It’s his turn to spit out the boy’s name like it’s an insult.

“I would just prefer if you were wearing less,” Eddie says with a sarcastic smile, knowing the line will make Steve flush red with rage.

Butterflies stir and die in Steve’s stomach at the comment. “And I’d prefer if you were wearing more.”

“Flustered, Harrington?”

“In your dreams.”

Munson winks and comments, “Well you’re there often enough.”

Steve just knows he could win in a fight against him, and severely wants to try in this moment.

“What the fuck guys?” Dustin says. Okay, maybe Steve forgot he was there.

“Language,” Steve warns then continues, “Why did you invite him?”

“Why did he invite you,” Munson fires back at Steve although he wasn’t even talking to him.

Steve gestures around. “It’s my damn house!” Munson’s mouth opens and closes a few times, realizing there’s no good way to make a comeback out of that. Steve revels in the win.

Munson just sighs and stalks out of the kitchen towards where the rest of the group is loudly chatting.

Dustin stays where he was with his hands on his hips which looks like a poor reflection of Steve’s usual stance. “Can you guys behave and get along just for once?”

“Not if he’s going to act like that.”

Dustin sighs and opens his arms dramatically - Steve thinks he got that from Munson - saying, “If you two just gave up on whatever rivalry there is between you, then you’d really get along. Come on for just one night!”

Steve thinks about it for a moment. Not having to constantly be on edge around the other boy for one night. Not constantly being a target to Munson’s jabs and sarcastic flirtatious quips. Not dealing with him constantly getting up in his physical space just to rile him up. He replies to Dustin, “No way.” He can’t let his guard down for one night because… well… because… he just can’t!

Dustin sighs and steals a plate and three slices of pizza. “You’re going to need more pizza,” is all he says before he announces to everyone that thee pizza is ready.

Steve sighs and looks at his timer which is close to going off - meaning the other pizza already in the oven is done. He’s prepared. He warns the kids that the fresh one is hot but doesn’t bother when Eddie comes in. He only feels a little bad when he hears the boy curse under his breath.

And that’s definitely not why he pulls a cold Coke out of the fridge and hands it to him so he can relieve the pain. He just does it because it’s worth seeing the suspicious face Munson pulls at the kind gesture. Never let them know your next move.

Soon everyone is finishing up their pizza in Steve’s living room where Steve sits on the floor as far away from Munson as he can. “Okay, first up charades!” Steve gives Dustin a look after the announcement. “What? El has never played. Everyone partner up in teams of two!”

Teams of two makes no sense when it comes to this large of a group, but when does anything make sense when it comes to the kids? Oh shit. Everyone pairs off into teams of two - Mike and Will, El and Max, and Lucas and Dustin leaving…

“No way,” Munson announces before Steve can beat him to it.

“For this one game, guys,” Dustin pleads with them.

Steve is about to argue, but he catches the extremely judgmental face Max is making and doesn’t want to even hear whatever comment is swirling around in her head. “Fine. This one game.”

Munson gives him the same suspicious look as they get little scraps of paper to fill out with random things to mime during the game. Once a random bowl is filled with the paper, the teams pair off to sit in the chairs and on the couch.

There’s a small available space left on the couch. Steve takes up the entire space expecting Munson to sit on the floor in front of him. Instead, he shrugs and flops right on top of him. Steve just obnoxiously wraps his hands around his waist and pulls him in tighter until he can tuck his chin over his shoulder. “What a sweetheart,” Munson whispers into his ear then has the audacity to kiss his temple.

Steve tries to suppress a full body shiver and is shocked when Munson doesn’t comment on it. Then the game goes on. At one point, Steve starts absentmindedly stroking his thumb up and down Munson’s arm while watching El and Max score six points. But then there’s a hand in his hair, lightly scratching, and he becomes overly aware of everywhere he’s making contact with Eddie.

He wants to kill him. He also wants to melt against him and give into the touch, but that’s exactly what Eddie wants! So, he ups his game, in whatever game they’re playing, and moves his hand to Eddie’s thigh finding the closest rip in his jeans and hooking his thumb under the material to lightly stroke at the skin there. Then he uses his other hand to sneak a hand under the hem of Eddie’s shirt and stroke at the skin at his waist.

Steve can feel the shape intake of breath as Eddie tenses up then relaxes back against him. The hand in his hair then tugs roughly, and Steve bites back a fucking moan.

He freezes as he realizes where they are. And who they’re around. Steve takes a quick glance around but finds everyone too intrigued in the game to notice whatever the fuck is happening between him and Eddie. The other boy must notice the freeze in his antics because his hand quickly comes out of his hair. “Kids,” Steve whispers.

“Right,” Eddie whispers back. Then the round is ending, and Dustin is jumping up to play which clears a space on the couch next to them. Steve takes the moment to gently move Eddie off of him, knees coming up immediately after the other boy is gone, and he finds Eddie snatching a pillow on his lap. What the fuck.

Steve tries to clear his head during the round, but Eddie’s arm is still pressed against him and it’s overwhelmingly distracting. God he can’t stand him.

Sooner than he expects, Dustin and Lucas’s round is over only racking up four answers and a bitter argument. Steve realizes he and Eddie are the last group to go up. Eddie nudges him to get up, pillow still firmly in his lap, and Steve would make a comment if the sight didn’t make his head spin.

He takes a deep breath as Dustin starts the timer for them, and Steve snatches up a piece of paper - train wreck. Yeah, that’s how he feels. He makes an awkward gesture of his hands coming together then blowing up that no one could possibly get.

“Train wreck.”

Steve grabs another paper - ice. He makes a cube shape with his hand and shivers.

“Igloo… No, ice.”

Dracula. Steve tries making fangs.

“Vampire.” Steve gestures for more. “Dracula!”

Lightsaber. Steve pretends to hold one and slice.

“Lightsaber.”

Steve hears Dustin whisper under his breath, “What the fuck?” As he pulls out paper after paper until the timer runs out.

The kids stare at the two in awe and shock as Dustin announces, “Eighteen. You guys got eighteen…”

Steve and Eddie share a look of slight discomfort. That can’t mean anything. Really. It can’t. Maybe Steve is just good at charades. So, Steve just nods at the man and sits on the couch in front of him. Another round in and Eddie is hooking his legs around Steve’s torso, and Steve is shooting him a glare. Insufferable asshole. He lays his head against his knee to mess with him as Eddie plays with his hair.

Soon enough, it’s their turn again, and Steve is grateful because he was about to embarrassingly doze off comfortably because of Eddie Munson. He takes his place on the couch and watches as Eddie prepares to start. This is the moment they prove everyone wrong about being a good team.

Eddie’s hands make a circle. “Ferris wheel.” Eddie shoots him a look and picks up the next paper. Shit.

His hand awkwardly flops in what Steve supposes is meant to be a wave. “A wave.” Eddie gestures for more. “The ocean.” Eddie picks up another paper.

Eddie points up then use the same hand to gesture something coming up. Something rising… “Sunrise.” Eddie picks up another paper.

Their round goes on the same as before, but this time the kids are all laughing as Steve guesses stuff almost immediately after Eddie makes a gesture. The timer goes off, and Dustin announces, “Twenty-five!”

A big grin splits out on Eddie’s face which Steve is sure he mirrors as he runs over to him and gives him a high-five. “That was so metal!” Eddie says, eyes twinkling with glee. Steve wants to stay in this moment forever.

Wait. No. He doesn’t. He fires back, “Just because I’m excellent at guessing, it had nothing to do with you, Munson.” Unfortunately, the name doesn’t quite land as it usually does, it now sounds a bit twisted up in joy.

Nonetheless, Eddie’s smile slightly falters as he punches Steve’s arm and replies, “I’m just great at miming stuff, Harrington.”

Dustin clears his throat, and Steve realizes they have an audience. “Next up we have Pictionary which is just charades but with drawing. Does anyone want to change groups?”

Steve freezes. Shit. This is supposed to be when he and Munson argue that yes, they do, but before they can Dustin says with a little too much excitement, “Looks like no one does, so we’ll keep it the same!” He goes off to wheel in a whiteboard Steve happened to find in his dad’s unused office.

Eddie sits on the arm of the couch this time - which Steve realizes could’ve been an option the whole time - and whispers, “Guess you’re stuck with me.”

“Because no one wanted to change groups.”

“Well, I didn’t see you raise your hand.”

“I didn’t see you raise your hand either,” Steve fires back but then the reality of what he said hits him. Shit. Eddie shoots him a shit eating grin.

Two rounds in, he’s sliding off the arm of the couch and into Steve’s lap complaining about it being uncomfortable. For some reason, Steve doesn’t tell him to just sit on the floor like he did.

Pictionary goes the same as charades does, with Steve and Eddie somehow on the same wavelength with every single scribble. On their last turn, Eddie’s marker dies out and Steve somehow guesses that the invisible scribbles are the Statue of Liberty.

I think that’s what really does it for everyone. The kids start demanding to know how they’re cheating, and Eddie and Steve actually team up to defend themselves on how they have no idea how they’re so good at the games.

The whole things has everyone switching teams, but it turns out that only Steve and Eddie can guess each other’s gestures and scribbles. At one point Steve yells at Dustin, “How could you not get the Loch Ness Monster from that?!”

And Dustin yells back, “How could you get it from his hand just going up and down?!”

Even when they all agree to do a round of everyone excluding the other half of Steve or Eddie, they find they can only guess around five things from Steve or Eddie on average. They let Steve and Eddie team up one last time and they score above twenty correct guesses on both turns.

It becomes suspicious to the point that Eddie and Steve both start questioning the group on whether they’re faking it. But when Max says, “I don’t think any one of us could’ve guessed that when Eddie’s hand started going up and it wasn’t even past his shoulder that it meant a giraffe - except for you,” Steve cringes and realizes she’s probably right.

He glances at his watch just for something to do when he realizes that they’ve actually been on this argument for a long time. Long enough that Nancy should be there any minute to pick a few of the kids up.

Sure enough, there’s a knock on Steve’s door. “Looks like Nancy is here.”

The teens start to complain about how time has gone too fast, and they'll have to beat Steve and Eddie another time. Dustin finally gets to the door first, then he yells, "Last one to make it to the car is the true loser!" The kids bolt.

Nancy puts her arms up as they pass her. She gives Steve and Eddie a tight smile after she finds all the kids struggling to fit themselves in her car.

"I brought half of them here; I can take them back," Eddie offers kindly. Jeez, Steve wishes he could be like that with him.

"Thank you, but I think they'd kill me if I tried to kick any of them out. You know how they are."

"We definitely do," Steve says and smiles brightly at Nancy. "Tell Robin I said hi."

Nancy's smile turns into a real one as a blush rises on her face. She nods and quickly says her goodbyes. Steve closes the door only to realize Eddie is still there. "Want to help me clean up?" Steve asks, fully expecting a rude response from the man.

"Sure," Eddie says instead, moving to pick up empty soda cans. Steve tries not to let his eyes linger as he bends over to do so. He shakes his head and moves to clean the whiteboard and wheel it back to his father's office.

When he comes back, he finds Eddie has stacked all the cans haphazardly in his arms. "Where's the trash can?" Steve motions for him to follow and pulls out the drawer in his kitchen with his trash can. "Rich people," Eddie mumbles as he drops the cans in.

Steve moves the pizza pans into the sink to wash later as Eddie comes up behind him. "We make a pretty good team, Harrington."

Steve scoffs and turns around, finding Eddie smiling openly at him. He doesn't like it. It feels too... suspicious. "In your dreams, Munson."

Eddie's face falls again. "At least you're nice in my dreams."

Steve laughs. He's got to be kidding. "Why would I be nice to you? You can't stand me, and the feeling is mutual, buddy."

Steve becomes overly aware of how trapped he is with his back digging into the counter. It's worse when Eddie leans forward and puts his hands on the counter at each side. Steve's crossed arms are the only reason Eddie isn't fully pressed up against him. And he does not want to put his arms down and fulfill the want in his traitorous mind.

Eddie breath ghosts over his lips as he says, "Yeah, you invade my space at every given moment with your hands itching to touch me because you can't stand me so much."

Steve cocks his head and leans further into Eddie's space, not afraid of the close proximity. "Yet look who's the one invading mine first."

"And look who's leaning into it."

With that Steve shoves Eddie off of him. He doesn't want to play these fucking mind games with the asshole. What he really wants is to get as far away from his as possible and to take a really cold shower.

Eddie laughs, and Steve just needs him to shut the fuck up for once. And that's the exact moment he storms into Eddie's space and kisses him.

And that's the exact moment he realizes he's fucked up.

