#except everyone in the comments is always all ‘of course you’re welcome here!! we welcome all women’ as if that isn’t a fucking male

[radmystique]

Godddd I hate when tims go into women’s online spaces with their whole ‘🥺 I hope I’m welcome here uwu 🥺🥺🥺’ schtick like no you’re not, fuck off please.

[sowhat-whynot]

Boyfriend tag!

request: “maybe do our own version of doing his makeup like mandy did w martin?”

a/n: this request had a few ideas in one btw also this is my first lil story on here so go easy on me, queens.

bf!hamzah x fem reader

──★ ˙ ̟🐇 ꩜ .ᐟ

Being a youtuber was fun cuz you got to come up with your own ideas and no one could stop you so naturally, you wanted to piss Hamzah off a bit. You had asked him to come film a ‘boyfriend tag’ video with you but there was something he didn’t know…that you’d also be doing his makeup while answering questions.

filming…

“Hi loves! Welcome back to my channel today I have someone special with me, my boyfriend” you say excitedly.

“Hi everyone! I’m so pumped to be on here” Hamzah says, pumping his fist a little.

“Why dont you tell em what we’re doing today” you say with a smirk.

“She’s gonna give me that hawk tuah on cam!!” Hamzah giggles.

“Hamzah what the hell is wrong with you” you look at him in disgust.

“I’m sorry…so, we’re doing a boyfriend tag and this is basically for y/n’s viewers to kinda get to know me since I might pop into frame from time to time and then you guys are gonna comment ‘who is that fine sexy man in the background’ and you’ll know it’s me!” Hamzah explains.

“You explained that perfectly but I have a surprise for you” Hamzah look a bit confused.

“I’m gonna make you look beautiful and do your makeup, like I’ve always wanted to!!!”

“Are you serious” He stares at the camera.

“Yes, because one day Hamzah was watching me do my makeup and asked ‘how do ya know how to do that’ and today’s your lucky day, babe. You’re gonna find out” you explain.

“You know what whatever” Hamzah gave in.

-

You face towards your boyfriend to apply foundation with a brush while asking a few questions you came up with.

“Hamzah tell the viewers you name and birthday”

“Is this a joke?” He laughed, not believing that this was the whole point of the video.

“Just answer bruh. The viewers wanna know!” You say as you blend the foundation into his skin.

“Hi i’m Hamzah and i was born on March 5th, 2002”

“Ok, next question is ‘describe your high school self in 5 words’”

“Hot, cool, goofy, got bitches” He proudly answered.

“You know what..hell yeah! Except for the last one i know you got no girls and they probably all ran away from you boi”

“Next question, y/n”

You continued on with the question and you were the happiest girl alive giving your boyfriend the makeover of his life. You smiled while applying some of your pretty pink blush on his cheeks. You two got so distracted from goofing around it made it hard to take the youtube video seriously.

“No way it takes this long to apply all of this. You girls do this everyday??” He asked, appreciating your hard work.

“Yeah but honestly it’s not about how long it takes, it’s about how gorgeous you’re gonna look at the end. Like a pretty princess”

“Oh my god” Hamzah turns his head away from you.

“Look at me Hamzah i still have more questions” your hand reaches to his chin making him look at you.

“Next question is ‘do you remember our first date’” you ask while applying press powder on his face.

“Of course I do! It was a fun picnic date and I gave you a kitty plushy as a gift and we ate yummy food and I couldn’t take my eyes off you, i still can’t, you’re just so beautiful. Even the dress you wore. It’s forever engraved in my mind” His words are so genuine it makes your heart melt.

“Aww babe that’s actually so sweet i love you” you practically look at him with heart eyes.

“Okay is the makeup almost done i wanna see”

“You ruined the moment..yeah i just gonna curl your lashes and put on a lippie”

“I don’t know what you just said but please do it fast” he impatiently said.

“Hamzah don’t move your eye im gonna curl it”

“What da hell is that tool!” He yelled.

“Bro bear with me and do as i say” you gently clamped his lashes and apply mascara on him.

You added some finishing touches: eye glitter, eyeliner, and a glossy lip. You turn to the camera and giggle a bit.

“Is it bad? Can i see y/n! Stop laughing” Hamzah said.

“Guys i think i did a beautiful job. Look at it!!! The eyes are so cute” You grabbed the camera and did a close up shot.

You prop the camera back on the tripod and grabbed a mirror to reveal the final look to him.

“Okkk now look” You handed the mirror to Hamzah.

“Holy shit y/n…i look different” he gasps as he touches the eye makeup.

“You’re giving Hamzah Charles” you laughed.

“Honestly guys she did a good job and i think i’m into boys now” he said to the camera.

“Okay i’m ending this video” you quickly say.

You did your usual outro and Hamzah just smiled while you did so. You turned your camera off and giggled at Hamzah. He gave a confused laugh, not really sure what was so funny.

“Now we’re gonna do a photo shoot” you jump in excitement.

“Are you serious!”

──★ ˙ ̟🐇 ꩜ .ᐟ

Hope yall enjoyed hehehiehehe & keep requesting ideas 💕

[xxcallmemaryxx]

Could I have a HC of IV letting reader wear his jacket?

He’s a sweetie, his intentions are pure. But sometimes you make him a little bit evil. There’s nothing ten bucks can’t fix. :)

IV x GN reader

Under the cut ~ <3

“IV it’s gone I can’t find it-“

“It’s probably in the car, quick let’s go we’re already gonna be late.”

You guys stayed up late last night. IV had the guys over for dinner, they ended up staying back for some drinks and before you knew it, it was 1am. After a long night of hosting you both crawled into bed, dead to the world in mere moments, and didn’t set any alarms for the plans you’d made for the following day.

A text from ii is what woke IV up, something about traffic and it being best if you two took another route. Which is how you find yourself here. Rushing around the house like psychos trying to get ready as quickly as possible. Except your good jacket, which you had hung by the door especially to wear today, is gone. You can’t find it. And you have no idea where it is.

“IV, I’m gonna be so fucking cold if I don’t have it.”

“I’ll buy you a new one when we get there if I have to, just get your cute ass in the car.”

Spoiler: it wasn’t in the car.

And now you’re on your way to the meeting spot you agreed to meet everyone at, pretending that you’re not even bothered by the cold. Of course the gathering today had to be in a nice park, it’s lovely and it’s quiet. But there’s not one part of you that can enjoy it. You're already dreaming of a hot shower tonight.

“You’re a terrible liar, love.”

“IV, just drop it. I'm not in the mood.”

You frown at the ground. It’s damp and it chills your feet through your shoes. You can’t help but silently wish you didn’t come out at all today.

“One day you’ll realise you’re lucky to have me.”

You can’t even question him on his cryptic comments because your thoughts are immediately cut short. He’s draped something over your shoulders, you don’t even care to find out what it is because the only thing you can acknowledge is that it’s warm. The chill in the wind isn’t nipping at your skin anymore. It feels like you can suddenly breathe again. And when you do all you smell is him.

He’s given you his jacket.

Your head snaps to him. Worry immediately eating at your chest.

“Now you’re just going to be cold why did you-“

Oh.

He was wearing two jackets.

“You were wearing two?”

“Yeah. Thought it was going to be colder but I’m just a bit too warm. Was gonna take it off anyways. Lucky you, huh?”

“This whole time? What kind of evil are you?”

He’s smiling at you. He literally doesn’t care. Because you’re wearing his jacket and you look stunning in it.

“The kind of evil that always comes prepared. I remembered two jackets. You didn’t even remember one.”

You’re huffing and rolling your eyes and shaking your head at him, but you’re smiling. You feel much better now, and you feel so lucky to have him.

“Thank you. But in my defence I didn’t forget it, it’s gone from where I left it I don’t know what happened… I was sure I-“

“Don’t worry about it, love. The day is saved. Now go say hi to the girls. They’ve been dying to see you.”

“You’re an angel, IV. I don’t know what the fuck I’d do without you.”

“Freeze to death, apparently.”

He sends you off with a kiss to the top of your head and a swat to your backside. He watches you part ways for a moment, admiring you dressed up in his favourite jacket. It makes his heart swell and his cheeks warm. It empties his brain and fills it with the impurest thoughts imaginable at the same time.

He watches the girls welcome you into their circle, IIs there as well. He’s happy you get along with his friends. He’s happy they love you.

His ogling is interrupted by a clap to the back from III.

“We get it, mate.”

“Shove off, prick. You’re already on my hit list.”

He has the gall to chuckle.

“Mission success, then?”

“It won’t be if you don’t keep your fucking voice down.”

“Pay up, then.”

IV huffs with a roll of his eyes, but reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a tenner. Slaps it into IIIs palm and shakes his head.

“You couldn’t wait five minutes, could you?”

III can’t help the chuckle that escapes him, yet again.

“Pleasure doing business, sweetcheeks.”

He saunters off with a smile that screams trouble. Headed straight for you. IV watches him say his hellos to you, compliments your ‘new’ jacket with a sickening smile and seamlessly inserts himself into the conversation you were having with II.

He briefly overhears you asking the tall son of a bitch where he disappeared to last night. He makes up some excuse about forgetting to turn his stove top off. IV can’t help the scoff that escapes him. But he doesn’t have long to dwell on it.

“You actually had him do it?”

Vessel stands next to IV, watching you all cozied up in his jacket.

“I asked him to hide the jacket, fucker took it home with him completely, I have no idea how I’m getting it back.”

“You know he’s going to con you out of another tenner, right? He planned this.”

“Yeah well. I can’t say I’m surprised. Plan worked though.”

“You know, I’ve heard just asking your partner to share clothes works wonders.”

“Alright, enough out of you. Keep your mouth shut.”

Vessel can’t help but laugh at his friend, a big old sweetie pie on the outside with a little bit of something sinister on the inside. Even if it means he ends up with more work in the end.

Vessel claps IV on the shoulder and walks him over to the rest of the group. IV zeros in on you. Comes up behind you and pulls you into his side. You’re in his jacket. You smell like him. You’re surrounded by his friends and you’re glowing.

He’s a very happy man today.

He doesn’t leave your side the whole time. As if you wearing his clothes wasn’t enough, he just needed to keep a hand on you all day as well. You learnt a long time ago that IV gets into these moods, you’d compare him to a lost puppy during these times. He follows you around with hearts in his droopy eyes and a smile that could tell a million stories. He’s so soft and gentle, and listens to every word that slips from your lips. (Except for the ones that tell him to leave you alone.) (You do not need to pee with the door shut.) (You’d think you’d get that by now.)

Sometimes he can reel it in. Like today, surrounded by his friends. But you know just beneath the surface his urges are festering. Every little squeeze of your hand. Or kiss to the forehead. Or quick little cuddles when the wind picks up, are his ways of trying to dampen his own urges to whisk you away, take you back home and bury you both back in bed.

He thought he’d be able to handle seeing you with his name all over you all day. Guess not.

There’s one moment, while you’re out, III was hungry and Vessel wanted a coffee, so you decided to take the short walk to a nearby cafe just down from the park. You and IV hang back, slowly following along but far enough away to be in your own world for a little bit. His hand is intertwined tightly with yours and he’s pulled you so close your arms keep brushing.

“You look stunning, love.”

It’s said in a low murmur, like he wants it to be a secret. A secret that only he knows how good you look. Your nose and cheeks are slightly pink from the chill in the air, your lips are a little bit cracked and his jacket drowns you. But to him you’re just beautiful. The smile you give him almost sends him into cardiac arrest. He thinks if his heart beats any faster it’ll create enough energy to power your house.

He ponders Vessels words. Wonders how you’d feel if he just outright asked you to wear his clothes when you go out together. Or when you go out without him. Or when you’re home for the day. Or when you’re going to bed. He knows you’d say yes, but there’s something about you being so oblivious that gets him all excited. How you unknowingly just let him dress you. Thinking it was pure coincidence, and that you really are just so lucky to have him.

He might tell you one day. He knows he’ll cop a good amount of teasing from you, but until then he’ll settle for watching you feel so at home and safe with him all over you.

____

“What the fuck?”

“What’s wrong, Bub?”

“My jackets back there.”

IV quickly turns to see what you’re looking at. Mid way through tossing his jacket back there now that you’re back in the car, he follows your eyes to the backseat.

And there it is.

Bunched up on the floor like it was there the whole time.

“I must be blind or something, I swear it wasn’t there this morning. Fucking hell… all that and it was here the whole time…”

He turns back to the road and bites back an amused smile.

III might put him through strife sometimes, but he’s clearly not stupid. He makes a mental note to send him a text when you two are home.

Lucky bastard lives to see another day.

.

.

.

Thank you for reading. I love you guys.

[aita-polls]

Am I the asshole for not being able to vacation?

Every year since 2021, my whole family has gone on an expensive overseas vacation... except myself and my spouse.

Now, it isn't so much that I'm not welcome. My mom even offered to pay for our plane tickets and hotel. It's that we're not really able to go, even with those expenses paid, for a multitude of reasons.

1) My dog requires medical attention and I can't afford to kennel him.

2) I don't get enough time off from my workplace. They're usually gone for a whole month, but I only get 3 weeks off in a year- and that's if I have no sick days or unavoidable appointments I need that time for.

3) My spouse is cripplingly afraid of planes, and I would not feel right leaving them behind.

4) Why are we pretending covid isn't still an issue, this is still very much a concern, even vaccinated.

The first year this happened, 2021, my sister and her kids were going to go by themselves and invited mom and myself to join on our own dime. Mom was able to go and I wasn't, but that wasn't really upsetting to me, because the decision to go or not was spontaneous.

The next year, 2022, they all told me ahead of time they were going to do this and I thought, at first, I might be able to, but over the course of the year our dog got sick, my spouse divulged their fear to me, and I realized saving up the vacation time is unreasonable, if not impossible. I told them I couldn't join after all, but they still went, and I wasn't upset because I had been planning to go.

Then in 2023 they said they were going again and invited me again, and i was upset because I told them I couldn't and why the previous year, but apparently they didn't understand that these problems I have are permanent. I then made it clear that for the foreseeable future, joining them on such a vacation is impossible for me.

Now here is where I may be the asshole:

This year I found out they are going again and I freaked out. I accused them of shutting me out of the family, and told them they were all assholes for going when I can't.

Then my mom talked to me and said that my and my spouse were always invited, and it's always our decision not to go. She said that I was welcome to also make plans of my own, such as a road trip one day travel away, and we could do those as a family too.

But if I were to plan such a trip, I would be expected to plan one that I can afford my own expenses for, and money is really tight. I honestly don't know how my single-mom-on-one-income sister can afford to keep going with her kids (and yes, she's paying their own way, I asked if my mom was paying for them too and she is not).

Am I the asshole for believing that it isn't a family vacation if not all of us can go? Am I the asshole for telling them they are shutting me out of the family? Do I have any right to demand my family not go on a vacation when I can't?

[aliasrocket]

I wanted to say something for an anonymous comment about feeling less embarrassed of having feelings for Rocket. I must say I totally understand that.

A month ago, when GOTG VOL 3 was released, I went to see it at the cinema with my mother, I spent the whole movie very excited for Rocket, but right in that scene where he is on the verge of death and he meets Lylla again, SOMETHING INSIDE IT CHANGED ABOUT ME, because when they were hugging I realized I was JEALOUS, and in my mind I thought "OH NO, IT'S HAPPENING TO ME AGAIN", because I always fall for characters that might be unconventional or weird to other people , then I start looking for fics and I realize that there are not many for the same reason, or there are many where it is more platonic and I think "IT IS NOT ENOUGH" And it's more complicated for me because my first language is not English and in my language there is NOTHING. So meeting people who write Rocket the way I imagined really makes me very happy. I'm even thinking about writing some one shots myself but it's hard, I've never written NSFW and I find it kind of funny that I want to start with Rocket.

Oh my god this was absolutely sweet.

Yes!! Everyone IT IS OKAY TO LIKE UNCONVENTIONAL CHARACTERS. LITERALLY, IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL!! JUST BE YOU!!!

And I’m really sorry there isn’t much fics in your language, but on the bright side I’m really happy that you’re at least able to read and write in english even if it isn’t your first language!

Also, yeah, in my experience, besides sighing the whole goddamn movie (except for the first 10 mins, I will give myself that,) I remember leaving the theatre in a sigh and going on ao3 like “ah shit, here we go again” bc this is the 1982838th time I’ve visited ao3 for some really obscure ship or an x reader fic for a very underrated character.

And about that Rocket smut, I understand how can it be daunting and I’d really love to help you!

Ykw, let me make a quick guide for anyone who’s scared of writing Rocket smut!! But for those of you who wouldn’t wanna read some real ugly/stupid stuff, don’t press the ‘keep reading’ line, haha.

a quick (and definitely unhinged) guide to writing Rocket smut XD

OBVIOUS NSFW WARNING!!! It gets ugly guys please THIS IS YOUR WARNING I’M NOT JOKING!!

If you’re uncomfortable with heavy nsfw please turn away now!!

written by aliasrocket (89P13 on ao3 hehe)

Suitable for any smut involving Rocket! (Looking at you guys, roquill shippers. Don’t worry, I welcome all ships on my blog <3)

This is supposed to be a writing smut guide specifically meant for Rocket so I’m not gonna go into the basics of writing smut, but if you’re a total beginner, here’s some pointers to help :

the genitals, legs, muscles, brain : main places that tend to be the most stimulated, exhausted or absolutely wiped. That being said, you can use these as a starting point for describing the feelings the characters or the reader may feel in the moment.

besides the main thing, you could try to set the mood by maybe mentioning how the moans sounded like, (screams, squeals, cries etc.) and other things the characters were doing to ground them in the moment, like gripping the sheets, gripping the other person’s shoulder or hips, etc.

Okay, so, about Rocket in particular …

Yeah, of course writing smut about a fucking Raccoon isn’t going to be fucking easy. But don’t worry, as someone who has studied all 3 gotg films and slowed down quite possibly every single Rocket clip in existence (enough to know Rocket … is genuinely CANONICALLY is very particular/skilled with his fingers, he knows where he’s putting them and knows EXACTLY which buttons to press on any tech, so … definitely good at using his fingers if you catch my drift) I think I might have gotten the hang of it to help some of you guys out.

So first off, when I write Rocket smut I always imagine he’s his comic height instead of his mcu height (don’t search it up, you’re just gonna be depressed about it trust me) so all you have to know is that if he pressed you up against a wall his head would be around your shoulder blade area. For missionary, he’s probably around your collarbone.

Rocket canonically has sharp and absolutely grown out nails. No, they’re not retractible. I’ve done research on this, but if you’d like to write him fingering someone, Rocket can have his nails trimmed.

It would hurt if Rocket bit you. Like, it would fucking bleed. So I’m sorry to say to those biting kink girlies (those are me hi) but Rocket can only afford to give you or someone else some nibbles on the skin unless you guys want some serious bloodplay on your hands. This is because he has protruding fangs on both his upper and lower row of teeth, his lower ones more prominent than the top.

Rocket can, however, eat you out. Don’t wanna get too into depth with this but basically his tongue can stick out his muzzle pretty well and his nose makes for a good clit-stimulator HAHAHAH

!!! : (this is going to be a description of the average raccoon penis so skip this if you don’t wanna know about this because you can DEFINITELY write Rocket smut without having to know this so please be free) I had to research this for a very specific request (pls ily shameless anon/pos) and I almost cried out of the loss of my sanity but anyway, raccoons have a baculum bone which is basically a bone in their penis that helps with copulation, its average length is about 4 inches but can be longer if you catch my drift. The genital itself is a like a rod with a ‘spiky’ end (it’s not actually spiky but it looks that way) compared to human genitalia, kind of like a cat’s but much longer and it is a very dark shade of brown or just plain black. Feel free to use any of these for a possible description if ever you need it, though I never really talk about it in fics, especially the whole ‘spiky’ thing. That being said, Rocket should not have an issue with size, as the the average human male genitalia is about five inches, meaning he can hit anyone’s g-spot just fine.

I might add more points if I have any more but this is all I got right now. I really hope this somehow encouraged you to write that nsfw fic you wanted, and just know everyone’s got interests, it’s fine if not a lot of people irl are into Rocket that way, because that’s literally what the internet is for!

[skyfallscotland]

Hiii me again! I, too, have questions for the ask game 🍓🦋🥤

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

I feel like it's redundant to keep saying the same ones, but *whispers* storm in the quiet @justallihere and Political Gain @sarahwyland

But also, in terms of underrated, I just read a little series by Ramzes called The Unseen One, furthering the Sloane/Bodhi agenda (🙏🏼 the lord’s work) and I've also enjoyed The Princess Gambit by JuliLyng so far as well, which is Xaden/OC. Not sure if they have tumblr, but if they're here, hi! 👋🏼

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

So I've always been a reader/writer, since as far back as I can remember (maybe three years old?), I'm pretty sure with the knowledge I have now that I'm hyperlexic.

I'm old enough to have been around for dial-up internet, but when I was a preteen, we got broadband (showing my age). This is to say, don't judge my parents too harshly because internet safety was not a thing back then, but...

I found fanfiction because back then, a lot of people either used livejournal or hosted their own sites, so a lot of fansites, had fanfiction. So while looking at Buffy fansites, I stumbled across Buffy fanfiction and realised I could actually read stories!!! so many stories!! where Buffy and Spike got together earlier or things didn't end tragically for them. So yeah, at 11 I was reading very explicit Spuffy smut on the internet 🫢 I had a system set up where I would play The Sims all day or do school project powerpoints, except I was really reading fanfic and I would flick between screens whenever my parents entered the room.

My mum now has KU and reads dark romance every day, so I guess she comes by it honestly (and yes, I did mean it that way around, I was here first!) 😂

Anyway, when I was 12 I started publishing my first few fanfics on ffnet - Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a Harry Potter/X-Men Crossover. Each originally written on paper, they were all ridiculously bad, but the latter had people interested enough despite the writing, which encouraged me to try again later down the line with The Vampire Diaries and Jurassic World. I hadn't written for almost ten years and had never finished anything much until last year, by chance, I decided to finally get back into reading actual books and picked up ACOTAR. I finished the series within a week and I was left like?? That's it????

The archive had such a small number of works, I couldn't believe it, so I decided to write my own. I wrote Fury and Siren over the course of three months. I wasn't game to post anything in case I didn't finish it, because I'd never finished anything before. I also put off starting this little book I'd bought 'Fourth Wing' by three months, because I knew I'd be sucked in and would lose the hyperfixation I had, so I forced myself to finish Siren first. And now you all know my life story lol omg I'm so embarrassing to myself 🫠

TLDR: internet

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately 

Honestly, this is kind of angsty, but this last week I’ve thought a lot about male-dominated fandom spaces and how we’re not welcome in them. We, meaning everyone who isn’t a straight, cis, white male. The Formula 1 community on here seems a little better, probably because it’s female-led, but everywhere else I can’t even look at the comments.

To be honest, I’m tired of being told I don’t belong, or that my opinion means nothing because I’m female. I grew up in a motorsport family, my earliest memories are at racetracks, but men on the internet would have you believe I’m only interested because of what the drivers look like. It’s just…tiring. Those fandom spaces have become a no-go zone for me now, because it just isn’t worth it. We live in a time where no matter what you say someone will attack you which is sad in itself, but it’s so much worse when you’re a woman commenting on a “man’s sport”, not to mention endlessly frustrating because they’re too stupid to tell the difference between equity and equality.

🦋 On a larger note, Palestine. I don’t think more than that needs saying. It hurts my heart.

[blueblossomrose]

Pairing: Fellow Honest x Fem!Reader

Summary: Fellow sees you in Playful Land with your friends, thinks you're a rich girl by the way you act and the fact that you study at Night Raven College, and tries to get money from you, only to end up falling in love.

Notice(s): Inspired by "The Lady and the Tramp", Female reader, Reader is the MC, but Yuu(ken Enma) is also here, not nsfw but slightly spicy? We kinda have a french kiss here.

Notes: I refuse to call him Ernesto, except in a specific Rapunzel-like fanfic where he is Eugene.

Comments and reblogs are very welcome ♡

He could have sworn you were a rich girl. I mean, look at the way you carried yourself! Like a true lady. Eyes wide open, paying attention to everything and everyone, with a polite and kind smile on your face. Your excitement was restrained but evident. You always sat with your legs crossed.

As if your good behavior wasn't evidence enough, you were still wearing that damn uniform. Night Raven College. An elite school.

He didn't think he needed more. He has his conclusion.