(Thank you @henderdads for encouraging me to turn my concept into a ficlet, and since I am unable to stop myself from writing way more than I intend and making everything into a wip... I will be dropping the AO3 Link to this once I continue it. Also, this isn't even the whole first chapter or part to this story ahhhh)

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie fanfic #another... wip #are you kidding me

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calliopesdiary · 5 months

Text

“you’re too sweet for me” part two

read part 1 here!

wc: 693

summary; you partially own your mums coffee & flower shop, so it’s no secret that you’d have a little (big) work crush on a boy whom you only know from his signature on the receipts.

ships; poly!marauders x fem!barista!reader

contents; mild language, sirius is a flirt, slight gilmore girls reference

*ring, ring.*

“hello?”

“hey, darling.”

oh gods… that familiar voice… he called you… didn’t he?

“o-oh, hi.”

“you sound surprised, was i not supposed to call the cute girl who works at my favorite coffee shop?”

fuck, here comes the blush.

“i-i just.. didn’t expect you to want too.”

“well, i did want too.”

you could almost hear his cocky grin.

“so, since we’re calling, i was just wondering if we could go out sometime? just casual, getting to know eachother?”

he sounded so confident.

“m-me? you want to go out with.. me?”

“you are the person i’m asking, love.”

“…”

“so.. is that a yes—“

“yes! yes! i mean— sure… that sounds…. fun?”

“great— oh! and i’m sure you won’t mind my boyfriends joining, hm?”

“boyfriends…? fuck! i knew he wasn’t single—“

“they’d like to get to know you as much as i would.”

“… they would?”

“mmmhm.”

“that’s fine.”

“perfect, i’ll pick you up from the shop at eight, will your mum mind?”

“i don’t think so— no.”

“perfect, see you then. love.”

“s-see you!”

“…mum!!! i’ve got a date with my favorite customer.”

you raced upstairs.

shaking your nerves out was a bit more difficult than it seemed, you had dreamed of this moment ever since Sirius had merely stepped into your shop.

though you never expected to go on a date with him and his two boyfriends.

"what's the hand shaking for, sweetheart?" your mum lovingly placed her hands on your shoulders to try and ease any anxiety.

"mum... its not... just Sirius."

"Oh, is it those two other boys aswell?"

"...how do you know about Remus and James?"

"They come into the florist section of the shop every saturday to purchase flowers for Sirius.

"Oh."

"Sweetie, you do not need to be nervous. you look so beautiful."

"thanks, mum."

You smiled sweetly up to your mum, before you heard a knock on the door of your apartment.

"Go get em', sweetie."

you smiled back at her, as you turned the door knob anxiously.

"hi, Sirius.'

"Hi... y-y/n"

poor thing might've been just as nervous as you were.

"y-you look... very nice..."

he smiled.

"thank you."

"Remus and James are in the car, are you ready to go?"

you nodded lightly, and he led you to the car. you felt your stomach flutter as he opened the car door for you, motioning for you to get in.

you were sat next to Remus, he put his book down and greeted you politely.

"you look lovely, Y/N."

"thank you, Remus. so do you."

you could tell James was nervous, he smiled back to you and complimented your looks.

after a small debate on where to go and what to do, you ultimately decided on going to an old library (you loved reading, so it was up your alley)

the date was so lovely, it almost felt like you guys had known eachother for years.

was it just your imagination? or did they really like you back? was it too good to be true? you couldn't decide, and you found yourself dreading the date ever ending.

but all things come to an end, but hopefully this was the start of something life changing.

you pulled into your apartments parking lot, and you were helped out of the car by James.

"it was lovely, tonight."

he smiled at your slightly flustered expression.

"i really enjoyed it..."

you met his gaze, and you yearned for more than just eye contact.

you stopped at your front door, he faced you with a slight blush on his face.

"..can i kiss you?"

"James-"

"please?"

"o-okay..."

he leaned down, pressing his plump lips against your soft ones. basking in the glory of finally kissing you.

his lips tasted like straight heaven, and his hand crept to the small of your back. leaning into your lips until you both broke off.

"t-thank you..."

he chuckled softly at your chosen words.

"have a goodnight, love."

he smiled, and left you at the front door.

suddenly, your mum swung the door open, causing you to jolt.

"mum!"

"you said thank you? sweetheart he kissed you, don't say thank you."

taglist~ @wednesdaynn @imobsessedwitholiviarodrigo @here-am-i-sitting-in-a-tin-can @glamourbabe17 @carolinexkpop @imdoingbetternow @wildwild64 @ellecdc @messylxve

#marauders era #fem!reader #remus lupin #sirius black #james potter #marauders #poly!marauders x reader #fanfiction #barista!reader #calliopes stories

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vminizzle · 2 years

Text

Reflection

pairing : husband!jungkook x f.reader

genre : SMUT, fluff

warnings : marking, praising, pet names, they’re in love huh, penetration, unprotected sex, love making, mirror sex, creampie

words count : 1.7k

A/N : hello lovely people, well husband!jungkook is such a thing gosh, I had to write this. ngl, I got turned on while writing this. The idea was prob better in my head? !POOR ENGLISH! anyways, I hope you guys will like it. Have a nice day everyone. -sunny

FEEDBACKS ARE VERY WELCOMED

M RATED

“here we are!” Jungkook exclaimed happily as he opened the big doors.

You both entered the beautiful villa you booked for the week-end. Jungkook walked beside you, holding his suitcase in one hand, his other hand on your lower back as you walked further through the villa.

You looked around you, admiring the decorations adorning the living room’s tables and walls. It looked so expensive. You had a good view of the pool situated in the garden from the sliding glazed door. The water seemed so clear as the bright sun reflected into it. The water was probably warm, comfortable to swim. Flowers, transats were arranged on the beige tiled floor around the pool. It was just so beautiful. Dream house perhaps?

“what about a midnight bath later, huh?” your husband said teasingly making you roll your eyes.

You walked towards the stairs and went upstairs, Jungkook helping you with your suitcase carrying it for you.

As you opened the bedroom’s doors you were welcomed by the type of large well-decorated and modern bedroom you only see on the internet or in rich people’s in movies. Your eyes sparkled as you approched the floor to ceiling windows, looking outside you could have a great view of the big backyard.

You turned to Jungkook, this one already looking at you smiling softly. You smiled widely as you walked back to him to hug him tightly. “thank you!”

He pecked your forehead gently “everything for my wife."

You smiled before sitting on the edge of the bed.

“You know you look really good in that black shirt.” you smirked as he approached you.

“and y’know you look so so good in that dress.” he smirked before separating your crossed legs so he can stand in-between them.

“you’d look even better without it.” he caressed your warm cheeks softly before kneeling down in front of you, letting his hands rest on your exposed thighs.

You looked down at him, the way he stared straight into your eyes made you avert his gaze.

“look at me love.” he ordered with a gentle voice.

You shook your head, too shy to face him.

Jungkook chuckled before grabbing your chin gently turning your head but you closed your eyes before making eye contact.

This time, he laughed making you smiled “open your eyes pretty please don’t be shy."

You opened your eyes “happy?” you mumbled a little pout making its appearance on your lips.

Jungkook placed his hand on your hip as he lowered his head a bit to place a little kiss on your thigh making you shiver at the sudden contact. His lips looked so soft against your skin.

You bit your bottom lip as he started kissing higher pushing your dress up slowly. He hummed satisfied against your skin as you tangled your fingers into his soft hair.

“Jungkook.” you whispered making him lift his head to look at you “kiss me."

“gladly.”

You lowered your body enough to be face to face with him. You put your hand on his cheek before connecting your lips together. His lips were definitively the softest thing on earth. You moaned softly into the kiss as he sucked on your bottom lips gently. He got up not breaking the kiss, making you back up on the bed, laying you down gently before hovering over you.

“you look so pretty like that under me.” he licked his lip admiring your flustered face, placing one of his hand on your waist but he noticed how distracted you were, something else grabbed your attention.

Jungkook tilted his head on the side curiously before finally looking up to the ceiling. There it was..

The infamous mirror ceiling. just. above. the. bed.

“damn.” he whistled rolling on his back next to you.

"that’s a pretty big mirror.” he said before smirking.

You knew he had something not-so-holy in mind, you cursed internally ready to hear what he had to say.

“you know mirrors are so cool.” he started making you sigh.

“and also really useful in many ways. You know what can be cool right now?” he pursed his lips.

You played with your fingers nervously, humming so he could continue.

He turned on his side, placing one hand on your belly before talking again.

“how about I make love to you while you watch us huh? see how pretty you look when you’re under me as I pleasure you. Would you love that, my love?” he whispered into your ear before nibbling on your earlobe making goosebumps raised on your skin, your body heating up at his words making you close your legs as you felt this familiar sensation down there.

Your lips parted, no words ready to escaped from your mouth. Just the thought made your heartbeats picked up the pace, picturing the scene in your head made you feel dizzy. Jungkook smirked at your current state, knowing the effect his words had on you.

“close your mouth, you’re literally drooling honey.” he laughed.

You rolled your eyes. “don’t say non-sense.”

“I guess it’s a yes?” he asked to be sure you were consented. You nodded shyly making him smile at how cute you were.

He sat up on the bed pulling you up with him, his hands finding their places on your sides “can I?” he gestured pulling on the hem of you dress.

“yes.” you answered lifting your arms up so he could easily pull it off of you.

He threw the clothe on the floor, his eyes now wandered on your lace-covered body “so beautiful.” He bit his bottom lip, his pants getting uncomfortably tight as his fingertips were sliding slowly over the lacy bra. You wearing lingerie being one of his weakness and biggest turn on.

You timidly reached up to unbutton his shirt, popping a button one by one slowly.

You got rid of his shirt discarding it on the floor as you kept your eyes on his well built body "you staring“ Jungkook said teasingly.

You closed your eyes embarrassed, not wanting to look at him anymore.

He came closer, you could felt his presence, he was so close. He finally kissed you, his lips envelopping yours into a loving kiss. You placed your arms around his neck pulling him closer to you.

Your husband gently pushed you on your back as he hovered above you, his strong arms on each sides of your head "i love you.” he whispered looking down at you with so much love.

"i love you Jungkook” you caressed his cheek.

He lowered himself, burying his face into the crook of your neck as he started leaving little wet kisses making you turned your head to the side giving him more access. His tattooed hand started cascading down your body, caressing your side as he reached your panties pulling it down your legs.

Making out while undressing each other, you suddenly thought about what he said earlier, making you glance at mirror above you. Your bare bodies coming into your vision making you gulp.

You moaned softly as you felt him pressing against you.

“Jungkook” you whined as he teased your entrance with the tip of his cock.

He kissed you as you pulled him on you, his chest against yours. He placed one your leg over his waist, ruting foward against your core making you moan loudly “stop teasing!”

He rubbed his erection between your glistening lips. “you ready baby?”

You nodded eagerly. He entered you slowly making sure to not hurt you. You threw your head back in the pillows gripping on his shoulders as he bottomed out.

“don’t forget what i told you baby. Look up and watch.” he licked your jawline before sucking softly on the skin leaving loving marks.

You rolled your eyes as the pleasure started consuming you. You tried to look up, the view makimg you clench around him.

“f-fuck baby! do you like what you see? huh? you like the way I take you?” he groaned into your neck.

His grip on your thigh tightened as he adjusted it higher on his hip the new position helping him hit deeper. “you feel so good princess.”

Your nails started forming little crescents on his back as you held him close. The way his back muscles flexed everytime he moved made you weak.

You arched your back off the bed as he hit deeper “Ah Jungkook! I’m so close!” you cried out.

Jungkook suddenly rolled on his back placing you on top of him “ride me my love."

He looked up at you as he placed his arm behind him to support his head and one hand resting on top of your thigh.

You planted your hands on his chest to keep your balance as you started moving. “fuck yea that’s it! keep going baby!” he moaned deeply.

He looked up at the ceiling smirking, the reflection of you on top of him making him growled “you look so hot like that."

You whimpered as he gripped your hips making you move faster.

“I’m so fucking close!” he bit his bottom lip the flesh turning white as you picked up the pace, your climax getting closer and closer.

His fingernails were digging into your sides as he helped you moving. “I’m coming!” you moaned loudly making Jungkook groaned as you kept on clenching around him pushing him over the edge of his own orgasm.

He came inside you, his warm cum filling you up to the brim, your name sweetly passing by his lips as he closed his eyes shut enjoying your warmth around him.

You let your body collapsed on top of him, burying your head into his neck as you left a soft kiss on the sweaty skin. He caressed your sides before capturing you in a hug “you were so good my love”.

He pulled out as you roll next to him letting one of your leg rest on his thin waist. He laid his hand there, stroking the smooth skin “look at how hot you are” he pointed up to the mirror.

You whined embarrassed, hiding your face onto his sweaty chest. Jungkook’s eyes stayed on your bodies, admiring how you completed each other. He was staring at your figure lovingly.

After a few minutes, he whispered an" i love you“ and kissed your forehead gently realizing that you fell asleep into his arms.

—

A/N : guys, i think it’s definitely one of my fav writings. I mean, I feel like it’s not that bad!! And gosh, I have feelings for Jungkook. I need to marry him! ahah.. thanks for reading ~

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matchamiko · 6 months

Note

i was just thinking about how oblivious denji would be to someone crushing on him the other day… i never thought of him as the type to instantly know (mostly because he doesn’t know what it feels like) but once he does know? you’d think you’d never hear the end of it from him relentlessly flirting with and teasing you, but in reality he ends up just as flustered and shy as you are.

bless his poor heart when he tries asking you out, because no matter how much he tries to play it cool and be the casanova he thinks he was destined to be, his hands are shaking as he gives you flowers he probably stole money from aki’s wallet to buy LOL

₊˚⊹ ᰔ Warnings: first kiss, AFAB reader (use of princess + girlfriend).

₊˚⊹ ᰔ note: m sorry if I did him bad, I haven’t seen much CSM but he’s silly to me and super cute

You’re so right !!! I think he’s so used to seeing relationships in magazines and on tv, this fantastical romantic performance of falling in love and chasing and yearning; that he doesn’t see what’s exactly in front of him. And that’s on him being kinda dumb. Aki sees it instantly; the way you talk more animatedly, seeing them all more, always looking for Denji when you enter a room, searching for his praise and assurance and opinions, subtly fluttering your lashes and pressing yourself against him, asking if you looked pretty and getting a “yeah sure princess” in return.

God does it make your tummy tighten when he calls you that.

He’s so oblivious sometimes, but with very specific things. Denji knows when an advance is being made, he’s hot and cute and of course people have made passes at him so when you touch his thigh or measure your hand against his; he knows you’re sweet on him instantly. He’s all about touching you, getting touched in return so when it comes to the sweet talk and flirtations you shakily send to him; Denji balks and freezes up. He knows something’s up, that you’re trying something with him but he’s nervous and a little unsure with your compliments and adoring questions. He’ll answer you sure, asking for a twirl if you’re wearing something cute or agreeing that those two sweet old seagulls are the two of you but it’s with sweaty palms and a furrowed brow.

It takes a stern talking to from Aki and several yen bills shoved into his pockets to make him snap out of whatever funk he’s in, stringin’ you along like that without even askin’ you out.

Denji is so desperate for you, all lopsided smiles and shrugged shoulder but he’s also so goddamn sweaty. He wants to kiss the back of your hand like the good guys in movies do but he’s kinda sticky and he’s to embarrassed to rub his palms on his jeans - so you do it to him instead, bowing politely and kissing the back of his knuckles softly, lips pillowy and all he’s ever dreamed,

“Did Aki also tell you to ask me out? Cause that’s so cliche of him,” you giggle and sigh in some kind of defeat, looking down at your feet, “I didn’t think you’d catch on, thought I might’ve been too shy yknow? My sister always told me I had to be more confident if I wanted a boyfriend,”

Denji fizzes at the word. Boyfriend. His ears twitch and he puffs out a nervous laugh,

“S’cute that you’re shy,” he fishes something out of his pocket, a paper bag filled with three red bean taiyaki, kind of squashed but still warm from the street vendor, “I was kinda stupid about it to be honest, m’not used to the attention like that - the cute shy kind,”

You inch closer and cup his hands around the bag, visibly flustered but braving the intimacy. Your fingers brush his as you open the crinkled paper, pulling out the fish-shaped pastry and Denji swallows so thickly, he’s scared you heard,

“So?” You tear the fish in half and simmer at the steam hissing off the crimson filling. Denji blinks stupidly when you hand him the tail,

“Uhh, so what? Did you want the tail instead?”

Somewhere in a kitchen, Aki sneezes and curses his roommate.

“So d’you wanna be my boyfriend?” You nibble on the flaky pastry, humming at the sweet taste and Denji wishes he was the cause of your pretty noise. Your question sends him sagging with a weird kind of relief, glad you asked him instead of the other way around because he’s sure he would have probably either sounded too nonchalant or thrown up with anxiety over his wording of it,

“Only if you wanna be my girlfriend,” your cheeks heat up and Denji smiles brightly, shoulders hunching in an effort to get closer to you, biting into the cake with a noise of appreciation,

“I asked first you dummy, that’s not how you’re suppose to - you’re so silly sometimes Denji,”

He’s spooked. Eyes wide when you surge forwards, crushing the bag of snacks to his chest and leaning up into his personal space. Out of instinct, Denji leans away from you but you’re instant, eyes closed and lips parted.

You kiss him. Chaste and warm, nose bumping his and he nearly rips the bag he’s still holding, annoyingly. It takes him a second to respond, shocked at your boldness considering your previously shy nature but he responds either way. Denji cranes his neck down, forcing you backwards a little and you squeak at his reciprocation, mouth open and teeth nipping your lip. He can taste the taiyaki on your breath and you clutch at his wrists sandwiched between your chests with a sweet little sigh. The two of you part after a moment, his cheeks dark with flush and it feels like you’re shaking,

“You’re still silly,” you mumble and he lets out a heavy breath,

“M’your silly now,”

“That doesn’t even make sense oh my god,”

#u know what I’m proud of this I love Denji he’s soooo dreamy and cute #miko.muses #denji x reader #denji x you #csm x reader #chainsaw man x reader #csm x you #chainsaw man x you #chainsaw man

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blueberrypancakesworld · 8 months

Note

Hey there! So I’ve just recently gotten into Lost Boys, and was wondering if you could write a short where they meet the reader by saving them from the train during the bridge scene? Poor reader is just hanging onto Dwayne for dear life, begging for him not to drop her. And they’re all tryna be funny and make her laugh so she’s less scared. And then they take her home and she’s left flustered cause four hot guys actually talked to her lol.

Our hearts hold you little bat

warning : fluff&comfort, tiny angst, implied flirting

info : Four hot guys that are also vampires what a dream. Happy that you recently gott into tlb. I was very happy writing this for your dear anon. So I hope you like it and have fun reading, everyone else too ;)

masterlist

In a town like Santa Carla, it felt like there were only three things to do. You walked along the beach and swam in the sea, you went to the funfair and listened to music or you simply walked through the town and nature in the hope that something would happen.

But your choice fell into the third category. In a town like Santa Carla, she had visited the beach thousands of times, sunbathed in the water and enjoyed diving, which had only led to a few small fish that got boring after ten times.

The funfair and the concerts that would take place almost every weekend. Even after hundreds of thousands of visits, they were still entertaining and she liked dancing, eating cotton candy and singing with her friends and family.

But everything becomes too much at some point and she found that the night in this city slightly outside where you could have your peace and quiet was so much better. Peace and quiet is good too she thought as she looked up at the moon in the background as she turned to the beach which was still lit up, she could still hear the music, the saxophone being played could still be heard here.

"Like my own background music," she quipped and continued along the path, still old but still in use, it seemed to fit everything here. It was the height of strange people in the city while she also saw herself among them, but what was normal in this city?

She knew that she could get scared just as well as the other young adults, children and teenagers. ,,Not the murder capital of the world for nothing," she muttered as she walked along the path and saw the old bridge that Hlz and metal had seen for decades and probably years.

A beautiful constuction that stood under the stars, a constuction with history. History of the place she was interested in the place she was interested in. But one look at the party on the beach made her realize again that although she was having fun, she hadn't found a boyfriend or a relationship here yet, it wasn't that there weren't any dates but it had never happened in any way. She didn't really know how and the boys didn't want to.

But she shook off the thought, the wood creaked under her shoes, the metal seemed to tense up, but not because of her, was it? Something she didn't think about because the only thing she could never remember was when the train was coming. Running her hands over the railing, she didn't see the figures below her, the four beings, the handsome creatures in the form of four boys.

Enjoying the view, she looked at the beach, the city lights, the stars in the sky and the moon. It was a beautiful moment in the darkness of the evening. But this beautiful moment was interrupted by a fibrillation that brought her out of her thoughts as she looked beside her. ,,Oh shit!" she exclaimed as she caught the light and started to run.

She knew the bridge was long, the wood was rotten, the metal was rusty and the path wouldn't take her home straight away. It was as if, for the first time in this town, she was feeling terrified in the face of death. The pleading and running she could hear the horn, the light coming closer and the rattling of the wheels rumbling in her chest.

,,Come on fuck please just a little more" she mumbled but something inside her told her that she couldn't outrun a train traveling several hours and miles. A cry of fear escaped her as she closed her eyes and realized that she was not going to be caught by the train for a second when she suddenly felt arms around her.

Arms that were under a leather jacket, a dark leather jacket with a leopard on the sleeve and a bare torso underneath. ,,Wh-What?" she mumbled as she realized she wasn't caught in the train. But she screamed when she saw the ground beneath her and clung to someone. A person in the air? Confused, she looked at the man who looked at her with a slightly amused grin.

,,I've got you," he said calmly and she clawed at the scratching post like a cat, but the stranger didn't seem to mind. ,,Oh, Dwayne, don't be so shy... hey, sweetheart, do you have to scare us like that?" she heard a voice and looked carefully beside her, clawing even more at Dwayne, who was still holding her like she was nothing. A blond man flew next to them, long blond voluminous hair and a smile on his lips as he put his hand on hers.

,,You're flying? What-what are you Superman?" she asked, still not understanding what was going on, it was like a shadow the four of them. She had seen these four before on the solid but always just like a shadow. A damn good-looking shadow.

A laugh came from the four of them which made her squirm and she made a startled sound as one flew headlong towards her. ,,Don't hate, just grin I mean look at the view...besides I'm Marko, volumen hair is Paul and there in front is David" said the one with the curly hair and she saw the last of the four. She saw the light blond spiky hair, the leather coat and the glimpses of the cigarette.

,,Marko's right, sweetheart... enjoy this night view until you're back on the ground, don't want it to be uncomfortable," David said and gave her a grin as he joined his group. She tried to concentrate on the view, even though she kept looking back at the four of them.

Marko grinned at her and tried to tell her stories, Paul made bad jokes, David offered her a cigarette every now and then and talked about something, and Dwayne praised her for how well she was doing. The beauty of the creatures no it wasn't true she had seen the pointy fangs. These four beautiful vampires were really the best part of the night.

At some point it was quite nice to see the city from above and especially Dwayne's hands still holding her. She gave the four of them her address as the morning slowly threatened to come again and they flew there.

Luckily for her, she had left her window open because having to explain to her parents why four punky looking boys were standing outside the house was complicated.

,,Here sweetie," said Dwayne, gently helping her through the window as she finally got her feet back on the ground and the four of them hovered in front of her window. It was only now that she realized what had happened that a grin came to her lips and she could barely contain her excitement.

Four handsome vampires had rescued her and flown through the night. that was incredible i mean the train-you vampires...thank you for everything" she thanked the four of them who smiled at her.

,,Oh sweetie you have no idea how good everything will be tomorrow night at the same time" David mumbled and she knew she would be there, knew she was flying with the four of them again. But most of all she knew that there was now a fourth option. To roam the night with the lost boys.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#the lost boys #the lost boys 1987 #tlb 1987 #tlb david x reader #tlb dwayne x reader #tlb paul x reader #tlb marko x reader #tlb david #tlb marko #tlb dwayne #tlb paul

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sugar-omi · 9 months

Note

Just some brainrot because we love Cove. (Also, your fics are soooo good. Thanks for sharing it with us. I mean omega! and rockstar!cove :o )

So, we have Step 3 Cove in hand some time after Patreon's nsfw moment. MC is obssessed with giving him head, of course. He's so cute when you do...what can I say ? I'm a simple human. So yes they do it often, like casually saying : "Cove, I'm hungry." while you two are casually hanging out. At first he doesn't understand but the look in your eyes convey your message to him.

Most of the time, you'll be totally satisfied with just leaving him all red, dishevelled and flustered. Just having him putty in your hand makes your day. But at some point, when you ask Cove to come to your house (without kinky ideas in mind for once) he asks you if your just horny. While it makes sense, I like imagining that MC decides to not get him off anymore. Obviously until he begs, all red and pent up, for a release.