Even if you are not extremely rich, some money you must have. And he will get it from you. He and Gidel need it more than you do, anyway.

He thought about how he could do this. First he had to separate you from your friends. Leave you alone with him.

Fellow approached slowly, like a predator carefully observing its prey. He adjusted his posture, donned an unassuming smile, and gave you a slight nod. He knew he needed to be strategic, charming, but not invasive. After all, winning over someone like you required delicacy.

“Excuse me, miss,” he said, his voice as smooth as silk. “I couldn’t help but notice that you’re enjoying our park with such enthusiasm. It’s always a pleasure to see such a charming visitor here.”

You looked at him curiously, a glint of surprise and interest dancing in your eyes. He knew he had your attention.

“Oh, yes, it’s a wonderful place!” you replied, your voice polite but with a touch of excitement. “I didn’t know it would be so much fun!”

Fellow made a gesture of slight mock indignation, placing a hand on his chest.

“Are you saying you underestimated our Playful Land? Oh, that breaks my heart!” He let out a light, relaxed laugh, as if you were already friends. “But I’m glad you’re enjoying it. By the way, let me introduce myself: I’m Fellow Honest, one of the park’s managers.”

“Manager?” you asked, tilting your head slightly. He nodded, as if carrying a weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

“Of course. Not only do I help take care of the park, but I also make sure our guests have the best experience possible. And speaking of which…” He glanced around, as if searching for something. “I noticed your friends seem a little scattered. It’s a shame to leave you alone.”

You shakes your head, showing that you were comfortable on your own. “They went to explore some attractions. I preferred to stay here for a while.”

It was exactly the break Fellow needed. He gestured with his hand, as if he were putting on a great show.

“In that case, perhaps I could be your companion? I can show you the secrets of this place that no one else knows about. After all, it’s not often we have such special guests.”

You hesitated for a moment, considering the offer. There was something in his eyes, in the way he spoke, that was hard to resist. “Okay, of course! Why not?”

Fellow’s smile widened, and he offered his hand, like a gentleman ready to lead her. Inwardly, he cheered. This was the first step in the plan.

But as they walked together, something unexpected began to happen. As he talked about the park, making jokes and telling charming stories, Fellow noticed something he hadn’t expected. There was something in your laughter, in the way you responded to his words, that made his heart race. It wasn’t the kind of racing that came from getting what you wanted, but something more genuine, more dangerous.

He tried to ignore it. He tried to remind himself that this was a scam, nothing more. But with every step you took together, with every smile you gave him, he felt the plan begin to slip away from his control. Why, suddenly, couldn’t he stop looking at you?

It got to the point where the two of you finally arrived at the location Fellow had so carefully planned. It was a corner in the back of a restaurant, near one of the park’s quieter attractions, where there was little traffic. Despite its modest location, the place felt cozy. String lights hung unassumingly, illuminating the space with a soft, golden glow, creating a curiously intimate atmosphere.

Fellow pulled out one of the chairs for you, giving you a slight theatrical bow as he spoke. “Milady, allow me to offer you a seat in our 'VIP area'. Not all visitors are lucky enough to experience this!”

You laughed softly at the act, accepting the chair. Fellow seemed pleased with your answer, but there was a hint of nervousness in his smile that he quickly tried to hide. He discreetly signaled to Gidel, who was hiding behind a nearby dumpster, waiting for the right moment.

As you looked around, taking in the peculiar surroundings, Fellow quickly took the chair next from you, leaning slightly closer to you. He propped his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his hand, as if he was completely absorbed by your presence.

As soon as Gidel brought the food, you couldn't help but just eat it. You liked to eat a lot, and personally you stopped holding back.

Fellow watched in shock as you shoveled a spoonful of spaghetti with meatballs into your mouth.

You ate... a lot. He was surprised to see that graceful young lady eating an entire plate so quickly, but what surprised him even more was... how charming you still looked, even with your cheeks a little stained with sauce.

“You’ve just so cute...” Fellow complimented as you ate.

"Hmm?" you lifted your head, your cheeks puffed up with food.

He chuckled, gently poking your cheek. He was quite amused by your innocent behavior. It was an endearing quality that drove him crazy. He set down his silverware and looked over at you. A smile on his face.

“You’re even more beautiful when you eat, y’know. Like a chipmunk.”

You can't help but blush, laughing awkwardly as you swallows your food. “I-Is that so?... That's so kind of you!”

“It’s honest too.” He said, almost with a wink.

You can't help but laugh at the slightly joke.

He smiled as you laughed before going back to eating his food. Every so often, his eyes would flick up to look at you. He let out a mental sigh before deciding to get cheeky. He reached over with his foot, brushing against your ankle before slowly traveling up your leg. He was testing his luck, seeing how you’d react. Would you kick him? Move away? Let it continue?

You didn't seem to take it as flirting, so you just smiled and looked at him, thinking he wanted to say something.

He wasn’t expecting you to not notice. How dense could a person be? He almost wondered if you were actually doing this on purpose. Or maybe you just don't understand indirect flirting?

He decided to test the waters a little more. He moved a little closer to you, and when you were a little more distracted, he took the cutlery out of your hands with a smooth, light pushing motion.

"Huh?" You looked at him, with some confusion.

He simply placed a finger over his lip in a shushing gesture. He set the cutlery down before grabbing a napkin. Then, with a smile, he reached over to your cheek and wiped away a small sauce stain. "What about... we try something different? In some places, it's refined to eat without cutlery..."

"Eat without cutlery?"

He gave you a sly smile as he nodded. He took off his gloves, picking up a strand of spaghetti. "Try it. I promise it's not as barbaric as you think."

You shyly picks up the end of the spaghetti and puts it in your mouth. Fellow hums in approval at your action. He leans forward a bit more as he take the other side of the spaghetti.

Fellow’s expression was sly, his eyes slightly half-lidded as he let your faces get closer. He slowly started to close the distance, using the excuse of eating the spaghetti. His face was only inches away from yours, to the point he could feel your breath on his lips.

You didn't even move away, just standing there, your breathing becoming sporadic.

He inched closer, a smug smile on his face. He got you right where he wanted. When the distance was only centimeters apart, he licked some sauce off his lips, using it as an excuse to run his tongue right over your bottom lip.

You shivered, widening your eyes.

Fellow chuckled a little when you shivered, knowing exactly what effect he was having on you. He licked his lip again, now only a few millimeters from your own.

“You taste… even better with sauce...” He mumbled out, low.

"M-Mr. Honest..." You stuttered.

His smile grew at your breathless words.

“Hm? What is it?” He teased. His tone, the way looked at you… it was like a hawk that found its prey.

"W-Why... y-you look at me like that?..."

He chuckled to himself. He moved one hand up to your cheek and cupped it gently, his thumb running over your cheek.

“Can’t you tell, darling?” He purred out. "You look like a bunny right now, you know?... and... I guess you know what foxes do with bunnies."

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since the prize booth..." Yuu says thoughtfully, and soon becoming desperate. "OH MY STARS! We have to find her!" Yuu was about to run away, but then he turned back and grabbed Ace to go with him.

"Where the f*ck is MC?" Ace questions Yuuken as the two are heading towards the cotton candy stand to find Floyd, Jade, and Lilia.

[mrsbsmooth]

Scripts - S6 - Episode 33 (Part 1 of 3)

Chats around the villa with everyone except Amelia's former LI

NARRATOR: Welcome back to Love Island where everyone is still speechless over the news of tonight’s double dumping.

NARRATOR: This season has had more twists and turns than that double mini-roundabout near my parents house.

NARRATOR: But will the Islanders <i>give way</i> to the <i>right</i> people? And who will be <i>left</i> when it’s all said and done?

NARRATOR: I’m asking too many questions now, we’re just going round in circles. Let’s get back to it.

The Islanders look around the bedroom in shock.

TOBY_SERIOUS: A double dumping? I’ve only been here five minutes.

AMELIA_SAD: I know. So unfair.

{0}_SURPRISED: I can't believe this. Two people in one night!

{0} glances at you. Her eyes, full of worry.

{0} glances at you. His eyes full of worry.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Who are we all voting for then?

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You don’t seem too phased, Marshall.

GRACE_SURPRISED: Yeah, do you know something we don’t?

MARSHALL_IDLE: I know I’ve had a good time so far. No point stressing.

OZZY_SERIOUS: Wish I had the same mentality, bro.

{0}_SERIOUS: Tell you one thing, I’m not done here. I’ll be staying.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Well, it’s not for you to decide if you stay. It’s up to the girls.

{0}_SERIOUS: There’s a handful of reasons why I shouldn’t go home.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Enlighten us.

{0}_SERIOUS: Well, three words to sum it up.

{0}_SERIOUS: Heart. On. Sleeve.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: And Flo. Four words. Flo. Obviously, Flo too.

FLO_EMBARRASSED: Aww… Sweet.

{0}_HAPPY: Well, I can think of five reasons why I should stay.

GRACE_HAPPY: Ooh, one more than {0}. What are your reasons?

{0}_SERIOUS: I’ve found a genuine connection here. Something special.

{0} smiles at you, a glint in his eyes.

{0}_HAPPY: I’ve been honest and open from the moment I got here.

{0}_HAPPY: I’m always complimenting the girls and reminding people to put suncream on.

{0}_HAPPY: That’s fair. Sun cream Police.

{0}_HAPPY: Fourth reason… I don’t snore.

{0}_HAPPY: Now we’re clutching at straws.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: And finally, if I get voted out now, I’d never live it down on stream.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I can see the comments already.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: And finally, if I get voted out now, I’ll forever just be the ‘Casa Amor guy’.

FLO_SAD: Aww, {0}. You’re more than just the Casa Amor guy.

MARSHALL_SAD: Hey, I wanna be ‘the Casa Amor Guy’. Move over buddy.

PLAYER_HAPPY: That last one was a bit of a stretch.

OZZY_SERIOUS: It isn’t just the guys who need to be explaining why they should stay though.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: One girl is getting dumped too, don't forget.

AMELIA_EMBARRASSED: Yeah, I hadn’t forgotten but thanks for reminding me.

AMELIA_SERIOUS: You worried about getting dumped, {0}?

Not worried at all

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m not worried at all. You guys need to lighten up.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: We’re here to have fun in the sun, not afraid in the shade.

AMELIA_IDLE: You’re right. As always.

{0}_SAD: I don’t wanna imagine you going, {1}.

{0}_SAD: Wouldn’t be the same.

I’m absolutely bricking it

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Worried? Of course I’m worried.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’ve already been dumped once. Nothing to say it couldn’t happen again.

PLAYER_SAD: For real this time.

{0}_SAD: I don’t wanna imagine you going, {1}.

{0}_SAD: Wouldn’t be the same.

Other people deserve to be dumped more

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m pretty confident I won’t be getting dumped.

You look around at the others with a teasing pout.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Plenty of people here deserve to be dumped more than me.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Jeez. Fighting talk.

AMELIA_SAD: No one <i>deserves</i> to be dumped.

{0}_SAD: I don’t wanna see any of my girls go.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Come on, girls chat. We need to debrief.

You and the other girls head off to the dressing room for a private discussion.

You and the girls crowd nervously around the dressing room.

AMELIA_SURPRISED: This couldn't have come at a worse time.

AMELIA_SERIOUS: I'm exploring my potential with Toby and unsure about Marshall.

AMELIA_SAD: What if one of them goes?

FLO_HAPPY: Saves you having to decide.

FLO_EMBARRASSED: Sorry, that was mean.

GRACE_SERIOUS: We’re gonna have to get real. Where do we even start on which boy to vote off?

{0}_SAD: It’s who the boys vote for that I’m stressing about.

{0} looks around you all with big doughy eyes.

{0}_SAD: There'll only be four of us left by the morning.

FLO_EMBARRASSED: Which of us do you think will go, {0}?

Probably me

PLAYER_HAPPY: I think I’ll probably end up getting dumped.

FLO_SURPRISED: You’d be the last person I’d expect to get dumped.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Yeah, I don’t think the boys will vote you out, {0}.

GRACE_HAPPY: Unless there’s been some massive secret shenanigans you’ve got up to.

FLO_IDLE: Well, I hope you’re wrong, {0}. You deserve to stay.

One of you

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m confident I won’t be getting dumped just yet.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I feel like one of you will be on the plane home.

GRACE_EMBARRASSED: Urgh, I hope it’s not me.

I don’t know

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I don’t know who’s getting dumped.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m not too worried about it though as I said earlier.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: No point stressing.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m feeling a little worried about it though.

PLAYER_SAD: Just have a bad feeling.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Tell me about it.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: But, like I said, other people deserve to go more than I do.

PLAYER_SAD: Then again, I don’t know how the boys will vote.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: We can’t make the decision for them.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Who knows what will happen after the last dumping.

FLO_FLIRTY: We need to look stunning tonight to show them what they’d be missing out on.

FLO_FLIRTY: Big looks make big statements.

GRACE_FLIRTY: It could be our last day in the villa, too.

GRACE_FLIRTY: We don’t wanna bow out looking like we didn’t put in any effort.

GRACE_FLIRTY: If one of us is leaving, they’re leaving on a cloud of steam.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Not a bad shout.

AMELIA_FLIRTY: Let’s see what we have in.

PLAYER_HAPPY: This is <i>it</i>.

{0}_FLIRTY: Phwoar, {1}! That is gorge!

GRACE_FLIRTY: On point!

{0}_FLIRTY: Properly, stunning.

{0} looks at you with an excited smile.

AMELIA_HAPPY: What a look. Ready for the night.

PLAYER_IDLE: I think I’ll just wear this to be honest.

GRACE_SERIOUS: {0}, I’ve known you a while now.

GRACE_SERIOUS: I’ve seen you be a lot bolder for a lot less of an occasion.

AMELIA_SERIOUS: She’s right. This is an important night.

{0}_SURPRISED: Why not try on something a bit louder?

I’ll take another look

PLAYER_HAPPY: This is <i>it</i>.

{0}_FLIRTY: Phwoar, {1}! That is gorge!

GRACE_FLIRTY: That’s louder alright. Screams hot stuff!

{0}_FLIRTY: Properly, stunning.

{0} looks at you with an excited smile.

AMELIA_HAPPY: What a look. You are ready for the night.

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m happy in this.

GRACE_HAPPY: Go for it!

I’m good in this

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m happy in this.

GRACE_HAPPY: Go for it!

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I didn’t wanna say it before.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: But sooner or later we need to discuss which boy we’re voting for.

GRACE_EMBARRASSED: The elephant in the dressing room.

FLO_SERIOUS: I don’t even know where to start. They all seem great.

GRACE_HAPPY: They are. Well, they’re all great unless we’re in Casa Amor.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Then they’re shady as.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Do you guys know who you want to vote for?

The girls look around at each other.

AMELIA_EMBARRASSED: I was thinking…

GRACE_SERIOUS: How about this? Before we throw names out there.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Each of us should try and speak to the guys alone today.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Find out where their heads are at.

GRACE_SERIOUS: How committed and open they are to their couple.

GRACE_SERIOUS: Then we can regroup and decide who deserves to stay?

FLO_HAPPY: A group cross examination. Love it.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Let’s do it.

You step out of the villa spot Ozzy and Marshall in a deep conversation on the bean bags.

As you approach they both break into laughter.

OZZY_HAPPY: Oh hey, {0}!

MARSHALL_HAPPY: How you doing? We were just talking about you actually.

PLAYER_IDLE: You weren’t laughing at me were you?

OZZY_HAPPY: No not at all! We were just reminiscing about the good old days.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Seems you two are getting on then?

MARSHALL_IDLE: We’ve had a chance to properly talk. Go over exactly what happened between us.

OZZY_IDLE: Yeah, everything is so much clearer now.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: We’re all good now. All thanks to you and Amelia.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What did we do?

OZZY_IDLE: Take a seat and we’ll explain the whole story? All the juicy deets!

MARSHALL_IDLE: Yeah, it would be good to thank you properly too.

OZZY_HAPPY: Want to join us?

*Tell me everything!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sure, I’ll join you guys!

PLAYER_HAPPY: I want to know everything though!

MARSHALL_HAPPY: A deal’s a deal.

No thanks

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m good, thanks.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: You sure? Seems only fair to explain what all the drama was about.

OZZY_IDLE: Yeah, seeing as you helped bring us back together.

OZZY_IDLE: Plus you’ll understand it, being a twin and all.

MARSHALL_IDLE: Are you sure you don’t want to know?

*Ok, spill the tea!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Ok! You’ve convinced me.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What’s the story then?

OZZY_HAPPY: Take a seat and we will tell you all about it.

I don’t want to know

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m fine guys, really.

OZZY_HAPPY: Alright, your loss!

MARSHALL_IDLE: Probably best not oversharing, bit embarrassing.

OZZY_HAPPY: Yeah anyway, there is a big decision ahead, I need to get my head together.

MARSHALL_IDLE: You’re right, me too.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Catch you later, {0}!

You plant yourself on a beanbag between Ozzy and Marshall.

OZZY_HAPPY: Are you sitting comfortably?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Think so.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Then we’ll begin!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Alright, alright get on with it!

OZZY_IDLE: Well I guess it started when my dancing career began to kick off.

OZZY_IDLE: I got some solid backing dancer gigs with some big names.

OZZY_IDLE: My name started being passed around and I started getting offers.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: But he didn’t have any back up. Needed a businessman to handle the dirty work.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Sure, something like that.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: So I offered a helping hand.

OZZY_IDLE: Pretty sure I offered you a job…

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Same difference.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Needless to say, with me representing Ozzy, business was booming.

OZZY_IDLE: Yes, I’ll give you that. We were working a lot.

MARSHALL_IDLE: And the money! We were eating truffle flavoured crisps… daily.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Wow, big bucks then?

OZZY_IDLE: We did alright for ourselves, let’s put it that way.

PLAYER_IDLE: So, what was the problem?

OZZY_IDLE: Well…

MARSHALL_IDLE: Ozzy hated success…

OZZY_SERIOUS: Marshall!

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Sorry, you go.

OZZY_IDLE: I’d describe Marshall’s approach to managing as Quantity over quality.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What do you mean?

OZZY_HAPPY: Well, I suddenly went from dancing on world tours for the biggest bands in the world.

OZZY_SERIOUS: To dancing in a bug spray advert.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: He was a very convincing ant though.

OZZY_SERIOUS: You booked me in a flash mob for some rich guy’s wedding!

MARSHALL_HAPPY: The bride was so surprised!

OZZY_SERIOUS: She cried, Marshall! Not happy tears either!

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Look, the truth is those gigs paid the big bucks!

OZZY_IDLE: But I told you I wanted to do good quality work!

MARSHALL_HAPPY: {0}, what’s more important, the money or the art?

I agree with Ozzy

PLAYER_IDLE: I’ve got to agree with Ozzy on this one.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s the art that counts. You have to enjoy what you do.

OZZY_HAPPY: Thanks, {0}. I knew you would understand.

MARSHALL_IDLE: Ah whatever.

I agree with Marshall

PLAYER_IDLE: I’ve got to agree with Marshall on this one.

PLAYER_HAPPY: It’s show <i>business</i> after all. Need that cash!

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Exactly, money talks!

MARSHALL_HAPPY: I knew you’d understand, {0}.

OZZY_IDLE: Ah whatever.

PLAYER_IDLE: So then what happened?

OZZY_IDLE: We started fighting. Small disagreements at first but it got worse and worse.

MARSHALL_IDLE: Stopped hanging out after a while, just chatted business.

OZZY_IDLE: I guess we’d gone from brothers to business partners.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: Until you fired me over text!

OZZY_SERIOUS: I fired you in person, you just forgot!

PLAYER_HAPPY: What?! How do you forget being fired!

MARSHALL_IDLE: We were celebrating at the wedding bar after the flashmob.

OZZY_IDLE: You were celebrating you mean. I told you I think we should split.

PLAYER_IDLE: What did you say, Marshall?

MARSHALL_IDLE: I said we didn’t need to split anything, it was an open bar…

MARSHALL_IDLE: In retrospect I don’t think I understood what you meant.

OZZY_FLIRTY: You were distracted by that barmaid you were flirting with too.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Oh yeah.

OZZY_IDLE: I texted to confirm a few days later but you’d forgotten and it all blew up!

MARSHALL_SAD: You could have talked to me, given me a second chance…

OZZY_SAD: I told you the whole time I wasn’t happy. You never listened!

Sounds like Marshall’s fault

PLAYER_IDLE: Sounds like you needed to listen to your brother, Marshall.

PLAYER_IDLE: Feels like it was your fault.

MARSHALL_SAD: Yeah, yeah I get that.

Seems like Ozzy’s fault

PLAYER_IDLE: Sounds like you needed to be clearer, Ozzy.

PLAYER_IDLE: Marshall’s not a mind reader.

OZZY_SAD: Sure, I guess we should have talked more.

You’re both as bad as each other

PLAYER_IDLE: I think you’re both as bad at each other.

PLAYER_IDLE: Need to learn to communicate!

MARSHALL_SAD: You’re right.

OZZY_SAD: We know that now.

OZZY_IDLE: I should never have let business get in the way of family.

MARSHALL_IDLE: I should have listened to what you wanted.

OZZY_IDLE: We have you to thank for finally seeing that, {0}.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What do you mean?

MARSHALL_IDLE: Seeing you and Amelia together put things in perspective.

OZZY_HAPPY: Yeah, no siblings get on all the time. But you’re family.

OZZY_HAPPY: And at the end of the day that’s all that matters.

OZZY_HAPPY: Seeing you two pranking away and causing mischief.

MARSHALL_IDLE: Reminded me of how Ozzy and I used to be.

OZZY_HAPPY: When we pied each other it put it all into perspective.

OZZY_FLIRTY: So I wanted to thank you, {0}. You know how much you mean to me.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: You’re a very special girl…

They both look at you adoringly.

Flirt it up with Ozzy

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You mean a lot to me too Ozzy…

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Glad I can be an inspiration to you.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Oh you are.

MARSHALL_IDLE: Hello! I’m here too!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Yeah, yeah.

Flirt it up with Marshall

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Well you’re a pretty special guy, Marshall.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Glad I could be an inspiration to you.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Oh you are…

OZZY_HAPPY: Hello! I’m here too!

PLAYER_HAPPY: Yeah, yeah!

Pie them off

PLAYER_IDLE: I know I’m pretty amazing.

PLAYER_IDLE: You two have a lot to learn from me.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Clearly we do.

OZZY_HAPPY: Inspiring stuff!

OZZY_HAPPY: So, that’s the whole story.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Thanks for hearing us out.

OZZY_HAPPY: It’s good to get all that off my chest.

OZZY_IDLE: And now we have a huge decision ahead of us.

PLAYER_IDLE: Oh yeah, someone’s getting dumped.

MARSHALL_IDLE: We’ve got a lot of thinking to do. I’m going to go get some space for a bit.

OZZY_SERIOUS: Me too, this is going to be hard.

OZZY_IDLE: Catch you later, {0}!

PLAYER_IDLE: See you guys around.

You sit on the bean bags for a while, reflecting on Marshall and Ozzy’s antics.

&Daybeds: Ozzy

You approach Ozzy who’s sitting thoughtfully on the daybeds.

PLAYER_IDLE: Hey, Ozzy. You look deep in thought.

OZZY_IDLE: Ah long time no see! I was actually.

He does a double take as he sees your outfit.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Now I’m deep in love. You look incredible.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Thank you!

OZZY_HAPPY: No way can any of the guys vote to dump you when you look this good.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: We’ll see.

OZZY_HAPPY: Happy you’re here to take my mind off everything.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: I'm straight up nervous about this dumping tonight.

PLAYER_IDLE: Unsure about which girl to dump?

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: That’s part of it, I’m also scared I’ll get dumped myself.

OZZY_SERIOUS: Normally, I wouldn’t be fussed…

OZZY_SERIOUS: But I feel this knot in my stomach.

OZZY_SERIOUS: Like I really have something to lose now.

He nods before his eyes flicker in your direction.

OZZY_SERIOUS: I’m realising that I’ve not been the perfect partner to Grace.

Do you think so? Duh

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Took you a while to figure out.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Seems pretty obvious to everyone that you’re not giving her your all.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: I know. You’re right. Far from perfect.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Farrrrr from perfect, Ozzy.

PLAYER_IDLE: You had a three-way kiss when we were away in Casa.

You’ve both made mistakes

PLAYER_IDLE: Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve both made mistakes in here.

PLAYER_IDLE: Neither of you were solid during Casa.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Agreed.

PLAYER_IDLE: But you’re past that now.

You haven’t done anything wrong

PLAYER_IDLE: Honestly, you’re being too hard on yourself.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong with Grace.

OZZY_SURPRISED: Really? I did have that three-way kiss.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Water under the bridge. You’re on Love Island.

OZZY_SERIOUS: I just want to do right by her from now on.

OZZY_IDLE: Give her the effort she deserves.

PLAYER_IDLE: I’ll be interested to see how it goes.

OZZY_IDLE: I’m just feeling a little stressed that I’ve left it too late.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: I should have been putting in the effort from the start.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: But, there was someone else who was catching my eye.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I can guess who that was.

OZZY_IDLE: I suppose it doesn’t matter now.

OZZY_SERIOUS: You.

PLAYER_IDLE: I see.

OZZY_SERIOUS: Me and Grace have finally moved past our mistakes.

OZZY_SERIOUS: We’ve both taken a step back, but she also doesn’t deserve to be dumped.

OZZY_FLIRTY: And I’m still feeling this pull towards you.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Something I can’t explain.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Our cheeky shower together just reinforced that for me.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: It was a lot of fun.

OZZY_FLIRTY: And it’s getting to the point where I can’t ignore those feelings anymore.

OZZY_SERIOUS: I don’t wanna hurt Grace, but you’re like no one I’ve ever met.

OZZY_SERIOUS: I want you to be honest with me.

OZZY_SERIOUS: We’re towards the end of our time here and I don’t want to waste any more time.

OZZY_EMBARRASSED: Would you be happy if I made you my sole focus now?

You should just be focusing on me

PLAYER_SERIOUS: You should absolutely just focus on me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: We have a really strong connection.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Our sneaky shower together just proves it.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I haven’t stopped thinking about what we got up to.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You enjoyed it then?

OZZY_FLIRTY: Of course. We did the right thing not taking it all the way.

OZZY_FLIRTY: We should save that for another time.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You should be so lucky.

OZZY_FLIRTY: You know how to drive a guy wild.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Of course. I didn’t expect it to go all the way.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I didn’t go in with any expectations.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: But I came out satisfied.

OZZY_FLIRTY: It was the most fun I’ve had here. That’s for sure.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: It just proves why you should be focusing on me.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: It could be like that all the time.

OZZY_SERIOUS: Maybe you’re right. I wasn’t certain you felt so strongly.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Of course I do, Ozzy.

Give your all to Grace

PLAYER_SERIOUS: You should be setting your sights on Grace.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Put the blinders on for her. You two have potential.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: If I’m being honest, you might be wasting your time with me.

Ozzy nods, failing to hide the disappointment on his face.

OZZY_IDLE: Guess I was reading too much into what happened in the shower.

OZZY_IDLE: When you picked to marry me in Snog, Marry, Pie.

OZZY_IDLE: I thought that was your way of saying you wanted me to focus on you.

PLAYER_IDLE: It was just a game.

OZZY_IDLE: Good to know, I guess.

OZZY_SERIOUS: Being the partner that Grace deserves sounds like the right move.

OZZY_SERIOUS: However that pans out.

Wait until you know for sure

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t think you should be committed to one person necessarily.

PLAYER_IDLE: Just keep getting to know us both and see what happens.

OZZY_HAPPY: Very diplomatic. I respect that.

OZZY_SERIOUS: I’ve honestly just never been in this situation before in my life.

OZZY_IDLE: I care about Grace, but with you and me it’s different.

He looks at you with a cheeky smile.

OZZY_FLIRTY: In the best possible way.

OZZY_FLIRTY: I haven’t stopped thinking about what we got up to in the shower.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You enjoyed it then?

OZZY_FLIRTY: Of course. We did the right thing not taking it all the way.

OZZY_FLIRTY: We should save that for another time.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You should be so lucky.

OZZY_FLIRTY: You know how to drive a guy wild.

OZZY_FLIRTY: Of course. I didn’t expect it to go all the way.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I didn’t go in with any expectations.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: But I came out satisfied.

OZZY_FLIRTY: It was the most fun I’ve had here. That’s for sure.

OZZY_SAD: Then there’s also the stress of having to vote a girl off.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Which way are you swaying?

OZZY_SERIOUS: I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

OZZY_SERIOUS: You and Grace are obviously safe.

OZZY_SERIOUS: And I wouldn’t feel right voting for your sister.

OZZY_HAPPY: Would be like betraying you, in some way.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: So that leaves {0} and Flo?

OZZY_SAD: That’s the headache.

OZZY_SERIOUS: They’re both great.

OZZY_SAD: I’ve only spoken to Flo a few times though.

OZZY_HAPPY: {0} was always with her so never had a proper one-on-one.

OZZY_HAPPY: She’s a lovely girl and I don’t feel like she’s had a fair shot.

OZZY_SAD: Like if she got dumped tonight, that would feel too early.

OZZY_HAPPY: Also, a lifeguard saved my life when I was a kid.

OZZY_HAPPY: I feel an obligation to keep her in.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I didn’t know that about you.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Has a ballerina never saved your life then?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Has a DJ never saved your life then?

OZZY_HAPPY: Unfortunately for {0}, no. Not that I remember anyway.

OZZY_SERIOUS: But yeah, obviously I’ve known {0} a lot longer.

OZZY_HAPPY: She is such a great laugh. An absolute good vibe magnet.

OZZY_HAPPY: And I know you and her have genuine potential.

OZZY_HAPPY: Saw you both jumping in bed together yesterday.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Sounds like a tough decision.

OZZY_SAD: I trust you, and you know them both a lot better for sure.

OZZY_IDLE: So, who do you think I should vote to dump?

Vote to dump {0}

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s a tough call, but I think you should vote to dump {0}.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I think Flo deserves to be here until the end.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: If she got dumped now, it would feel too soon.

Vote to dump Flo

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s a tough call, but I think you should vote to dump Flo.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s unfortunate that she hasn’t been here that long.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: But, {0} has been such an important part of the villa.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: She deserves to be here until the end.

OZZY_IDLE: I agree with that and I trust your opinion.

OZZY_IDLE: You always know the right thing to do.

OZZY_SAD: I think I’ll have to vote for {0} then.

OZZY_SAD: It just sucks knowing she could go home because of me.

OZZY_IDLE: But thank you for helping me decide.

OZZY_IDLE: I really appreciate it.

PLAYER_IDLE: Of course. I’m always here.

You stand to leave.

OZZY_IDLE: See you around, {0}!

&LivingRoom: Marshall

You find Marshall looking very relaxed in the living room.

MARSHALL_IDLE: How’s it going, {0}?

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Good to see you again. Must be my lucky day.

PLAYER_IDLE: You don’t seem too fussed about potentially going home?

MARSHALL_IDLE: Oh yeah, forgot about that.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You forgot?

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Well, I didn’t forget. That was me trying to sound cool.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: But, I’m not too worried about it. Put it that way.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: It’s like you said earlier, we’re here to have fun, not stress.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Heard you saying you were worried you’d be going home.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: I just don’t think that way, myself.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: It’s like you said, other people deserve to go home more.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: I know, but you’re really taking it easy.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You don’t even seem a little bit apprehensive.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Just have a strong feeling that I ain't going anywhere.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: Do you think I’ll be getting voted out or something?

You’re less safe than you think

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Honestly, you’re less safe than you think.

MARSHALL_SURPRISED: News to me. What makes you say that?

Toby has turned Amelia’s head

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Well, you are with Amelia after all.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: And now she’s getting her head turned by Toby.

Marshall shrugs.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Amelia’s choice is up to her.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: I let you know how I really feel.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: It seemed like we were seeing eye to eye?

PLAYER_IDLE: And I let you know how I feel. You missed your shot.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: And that’s fine. I just have a good feeling that’s all.

PLAYER_IDLE: And I told you I couldn’t while you were with Amelia.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Well your wish might just come true. You never know!

PLAYER_IDLE: And I let you know how I feel. Never gonna happen.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: And that’s fine. I just have a good feeling that’s all.

MARSHALL_IDLE: No use worrying!

You’re too cocky

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I think you’re too cocky.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Saying you’d forgotten there was a double dumping tonight.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Just comes across like you don’t really care.

MARSHALL_SURPRISED: I’m laid back, it’s how I've always been.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Growing up alongside Ozzy, someone who wears his heart on his sleeve.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: I guess I just decided to be the opposite at some point.

You aren’t grafting hard enough

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You’re not grafting hard enough, Marshall.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You need to bust out your moves a little more.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I told you how I felt, now put the effort in.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Oh right, I thought we were good.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: But I hear you loud and clear!

MARSHALL_IDLE: I thought I had missed my shot?

PLAYER_IDLE: You did, with me. There’s still a chance with the others.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: What if I don’t want the others?

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: I thought you didn’t want me to graft?

PLAYER_IDLE: Not while you were with Amelia. But that might change soon.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: I see. I understand.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: I thought you said you’d never want to explore things with me?

PLAYER_IDLE: I don’t! Never gonna happen. But the others might want to?

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: I’m ok, thanks.

Just a feeling

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Honestly, it’s just a feeling.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: You just strike me as being in danger of going home.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: Cryptic. Thanks for the heads up at least.

I hope you’re staying

PLAYER_IDLE: I hope you’re staying. It would be a shame if you went.

PLAYER_IDLE: The villa needs a bit of your energy.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Thanks for that, {0}.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Some girls even think I’m marriage material, apparently.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: News to me.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Looks like me picking to marry you has gone to your head.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Just a little.

PLAYER_IDLE: But it doesn’t mean you’re safe from the dumping.

MARSHALL_IDLE: As I say, I’m pretty sure I’ll be staying.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Just have a feeling.

I don’t know what’s going to happen

PLAYER_IDLE: I don’t know what’s going to happen, Marshall.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: All I know is to expect the unexpected in these dumpings.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I get you’re confident, but there’s no way to know for sure.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: The risk element makes it more exciting.

He shoots you a cheeky grin.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: There’s something I wanna get off my chest actually.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: And it’s not this smiley face tattoo. Never liked that one.

MARSHALL_SAD: I want you to know that I’d be disappointed if you left tonight.

MARSHALL_EMBARRASSED: I’d always have that sense of not knowing.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Not knowing what?

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: If we could have been a thing.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: I remember when me and Amelia told you that we were gonna couple up.

MARSHALL_IDLE: You said something like, What about me and you?.

MARSHALL_IDLE: I kind of brushed it off at the time.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: But that question, <i>what about me and you</i>.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: It’s been playing in my head. On repeat.

PLAYER_IDLE: I meant that, when I said it.

MARSHALL_SURPRISED: I was surprised when you chose to Marry me in Snog, Marry, Pie.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: Probably a red flag thing to say.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: But I don’t think a girl has ever described me as marriage material.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: It was nice to see. Very eye opening.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Maybe I see things in you that even you don’t see.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Maybe. It’s refreshing.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: And I know I wasn’t the only one who felt that thing earlier.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: What <i>thing</i> was that?

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: You know, in the shower? Me and you. The way we locked eyes.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: It got me so excited.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I remember it.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: All the things we could’ve got up to have been running through my head.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: I wish we could have taken things further. Do you?

I wanted to get in that shower with you

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m glad you asked.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: If it was up to me, I’d have taken it further.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: How further?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: There’s room for two in that shower.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: That’s all I’ll say.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Is there room for our moves though?

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: I can tell we’d be a wild one together. A lot of fun.

I’m glad we didn’t take it further

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m glad we didn’t take it any further.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: It’s good to know.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: It was good where we left it.

End things with Amelia and we’ll talk

PLAYER_HAPPY: If you weren’t coupled with my sister, maybe.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Fair play.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: Well, who knows how much longer we’ll be coupled up for.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: I have to be honest with myself though and I would still be sad if Amelia went.

MARSHALL_SERIOUS: We had a lot of fun in Casa.

MARSHALL_EMBARRASSED: Maybe my whole bust up with Oz showed a side she didn’t like.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Whatever happens, you and Amelia won’t be getting a vote from me.

MARSHALL_IDLE: That’s all I’ll say.

MARSHALL_FLIRTY: Don’t wanna give away too much.

PLAYER_IDLE: Always mysterious.

MARSHALL_HAPPY: Reliably mysterious, constantly chill.

PLAYER_HAPPY: See you around, Marshall.

&Gym: {0}

You approach the gym to find {0} squeezing out some final reps on the bench press. He sits up and catches his breath.

{0}_HAPPY: Hey, {1}.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: I didn’t know you were such a gym bunny?

ANDY_HAPPY: When I was in my final year of uni I got into gym-ing a bit.

ANDY_SERIOUS: I was getting nervous about my exams. Found it helps take my mind off things.

FRANCIS_HAPPY: Yeah, I don’t normally gym it up. Yoga and pilates. That’s my regular jam.

FRANCIS_SERIOUS: But Marshall was telling me the gym is the best thing when you’re stressed.

FRANCIS_HAPPY: Thought I’d give it a shot. He knows his stuff that guy.

FRANCIS_FLIRTY: Not that I’ve ever seen him stressed though.

ELLIOT_IDLE: I’m not about being one of these bulked up, leg of lamb looking gym dudes.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: But I got into lifting weights a few years back.

ELLIOT_IDLE: Nice change from sitting at a desk all day under a blanket.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: I find it helps take my mind off things. Relaxes me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Are you stressed about the double dumping, then?

{0}_SAD: Yeah, proper bugging me out knowing two people are going home.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: And it could be because I voted for one of them. Hate that feeling.

{0}_IDLE: Feels like only yesterday you got back from Casa Amor.

{0}_IDLE: Feels like only yesterday we got back from Casa Amor.

{0}_IDLE: Who knows where Ozzy and Grace are at.

{0}_IDLE: Amelia has sparks with Toby but is still getting to know Marshall.

{0}_IDLE: Flo has barely unpacked.

{0}_SAD: No matter which way I square it, no one is ready to leave.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: And then there’s the dreaded thought.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What’s that?

{0}_SAD: If you get dumped or if I get dumped.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What would you do if I went?

{0}_IDLE: I know it’s not necessarily me you’re in here for.

{0}_IDLE: You and {1} might have something.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: And as much as I wish you were all about me.

{0}_HAPPY: I’d rather see you happy with someone you really care about.

PLAYER_HAPPY: That’s a really sweet thing for you to say.

{0}_SERIOUS: Would you want {1} to leave with you if you got dumped tonight?

I’d love that

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’d love it if {0} offered to leave with me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s not something we’ve discussed though.

{0}_SERIOUS: I’d be surprised if she didn’t.

{0}_HAPPY: You guys seem to be getting along really well.

I’d rather leave on my own

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’d rather leave on my own, {0}.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Me and {0} are having a great time.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: But it’s too early to be committing to things on the outside.

{0}_HAPPY: I get that. Maybe you two aren’t as far along as I thought.

I won’t be getting dumped

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I won’t be getting dumped, {0}.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: So whether someone leaves with me isn’t something I need to worry about.

{0}_HAPPY: Loving the confidence.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Wish I had the same self-assurance.

{0} leans forward and whispers.

{0}_HAPPY: She defo would leave with you though. Just saying.

{0}_HAPPY: I guess you have to go with your gut in here.

{0}_SERIOUS: I was thinking about this before you came.

PLAYER_IDLE: And what did you decide?

{0}_SERIOUS: I’m not just saying this, I genuinely mean it, by the way.

{0}_SERIOUS: If you got dumped tonight, I would leave with you.

{0}_SERIOUS: If you wanted me to.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Wow, very big words.

{0}_SERIOUS: In my heart, I couldn’t stay here if you left.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: Already made that mistake once before.

PLAYER_IDLE: I haven’t forgotten.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: We hadn’t spent as much time together when you got dumped before Casa.

ELLIOT_IDLE: I’d literally just arrived in the villa.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: I was less sure about whether I should leave with you.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: But now I am sure.

{0}_FLIRTY: <i>You</i> are my Love Island journey.

{0}_SERIOUS: And I want our journey to continue on the outside.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Maybe that’s a bit much but it’s where I’m at. Do you feel the same?

I feel the same way!

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I feel the same way, {0}.

{0}_HAPPY: That makes me so happy.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I honestly think we have something that could work long term.

{0}_FLIRTY: I feel it too.

{0}_SERIOUS: It sounds weird to say out loud.

{0}_SERIOUS: We only met in Casa.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: We only met right before Casa.

{0}_HAPPY: But that’s also kind of what makes me think what we have is so special.

{0}_FLIRTY: Our connection is already so strong.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m glad we feel the same.

I do not feel the same

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’ll just be upfront with you {0}.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I feel differently about us.

{0}_SURPRISED: In what way?

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m just not feeling it like that.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: The outside is different.

{0}_IDLE: I get what you’re saying.

{0}_IDLE: We’ve definitely had a few hurdles.

{0}_IDLE: I thought we’d overcome them together.

{0}_SAD: But maybe I’ve lost you somewhere along the way.

{0}_SAD: Your reaction when I tried to marry you was a clue.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: And not a very subtle one.

{0}_SAD: Very true.

{0}_IDLE: I guess the fact I didn’t realise until now shows I wasn’t paying enough attention.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I guess it does.

{0}_IDLE: I just wanted to reassure you that I’m invested and excited for us.

{0}_SERIOUS: But I appreciate you being open.

It’s too early for us to get this deep

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Don’t get me wrong, we have potential.

PLAYER_HAPPY: But we’re super early doors.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Maybe it’s too early for us to be getting that deep.

{0}_HAPPY: I hear you. I did wonder if it was a bit heavy.

PLAYER_HAPPY: We can’t skip the getting to know each other and having fun phase.

PLAYER_HAPPY: And jump straight to the soppy, heavy chats, going home together phase.

{0}_HAPPY: Got it. I’ll cool it a few degrees. See where we get to.

{0}_IDLE: I guess I just wanted to reassure you that I’m invested and excited about us.

{0}_HAPPY: I sometimes feel like a genuine underdog in here.

PLAYER_IDLE: Why’s that?

{0}_IDLE: I’ve not had as much time to settle as the other guys for starters.

{0}_HAPPY: Barely had a chance for my feet to touch the floor in Casa Amor.

{0}_HAPPY: And then I was straight over to the main villa.

ELLIOT_SAD: Barely had a chance for my feet to touch the floor in the main villa.

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: And then you got dumped and Casa Amor happened.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I keep looking in the mirror thinking ‘you’re a big techie who can only bench 80kg.’

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I keep looking in the mirror thinking ‘you’re a big goof who loves puppies.’

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I keep looking in the mirror thinking ‘last week you were living in a van in Canada’.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Feel a little out of my depth.

{0}_HAPPY: Especially with lads like Toby walking round.

{0}_HAPPY: Think I saw him bicep curling the weight I use for deadlifts.

{0}_HAPPY: But yeah, I am determined to finish this summer with a smile on my face.

{0}_FLIRTY: Walk out of here under a setting sun with your hand in mine.

{0}_FLIRTY: Walk out of here under a setting sun with no regrets.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Dreaming big. Nothing wrong with that.

{0}_HAPPY: I appreciate the support, {1}.

{0}_FLIRTY: Earlier in the shower. I appreciated that, too.

{0}_FLIRTY: I couldn’t stop thinking about what we got up to.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You enjoyed it then?

{0}_FLIRTY: Of course. It was the perfect end to the drama.

{0}_FLIRTY: You know how to drive a guy wild.

{0}_FLIRTY: Of course. I didn’t expect it to go all the way.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I didn’t go in with any expectations.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: But I came out satisfied.

{0}_FLIRTY: It was the most fun I’ve had here. That’s for sure.

{0}_FLIRTY: Earlier in the shower was one of the reasons I asked if you felt the same as me.

{0}_IDLE: I really enjoyed it.

{0}_IDLE: But I guess you’re just not feeling it like I am.

He looks down at the weights on the floor.

{0}_HAPPY: Anyway, I better get back to these. Clear the head.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Bye, {0}.

&RoofTerrace: {0}

You find {0} alone on the terrace chuckling to himself.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Hey, {0}. What’s got you giggling?

{0}_HAPPY: Just this stupid prank I’m playing on {1}.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What is it?

{0}_HAPPY: He gave me his phone to take a pic of him when you were in Casa.

{0}_HAPPY: I set the clock to a different time zone. Only like two hours behind.

{0}_HAPPY: To be honest, I forgot I’d done it and thought he’d realise after ten mins.

{0}_HAPPY: But he just came up to me saying he must be getting old.

{0}_HAPPY: Because he keeps getting really tired by 9pm.

{0}_HAPPY: And this morning he was complaining that we’re waking up so early.

{0}_HAPPY: I was just chuckling thinking, if he gets dumped tonight…

{0}_HAPPY: He’ll get to the airport like 6 hours too early. It’s silly, just made me laugh.

PLAYER_IDLE: You don’t seem too fussed about the dumping?

{0}_IDLE: Well, it’s not that.

{0}_IDLE: I don’t want to be dumped, obviously.

{0}_IDLE: And even more so, I don’t want <i>you</i> to be dumped.

{0}_IDLE: You deserve to stay and find something special with someone.

{0}_IDLE: But I’ve had a good run in here and made some great friends.

{0}_IDLE: If I go tonight, I’ll be back in my cockpit next week.

{0}_IDLE: If I go tonight, I’ll be back on my board next week.

{0}_IDLE: If I go tonight, I’ll be back on the pitch by Saturday.

{0}_IDLE: If I go tonight, I’ll have a guitar in my lap by tomorrow morning.

{0}_HAPPY: And my life will be back to normal. And you know what? I really love my life.

PLAYER_HAPPY: That’s sweet.

{0}_HAPPY: I was thinking actually, if I stay.

{0}_IDLE: I don’t think {1} will mind me cracking on.

{0}_HAPPY: She called me buddy ol’ pal yesterday before bed. Ultimate friendzone.

{0}_HAPPY: There’s someone who’s actually really caught my eye. Might make a move.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Who’s that then?

{0}_FLIRTY: Flo.

{0}_FLIRTY: Absolute worldie.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Have you spoken to her much?

{0}_FLIRTY: I’ve not had a proper chat recently. She seems really fun though.

{0}_IDLE: I was thinking of pulling her for a chat and turning on my game.

{0}_FLIRTY: What do you think, would she be into me?

I can see her being into you

PLAYER_IDLE: I won’t lie, {0}. I can actually see that working.

PLAYER_IDLE: You may have to show her some good chat.

PLAYER_IDLE: But I think you could turn her head, for sure.

{0}_HAPPY: That is good to know.

PLAYER_IDLE: But obviously, that’s just what I think.

PLAYER_HAPPY: She might get to know you and decide you’re a plank.

{0}_HAPPY: Wouldn’t be the first time.

PLAYER_HAPPY: But yeah, pull her for a chat and work your magic.

Dream on

PLAYER_IDLE: Dream on, {0}. No chance.

{0}_SERIOUS: Really? I thought I might have a shot at turning her head.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m not so sure. Just being honest.

{0}_IDLE: I’ll probably still pull her for a chat, just in case.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Waste of time.

{0}_HAPPY: Time is all I have in here.

Have you given up on me, then?

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Have you given up on me, then?

{0}_IDLE: What was it you said when you came back from Casa Amor?

{0}_IDLE: I didn’t miss you at all or something.

{0}_HAPPY: I don’t mind grafting and working through things.

{0}_IDLE: But that felt like a door being shut. In my face. Hard.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

{0}_HAPPY: I’m not annoyed, I get it.

{0}_HAPPY: But, I don’t really know how we come back from that.

Pull her for a chat and find out

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’ve spoken to Flo a bit but I don’t know for sure if she’d be interested.

PLAYER_IDLE: You should pull her for a chat and find out yourself.

{0}_HAPPY: I’ll do just that. Hopefully, there’s something there.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You never know.

Flo is all about me

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Good luck, she’s all about me so it would take a lot to turn her head.

{0}_SURPRISED: What? Since when?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: We had a chat after Casa. It was pretty obvious.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: She seemed really interested in getting to know me.

{0}_SERIOUS: Well, I don’t blame her.

{0}_IDLE: I think everyone here is interested in getting to know you.

{0}_IDLE: But this all depends if I stay tonight, I guess.

{0}_FLIRTY: Whatever happens, I’m feeling good.

{0}_SAD: That’s probably the worst thing that could happen tonight.

{0}_IDLE: But, there’s a silver lining to everything.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: How?

{0}_FLIRTY: Well, if we both stay, I get to continue pursuing things with you.