In the meantime, MC just spent their time teasing him. Light touches, flirty remarks and maybe getting him all worked up while making out only to purposefully stop. The poor guy, will clearly snap if show up at his door, anklet on.

This was a bit long and I'm sorry if there's any mistake as english isn't my first language.

I LOVE YOU ANON IM SO GLAD YOU LIKE ROCKSTAR!COVE TOO HEHE 🙈🙈🙈(omega!cove too, im having sm thoughts abt him lately...) also dw your english is perfect n i feel like you took an exert outta my head LMAO

tags : NSFW, hc's, gn reader, multiple choice dialogue, this just a really big ramble bc i've been a zombie thinking abt this shit n now we're here...., mmm overstim, oral (cove/reader receiving), reader's a TEASE, mind break honestly, ooc but idc 🏌️

he's confused when you first make subtle hints/advances, but i think realization hits him like a truck a millisecond later

for the longest you two wouldn't be able to keep your hands off each other

late at night sneaking into the others room so you can suck cove off, trying to keep all the slurping and gagging noises to a minimum

cove's moans are another struggle, but i say climb on top of him and let him eat you out / suck you off while you suck him off too

ohh his head would SPIN with that

he almost woke up your mom's last week because he moaned a little too loud when he finished

so now you're on top of him, your lovely ass and sex in his face

ahhh he'd be so fucking cute. teary eyed and whining into and drooling all over your cunt / cock, pulling you down onto his face so he can get more of you

also i loveee the thought of sucking him off in his car

realistically, i don't think step 3 cove could even handle the thought, he'd probably faint and hit his head n die LMAO

but arghh it'd be so hot

you went on a nice date, and now you're sitting in the parking lot of a beach far from home late at night, and tonight was so much fun.

shopping, movies, you even got some nice food from a hole in the wall restaurant

and now you're finally alone, no one around to see your boyfriend throw his head back, claw at the steering wheel and moan and babble and try not to thrust up into your mouth because he doesn't wanna hurt you

he's so whiny, and so loud

you've been sneaking around for awhile now, you can't blame him for wanting to be vocal because fuck your hot, wet mouth around his cock is so hot

and definitely doesn't help he's probably overstimulated, his cock so sensitive because you've been touching n sucking him off so much

let alone when he's rubbing one out in the shower before a date/event or in the middle of the night because he had a wet dream about you<333

mmm idk about yall, but i would break him <333

of course he doesn't interpret every touch or invite as sexual, but i also you've ruined him so you can't blame him, its your fault 🤭🤭

so now whenever you rub and squeeze his thigh, or give him a hot kiss, or say something like "cove, i wanna leave now... " or "come over, i miss you <3"

or send him a spicy text, "i had a dirty dream about you, can i come over, please?"

also omfg i would be so satisfied with just teasing him too…

i love it so much. it’s the best actually

mm i like having long nails, i’m always thinking about getting a new set/doing your nails all pretty and you’re showing them off to cove then you tell him “i wanna see how they look around your dick”

he’d love that omfg

imagine dragging your nails over his chest, teasing his sensitive nipples before you move down, pulling out his dick and giving languished strokes while you kiss him breathless, only moving onto leaving love bites all over his neck n chest once he’s a drooling, blushing mess <33

i think he’s gotten used to your late night/midday booty calls too

so when you invite him over, he can’t help but anticipate sex

but instead you’ve set up some snacks and a movie you’ve been waiting to come out set up on the TV and now cove looks like a fool with a half hard dick and with how fast he rushed over here

when you ask what’s wrong he’s mumbling, stuttering out how he thought you had ulterior motives for inviting him over…

so now it’s his fault because now he’s set up on your couch with him on your lap, teasing him about how he’s too horny to even imagine his s/o would want a normal date, no ulterior motives whatsoever

how he probably can’t even hold your hand without thinking about how you jerked him off in the bathroom of his workplace

and you’re so fucking right

because some days he can’t even kiss you without remembering his taste on your lips, can’t forget how your legs were trembling on either side of his head and now you’re having lunch with your families

how you’re sharing ice cream and jokes with your friends like you didn’t pull him aside before you left and got him off, begging him to cum, that you need to taste him to get by

omfg i also love the reverse/the consequence of breaking cove this way

because either way, he’s obsessed with you too

needs to taste you, have you… he’s just dying every day to have you under his hands, on his tongue..

and i can’t decide which i love more.. teasing cove bc he needs to have you, or teasing cove bc he gets so wound up from you needing him often

bc both is so delicious, and both of them scratch my brain so much

cove eagerly eating you out / sucking you off at the beach, he can’t even focus on teaching you surfing/surfing with you or building sandcastles, etc. because all he can think about is you n having his mouth on you…

you’ll show him a new outfit or sit in his lap or cuddle up next to him, etc. and now he’s thinking about ruining you in those clothes or sinking onto his knees giving you head while you lay back on the couch, still focused on your show

i love how in the ORCA dinner moment cove gets tense when you touch his thigh

i think he’d definitely be obsessed with you teasing him, working him up, dirty talking him especially

oh fuck i almost forgot. in the first patreon nsfw moment, he loves when you pull away before he finishes and you “don’t want it to end”

so technically this is canon <3333

so he’d definitely love is you pulled up to your date one day, anklet on and looking so lovely

n you’re touching his thigh, telling him how good he looks, kissing him suddenly and then pulling him into a deeper kiss when he gets it together

at some point you end up in his car, too busy swapping spit and slipping your hands where you can to get a feel of each other under those clothes, to even make it home

of course eventually you do, but even then your teasing doesn’t stop

ohhh sitting in his lap, rolling your hips into his, kissing him breathless until he’s babbling

you try to pull away, partially to tease cove but also because its late and his dad will be back any time now

but he convinces you to just get each other off, that you’ll have enough time so please?

and while you’re jerking cove off, you hear cliff’s car pull up and cove has not been quiet whatsoever, you couldn’t possibly risk it

but he’s so desperate, he’s so close to finishing, you can’t stop now!!

on the verge of tears prbly, all blushy and hot and a total mess

babbling about how he’ll be quiet so please make him cum, he’ll be good so please.

he’s such a doll, and he does keep his promise, even if it means shoving your undies in his mouth or muffling him some other way, like with your hands, lips, or sex

or you can let him bite/hide his face in the pillow, messing up his bed from all his squirming…

fuck this turned into such a big ramble tysm for sending this, im sorry i used this as a chance to unleash my apocalypse of horny brainworms LOL

#cove holden #olba #our life: beginnings & always #cove holden x reader #smut #cove holden smut #cove holden x mc #cove holden x reader smut

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tgmsunmontue · 2 months

Text

To wake, perchance to dream WIP 3/?

Hangster - Jake wakes up ~13 years in the future and thinks he has amnesia. Instead it's a glimpse of what his life could be. When he wakes up right before being called back to Top Gun for the special detachment he's going to try his damndest to make that future come true...

CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

He’s never seen the wheels of the Navy work so fast, which makes him equal parts excited and apprehensive about what he’s going into. It’s obviously big, and difficult. And incredibly time sensitive. Also it’s a fucking ego boost to know that he’s been picked to assist in whatever is happening. He wracking his brain and trying to remember if there was anything that had maybe been mentioned or left as a clue by his other self… There’s nothing that jumps out though so he’s going in blind and just has to hope that being himself and repeating Bradley’s words, about being patient with him, are going to be enough.

When he sees Javy, younger, much less grey, he just grins and holds him tight. If he’s here then everything feels like it’ll be alright. He’s been a part of Jake’s life forever and there for every major milestone. If he’s here then he knows he can deal with anything and everything thrown his way. They enter the Hard Deck and Jake grabs them a couple of beers, jerks his head towards the dart board.

“Come on, I need to beat you at darts.”

“Twenty bucks you can’t get three in a row.”

He lands the three darts effortlessly, and god it feels good to not have a single care in the world right now, even if he’s wondering where Bradley might be. How he can maybe get his number and start up… something. Anything. Javy insists they move to pool, which is fine, he has even less of a chance of beating Jake at pool but he’ll let him keep dreaming. The bell rings indicating there’s a round on some poor sucker who has either insulted the Navy or a lady, or a complete greenhorn who has placed their phone on the bar. He sinks two balls simultaneously, impressing even himself and Javy makes an annoyed exclamation and he grins, looks up and…

“What do we have here? If it ain’t Phoenix! And here I thought we were special, Coyote. Turns out the invite went to anyone,” Jake teases, because the woman in front of him is going to become one of his best friends and she needs to know he’s not going to stop being his normal slightly irritating self. And she’s going to make Javy so happy, and he already loves her for that.

“Fellas, this here’s Bagman.”

“Hangman,” Jake corrects. Damn. He’d forgotten she could give as good as she could take but that Bagman feels like an insult now but it was a teasing endearment what only feels like a few days ago.

“Whatever. You’re looking at the only naval aviator on active duty with a confirmed air-to-air kill.”

“Stop,” Jake says, pretending to be flustered, because that’s better than spiraling again, thinking too much about actually killing someone.

“Mind you, the other guy was in a museum piece from the Korean war.”

“Cold war.”

“Different wars, same century.”

“Not this one.”

“Who are your friends?”

“Payback.”

“Fanboy.”

�� Jake feels a swoop of recognition because those callsigns were in his phone, these people are going to become important enough to him for him to have them in his phone in the future. And they’ll have the same callsigns.

“Hey Coyote.”

“Hey.”

Jake’s eyebrows shoot up, because that tone of voice tells him a story he hasn’t heard before. These two have a history, and it’s one that isn’t that far in the past and he shoots Javy a look, because he is dragging that story out of him kicking and screaming.

“Who’s he?” Phoenix asks, and his attention is drawn away from his best friend and there’s another aviator sitting to the side eating peanuts and Jake blinks, doesn’t recognize him at all.

“Who’s who?” Javy asks, Jake can tell he’s a little peeved Phoenix is no longer paying him attention, but Jake can direct this.

“When did you get in?”

“Oh, I’ve been here the whole time.”

“The man’s a stealth pilot.”

“Literally.”

“Weapons systems officer, actually.”

“With no sense of humor,” Jake adds, rolling his eyes.

He leaves Phoenix setting up the table with Bob, indicates he’s going to leave them to their small talk and collect the free drinks and… Penny. He had dinner with her, and she’s Amelia’s mom, and he’s not met Amelia yet, but that witty, intelligent woman he knows he considers family, who he knows put herself in his phone as Best Person Ever…

“Penny, my dear.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll have four more on the old-timer,” Jake says, and as he studies the other guy more closely he would swear it’s Maverick. Bradley’s father-figure who he feels like he just had Sunday dinner with, along with Penny. Except this guy looks considerably younger, which he guesses makes sense and then he does a double take and looks at Penny. She’s looking at the guy, the maybe-Maverick like she’s not sure what to do about him and…

Holy shit.

If it is Maverick they aren’t together. Yet.

He hears Phoenix yell out Bradshaw and he can’t stop his head whipping around to look. There’s Bradley, looking younger and just as gorgeous, wearing one of his shirts and his hair just short enough to be regulation still, watches with amusement as Phoenix proceeds to use the pool cue to hit Bradley in the balls, and he’s glad he’s not the only one she’s acerbic with. Well, she’s not with Coyote and that’s interesting. He glances at the guy he thinks is Maverick from the corner of his eye, he’s not making any move to go and talk to Bradley, so maybe it’s just another guy who looks a lot like him.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you. Much appreciated, pops,” Jake says, because it pays to be polite and he’s not totally convinced, can’t quite read the name, but can see the wings. He heads back to the others, stopping by the jukebox on the way, finds a song that he likes and then passes the beers around before steeling himself to see his… husband?

“Bradshaw. As I live and breathe.”

“Hangman. You look… good.”

Amusement and arousal swoops through him, the beginning of this playful back-and-forth seeming familiar from his weird dream, and he grins.

“Well, I am good, Rooster. I’m very good. In fact, I am too good to be true.”

Part of him is thrilling inside, because this exchange feels familiar, like it’s right and the beginning of something, except instead of getting a grin Bradley is rolling his eyes and Jake’s gut clenches. Of course it’s not going to be that easy and his good mood immediately dissolves.

“So…” Javy says, and Jake can almost hear the eye roll. “Anybody know what this special detachment is all about?”

“No, mission’s a mission. They don’t confront me. What I want to know: Who’s gonna be team leader? And which one of y’all has what it takes to follow me?”

“Hangman, the only place you’ll lead anyone is an early grave.”

What the fuck? Jake stands up from where he’d been about to take a shot, anger flashing through him and

“Ooooh.”