{0}_IDLE: Wherever we end up, that excites me. I love our time together.

{0}_IDLE: Then, there’s the slim possibility that you get dumped.

PLAYER_IDLE: What’s the silver lining to that?

{0}_IDLE: I’ll be real. I’d want to walk out with you.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: You’d do that?

{0}_IDLE: The happiest I’ve been in this villa was right before Elliot stole you.

{0}_FLIRTY: When it was just me and you.

{0}_FLIRTY: I wouldn’t think twice about leaving with you.

That’s so romantic

PLAYER_FLIRTY: That is such a romantic gesture!

{0}_FLIRTY: I mean it. I’m not just saying it.

{0}_FLIRTY: Why would I stay here without you?

{0}_FLIRTY: There’d be no one to keep me on my toes.

I’d wanna leave on my own

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Appreciate you saying that, but I wouldn’t want you to leave for me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’d be much happier leaving on my own.

{0}_SURPRISED: I see. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that.

{0}_FLIRTY: Just wanted you to know where my head’s at.

I don’t believe you

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t know if I believe you.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I suspect you’d stay if I got dumped tonight.

{0}_SURPRISED: I’m sorry you think that, but I was being genuine.

{0}_SERIOUS: If you wanted me to, I’d leave in a heartbeat.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Is that what you would want?

{0}_SERIOUS: 100%. I mean it. I’m not just saying it.

{0}_FLIRTY: Why would I stay here without you?

{0}_FLIRTY: There’d be no one to keep me on my toes.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Either way, I hope we don’t have to find out tonight.

{0}_SERIOUS: Well, that was my plan if you got dumped.

{0}_SERIOUS: And then if I get dumped, I’d feel sad but ultimately, it’d be the right time.

{0}_SERIOUS: I’ve been here a lot longer than Toby and Marshall and {1}.

{0}_IDLE: So it seems only fair that they should stay longer.

{0}_IDLE: And obviously, I wouldn’t expect this from you. Only if you really wanted to…

{0}_IDLE: Which from what you just said, you might not.

I’d leave with you

PLAYER_HAPPY: I think I’d leave with you.

{0}_HAPPY: I believe you.

{0}_SERIOUS: And I hope you can begin to believe me when I said I’d do the same for you.

{0}_SERIOUS: I meant it.

{0}_HAPPY: I was scared when you said you wouldn’t want me to leave for you.

{0}_SERIOUS: Thought you might say you wouldn't leave for me if I got dumped.

PLAYER_HAPPY: No, I think I’d leave if you got dumped.

{0}_HAPPY: Well, now I truly have nothing to worry about tonight.

{0}_HAPPY: Leaving with you and staying in with you are both perfect in my eyes.

{0}_HAPPY: Being with you, in or out of here, is all I want.

I’d stay in without you

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t think I’d leave if you got dumped tonight.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: As I said, I don’t believe you’d do the same for me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I wouldn’t want to cut my journey here short unless I was certain.

{0}_SERIOUS: Well, I hope we both stay in so I can prove that I meant what I said.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: As I said, I wouldn’t want you to leave with me if I got dumped.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: So I wouldn’t expect the same from you.

{0}_SAD: Makes sense.

{0}_SURPRISED: So you’d like it if I left with you if you got dumped...

{0}_HAPPY: But you wouldn’t leave with me if I got dumped?

{0}_SURPRISED: Seems a little unfair?

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: I said you offering to leave was romantic, actually.

PLAYER_EMBARRASSED: Not that I would specifically leave with you. If you were listening.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Oh right, fair play.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I wouldn’t want to cut my journey here short unless I was certain about it.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: That’s just how it is.

{0}_IDLE: No, I get it, it’s fine.

I’m unsure

PLAYER_IDLE: I’m not sure, {0}.

PLAYER_IDLE: We’d have to see how we felt in the moment.

PLAYER_IDLE: I don’t want to make any promises now if I change my mind later.

{0}_SERIOUS: I completely get that. It was just something I needed to ask.

{0}_SERIOUS: See where both of our heads are at.

{0}_IDLE: But yeah, that’s why I’m not getting too deep about tonight.

{0}_FLIRTY: Just feel like whatever happens, it’ll work out.

{0}_IDLE: That’s my take anyway.

{0}_HAPPY: I have a good feeling about things.

{0}_FLIRTY: It’s hard to be stressed after that shower earlier.

{0}_FLIRTY: I still feel like I’m on a cloud.

{0}_FLIRTY: I keep replaying what we got up to.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You enjoyed it then?

{0}_FLIRTY: Of course. It was the perfect end to the challenge drama.

{0}_FLIRTY: You know how to drive a guy wild.

{0}_FLIRTY: Of course. I didn’t expect it to go all the way.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I didn’t go in with any expectations.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: But I came out satisfied.

{0}_FLIRTY: It was the most fun I’ve had here. That’s for sure.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I’m glad we both had a good time.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I better get going.

{0}_IDLE: Yeah, you girls are busy doing the rounds.

{0}_HAPPY: Trying to figure out which boy deserves to be dumped?

PLAYER_IDLE: Something like that, yeah. It was Grace’s idea.

{0}_HAPPY: Interesting. Well, good luck.

You leave {0} who reclines on the Terrace seating with a relaxed smile.

[watevermelon]

Just Enough | Diluc (Genshin) x Traveler!Reader

✧ Summary: Between freeing Dvalin and pursuing the Geo Archon, you were constantly moving forward to find your brother with hardly a second to look back. You were in a rush to find your lost sibling, not realizing how your heart had stopped in Mondstadt. Visiting the city while waiting for things to die down after Rex Lapis’ death, you return to a… jealous Diluc?

➳ Spoilers for the Dark Knight Hero quest and some of the manga background ➳ Notes: lots of fluff, slight angst and jealousy, character development, mutual pining at one point, a long one-shot that covers the (1.0) beginning of the Liyue story  ➳ Navigation

---xXxXxXxXxXx---

If he had only asked you to stay.

To say that these past few weeks were a blur would be a severe understatement. For months you were simply a lost wanderer, traveling from world to world for any sort of clue that could lead you to your brother.

And in just a matter of weeks you were suddenly Mondstadt’s hero.

From bringing peace to Dvalin’s heart to meeting Mondstadt’s infamous Dark-knight hero, you were familiarizing yourself with a people and a place for a world you knew you did not belong to. Learning of the history of the Seven Archons, the Gods’ of contracts or of freedoms, suddenly you were being thrust into it all at once.

You shared the burden of knowledge with a few of Mondstadt’s elite, the true God of Freedom walking in plain sight to the citizens of his nation. And with him, were the quick allies you found side-by-side when fighting a dragon. 

It was all happening so suddenly and Lord Barbatos himself was giving you directions to the next country over, to continue on your journey in meeting all seven Archons to Liyue. 

To this day, you could fondly recall your final celebration in Mondstadt.

“To think that despite his small stature he can drink so much.” Kaeya commented from his seat at the table, eyes slid in the direction of Venti at the bar next to you. You could see the impatient stare behind Diluc’s eyes, not at all happy that their God was indulging himself so freely.

“Honorary Knight, Mondstadt thanks you for your service.” Jean formally stated, for the nth time since Dvalin had been freed.

“I’m just glad I was at the right place at the right time.” You answered back, offering a placating smile in return.

“Humility doesn’t pay for dinner!” Paimon hmphed next to you.

“But aren’t we at a feast now?” You countered, gesturing to the table. 

She sighed again before moving to get a taste of some of the honey roasted ham. “Fine, don’t blame me when we have to settle into that poor excuse of a tent!”

“Please, do not feel you are in any rush to leave.” Jean offered, “You are welcome lodgings at our Favonius Headquarters.”

“With the other Knights of Favonius?” Diluc asked, face completely blank if not for the small upward tilt of his left brow.

Kaeya flirted with you from across the room, uncaring of the other partygoers, “You could always stay with me.”

You laughed lightly and responded, “That’s a hard pass.”

The Cavalry Captain simply shrugged, offering it to you again if you changed your mind before grabbing another glass of wine and walking with Jean toward the busy table.

Barbara was trying different dishes and offering some to her older sister, spouting descriptions with medicinal purposes and flavors that compliment one another. Lisa was no better as Amber egged both of them on, completely sober as she continued to feast on the food laid before her. Other Knights of Favonius that you recognized were scattered about, enjoying the first truly peaceful night in the past few weeks.

“You are welcome to stay at the Dawn Winery, while you look for your brother.”

He relished in the sight of your smile.

“Thank you, Diluc.”

That was three months ago.

And since then you had been thrown into more of not your business but suddenly IS your business, business.

You remembered your last day before setting off from Mondstadt. The Knights of Favonius would surely call on you again and so you had quick goodbyes with Jean and Kaeya the day before. Venti was saved for last, a somewhat light-hearted and yet somber goodbye as he was the first and last person for you to see in Mondstadt. 

But Diluc… How could you even start that conversation?

He was the lone wolf with a prickly reputation and an even worse sense of patience. You remembered the first time you even spoke to him, clipped words meant to get straight to the point. Not to mention that he was the first person to antagonize Kaeya, who was one of the few people you kinda trusted in the beginning.

It was not until the side adventures, the little quests you did one-on-one that you realized how much more there was to the edgelord that was Diluc. 

Of course, he was still the strict type to focus solely on the mission. 

But you realized more about why Diluc had come to be this way. 

‘The uncrowned king of Mondstadt.’

As you worked together against the possible abyss invasion of Mondstadt, you poured over strategies and testing of his slime potion. And while slimes were not the hardest enemies to fight, he still complimented you on your form and appreciated your quick style with the sword.

You had a unique style, unlike Kaeya or anyone else of this world.

“Elegant, but deadly.”

You took that as a compliment.

And little by little Diluc opened up to you, cluing you into his personal history. 

He and Kaeya were step-brothers, growing up together at the Dawn Winery. How he knew Jean since he was child and once served as her superior in the very organization he now despised. How he still has things to protect, to avenge. And while his description about what happened to his father was nothing more than a quiet stare, you were still grateful that he was entrusting you into his world.

You remembered Kaeya’s words as he discovered Diluc’s nighttime secret:

“I’m glad you’re working with an assistant.”

Kaeya’s tone may have come out scathing, but you knew better. Kaeya and Diluc used to be close, close enough to entrust their lives with one another. There was no doubt that Kaeya still cared about his brother, but with Diluc pushing everyone away….

Again, you were so appreciative that he chose to let you in.

When Kaeya finally left the bar, you turned to Diluc with a smile. “I think my work tonight earned me at least one glass of wine?”

That broke a small smile on his face, not the slight tilt on the sides or the wistful, far off look he got when he recalled something beyond your knowledge.

“Alright.” He waved over a nearby waitress, all of the customers tonight employees of the Dawn Winery. “Let’s take this up to the balcony, I’m going to close up anyway.”

“Oh?” Paimon’s squeaky tone somehow went up another octave in curiosity, “I just remembered I have to ask Venti something! Why don’t you two enjoy your date alone.”

She flew away before you could swat at her for her teasing words, blush apparent on your face. Diluc kept his flat face as he maneuvered things behind the bar, wiping at something before putting something in the below cabinet. 

To your surprise, he handed you a bottle and two glasses, motioning with his head toward the second floor. Charles was among some of the ‘customers’ tonight, taking his usual spot behind the bar as Diluc stepped out.

You followed him wordlessly, walking up the steps and out the second-floor door closely behind him. He pulled out a wooden chair next to the table outside, you taking the seat underneath the stars as he plopped down alongside you.

“I thought the stars here in the city would get overcrowded by the lights.” You admitted, “But they’re beautiful even here.”

“Yeah, they are.” Diluc agreed, making you smile before turning to him.

“You’re not even looking at the stars.”

The pyro-user simply smirked, before looking up at the starry sky with you. You relished in the moment, glad to have some time alone with Diluc. Many had commented that the winery owner was so elusive, missing from the bar weeks at a time and unseen within the city walls. And yet here he was, enjoying the crisp air and a glass of wine with you.

“Thank you.” You started.

“Shouldn’t you be demanding thanks from me?” Diluc asked.

You laughed lightly, “Yeah, cause I’m sure that the abyss mage would have totally kicked your ass without me.”

Diluc had that slightly amused expression on, looking a bit more light-hearted as he turned to you with a slight tilt at the corner of his lips.

You continued, “I mean, thanks for entrusting me with your secret.”

Diluc paused, looking you straight in the eyes, probably to gauge your honesty. And he would concede that there was nothing else there. You wanted to be his friend, the first in a long time to have approached him without your own agenda regarding either the winery or his fortune.

In return, he poured you a glass of wine and replied, “You’ve long earned it.”

“Thank you, Diluc.” You took the glass and felt your heart flutter at the brush of his fingers. “I’m glad I got to know you.”

“I’m glad you’re in my life too.”

He shot you another one of his genuine, millisecond smiles before pouring some from the bottle for himself. 

“Wine and not grape juice today?”

But he did not answer, instead eyes latching onto the rise of goosebumps on your arms. You could not help it against the crisp Mondstadt air, naturally feeling a chill at this time of night. Without a word, he shrugged off his outer coat, the thick black one he wore at almost all times of day, and rested it casually on your shoulders.

You muttered a small thanks as you snuggled into it. Diluc’s iconic dark coat, a complete contrast to yourself. While you wore a white dress with open sleeves and plenty of skin, Diluc wore black covering most of his body with the exception of his neck and face. Seeing it on your shoulders only reminded you of that fact.

“Don’t need you getting sick anytime soon.” Diluc stated plainly, as he returned to his seat.

You huddled into it more and replied, “Aw, Diluc cares.” Again, you were rewarded with another flat expression. “Or rather, if the events of today are to show anything, you’ve always cared. Just in your own, protective way.”

He slung an arm across the back of your seat, leaning closer before stating in a low voice. “Don’t forget that.”

Your eyes snapped to his, the both of you basically sharing the same breath in your close proximity. His scarlet eyes, usually a searing color when on the battlefield, looked surprisingly tender only inches from yours.

“You mean so much to me, Diluc.” You whispered back, afraid that anything above a whisper would punctuate this amorous atmosphere.

He slowly dragged his face alongside yours, stopping beside your ear and continuing in his low voice. “So do you.”

There was no stopping the shiver of anticipation that crawled up your spine.

You could feel the small smirk grow against your skin before he pulled off and grazed his lips against your forehead.

The expression on your face was practically begging him to kiss you. From the small lean in your side against his arm slung around you to the way your eyes slowly fluttered closed, it took all of his self-control to stop himself before he pulled you closer. He wanted nothing more than to grasp you by the back of your neck, relish in the way you melt against him. To kiss you now and tomorrow and maybe even the morning after at the winery.

Diluc had to remind himself that in less than a week you were going to be long gone.

He did not want to ruin this memory a week from now, asking what if and why. And so he settled on a simple kiss above your brow before leaning back in his seat, enjoying the moment he had with you tonight.

You were disappointed, but actually not surprised. It was a feat in itself that you were so close to Diluc in this short amount of time, it would do no good in pressuring him into anything else. But also, another more rational part of you, had to remind yourself that getting attached to the people of this world would only make it hurt more when you had to return home.

This was for the better.

But no matter how much rational thought Diluc used to push you away, you were sure that you had already fallen for him. From the small interactions with Diluc, you could barely recognize the moment that you were completely enamored with him. It was not during the first time you saw him fight or even the night he leant you his jacket. No, you feared it was much before then.

To think you had gotten attached to Diluc in such a short amount of time.

But then you had to say goodbye.

“Safe travels.” Diluc stated from behind the bar when he saw you enter on your last day.

You were not sure what you expected, a drawn out goodbye or a fore longed hug, but Diluc was still, well. He was still Diluc. And to see him re-erecting his walls before you left for your journey was a sad thought, but needed while the two of you were hundreds of miles away from one another.

But you would regret it if you didn’t say anything.

Instead you settled on, “I’ll miss you.”

The hopeful look in your eyes spelled out exactly what you wanted to hear back.

Diluc instead replied, “You fight good.”

“Oh. Um.” The hesitation was clear in your voice.

Was this really how you were going to leave things?

But with Diluc turning his attention back to the wine glass he was previously wiping, yes. It seemed that this was exactly how he wanted to leave it. Paimon scoffed, but said her own goodbyes before flying away.

“Goodbye, Diluc.”

Outside the tavern, you let your frown grow at that interaction. After everything you had been through together, Diluc complimented you on your fighting? Then said peace out?

“That was really lame.” Paimon commented aloud as she floated alongside you. You could not help but internally agree, but you had a whole journey ahead of you. At least the busyness of Liyue would keep you busy from dwelling on that conversation.

But as you said goodbye to Venti, the both of you stood in silence under the giant tree staring at the city. You thought about going back three times, to get a proper goodbye out of Diluc. But doing so would do neither of you any good, since it would only open more issues.

“No more questions about the other Archons?” Venti asked, voice surprisingly serious.

“Can’t think of anything.”

“None even of a certain… winery owner?” You could almost hear the smile in his voice.

You rolled your eyes and responded, “You’re such a little shit.”

“Hehe.”

You both continued to stare at the city, the marvels of its people and history within its high walls. To think Barbatos and Dvalin were finally free, because of your otherworldly intervention. Venti was truly thankful for you, and while he knew his words were on the more mischievous side, he knew that you understood.

Venti’s voice permeated the air. “Be safe in Liyue.”

You smiled back and offered him a tight hug, replying. “As always.”

To think that the same day that you stepped into Liyue, Rex Lapis was murdered before your very eyes. It was like the Gods actually hated you, having to rely on a Fatui to run away from the government officials hot on your trail.

Since then you had been working with Zhongli to prepare for a parting ceremony. From running around for certain types of Jade materials to singing to flowers, you were happy to take a second to yourself at all. You were afraid that trouncing around Liyue with a bounty on your head would do you no good and often stayed in the wild areas. Visits to the city were for necessities only, which often left you relying on the ever so truthful Childe or the mora-averse Zhongli.

More than three months after your initial departure to Liyue, you stepped back into the walls of Mondstadt’s bustling city, a commission nearby and you figured you were safe simply due to your reputation under the Knights of Favonius.

Venti was the last face you saw and the first face that greeted you, beckoning to join him for lunch. With your final commission of the day finished, you joined him with a smile and ordered some honey roasted ham.

You recounted some of the news to Venti, meeting many of the adeptus and how out of touch they seemed with the region. You described Zhongli from the funeral parlor who always felt like he knew more and played a higher part in Liyue (and you inwardly noted how Venti’s eyes lit up in recognition at the name). And also, Childe the Fatui Harbinger that had you on edge. 

“You’re hanging out with a harbinger?” Venti asked.

“Uh oh.” Paimon reacted.

“Well.” You remembered your last encounter with Signora. “It’s complicated.”

Venti paused before sighing, “Is he cute?”

“That’s not why!” You huffed back instantly.

“So he is cute!”

“And rich!” Paimon added, joining in on the teasing.

“Not the issue here.” You stated, “He saved me from the Millelith and helped me get into contact with the adepti.”

Venti’s mischievous smile from the earlier teasing turned blank, as if he was fully ingesting your words. “... Why would he do that?”

“Huh?”

But Venti quickly recovered, waving away the question and urging you to move past it. “Just thinking out loud, continue. What happened after?”

And so you recalled everything from then. How the soldiers followed you all the way up the mountain and how you had to defend yourself from people that were supposed to be on the same side as you. 

How there was someone out there with the strength to take down a God.

Venti laughed at you for like, twenty minutes.

After his laughter subsided, he held a hand over his stomach and asked. “They think you killed Rex Lapis?”

He took another look at your pouting face and laughed again.

It only made you scowl further. “I’m glad you think my supposed war crimes are so funny.”

“I think I’m missing the punchline again.” Paimon added.

“Hehe. You’ll be fine.” Venti shot back his mischievous smile, “Besides, I’m sure you’re looking forward to laying low here with a certain… someone here.”

You paused and put your fork back down, “What are you trying to say?”

“Well, the Dawn Winery is throwing a festival tonight.” Venti stated clearly, “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“Wait, really?”

The mischievous light was back in Venti’s eyes, “I’m sure the winds of fate have brought you here purely on coincidence.”

You sighed and turned to him fully. “You trying to fight, old man?”

“Hehe.” His signature giggle, one you found almost endearing, was undoubtedly mocking you. “We should go together later.”

And true to his word, somehow you found yourself with the Anemo Archon heading over to the bar. To think that it was Venti who introduced you here and now he was bringing you along again.

That is, if you even had a chance to make it inside at this rate.

The area was packed to the brim, all the seats outside in front and on the side of the building already taken. There was a line out the door, many hopeful young women with gleaming eyes trying to get a one-on-one conversation with the current barkeep and owner.

You peered into the open door and saw Diluc and Charles behind the bar, the red-head adorned with his usual flat-expression. It was the first time in months since you had seen him, but he looked exactly as the day you had left. Still the same colored wardrobe and prickly atmosphere, Diluc was still, Diluc.

What did not help was the ever growing line of flirty men and women trying to vye for his attention.

It only seemed to further nail the pit in your stomach.

Was this… jealousy?

You didn’t dwell on the thought for long.

Instead, you considered for a single-second if you should just turn tail now, but Venti must have seen your hesitation and grabbed you by the arm to walk inside. Dozens of eyes followed you on the way in, many people recognizing you as the young hero of Mondstadt and honorary knight of Favonius.

The crowd was surprisingly less inside, but knowing Diluc he probably would have tried to corral everyone to the outdoor areas. Venti continued to lead you towards a table in the back and you saw a familiar red-bowed Outrider.

“I didn’t even know you were going to be here today!” She greeted you excitedly. 

“Tone-Deaf Bard here convinced us to stay the night.” Paimon replied.

“Oh?” Her voice lifted in a tone that only spelled trouble, “No matter, I’m glad to see you in one piece.”

“I’m assuming you’ve heard.”

Amber stretched in her seat and lowered her voice, smile turning to a smirk. “Well, I won’t confirm anything. But my suspicions are that the blonde person the Knights were pursuing for stealing the Holy Lyre may be the same blonde person running from the Millelith.”

“What a crazy theory.” Paimon responded as she cleared her throat.

“At least it’s just a theory, right?” Amber replied. “Anyway, we’ll hold the seats. Do you mind going up to the bar to order?”

Paimon chimed up as she floated down into the wooden seat, “Yeah, you should go.”

You barely had a second to object before Venti agreed and was motioning for you to go back to the bar. If not for their eager stares at you, you would have rolled your eyes at how obvious they were being.

“Fine, fine. I’m going.” You stated aloud, getting up from the seat you inhabited for at most ten minutes. 

Turning towards the bar, you took in a deep breath to collect your thoughts. To think you fought the Wolf of the North and Oceanid with more courage - it was just Diluc.

“Long time no see.” You greeted, trying to sound extremely casual. “Bottle of wine for one of your favorite people?”

Diluc looked at you for a quick second, then back down to the bar, then rapidly snapping back up to you in surprise. “Hey. Of course.”

Unsure what to say, you responded back with a simple, “Thank you.”

“Didn’t know you’d be in town today.”

“It was all coincidence. Venti told me about your event tonight.” You mentioned, motioning behind you to the table where the three of them were waiting. Amber waggled her eyebrows in response and you turned back to Diluc in embarrassment.

But he was looking at you the entire time. “For a war criminal, you look well.”

“Ugh, not you too.”

“Ironic how you delinquents always return here while hiding it out.” Diluc did not answer, instead openly teasing you.

Honestly, it was a little ironic that you and Venti ran here after stealing the Holy Lyre, just to end up back here while the Millelith were on the hunt for you.

Instead you replied, “They didn’t release any names.”

“Right, it’s probably some other sword-wielding blonde with white clothes and access to the Anemo vision.”

“Obviously.”

To think you were so involved in Teyvat's politics. An otherworldly being with no prior connections to the people or nations was somehow involved with the highest ranking people of every country you’ve stumbled into.

Everyone from the Dvalin team knew about your primary objectives: to find your brother and regain your full power through the seven Archons. And when news of Rex Lapis’ death reached Mondstadt, Diluc could almost physically feel the dread in his heart that something had happened to you. And when the Millelith released their man-hunt of your exact profile, there was no doubt that you were involved. 

To see you standing before him, in association with an Archon of all people, it was like a breath of fresh air on his heart. You were here in the tavern, fine and even enjoying the night. 

A large part of him wanted to ask about your journey, what was it that had you on the run again? But with the growing line out the door, he knew he barely had time to keep this conversation going.

So instead, Diluc grabbed glasses and a bottle of wine from beneath the bar and asked, “Spare a few minutes for me later?”

You nodded quietly, handing him the necessary Mora before returning back to the table.

Amber did not pull her punches, “So, you guys dating yet?”

You almost dropped the bottle, but Venti was quick even through his laughter.

“Yeah and I’m the Archon of Snezhnaya.” Paimon replied sarcastically.

“Shut up.” You pouted, “It was just nice to see each other after all this time.”

“Oh so you had a good conversation? Did he ask you to stay after? Are you going to stay the night? Did he offer for you to stay at the Dawn Winery?” Amber spit out question after question, not a sense of patience or tact in her words.

Venti was still laughing like the Archon of assholes he was.

While they prodded through their multiple questions, you tried to wave them away to another conversation topic. If Amber was prodding you like this, you could only imagine that the other Knights, such as Kaeya and Jean, were also aware of your strange relationship.

Amber tried to push it a bit more, but you were able to spin the conversation to ask what the others were up to. It was interesting to hear about the little tasks in Mondstadt, small commissions that the Knights take care of in the city as well as guarding the areas further out into the country.

And while you hated to drift off with them sitting right in front of you, your mind often wandered toward the red-head behind the bar. Diluc had personally asked you to stay back later, undoubtedly to speak to you about something one-on-one. Would it be cowardly if you left early? Would the others notice if you tried to make a break for it at one point?

Again, it seemed as if Venti was capable of reading your mind, lightly calling you to attention and putting a casual hand on the back of your chair.

He was not letting you get away from this.

Venti even shifted the conversation to you, asking about Liyue and the local adventures you had while in the city. Unable to ignore the direct questions, you told them about the stories of the people you met so far and the strange events you seemed to be dragged into.

“Wait, start over.” Amber cut into your most recent story about a ship just outside of the Liyue city. ”You just glided down onto the Pearl Galley?”

You paused then replied, “Well. I mean the ship was just sitting there outside the harbor and I was curious.”

“And so you boarded a luxury ship without an invitation?”

“Yeah, so?” Paimon answered with a question, genuinely confused.

“And yet you wonder how you keep getting involved in all these crazy schemes.” Amber answered ambiguously.

“Well, eventually I did get an invitation.”

“But after you were already on the ship.” Amber pointed out. “How did you even glide that far out?”

“I climbed to the top of the nearby mountain and then just dropped down.”

“Wow.”

“Is it really a surprise?” Venti commented, “She doesn’t even follow the proper stairs here in the city. Don’t think we don’t see you climbing over every wall here in Mondstadt.”

“You’re such a weirdo.” Amber sighed with a smile, “You’re lucky we love you so much.”

You continued on with your stories, some in the city and others within hidden temples deep in the wilderness, puzzles and timed traps masking treasures you sought to find. Amber and Venti listened on in rapt attention, asking questions here and there and even teasing you about your constant climbing.

You hadn’t even noticed how the bar patrons were starting to slowly thin out.

The night with Venti and Amber was such a refreshing feeling compared to the nights you spent staring up silently at the night sky, only Paimon at your side. It was nice to hear and speak to other people, to not be on the run and always looking over your shoulder.

Feeling a light tap on the side, you turned to see Diluc standing at attention.

“Hey.” He greeted you again.

“We were just on our way out!” Amber exclaimed, standing instantly with Venti not far behind her. “Mondstadt’s star Outrider has to be up bright and early tomorrow.”

“Which is why you’re both leaving…?” You asked.

“It’s my duty to ensure the safety of the city and we said we were going to discuss something.” Venti answered ambiguously.

You crossed your arms, “Discuss what?”

“The— !” Amber paused, “The thing. You know, with the stuff at the Seven Winds Temple.”

“Right! Let’s get going.” Venti turned to Paimon at the last second, “I think this will interest you.”

Paimon winked at you before turning to Diluc, ”Right, the stuff!”

Diluc motioned you to follow him and so, once again, you found yourself following behind the Pyro-user out the second-floor balcony. However, instead of sitting at the table, you learned against the railing while Diluc stood to the side.

“Wasn't expecting you to be gone for so long.” Diluc started with a flat voice.

You turned to him with a slight grimace. “I’m sorry, I ended up getting caught in something important back in Liyue.”

More important than him.

The implication was quiet in the back of Diluc’s mind.

But that would always be the case. To think that the first person in years to open up his shell was someone who could only be in his life temporarily. You intrigued him to the high heavens - the strange mix of both pride and humility as you fought and carried yourself. You were strong, but merciful. Kind, but a purveyor of your own brand of justice.

It had been a while since he met someone with such genuine reservations as you.

But your time together was already ticking down, from your time in Mondstadt to your time in his world. You were looking for your brother and who knew if he was even in Tyvat currently? It would be unfair to be bitter towards you. And so he resolved long ago to simply cherish the moments you had together.

So instead of snapping back, Diluc teased you.

“I’m sure. I’ve heard of your extensive… wanted days.”

You sighed aloud, “How did the news travel here so fast?”

Diluc smirked, “First Barbatos and now Rex Lapis? What kind of luck do you have?”

“The worst kind.”

Of course, there was something he wanted to learn more about. After he had caught wind from Katheryn in Liyue, Diluc still wanted to be informed about your current situation. To think that you were in close association with one of the high Fatui Harbingers after Signora personally attacked you, it was almost like you were openly inviting trouble.

It also did not help that many of the gossip mills included how attractive this particular Fatui was.

He goes by the alias of ‘Childe.’ Young, but deadly!

A Fatui, but doesn’t wear his mask - for good reason! He’s quite the looker.

I wouldn’t mind if he impaled me somewhere. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Needless to say, his sources did not alleviate his worries.

Of all people? A Fatui was one of your close associates in Liyue? A party of him wanted to snarl, the thought a worse downgrade from the Knights of Favonius. At least he knew Kaeya would do you no harm; he doubted the same could be said about Childe.

Archons, why did he care so much?

Diluc told himself multiple times that your abrupt parting was necessary to keep himself from getting too attached to you. But it hardly mattered when he was worrying this much anyway in spite of that.

Fuck, why did he just let you walk away like that?

Diluc was not going to make the same mistake.

He turned to you and asked, “Like the Fatui kind?”

You sighed, “Believe me, I don’t like it either.”

“And yet somehow here we are.”

“It’s complicated, okay?”

“When is it not with you?” Diluc asked, more hypothetically. And while from anyone else, it may have felt offensive, you could tell from his tone that it was just a tired sigh.

“Tell me about your journey.” He continued.

“What?” You answered with a question, genuinely surprised. “It’s a long story, not all that interesting.”

Diluc took a step forward, taking the spot next to you against the rail as your shoulders touched. “I want to hear it from you.”

You couldn’t help but smile, “Okay.”

And so you recounted your journey to find the Geo Archon, how the adepti set up strange puzzles and at some point you swore you were pulled into a teacup that somehow contained a full domain.

There were also other missions on the side, other things you would do to collect Mora or materials if you were going to get any stronger. Some of them made sense — doing deliveries, clearing abyss camps, and other mercenary like duties. Other instances, not so much.

“Only you would accept a commission from a ghost.” Diluc teased as you recounted the treasure in the mines.

“In my defense, I didn’t think he was a ghost at first.”

“Right. Nothing suspicious at all about a transparent old man in the middle of an abandoned village.”

“I was reading the poster he was showing!”

“And when did you realize he was a ghost?”

“... After I met three other ghosts.”

Diluc cracked a smile at that, only making you pout more. You had adjusted your postures overtime, standing against with rails to your backs as you faced the tavern.

“He paid me good Mora!” 

“How…?” Diluc thought about it before waving it off, “Forget it. I don’t want to know.”

You laughed back before you saw the lights inside the tavern switch off, complete darkness in the windows as the remaining employees packed up and went home. 

“Oh wow, I hadn’t even realized how long we were out here.” You admitted, “I’m sorry I took up so much of your time.”

“Don’t apologize. I wanted to spend this time with you.”

“Still, it’s already late.”

“You’re right. Where were you and Paimon going to spend the night?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” You admitted, “Venti convinced us to stay, but I don’t even know where he is.”

Diluc pushed off the railing to stand facing you, “You could stay the night at the winery. We can retrieve Paimon tomorrow.”

What game was he playing? Your disappointing departure with Diluc cutting you off and now he was asking for your time and space back into his life? You hated that he pushed you away just to pull you back in at his convenience. And while you understood his personality tended to keep people at a distance, you had your own limits as to what you could withstand. 

“... Diluc, what are you doing?”

“You’ll have to be more clear.”

You closed your eyes, trying to gather your thoughts and hamper down on your rising temper. “Come on, why are you being so nice to me?”

He stared at you expectedly, blank eyes urging you to continue.

It only served to make you more angry.

“Diluc, when I left you hardly blinked. And now that I’m here, after months of us not talking, you want me to spend the night?”

“I told you before how much you meant to Mondstadt.”

To Mondstadt? Not even to himself personally? 

You decided it was better to confront him cleanly asking, “Why didn’t you kiss me that night we were drinking here?”

Diluc paused, not a single hint of surprise on his face as you addressed the situation head-on. “Why should I have?”

“Don’t act like you didn’t feel it. There was something between us.” You scoffed.

He noticed your use of past tense.

“Does it honestly matter? You would’ve left anyway, I saved us both the trouble.”

You visibly recoiled in response. “Is that what this is about? I have to go to Liyue and the other counties, Diluc. I have to find my brother.”

“I know that.” Diluc cut in, before you got the wrong idea. “You don’t think I’m acutely aware of that fact? The fact that this is my home and not yours. That one day you’ll find your brother and I’ll never see you again?”

“Wait.”

“Believe me, I know better than anyone that you’re off to find your brother. And I’ll help you in any way that I can.” Diluc continued, not heeding your confused attempts to stop him. “But let’s not pretend like I was anything more than a stepping stone in your journey.”

“That’s not true!”

“Oh?” Diluc’s tone was almost challenging,  “It’s not? So once the dust is settled, if I asked you to stay here with me, would I be enough?”

You stuttered over your words, “I --”

“I don’t want to hear your excuse because we both know the answer.” He cut you off, “I was trying to save myself from that before it happened.”

“Will you let me speak, you idiot!?” Your voice cut through the silent evening air.

Diluc paused, standing a good ten feet away from you and looking angrier than you’d ever seen. But he did, thankfully, stop talking.

“Is it crazy to think that I feel the same way about you?”

“What?”

“Diluc, I’m just me!” You answered, “I have nothing to my name but an objective to find my brother — if he’s even alive at this point. I need to try and I need to continue on this path…”

He crossed his arms, but stayed quiet as he listened. 

“But just because I have so much ahead of me, that doesn’t I don’t care about where I’ve already seen.” You took a few steps toward Diluc as you spoke, “You mean so much to me and I wouldn’t ever want to throw that away.”

“You won’t have a choice if you have to leave this world.”

“If!” You pointed out, “Diluc you’re so worried about the future, about me walking away from you forever, but it doesn’t have to be this way.”

“And suddenly there’s an alternative?”

“There’s always been one, you idiot! You just never bothered to actually talk to me.” You put your hands on his chest, the light material of his dark clothes underneath your palms. “I would’ve tried. If you asked me to make this work, to come back to you at the winery back then, I would’ve done it.”

Diluc closed his eyes, taking in your words as his hands snaked down to your wrists.

“Don’t give me empty promises.”

“I mean it!” You defended, “You aren’t just another person, Diluc. I—“

He opened his eyes then, reflecting back to you as hopeful and curious. “You…?”

“I care about you more than you know.” You settled on, still unsure about the extent of your feelings. “Why are you giving up on us before even starting?”

You stared right back at Diluc, his silence paramount to the inner turmoil you were sure he was going through. From his late father to the betrayal from the Knights, there were plenty of reasons why Diluc was so hesitant to connect with other people.

But you’d be damned if you didn’t try.

Your hands felt heavy against his chest. Despite your small demeanor and even smaller palms, the weight of your hands seemed to play seesaw between his heart and mind. He had logical reasons to keep you at a distance, but here you were trying to carve your way through back to him.

It had been a long time since he cared about anyone like this. And Diluc could not even recall the last time he wanted to sorely kiss someone at all. But how could he not want to now? You stared up at him, eyes blazing with determination as you tried to convey your feelings.

“You mean so much to me.” Diluc stated after a few silent minutes, “Let’s make this work.”

The smile you shot him was wide and radiant, a private blessing that only he was gifted tonight. He wrapped his arms around your waist, eager to feel more of you — to envelop you in his arms and keep you within them tonight. 

One hand strayed upward, carding itself in your hair and pulling you closer until both your eyes fluttered closed. The soft skin of your lips slotted against his, an endearing frenzy to give one another tender pecks. You could not help the happy mewl that escaped your lips as Diluc licked against the crease of your skin.

Moaning aloud to his tender touch, Diluc was eager to explore every inch of your wet cavern. There was no battle of tongues, simply moving in tandem as Diluc dominated the kiss. You tried to maneuver to give him more access, but with your height difference it was the best you could do.

Diluc lifted one of your legs, wrapping it around his waist and lightly tapping the other to do the same. Eyes clouded with lust, you did as instructed and quickly felt the soft thump behind you, the wall of the tavern helping hold you upright.

You fell more and more into the passionate lip lock, pushing to match his intensity as Diluc connected you in one of the most intimate ways possible. One hand was still in your hair while the other continued its scandalized trail downward.

You prayed to Barbatos that nobody heard you outside the tavern.

The both of you would later attribute this impassioned frenzy due to the prolonged time apart and mutual pining (culminating in a mistake outside on the balcony, twice inside the bar, and the rest of the night back at the winery).

For the first time, you enjoyed the morning sun streaming in through the windows, a lazy arm strung across your waist as you snuggled in the chest of the man you were growing to love.

Diluc woke long before you, hand threading through your hair silently as he resolved to remember this moment. You kissed at the naked skin of his chest twice before nuzzling him, feeling the light arm pull you closer.

“Good morning.” You started, voice muffled against his skin.

But you would have never expected Diluc to be so affectionate.

He kissed the top of your head, murmuring in a low tone. “Good morning, my love.”

Nothing about your relationship was perfect. You still fought and cried like every other couple. But you both knew that what you had was real, willing to fight for it no matter the obstacles that came with the future.

It did not matter that Tyvat was not your home.

Wherever Diluc was, that was where you’d return.

---xXxXxXxXxXx---

Extra: “What if they end up fighting?” Amber asked the other two as they walked down a side-street of the city.

“Then we’ll find out the moment it breaks out. Trust me.” Paimon replied. After all, your Anemo power would only serve to make any fire larger.

“They’ve both been in that pining puppy phase for so long, I doubt it’ll come down to that.” Venti added.

“500 Mora says they’ll be dating by the end of this week.” Amber bet.

“1,000 that they’ll be together by tonight!” Paimon countered.

“10,000 that they’ll be joined in every way by tonight.” Venti added, the mischievous tone not missed by either woman.

“You tone-deaf bard!” Paimon exclaimed as she slapped her hands over her red cheeks. “The traveler is more dignified than that!”

Amber had a hand on her chin, “Dating? Probably. But more than that…?”

Venti held out a hand to both, vying for both to shake one and accept the bet.

Nothing, but a couple of suckers. 

Amber grumbled once when she heard the news, but otherwise excitedly congratulated you two on finally accepting your feelings. Paimon’s whine could probably be heard in a fifteen mile radius and Venti’s proud smile didn’t help either — accepting the easiest twenty thousand Mora he ever made. 

And, just to gode the tiny guide a little more, Venti turned to Paimon in the middle of her complaining rant. 

“Hehe.”

---xXxXxXxXxXx---

A/N:

The festival idea comes from Diluc’s story 1: “The winery holds festivities from time to time. These events are routinely attended by enthusiastic fathers, eager to introduce their wonderful daughters to the young and single winery master.”

[outsideratheart]

When in New York (Kelley O’ Hara x reader)

Part 2

You had just finished post game media following your game against New York Liberty. You weren’t a huge fan of doing media but it made it easier considering Seattle had won. 

You leave the conference room with Stewie who you had been doing the interview with.

“You seeing your family tonight” You shake your head.

“What about you?” She nods hers.

She bumps her shoulder into yours “Two New Yorkers beat New York in New York. Sounds like something to celebrate to me” She says and maybe she had a point.

You both walk into the locker room, some players have already left and some were still packing up.

“Y/N? Megan texted saying that her and a couple other teammates are at your parents restaurant and asked if we wanted to meet up with them” Sue asks.

Very few people knew about the family restaurant, you wanted to keep it a secret so that it could stay authentic. Your family was Italian and the restaurant was like a little piece of Italy in New York. The only people that knew where your Storm teammates and Megan, the honorary team mom.

You look at sue and she is giving you the look. After signing for the team she had taken you under her wing meaning that the two of you had got quite close.

“Ok, ok. No need to give me that look” You says.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes you leave the area, luckily for you the restaurant is only a few blocks away so you and Sue opted to walk saying that I would be your cool down / recovery.

“You said teammates” you says putting air-quotes around the word teammates “who’s there?” You ask.

“Alex and Kelley” she says which instantly bring a smile to your face.

“I thought that would cheer you up”

“Shut up”

You had a crush on Kelley, both Sue and Megan knew it. You met her last year when to US were playing in Seattle and Megan had invited you to a game. There was something about the defender that you really liked. You wasn’t if it was the fact that on the pitch she is a beast and off she is teddy but always had fun when you were with her.

You both enter the restaurant being greeted by your mom as soon as you come through the door.

“Mrs L/N nice to see you again” Sue says.

“Sue I have told you before, you can call me Maria” You mom says as she hugs you and sue makes her way to your friends.

“buon gioco dolce ragazza” (good game sweet girl) she tells you.

“grazie mamma” you reply kissing her cheek.

Meanwhile sue heads towards to table of soccer players.

She waves at everyone getting a mixture of hi’s and hello’s 

“Hi babe” She says kissing her girlfriend on the cheek. 

“Hi” Megan replies. “Where Y/N?” She asks noticing that you wasn’t behind sue.

“She’s in here somewhere” Sue says. She knew that you would probably been saying hi to your dad in the kitchen but she couldn’t tell them that.

“See Kel, you have a few more moments to get your crush in check” Alex jokes with her friend.

“Shut up!” Kelley replies.

“Hi guys” you say as to approach the table.

You notice Kelley staring at you so you take the opportunity to tease her.

“Like what you see?” You say making the defender blush.

“Have you ordered food yet?” You ask.

“No we were waiting for you. We know we are having though” Alex tells you as she hands you a menu.

“Thanks but I don’t need it” You say handing the menu to Sue who shakes her head letting you know she doesn’t need it either.

“You already know what you’re having?” Kelley asks.

“Not exactly” Sue says which confuses the others.

Looking around the restaurant you catch the attention of one of the waiters.

You let him know you are ready to order. 

Each of the women tell him what they want and then it is your’s and sue’s turn.

You look at sue and she nods her head.

“dì a gianni che avremo quello che consiglia” (tell gianni we will have what he recommends) Sue says 

“Certo” The waiter says.

You look at Sue and smile in approval.

“You getting very good, maybe time for a trip” You say.

“You speak Italian?” Kelley asks Sue.

“Y/N does and she has been teaching me for the past couple of years”

“Who is Gianni?” Alex asks.

“He is the chef here” You explain.

You start talking about the storm game when you mom bring across a bottle of limoncello hand you the bottle and 5 shot glasses.

“Grazie” You say

You pour everyone a glass and hand them out. 

“You get table service here?” Kelley asks.

“No, I asked for it when I came in” You reply.

You raise you class and everyone copies.

“Here to us. We change the game and provide hope for the next generation of female athletes” You say and everyone takes a sip except Kelley who shots it.

“You sip it Kel. If not you’ll be on the floor an hour” Megan says.

“You would know” you tease causing you and the forward to laugh.

“I will pour you another but this here” you say pointing to the bottle “is the real stuff, not something you find in a liquor store. It comes straight from a vineyard in Italy where this restaurant makes it’s wine” 

“You know a lot about this restaurant, the chef’s name and now where it makes it’d alcohol” Alex questions.

“What can I say, I have been coming here since I was a baby” you explain.

“that’s one way to put it” sue says under her breath, no quiet enough though as you send her a glare.

You look at Kelley as she takes a sip.

“Tastes better doesn’t it” She nods her head.

Your food arrives and you all say how nice it looks and smells. 

“Oh.my.god” Kelley says between mouthfuls.

“I agree, this is incredible. Megan how did you find this place? Alex asks.

“Y/N” Megan replies and Alex nods remembering that you said you came here when I was younger.

Conversation is small and simple as you all focus on your food.

You thank the waiter telling him the the food was delicious as he clears the table.

“Y/N can I ask you a question” Kelley asks.

“Only if I can ask you one?” 

“Why Italian and are you fluent” She asks

“I’m Italian so I had to learn in order to talk to family in Sicily”

“Prove it. Tell me something in Italian?” 

“quando ci siamo conosciuti pensavo fossi la persona più bella del mondo”

“Sounds very romantic” Alex says.

“What does it mean?” Kelley asks.

“it means ‘when we met I thought you were the most beautiful person in the world’” You tell her making sure to look her in the eyes when you say it.

Kelley is at a loss for words, what is she suppose to say to that. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable” You say slowly regretting what you said, not that you didn’t mean because you did.

“I’ll go get us some more drinks” you says excusing yourself from the table.

“Kelley” Alex says trying to get her friends attention.

“Does she say that kind of thing to everyone?” Kelley asks sue.

She shakes her head “She isn’t that type of person Kelley”

“You should tell her how you feel” Megan suggests.

Kelley shakes her head “what if she doesn’t feel the same way”

“You honestly think that after hearing what she just said” Alex says not believing her friends blindness.

You walk back to the table with two bottles of red wine.

“Dessert wine anyone?” You say trying to avoid the awkwardness. “trust me, this will be the best you tasted”

“It’s what they make in Italy right?” Alex says, you nod pouring her a glass.

Out of all the woman at the table to knew that Alex was the one that drank wine. You wait eagerly to see If she likes it. 

“Nice right”

Alex nods her head.

You all sip on your wine talking about everything and anything, for a moment you forget that you are all major athletes and it just feels like a group of friends catching up.

Once you are done Alex gets the attention of the waiter for the bill but he tells them that it has been settled.

She looks around the table confused but notices that Megan and Sue and looking directly at you.

“Y/N” 

“What? We don’t do this very often. Let me treat my friends”

“Thank you” Alex and Kelley say at the same time.

You are just about to leave when your mom comes to the table.

“Did you all enjoy your meal?” She asks. 

“It was incredible, I cannot wait to come back” Kelley says.

“I agree, I will definitely come back whenever we are in New York” Alex says.

“I’ll see you two soon ok” she says putting an arm around Sue and Megan. She had met them numerous times when she came to Seattle but her comment stumped the other two.

“Of course, next time your in Seattle you have to show me how to make your lasagne, I always eat the ones you make Y/N” Megan looks at you when you realises what she said.

It looks like your secret was about to get two new keepers.

“Alex, Kelley” your mom says now directed her attention to the other two soccer players “Any friends of my daughters are always welcome here”

“Wait, your daughter?” Kelley says looking at you confused.

“Meet my mom Maria” you say.

“This makes more sense. It is why you know so much about this restaurant” Alex says.

You nod your head.

You all make sure your way our of the restaurant. You had learned that Megan, Alex and Kelley were all staying in the same hotel as you and sue so you walked back together. Sue, Megan and Alex walk ahead leaving you and Kelley alone.

“I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable earlier, it’s just that whenever I am near you I feel this connection and thought maybe you felt it too. I wouldn’t have said what I said if I didn't” you say

“I wasn’t uncomfortable, you caught me of guard. Nobody has every said something like that to me, definitely not in Italian” Kelley explains.

“I find that hard to believe, I mean look at you, you are beautiful” You say.

Kelley blushes again which you find adorable “ You were right before. I feel the connection too but I never did anything about it because we live so far away from each other”

“Can’t we just let ourself be happy even it it’s only a short period of time. We focus so much on the bigger picture that we don’t see what is right in front of us” You tell her.

“What do you have in mind?” She asks and you smile, you had wanted to do this for a quite a while.

“When do you leave New York?”

“Not until the day after tomorrow” 

“Perfect! Have breakfast with me?”

“I would love to” she replies.