“Well, anyone who follows you is just gonna run out of fuel. But that’s just you, ain’t it, Rooster? You’re snug on that perch, waiting for just the right moment… That never comes.”

The moment between them stretches and the entire exchange leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, eyes stinging a little. He can’t believe he just said all that, just slipped back so easily into stripping pieces off the people around him. Of course, he’s not alone. He’d also forgotten what an asshole Bradshaw was.

Being patient is going to be harder than he thought.

He can’t tell Bradley he loves him, but god he wants to.

“I love this song!” Jake says instead, stepping back and away and putting some much needed distance between them, well aware of the others all feeling the tension in the air which he just created.

“Check it out,” Fanboy says, head jerking in the direction of the door and Jake watches as more naval aviators walk in.

“More patches.”

“That’s Harvard, Yale, Omaha. Shit, that’s Fritz.”

“What the hell kind of mission is this?”

“That’s not the question we should be asking,” Phoenix says, and her voice is tight. “Everyone here is the best there is. Who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?”

His song stops mid-lyric and he glances up from his game, see Bradley heading towards the piano and then he looks across the bar at the person he thinks is maybe Maverick Mitchell, but Penny is calling him over and giving him and Javy the signal to throw him out, surely Penny wouldn’t throw her future husband out of her own bar?

“Great to see you, Pete! Overboard!”

Fuck. Definitely Pete Mitchell then.

“Overboard! Overboard!”

He’s committed to the act now, but his heart is pounding. This is definitely Bradley’s father figure. Not that they’ve even looked at each other in the Hard Deck just now. Penny had though, looked between them, and he has no idea what’s gone down between them all, but he’s wishing he asked more questions.

“Thanks for the beers! Come back anytime!”

Fuck.

He just threw Pete Mitchell into the sand outside the Hard Deck.

… … …

“Would you calm the fuck down?”

“No. We just threw Captain Pete Maverick Mitchell out of the Hard Deck!”

“Bullshit.”

“Did you not see his patch? We are going to regret that.”

“Yeah, sure. Okay. When it comes time to regret it you can tell me you told me so and rub my nose in it okay? But you still need to calm down.”

Jake sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, because it’s not like he can actually un-do throwing Maverick out of the Hard Deck. The person he’s pretty sure is somehow going to be very important to his future.

… … …

The next morning Jake is nervous, chews through three toothpicks before he’s even left base housing, Javy sick of his leg jiggling so much he refuses to sit next to him when they get to the weirdly laid out desks and chairs.

“Attention on deck!”

As Admiral Bates talks Jake chances a quick look back, grinning to himself as Phoenix takes the opportunity to flip him a subtle finger.

“Half of you will make the cut. One of you will be named mission leader. The other half will remain in reserve.”

He looks to Bradley and his gaze is met evenly and Jake so badly wants to just go over and kiss him or hold his hand or… anything other than sit here feeling the animosity coming off him in waves.

“Your instructor is a Top Gun graduate with real-world experience in every mission aspect you will be expected to master. His exploits are legendary. He’s considered to be one of the finest pilots this program has ever produced. What he has to teach you may very well mean the difference between life and death. I give you Captain Pete Mitchell. Call sign: Maverick.”

He turns back around quickly to Javy, mouths I told you so and then turns back to the front of the class.

… … …

The way that Maverick talks makes him feel like his blood has bubbles in it. He’s never felt more alive than pushing his limits and he feels like even with their less than auspicious beginning he’s going to learn a lot. There’s no book learning involved, not for this mission, it’s all about flying a simulated course and dog fighting and learning to be one team. Well. He’s got all of that down, even if he’s not so great at showing the last one in practice.

He can’t tell what Bradley and Maverick are saying to each other, but he can read enough of their body language to know that none of it is good. He doesn’t know what their history is, wishes he’d thought to ask, not that he thought he’d need to know it. Maybe he doesn’t need to know what it is, can just be there and… help? Fucked if he knows.

He needs to be patient.

That’s what Bradley had said to him, but Jake is feeling like he needs more information. Patient with time? Or patient with Bradley? Well, obviously with Bradley because he’s currently auditioning for world’s biggest asshole, but Jake needs to know if he can just… say something. Or maybe doing something is better. He’s always been a man of action.

Then he’s listening to Maverick over the radio and he knows Maverick is good, but Jesus the man is cocky with it. He makes a comment about giving him an ego check and he hears someone mutter well you’d know and he ignores them. Then he’s up in the air and he abandons Phoenix and Bob only to get shot down himself and he hates losing like that, hates that it hadn’t panned out how he’d hoped and thought it would. The only albeit solace he can take from the exercise so far is that he’d heard Maverick say he was good. He’ll take it.

He’s back up in the air, this time with Bradley and he looks across at him, knows everyone can hear them on the radio, but he needs to know and everyone thinks he’s an asshole anyway, so he can’t dig himself any deeper.

“So, Rooster, mind if I ask you a personal question?”

“Would it matter if I did?”

“What’s the story with you and Maverick?” Jake asks, glad to finally get the words out, even though he expects he won’t get any type of useful answer right now. “It seems like he’s got you rattled.”

“That’s none of your business. Now where the hell is he?”

“Been here the whole time.”

“Holy shit,” Jake says, watching as Maverick manoeuvres his plane smoothly around Bradley’s, like he’s mocking him and god he wants to fly like that.

Then, as he watches someone he would normally consider calm and level headed turn completely feral he really needs to figure out what the fuck is going on. Their planes are spiralling together downwards and he’s heart is in his throat, cannot believe that either of them are being so damn stupid, doesn’t know if he’s even breathing as he watches, has a front row seat to what he is terrified might be carnage. Then Bradley is pulling up and away, playing it safe and the relief he feels is palpable. They’re both still alive. Then Maverick theoretically kills him and Bradley has to do another two hundred push ups and Jake doesn’t know what the fuck he should do.

He can’t figure out what it could be, because the Bradley and Maverick he knows clearly loved each other, and these two can barely say hello without wanting to seemingly throw a punch. Hell. He thought Rooster had a problem with him, but it’s got nothing on whatever his issues with Maverick are. Be patient with me. God he wishes he’d asked more questions, knew more what to expect right now rather than just know he somehow gets a fairytale ending.

If he in fact does get that ending and it wasn’t just some weird fever dream that somehow happened without the fever. Crazier things have happened. Probably.

… … …

“Jake man, you can’t drink like this. Not with the mission as delicate as it is.”

“I had one drink. One drink I really really needed.” You ever think about alternate timelines?”

“No. What’s got you asking me that?”

“Just… I had a weird dream.”

“Dream?”

“Yeah. Maybe. I don’t even know if I want it to be a dream or not anymore.”

“Uh… you sure you’ve only just had the one drink?”

… … …

He sees the photo, Maverick alongside a man who looks like the spitting image of Bradley. Same last name. Holy shit. It has to be his father. Some things start to fall into place and it gives him a starting point and he does a little digging. Rooster’s dad died and he was in a plane piloted by Maverick. Fuck. Okay. That explains the anger and animosity. Except… how do they become friends or the family that he remembers them as? God he’s confused.

He listens as Maverick talks them through the mission parameters, then they fly the simulated valley. He needs to be the fastest, the best, needs to go on this mission because Bradley is distracted and upset and in no fit state to give all his focus on completing the task ahead and surviving it. When Maverick drives it home that their choices and actions will kill their team members he doesn’t think much before he speaks and well… he knows he’s fucking it up as he talks, but if Bradley lives then he’ll live with his decisions to apparently blow up his entire fairytale ending.

He doesn’t expect Bradley to come at him, feels his own fear and anger bubbling too close to the surface and he doesn’t know how to make it right.

God he wants to make it right.

… … …

He didn’t think his life could somehow take such a sharp nosedive in such a short period of time but apparently, he has angered several deities. He almost vomits when Javy goes into g-LOC, the only reason he doesn’t is because it’s all over too quickly, Maverick once again somehow pulling off the near-impossible and returning his best friend to him. He’ll need to find him and thank him, because there are currently very few people in his life who he feels know him, and Javy is pretty much it. Then the bird strike happens, he doesn’t say anything, just reaches over and grasps Bradley’s shoulder with his hand and tries not to feel the sting of rejection when it’s shrugged off.

… … …

He’s left Javy at the hospital. Not because Javy needs the hospital, but he’s staying with Phoenix, his fingers laced with her while she’d laid in the bed looking at Javy with fucking cartoon heart eyes. He and Bob had exchanged commiserating looks, clearly feeling like the third and fourth wheels respectively. At least he could escape, seeking out Maverick to thank him for helping Javy. That’s why he overhears what Bradley says to Maverick. Fucking hell. He knew Bradshaw had issues, but the way he’s lashing out makes Jake wince. It makes what Bradshaw said to him at the Hard Deck seem like mild-teasing in comparison.

This is meant to cut deep.

Then there’s yelling and okay, maybe now is not a good time to thank Maverick for his actions, or to even try and talk with Bradley. At least he now knows why Bradley is so upset with Maverick, he suspects everyone in the building probably now knows. This seems all sorts of fucked up, and he thought his own family were bad. Then Warlock is standing behind him and he startles.

“Lieutenant.”

“Admiral Bates sir. I was just, uh, waiting for Bradshaw sir.”

An eyebrow goes up and Jake shrugs helplessly, then Warlock is interrupting them and Jake can’t really parse what is happening, watches as Maverick suddenly seems to deflate, Bradley looks devastated and Jake missed what it was Warlock said exactly, too busy watching and trying to figure out if they were about to start swinging. Maverick leaves with Warlock, and he doesn’t understand why he’d leave Bradley behind, looking like his world has just fallen apart.

“How much did you hear?” Bradley asks, his voice tight and clipped.

“Uh… all of it? I think?”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. Sorry. You need therapy man…”

“Yeah. Probably,” Rooster says, the words coming out on a long exhale and Jake’s eyebrows shoot up at the easy acceptance, because he’d expected a punch, some verbal sparring at the very least, not this easy self-depreciating acceptance. Upon closer inspection it looks like Bradley is close to tears and god he feels like an asshole all over again.

“I’m sorry by the way, for being an ass and bringing up your dad.”

“Well, at least we can both agree on you being an ass.”

“Well. I think you like my ass.”

It slips out, the little flirty comment, and he has no excuse for it, not really. Fully expects Bradley to get angry again, to stand up and walk out, push past him and pretend he doesn’t exist all over again. Instead he hears a soft huff of amusement and when he chances a look, Bradley makes a face like he’s conceding that Jake may have a point.

Holy shit.

They sort of stand there just staring at each other and Jake’s starting to get turned on, the memory of Bradley looking at him like this, before taking him apart. Bradley doesn’t have those memories or visions or fantasies though, well, Jake doesn’t know what Bradley might fantasize about but he lives in ever increasing hope; the hope increasing by the second as the moment between them continues to stretch.

“Do you ever feel like you can never live up to something, because it’s impossible. That you’re chasing a ghost?”

“What?” Jake blinks, the sudden and abrupt change somewhat of a shock; he repeats Bradley’s words in his head. Okay. “Man, I had so many expectations on me. I ran in the opposite direction and took to the skies. No one was tying me to the ground…”

“Yeah. No one tied me down either…”

“Rooster...” Jake starts, because it’s obvious Bradley’s getting lost in his own mind. “Bradshaw...” Still no response. “Bradley...”

That gets him eyes locked on him again and it’s still fucking intense and sad and he doesn’t know what’s got Bradley twisting up in on himself, but he can make a stab in the dark at least.

“You almost lost Phoenix today. You're allowed to feel a little rattled.”

Bradley pulls a face then, like he’s struggling with Jake being nice. And sure, Jake doesn’t usually leave his defenses down and wide-open like this, but he feels, no, knows, it could be worth it.

“I'm sorry about making a joke about you leading people to an early grave...”

Jake grimaces, because the comment had smarted. Not untrue given his younger and dumber days, but definitely untrue now. He’s also pretty sure Bradley owes Maverick an apology too, but he for sure as hell isn’t going to push that any time soon.

“The world is not against you. I am not against you…” he adds quietly, because it’s true. Bradley is definitely studying him much more closely now, like he’s trying to figure out the angle Jake’s taking to cut him down and he can’t take back every bad word he’s said, but he can try not to say any more going forward. Patience. Right. Cause that’s always been one of his attributes people have listed when describing him. Fuck.

“Yeah. I know it’s not. Just. Some days it’s really hard to believe that that’s not the case.”

“You want to get out of here? Get some food?”