Kelley stops walking “for the record, I find you very beautiful too”

You smile holding you hand out and she takes it.

You walk back to the hotel hand in hand, not talking just making the most of each others company whilst you can.

[midgardianweasley]

I beg you with my life, PLEEAAAASE can we have a Natasha x female reader where Reader comes back from a one month mission and sneaks into the compound to surprise Natasha who’s sitting in the living room with Tony. He sees reader sneaking up on her and all he says is “Natasha, do me a favor and don’t move.” As she’s very confused, reader jumps from behind her and wraps her arms around her red head. JUST FLUFF FOR DAYS!! (I will forever be in debt with you if you do this request!)😭🙏🥺🥰

of course! I hope it's okay love. I also thought this request would be the perfect way to apologise for my angst earlier lmaoo<33

I’m back!

Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Summary: Y/N returns from a month-long mission, eager to see her girlfriend. Though her girlfriend literally doesn’t see her coming.

Word Count: 1.3k

Warnings: Pureeee fluff

Message/ask if you’d like to be added to the taglist!

Requests are open <3

“God, I can’t wait to get back and shower. I feel disgusting.” Clint announced to the other team members in the quinjet. Everyone tiredly nodding their heads in agreement.

Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Clint, alongside you, had spent the last month trying to infiltrate one of the HYDRA bases in Siberia. The sole intent being to take back stolen records and information about some military weapons that they were planning on using to invade other countries. It was supposed to be a simple ‘in and out’ job, a week, max. However, when you all saw that the base was more heavily guarded than expected, you all knew immediately that it wouldn’t be the case.

“Well, I’m pretty sure Y/N here is gonna be making a beeline for her girlfriend.” Sam nudged you with his elbow, a smirk plastered on his face. A blush crept up to your cheeks, reddening in slight embarrassment.

As it turns out, a month away from Natasha hadn’t done wonders for you. She wasn’t able to come on this mission, having to stay and hunt through files with some of the SHIELD agents at headquarters. Of course you were fully capable of being away from each other, but it had been at least 4 weeks now, 3 more than expected. You had missed her. To be honest, hearing the news that you’d be heading home today filled you with more happiness than knowing you’d retrieved the stolen files.

“Uh huh, don’t make me cut off those wings, Falcon.” You narrowed your eyes playfully towards him as you gave him the completely empty threat, still, he raised his hands in surrender, making the rest of the team snigger at your antics.

With hearing the quiet hum of the quinjet and murmurs of small talk coming from your team, you sat with a content smile, feeling your eyelids beginning to flutter shut, finally able to relax knowing that in no time at all, you’d be back in Natasha’s arms.

__________________________

“Hey, Y/N, wake up”

Groaning slightly, your eyes slowly opened once again, squinting as they adjusted back to the bright lights. Once they’d focused a bit more, you took in the fact that Wanda was standing in front of you, her hand resting on your shoulder as she held a relaxed smile.

“We’re back.” She tilted her head as she encouraged you to look to your left, seeing the familiar building only a small walk away. The sight instantly filled you with energy, nothing except excitement now running through your veins.

With a quick smile sent in Wanda’s direction, you jumped from your seat and started to rush off, leaving the team in the dust as they laughed among themselves.

“She’s like a puppy.”

“She’s in loveee” Clint responded to Steve’s comment

“Leave her be, at least she’s happy.” Wanda piped in after catching up with the others, watching you run up to the doors of the compound, with absolutely no care in the world.

They enjoyed seeing you so full of life. It was nice to witness, especially after missions like the one they’d just gone on, where everyone is left exhausted and burnt out. You were tired too, of course, but you’d always tried to keep spirits high and moods lifted. It was something the team admired about you, Nat especially. She always loved coming home after a mission or just a day out and knowing that you’d be there to welcome her back.

It was almost routine that after an intense mission, you’d both take the evening off to spend time together and let the stress of the day roll off your backs. The two of you would often take a long shower together, just to feel close to one another and take the time to wash each other’s hair, engaging in the occasional stolen kiss and wrap up in towels afterwards.

You’d both stand in front of your bathroom mirror, brushing your teeth and making silly faces at the other and the sink was always guaranteed to be covered in toothpaste afterwards. It was a treasured time together. Time that you and Natasha had missed dearly in your absence. Not for much longer though.

________________________

Walking up the last set of stairs, you peeked round each doorway, hoping to catch a glimpse of some short red hair belonging to your girlfriend, not a middle aged SHIELD agent who was getting himself coffee. Ooops.

It wasn’t long before you heard some muffled chatter coming from the main seating room in the building, where most people went to hang out when they had nothing else to do, or have their movie nights. You hadn’t paid much attention, until you heard a familiar voice, laced with a slight russian accent speak close by, causing your stomach to fill with the same butterflies you felt on the day you met her.

You stepped forward, careful to not make too much of a sound in the hopes to surprise her, not entirely certain about how it would go down considering she’s a trained spy. However, hope was ignited when you saw Tony Stark talking to her, knowing he’d go along with your plan.

It wasn’t long before he noticed you in the doorway, quick to see that you’d raised a finger to your lips, silently telling him to not reveal that you were there. He didn’t even need to say a word as he turned back to Natasha with an overly concerned look on his face, taking note of how close you were getting.

“And then Fury was saying that we’d been looking through the wrong-”

“Yeah, yeah, that sounds great.” You had to cover your mouth at his interruption so you wouldn’t burst into laughter and blow your cover, fully able to picture the look on Nat’s face right now. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Okay?”

“Don’t move a muscle.” She listened, but you could see her back noticeably tense up at the request, instantly defensive at what was behind her. Oh boy.

Taking this as your que, you hurried the last few steps, coming up right behind her and threw your arms around her neck, burying your face into her neck in the process as you let out giggles you’d been holding for minutes previous.

It took her a minute to process, almost jumping out of her skin at the contact, but she soon relaxed when she realised who it was, her hand coming up to run through your hair that was all over the place.

“Hi baby.” She smiled.

“Hi. I’m back.”

“I see this. Gotta say, this is one of my favourite surprises.” You both leaned in for a kiss, only a breath away when you heard someone purposely clear their throat.

“Hi, hello, one, you’re welcome for the surprise Romanoff, I’d like some artistic credit, thank you.” Nat rolled her eyes. “Second, it’s great to have you back, but respectfully, please get a room.”

With one last exaggerated sigh, the pair of you walked out the room, Natasha tugging her hand into yours and holding on tightly, fully appreciating having you back home with her. She turned to face you, emerald eyes sparkling as they met yours, whispering a question that’s plagued her mind since you walked in.

“So, shower?”

Taglist: @natashas-favourite-knives @wandaromanova

[jenoismydad]

2 + 3 = You In Me

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Pairing: Tutor!Jaemin x Fem!Reader

Genre: Smut (pwp), Slight Angst, College AU

Words: 4.6k+

Warnings: 18+ content. Unprotected sex.

Synopsis: He agrees to tutor you and you end up becoming good friends even though you both so clearly want to be more. What happens when you let you bodies talk for you?

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Jaemin was coming over to help you prepare for a test. You had no clue how he'd agreed to assist you, but you were thankful nonetheless. Jaemin rarely ever studied with girls. Mostly because they were always hitting on him. But it seemed you were an exception. You wondered why but you figured it was because he was trying to make some extra money.

Yes, Jaemin made you pay him. He made everyone pay him so you didn't think too much of it. From what you'd heard, his methods never failed to prove effective. You hoped he could help you study well enough to pass this test. After all, a majority of your grade depended on it.

You'd spent a good amount of your time trying to prepare a nice study space for you both to sit at in your apartment. So far you'd only managed to clean your coffee table and place two cushions for seats at its feet.

Jaemin would be here any minute. You rushed to get everything you'd need for the day, wanting to keep it all ready so that you wouldn't have to interrupt the study session. Your bell rang not soon after. He was here on time.

Opening the door, you welcomed him with a smile. He nodded and entered without a word. Black track pants and a plain white shirt. Jaemin hadn't made much of an effort to dress to impress. He ventured into your dorm, looking around the place silently.

That's when he came across your makeshift study zone. He pointed at it and looked at you.

"We're studying here," he asked, placing his hands in his pockets. He sounded a tad bit dejected. Your eyes widened slightly in panic. Was he not comfortable with sitting on the floor? "Yeah, I figured. Is there a problem," you asked, fearing the worst for no reason. Jaemin shook his head. "Nope, I just thought we were gonna sit in your room. That's where most of the girls take me anyways," he revealed, flashing you a small grin. You immediately felt at ease.

"My room's kind of a mess at the moment," you admitted, joining him near your couch. He took a seat on the floor, placing the cushion behind his back instead. He cleaned his black-rimmed glasses and patted the space next to himself. "Let's get started."

Jaemin was a pro at breaking down the complex concept so that your pea-sized brain could understand it to the fullest. The only drawback with that method was that it took much longer than you'd like it to. Two hours later you'd only finished one of the chapters that would be coming for the test. You still had four more to go.

"Fuck it's already three o'clock," you complained, falling dramatically on the coffee table. Jaemin flipped his pen in his fingers and stretched his body with a yawn. "I don't mind staying overtime," he joked. He'd made a lot of humoring comments during your time with him. The last you'd heard, he tended to be quite serious, never straying from his purpose. Not that you minded or anything, but Jaemin wasn't really meeting the expectations everyone had set for him in your mind. Maybe they were just trying to intimidate you.

"Don't you have to study too," you asked, turning your head to glance at him. He looked at you and shook his head. "I already studied beforehand. Plus, this test's gonna be super easy. You pass it with a breeze," he admitted. As relieving as that sounded, you didn't wanna take any chances. What if he flunked the test because he didn't revise or something. You really didn't want to be the person he blamed when that happened.

"You don't have to stay for my sake. You can go home if you want to. I think I can manage on my own now." you flipped through the pages of your coursebook, sighing in despair. It was a lot to go through. At least you still had half the day left.

Jaemin folded his arms. "Don't worry about me y/n. Not to undermine you, but I don't think you can get through all of this by yourself. I mean, you barely managed to understand the basics. All those chapters just branch off from this one and get increasingly tough to learn."

If this was him trying to convince you to let him stay then it sure as hell was working. You groaned and sat back up. "You promise you won't fail the test because of me then?" Jaemin chuckled. "Of course not. I'll pass with flying colors."

So you resumed studying. Jaemin was right. What he taught you next was more confusing than the first chapter you'd covered. You regretted not paying attention during your lectures. Jaemin never got impatient with you. In fact, he took ample time to make sure you understood everything he explained to you. He was very thorough and you appreciated that. However the more knowledge you absorbed, the more exhausted you felt. It got to the point where you felt like you couldn't study any further. Jaemin then suggested that you take a small break. You couldn't have agreed faster.

"Once we're done you should go through the practice questions that I emailed you," Jaemin reminded, taking a sip of the soda you'd offered him. You gave him a thumbs up and fell on the ground. "You're a lifesaver Na Jaemin."

Jaemin chuckled and turned to you. "I'm guessing it's not just math that you're having a problem with."

You raised your head and narrowed your eyes at him. "Nicely deduced."

"We can get together to study together for your other subjects if you don't mind. No need to pay me either," he offered.

You furrowed your brows. "Jaemin the longer you spend teaching me the dumber you're gonna get."

He brushed you off. "I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that."

"You never know, and besides, after today you should know that it's gonna take five hundred years to clear all my concepts. Do you even have that kind of time?"

Jaemin tilted his soda can at you. "You'd be surprised at how much free time I have on my hands."

You smiled. "Wait so you're actually agreed to be my personal tutor."

Jaemin rolled his eyes amusedly. "It was my proposition but yes. I wouldn't be your personal tutor though. Just a study partner."

You sat up and leaned back. "So like, studying in the library after class and stuff like that?"

He nodded. "If the library's closed we can come here or I can take you to my place."

You pursed your lips, considering his deal. But something paused your train of thoughts. "Wait a minute. Why are you asking me this all of a sudden? You hardly seem like the type of guy who'd study with someone else."

Jaemin downed his drink, wincing at the fizziness that clawed at his throat. "I've had fun studying with you so far. Like, you're genuinely dumb, unlike some other people I tutor who just pretend to be dumb so they can spend a few hours with me."

You raised a brow. Had he just called you dumb? "I'll try not to take offense, thank you very much."

Jaemin apologized with a laugh.

"Does it make you feel smarter in some type of way," you asked? Jaemin hummed in response. "It kinda does now that you mention it. But I also feel like it would help me revise and clear my own concepts at the same time."

That made sense. "Damn, and here I was thinking you wanted to do this cause you were interested in me."

Jaemin's eyes widened. You raised your hands in defense. "It's just a joke. Don't take it seriously," you assured. Jaemin relaxed at that.

"Let's get started again. We're almost halfway there," he said, changing the topic. You agreed and sat beside him again, pen in hand, ready to go.

_

You walked out of your lecture with a bright smile on your face and headed straight to the library. Sure enough, Jaemin was already sitting there, waiting for you patiently. You sent him a small wave and skipped over to him. Handing him your graded test paper, you watched excitedly as his eyes lit up.

"Oh my god. You passed!"

You squealed and sat next to him, placing your bag near your feet. Jaemin smiled up at you. "This is such a good score," he added, glad that he'd been able to help.

"Henceforth we're studying together for every single test. I don't care if you're sick or at a friend's house."

Jaemin laughed and nodded. "Sure thing. If it means seeing you this happy then I'm down."

You froze at his words, glancing towards him. He clearly didn't seem to realize what he'd just said. Maybe you'd heard wrong. It was possible. After all, he was whispering. You didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to listening anyways. Concluding that you were mistaken, you pulled out your books and got to finishing up your assignments.

A few hours later Jaemin and you exited the library. You both usually parted ways since your dorms were in the opposite direction. However today, Jaemin followed behind you.

"What are you doing," you asked when he jogged up next to you. "We should celebrate your achievement today," he suggested. That sounded nice. "Okay then, what do you propose we should do?"

Jaemin pondered on your question. "Let's go to the cafe. I'll buy you coffee and anything else you want."

Coffee was perfect. You nodded and agreed. Jaemin grinned and led you to a small cafe that was just a little outside campus.

You both entered the small shop, the tantalizing scent of coffee hitting your senses immediately. Even though it was almost lunchtime, the cafe was brimming with multitudes of students. Luckily, the queue was short.

"Go find us somewhere nice to sit. I'll buy us some drinks," Jaemin said, pulling out his phone. Before you left, you let him know what you'd like.

Venturing to the back of the cafe, you found a secluded booth for two. It faced a large window, one that gave a fantastic view of the campus. You took a seat and placed your bag next to you. After a couple minutes of waiting, Jaemin emerged with your drinks in hand. He handed you yours before sitting down.

"Iced Americano? I see you're into the classics," you chimed, deciding to spark up a conversation. Jaemin took a sip of his drink. "Simple is the best after all."

Of course, it was. "Hey Jaemin," you started, setting your drink down on the table. He hummed. "Do you wanna come over later today," you asked. Jaemin furrowed his brows. "But we already finished studying."

You shook your head. "Not to study. Let's hang out, maybe watch a movie or something like that."

He seemed a bit taken aback, but nothing too alarming. It was just that you two never really did anything other than study together. Sure enough, you'd become close because of it. But you figured as friends, there were other things you could engage in to pass the time.

"Let's do it. What time should I come over," Jaemin asked? "Does seven work for you? I'll order pizza, so you don't need to worry about dinner."

Jaemin nodded. "Seven works for me."

_

As soon as the clock struck seven, there was a knock on your door. The ever punctual Jaemin would never be a second late. You let him in, eager to get your night started. He walked into your dorm and went straight to your room, plopping down on your bed as if it were his own.

You'd already been browsing on Netflix, wondering what genre he liked. It had never come up in conversation before so you didn't really know.

"What are we watching," he asked, scrolling through the options. You shrugged and joined him on your bed. "I'm not sure. I didn't know what you like," you admitted.

"I usually just watch whatever's in the top ten or 'new this week'," he shared. He stopped at a movie you would never have believed he'd be interested in.

"You wanna watch Yes Day," you asked in disbelief? Jaemin giggled and nodded innocently. "It looks super lame but I've already finished watching everything," he revealed. Here you were thinking you both would watch something more serious instead of a family movie. Instead of spending forty minutes trying to settle on one movie, you decided it best to just go with the first choice.

Jaemin started the movie and leaned back beside you. It was quiet between you both for the most part. You watched the movie in silence. It wasn't as entertaining as you'd thought it would be, but Jaemin seemed to be engrossed in it so you chose to say nothing and continued staring at the screen.

Halfway into the movie, Jaemin stifled a yawn and fell to the side, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He looked at you and pointed to the screen. "Are we gonna keep watching this?"

You let out a breath of relief and exited out of the movie once and for all. "If you didn't like it why'd you make me watch it," you complained, shutting your laptop. Jaemin sat up and crossed his legs. "I thought you were enjoying it. You even laughed at the funny parts."

You stuck your chin out. "You should know what my fake laugh sounds like by now Jaemin." He raised his hands in defense. "The only time I hear you laugh is when you realize you're doing something wrong."

You tsked. "That's called nervous laughter genius. You suck at interpreting emotions."

He hit you with a pillow softly. "Hey, stop making me out for a robot."

"You're the human embodiment of the AI," you joked, dodging the pillow he swung at you. Raising your hands in defense, you shielded yourself from him. "At least I said you're intelligent."

Jaemin paused his attacks. "You're lucky I think you're cute. I'll let you off the hook for now."

You had another one of those moments where you froze, wondering if the words that had come out of his mouth were true or not. He didn't whisper this time. You'd heard everything word for word. But you couldn't believe it.

"Did you just call me cute?"

Jaemin nodded, not seeming too surprised about it. "You aren't not cute," he added. Maybe you were misinterpreting the meaning behind it. Friends called friends cute. It was normal. That didn't mean that they liked each other, did it?

Noticing the conflict in your expression, Jaemin leaned forward and cleared his throat. "I didn't mean it in an 'I have a crush on you' type of way."

Something about that made your stomach churn. You felt uneasy all of a sudden. You wanted to be relieved, that he didn't think of you as more than a friend. But a part of you wished he felt otherwise. You didn't know why, it just did.

You chuckled awkwardly and faced him. "Yeah, of course, you didn't. I don't know why I thought that."

Jaemin hummed and rested his chin on his palm. "Maybe because you wanted it to be true."

"Huh?"

"Maybe you wanted me to tell you that I like you."

You didn't know what to say to that. So you just smiled awkwardly. "But you don't, do you?"

Jaemin grinned. "Do you want me to?"

"No! Of course not, why would I-"

"I'm just messing with you y/n. Don't worry, we're just friends," he assured, finding you getting alarmed quite amusing. You hit his shoulder. "Don't joke around like that. Who knows what might happen."

Jaemin's laughter died down. He met your gaze sombrely. You knew he wanted to say something, but he remained silent. His eyes traveled down to your lips for a moment. You sucked in a breath, suddenly feeling giddy. Jaemin looked back into your eyes, this time with a small smile. You didn't know what he was doing. You also didn't know if you liked it or not. Your mind said one thing and your body said another. Jaemin subtly licked his lips. You had no clue why the action had such a devastating effect on you.

Before you knew it, your lips were on his. Jaemin didn't seem surprised at all. In fact, he relaxed and snaked his arm around your waist, pulling your body onto his. He fell back on your mattress, bringing you on top of him. Straddling his lap, you placed your hands on either side of his head, kissing him with vigor. Jaemin groaned against your mouth, the sound sending warm shivers down your back. His lips were softer than you thought they'd be and he tasted faintly of coffee.

His hands slipped under your shirt, resting on your skin. His touch felt fiery hot. You rolled your hips over his lap impulsively, biting his both lip as a throaty groan left his mouth. He squeezed your waist and trailed his hands down to your ass.

Before things could escalate, however, your bell rang. You both stilled, separating from each other. When your eyes met, you scrambled off of him and sat at the edge of your bed, completely stunned. Jaemin rubbed his face and sat up as well, not really knowing what to say. The bell rang again, snapping you out of your daze. "I'll go get that," you muttered disorientedly, leaving Jaemin in your room. He nodded and stood up. "Actually, I'm gonna go," he said, leaving your room before you could say anything. You heard the door open and shut soon after. Your bell rang again.

You went to open your door. A delivery guy stood before you, hands empty with a confused look on his face. "The guy that just left took the pizza with him. He said that you'd pay for it." You couldn't believe it. Nonetheless, you paid the man and shut your door. What had just happened?

_

A few days passed after the incident at your dorm. Jaemin hadn't called or texted you and in all honesty, you hadn't made an attempt to contact him. You felt too embarrassed to face him. After all, it was you who'd gone onto him. Even if he didn't push you away it wasn't like either of you had agreed to start making out. You were anxious because you knew you'd ruined your friendship with him.

A part of you missed him. You enjoyed spending time with him, even though all you did was study. Everything was so bleak now that he wasn't around to humor you.

You didn't want to regret whatever had happened that night. It was amazing. You just wished it hadn't ended the way it did. You should have understood that he indeed was joking. Instead, you mistook his prodding for sarcasm.

It made no sense for you to not speak to him. You wanted to make amends, figure out what had gone wrong. But you were scared he'd ignore you. That would just make you feel worse than you already did.

So you passed the days, wafting in your own misery. Pitying yourself as if the entire weight of the world had been thrown on your shoulders.

Little did you know that all it would take was another shitty test score for you to pick up your phone and call Jaemin.

"Help me study," you said as soon as he answered the call. Jaemin was silent on the other end. "Don't just listen to me. Say something," you begged. Your heart felt heavy. You heard him sigh. "I'd rather not y/n." You got goosebumps. "Jaemin, please. We can go to fucking library if that makes you feel better," you suggested, desperate for him to agree. After giving it some thought he finally answered you. "Okay fine. Tomorrow at three. But no longer than three hours."

He hung up, leaving you feeling a tad bit better. You looked forward to the next day. Hopefully, he wouldn't act indifferent to you.

_

Jaemin sat in your usual spot at the library. He was on his phone, leg crossed over his lap leisurely. You walked up to him and took a seat beside him without a word. Seeing you had arrived, he put his phone away and turned to you. "What are we studying?"

You took out your books and opened them. "This."

Jaemin glanced over the material. No wonder you'd flunked your test. He sighed, placing the textbook between you two. Without wasting a second, he began tutoring you.

No matter how hard you tried, you just couldn't pay attention. You were too busy staring at his face, more specifically his lips. They way he'd lick them ever so often made butterflies soar in your stomach. He'd run his hand through his fluffy hair and adjust his glasses, letting your mind run wild. Jaemin didn't seem to notice your lack of focus. You figured he didn't really care. He kept glancing at his watch. It was like he was waiting for your time with him to come to an end.

Much to your dismay, eventually it did.

"I'll send you a picture of some practice material. You can use that to prepare better," he concluded, getting up from his seat. You quickly stuffed your books in your bag and ran after him.

"Jaemin wait!"

He paused. "What," he asked as he turned around. He sounded disinterested. "Can we talk," you asked? Jaemin sighed and shrugged. "What do you wanna talk about," he questioned, placing his hands in his pockets. "About what happened at my place last week."

Jaemin tensed up. "It was a mistake. I think we both understood that."

You shook your head. "I don't know Jaemin, I'm not sure I did."

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"The more I thought about it the more I realized that I wouldn't have kissed you unless I wanted to. Not just that but you wouldn't have let it go so far if you thought it was wrong."

He seemed at a loss for words.

"When you called me cute, you did mean it in an 'I have a crush on you' type of way." You didn't need an answer for him to know you were correct.

"What are you trying to say y/n," he asked, sounding defeated.

"That I like you," you admitted. Jaemin's eyes widened. "And that you like me too," you added.

Jaemin bit his lip. "Okay, so then why were we acting like we hated each other for so long?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because you overthink everything and I'm a big pussy."

Jaemin chuckled and slung his arm around your shoulder. "I'm sorry about that babe."

You cringed at the nickname. "Don't 'babe' me. We're not dating. Not yet."

Jaemin rolled his eyes. "Does it really need to be that formal?"

You nodded adamantly. "Of course it does."

He sighed. "Fine. Will you go out with me y/n?"

You smiled and shook your head. "I'd rather not Jaemin."

"Yeah whatever," he said with a scoff, leading you outside.

_

As soon as you were past your door Jaemin's lips were on yours in an instant. He pushed you against the wall, wrapping your legs around his waist. You held onto his shoulders, sighing into his mouth. "I missed you so fucking much," he muttered, stumbling to your room.