Bradley blinks at him, but then nods once and then they’re walking toward the parking lot; Jake heeding toward the loaners but then Bradley is jerking his head toward his Bronco and Jake just goes with it. Doesn’t have any reason not to. The get food via drive-thru, Bradley relaying his order and then about fifteen minutes later Bradshaw’s pulling up in front of a little bungalow that seems trapped in time. He’s about to make a quip but snaps his mouth shut as he takes in the tight clench of Bradley’s jaw. Oh shit. This might be his parents’ place. That is… maybe not the healthiest thing to have held on for years but he’s not going to say anything, not when the civil moments between them are being counted in minutes rather than hours or days.

He follows quietly and when he steps inside he can see why they got take-out, the kitchen is a demolition site, although a coffee maker and microwave have been set up on the small table in the dining room. Then he’s in the living room and there are photos of a much younger Bradley, Nick Bradshaw and someone who can only be Bradley’s mom. Bradley doesn’t seem older than thirteen or fourteen in any of the photos but there are also gaps on the shelves where he suspects there used to be photos. So definitely his parents’ place, but the fact he seems to be remodeling the kitchen make Jake feel slightly better about where Bradley’s headspace might be.

Bradley gestures to the sofa and Jake grabs his takeout bag and lowers himself, knowing fully the only reason they’ve not argued with each other for the last forty-five minutes is because they haven’t said anything to each other. They eat in silence and he wonders why Bradley seems okay with him there, because it’s not like a simple apology has got him this far before. He pauses. Tries to remember if he’s actually ever apologized to Bradshaw before and oh… yeah. Fuck. That might do it.

“So, uh, you want to share your world is against you story?”

Bradley looks at him, lips twisted in distaste but Jake is pretty sure it’s about the potential topic of conversation rather than the fact that Jake just raised the potential of baring his soul to him. He’ll go first then.

“You figured out my dad died. Well, then my mom died when I was twelve.”

He’s figured as much, just from looking around at the photos.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah well. It is what it is right? Maverick is, was, my legal guardian. My godfather.”

“Okay.” He hadn’t expected that.

“And you heard me yelling at him before. He pulled my papers to USNA. I was legacy. My dad went.”

Jake bites his lip, doesn’t know what to say, doesn’t want Bradley to stop talking.

“Phoenix is my family,” Bradley offers, voice quiet, and the bird strike today hits different hearing that. Squadrons are close, like family, but aren’t family. If Bradley is saying she’s family, then she means more to him, like she’s a sister. “You’re right. Today rattled me. Then I found out that someone died, so feeling a little, uh, raw.”

“Someone close?”

The look Bradley gives him is inscrutable and Jake wonders when exactly he heard the news given that todays just seemed like one thing after another and he’s either been within spitting distance or on the radios. Bradley is taking his trash, scrunching it up and heading toward the kitchen. Jake would think he was being ignored or dismissed if it weren’t for the head jerk he gets, an indication he wants Jake to follow him.

“Well, yeah. We were close I guess. I lived with him and his family when Mav was deployed. But he didn’t stop Mav from pulling my papers so I stopped talking to him too.”

“Right. So. Regrets huh? Unfinished business?”

“Yeah. Yeah you could say that,” Bradley says, and obviously unfinished business with a dead person is never going to get finished. But there’s still Maverick. If he’s made that connection, then Bradley sure as hell has. He doesn’t look happy about it though and he knows what he wants to do.

“Come here man, you look like you need a hug.”

The look Bradley gives him is incredulous, like he expects Jake to start laughing, but he reaches out with both arms and gestures with his hands for Bradley to step into the embrace. Just like that Bradley crumples, making himself small like the trash he just balled up and Jake wraps himself around him. For all he’s picking at Bradley issues right now, he's also feeling a little raw, hearing Coyote be in g-LOC was terrible, and the idea of holding someone tight, even if it isn’t his best friend, soothes something inside him.

He doesn’t quite bully Bradley into bed, but he doesn’t give him very much choice. It also means Bradley doesn’t need to ask for what he might want or need right now, and Jake is pretty confident that what that is, is to not be alone. He can help with that. He borrows clothes and gets changed, insists on Bradley changing. Ignores the little sniping comments about he usually wears less clothes when he’s taking a guy to bed and Jake just smirks, tells him there’s always next time. As Bradley falls asleep in his arms he hopes like hell there is a next time, the feeling of sharing his space coming back to him as easy and automatically as breathing.

… … …

The next morning, Bradley looks embarrassed. Jake tries to joke and shrug it off, make light of it despite the fact that his entire body and mind are finally felling like they’ve caught up and are synchronized together again. Bradley isn't letting him joke about it though, is looking at him with the same intense gaze he remembers from his weird dream.

“Rooster? You okay?”

“I like it when you call me Bradley...

Then he's being crowded against the dining table, not in any way where he couldn't just step away, but he stays where he is, heart rabbiting away in his chest as Bradley closes the space between them, one hand reaching up to cup Jake's face.

“Thank you for last night.”

“I... Anytime. Think we both needed to... Not be alone.”

The slow smile Bradley gives him is cut off when he moves even closer, too close for Jake to see his lips or face because he's being kissed, super softly and his lips tingle and itch as the pressure is removed and a simple press of lips shouldn't uproot his life like this, but he's wondering now, what he might need to do to get more kisses, to somehow make his dream a reality.

CHAPTER FOUR

#To Wake perchance to Dream #Hangster #Sereshaw #Top Gun maverick fanfiction

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mothiepixie · 10 months

Note

We all know that Sans (Classic) is an expert gift giver, but who else would be a giftmas expert (at least when it comes to Mottie)?

Oh, how fun!

The other best Giftmas Givers:

Swap Sans: he's very attentive and observant. He would make mental notes if something sparks a reaction out of her. But he would casually go around the other guys and lead the conversation to get other's present ideas/see what they got Motti. So he can avoid getting a duplicate gift.

Dream: Knows immediately if Motti likes something without her having to say a word or physically react. He may even know what she likes before she even realizes it herself.

Boysen: His gifts are always thoughtful and lavish. Nothing is too expensive, but he does know when to dial it back and get something midrange or just overall practical (nothing is poor quality tho!). But his gifts are also very romantic and with the forethought Motti will ALWAYS think of him when she lays her eyes on the gift.

The thought is there Givers:

Big Red: he's never 100% or certain of himself to get something she'll like. It's kinda mushy and makes him feel weird and he only knows to give jewelry (gold) as a gift. On the occasion he does take the safest route and gives her sunflowers (that would be the greatest length he'll go too since they're out of season).

Cross: It wouldn't just be a Motti thing, he just kinda sucks at getting gifts to anyone because he overthinks. His gifts usually land on the practical side. Motti will be given decorative knives as a gift, but hey, they're pretty but they can do damage. So a win/win in Cross’ books.

Ink: Either teeters from actually being really good at giving a gift or bombs it completely. But his strengths are the gifts he would actually craft himself. He crafts or paints a portrait of Motti in how he sees her, a very artistic take and not a hyper realistic take. Or he would make origami insects and pin them in her room to surprise her.

Farmer: He's just a simple guy and his gifts reflect that. Doesn't mean that they don't have any heart in it at all, oh no. Whatever he does give her, he wants it to spark joy and give the twinkle in her eye because that's all he wants. But he would probably propagate various plants and give them to her so they start young and she can recount how many months (or years) the plants have been growing strong. (More or less when she's not looking he's checking them over so they can flourish, not doubting her skills but just so they can stick around longer for her enjoyment.)

The ones who suck at being Givers:

Nightmare: IF he does give a gift, it's all for selfish reasons and trying to one up someone. Or he even stole a gift and presented it as his own. Never presented to Motti as loving and kinda sours the moment. Or Motti finds out he stole it.

Error: Probably would make a doll and then get fluster if she shows any positivity that he gets outlandishly embarrassed. Or just throw a bar of chocolate at her head that he stole from Red and say “she can't say he never gave her anything.”

#sanses x motti #sanses x oc #swap sans #dream sans #Boysen sans #red sans #farmer sans #cross sans #nightmare #error #ink sans

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kairiscorner · 1 year

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imagine playing with the miggy doll you made in the previous part in front of miguel, like

a/n: gets a little suggestive in the end...? idk, just don't flag this shit please 😭

(reblogs are greatly appreciated, it helps get my content out there! if you guys like what you see, please reblog it too <:D)

"isn't he just a grumpy one today?" you asked the miggy doll you made in a voice that imitated a parent cooing to an upset toddler. you waved him around a little and made him stomp on your desk in an agitated manner. 'grr, i hate everything that is fun, nice, and wonderful in the world!' you made him say as you manipulated him to kick up your papers and topple over a few pens on the desk as you groaned a little at the doll's outburst which was pretty much you mockingly impersonating miguel.

"but miggyyyyy..." you whined to the doll as you made it face you abruptly and shake still. 'what!' you exclaimed in a gruff, poor imitation of the real miguel. you gave the miggy doll the sweetest doe eyes you could ever muster–the kind that you've never shown anyone, not even the real miguel–and you bat your eyelashes at the doll, which gazed lifelessly back into your own gleaming eyes. "i thought we agreed you'd put a stop to the grumpiness when i'm around... i thought a good miggy never lies." you reasoned with the inanimate doll, which you manipulated to put in a thinking position, since you went the extra mile and gave him 360 moving joints to make him more expressive.

'i told you, i get grumpy around pretty people! they're my weakness! they're just too freaking pretty for my tight ass to handle! hmph!' you made him exclaim and crossed his arms over his chest in a stiff way, for even fine 3d printed dolls with 360 movable joints still looked less human than real ones. thank goodness, though, they're not made of cellulite.

you huffed at the miggy doll and turned its head around with your finger, and the doll's head followed suit. "would you still be mad at a pretty person who's actually in love with you?" you teased at the very nonliving doll, which you integrated a 'flustered' feature on. at the push of a button, the doll would change its expression into one of bashfulness. 'what, uh, um... maybe not!' you made him say, which made you giggle, dreaming this was the real miguel–flustered in front of you as you teased him relentlessly.

as you continued playing with the doll, you suddenly noticed a large shadow looming over your figure. before you could even get his name out, he did it for you. "that doll again, that... miggy doll again, was it?" asked a fluid, authoritative voice that made you shudder. you turned in your computer seat slowly, facing his chest and abdomen that met your line of vision from where you sat, while his real face gazed down at you.

"hi miggy." you said with a wide, awkward smile as he looked at you in your petrified state, and at the miggy doll that was inexplicably embarrassed and flustered in the face. "so, what have you been up to with the little version of me, hmm?" he questioned you as he moved forward, then crouching down to meet your gaze, so you two were face to face.

you felt a little hotter when he got closer, and you avoided looking into his eyes at the moment, darting your eyes from one side of the room to the other. "oh, psh, nothing..." you lied, which didn't convince miguel in the slightest, but he decided to indulge you in your little lie. he raised and eyebrow. "so, you telling the doll me that you loved me was not in any way influenced by what you feel for me in the real world, is that right?" he asked with a sort of sultry tone in his voice when he asked you that very last word.

you got a little flustered when he asked that, mimicking the image of the miggy doll you had right then and there. you chuckled nervously as you fidgeted with the miggy doll in your hand for a bit. "whaaaat? i love the miggy? no! no, i... i never said that! who would ever, hah, who would ever tell a doll they love it? it's a doll!" you tried to worm your way out of that when miguel placed his fingers underneath your chin and tilted your head slightly, in the way you did with your miggy doll, and made you face him. "but it looks like me, and dare i say, it's pretty damn accurate, scary accurate to what i look like. if you love that doll..." he trailed off as he inched his face closer to you, his breath hot on your face as he neared you, his nose gently brushing against yours. "...why not love me, hmm? i'm the real miggy, in the flesh. if you love him, why not me?" he asked, which made you gasp at how close he really was, how intense his gaze was–how gentle he held you, despite still keeping you in place with his dominating aura.

"so pretty, like a doll, you are... i still haven't gotten that doll version of you yet. to think of all the things i could play with them... oh, but i'll always save the best ones for you." he said as he moved his lips closer to your ear, softly kissing it a little as he began to whisper, "i'd always play the best games with you. we're each other's favorite playthings, no?"

a/n: HEHE ENDING IT HERE, ANYWAY I WANT A MIGGY DOLL NOW 😠😠😠💢💢💢

tags !! @thecoolerdor @miguelswifey04 @binibinileonara

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara x y/n #barbie #miguel o'hara fluff #spiderman across the spiderverse x reader #atsv #atsv imagines #atsv x reader #atsv x you #atsv fluff #basically ah yes me my partner and their 3d printed miggy doll

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sunsents · 1 year

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neteyam sully hcs - how he teases you (M)

headcannons about Neteyam teasing little shit sully. I've been craving to write this because I just KNOW he's so annoying and smug when he wants to be.

➵ pairing: agedup!neteyam x fem!reader (no use of y/n)

➵ warnings: this gets spicy towards the end so be warned. also, neteyams annoying asf, so be warned again.

DON’T REPOST MY WORK

Neteyam has a knack for romantics. He's seen plenty of his parents' very public displays of affection that make the entire herd say "eewwww". At the ripe age of 37, Jake constantly pines over his wife and Neytiri is no better.

The fact that the married couple has enough kids to form a goddamn baseball team is enough proof on its own. (And yes, Jake is painfully aware of this fact and is itching to introduce the sport to the poor na'vi children.)

Neteyam also has a way with words. In fact, he's so good with them that he can wax poetic about your bowel movements and you'd swoon nonetheless.

"Neteyam, are you drunk?" you'd ask after a particularly rowdy festival.

"No, I'm a poet." he'd tell you, drunk off his ass.

Cue the guy saying whatever comes to mind and trying to make it sound beautiful. "Oh, ____, Why, _____. Every move of your unaware knife stabs my heart. Your hands drip rewards of the sweetest juices a man dare crave." when you’re literally trying to cut fruit, or some shit like this. (idk im no poet use your imagination.)

Worst of all, it works. This man is mighty aware of how embarrassed and shy you get when he intricately weaves words just so he can see you blush and swat at him. He takes pleasure in your angry little tone in some weird, fucked up way.

Which ends up with him developing a little...kink, if you will. He loves teasing. And in a condescending way too.

He used to consider himself good-natured - didn't take pleasure in the humiliation of others, surely. His parents' relationship should have taught him well. And it did...but he just can't stop teasing you.

Perhaps it was your strangled voice telling him to cut it out, or the tint of your cheeks complimenting you oh so delightfully. He adored your reactions and coaxing them out was such fun.

With this devilish smirk that could fluster anyone, (or so you'd tell yourself because you aren't weak...okay, maybe you are. but only for him.) he tells you how red you've become. He'd scissor his hands and squeeze your cheek between the two digits, "You're just so easy to mess with, my love."

This led to his teasing gaining an edge. And as he grew confident, he also got mean. His teases degraded you here and there but he was just so condescending; talking down at you as the prince of Omaticaya. Stuff like. “Oh, yawnetu. You’re always falling at my feet. Should I hold your hand?” when you trip and fall (because he made you trip and fall by looking extra good that day, and also ‘forgetting’ to put on pants. in your kelku, of course. or outside in the forest if you’re into that, you weirdo.)

“Look at you, getting that fruit all over your mouth. Can’t even eat properly without my help.” when you eat particularly messily.

“It’s cute that you think you can win these fights.” when you try to snap back.

When he takes things particularly far, you get angry. Because damn, he's just so annoying sometimes. Never in your wildest dreams did you imagine the Olo’eyktan in training to be so smug and condescending. At first, he was all gentlemanly and teeth-rotting sweet. He’d encourage you, whisper sweet nothings in your ear, and be so freaking kind that it’d make you want to cry.

When your mate got too comfortable, however, things went down. "Can you pass me the f-

"Only if you kiss me,"

"At what point do you become mature?"

"When you kiss me,"

"God, I hate you."

"Your pussy wasn't exactly screaming I hate you Neteyam this morning, but maybe that's just me."

He’s still sweet, of course. This man has no bad bone in his body, it’s true. He loves you so much that he can’t help but poke fun at your antics, and makes sure you know it’s all fun and games. When it’s fun and game time though, he’s ruthless.

And he's so proud of himself too. Puffing out his chest smugly and prancing around, boasting his confidence. You just want to wipe that sly smirk off his face - but you can't. It falls on deaf ears when Neteyam jokingly personalizes a better-than-thou attitude

"Oh, do I annoy you?” he would ask you after watching you groan and roll your eyes. “Not more than usual,” you would tell him, and he would just smirk, striding towards you and pulling you into a fat kiss.

Of course, these shenanigans follow him into the bedroom.

Lo'ak is evidently more like Jake when it comes to teasing. But Neteyam? Eywa have mercy on your poor soul. He's a mix of Neytiri, Jake, and perhaps Tsu'tey combined. (he's alive, argue with the wall.) The epitome of pure sex and the reincarnation of Asmodeus himself.

His tone is sweet yet condescending, smoothly purring into your ear while making fun of how easy it was to make your cunt ache with needy desire.

He would demand you finger yourself right in front of his prying eyes, then coo at you when you couldn't cum no matter how hard you tried. It was pathetic really, how diligently your fingers worked on your poor clit. But to no avail.

Neteyam would feast on the view like it was his meal for the week. With blown-out eyes and feral flicks of his tail, he would tease you all the while. Stuff like, "Let's see those fingers work harder. Oh come on, now you're just messing with me. There's no way you think that's what it takes to make you cum.

"I can’t concentrate when you look at me like that.”

“Well, you should be concentrating on me instead,…maybe learn a few things.” he drawls, circling the head of his cock with a groan while imagining he’s rubbing your swollen clit.

And you'd try your best to remember how he made you cum. But no matter what, you just couldn't copy the way Neteyam spit on your clit to ease the ache or the way he strokes the nerves so gently with a finger. Only the clit, of course - because he's going to tease you, and teasing you involves edging the shit out of you until your eyes water and you can't help but beg.

The fact that you’re so accustomed to his fingers and cock was a little embarrassing. They had become proviso for you to cum.

"You can't make yourself cum? How pathetic. Did I fuck you too good that it made you incompetent, or do you just like me too much?"

Neteyam always basks in his torture. He'd watch your hips buck wildly while begging and crying for him to fuck you right. He'd just sit there with wide legs, palming his hard cock and squeezing his balls ever so slightly at your pained mewls. Arms spread, head thrown back, he'd just observe you with additional snarky comments if he felt like it.

"Come on, you can do it. Oh, you got it, yes, there we g-...oh. What a pity."

#neteyam fic #neteyam sully #neteyam x reader #neteyam imagine #neteyam sully x reader #neteyam x you #neteyam #avatar twow #avatar #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #avatar au #neteyam headcanons

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tulipsforyourlips · 5 months

Text

✧˖°. i found you ✧˖°. (6)

|| the sandman x dead boy detectives ||

SUMMARY: You run the dead boys detective agency along with your two best friends. And somehow two ghosts and a living girl make it work. Until you dream one night, of dream himself.

PAIRING: dream of the endless x fem!reader

WC: 4K

WARNINGS: slight angst

A/N: okay brace yourselves ladies it's a long chapter. and slow paced too but i genuinely loved writing this chapter and showing intimate conversations between dream and her. its a slow burn after all the chemistry has to be right.

PART 6 ✧˖°.

"Morning lads," you greeted the pair sorting through the daily mail.

"Mornin- woah what happened?" Charles' eyes motioned to your hand.

What? How were your injuries from your dreams transferring into real life? Well, technically that happened outside your dream. Whatever, you had no energy to mull over the technicalities of the realm differences, that was better left to the Endless.

"Eh nothing. Just slightly cut my hand open on the bed railing."

"How did that even- you know what nevermind."

"How's Jesse doing?" You changed the subject.

The boys had been monitoring her full night.

"The demon did peek through but for like half a second. Too brief for us to use our incantations and extract him out," Charles answered. "Poor kid. Must be suffering."

You gulped down some water and nodded.

"So? I was in-"

"Hell for seventy years." Charles and you finished his sentence.

"Oi turn up the volume a bit," you said as the television screen displayed some news in the background.

"As you can see around us ladies and gentlemen, the sleepy sickness has indeed made a comeback. We have Shiara's parents with us right now who has been diagnosed with the same, just one victim out of the thousands being affected," the lady reported from a hospital.

Shit shit shit. This was bad.

"Will the number soon soar to millions like it did around a century back?" The reporter continued.

You had obviously read about it. And Morpheus himself had told you how his imprisonment had befallen this plague on the waking world.

"That's..intense," Edwin said.

You never heard Charles' reply because your brain was busy trying to comprehend what you had just heard. You needed to see Dream. In response to your plea, Matthew pecked against the window.

"I will be right back," you told the guys. "Need some fresh air." You grabbed your coat and hurried out.

Dream was waiting for you in the alley behind the building.

"The sleepy sickness is back," you said as you approached him.

"I know."

"But-I-," you stuttered, "I don't understand. I thought things were supposed to move in the healing direction after last night. Atleast not worsen."

"You are coming to the Dreaming with me."

"Right now?"

In answer, Morpheus fetched his sand pouch from his cloak. You knew he could easily transport you through his cloak disappearing trick. But he seemed determined to avoid any direct contact between you two. Except when he had bandaged your hand. Ugh not the time to be a hopeless romantic. Sand enveloped you in a tornado and took you to the Dreaming. Your heart shuddered when you took in the scene awaiting you. Ruins littered the ground everywhere which in turn bore fresh cracks. You revolved your head around, assessing the damage. You took a step back, bad idea. Your feet connected with nothing and you fell, would have if not for the sturdy arm wrapped around you. Something in your guts uncoiled, partially from the apparent death, and partially from the proximity of him. This close you could see the crystal blue of his sapphires for eyes. Loose rocks fell into the crevice, showing you your alternate fate. He uprighted you on secure ground before withdrawing his hand from your waist. That was the third time he had contacted you, willingly or not. Were you keeping track? For fuck's sake you almost fell to your death and that's the part you want to fixate upon?

Shoving your flustered state deep down, you asked, "How did this happen?"

"Honestly, I dont know," Dream spoke, "What I know is we need to take another approach, a more direct and dangerous one. It is our only shot at saving humanity." He looked down at you, his eyes imploring you to trust him and validate his decision.

Had he so little faith in you? "When do we start?"

"Tonight."

You were flopped on the couch alongside Jesse watching some lame ass family movie. The boys were on some haunted house case according to the note scribbled in Charles' ugly handwriting. On the screen, a daughter hugged her mom and you tasted a palette of emotions- jealousy for being denied what others had for granted, lonely for having no one to call your own, frustration for not remembering anything. Even though you had accepted the erasure of your past, you couldn't help but grieve who you were. Who were you? Someone who mattered so little that her family and friends didn't even bother looking for her? Didn't deem her worthy of putting themselves through the trouble.

The door busted open and Charles stormed through.

"Where's Edwin?"

"Fuck knows." Was all he said before shutting himself in his room.

Okay something was seriously wrong. The door creaked on its hinges as you opened it.

"Charles?"

He was sat on his bed, whimpering softly.

"Hey? What happened?" You asked in a whisper and sat down beside him.

He shook his head. You gave him time to gather his thoughts. "He just doesn't understand."

"Edwin?"

Charles sniffed, wiping his tears away. He took a deep breath and started, "There was this family. The husband murdered the wife and children."

You inhaled a bountiful. You were aware of his traumatizing past starring his abusive dad. That fucker. The first time he had told you about him, a rage you had never been familiar with before had tightened around your veins. If that sick brute hadn't already had departed the waking world, you would have hunted him down and done that.

"I am so sorry." You intertwined your fingers in his.

"I tried to intervene but apparently had some strong emotional response to it and got sucked into the situation itself. I am aces now-"

"Clearly."

He continued on, "but that didn't stop Edwin from yelling at me for getting involved in the first place." He sucked a breath. "I couldn't help it Hazel, I just couldn't. When I saw his ghost murder-" he choked on his words. New tears escaped his eyes and burned at the back of yours.

You cupped his face in your hands and swiped your thumbs across his cheekbones, dampening his tears. "Look at me Charles."

He reluctantly met your gaze. "I am so sorry you had to go through that. I can't even begin to grasp what that might have felt like. That's simply fucked up. But you have to know, if there is one person who understands you, it is Edwin. He cares for you more than any other person or ghost on this Earth. The only reason he yelled at you was because he was scared Charles." You didn't release your hold on his face. "Of losing you."

Charles' eyes softened.

"He loves you. We both do."

"I know." A hint of a smile graced his lips.

You kept tossing and turning in your bed. Charles' tearstained face kept flashing in your mind. You had found Edwin at the bottom of the stairs, equally devastated at his outlash. He had explained to you what you already knew, that he was worried for Charles, of losing him. Oh these boys were going to be the death of you, provided you survived long enough.

"You are late," Dream declared when you appeared in his realm.

"Sorry, trouble at home."

"Nothing serious," you added to erase the crease in his brows.

"I want to show you something."

"Lead the way your Highness!"