He dropped you on your bed and hovered over you, staring down at you somberly before kissing you again. His lips didn't stay on yours for too long, trailing down to your jaw and then your neck. You tugged at his shirt, urging him to take it off. When he did, you stared at his chiseled body in awe. "I didn't know you worked out."

Jaemin chuckled at your comment and pulled your own shirt off. He flicked the tiny bow on your bra with an amused grin. "This is cute."

You nudged his arm timidly. "I wasn't exactly preparing myself for this moment."

He said nothing further and latched his lips to your neck once again. Running your fingers through his hair, you craned your neck to the side to give him more access. He gently sucked on your skin, not too harsh that it would leave marks. You sighed and fiddled with the waistband of his sweatpants. "Do you want it off," he asked quietly, lips ghosting over yours. You nodded, biting your lip when he pushed his pants down.

His member came into sight, making your mouth water.

Taking your hand in his, he brought it to his cock. Your fingers wrapped around his girth instinctively. Jaemin suck in a breath as he made you stroke his length. His hand slipped past your panties, fingers toying with your clit. You gasped and spread your legs wider, loving the way his calloused fingertips felt. Tightening your grip around his cock, you jerked him off earnestly. In turn, Jaemin began rubbing quick circles into your sensitive bundle of nerves.

Letting go of his member, you hastily pushed your pants down your legs. Jaemin peeled your panties off of you, marveling at the sight of your glistening pussy. "Don't just stare," you complained, shutting your legs, "do something."

Jaemin wordlessly, spread your legs apart and settled down between your thighs. He glanced up at your through his lashes, asking for permission before licking a stripe up your folds. You pushed your hips against his mouth, eyes falling shut when he repeated the action. Holding onto your thighs, he nipped and sucked at your clit, groaning every time your bucked your hips into his face. You gripped onto his hair, tugging at his roots. Jaemin's fingers prodded at your slit, slowly entering your walls. He curled them up, making your arch your back in delight. It felt so good. He knew exactly what he was doing.

With his tongue skillfully moving over your clit and his fingers continuously pumping in and out of you, it didn't take long for you to feel a familiar knot in your stomach. You sat up, pulling his mouth off of your cunt. "I need you to fuck me now." Your voice was hushed, breathless because of how much you'd moaned. Jaemin's eyes had darkened considerably. He pushed you down on your back again and pressed his tip to your entrance.

Jaemin felt bigger than he looked. Not that you were complaining or anything, it just took a while to get used to. He made sure you were comfortable before slowly starting to pound into you.

You grabbed his arms as he fastened his pace, head falling back in ecstasy. Shallow breaths left his parted lips. "You feel so good," he muttered, burying his face in the crook of your neck. His breath was hot on your skin. You wrapped your arms around his neck, humming in response. You were close. Jaemin could tell.

Gripping onto your waist, he went faster, slamming his cock into you as he chased your highs. You cried out his name, squeezing your eyes shut. Your walls clenched tightly around his length, your orgasm crashing down on you intensely. Soon enough, he twitched inside you. His thighs stilled, hips snapping into you one last time before thick ropes of his cum shot into your walls. He let out a pleased groan, voice deep and raspy.

"That was amazing," you breathed, pushing your hair out of your face as Jaemin moved off of you. He smiled and tugged his pants back on, joining you under the covers. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." Jaemin pulled you into his side, letting you rest your head on his shoulder. You laughed to yourself. "What is it," Jaemin asked. You shook your head, looking at him. "To think this all started after you agreed to tutor me."

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tagging: @neosmutcollective @hoehousenet @kdiarynet @kafenetwork @nct-writers @ficscafe @whipped-kpop-creators @kpopscape

[sammygvfslut]

i like you a latte | s. kiszka

Summary: Words cannot espresso how much you mean to Sammy Kiszka.

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Hey besties!!! this is my first ever sam fic, and i really hope you guys enjoy it! it’s super cheesy so beware of some tooth-rotting fluff ahead. any and all feedback is appreciated <3

Loud chattering and the sounds of espresso machines hissing and whistling filled the cafe. Every few seconds or so when a new customer walked in, a soft ringing above the door rang. Glancing at the clock, you sighed as it read 7am. Way too early for your liking. You wished to be back in bed under the covers with your cat Joey snuggling. Plus, the cold weather made it even harder for you to get out of bed every morning. Damn you, winter.

“Good morning.” A voice said suddenly, startling you as you slightly jumped. “Whoops, didn’t mean to scare you there for a sec.”

Turning around at the voice, your heart fluttered and a smile pulled at the corners of your lips. “G-Good morning, Sam! Nope, didn’t scare me at all. I was just uh...focusing very hard and you caught me off guard.”

A chuckle rumbled from his chest, his own lips curving and flashing that beautiful grin. God, he made you melt. You took a quick chance to admire his appearance for the day, luscious brown locks pulled back into a low bun with a few stray pieces framing his face, and he wore a slightly oversized brown grandpa looking sweater. He exuded true fall energy today and all you wanted to do was snuggle with him watching a movie while sipping on hot chocolate. “Right. Focusing on what exactly? Staring at the register?”  

“S-Sure. Yes, the register.” Totally not him instead. “Um, I realized it turned off right now and my mind blanked to turn it back on.”

Sam placed a hand on your shoulder as he laughed, his touch leaving a wave of goosebumps to rise out of your skin. “You’re so cute. I’ll leave you to that then, but if you need help trying to get the register to turn back on again, let me know.” And with that, he sent you a wink and turned on his heel away to start on the customers orders.

Alright, alright. So maybe early shifts weren’t as bad as you thought thanks to your insanely charming co-worker. Sam and you had been working together for the past year, and almost instantly you started falling for him. He welcomed you with open arms and he was a great help when it came to your training. Your co-workers were nice too, but Sam took that extra step in making sure you were comfortable with what you were doing. If you made a mistake and were freaking out about it, he somehow knew the way to calm you down. He was too precious and good for this cruel world. And most of all, out of your league too.

With his dashing looks and amazing personality, you just knew there was no way he’d ever feel the same about you. Except, any time you’d voice that thought to any of your friends at work, they’d tell you you’re crazy and that he likes you too. Apparently they caught on to the signs more than you did, which wasn’t a shocker considering that you’d have no clue if a guy was interested in you unless he blatantly confessed. So, trying to figure out hints was completely pointless for you.

“Uh oh, she’s deep in thought,” one of your friends/co-workers, Danny, teased. He also happened to be Sam’s best friend, and current band mate since the pair are in a band with Sam’s older twin brothers. “I bet I can guess what, or who you were thinking about.”

“Don’t even say it,” you warned with a finger, “He’s literally four feet away from us—”

“So?” Danny rolled her eyes with his arms folded. “Why don’t you just tell him how you feel? Come on, it’s been almost a year now. What’s the worst that can happen if you confess?”

“He can hear me.” You stared blankly at him, shaking your head. “Absolutely not though, Danny. I will not embarrass myself from the humiliation I’d have to face from his rejection.”

Danny groaned frustratedly, placing his hands on both your shoulders and shaking them. “You’re so hopeless! Y/N, how many times do the guys and I have to tell you he likes you too!” He raised his voice a little louder than necessary which accidentally caught the attention of almost everyone in the cafe. Sam included unfortunately. Danny’s eyes widened, silently cursing under his breath. “Carry on, everyone.”

As much as you hated to admit it, Danny wasn’t lying when he mentioned about the guys agreeing that Sam likes you too. Every time you came over Josh’s apartment and Sam was there he’d find any little excuse to have his arm around you or teasing you constantly. You’d shake it off that he was just treating you like a friend would, but of course the guys would disagree with you.

“We’ll finish this conversation later,” Danny told you sternly, “But for now, and don’t make it obvious, but Sam’s looking at you.” A mischievous grin spread across his face as he winked and stepped to the next register before greeting a new customer and taking their order.

Heart pounding out of your chest, you slowly looked over your shoulder in Sam’s direction. You saw his head quickly turn and finish off the drink in front of him. Your cheeks burned at this and tried taking deep, slow breaths to calm yourself down. Didn’t work much, but as a new customer waved and told you their order, your breathing turned back to normal.

On the other end of the counter, Sam was currently freaking the hell out from what he heard a few minutes ago between you and Danny. He didn’t mean to, but he also wasn’t that far from either of you. Plus, Danny wasn’t the best at keeping his voice low. He had a strong feeling he knew you were talking about him, and for that reason alone he overflowed the cup he was pouring into and made a mess. He cursed under his breath and wiped his hands on his apron, shaking his head.

You caught sight of this and rushed to his side, grabbing a cloth from under the sink and started wiping the sticky counter. Sam was certain his cheeks were tomato red from his embarrassment, making a complete fool of himself for not paying attention to what he was doing. More so focusing on your conversation and your damn smile from earlier. You weren’t the only one here with a crush.

“T-Thanks, Y/N.” Sam chuckled nervously, throwing the cup in the trash and tossing the drink pitcher he held in the sink. “I’m normally not this much of a dumbass.”

“I’m not too sure about that one, Kiszka.” You teased lightly with a grin. “It happens, don’t worry,” you assured. “I’m just glad it was cold tea you spilled and not steaming coffee. I’d hate for you to get a third degree burn. That happened to me once, don’t recommend it.”

“Didn’t I drive you to the hospital for that?” he asked. “I think that might’ve happened a few months ago.”

Your eyes widened at the memory. “Oh shit, you’re right. God, I’m still so sorry I had to drag you into that.”

Sam shook his head, lips curving and cheeks no longer flushed. “For the hundredth time, stop apologizing about that, Y/N. You know you can count on me for anything, so of course I didn’t mind driving you to the hospital. I remember even blasting some ABBA on the way over there so you’d have something else to focus on instead of the pain you endured.”

You smiled at the memory. “Didn’t we also go out for ice cream afterwards?”

He nodded, lightly rubbing his arm. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I mean, I always have fun when I’m with you.”

Your breath caught in your throat at his last few words, blinking slowly. “O-Oh.”

Oh? That’s all you have to say? Nice one, Y/N.

Sam’s heart dropped. Fuck. Maybe you weren’t talking about him after all. Maybe it was Danny or one of his brothers that you had a crush on and he was mistaken about it. He wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow him whole right about now. Being anywhere but here sounded splendid to him.

“Y-Y/N, I—“

“Ihavefunwhenimwithyoutoo,” you muttered all too quickly, and poor Sam barely even understood what you said. He didn’t have the chance to ask you to repeat yourself because you quickly walked away to the back and he was left with a tug at his chest, frowning.

Within the next few days after Sam’s tea spill, literally, things between you and him became...awkward. Something went off in him to become even more clumsy than normal and forget everything he’s ever known when you’re near him. He’d get flustered, stuttering a lot, messing up orders, dropping dishes, and nearly tripping all the time. He hated it so much and wished he could just muster up the courage and apologize for being such an idiot and confess his feelings to you. Even during your hangouts with the guys, Sam and you wouldn’t interact as much and honestly you were well aware you were being super childish and immature about the situation. Sam did too, and he needed to snap the fuck out of it.

The next few days at work Sam would ignore Danny’s little side comments about his immaturity and continued working in silence. For the rest of his shift he didn’t talk much to anyone other than the customers. He wanted to talk to you when he had the chance, but then he’d quickly back out and walk the opposite direction.

He couldn’t figure out why it was so futile for him to just grow a sack and tell you he likes you. He’d never gone through this struggle before. Then again, as cheesy as it sounded, the other girls he’d asked out in the past couldn’t compare to you. Never in a million years, and maybe he was too afraid that he didn’t deserve someone as amazing as you.

Nearing closing that same day, it was only you, Sam, and Danny. The flow of customers died down and not many people came in towards the end of the night which you were grateful for. It finally gave you the chance to relax a bit and start cleaning things up ahead of time so you wouldn’t have to stay after. Joey and a nice warm bath were waiting for you at home.

While Sam decided on working the register and you and Danny would clean, he grabbed your arm and led you into the back.

“What are you two still doing not dating each other or talking?! It’s been way too long now, Y/N. And since it’s only us three tonight, you have no other choice. Come on, I know you can’t take this any longer, and he can’t either. I can take over the register for a bit while you and him talk.”

You chewed on your bottom lip, contemplating his offering. As incredibly thankful as you were for his help, you were also scared shitless of the possible outcome. Perhaps it was finally time though that you say fuck it and say what you needed to. You couldn’t go on for any longer to keep your feelings bottled up inside. Maybe, just maybe he might feel the same way, and by God you hoped that would be the case.

Inhaling, you nodded slowly and made your way back to where you were. Your eyes searched for Sam and saw he was busy making a drink, except there was no one else here besides you, him and Danny. It could’ve been a drink for him, so you shrugged this off and went towards the sink to start washing the dishes.

A few moments later, Sam cleared his throat from behind you. “H-Hey Y/N, so um, I know the créme brûlée latte is your favorite, and I thought I’d make you one. You seemed really stressed and busy today and I wanted to try to cheer you up. I hope that’s okay.”

Your heart swelled at his generosity and your cheeks burned as you felt his gaze burning into you, his palms soaking from nervousness. “Sam, you didn’t have to do that for me.”

He shrugged casually, a small smile on his lips and his cheeks tinted a light pink. “It’s okay, I wanted to. And I uh, tried my best on the art. Hope you like it.”

Raising a brow, your gaze dropped on your cup and your eyes widened as you saw what he was referring to. A small coffee cup with the words I like you a latte around it.

“It’s true,” Sam chewed on his bottom lip while running his fingers through his hair. “I really like you Y/N, and I’m so sorry for acting like such an idiot these last few days around you. I don’t know what came over me, and I’m sorry that I didn’t talk to you much either.”

Setting your cup on the counter, you took a step closer to him and cupped his cheek, rubbing your thumb softly against his soft skin. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, Sam. I’m sorry for not talking to you too, as well as for making a fool of myself. I tend to do that around someone I like.”

Finally, the realization dawned on Sam as a wide grin pulled at his lips. “Glad we’re on the same boat.”

“I-Is it alright if I kiss you?” he asked shyly, his eyes sparkling as he looked at you.

You giggled. “You don’t even have to ask, loverboy.” You playfully rolled your eyes and cupped his other cheek before connecting his lips with yours.

A smirk pulled at Danny’s lips as he glanced at the two of you, shaking his head. Josh and Jake owed him $20 now. 

It was about damn time that Sam and you finally espresso’d your love for each other. 

tagging these lovely folks bc they helped inspired me and their work is amazing <3 @godlygreta​ / @flowervanfleet​ / @dharma-divine​

[finduilasclln]

Welcome to my Buddie Fic Rec List!

Since I read so many Buddie fics, and some of them are so good, I thought I'd share them in some handy lists. I'll be posting them in different categories, and you will be able to find all the posts HERE.

Disclaimer: Always read the tags and warnings! Also, tastes differ. These are my personal favorites, which doesn't mean they'll automatically be yours of course.

If you want to reblog and add some of your own favorites that fit the category, please be my guest! I always love discovering new fics. I will also add new recs of my own whenever I stumble upon them.

One last thing: Please like and comment when you've had a nice read. It means so much to authors to hear your thoughts! And don't hesitate to share this post and spread the love for these fics around!

Buddie Fic Rec: "Bed Sharing" Trope.

Don't we all love the bed sharing trope? Falling asleep on their own side of the bed only to wake up snuggling together. Not being able to sleep or stave off the nightmares if the other isn't in the same bed. Having a drink too much and sleeping over and oops, one thing leads to another. Here are some of my faves!

Habits, by red_to_black || 4926 words ||

Buck's not sure what's going on when Eddie starts kissing him on the head after a rough call, only now it's A Thing, and it's a thing Buck would very much like to continue if he knew what it meant.

(or another Buddie fic where everyone knows except Buck.)

Drowning in Dreams, by letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (@letmetellyouaboutmyfeels) || 5434 words ||

In which Buck sleeps his way into a relationship with Eddie, but not in the way you'd think.

Steady on His Feet, by BrighamVaughn || 7602 words ||

Buck has been in love with Eddie for over a year but isn't willing to risk their friendship to tell him. When they end up sharing a bed at a conference, Buck finally breaks.

love doesn't discriminate, by awashleyno || 10681 words ||

“Eddie,” Buck murmurs, in a way that makes his stomach flip, his eyes squeezing shut momentarily.

“Yeah, Buck?” He answers, just as soft, like if he speaks any louder it’ll somehow break the moment they’re building together.

“I’m so tired,” Buck admits, his weight suddenly heavy against Eddie’s back as his arms slide around his waist, his face mashed in against Eddie’s neck. It’s not the first time Buck’s done it — he gets ridiculously clingy when he’s tired — but Eddie’s body reacts like it is, his pulse jack-rabbiting in his chest before kicking into high gear.

Or,

Buck gets tired and uses Eddie as a pillow.

in the arms of the ocean, by allyasavedtheday (@littlespooneven) || 6857 words ||

“Someone wanted to come say hi before we head home,” Eddie says, voice a little gravelly around the edges, and Buck can only imagine how worn out he must be by now. He has no idea what Eddie faced today but he can’t imagine it’s been much easier than anything Buck endured.

Buck opens his mouth to say something but no words come out. Instead he just stares in awe as Eddie picks Chris up under his arms and deposits him onto the cot on Buck’s right side. Buck scrambles to put an arm around him to hold him in place but it’s not really necessary when Christopher immediately curls into him anyway. He tucks his face into the crook of Buck’s neck and mumbles out a tired but relieved, “You’re okay.”

All the breath in Buck’s body rushes out of him at once at that and he wraps both arms around Christopher, pressing a kiss to the matted hair at the top of his head. “I’m so sorry,” he murmurs, voice hitching around the lump in his throat. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t find you, buddy.” *

After the tsunami, Eddie takes Buck home.

Without You, I'll Never Be Home, by The_Forgotten_Nobody (@scarlett-ice) || 45100 words ||

“Right, well…” Eddie rubs the back of his head. “If you want, you’re free to spend the night at ours. I know you’re probably gonna be tired still and I thought that, uh, it might be nice. It didn’t seem right letting you go home alone after everything you did.” -

After the tsunami, Eddie invites Buck to stay with him and Christopher.

Maybe I'll deserve you one day, by Stlesismylover (@firebuddie) || 24720 words ||

Eddie knows he's in love with Buck. Buck is oblivious to his feelings. Somehow, they manage to end up in a relationship before having a proper conversation about it.

Close Enough for Comfort, by allyasavedtheday (@littlespooneven) || 14074 words ||

Their first hug doesn’t happen at the firehouse.

It’s at a bar where they’d decided to get a drink after work. Eddie arrives a little after he does once he drops Christopher off at his aunt’s place and when he joins Buck at the table he pulls him into one of those casual, back-slapping kinds of hugs.

It’s nothing to write home about. It’s friendly, comfortable, but Eddie’s hands are warm on Buck’s back and for the briefest second Buck can feel Eddie’s smile imprinted against his shoulder before it’s over.

He puts it down to missing Abby that he finds himself thinking about it when he’s trying to fall asleep that night.

-

A look at how Buck and Eddie's physical relationship develops from season 2 to season 5 AKA the one with all the hugging.

in the morning our arms ache, by hattalove (@hattalove) || 1490 words ||

Today, he wakes up with Eddie half on top of him, head resting on Buck’s chest, his thigh thrown over Buck’s, holding him close with his fingers fitting into the spaces between Buck’s ribs. It feels forbidden to dip his chin just so, enough to hide his face in Eddie’s hair, to breathe him in.

All of it feels forbidden, but Buck does it anyway. He keeps doing it, keeps taking, because the measures are relaxing and Eddie misses Christopher and all of this is so painfully temporary. He keeps taking for as long as he’s allowed, and they don’t talk about it, ever, just roll out from under the covers.

in which love is finally allowed to exist in the light of day.

moonlight, nightmares, and tearful confessions, by brewrosemilk (@gayhoediaz) || 9339 words ||

“Want me to tell you that I can’t fucking sleep? Ever? That I’m terrified - every single day of my life, because I came back from a warzone, only to be shot in the middle of the day, on a busy LA street, and I had to realize that I’m not fucking safe? Which means my son isn’t safe? Which means none of the people I love, will ever be safe? That it could happen again?”

Buck stays silent - although somewhere, in the back of his mind, some part of him is saying 'Finally.'; is saying 'Thank god. Let him break. Let him break, so that I can break, so that we can break together, and then heal together, and finally - finally - start to leave that day behind us.'

[rowenashexbag]

FOR YOU. (anya jenkins x female!reader)

requested by @caitlinrosenberg : here it is!! hope you enjoy the reading as much as I enjoyed writing this. I took a bit of liberty with the plot around but I promise it has fluff. thank you for your request!!! <3

warnings: usual buffy-talk, fluff, bit of violence/demon fight and mentions of blood.

The sun set down on Sunnydale, an unusual calmness in the air. Without problems at sight, some felt the need for a night of relaxation. But being honest, it was a matter of time for something to end-of-the-world thing to come.

A small group of friends was about to reunite on the Bronze, you being one of them. After buying a drink for yourself, you walked over to your best friends, all sitting together on one of the tables.

“What are we talking about?” You stood next to Willow, receiving some welcoming smiles.

“Our sucky love lives.” Buffy was taking a sip of her own drink, with curled up eyebrows, you looked around at everyone. Once your gaze stopped on Anya she shrugged it off.

“Minus mine.” Willow smiled as she held Tara’s hand, the couple smiling at each other under the eyes of the single ones in the group.

“Alright! How about we change the subject into something more. . . Cheerful?” You suggested, trying to lighten up the mood. It was like luck was on your side, actually, the live band playing since they started a more chirpy song. “There we go! Come on, guys, it’s a Saturday night.” You took a long sip of your drink and left it on top of the table to head over to the dance floor, Anya, Willow and Tara following you.

Moving at the rhythm, you grabbed a hold of Anya’s hand, dancing closer to her as you both got into the music. Once she started moving, she let go, a free dancer the woman was. Now, there’s the thing, you always had so much fun with her. She was a long breath of fresh air in the middle of all this mess.

Laughing together, you started spinning her, forgetting about the world around yourselves. She was gorgeous. Her huge smile, the way her nose scrunched while she laughed, her strangely cute way of saying everything that came to mind, how brave and upfront she was. Anya was perfect.

Oh yeah, you were head over heels for the ex-demon. And the best thing? You found out around two months ago when you worried a bit too much about her well-being after a fight. You wouldn’t know what you’d do if something happened to her. You both knew each other for a while now. You might love her — correction, you did love her. Unlike the others, who you loved as a family, friends. Anya. . . You loved her as a family too, but in the —I would marry you— type of love. You are in love. You were friends, not best friends, but closer than with anyone. There was always a flirty two sided thing between you two.

Anya on the other hand? She felt attraction to you. Why didn’t she took the first step? She had no idea. But when you make her laugh with genuinely funny jokes, support her on the sometimes way too honest comments she makes, when you act brave and fight nonstop the evil threatening the world. The amazing hunter you were, not a slayer but a hunter of the Supernatural, of course leaving some exceptions. You were so pretty and fun to be around too. She promised herself not to fall for anyone ever again. Love equals suffering, she learned that on all these centuries as a vengeance demon. But, yet again. . . She revenged women who were cheated and lied by men. And you’re not a man. You are actually the most beautiful and wonderful woman she’s ever seen. Holy shit. She suddenly came to realization. She loves you!

Just as she was about to take the first step, a scream interrupted the party. Turning around, you found yourselves with a group of gigantic demons starting to destroy the beloved pub. Lower music kept sounding behind as you watched Buffy starting to fight. Still with a held on Anya’s hand, you both moved aside, watching as the others did the same. Some people ran, others hid.

“Don’t.” Anya spoke up once she saw your intentions drawn on your eyes. You had that sparkle that meant you were going to get into the fight. Once you looked at her, worried eyes welcomed you. “They eat people. Raw. You are not going there.” She was so sure of her words that her hand squeezed yours to keep you in place.

“Anya, I’ll be fine.” Jenkins moved her head side to side. She knew it was selfish. But she didn’t want you to get hurt, she wanted to keep you safe and sound, without a scratch. Sure, she cared and loved her friends, but she knew they could handle themselves. You are able too, but you were the girl she loved. She didn’t care how selfish she sounded, as long as you’d start another day alive.

Besides, “the others got it under control!” She answered back with a frown, just as she said that, you both could see Xander received a hit from standing in the middle and Buffy fighting with two at the same time.