You followed him to Holy shit. You'd thought you'd toured through every phenomenon in the Dreaming, been fascinated by every miracle it had to offer. You were proved wrong as you titled your head backwards to witness the dazzling fabric of sky warping around you. When you propelled it downwards the same enchanting sight glimmered. The water was coated in the sheen of the starry night. An admiration blossomed deep in your core for the Endless standing at your side, the creator of the spectacles you had witnessed in the realm, the cause behind all your fascination. These docks just being one example, perhaps your favourite yet. After your very own dream of course.

"And this, mortal, is where the magic happens."

He extended his arms and the sea waters responded to their master's call. It roared to life from its dormant state and danced to the tunes of the Endless' hands. Spiral of waves loomed from the sea, stray droplets settling on your skin as you watched the Dream lord at work. Globes of water bounced on the ocean's surface. An assortment of objects and beings went about in their respective bubbles. In one such bubble, through its foggy exterior you recognised a dream you had gotten to trust mere days ago. And then it dawned on you, you were watching people's dreams. You were staring at the collective unconscious of the living world. There was no horizon visible as far as sight took you, the sea and the sky effortlessly blended into one entity. You were in infinity itself. Where you stood was sacred ground. And Morpheus had brought you here, to a special rendition of his soul. He trusted you. No, he had no other option but to, with the waking world now in turmoil too. Unknown to your captivated self, Dream was taking in each and every shift in your expression.

He came up just beside you. "Dip your hand in it."

You peered through the mist swathing the globules of dreams floating in front of you. Seeing your apprehension, he went first. His skin immersed the film and once he was halfway through, he rotated his head back. An invitation.

"You will be fine," he said.

"You promise?"

A thousand emotions collided in his eyes all in a fraction of a second. "I promise." And he disappeared into the globule. You followed suit and landed on your butts on solid ground. The Endless at your side who was standing on both his feet having failed to make a clown of himself unlike you, paid no heed to your graceful landing. You were on your feet in a quick motion. Butterflies fluttered their wings around you and you extended your arms for them to rest upon. A giggle left you as one plopped itself on your nose.

"What is this place?" You couldn't keep the wonder out of your voice.

"This is Fiddler's green. One of my proudest creations, I confess."

"I don't blame you." Your eyes raked past the waterfall and the pure greenery of the place.

A boy, just a child, hopped a few feet away from you.

"Why are we here?" You asked finally.

"To try our new approach."

"Dream you really have to start being elaborate."

"We need him to wake up. He has been here for a while."

"Wouldn't really hold it against him. Have you looked at this place?"

Dream looked at you. Of course he had. What kind of stupid rhetorical question was that to ask the person who had made the effing place.

"I mean it's beautiful."

He brushed past your compliment and said, "Hazel he has the sleepy sickness."

"Oh. But how am I supposed to get him to wake up?"

Nightmares weren't the only ones running wild. Dreams even as pleasant as the one you were currently in, were drifting from their original purpose to serve humankind. They used their beauty and kindness as an added advantage to lure humans into staying in a fragment of their mind forever. You'd known humans' resolve was fickle, being one of them. And provided with an opportunity to escape, no one would ever turn it down. Even the strongest wills would shatter with the passage of time. And that was why you listened intently to what Morpheus had to say.

"Invoke trust in the Fiddler's green as you did with others. Without hope, their sense of their purpose is growing corrupt. They are feeding on humanity's innate desire to run away from reality. Your trust has to fill in the void left by the absence of hope."

"What if I can't?"

"You don't have a choice."

"Dream but I- what if I am not the person for this? This was Hope's job. It was never meant to be mine."

"Will you tell his parents that they can stop visiting his bed every second of the day, quell their prayers, and say goodbye to their son because you were afraid to try?"

Brutal. But the impact was necessary. "No."

"Then the fate of the world is in your hands mortal."

No pressure then.

"Oi where are you going?" You asked Dream's retreating figure.

"This is your fight Hazel. I will see you when he wakes up."

"If you think you can just leave me here- " He definitely thought so because you were standing alone on the grassy landscape, except the jovial boy chasing butterflies.

You looked at him, airy giggles erupted from his throat. You sat down, feeling the grass beneath your palms. And closed your eyes until the beating of your heart was all you were aware of.

The dream collapsed as back in the waking world, the boy began to stir, accompanied by exuberant cries of his parents. You found yourself back on the docks, completely drenched. Beads of water dripped down from the hair sticking to your face.

"You look pathetic."

You swirled around to face the Endless who had spoken those words.

"A thankyou, you did remarkably well. Yoo hoo you are saving the world and I am indebted to you. And I apologise from the bottom of my heart which I am not even sure if I possess one, for abandoning you back there, would be nice but you know whatever," you rambled. "Wouldn't want to disrupt this whole emo vibe you have going on," you vaguely gestured to his hair and robes.

Your sour mood immediately dissolved as a smile graced his lips, his perfect cherry lips, you didn't deny it this time. An actual smile, fleeting but it was there. As real as the wind blowing through his hair, bestowing an air of ethereality upon him. A god, an Endless, who had just smiled at you.

"It's time for you to wake up mortal. The sun has already risen in your land. We have a lengthy path to walk, Fiddler's green was just one on it."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're one massive buzzkill?"

You didn't think so with the authority he owned and his general 'you dare say anything to me?' demeanour but the reminiscent twinkle in his eye made you doubt otherwise.

"Goodnight Hazel."

You were lying in your bed since you had woken up, which was seconds or minutes ago, brooding over stuff, enjoying the quiet laziness before one of the guys would barge into your room and drag you out of bed. They were late today. The faint ticking of the clock was the only sound in the room when a sudden scream interrupted the monotonous ticking followed by a loud thud. You dashed through your room to the living room where an unconscious Jesse was slumped on the carpet. Charles and Edwin were both lying on the floor next to a book on incantation and Charles' pandora's box, as you liked to call his bag of tricks.

"Oh you are alive," Charles addresses you.

"What the fuck happened?"

"The demon happened," Edwin exhaled in a breath.

"Don't worry we had it contained, like forever." Charles jiggled an opaque jar in his hands. "No thanks to you," he quipped.

"I-" You were dumbfounded. "You could have woken me up."

"Oh we tried mate, but you were sleeping 'like a log' won't do it justice. We thought you were dead for a moment."

"Or worse, that you had the sleepy sickness. But before we could assess that for certain, Charles had to pee and then Jesse got possessed so we kind of had our hands full."

It was because I was in someone else's dream you gits. But it isn't like you could explain that to them. And you did have a history of sleeping like someone who had just been introduced to the concept, so you let it pass.

"But we are obviously super relieved to see you fit and aces."

"I can see that. Charles you chose pee over me!" You cried.

"Mate it was nothing personal. It was really urgent."

Okay that was the last straw. Your hands were around his neck in a second, your knees pinning him down as he tried to wiggle free from your grasp.

"Careful with the jar, you two." Edwin said flatly, unconcerned if you would strangle the ghost.

What would happen if you did? Could ghosts die again? A part of you wanted to find out badly, but a sympathetic loser part of you took pity on his reddening face and let go. You fell down on the space next to him, both of you heaving air into your lungs.

"I hate you," Charles huffed, his earring still dangling from the aftermath of your force.

You patted his shoulder. "Don't fret it son. I hate you more."

You were headed back to the agency with arms full from your grocery trip. A yapping Charles trailed on in front of you. Jesse had moved out, to your ghost friend's dismal and ranting about it was his way of dealing with it, unfortunately.

"And she said Edwin-that Edwin had a better fashion sense than me! Can you believe it?"

"I can."

He stopped and you took the lead. "What?" He blinked.

"Come on Charles you can't be serious. His taste is impeccable. I would have stolen his wardrobe a long time ago if he wasn't a ghost."

Passers by gave you judgmental glances, but you were used to it.

He caught up to you. "Hazel, this." He gestured to his baggy jacket. "And this." He flicked his earring.

"Yes even after this and this."

"I can't believe girls sometimes, scratch that, all the times." He fastened his pace, muttering to himself.

You brought your wrist to your hand to see the time when you got knocked off balance as someone bumped against you. Your groceries spilled out of the paper bag onto the road.

"Oh I am so sorry," a stranger's voice apologised.

You both were on your knees, gathering your escaped items.

"No it's okay my fault. I wasn't lookin-" You looked up and golden eyes met you. Wow. That was one rare iris.

"Oh shush now darling. Mistakes happen," they cooed.

You both scrambled to your feet as they handed you your bag. "Thankyou."

"You're welcome Hazel."

"How do you know my name?"

"Oh I overheard you and the boy talking," they said with an unnerving smile.

They could see him? Well quite a many people could, guaranteed that they'd had a similar bump in with death, not the Endless. You watched Charles distant profile walk on far ahead still seemingly mumbling to himself. You turned your head back to ask them if they had been in a near death incident, but they were already gone. Weird.

"Haz are you coming?" Charles shouted, realising you weren't with him.

You forsake the encounter with the golden eyed person and made your way towards your impatient friend.

Cool water lapped around your ankles where you had dipped your feet in them. The past week you'd fallen into a routine, a tedious and rewarding one, as you helped more and more people get rid of their eternal sleep. You had learned to manoeuvre the waters on your own, invading people's dreams while Dream devoted his time in mending his realm. Some days he'd join you after your daily targets and you'd both sit together, relishing each other's company. Today was one such day.

"When do we begin with the nightmares?" You had only focused on the sweet dreams till yet. Dream was insistent on it, forbidding you from trespassing through any others.

"Not yet," he said.

"Don't you ever get tired?" You asked after some time.

"Of what Hazel?"

"Of being immortal."

He raised his eyebrows at you, "Would you?"

"Fuck no!" You bit your lip. "Sorry. I mean knowing your time is always running out, does generate a new appreciation for life. But that life seems to be gone in a blink of an eye. Too brief, to leave a mark, to have your existence mean something. Time becomes the most precious and most despised instrument at play," you spoke. "But being immortal, it's-it's something else. Imagine the wonders you could witness, could be a part of. An eternity of just living, carrying the past of the world with you into the future. I like having a particular destination to swim to, but I would rather be lost in the infinite ocean, you know?"

Dream listened to your words intently. "I have a friend back in the waking world. Hob Gadling."

"I didn't strike you as that."

"As what?"

"As someone having friends. But go on."

"We met in the fourteenth century. Death and I visited this pub together and there he was, proclaiming humans could cheat death."

"What did you do?"

"Death granted him his wish."

"What?" What? "So does that mean he is still alive?"

"Yes. In fact we meet up every century."

"Hold up hold up. The devil meeting with an immortal man in the pub, that has nothing to do with this right?"

Dream's lips twitched imperceptibly.

"Will you ever cease surprising me?"

Quiet ensued you both.

"So this Hob Gadling, does he enjoy his immortality?"

"To my initial surprise, yes. I had thought after a hundred years, he would surely be begging me to take the curse back but he seemed to consider it a boon. Even after centuries had gone by, his zest to live never died, hasn't died. He reminds me of you. Or, you remind me of him."

"Oh careful Dream lord, are you implying I am your friend?" You nudged his shoulder lightly.

"Now let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

You let out a half suppressed laugh.

"Perhaps," he said.

You titled your head towards him, "Eh. I don't think I'm ready to promote you from acquaintance just yet."

"Is that how it is?"

"Absolutely."

A shooting star dived through the sky, cutting a blaze of fire through it.

"What do you wish for Dream?"

He glanced at you.

"Come on. It appears every day without fail, in the abode of your creations. You made it. What do you wish for everyday?"

He was silent.

"And here I thought we were friends."

"I created it in memory of Hope."

That was the first time he had willingly mentioned her.

"Do you miss her?"

He took his time to answer. "Sometimes."

You drew your feet out of the water and hugged your knees. "Well. Tragedy does birth-"

"The most beautiful things."

You looked at him to find his eyes already on you, a quiet yearning displayed in them.

"Ok mind reader," you scoffed.

"I do not posses those powers, unfortunately."

"Oh a creep then?"

When you looked at him again, his lips imitated the crescent moon in the sky on his perfect face. It wasn't like any of the fleeting twitches, no matter how treasured, he had given you before. The smile reached his cheeks. His teeth glittered under the moonlight, his skin washed in it. A weak crinkle formed at the end of his eyes. Your heart lurched in its rib cage, wanting to join another. No. You won't fall for him. You won't fall for an Endless. You won't fall for the pompous goth guy. You won't fall for him. You weren't falling for him. You weren't falling for him. You weren't falling for him. You were not falling for him. Shit. You were falling for him.

SERIES MASTERLIST

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