“Is that worry I see on your face?” Your lips curled up slightly in a mock to try to calm her. Her brows frowned deeper.

“Of course I’m worried, you never measure the danger you get into and then you end up hurt. And I’m the one that has to patch you up.” How could you forget the long shared gazes you had when she patches you up? This was the moment Anya was going to be honest, she chose the worst, but well. It’s not like you were normal people.

“Ann.” Your hand found it’s way to her waist, standing in front of her. “I have to. Stay back, yes? We’ll be alright.”

But there was a problem. One of the demons got closer to you both, kicking a table to scare some people. Anya and you shared a look, everyone else was busy. She sighed annoyingly. You took the front line, running to it with Anya stepping on your feet. Grabbing a chair, you took the chance that the demon was turned to break it on his back. It growled as it turned to you, finding itself with Anya using another chair to hit him right at the chin.

You were left with the wooden sticks of the stool. You used them to dodge some hits, hearing growls and screaming around. Anya was at your side, using the wood to crash it into the demon, gaining a punch from itself. You screamed back.

“ANYA! Are you okay?!” You kicked and fought the demon. She didn’t answer. Just yet at least. “Oh, you’re so dead.” Your words went out angrily, almost growling back. That wasn’t going to be an easy ending for the demon. You won’t let it go at all now. You couldn’t see Anya, but you made sure she was away from the fight when you got the demon to chase you to the stage, the wood flying somewhere else once it hit you. Using the tall height of the stage, you hit, punched and kicked the cranky looking demon, receiving punches too. Lots of them. Did it hurt? Like hell. But you wanted to make sure you could be at least a distraction.

“Y/n, duck!” Hearing Buffy, you sliced yourself down to the floor, watching as the demon fell to the floor. Dead.

“Thanks.” You screamed back, quickly standing and running to where a just awake Anya sat on the floor. “Hey, hey, hey. Take it easy, Anya. Look at me, are you okay? Does it hurt? How are you feeling?” Her confused gazed traveled throughout your own bruises and the bits of blood that decorated your face.

“Like I’ve gotten hit in the head.” She simply answered, her hands moving up to caress your face. You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “Next time listen to the one with experience.” She cleaned the blood of your lips, making your whole body shake.

“I can’t promise you anything, after all, you’re both a great fighter and nurse.” You smirked at her, hearing her scoff. “Although I’ll have to be the nurse today, you took one for the team.”

“For you.” She said. “Not for the team, dumbass. For you. The demon was going to get you.” Your eyes softened as she explained her move. You almost melted at her words. Not everyone could say they saw Anya’s sweet side. “I want you to be safe.”

She didn’t even let you even talk since her lips crashed against yours, shutting you up. Her hands went to your neck, wanting to feel you as close as possible, taking out some of the hairs falling to your face to hold them in place. You hugged her by the waist, ignoring everything else around.

Anya was kissing you! She liked you back. You felt fireworks explode inside of you as you kissed her back. It was a much needed kiss. You both didn’t even care about anything. You just wanted to hold one another.

Once separated and catching air, you smiled at the woman. Her wide eyes looking at you as if you were the only woman in the world. You loved her. You really did love her.

“Let’s get you somewhere safe.” You whispered, stealing a quick kiss from her lips and helping her up. Making sure everyone was at one piece, you said your goodbyes.

“I hope you learned your lesson.” She talked as you drove back to your place. Curling an eyebrow to her, your hand on top of her thigh, talking to keep her awake a fun smile appeared back in your lips.

“What? That I have to put my life at risk for the pretty girl to kiss me?” You laughed as her eyes rolled back. Still, a small smile was painted on her lips. Her heart was beating rapidly, making her feel like the typical teenager in love. Is this how real and healthy love is supposed to feel like? Because Anya may like this more than she expected.

“No. That you’re an idiot.”

“An idiot you love?” You dared to ask, parking in your usual spot, turning your head to look at her with the most adoring look. Even looking like a mess she looked beautiful.

“Yeah. . . The one idiot I love.” She answered, her smile becoming wider as she sat up to grab you by the top you were wearing to start another kiss, already feeling how addictive your lips were.

“I love you too.” You whispered in her lips, getting her even closer. That was going to be a long but wonderful night you’ll both enjoy. This was just the start. And you were so ready for going through the path of life with Anya.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

second request of the night! i’m really happy with how this one turned too. hope whoever reads it, enjoys! i’m really excited to write for the buffyverse. anya will forever be one of my favorite characters ever. I kinda made her a bit of a softy but still keeping her wonderful honest personality. <3

[helloalycia]

girl next door [one] // wanda maximoff

summary: somebody new moves into the flat next to yours and you feel the need to introduce yourself, only to learn she's not very talkative

warning/s: none i don’t think??

author’s note: first part to a three-parter i’ve been working on, hope you like it! (also the masterlist needs to be updated so soz about that)

part two | part three | part four | part five |masterlist | wattpad

Shopping bags in hand, I returned from the supermarket to my flat when I saw the usually-vacant flat next door to me in use. The front door was slightly ajar, with several moving boxes in front and the sound of someone moving about inside. Huh, so someone moved in. It had been vacant for half a year now – it was nice to finally have a neighbour!

I headed to my own flat, my nosey self taking a peek through the door to see if I could have an idea of who was moving in, but I couldn't see anyone, so I continued to go into my own place and unpack my groceries. After doing so, I decided to head next door and introduce myself, excited to meet someone new in the building.

The boxes from earlier were gone now, probably all inside, and the door was shut like I usually saw it. I sucked up a breath before knocking on, a friendly smile reserved on my lips for whoever would open.

It took a moment, but the door finally opened and revealed a brunette with bright hazel eyes and a mildly confused expression on her face. She seemed strangely familiar, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it.

"Hey! I just wanted to come 'round and introduce myself. I'm your new neighbour." I pointed to my door next to hers and added, "I saw you moving in earlier. I'm Y/N."

She pursed her lips, eyes glancing around subtly before looking me up and down. "Er, hi... I'm Wanda."

I detected a slight accent in her voice with the few words she spoke and became immediately intrigued since everyone in this building was usually the same old American. I didn't ask about it though, as I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable at our first meeting.

"Nice to meet you, Wanda," I returned with a smile. "I've been living here for a year now, so if you need a hand with anything or need pointers for where to get the best Chinese, I'm your girl." I paused, expecting some sort of reaction, but she didn't move a muscle. Swallowing awkwardly, I added, "Of course, if you just need a hand with unpacking or anything, I'm also happy to help."

She still didn't reply, and in fact, she looked a bit peeved with my presence which made me realise that maybe she just wasn't a talkative person.

I cleared my throat nervously before finishing with, "I'll, er, I'll leave you to it. Sorry to disturb you..."

I chewed on my lower lip as I avoided her piercing gaze and went back to my own place. Not everybody was interested in befriending their neighbours, I got that, so I respected her decision and decided not to bother her in the future. It didn't make me feel any less embarrassed at my intrusiveness though.

I didn't think much of it until the following morning when I was watering my plants out on the fire escape. My fire escape was joined with the neighbour's – the neighbour that usually didn't exist but was now Wanda. The brunette was stood there, drinking some coffee and staring out into the distance. I debated wishing her a good morning, but decided against it as I recalled her being quite introverted. Instead, I awkwardly watered the several plant pots I had, opting to stay quiet so I could be in and out without bugging her once more.

To my surprise, she spoke up and it took me a second to realise she was talking to me.

I held my watering jug upright as I glanced in her direction. She was already staring at me, deep set eyes darkened over the rim of her coffee cup.

"What's that?" I asked, not sure what she’d said.

She cleared her throat, eyes flickering to the plants to distract from her discomfort. "I'm sorry. For being strange yesterday. You were being warm and welcoming and I just..." She paused, releasing a shaky breath. "I've had a bad past few weeks. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

I definitely wasn't expecting that, then realised how many bad days I'd had and taken out on random strangers. I didn't blame her and instead felt bad for her – moving into a new place was supposed to be exciting, so I couldn't imagine what had ruined her past few weeks.

"Well, apology accepted," I said with a small smile. "And I hope things begin to look up for you soon, Wanda."

Her lips twitched into the tiniest of smiles and I noticed how different she looked when she wasn't down in the dumps – she was quite beautiful.

I finished watering my plants before giving her a final smile. I was about to head back inside, but I hung back curiously.

"Er, Wanda, if you don't mind me saying," I started randomly, "you seem familiar. We haven't met before, have we?"

She raised her eyebrows with surprise. "Oh, really? You don't kn–?" She tilted her head to the side, as if expecting me to understand, but I wasn't sure what she wanted. "I... I guess I just have one of those faces."

I studied her curiously, trying to figure it out. But nothing was coming to mind, so I hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I guess so... anyway, enjoy the rest of your day."

She nodded. "You, too."

–

The next time I saw Wanda was probably a week later, just after I collected my mail from the mailroom. I'd received one of those random free trial boxes for a subscription I must have accidentally signed up for – a box of different flavoured trail mixes – and felt bad throwing it out since it was still food at the end of the day. There were nuts in the mixes, which I was allergic to, so I decided to knock on Wanda's door and see if she wanted them.

I hadn't spoken to her since she moved in, except for the occasional good morning on the fire escape if we saw one another, so I hoped she was a little happier compared to when we last spoke properly. Maybe whatever had bothered her was resolved now.

When she opened the door, she seemed surprised that it was me, probably not expecting me to stop by again after last time.

I offered her a smile. "Hey, Wanda. I, er, hope this isn't a bad time."

She shook her head after recovering from her surprise. "No, no, it's not. Is everything okay?" She paused, glancing around, unprepared. "Do you want to come in or...?"

"It's okay, I'm good here," I said when I saw how uncomfortable she seemed. I wasn't just about to invite myself into her flat because she felt she needed to ask. "I just stopped by because, well, do you want this?" I handed her the box, adding, "I got a free sample in the post. Didn't wanna throw it out because it's food, y'know? And I'm allergic to nuts, so my throat will probably puff up and stop me from breathing which isn't good."

I laughed awkwardly, internally cringing at how I spoke utter nonsense because of her lack of her words and my stupid need to fill the silence.

"Unless you're allergic to nuts too," I added as an afterthought, when she glanced at the packaging with no readable expression. "In which case I should probably throw them right away and this whole thing is stupid."

After what felt like an eternity of me not shutting up, she lifted her gaze, eyes softening with a hint of amusement.

"I'm not allergic to nuts," she assured me, before nodding. "Thank you, Y/N."

I relaxed, not even realising how tense my shoulders were. "That's– that's good... so, how are you settling into your new place? All good, I hope?"

Subconsciously, I chewed on the inside of my mouth, wondering why I was so eager to speak to somebody who clearly didn't want to speak to me. She was so quiet, not a woman of many words, yet I couldn't help but feel responsible for welcoming her.

"It's nice," she said, glancing around thoughtfully. "It's quiet. Private."

I nodded in agreement, eyes falling to her doorframe as I said, "Yeah, that's true. Nothing eventful ever happens here."

She hummed, acknowledging my words. I figured the conversation had ran dry and I'd stayed a little too long, so I tried to think of a way to end it without her feeling forced to. Instead, she spoke up next.

"I like your garden."

I furrowed my brows, wondering what she was talking about.

"The flowers on our fire escape," she clarified, small smile tugging at her lips. "They're beautiful."

I stifled a laugh. "I mean, thanks, but it's barely a garden. I've always wanted a proper space to grow stuff, but obviously I can't have that here."

"Well, you've done a great job with what you have," she complimented, and I was sure it was the most she'd spoken to me since moving in. I suddenly didn't feel like she disliked my presence as much as I once thought.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "Maybe you can start your own alongside mine some day."

"Maybe," she shrugged, "but probably not. Everything I touch–" She paused, life leaving her eyes momentarily, and head looking down to her shoes. "Everything I touch dies."

I pressed my lips together, not expecting the awkward silence to follow. Wanda seemed stuck in thought and I wasn't sure how I'd managed to bring the conversation down so suddenly, especially with the talk of flowers.

"The lovely thing about flowers," I began, earning her attention and hoping to brighten the mood, "is that they only require a little love, some sunlight and some water to keep going. They tend to take care of themselves. Perfect for even the blackest of thumbs."

She let out a breath through her nose, a half chuckle and half acknowledgment of my comment. It was the closest I'd get to a response, so I ran a hand through my hair and took a step back.

"Anyway, I'm glad you're settling in okay," I concluded with a kind smile. "Again, if you need anything, I'm just next door."

"Thank you," she said, returning the smile, and her eyes sparkled as she did. "Have a good afternoon, Y/N."

"You, too, Wanda."

–

The apartment complex I lived in rarely had people entering that I didn't recognise – I'd lived here long enough to know who was who, even the postwoman and maintenance guy. So, when I was leaving for the supermarket and saw a suspicious-looking man walking down the hall, eyes checking every door, I grew curious.

"You okay there, sir?" I called out to him after locking my front door.

He looked my way, readjusting his cap lower on his head, casting a shadow over his face. "Er, yeah..." He hesitated, glancing at his phone before looking to me again. "Actually, maybe you can help me. I'm looking for Wanda Maximoff's apartment. Do you know which one that is?"

I narrowed my eyes at the tall stranger. "I'm sure you can understand my concern when I ask who's asking."

"Oh, no, I completely understand," he said with a nod, and I could swear I had seen him before. "I'm an old friend of hers."

I quirked a brow. Strange man who claimed to a woman-who-lived-alone's friend? That had trouble written all over it. And from one woman to another, I was concerned, even if I didn’t know her very well.

"That's not saying much, sir," I said, biting back the annoyance. "I think that maybe you should–"

I stopped speaking when Wanda's door opened and she popped her head out. She looked to me before spotting the tall stranger, shoulders relaxing.

"I thought I heard you out here," she mumbled to the stranger, before stepping out fully and giving me a reassuring look. "It's okay, Y/N. I know him."

I nodded, glancing at the man, before meeting Wanda's eyes knowingly. "If you're sure..."

She seemed comfortable as she crossed her arms, hugging herself. Smiling reassuringly, she nodded. I relaxed when I saw she knew the suspicious stranger.

"In that case, sorry 'bout the interrogation," I apologised to her friend. "But, you gotta understand with the whole getup you have..."

Her friend chuckled deeply, looking to his shoes with amusement. "Yeah, sorry about that, ma'am. Didn't mean to worry you. It's nice to know Wanda here has thoughtful neighbours though."

"I'm twenty-two, not a ma'am," I said with amusement, before shaking my head. "Anyway, I should get going. Sorry again."

Wanda and her friend nodded as I left them; I was just glad it wasn't some creepy perv stalking our building – that had happened once.

I headed to the supermarket to do some shopping when I saw Wanda again, this time in the milk aisle. Well, she actually saw me, her trolley stopping before mine as she got my attention.

"Oh, Wanda, hey," I greeted her with a smile. "Fancy seeing you here."

She cracked a smile. "Yeah, well, I needed to pick up a few things. Milk, actually," she grabbed some from the fridge to prove her point, "when I saw you."

I nodded, before remembering earlier and feeling a little embarrassed. "Hey, er, sorry about before with your friend. I hope I didn't offend them or anything."

"No need to apologise," she said with a shake of her head. "It's actually very nice of you to have my back like that. I mean, we don't even know each other that well, but you watched out for me. I appreciate it."

"It's the bare minimum of a neighbour," I joked, before settling into genuine smile. "Besides, I'd like to think you'd do the same."

"Of course," she agreed, nodding slightly, before her eyes drifted to the fridge.

I noticed that every conversation we shared felt unfinished, like there was more to be said but neither of us had the guts to say it. Like now, for example, I wanted to check in and see if she was okay, but I felt like I was overstepping since, as she'd put it, we didn’t know each other very well. So, I changed the subject instead.

"So, just milk then?" I asked, nodding to her trolley which had a few bits and bobs in.

She was confused for a moment, zoning back into reality, before it registered in her mind and she answered, "Along with a few other things. And you?"

"Pretty much same," I said with a shrug.

Her eyes lingered in my trolley as she stifled a smile. "That looks like a lot more than a few things, Y/N." 

I almost laughed. "Technically, yeah, I guess..." I met her curious gaze, explaining, "I'm having a meal with my sister, her boyfriend and my boyfriend at my place tonight. Cooking a lamb roast." She raised her eyebrows with mild surprise, making me shrug dismissively. "It's not that big of a deal, but there's a lot to prepare and I like things to be perfect, so yeah."

She licked her lips and nodded. "It sounds great. Good luck, I guess. I'm sure it'll turn out wonderful."

"Fingers crossed."

She chuckled, glancing at her shoes, making her dark hair fall in front of her like a curtain. When she looked back up, I couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked.

"I'll leave you to it then," she said, before redirecting her trolley around me. "See you whenever."

"See you." I nodded as she walked past me, shoulder brushing mine and leaving me startled at the weird effect she had on me whenever we spoke.

It didn't last for long though, so I brushed it off and continued to do my shop. The evening couldn't come soon enough, and I soon found myself entertaining my boyfriend, my sister and her boyfriend at my dinner table.

"So I was cooking us a nice meal, as we planned, and she ended up having a go at me because of the mess I made afterwards," my boyfriend, Teddy, was explaining to my sister and her boyfriend, Caleb. "That's why I don't try to be romantic anymore."

I paused from sipping my water, looking over at Teddy with an are you serious? look on my face. Y/S/N and Caleb laughed at Teddy's story, but I wasn't as amused as they were.

"Aw, c'mon, babe, don't be pissed off again," Teddy pleaded teasingly from beside me. "It's a joke. I'm joking."

"But that's not how it happened," I corrected him, before looking to the couple before me. "What Teddy means to say is that I had just cleaned the kitchen and told him that when he cooks, he should try to clean as he goes along so it's easier, but of course, he drops cream everywhere and I had to clean it out of the crevices of the counter. All over again."

Y/S/N and Caleb laughed at my retelling of the story, and Teddy frowned playfully as he looked my way.

"And that's definitely not the reason you're not romantic," I said to him promisingly. "When was the last time you even got me flowers?"

He tried to take lead of the conversation again, straightening up and asking, "When was the last time you got me flowers? Feminism, Y/N. It goes both ways."

He was never usually this obnoxious and it was irking me. Y/S/N and Caleb assumed it was all a joke, so were laughing it off, but I was starting to get frustrated. How could he try and make me look terrible in front of my own family?

"I bought you flowers two weeks ago when you got your promotion, remember?" I answered him with a raised brow.

"Damn, she got you there, Ted," Caleb said like it was a burn.

I subtly clenched my jaw and distracted myself with sipping water. Teddy sighed and tried to wrap an arm around me, but I pulled away slightly.

"Oh, come on, you're not mad, are you? This is all in good faith, babe," he said lightly.

I downed my water and looked between them all. "I think I'm gonna get some air. You guys enjoy your drinks."

They all chorused their disagreements, but I couldn't be bothered dealing with them when they were tipsy and annoying, so I ignored them and headed to the fire escape for a breather.

When I reached the railing, I sighed immediately, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Until I heard a creaking noise and jumped with surprise before seeing Wanda sitting on her side of the fire escape, drink in hand.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," she said apologetically.

I breathed out, turning around and leaning my back against the railing so I could see her better. "It's okay, it's not you. I just– I forgot you could be there. Used to living without a neighbour. It's taking some getting used to."

I forced a small smile to reassure her, before looking down and taking small breaths of fresh air. Teddy could get under my skin at times, tonight being one of those times, and it was happening more and more lately. Why couldn't he just be less... annoying?

"Is everything okay?" Wanda asked, and I looked up fo see her green-gold eyes glowing in the dark under the moon light.

"Yeah," I said with a nod. I glanced inside, seeing my three guests laughing it up like I was still there. I collapsed on my chair and stared into the bustling city ahead. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Wanda hesitated. "Didn't you have that dinner tonight?"

I leaned in the palm of my hand, mumbling, "Yeah. It's still going on. I just needed some air."

Wanda must have sensed there was more to my words – it didn't take a genius to see that – but to my relief, she didn't push on. All she said was, "Oh, okay," and stayed quiet.

The two of us sat there, in a comfortable silence, staring into the city and revelling in the moon's presence. It was beautiful out, though not a single star could be seen because of the city's pollution. Instead, the moon hung high above our heads and conflicted with the many street and building lights of New York City, thriving even past dusk.

I probably could have stayed there all night, preferring Wanda's silent yet comfortable presence to whatever was waiting for me back inside. But to my dismay, I was called back in and sighed quietly to myself. 

"I should head back in," I excused myself, standing up to leave. But I lingered by the door, asking Wanda, "Have you eaten dinner yet?" She seemed puzzled with my question, and I continued speaking anyway. "I made a lot of food and have loads of leftovers I can't finish myself."

She seemed to understand what I was implying and shook her head. "That's okay, Y/N, thank you."

"Wanda, I insist," I said with a small smile. "It'll just go in the bin otherwise."

She was still reluctant. "Honestly, it's fine."

i wasn't taking no for an answer though. "I'll stop by in a bit to drop it off."

"Y/N, I–"

"See you then!" I exclaimed before heading back inside and leaving her no choice to deny it.

"There she is," Y/S/N called out to me when I returned. "You feel better?"

"Perfect," I said sarcastically.

She laughed. "C'mon, we're all sorry. Besides, Caleb and I have to go now, so we want to end on a good note."

Was I being too butt hurt? Probably.

"Right, sorry," I said, looking to them all, before saying, "Do you guys want any food to bring back with you?"

"You guys enjoy it," Caleb said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "It was delicious though, Y/N. Thanks for the lovely evening."

"Anytime," I said with a tired smile, before leading them to the door and looking to my sister. "Let me know when you're home, yeah?"

She hummed in agreement, before pulling me into a tight hug. "Love you, Y/N."

"Love you, too," I returned with a playful eye roll.

After bidding them a goodbye, I was left alone with Teddy, who was surprisingly washing the dishes.

"This your way of apologising?" I joked, stopping by the sink.

He glanced at me with apologetic eyes. "Depends. Is it working?"

As I met his brown eyes, I thought back to how frustrating he was acting earlier. He must have been acting out in front of guests for some reason, but he wasn't always like that. Maybe I was overreacting. 

"I'll let you know when you're done," I retorted, making him smile with amusement.

As he did that, I worked on filling some containers with leftover dinner for Wanda, being sure to include a generous amount of everything.

"Who's that for?" Teddy asked, noticing what I was doing.

"Wanda, my new neighbour."

"Never heard of her."

I gave him a knowing look. "Hence the word 'new'."'

He returned the stare. "What I mean is, I've never seen her around."

I shrugged, finishing packing the containers and stacking them to carry. "She prefers to keep to herself."

"What, like a weirdo?"

I rolled my eyes. "No, Teddy. She's just private. Introverted, if you will."

"Sounds like a weirdo to me..."

I chose to ignore him as I left the flat and headed to Wanda's. She opened up quicker than usual, probably since she was expecting me this time.

"Bon appétit," I joked, before holding out the takeaway containers. "It's lamb roast with veg, potatoes, some gravy and bread."

"You really didn't have to," she said, though accepted the food. When she glanced down at it, she added, "This is a lot for one person."

I couldn't help the smile on my face. "Enough for second's. You'll have to let me know if you like it. It's my best recipe."

She snickered, eyes meeting mine. "I'm sure it's delicious... do you want to come in?"

Stepping to the side, she looked to me with what I think was a hopeful expression. I felt bad when I smiled sadly, shaking my head.

"I'd love to, Wanda, but I've actually still got my boyfriend over and I can't really, y'know..."

"No worries," she was quick to reassure. "It's– no, it's okay, honestly. I just thought I'd ask."

It was the first time she'd ever asked and meant it, which meant she was finally getting comfortable with me. I would have preferred to go in, but I couldn't just leave Teddy, nor kick him out.

"Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?" I asked hopefully. "If you want, that is. Because I want to. But I don't want to just invite myself over."

She seemed amused as she nodded. "Tomorrow sounds great. Maybe I can make you dinner, as a thank you for this food."

I grew a little excited at spending a bit more time with the quiet, reserved brunette. "I'd like that."

She nodded, lips pursed into a suppressed smile, and glanced at the food in her hand. "Great. Well... have a good evening, Y/N. And thank you again for the food."

"Good evening," I returned, subconsciously memorising the rare smile she gave me, before leaving her to it.

When I returned to my flat, all I could think about was the next night and getting to know Wanda.